Yes, I am alive and kicking, happy and in Kuala Lumpur. It is nice to know that I am constantly in your thoughts. Thanks for the call. I appreciate that very much.

One of the things I miss most nowadays is the quiet time alone. Those were the moments of silence and solitude that I used to reflect and contemplate on life. Although I have figured out how to manage many aspects of my life, there are as many that I am still seeking answers for. Nothing is absolute. The only constant is change. Very often, I am slow in adapting.

The direction of my journey has already been charted. The sail has been unfurled. The voyage has begun. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions. I know where I am heading to but I am not sure how the journey will be like. What lies between the destination and where I am now are unfamiliar territories. I know that is the same for everyone else but the apprehension persists.

For today, I am going to spend the remaining hours freeing up my cluttered mind. Hopefully, I can discover again the serenity that once gave birth to so many wonderful inspirations. I am apt to forget the dictum of this blog – Living one day at a time. In attempting to do too many things at once most of the time, I accomplished nothing in the end. For now, I am going to stop and smell the roses. I have almost forgotten how wonderful its fragance was.

10 Questions About Disability

Do disabled persons have rights?

Are disabled persons accorded equal opportunity in activities that non-disabled persons take for granted?

Are disabled persons marginalised and segregated from society?

Should disabled persons live in institutions?

What is disability?

What is impairment?

Is disability the consequence of sin or karma?

Can disabled persons make important decisions concerning their lives?

Do disabled persons need charity and welfare?

Are disabled persons a burden to society?

Sue Rickell and I after the Disability Equality Training in Sentul.

Sue Rickell is the most articulate and passionate resource person I have had the privilege to train under. She is a veritable tome of information on disability equality issues. The knowledge that she imparted during those five days would have taken me months to research, study and understand. She made difficult to understand concepts easy to comprehend. Thanks Sue, for five wonderful days of enlightenment.

Japan International Cooperation Agency and Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia is running a workshop on Training for Trainiers - Disability Equality Training (TOT DET) at Institut Latihan Majlis Kebajikan dan Pembangunan Masyarakat Kebangsaan Malaysia (MAKPEM) in Bandar Baru Sentul from January 6 - 10. The workshop is conducted by Sue Rickell from the United Kingdom and attended by fourteen participants from various organisations. Four of the participants are from the Asia Pacific Centre on Disability in Bangkok. Bathmavathi Krishnan and I are playing supporting roles to Sue as we have attended the Training of Trainers - Disability Equality Training Workshop in 2005.