My hubby has been thinking a lot about sponsoring a child lately. We have been thinking of having a baby sometime next year and it probably triggered this thought. 

We always see this old lady sitting on the pave way and begging for money. While I faithfully try to give her whatever small change she has, my husband is more skeptical. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he always tells himself that they are “fake” beggars or that they are part of some scam organization. Once, he did witness a “blind” beggar running to his favourite spot at a busy bus stop. It kinda reinforces his notion of “fake” beggars. 

The thought of having our own child coupled with a moving article about the Bill Gates Foundation forced him to think and reflect again. It made him realize how lucky we are. It does not matter if they are really real or fake beggars. So what if we give some of our money to a fake beggar. It should not stop us from donating at all. There are people out there that really need our help, however small it is. It may mean a world of a difference to them. 

My hubby started to do some research on sponsoring orphans in 3rd world countries. We are really impressed by the stuff some organizations are doing to help orphans. www.childfundinternational.org and www.worldvision.org are 2 excellent sites. He hopes to start sponsoring a child by this year. My hubby has also made a metal note not to pretend that beggars are invisible and donate some money whenever possible. 

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tags: sponsor+orphan

Shanghai Metro during rush hour. Drop your shoulder and push when the train comes!

When I was in Songjiang, I hate to get up early in the morning and play rugby with the Shanghainese at the metro station.

Everyone will wait patiently for the train to arrive. Upon hearing from a distance away a long screeching of the railway tracks, the crowd inevitably moved towards the ledge I almost thought they were going to jump down to the railway.

The carriages are literally like sardine cans. Passengers are standing so close to each other that there is no space to move at all. Even when the carriages seem to be full, passengers still manage to squeeze in when the train stops at every station. Squeezed in from the side, center, or even crawl in from the top and below to be the first to get into the train. Some of the passengers engage in a short 5 meter sprint just as the door opens and try to barge in. It gets warmer, crampier, and tighter inside the carriage.

Beside squeezing, pushing and hurling… passengers have to take note and be careful though. The rush hour period represents a good opportunity for thieves. There have been a few occasions where passengers find their valuables (mobile phones, wallets etc…) missing when they alight from the packed carriages. Ladies beware as there are bound to be some people who will take advantage. 

It would be nice if the metro can introduce1 or 2 ladies-only carriages like in Japan. 

The Shanghai metro can be the most crowded thing that I’ve ever seen in my entire life, with tremendous amounts of pushing and squeezing.

Popularity: 10% [?]

The hopes of 1.3 billion Chinese people rested on the shoulders of Liu Xiang, the golden boy of China’s Track and Field. Today, 90000 strong crowd cramped into the Bird’s Nest in anticipation. Many more had their eyes glued to the television. They expect him to breeze past the qualifying rounds and finally face Dayron Robles, the Cuban who broke Liu’s world record. Their hopes were dashed when Liu limped away into the tunnel, his hamstring apparently injured. It was not the ending everyone wanted. Watching him limping away reminded me of Britain’s Derek Redmond at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and Tanzania’s John Stephen Akhwari at the 1986 Olympic in Mexico City. 

Sportsmanship and Fatherhood - Derek Redmond, 1992 Barcelona Olympic

Redmond was competing in the 400 meters semi-finals when he too, tore his hamstring. He fell to the ground in pain. When he saw stretcher bearers running towards him, he got up again and hobbled on one leg down his lane. He was determined to finish the race. His father barged his way past security to help him past the finishing line. It won a rousing ovation from the 65,000 crowd and the incident has become a well-remembered moment in Olympic history.

Finish the Race - John Stephen Akhwari, 1986 Mexico Olympic

Like Redmond, John Stephen Akhwari finished the marathon last. In fact, he finished the race one hour after the event had been won. He fell during the race, badly cutting his knee and dislocating the joint. Not deterred, the lone runner pressed on and completed the race to the standing ovation of the small crowd left in the stadium. When asked why he did not retire from the race and chose to continue running, he seemed confused but gave a simple answer:

“My country did not send me 5000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5000 miles to finish the race.”

His words inspired countless people.

Credit: Beijing2008

Recently, he appeared in Beijing as a goodwill ambassador in preparation for the Beijing 2008 summer games. During his visiting, Akhwari encouraged the students to be strong-minded, just like him.

Liu Xiang limping cross the finishing line would have showcased his mental strength and humanity’s strength of character….

Popularity: 12% [?]