Can she teach your kid(s)?

I came across an interesting story in the Guardian newspaper today. 

Can you spot anything interesting about the picture? I didn't notice the girl's arm (or lack of) until I read further into the story.

Is prejudice a "skill" we acquire? Our world view is shaped by the people close to us - be they parents, family, friends, society or country - or by what we read, hear or watch in the mass media. What an individual view to be acceptable behavior may be taboo to another.

The disabled in Singapore may not feel embraced by society but I think we aren't doing too badly. 

Dr William Tan is a great example of a disabled person who does not bow to his disabilities. He has a PhD in medicine from Harvard and completed 10 ultra-marathons over 7 continents in 70 days. As for me, I am satisfied completing 2.4 km. Some years ago, I saw Dr Tan at Ikea Alexandra (Singapore) shopping in the store and then again, in the car park. His car was parked in the disabled lot (of course) and HE was the driver. 

Some people think that disabled people can't find work or take care of themselves without help. Some buskers are visually-handicapped and members of the public associate them with beggars. William Tan Wei Lian started his singing career as a busker and went on to win Singapore's first Superstar contest. While his win has been attributed to sympathy votes, most would agree that he is one of the best singers of the lot.

Andrew Bocelli, the Italian tenor, is also visually-handicapped but his songs are so moving. I watched a recent rendition of The Prayer he performed with Katherine McPhee. After the first couple of lines, I had to close my eyes and tears just fell. I am incredibly touched by the simplicity and tenderness of his voice. As the song peaked, he didn't need to scream or make wild gestures or even break a sweat. He's had several partners to this song but he's the real star, isn't it?

We often see disabled people in Finland. Wheelchairs are motorised and they move around with ease, going about their lives such as shopping at the supermarket or admin at the bank. Braille can be found on elevator buttons as well as medicine packaging.

Last Saturday, Estelle pointed to a man walking with crutches and asked me what they were and why he needed them. I replied that he had trouble walking and needed help, so he used crutches. One of his shoes was custom-made while the other was a running shoe.

Beijing hosted the Olympic Games in August last year, followed by the Para-Olympics. In the almost 2 years I lived in Beijing, I've never seen a disabled person in public. Walking paths may be lined with metal platelets to guide the visually handicapped but I've not seen one use them. Subways stations are not equipped with lifts or ramps so there is no way a wheelchair can get in. Maybe the new lines are facilitated but the city is too crowded anyway, so a disabled person is safer if he/she stays away.

Children with cleft lips are often abandoned in China. When each Chinese family can only have one child, some decide that they want a "perfect" one and try again. An American family in our church fosters and adopts such children and raises funds so they can be operated on. Another family runs a home for children with cerebral palsy so the aisles were sometimes jammed by tiny wheelchairs.

Singapore is in between. We are not totally embracing, neither do we ostracise the disabled. 

It boils down to us as individuals how we view and treat the disabled. Responsibility falls on us as parents to teach our children to respect them. 

I haven't seen Cerrie Burnell on TV but if she's good, she can teach my kids.

Another Fun Sunday

After that great outing last week, we decided to find another place we haven't been to, to do something we haven't done before.

Scouring the internet, we found Paloheinän maki. The website says it's a good place for outdoor activities. So again, find the address, program the GPS and off we go.

Paloheinän maki was crowded. The car park was full and the hills were alive with the sound of sleds.

Are you dizzy after watching the movie? Some of the slopes were really steep and slippery so we went rather fast. Some parts are so icy and slippery that you can't help yourself but slide downhill.

We saw kids as young as a few months old sledding. Their parents chose gentle slopes and they either go down with them or put them in baby sleds - kind of like a potty, except with ski bottoms.

Sledding is a great work-out. We climbed up-slope numerous times and sometimes, we slipped a few steps and crawled upwards. And every time we go down-slope, there's the rush of adrenaline. This went on for over an hour.

The outdoor temperature this afternoon was around -3ºC. We felt a little cold when we arrived but some rounds of sledding later, we warmed up. Throughout the outing, we didn't perspire nor felt hot and sticky. 

As much as the kids look forward to sunny Singapore and putting on shorts and sundresses again, I suspect humidity might be an issue.

Not so good news

What's cute, multiplies quickly and extremely dangerous?

If you are thinking about the Gremlins, you are wrong.

The correct answer is: wild rabbits.

I found out the proper term for our "pet" rabbit.

It is what the Finns call an urban rabbit. According to this story by national broadcaster YLE, these so-called urban rabbits are descendants of pets that escaped their owners, either intentionally or unintentionally. The report said that the city of Helsinki had problems with rabbits as early as the 1970s.

Through the years, the rabbits learn to survive in the wild. They multiply and their presence has spread beyond the city to suburbs like Vantaa and Espoo, where we live. The rabbits don't have natural predators. Here, the most dangerous thing that can happen to them is to be run down by a speeding vehicle.

Large parts of Finland are covered by forests and lakes. Paper and forestry are important industries here, particularly in the north. The authorities are worried that if left uncontrolled, rabbits can wreck havoc on the natural environment as well as gardens. If they can determine quickly the perimeter where rabbits live and breed, the easier it is to administer solutions.

Finland is not alone. The UK, France, parts of the US and Australia had reports of rabbit trouble. Typing in rabbit + wild + havoc on Google Search turns up a long list of examples.

Many articles go like "The rabbits may look cute and harmless but..." One website even has a "Click here to report a rabbit sighting" link.

"Long and cold winters are the best means of controlling the population," said Tapani Veistola of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation of the Finnish approach.

Winter may be the best time to tackle the rabbit problem. When spring comes, the rabbits would be more mobile and expand their territory further. 

Our "pet" didn't come back last week and tonight, it's gone again. Judging from the deeper prints it leaves on the snow, there's a high possibility it is pregnant. Nothing worth celebrating from the eco-environment perspective.

Jamie Oliver has a recipe for rabbit stew. He wrote that once you get over the thought of eating a cute animal, rabbits are really very tasty.

If Jesus can walk on water, so can we

Last Sunday, we decided to go somewhere we haven't been to before and do something we've never done before.

We've noticed a nice park along a highway towards Helsinki. On Saturday night, HG looked up Google Earth, found the stretch of water and identified a landmark. Sunday afternoon after Estelle's dance class, we followed directions given by the GPS and made our way to Laajalahti.

We walked along the coast and crossed a couple of wooden bridges that linked a couple of little islands. We thought we were going for a stroll in a park but little did we realise that we were going to embark on an amazing adventure.

From afar, we noticed people walking on the frozen water. Then we took the "plunge".

The water had frozen over so you could walk, ski, skate or even para-glide on it!

Estelle realised that she was going to walk on water and was hesitant about stepping in. After 2 brave steps holding my hands, she was moving on her own. What an exhilarating experience it was to walk on water! OK, technically, we were walking on the crystallised form of H2O but you've really got to try it for yourself.

Mandated by law, shops in Finland are closed on Sundays. Small proprietors can open on Sundays but supermarkets and department stores, including whole shopping complexes, are shut. Some shops in Helsinki open to cater to tourists but the city is quiet after 6 pm.

Since we arrived in June last year, we were at a loss what to do on Sundays. In Singapore or Beijing, we would spend Sunday mornings in church, followed by lunch, maybe walk the mall and finished with dinner. We would have spent the whole day out. 

In Finland, we are kind of under house arrest on Sundays. Since shops close at 6 pm on Saturdays, we would have stocked up on food to last us until Monday morning, at least. This means planning our menus in advance and racking my brains on activities to occupy the kids. 

If we go out for a walk around our home, the roads are quiet and we hardly see other living beings. Worse in November and December when the sun set at 3.30 pm. Not fun to go out when it's dark AND cold.

Last month, we met up with a family from school and went to visit a local skating rink. The outdoor grounds were filled with people of all ages, skating at various skill levels. We saw a little girl about 4 years old holding her daddy's hand as well as adults sparring with their hockey sticks. All having a good time. 

Yesterday, Laajalahti was like a giant playground where anyone can play. I'm estimating the area is around 4 sq km. Lots of space for everyone to do their thing. People came in their skates or skis or like us, just a pair of walking boots.

In my movie, you might have noticed the skating track where we took a break. There was a long skating track made out in the middle of the frozen sea! I don't know who or how they did it but the sea is turned into a free sporting facility.

Did you realise we were on the "wrong" side of the jetty? I was wondering why they kept a small circle of water fluid and placed barriers around it to warn people against dropping in. We never noticed the hut up the slope, which is actually a sauna. The sea is kept liquid so bathers can dip in. This certainly gives my entry on our own sauna experience a genuine Finnish perspective.

The walk on the sea is our most awesome experience in Finland so far. The icing on the cake is that it was totally free. F-R-E-E. 

We indulged in the wonders of nature, worked out our muscles and spent quality time with the family at no cost. The rewards: priceless.

To enjoy life in Finland requires a change in mindset. We were bored because we couldn't shop or eat out. Now, we discover that some of the best things in life are for free. 

Great Balls of Fire - Part II

Today is the 15th day of the Lunar New Year 元宵, an important date on the Chinese calendar. The family would gather together for dinner and celebrate the new year by lighting lanterns and fireworks.

Beijing has become a bad example of where you should hold a fireworks celebration.

Soon after 8 pm (local time), the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel caught fire as a result of fireworks let off in the vicinity. According to a China Daily report, the hotel was occupied during the Olympics but has since been vacant and is scheduled to officially open in mid-2009. This likely means that the rooms are furnished but there weren't any guests. The authorities are finding out if any construction workers or staff may be trapped in there. They are also reported to be investigating the cause of the fire.

In a video shot by a CNN viewer, you can still hear fireworks popping as the building burns. 

Mandarin Oriental Hotel is part of the CCTV grand project. The main building is made up of two blocks that were built separately and made to meet midway, looking like what the Chinese called "The Pants". Based on estimation on Google Earth, the hotel and Pants are just about 70m apart.

How's this for a pyrotechnics extravaganza?

Some of you may have seen my entry on New Year's Day where we had fun with fireworks in Finland. Whether city organisers or individuals, the Finns chose open spaces that are not close to buildings or trees.

Beijing is such a congested city. The CCTV towers are situated in a densely populated area near the East Third Ring Road, surrounded by residential estates and offices. People should NOT be playing with fireworks in this part of town. Maybe sparklers, but not firecrackers that shoot up into the sky and where trajectories sometimes fly out of control.

The fire brigade took about 20 minutes to get to the scene. CCTV reported 54 fire engines and troops from the Army rushed to put out the fire. However, water jets could not reach above 14 stories. The building would just have to be left to burn.

The new CCTV project is very close to where we lived in Beijing. We passed the buildings every day on the way to school or to work. We watched the scaffolding go up and when it was time for us to leave, the two buildings finally "kissed". One more successful milestone to glory.

Together with the Olympics venues Bird's Nest and Aqua Cube, these are symbols of a new Beijing - a modern and avant-garde city at the cutting edge of technology and lifestyle. Often the focus of TV documentaries, architecture and lifestyle magazines, they are China's pride and joy.

Despite the magnitude of the event, CCTV News dedicated just 20 seconds to it. The report centred on which VIPs, such as the mayors and CCTV chiefs, came quickly to the scene and by then, the fire had died down.

Tonight, we are reminded of the World Trade Centre Towers in NY. Thankfully, human casualties will be low. On the other hand, we see how recklessness can spark the swift and magnificent destruction of years of hard work.

* Pictures from www.xinhua.org.