Saturday, January 17, 2004
4:55 pm
ripped off gerry's blog.
Suicide isn't the answer to your problems.
Ask the 25-year-old who tried to electricute himself. He lived. But both his arms are gone.
What about jumping? Ask John. He used to be intelligent, with an engaging sense of humor. That was before he leapt from a building. Now, he's brain-damaged and will always need care. He staggers and has seizures. He lives in a fog. But, worst of all, he KNOWS he used to be normal.
What about pills? Ask the 12-year-old with extensive liver damage from an overdose. Have you ever seen anyone die of liver damage? You turn yellow. It's a hard way to go.
What about a gun? Ask the 24-year-old who shot himself in the head. Now he drags one leg, has a useless arm and has no vision or hearing on one side. He lived through his "foolproof" suicide. You might too.
But... Who will clean your blood off the carpet or scrape your brains from the ceiling? Commercial cleaning companies may refuse that job--but SOMEONE has to do it.
Who will have to cut you down from where you hung yourself or identify your bloated body after you've drowned? Your father? Your mother? Your wife? Your son?
The carefully worded "loving" suicide note is of no help. Those who loved you will NEVER completely recover. They'll feel regret and an unending pain.
Suicide is contagious. Look around your family. Look closely at the 4 year old playing with his cars on the rug. Kill yourself tonight, and he may do it ten years from now.
You DO have other choices. There are people who can help you through this crisis. Call a hotline. Call a friend. Call your minister or priest. Call a doctor or hospital. Call the police. They will tell you that there's hope. Maybe you'll find it in the mail tomorrow. Or in a phone call this weekend. But what you're seeking could be just a minute, a month, or a day away.
You say you don't want to be stopped? Still want to do it? -Well, then, I may see you in the psychiatric ward later. And we'll work with whatever you have left.
Remember: Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
If you're reading this, please steal it and put it in your journal.
yes suicide is digusting. jumping from the frying pan straight into the fires of hell.
anyway. life at home is good. but sheesh i'm missing obs already. i miss pulau ubin. i miss tong and shuyun. i miss the sound of the waters. i miss all the laughing and crying. and i wanna do the flying fox again! if i ever get another chance i'm gonna jump off higher than i did. sigh i regret not putting 100% of myself into obs when i could. if i could relive it i would do everything with 200% of me. if i got another chance to go back to sea ex i would definitely volunteer to switch with someone weaker. come to think of it 11 hours wasn't enough. another lesson learnt. stop living life with regrets. do everything you're doing to the fullest before it's all over and all you can do is wish you did. i've always tried to live with my philosophy but i suppose everyone trips up. sighh.
recipe for junko soup
things needed:
pulau ubin (the pot)
tong and ongsy (our instructors; the medium)
me, cheryl khoong, vania, mel lim, cheryl neoh, varni, sushma, sruthy, xiangying, xueting, ranjani, yiqing, charlene, rachel, lim min(us; the ingredients)
satisfaction, bonding, unity, triumph, laughter, etc. (sweet stuff)
our pespiration, cuts, seawater in our food, insect bites, etc. (salty stuff)
instructions:
mix everything together. savour every bit of it. keep the pot deep inside and take a bit of it along with everything else that you have in life.
quotes
opening quote:
the best quote is your own quote. (quite lame but haha. brandon, our camp director, read this one to us at the start of the camp.)
day one:
things like capsizing, the heat of the sun, cuts and bruises, and feelings of stickiness and itchiness are all part of unlucky luck; but misery is optional. (i might not have survived if not for this one.)
day three:
what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. (we're all stronger now baby! haha. think sea expedition.)
on the obs camp1 facade:
you'll never discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
there were quite a few other quotes but i can't remember them. even these aren't entirely accurate. darn. maybe i'll recall them one day. or i'll come across the blog of someone with a good memory. haha. oh yeah to end off here're audrey hepburns beauty tips that brandon read to us at the end. till next time, ciao!
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never
walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen
from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows.