Life

MALAYSIA’S GUTSY YOUTH & SPORTS MINISTER AND VIVACIOUSLY VIBRANT SINGER VISITS THE BATIK INFLUENCER AND THE HATTED WRITER

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Saturday morning was upon us just like any other Saturday morning. Except that “this” Saturday morning was different. Never before have we experienced it…ever. It was September 6th, 2025. Never has anyone ever experienced this date before this date. And once it was gone, that’s it. Never to experience it again.

The message I think we can all get from this is to treat every moment in every day preciously. Live everyday in the present, fully. We tend to take things for granted like for instance, breathing. We do not consciously have to tell or instruct our lungs to breathe in or breathe out. It’s a given. Yet, it is the most important function amongst many other functions, needed to live.

Time, while we have no control of it’s beginning nor its end, should never be wasted. We are accountable for what’s in between the beginning and the end. Live it to its fullest.

So, it seemed like every other Saturday before it but it was actually not. Besides the date, we were old older than we were the moment before. We all, will be able to realise this when we view life from a different perspective. Sure, there are going to be ups and downs, it all boils down to that “D” word.

My wife, Jeannie; the Batik Influencer, and I; Alan, the Hatted Writer; were setting up our booth F1.08, on the First floor of Amcorp Mall, just before the Flea Market was officially opened for the day. My favourite Tibetan friend Rigzin Dolma; and Uncle Patrick and his wife, greeted us as we came in. Their booths, next to us were already set up. As we were putting the “finishing touches” in arranging our wares; a familiar person caught the corner of my eye.

YB. Hannah Yeoh, with yours truly.

I looked up and it was who I thought it was: YB. Hannah Yeoh, Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sports. A dear friend, going back to the time in her first term when she served as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Subang Jaya. Indeed, it was a pleasant surprise.

I was honoured to write a few words for this pint-size, yet gutsy lady.

I remember the days when Hannah was running for office, which would be her first term in office. There was a big colour poster of her on one of the walls of a public place. She was so refreshing when compared to who she was running against. She drew the crowds which left her opponents near empty. YB. Hannah helped re-vitalise Subang Jaya, paving the way for her successor, YB. Michelle Ng, to continue to successfully build on those strengths; making Subang Jaya what it is today.

I brought Hannah up to speed about what’s been happening with us, and that our daughter Laura, is back in Malaysia, married. She kept tabs with Laura’s swimming career – state swimmer representing Selangor, then, represented her university while studying abroad. That’s Hannah – She always takes an interest in the people she engages with.

It was great seeing her again. Hope to see her again, soon.

YB. Hannah Yeoh, Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, with me and my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

Jeannie, The Batik Influencer, with some of her latest Batik Cape Creations under the JEANNIE’S OWN label and YB. Hannah Yeoh, Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sports.

While the Mall may have seemed quite quiet (had to be careful of the spellings of these last two words), The Batik Influencer and yours truly, were kept rather busy with visitors stopping by to view the very, very limited JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations. They did not just view; they acquired, too.

People enquired about the areas I cover in my 1-to-1 coaching and small group coaching:
1. Believe in Yourself
2. If You Think You Can, You Can
3. Time Management
4. Financially Debt Free (in the true sense of the word)

I was able to write my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, with these👆 as my guiding principles. The idea of seizing the moment ahead, which is the future; and living in the present: fascinating! What better way to start than with believing in yourself first.

The singer, Vanessa Reynauld and the writer (the Hatted Writer, i.e.), me.

From the corner of my other eye, I spotted someone else I knew, coming by our way. It was the lively, bubbly, I-will-because-I-can, very talented, multi-lingual, silver medal winner of China’s Water Cup singing contest, Vanessa Reynauld.

Vanessa’s parents are close friends of my parents. so, when they visit my parents, Vanessa and her sister, visit my parents, too.

And another…
One for the camera.

Vanessa started singing at the age of four. She took to stage like ducks to water. She is a natural.

Vanessa is the upcoming, bright, Malaysian singer with brilliance in her voice. She is a very simple, friendly person with a huge social media following both local and internationally. She continues to wow people wherever she goes. Catch her voice, her talent, her music…catch the vivaciously vibrant Vanessa Reynauld radiance.

With the vivaciously vibrant, Vanessa Reynauld.

The day continues…

The Batik Influencer demonstrating the versatility of a JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creation.

TIME TO CELEBRATE

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Time to celebrate. It’s the first Saturday of the second half of the year. Who would have imagined 50 years ago that we would arrive to this day? It is also the 5th morning of July in the 25th year of the 2000s. We have only just moved into the second half of the year. Why only “just moved” you may ask? That’s a very good question.

Very Frenchy. Having a sliced chicken, butter & jam toasted sandwich, with an Americano. My coffee had to be the Americano as they did not serve long-black. Working on something new. No, not that… yet which I have been questioned many-a-time, “When is your …. …. launched?”

This year consists of 365 days. Therefore, split the year down the middle to exactly half of the year, it would mean 365 days divide by 2, the answer to that is 182.5 days. June 30th marks the completion of 181 days. Therefore, 12.00pm July 2nd, would be the half year mark. So, “just moved” is correct.

For those people who are goal oriented (Is it oriented or orientated? What do you think? [1] ) Are you on track with your annual goals? Do you still remember those new year’s resolutions that you (may have) made at the beginning of this year? Yes, those resolutions.

If you have not started yet or started and stopped; I will let you in on a secret. It’s one of the world’s best secrets, ever: Now, is a good time as any, to start. Your biggest and fiercest competitor is your old and current YOU.

Now that you know who your biggest competitor is, you, you can run your race. Go all out and more.  Best of all is for every notch up from where you are now, it is considered a notch towards self-improvement. Don’t stop until you cross the finish line.

I am pretty much on target with my goals, just a bit behind. Initially, I thought I was going to zoom well ahead of my goals. Then, as we moved into Q2 of the year, things seemed to have slowed down a couple of notches.

Anytime is a good time to celebrate. Now is as good as any to start. As for the goals that are yet to be achieved or what may seem as impossible from this point of time; if the current results may seem too distant from your goals; keep going. It ain’t over til it’s over. Summon the inner strength, that’s waiting to show off what it can do. Most of all, have fun. Whatever the results may be at the finish line; it will be worth it.

I think most of all, we celebrate being grateful for every next, new moment we are blessed with, that we have the opportunity to make a difference in today’s world in our own little way.

Notes:

  1. In formal writing, more so in American English, “oriented” is widely accepted. “Orientated” is acceptable in more casual or British English (Queen’s English… or is it referred to as King’s English now?) contexts. 

LIFE: DON’T STOP BELIEVING

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

What is life? That is the question. Not William Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be?”

How many times have you heard the answer, “like that lah” (Malaysian expression). “The same”, “as usual”, “boring”… and the “expressive” or “non-expressive” list goes on, including “have time to kill”.

There are those who will describe life like pictures of people running through fields of long grass (not lalang), big smiles on their faces, with butterfly nets, trying to catch those colourful little creatures that fly, everyone so happy, with orchestra-type happy music filling the background; no space for white blank blotches or anything like that.

Life, besides having to breathe air (especially the oxygen part), is about experiences. “Experience” may seem general. It is. It would encompass everything that has happened, is happening and is going to happen (the past, the present, the future).

“Phew! The past. Glad that it is over.” This is an expression of having experienced some really challenging times. It is an expression from those who have made it. Some expected the difficulties and hardships during those times, were prepared, somewhat for it, and “pulled through”. Others were not so fortunate, when these challenging, painful times hit them. They were not prepared for it, yet somehow, they endured it; and have overcome it.

Then, another two groups of people exist. Both live rather, safe, happy lives.

One group goes about life with no challenges. Everything seems to work out for them, Day in, day out. It’s so mundane. They don’t really complain. They go about life, existing. This is what they were meant to do, and they are doing it. They don’t think it special. It’s just there.

Then, there is the flip side of this group, with the same plus(+)s in life. They know they are more privileged than others and don’t take things for granted. This is the group that do not look down on those that don’t have what they do in life, but recognize them as equals. After all, “We are all human beings”.

In every moment that has passed in life, an experience is formed. If you come to think of it, no two moments are the same. They can never be the same. We are never the same age. We get older each passing moment.

Life is about One Direction – forward. We have to keep moving in the direction of improving ourselves in every little way. Every moment, which is the future, avails itself to us, giving us the opportunity to better ourselves in every way, in our own way, in our space. Therefore, we become our own competitor. Improving ourselves from the last moment, is a win. We could say it builds self-confidence.

Probably one of the best ways of doing this is to look for the positives of people. “Oh, that’s hard to do”, you may say. Sure, practice doing that all the time. Practice (the right way), makes perfect. Soon enough, you will not have the time (nor the patience), to notice anything negative because your time is consumed looking for the positives and moving forward.

In no way is this pretending that challenges in life do not exist. They do. Many a time, we do not have answers to them. However, we have to face / meet these challenges head on and at times circumvent them. This can only be accomplished if we continue to strive to look for the positives.

Life: Don’t stop believing.

LIFE: ALL ABOARD! NEXT STOP IS THE NEXT MOMENT.

NOTES: Being grateful

TRIPLE CELEBRATIONS

/ Alan Atkinson / 2 Comments

It’s my birthday…again? Mum asked in jest. The word “jest” (1) became or was made quite popular when two past politicians (they still think they are or behave as though they are [said in jest]) used it to make fun of statements and reports made by media, for and against them.

Jeannie, the Batik Influencer and my wife; Laura (our, Jeannie and mine) daughter; Praga, Laura’s fiancé and me (yours truly, the Hatted Writer); were up in Klang, last morning (Saturday), to visit mum and dad, since Praga could not make it for this evening’s “do”.

So, it’s Sunday evening. Mum, dad, their children and their families got together to celebrate mum’s 87th birthday. We take birthdays and anniversaries as gifts and blessings. Besides celebrating mum’s birthday, we celebrated dad’s & Mum’s 68th wedding anniversary. Mum related a story that when she was very young, a couple friends of theirs celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. At that time, 25 years was such an achievement not to be taken lightly. “And the couple looked old / aged”, she said. Now, she is celebrating 68th with dad, and 25 just does not look nor seem so long after all.

It was Father’s Day, too, where we fathers were wished “Happy Father’s Day!” A triple celebration.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was that we all came together. We are more often than not, caught up with multiple things and events on each of our personal calendars, to manage to pull this event off. Even then, we still had some of the family members missing from today because of their tight schedules.

Here, Malcolm, who is a Pastor; a singing Pastor, a person that is liked by everyone; said a blessing over the food.
The “grand” Atkinson, dad; with his two youngest granddaughters.

We gathered around the table, where Malcolm said a special blessing for mum, especially for continued good health. Then, for the food. The food was as usual, plentiful. It was a combination of Asian and western food. Everyone brought something different. Though there was a lot of food, including desserts; Alana got tempted for ice-cream potong (3) and ordered it with Grab delivery services.

A family picture. Left to Right: King (Kheng) as he is more often referred as, is Sarah’s boyfriend; Shirley (late brother, Nigel’s wife); Sarah, (Shirley and Nigel’s daughter); the birthday queen, Mum; the Father’s Day King, Dad; Uma (Malcolm’s wife), standing behind dad; Alana (Terence’s & Mabel’s eldest daughter), who is also the eldest granddaughter Atkinson, Laura (Jeannie, the Batik Influencer’s & my daughter), who is also the youngest granddaughter Atkinson; Mabel (Terence’s wife); Terence; Malcolm; the Batik Influencer; Jeannie and yours truly, me.

When we had our fill with dinner, we moved over to the living room, where everyone was relaxed, chilling out and chatting on many subjects; just catching up and bring each other up to speed with their daily going-ons.

The bir-ther-day (how some locals here still pronounce “birthday” in a unique way) was soon readied for the birthday song. However, not before pit-cher (another Malaysian local pronounced English word, “picture”) taking session. Jeannie organized this quick session. Quick because we all have become picture-taking professionals, experts and veterans. Once, the multitudes of pictures were taken from several smartphones, the long, single candle on the cake was lighted and we sang “Happy Birthday” to mum. We sang in the right key and timing – music is a gift we inherited from dad and mum.

The bir-the-day (as some would pronounce birthday) cake.

We stayed on for the cake and also the ice-cream potong and continued crisscrossing chats with each other (most of us did that). Somehow, there never seems to be enough time to say all that we want to say as it was soon time to call it a night.. The three celebrations of Mum’s 87th birthday, Dad’s & Mum’s 68th wedding anniversary and Father’s Day does not only mark the end of the year that has gone past, but ushers in the “new year” for each of these events with an abundance of love, joy and experiences to come.

NOTES:
Photographs are courtesy of Sarah and Kheng.

1. “Jest” means a thing said or done for amusement; a joke.
2. “Do” can also means party, celebration, reception, bash, gala, fête, shindig, fete, function, affair, blowout, dance, blast, ball, occasion, get-together, binge, fund-raiser, benefit, formal.
3. Potong means “cut” in Malay, referring to rectangular popsicles that are cut into portions from a bigger block. Made of coconut milk, skimmed milk, corn starch and sugar as basic ingredients, they fused it with flavours such as yam, durian and the most popular, red bean. makansutra.com

FAMILY AND THREE HASHBROWNS

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

It’s another day. Yay! Does not sound too over-joyous? Is the “joy” in that statement?

We tend to take “tomorrow” as a given. We all set our alarms the night before to wake up the morning after, to get ready for school, work, or some morning activity. O.k. o.k., not all of us.. well most of us do.

I seem to be making a lot of typo errors with clikity-claketing (spelling correct 😁), and all the other sounds that are coming out of my Logitech MX Mechanical as I thump on the keys, typing out wortds, (there I go again: it is “words”), sentences, paragraphs and this essay that I am working on right now.

Molst (there it goes again: the word is “most”) of the time, I get on the keyboard and start typing away from memory. I do refer to some notes (whenever I have something jotted d0own[down]).

What is really important is how we receive each day, what we do with it and do we look back at the end of each day with gratefulness?

As I am living my next 65 years (from July 10th 2023), I look at life with vigor. I try not to take anything for grant6ed (“granted”. It’s not my mistake, it’s the keyboard. Haha. If we can’t have fun now, then, when can we?).

One of the livings of life that we enjoy is when we have a family meal together. Our “big” family of three, yes the number is right : 3; can be quite a task getting together.

Our gewtting (it’s “getting” la [with a bit of “a”? Malaysian slang]) together at most times is quality time. What meal we have is not as important as having that bit of quality time. Quality time means, our smartphones are smart enough not to interrupt our family time. It is not that the phones are never used. It is just that we are not staring at the screen while having a conversation.

This time round, it was a morning breakfast at the Scottish restaurant, McD’s. McD’s does serve up a pretty cool breakfast.

All our meals came with hashbrowns.

I had a coffee from their McCafe counter, Laura had an iced milo and Jeannie and iced tea to go with our food.

Mine was a sausage McMuffin.

Jeannie and Laura do most of the talking as I like to listen to their daily happenings and plans. I find it very interesting. What may seem ordinary to the person, can be interesting to others. The smiles that come about, the noticeable distinct sparkle in the eye when a happy moment, thought or memory comes up.

Jeannie and Laura, both; had an egg and chicken muffin.

Jeannie and Laura are my Number 1 supporters for me to have my book published. It is coming. I am as excited as they are. The manuscript is taking shape. I have to organize a dedicated time space each day to work on the book. Once that is in place, there will be a fixed momentum with an ETP (Expected Time of Publication) on trhe (“the”… another MX mechanical typo?) calendar.

Picture taken by Laura with the Samsung S23 Ultra. It was a quick frame and shoot picture. She always seems to get the better angles.

Our breakfast was for about an hour. Needless to say, it was really good. Family time is good time – always.

NOTES:
Just having fun with the Logitech MX Mechanical keyboard. It is the best keyboard I have had so far. I am enjoying the use of it. I can see that it is going to be with me for a long time to come.

F3.08 – THIS WEEKEND

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

experiencing friendships…

It is the weekend again. It has been quite the week since last Sunday.

I think the highlight of the week was when I was momentarily airborne (I think). No, I did not say, “Up, up and away!”. You would have mistaken me for the guy that wears his red underwear over his turquoise blue leotards. That must have been some sort of punishment he had to endure his whole life.

And for some of you who may think just because I am writer, I would have pulled out a fountain pen from my pocket and shouted, “Shintaro akeh kusa” or something like that and transform to the giant plasticky looking guy, with bulging eyes, and sort a mohican blade hairstyle running from the centre  front of his head, all the way to the back. How many of you guys remember this – the crossing of his hands provides him the ultimate weapon. Yes, Ultraman.

The fall in Taipan, USJ; after that totally airborne moment or so; was quite a shocker. Jeannie rushed me to a clinic to get my wounds attended to. Now, into the third day, I am here waiting to get the dressing changed. The wounds are healing nicely.

We had so much fun last weekend at our F1. 03 booth. One of the many highlights of that weekend was when we met a Thai food Influencer. She did a short interview with the Batik Influencer, Jeannie. Thai Food Influencer & the Batik Influencer… hmmmmm. Maybe, a collaboration in the future?

This looks nice.

What do you think?
“Looks good on you. Go for it,”, her friend seemed to be saying. The gentleman in the red tee was browsing through the collectibles – many of them are hard to come by nowadays.

On the second day at the booth, I suddenly realised I left our house that morning without a hat. That only meant one thing – a visit to Mahmud, the hat and spectacle seller. As usual, he always has a super vibrant choice of hats and caps.

I tried on many and then came down to two choices:

This Gatsby
This flat cap

or

It was a tough choice. The Gatsby was more a laidback, versatile, U.S., U.K., Japanese or French (beret) style cap. Or The flat cap. Neat always, on the go for any occasion, more formal for formal and casual occasions.

Jeannie and our daughter, Laura; chose the same one as I had in mind – the flat cap. Love it. It is a very, very comfortable cap.

“I like this”, I hear her saying. After trying it on, she acquired it.

The “JEANNIE’S OWN” label Batik Cape, loo0ks fabulous anyway it is worn, for any occasion.

“This I want”, he said.

In the meantime, I met some people who gave me some more ideas of how my book should come about. At present, I am putting together a manuscript. So, that is how much closer to having my book published. Excited and at the same time feel the pressure building up as I am targeting a deadline to have the book go to print. The people that I had talked with over that weekend gave some constructive ideas to possibly further enhance the book further. I wish I could incorporate all those ideas. However…., perhaps my next book or so.

The Batik Influencer, sharing her passion of batik to this customer.

She bought.

We look forward to having fun yet again, this weekend. The Batik Influencer has got several new designs out. Be the first to come and grab them. Very limited numbers.

Batik is for any occasion.

There are more pre-loved items that will be up for grabs at ultra special prices, over the next two days.

Come and check us out. We are looking forward to meeting all of you. Let’s once again, be the livewire of Amcorp Shopping Mall.

Wow! That’s a nice contrast of yellow / orange flowers, with deep green leaves; against a lucious pink back.
This is how it is folded.

Booth F3.08, 3rd Floor,
Amcorp Shopping Mall, 8, Jalan Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52,
46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: May 25 and May 26, 2024
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm

AND THE WINNER IS…

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

It was a bit of a slow start today. My wife, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; was out early in the morning, to meet her relatives, staying at her parents’ for the weekend. They arrived down from Penang (Penang is a state up north west of Peninsula Malaysia) for a couple of days.

Jeannie took her relatives and her mother out for breakfast. I, on the other hand, got out of bed about an hour later, got some paperwork done and had a quick brekkie. Jeannie got back a short while after that.

We made our way to Amcorp Shopping Mall, parked in the basement car park, noted for its maze of dividing walls.

The Batik Influencer was on the go immediately.

The Hatted Writer then realised that he was missing a prominent piece of attire – his (my) hat. I reminded myself before leaving the house to get a hat off the hat stand. Yet I forgot.

This warranted a visit to Mahmud, the hat seller. 

And the finalists are:

This black, white and grey flat cap is for serious and out & about occasion wear. Light in weight, very comfortable.

Whichever angle I turn my head, the flat cap looks good. I believe it has a lot to do with the model wearing it.🤠

The ultimate serious look. Firm, yet approachable.

Yes, go ahead…ahead; I’m listening.

The innocent, yet mischevious, beckons “Dennis The Menace” look.

This Gatsby / newsboy cap is versatile to wear. American style, Japanese style, British style, shade can be at the side which depicts an ultra “hang-loose” person, at the back is when you want to do light to semi-serious work. It all depends on the mood of the wearer.

This is more the French beret style look. More like an artist who can’t keep the beret on his head if the cap is worn on the side of the head, like the French do.

It is heavier than the flat cap. It looks a lot like a locomotive train engineer’s cap.  The old American tv shows about trains and the likes, have the steam and diesel locomotive train drivers and engineer guys, wearing something like this cap.

Plumber?

This definitely is the “Gatsby” look.

Mahmud had piles of hats and caps to choose from, including those on the multiple, directional stem hat stands that were clamped to the sides of the table. He has a hat for every occasion, for every one. I spent some time asking him lots (“multiple” for some) of questions about these two caps and others, as well.

Now, the deciding factor. Which cap – the flat cap or the Gatsby cap?

Which one do you like? Which do you think I should get?

Drum roll…drrrroooll….

The winner…

The flat cap. It is unanimous! The Batik Influencer and our daughter, Laura (I sent her pictures of me with both the flat cap and the Gatsby cap); both voted the flat cap, too.

I was more inclined to go with the flat cap all along. Super happy with it. Light and ultra-comfortable. You will see me with it more often in the future.

Now for some afternoon curry puffs sold be a lady manning a food stall booth on the Ground floor. Delicious!

WE ARE THE LIGHT

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

One of those times spent contemplating…

It is intensely amazing to see how light reflects off from one source. It is intensely amazing how colours play an important role in our lives.

In the pictures below, the yellow represents life. That is a constant. Life does not change.
The drops of water represents people, us, you and me. The different sizes just means that people come in all shapes, sizes – it does not matter. People are people – standard.
One source of light reflects on all of us, in different ways, intensity and size.

What happens when those drop of water moves. They change their shape and may have a larger or smaller area now, which could also mean their area which they reflect the light from them and the intensity, could change. Sometimes, it becomes dark. Or, they could become more even in size. One thing remains constant – life (The yellow).

When we connect Life with time; we will all have a story. Life need time to live; and time needs life to have life.

A light reflection from one source creates many “lightbulbs” of all shapes and sizes. These lightbulbs represent, us – people.

The “yellow” represents life. We are alive. We are life.

Depending on which angle or way we look at it, the millions of light sources may change shape, look smaller or look bigger. What does not change is LIFE.
Life continues. No matter what. Do we want to be a part of it?

It is amazing to think that the next moment ahead of us IS THE FUTURE. That is a fact. When that moment comes / arrives; it is the present. After that it is gone – the past.

We have to constantly and consistently plan for the future because the future which began with the moment ahead of us, keeps changing, keeps evolving.
That future becomes the present. When it comes, live it. Enjoy it, savour it. For it soon becomes the past. Many people spend most of their time living in the past.

Throughout these three stages of time is life. Life does not come with an instruction manual. Life in general, is constant. We get connected with life, live it, enjoy it. Many have difficult times. Then our time is up.

The key here is living life, which would entail giving of oneself to others. The interesting part is not expecting anything back in return.

The reflection of light on the drops of water (which represent us as people) on the glass, is not going to grow much; meaning if we don’t share it with others who are out of the angle of light. If we decide to share the light we have with others, the number of people shining this light which represents “Life”, grows. Our world becomes a brighter place. The reflection of our light somehow becomes brighter than before. Sharing our light of life in no way diminishes the light that we have.

Life does not depend on us. We, as people; depend on life. How we make it out to be, depends on us. We are the light.


GIVE LIFE ANOTHER CHANCE

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

It’s Sunday, 2.24am (GMT +8 hours). Time is moving so fast that it does not seem like it’s about to slow down anytime soon.

Or have we been shortchanged? Are we getting a full day or or 24 hours or 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds? Or has second lost perhaps a 1,000 of second, thus ultimately making each day shorter?

24 hours being the standard size of day is something we all equally have. Most of us don’t have to worry about how to fill our days up. What we fret about more is how little time we have to do all those things we have to do or plan to do. When somehow, the magic of modern technology helps us in our daily lives and helps organise our time, freeing us to have some free time in each day. Some have half hour, some an hour, others may be fortunate enough to perhaps get a couple of hours; that they never had in a very long, long time, now they’ve got it.

Then, you will hear this somewhat common phrase, “no choice”. That cannot be further from the truth than it already is. Everything we do or not do, is a choice. Most people omit that “not doing anything” is a choice. In fact, making a choice is a choice in itself.

We all have a past. We’ve made choices that maybe weren’t the best ones. None of us are completely innocent.

We all get a fresh start each and everyday to be a better person than we were yesterday. We have to work towards that.

So, yeah, life is tough. No one said it was going to be easy. Welcome to the real world.

Then I came across this news on the net:

“

[Zoraya ter Beek, 28, expects to be euthanized in early May. 

Her plan, she said, is to be cremated.

Ter Beek, who lives in a little Dutch town near the German border, once had ambitions to become a psychiatrist, but she was never able to muster the will to finish school or start a career. She said she was hobbled by her depression and autism and borderline personality disorder. Now she was tired of living—despite, she said, being in love with her boyfriend, a 40-year-old IT programmer, and living in a nice house with their two cats. 

She recalled her psychiatrist telling her that they had tried everything, that “there’s nothing more we can do for you. It’s never gonna get any better.” 

At that point, she said, she decided to die. “I was always very clear that if it doesn’t get better, I can’t do this anymore.”

“I’m a little afraid of dying, because it’s the ultimate unknown,” she said. “We don’t really know what’s next—or is there nothing? That’s the scary part.”

Zoraya ter Beek. (Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The Free Press)

Ter Beek is one of a growing number of people across the West choosing to end their lives rather than live in pain. Pain that, in many cases, can be treated. 

Typically, when we think of people who are considering assisted suicide, we think of people facing terminal illness. But this new group is suffering from other syndromes—depression or anxiety exacerbated, they say, by economic uncertainty, the climate, social media, and a seemingly limitless array of fears and disappointments. 

“I’m seeing euthanasia as some sort of acceptable option brought to the table by physicians, by psychiatrists, when previously it was the ultimate last resort,” Stef Groenewoud, a healthcare ethicist at Theological University Kampen, in the Netherlands, told me. “I see the phenomenon especially in people with psychiatric diseases, and especially young people with psychiatric disorders, where the healthcare professional seems to give up on them more easily than before.”

Ter Beek’s medical necklace says ‘Do not resuscitate.’ (Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The Free Press)

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to make euthanasia legal. Since then, the number of people who increasingly choose to die is startling. 

By Rupa Subramanya, The Free Press, April 1, 2024]

From the onset, I do not want to judge, only question her decision. Why sell out on life so easily? Why give up what others are fighting to have, even if it is for one more day?

I cannot begin to even know how Zoraya feels. From the write-up above, it seems that she has based her decision on how she feels, her mental health.

The statement that her psychiatrist made “that there was nothing else that could be done for her” is very surprising. I think that she should seek help from another or other psychiatrists.

Her environment. The people in her circle, her city – they could have all had an influence on her. I believe that she has not explored all options that could be available to her. She has to check those options out.

Zoraya may be all alone (and she possibly feels that) in her quest to find the right answers to her questions. She may not get all answers right or the answers that she is looking for but she should never give up on looking for answers. Over time, the answers she may get get could evolve to better answers.

Now, it is no longer just about a person suffering from a life threatening terminal illness, a person who can’t live with the physical pain from the illness, a person who is brain dead (a vegetable)… It’s, “I don’t feel like living anymore”.

“Call the executioner. He or she makes house calls.” They aren’t doctors. Doctors are meant to save lives, not snuff them out. I wonder if what they are doing is from the bottom of their hearts, for humanity, to preserve humanity by killing them. Are these executioners doing it for free or do they charge a pretty penny?

She wears a medical necklace that says, “DO NOT RESUCITATE”. Which normal person who sees a person collapse in a public place, is going to stand by and not do anything? Even if he or she has read the message on her necklace? They won’t want to be party to any suicidal act.

People are literally fighting to have a moment extra in life.

Life is not a thing. It is a passage that is fluid. We just need to see how beautiful it is. Even in our darkest of times, we need to embrace this platform, this stage, if you may; to do our dance, our act from the time the curtains go up when we are born to the time they come down when our time is up. Nobody can perform your life’s performance better than you.

Giving up so easily on life. Life does not give up on you so easily.

Zoraya Ter Beek looks like a nice lady. I hope that people in and around The Netherlands can reach out to her and convince her to catch that twinkle of life. I do hope that readers of Leatherpotato.com from over 80 countries will encourage Zoraya to give herself another chance.