The Japanese are not only showing their hardiness and resilience in good times, they are also showing these exceptional characteristics in the worst of times in one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded which also spawned a deadly tsunami that slammed into the small island nation, leaving a huge swath of devastation in its wake. They have also shown their abilities to bloom beautifully and gracefully just like the Vanda Miss Joaquim. The recent calamity did not put the affected areas into a state of chaos and in fact the Japanese has remained calm in handling and facing the situation; they have given all of us a very valuable lesson.

It can be challenging enough for some to maintain their composures during good times, not to mention during times like what the Japanese are going through now. They have not only continue to display an air of gracefully in their daily lives but have also extended their hands to others who are affected.

Many have truly risen to the occasion as a report by Associated Press. I am truly touched to read all the stories of people going beyond their own sufferings to make life better for others.

A lesson on “initiative” from Students in Karakuwa, who are bringing buckets of water from the school swimming pool to give survivors the dignity of a proper flush. Another lesson on unconditional sharing: “For a long time, in the countryside, even if you didn’t have enough for yourself, you shared with others,” said Noriko Sasaki, 63.

In another article by Hiroko Yoda in cnngo.com, she wrote:

Everywhere I go, I see people helping and encouraging each other, even total strangers. The outpouring of support and sympathy, especially in a metropolis filled with people who normally keep to themselves, has been astounding.

At my local supermarkets, prices have been lowered to help customers, who politely line up and pay without panic or complaint.

Hiroko also reported that in a broadcast interview with students by NHK, one of the students said, “We want to tell everyone living in shelters like us to stay strong,” and another said, “We’ll rebuild Japan together.” These are words from junior high schoolers, many of whom have yet to make contact with their families.

Lastly in the report by Associated Press, the Japanese has taught me the most valuable lesson on Gratitude:

At the school in Karakuwa, 43-year-old Emi Yoshida reads a book, still wearing the same clothes she had on the day the tsunami roared into town. She has not showered in a week and longs for a bed. Still, she is grateful for the comfort the community has provided her and her two sons.

Sharing with you Close to You performed by Karen Carpenter, a lady with a very unique and beautiful voice.

Lyrics of Close to You

Why do birds suddenly appear,
every time you are near?

Just like me,they long to be
close to you.

Why do stars fall down from the sky,every time you walk by?
Just like me,they long to be close to you.

On the day that you were born, the angels got together and decided to
create a dream come true.
So, they sprinkled moon dust in your hair, with gold and starlight
in your eyes of blue.

________________________________

Time truly flies; before we know it, a year has passed. Why did I sound so nostalgic today? Last year I blogged on the International Literacy Day which falls on September 8 of every year. It was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.

I was once a young child who took study for granted and would only want to play all days. And I grew up being a teenager who also took study for granted. However, I never hated studying and I studied hard for my examinations. Fortunately I did pretty well for my school and managed to graduate with a degree.

Looking back now, I enjoyed my study although I might not want to go through it again; I have always remembered the midnight run I had with friends around the campus during the exam period in University. A run after a day of study was always refreshing and welcome for us. I particularly enjoyed the night run as it was almost the coolest time of the day here in the hot and humid weather of Singapore.

I am very grateful and blessed to be given the opportunity to study without having to worry about everyday life back then; I just needed to focus on my study. This is very much the same condition that is given to children nowadays and yet they do not know how blessed they are to be given the opportunity to study. We couldn’t really blame them. I have walked the same path.

What I didn’t know then, “Some 774 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; 72.1 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.” And I believe that many more are working hard each day to ‘earn’ their time to study. You and I, we could have been part of the statistics above. However, if you are reading this right at this moment without difficulty, you are probably as blessed as I am. Just for this, it is very good enough reason to be grateful.

Covering the International Literacy Day this year has a greater meaning to me as I take this new journey. As Steve Job shared in his Stanford Commencement Speech about ‘connecting the dots,’ it is amazing how the dots are joining up for me. It seems as if the Universe is pointing me closer and closer to where I want to go.

What I will do today is to share this piece of information with children I am meeting in my new journey and hopefully with this new piece of information, it would inspire change in their perspective towards learning; to embrace this beautiful gift of literacy given to them. It is also my hope that they will go on to share this information with others along their way.

According to Power Over Cervical Cancer (POCC), “Cervical Cancer is the 2nd most common female cancer worldwide with 500,000 women diagnosed every year!” In Singapore, about 200 women are detected with cervical cancer and about 100 die from the disease every year, according to Health Promotion Board of Singapore. According to the American Cancer Society estimates for cervical cancer in the United States for 2010, “there would be about 12,200 new cases of invasive cervical and about 4,210 will die from cervical cancer.” It can happen to any women around us!

I believe each and everyone of us can play a vital role in bringing down the numbers by sharing information of cervical cancer with family, friends, associates, colleagues and, as in my case, to strangers as what I am doing through this post.

Cervical cancer is caused by several types of a virus called human papillomaviruses (HPV), which is normally spread through sexual activity. “Most women bodies are able to fight HPV infection. But sometimes the virus leads to cancer,” according to National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH also states, “Cervical cancer may not cause any symptoms at first, but later, you may have pelvic pain or bleeding from the vagina.” According to the HPB of Singapore, signs or symptoms of cervical cancer may include:

Unusual or foul-smelling discharge from the vagina

Blood spots or light bleeding when you are not having your period or after menopause

Bleeding or pain during sex

And HPB of Singapore also mentioned that it is possible to have cervical cancer even if you do not experience any of these signs or symptoms.

Who are at risk? According to the HPB FAQ section for cervical cancer,

All women aged between 25 and 69 who:

Ever had sex

Had multiple sexual partners

Had sexually transmitted infections (STI) e.g. genital warts, genital herpes and HPV infection

Smoke

As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure!” A woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer can be reduced by having regular pap smears/tests which is an early detection screening program. According to the American Cancer Society,

“Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women. Then, between 1955 and 1992, the cervical cancer death rate declined by almost 70%. The main reason for this change was the increased use of the Pap test. This screening procedure can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops. It can also find cervical cancer early — in its most curable stage.“

Although HPB of Singapore states in their FAQ section that pap smears should be done every 3 years, two of the most important women in my life, my mother and sister, are having their pap smears done almost on a yearly basis. Are the important women in your life having their pap smears done regularly already? Have you done yours?

Regardless of where you are in the world, together, we can empower the important and special women in our life over cervical cancer! Just simply by sharing information on cervical cancer, We Have the Power to Save Lives! You can find out more on how to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer from the website of POCC.