Life, Goes On....

first of all, to those who are aware that of my victory just hours ago, please also be aware that due to certain unavoidable technical errors, i cannot represent M'sia to UK. this issue is of no particular party's fault but it is the natural thing that we, humans, living beings and emotional homo sapiens do, which is making a mistake. i am truly sorry if i had disappointed any of you all. besides, i am also sorry for the trouble i have caused for anyone. here below is my both my prepared and impromptu speech which i think i should post them up for those who missed them. hope you like them. :)

Prepared Speech- We can stop the spread of AIDS, Malaria and other diseases.

"I am a prostitute. I have been selling my body since I was 14, and I have AIDS. I am haunted with the guilt of infecting others with this deadly disease. But I have no choice! I have 3 children at home to feed. I am sorry for the mistakes I've made, but it is either I do this or they die."


A very good morning I bid to the Chairperson, fair and wise judges, L&G.

That was quoted from a 24 year old woman, Minu Das, one of the 2.8 million sex workers in Calcutta, India

What Minu Das said brings me to my topic here today, which is “WE CAN THE SPREAD STOP AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES”.

I wish to be the messenger of hope. I wish to stand here and tell you that there is still hope. I wish to spend a full 5 minutes on talking about the possibility that we can find a cure eradicate AIDS and Malaria. I want to be the first optimist to say all that and mean it, but I CAN'T!

We have to be honest and admit that there is NO CURE for AIDS or Malaria. I say this because AIDS is clearly incurable, we have been working so hard to find a cure in the past 30 years and we have not and we WILL NOT in anytime soon! Malaria is incurable because its main cause, poverty and the poor sanitation in the 3rd world, has not been solved. We cannot, we simply cannot talk about making things better until and unless we acknowledge that there is NO CURE for these diseases. Only then can we take effective steps to counter re-act these problems.

The first cure we want EDUCATION. L&G, the UN Millennium Development Goal states that we want to achieve universal primary education. Education is vital in at least slowing the spread of AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, even if we can't stop them entirely. People need to be aware that these diseases exist, how we could avoid contracting them, and how we should treat them if we do contract them. Focus must be directed towards the promotion of safe sex, usage of condoms, HIV screening for couples before marriage.

The 2nd cure we need is PREVENTION. L&G, I know that we are all here today to talk about stopping these deadly diseases, but we need to change our perception of what “stop” means. Let's face reality, there is no cure! The saying 'Prevention is better than cure' could not be any better. Since there is no cure for AIDS, we have to prevent the spread of it. This means we should focus on teaching the public to avoid promiscuity, free sex and drug addiction, where contaminated needles could carry HIV. As for malaria, we have to PREVENT the situation from worsening. How? By donating just $10, we can give a whole African family a mosquito net, to prevent the spread of Malaria via mosquito bites. We may not be able to solve these problems, but we can stop them from deteriorating. That proactive step alone can save millions of lives.

We, girl guides, can contribute in our own ways. We, can direct our efforts towards running effective sex education programmes. For instance, we can collaborate with Pn. Jamaliah Sulaiman, a HIV positive patient and also, a outreach worker of the PT Foundation who had successfully organised the recent "Never Give Up, Never Forget" campaign. And also, we can raise funds to financially support the poor and destitute. These little things can truly make a big difference.

L&G, we need to take action, and we need to take it now. We've got to stop TALKING about putting an end to AIDS and Malaria. Talk is cheap, and words mean little. Instead, should start DOING something. Let us all, girl guides, young women of the world do our part to save lives. We may still be students, but 'Together, we can change our world!'

I would like to end my speech by taking the words of the late Michael Jackson:

Heal the world,
Make it a better place,
For you, for me,
And the, entire human race.

Today, I AM GOING TO MAKE A CHANGE. The real question is, will you?

Thank you.

Impromptu Speech- Love

Good morning once again. L&G, now, before I start on my speech, I must tell you that I am looking at the 3 greatest love of my life now. My first love, that is my mother who is sitting right there in her olive-coloured shirt. My second love, that is my friends sitting right there in those two rows. My third love is the world, that is you, each and every one of you in this room.

Now, why? Why do I love these people so much? Let me tell you, in every single labor room in the hospital, even when the pain is so great, even the pain is so great that my father’s endless support cannot nullify, my mother only had one wish. That is for me to be healthy. For me to be someone who can give something to the world out there. And, I thank you for that mum. I love you.

My second love is for my friends sitting right there. Poh Hua, Wei Chee, Sophia, Jia Yun, Kah Mun and Samantha. For all the time and other things you had sacrificed for me to sit here and support me. For all your endless support gave me confidence to stand here and speak to all of you. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for that. I love you.

My third love is for you. My love for you is no different from the love of Mother Teresa. For her love and sacrifice for the people in Calcutta, India saved so many lives. Or the love of Nelson Mandela for his people. Even though he had been jailed for over 60 years, he still fought for equality for the blacks. And, I quote the Christian Bible “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only son”.

The 3 greatest love of your life is right in front of your eyes now. Start loving. I love you.
________
however, there are certain things that i need to add. a million thanks to:
the rest of my family members, for your love made me who i am.
keefe, for all your hard work made me a champion.
john, for helping me a great deal to make it through this.
sophia, for giving comments and pointers all the time.
pn tan lee yin, for listening to me and giving me constructive criticisms.
other friends, for simply being beside me when i need you and the "Good Luck!" wishes.
miss joyce ong(head of organising committee), for supporting me throughout this competition.
pandu puteri teachers, for sending me to this competition even though i am not eligible for it.
and the rest of the world.
I LOVE YOU! :D