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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

GiiG Volunteer Day

Sorry for the outdated post; I was a volunteer for one of the outings organized by my company for a day out with orphanages from both Penang and Kulim.
It was actually a fun day at the Penang Butterfly Farm and then afternoon at the Penang Water Sports Centre; all along the hilly area and also the beaches; the ultimate treasures of the Penang island.
Left the company's compound at 8am; I chose to follow the bus instead of going on my own to pick up the orphans along the way and mingle with the other volunteers as well:)
The following were the pics from the day:)
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When we reach the Butterfly farm; breakfast was provided to each volunteer and also the kid....
Some of the volunteers brought along their own kid :) Hosted by RockYouPhotos.com
We will be in pairs and each pair will be assigned a kid to take care of:)
I was with my sista pal; Fadz....and we stood together in line :) Hosted by RockYouPhotos.com

Rise and shine!!
Big kids lining up for the assignment :)

Here at the entrance, some of us just want to be in the pic:)
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We were the first group to be led into this briefing and showcase; exciting huh?:D
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Our facilitator from the Butterfly farm; a young girl in her early to mid-twenties?
Really brave!!!
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She used her bare hands to handle all the insects....YIKES!!!
This is some weird stick/wood insect!!
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Kids nowadays are really brave!!! :O
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What is this next???
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A praying mantis!!!
Okay, this is not really harmless; contrary to what you think.
The girl said this bites....:S
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Next?
A Scorpion???!!! :O
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Brave little girl...I have almost fainted....
You know, when they passed this thing around, I was really geli-fied....and then they passed from one another; at one point, it crossed the top of my head when they passed it and I was squirming all the way...
My "kid" (I was assigned a 16-year old girl) who was so unkind to laugh at me, but she was afraid herself and she pushed me....
*Sobs*
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Next, as the kids crowd around her to keep the scorpion back while she takes out the next specimen, suddenly, we heard screams and the whole crowd shrunk back and ran scurried back to their seats.
I wondered what could have caused such commotion....
I soon knew why....this gal (she's insane) took out a snake!!!:O
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Passed the snake from one to another...:S
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These kids were too brave for words!!
I have almost fainted....this is freaky:S
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The hero and heroine who had the snake around them....posed for a pic....
I can never do that.....NEVER!!
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Say Cheese!!!
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Me with the kids....that's my assigned kid on the left; in the White Pooh T-shirt...
(She was a bit sulky and wore a bored expression the whole day long...:(
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Happy pic:)
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As we exit the briefing hall, we were greeted by these specimens which showcases the breeding process of a butterfly...
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Nice breeds...
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Finally out to the open space...
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Where you see butterflies flying around....
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Enough of creepy crawlies...butterflies are better...
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Although the fluttering of their wings also start to freak me a little:p

Look what I found!!
A big fat caterpillar!!
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This is actually a lizard....huge:p
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Fadz called it ugly...haha, and kept challenging it...coz it's locked in there and she's free outside...cute gal:D
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Tortoise pond...
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Yin Yang ducks....so loving :)
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Mischievous squirrel
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At the larvae area....
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Some of the caterpillars
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Fadz, our Kid and Me
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Butterflies...beautiful...fly fly
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High up in the sky...pretty flowers below them nigh:)
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Lilies pond...
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Koi Fish Pond...
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These are the famous Japanese carps; really expensive...
Japanese really love them...
Even Chinese; believed to be a fish that can bring luck, wealth and prosperity...
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Millipede!
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Then we went into the Indoor Museum and Gift Shop....
The ever proud cameleon
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Yikes, really gives me the creeps...
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Colorful beetles....
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Fadz thinks these are only good for one thing; BROOCHES!!
Haha....I had to drag her out...and then we saw some dead butterflies...haha, and she wanted a Rajah Brooke's brooch?
Do you know what's a Rajah Brooke? It's a very unique and rare species found in Malaysia and it's a true beauty...
I am sure butterflies experts will agree with me...

At one point in the museum, there was a power failure, and we were so shocked!!
It was due to the heavy rain out there....
Thank God we were already indoors; and among all the dead and preserved creatures!
Else, I don't dare to imagine if I was stuck in the dark and moist scorpion caves, the millipede sanctuary....Eeeeee!!!
And it didn't help that the Butterfly farm folks told me that some of the creatures do escape sometimes!!
Crying for help:(

And my kid; was really making us very sad lar....
First she ignored us...
Then when we talk to her, she either look away or snap at us....
Then she scared me endlessly throughout the trip; she knew i was scared of the insects....
And then she called Fadz names...called her stupid....when Fadz was just making jokes; asking those insects to smile when she tries to take their picture.
She was trying to make our day miserable...

The worst was when she kept asking us to buy her souvenirs; but we couldn't find anything
Then she gossiped about other people; calling our other colleagues idiots and stupid people
Then she even told us; making fun of another orphan who had Down Syndrome and called her names...

We were really shocked by her behavior...
I mean, we do understand that they were born deprived and that we should shower them with attention, love and extra care...but a girl at 16, she's behaving worse thatn the 6 year old kids....
We were really sad and hurt...
She kept blaming us for not buying her souvenirs...and told us about what others got...she does have a sister and she was so jealous of her sister's souvenir that she even threatened her sister.
Her sister was trying this act to play around with the string necklace strung around her neck; and she went to her, yanked the necklace and said to her sister in Hokkien,
"If you pull this anymore, I am going to just tighten it around your neck and choke you to death. You might as well die anyway, you are better off dead; I hate you as my sister"
I really can remember word by word because it really shocked me to the core....
I cannot believe my ears...and take note, I am definitely not making this up....
I just pray for her that she will grow up to be a better person.....and may she mix with the right company:)

These were some games at the Penang Watersports Centre...the beach area...
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Some group photos at the end of the day!
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Angel