I lost Marie

22nd July 2005 is a dark day. This is the day I attended my uncle's funeral. This is the day I lost Marie to the forces of evil. My hopes were shattered. Now I am relinquishing my appointments to the various committees and the organisations. I am closing the accounts. I am closing every trace of my existence. I am closing every book, every involvement. I am bidding farewell to everyone.
Soon, I will be no more.

Farewell. Goodbye.

Goodbye Uncle

8pm. Albert called. Uncle has passed away this morning.

It began some five years ago. He suffered from kidney failure. His condition deteriorated. First his toes were amputated. Then his foot. Then he became blinded. His lonely days were spent in a 'care home' in Johore Bahru.

My mother, already in her old age, visited him faithfully every fortnight for the past 5 years. The travelling takes half a day.

He longed to die. The dialysis was painful and draining. Death was better than living. In the last one week, he was in hospital. He could hear, but could not talk, as he was breathing from his mouth.

He had suffered enough. Now he is free from pain. Goodbye uncle.

The Salary of the CEO

The recent revelation that the CEO of a charity organisation is paid $600,000 a year came as a shock to ordinary donors. FHis salary is equivalent to about 20 employees.

Is the pay too excessive? The reporter asked the patron of the organisation.
She said it's peanut when compared to the reserve of the organisation.

Ah, what an insight! So, should the CEO's salary could be justify based on the amount of money that the company brings in?

This logic has a familiar tone. Because many years back, someone justified the high pay for the politicians. He said what is a few millions for the cabinet compared to the billions that the economy generated, as a result of their capable leadership.

As they say, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

The question of the day is, "How much is too much for a CEO's salary, who is working for a not-for-profit or charitable organisation?"

I felt Cheated

I have been faithfully donating to this charity organisation, believing all along that the money goes to help those who need it more than I do. I waked up this morning to discovered that my money has contributed to enrich its CEO.

The newspaper reported that he is paid $600,000 a year. That he received 10-12 months bonus a year. That he had a private bathroom in his office suite. That he can afford to travelled first class.

I called up their hotline and cancelled my donation. Betrayal of trust turns kindness to hatred.