MyBlindSight

Let your voices be heard! Know your rights! Speak up!

2012-02-11T06:14:00.001+08:00

My thoughts and my wishlists for the year 2012.. A year of action, paradigm shift for all with the ultimate goal in mind, that is, making a real difference to the lives of the blind and the partially sighted community. An important year too, whereby the community will come together, join hands and stand united,

Dragon Year message

2012-02-09T07:13:00.000+08:00

A brief Dragon year message to a friend.. We have all gone through the life's challenges and hopefully, we are ready and well equipped to tackel the life's next tasks along the unknown journey path. More importantly, we must recognise that yours and mine, etc are different and therefore, there is no need to compare nor envy others who, supposedly, are more successful in our eyes, etc. At

My First Blind National Convention Experience

2011-12-10T13:05:00.001+08:00

I was thrilled when I was invited to attend a national convention organized by the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM) recently. However, the thrill turned to trepidation when I was requested to be a speaker on a tough subject entitled “Healthy Financing Breeds Quality Projects". Just the thought of public speaking in the dark to a large audience is still something that is a

A DAY TO REMEMBER

2011-12-07T22:31:00.001+08:00

December 3, is a day to commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities worldwide. This year's theme is “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development.” Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) marked this day with an event whereby different groups of persons with disabilities came together to have fun and food. The Mayor of MBPJ officiated

Technology creates career opportunities

2011-11-02T23:59:00.002+08:00

Little did I know when I was invited to attend a meeting, as Volunteer Chairman of the Cyber Club of Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), to brainstorm the organising of an ICT and Job Fair event, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of MAB, I would be landed with the task of heading the organising committee. I was indeed flattered as I was the only non-staff member of MAB in the

Blogging on the go

2011-10-20T10:35:00.001+08:00

My first attempt, blogging on the go via iPhone. My wife and I are now traveling to Penang, 400km north of Kuala Lumpur. Will be stopping at Ipoh to say hello to a couple of old buddies and not forgetting too, the delicious roasted duck. More challenging times ahead!

White Cane Day Celebration at Kota Damansara Community Forest

2011-10-17T06:20:00.000+08:00

A great day out for those who turned up yesterday for the celebration event. Learning, touching and smelling the varieties of herbal plants in the herbs garden was truly an eye-opener. Trekking up a short distance up the forest to "see," touch and feel the sheer circumference size of the Petaling tree trunk amazed all. Yes, Petaling is a species of tree, standing easily 70 feet (21metres) tall.

Blind Golf Inspired!

2011-06-04T21:03:00.006+08:00

An inspirational story to share......I stumbled upon this story about blind golf whilst browsing the internet. That was during my initial experience in using a screen reader software installed into my desktop computer, during the early days of recuperating from a bout of bacterial infection that resulted in my total blindness. What this assistive technology does is, it converts the text to speech

Dare to Dream

2011-05-28T02:44:00.003+08:00

It was totally unexpected when I was told I was going to play a round of golf at Preswick St. Nicholas Golf Course, Ayrshire, Scotland. Jonathan Smithers, my son-in-law's father went out of his way to arrange a game for me with the Scottish Blind Golf Society when he learned I was going to visit him in Scotland during my recent holiday to the UK. It was my good fortune that the Scottish Blind

Simulated In-door Golf

2011-05-14T16:06:00.002+08:00

When I first received an invitation to participate in an indoor golf competition, I was puzzled. "What! playing in a simulated computer golf game competition, in an indoor golf club located right in the heart of the city."However, curiosity took control and I was determined and much tempted to discover more about this indoor golf thingy. Since losing my sight 3 years ago, I have to re-learn

The Right to Quality Life

2011-05-12T23:45:00.000+08:00

On May 7th, 2011, a workshop was put together by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the Bar Council of Malaysia to create awareness among people with disabilities of their constitutional rights. More than 50 people with disabilities and their care givers attended this event.Yes, it is important to know and understand what our constitutional rights are whether you are able bodied or persons

Dogs - man's best friend

2011-05-12T22:49:00.000+08:00

Admittedly without shame, my feelings to be with and amongst the speciality breed of canines, GSDs could be described as a bag of mixed feelings, laced with both pride and emotions on the day. As a dog lover since my early primary school days, I could still remember vividly the first dog that became part of my family. Yes, a GSD named Lucky. He was a very obedient and an intelligent dog. Tasks

Blind Golfing Handa Singapore experience

2010-10-26T12:57:00.003+08:00

It was a great feeling and honour to be invited to participate in last month's Handa Singapore classic, held at the Singapore Orchid Golf and Country Resort. A timely opportunity to create more awareness about blind golf in this part of the world. There were 3 blind golfers involved, an Australian, an Englishman and myself, a Malaysian at the inaugral Asian Tour event. All three of us

Braille art? ...Braille as art?

2010-10-21T15:54:00.006+08:00

Envision: Braille As Art is an installation art exhibition in collaboration between Singaporean Artist Susanna Goho-Quek, Kenneth Quek and Malaysian Artist Phillip Wong, with the objective of encouraging the visually impaired to enter an art gallery and to appreciate the artwork through touch, listening and imagination. It is also to encourage the sighted to experience art through sight,

2010 Top 30 Vision Impaired Blogs Award Winner

2010-10-21T00:16:00.007+08:00

I was pleasantly surprised when I received the news of the 2010 Top 30 Vision Impaired Blogs award presented by Medical Billing and Coding recently. Here's how the letter went:Dear Yam TW, Congratulations! Sarah here, and your blog, MyBlindSight, was determined to be one of the best blogs to exude overall brilliance. And so, it has received our 2010 Top 30 Vision Impaired Blogs award

Budget 2011 - there but not there yet

2010-10-18T13:20:00.010+08:00

Perhaps Mr Prime Minister did hear some of my thoughts relating to my wish list on ICT benefits for the visually impaired. However, there's still much to do to meet the needs of the blind community.Here are some of my first impressions on the recently announced Budget 20111. With the abolishment of sales tax on mobile phones and the waiver of import and sales tax on broadband equipment, this

Give Net access to the disabled

2010-10-18T12:57:00.003+08:00

ICT has become extremely important to the visually impaired as it empowers their independence, liberating them to live a normal life and stay connected with the fast growing global village without borders. Below I would like to share my thoughts on the wish list to our Prime Minister as written by Anthony Thanasayan in his column Wheelpower in the Star Paper.Thursday September 2, 2010 By ANTHONY

2010-07-15T22:01:00.002+08:00

Thursday July 15, 2010 Meaningful match WHEEL POWERBy ANTHONY THANASAYAN THE FIFA World Cup 2010 may have ended but soccer fans will continue to re-live some of the exciting moments of non-stop action from South Africa. Yam Tong Woo, like most football fans I know, found the blowing of the vuvuzelas extremely annoying. “It was so loud and sounded like the incessant humming of bees. It drowned

APPLE DISCOVERY WEEK

2010-07-02T22:32:00.002+08:00

DW7: Mobile Accessibility for the Visually Impaired Posted on July 2, 2010 by J.BRTK This morning, we had the honor of hosting Yam Tong Woo, who is visually impaired. He shared a heart-warming story of his life and how the iPhone has changed the way he communicated, even with his disability. Below is his talk, reproduced in full. Good morning, I am Yam Tong Woo and as

Never give up despite all odds!

2010-05-28T21:21:00.001+08:00

Sharing a thought.. Adult blindness.. it is like caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Many many difficulties to overcome and making it worse by not getting the desired support from the so called caring NGOs, etc.. Perhaps, i shall attempt to write an e book about my experience in the nearr future. An example is my interest to re-learn music, playing the classical

Trends: iPhone for the blind

2010-04-29T17:30:00.000+08:00

Trends: iPhone for the blind 2010/04/26 Ridzwan A. Rahimridzwanr@nstp.com.my Someone has mastered the use of iPhone 3GS and he's completely blind. RIDZWAN A. RAHIM finds out how. Yam says smartphones such as the iPhone 3GS have enabled the visually

Is it good to be a slave to smartphones like the iPhone?

2010-03-29T16:06:00.000+08:00

Copied and pasted from soo Ewe Jin's blog (Star deputy executive editor).. Happy to share! A Life Shared Tuesday, March 23, 2010 My Monday fans... Every now and then, the editorial artist, Hassan, gives my regular column on Monday a lift, with his excellent cartoons. Like this one which appeared this Monday when I

Google Adsense

2010-02-01T17:52:00.000+08:00

This post confirms my ownership of the site and that this site adheres to Google AdSense program policies and Terms and Conditions.

Blazing a Traill for Blind Golf

2010-01-12T17:26:00.002+08:00

Two years after losing his sight, Yam Tong Woo has not only returned to golfing but is determined to establish and develop blind golf in this countryBy EDWARD SAMINATHAN - ParGolf Magazine January 2010Seated at the Kundang Lakes Country Club terrace, Yam Tong Woo looks like any other golfer having a drink after a round. But look closer and you will see a strange contraption by his side: a folded

Finding Light In A Black Hole

2010-01-08T23:20:00.001+08:00

Thank you to Dave (One Shot) for this enlightening blog article. Posted by One Shot at 7:30 PMThursday, December 10, 2009 One man's journey to rediscover his passion for golf and opening the door to others like himWalking into the quiet terrace of the Kundang Lakes Golf Club, I immediately recognise Yam Tong Woo from our previous meeting during the National Council for the Blind White

Challenging times ahead 2..

2010-01-08T00:46:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year! Can you believe that it is already 2010, the second decade of the 21st century? Yes, you'd better believe it and the first week of 2010 will be leaving us in a matter of another few hours. Time really does not stop nor wait for anyone, a reminder to all. Year 2009 was certainly an eventful year for me. So much had happened and I am glad that despite my predicament, I

Today's the Day.. 31st December 2009

2009-12-31T23:19:00.002+08:00

Yes! This is it! Today's the last day for the year 2009! So, let's usher in the New Year 2010 with this thought in mind...Imagine a good way to start afresh this new year in re-defining the approach of looking at the inter-dependency of all beings in terms of Affinity in our community and our relationship with one another. May each moment of the New Year give you and your dear ones

Choices and Decisions

2009-12-27T11:01:00.003+08:00

`The positive energy vibrations in you enable you to evaluate, make and decide on the choices and decisions made. Ultimately, it will lead you to live a happier and a more meaningful life! Remember, you are blessed with the amazing power to tap this inner power within!!'...Yam TW"What's happening?" I repeatedly asked myself when I got admitted into a hospital at Kunming, China, following a bout

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-21T14:40:00.002+08:00

'Tis the time of year to say bye-bye to year 2009 and Hello to year 2010! We will again, be eagerly looking forward to another new year with much enthusiasm and vigour. Another new blank fresh page to 'write down' passionately the Do's and the Don'ts, planning and hoping for improvements in our lives, right the deeds/actions of any wrong doings that were part of some shortcomings and

Father of the Bride speech

2009-10-30T02:18:00.003+08:00

Venue: Hartwell House, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK Date: October 24th, 2009 Occasion: My daughter's wedding "Good evening. When my daughter told me I was required to give a speech as the father of the bride, I was a little reluctant at first as I am blind and will not be able to read from normal prepared notes. However, today is a very special occasion – my only daughter is

My daughter's Wedding

2009-10-28T21:47:00.001+08:00

What a feeling!.. A mixture of sadness, happiness, love and the memory of the precious moments that would be forever etched in my mind and treasured forever. Yes, Saturday 24th October 2009, the day my daughter got married. As I walked my daughter slowly down the aisle, I was the happiest father of the moment and feeling proud, my only daughter tying the knot! A slight thinge of sadness

"Can't See, Can Tee!"

2009-10-18T14:59:00.001+08:00

"Good shot!" I heard my fellow flight members shouted excitedly the moment I hit the ball with my metal wood driver during the tee off at Hole 1. Yes, the first blind golf event in Malaysia was officially launched on Thursday, 15th October 2009. A total of 32 golfers (16 blind, 16 sighted) from Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia participated in the afternoon's inaugral launch of the 9 hole golf

Reaching Out.......

2009-10-12T23:55:00.001+08:00

I am so happy to share. I have achieved my objective for my blog....it has reached out to others across the ocean - motivating and inspiring others experiencing with similar sight loss, particularly adult blindness. Yes, I certainly can say that today is a bordeless world, perhaps, one world one community in the making!! Randy, my new blogger VIP friend, despite having lost her sight, is

Golfing in the dark..

2009-10-07T01:45:00.000+08:00

A day to remember. Yes, my first visit to a golf course since the loss of my sight in January 2008!. Another barrier crossed, another critical step taken in moving forward. This memorable outing will further boost and enhance my confidence in getting myself back into socialising, networking and back into circulation, so to speak! My dear wife, Hong, had to tag along as my caddie/coach,

Blind Golf

2009-09-29T00:37:00.001+08:00

The first Blind Golf event in Malaysia will be held on Thursday, 15th October 2009 at the Bukit Jalil golf course, in conjunction with the International White Cane Day. Hong Kong will have 8 blind golfers participating in this inaugral friendly golf event.This event is organised and sponsored by the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia, NCBM. The success of this historical golf event in

New Research Aiding The Blind To See

2009-09-28T09:08:00.001+08:00

Malaysia O Malaysia.. The rapid technological advances today have changed and impacted the lives of so many people, particularly the disabled. For the blind and the visually impaired, medical scientists and researchers, particularly from the west, are excited about the vast opportunities that can be explored

Emotional support for people losing their sight

2009-09-17T22:57:00.001+08:00

Browsing the internet today, I chanced upon an article relating to a research study in the UK. This research study focussed in the need for emotional support and counselling for adults who have lost their sight. The issues highlighted pertaining to the concerns, fears, loss of confidence and difficulty coping with the new life, etc. The research study article extract copy can be read below.

Public Speaking in the Dark....

2009-08-26T23:55:00.003+08:00

“Good morning!” I said to the attendees at the Elderly Club gathering at the Malaysian Association for the Blind. As I was walking to the front of hall I was told by one of the committee members that there were about 50 people in the audience. “We are all here today because we chose to come, thus, starting off my talk about choices and decisions in life, leading to the other interesting topic on

Meetings in the dark!..

2009-08-20T21:37:00.003+08:00

“Alright! Let’s begin with a roll call” I said to the recently elected Cyber club committee members of the Malaysian Association for the Blind, MABCC, as we sat down comfortably in the meeting room for the first official meeting. Yes, I was chairing the first official MABCC meeting and was conducting the business of the day, so to speak! The new Cyber club committee was elected at the recent

The Accessible iPhone 3GS

2009-08-17T01:58:00.006+08:00

The touch screen technology has come a long way since and has certainly created excitement and impact in the area of accessibility, a common talking point among the blind community in this modern technological era. My initial highlighting of this iPhone discussion in a local blind community chat forum has certainly ruffled the feathers of some members of the community who have had mixed reactions

Walking tall alone

2009-04-27T19:42:00.002+08:00

Yes, walking tall alone, proud with my achievement. Following my last posting `a morning train ride’ I felt such a great sense of achievement. This inspired me to move forward, that is, to grow out from the ‘baby steps’ learned so far. It was time for me to crushed the ‘fear barrier’ of walking alone, time to learn to walk tall, independently with confidence. ‘Just do it’ and ‘Walk the Talk.’

A morning train ride...

2009-04-06T13:45:00.003+08:00

“Dad, mind your step” my daughter WY said. I could clearly sense her deep concern judging from the tone of her voice. This happened when I was just about to make my first step in boarding the KTM Commuter train at the Kuang station, located not far from my humble abode. This simple ‘historical and maiden step’ too was my first after my loss of sight slightly more than a year ago. The ‘gap

Touch and Feel.....

2009-04-01T21:23:00.002+08:00

The continuous advancement in today’s modern world of ICT has, without any doubts or arguments, played an important role in improving the lives of the blind community. It allowed and empowered the blind community to achieve independence and live a normal life alongside the rest of the sighted world. I, for one, can truly vouched that the assisted technology and the various accessibility options

A swing in the dark!

2009-03-20T15:54:00.002+08:00

“Good shot” exclaimed WJ, my son, as he stood watching me when I finally got back some ‘feel’ and could hit the golf ball with the 7 iron. Yes, we, including my dear wife, were at a golf driving range located near to our house and it was my first visit there since my loss of sight slightly more than a year ago. WJ, back home for a weekend break from Singapore, had been for the past few months

NEWS SPLASH!

2009-03-14T01:49:00.002+08:00

“Good morning! You are featured in the Star papers” Harry, a dear friend, shouted excitedly over the phone. He unknowingly woke me up on that Monday morning, following the Charity walk which I participated the day earlier. Well, I thought I could pamper myself with a good rest and a lazy ‘lie in bed’ after the good outing, and more importantly, it was for a good cause. My body and especially,

Man of the Moment......

2009-03-09T23:27:00.004+08:00

8 March 2009 was a day of celebration in honour of all women of the world dating back to the early twentieth century, way back to early 1908. It is the International Women's day. And it is on this day that the OGSM (Obstetrical&Gynecological Society of Malaysia) had organised the charity event, Walking Tall Charity fun Walk. This is the third year this event had happened. I could recall the

2009-03-09T21:08:00.002+08:00

Don't underestimate the Mighty Tiny Mosquito!

2009-03-09T00:26:00.000+08:00

“Hello, Nice to meet you” I said to a new fellow VIP (Visually Impaired Person) friend whilst simultaneously extending out my right hand to offer my warm and a friendly handshake. This chance meeting occurred during my recent ‘a walk in the dark,’ when Zainuddin, my mobility instructor for the day, stopped him and made the introduction as we were about to walk past each other near MAB,

A Walk in the Dark

2009-02-28T00:05:00.003+08:00

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” an age old famous quote by Confucius. These motivating words catapulted into my mind as I sat at the Malaysian Association for the Blind’s office visitors’ area waiting for Zainuddin, a job placement officer. Zainuddin had kindly volunteered to teach me some mobility skills after learning that I have not had the opportunity to attend the

A Matter of Timing...!

2009-02-19T01:12:00.000+08:00

Over the past several months, on every Wednesday morning, a visit to the Elderly Blind Centre located at MAB, Malaysian Association for the Blind has become a weekly scheduled routine in my personal calendar. Of late too, I started visiting the NCBM, National Council for the Blind, Malaysia. My key objective of the visits was to meet and get to know new VIPs friends (Visually Impaired Persons).

Hello and Bye-Bye!

2009-02-06T20:57:00.001+08:00

“Hello and Good Morning Doctor” I said as Hong, my dear wife guided me into the eye doctor’s consultation room. I could feel my heartbeat suddenly shot up at an uncontrolled rapid rate and I felt too, a lump in my throat as the nurse helped me to sit comfortably in the examination chair. As I sat down, staring into the world of darkness, I felt too, momentarily signs of my body getting weak and

Yee Sang without Chopsticks?

2009-02-02T22:07:00.001+08:00

Yee Sang lunch or dinner? A popular suggestion among friends, colleagues, family members and relatives for a get together during the Chinese New Year. Yee Sang, is a delicious concoction of fine strips of raw fish, vegetables and fruits, crispy and crunchy crackers, plum juice, and spices. This is a definite ‘must have’ and is always the main dish served, be it at lunch or dinner, at

Money Sense!

2009-01-29T19:54:00.001+08:00

The Chinese New Year tradition of giving and receiving ‘ang pows’, the little red packets containing some money, as a gesture of goodwill in wishing one another a prosperous year is still very much alive. Perhaps, one of the best age old Chinese new year traditions ever, besides the family re-union dinner on Chinese New Year’s eve in the lunar calendar. Both my dear wife and I, being

The Year of the OX... The year to 'moo...' forward!

2009-01-26T22:02:00.003+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year 2009! And “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” As we usher in the Year of the Ox. I, certainly, shall be eagerly looking ahead for a year of more challenges, making major positive strides in my ‘new age’ life and achieving my goal to be as independent as I can be . Reflecting Back, what an eventful year it was for me. Life can be full of surprises and one will not know what lies ahead

Don't Leave Home Without It!

2009-01-24T14:42:00.007+08:00