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GLOBETROTTING
SIXTEENTH
ISSUE - WINTER
2000 SPONSORED BY TYCO INTERNATIONAL, LTD. “THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE DEVOTION TO MOTION WORLD TOUR” DESTINATION - MALAYSIAWelcome friends as we circle the globe in search of more effective ways to improve the quality of life. During our journey we will explore various forms of complementary medicines and share our findings with you. We will also address accessibility issues and investigate more convenient options to ease the never ending pressures of traveling. In each issue, Globetrotting will have a special section created for today's youth with an emphasis on educating children and teens on the historical facts of each country. Finally, each issue will contain two trivia questions and some popular words and/or phrases from each country. For more updated news, diary entries, in-depth research results, and pictures from our journey, please visit our website, www.d2motion.com. We hope you will enjoy the path we have chosen!! D2M
TRIVIA QUESTION #1 COMPLEMENTARY
MEDICINE Reflexology, also called Zone Therapy, is the relieving of painful symptoms within the body, by massaging corresponding areas of the feet. You see, each part of your foot represents a certain area or organ in your body and, according to reflexologist, when the energy is flowing freely the person stays healthy. When there is a ill-health or a problem with a specific organ, the energy flow will be lessened, meaning that it will not flow as freely. As a result, the part of the foot which corresponds to that particular part of the body will be tender to the touch. It is this symptom of tenderness that reveals to the reflexologist the specific location of illness. For example, you may have seen charts depicting the big toe for the pituitary and the pineal gland. By locating tender areas on the soles of your feet or hands, the reflexologist will tell you which areas of your body are not functioning at their best. With no further adieu, I get myself psyched at the thought of an enjoyable foot massage. I am asked to sit in a chair with my shoes and socks off. In comes Mr. Teo, a pleasant, jolly man who welcomes us and asks me to just relax. The first thing he does is that he massages the inside of my foot, and I cringe in my seat! Mr. Teo asks me if I urinate often, I looked at Scott and laughed. I confirmed his findings regarding my weak bladder. He continued the treatment, and found more areas of tenderness (felt more like pain to me), but he assured me that by the time he is finished, my feet will feel like I'm walking on clouds. During the 30 minute session, Mr Teo provided us with his analysis of which areas of my body need attention, without my even uttering a word, this was the true test of his skill. He never asked me if anything in my body was troubling me, he was simply guided by his hands. Mr. Teo could confirm his findings with me, but I never told him initially if there was a health problem. Luckily, I was healthy according to my opinion, and according to Mr. Teo's findings; except for my "weak bladder." Aside from the initial discomfort of the treatment, the remainder of the session was quite enjoyable. I was informed that it is usually most painful during the first session, as people don't know what to expect. Each subsequent session works on relieving the symptoms and thereby decreasing the pain associated in the respective area of the foot. Reflexologist work to increase circulation within the body, and many times, play a role in advising the client to seek medical consultation, if they find a particularly troublesome area of the foot. All in all, I would recommend a visit to the reflexologist if there are minor health problems. Worst case scenario, you end up feeling more relaxed and have noticeably improved circulation to your feet (especially if you have a tendency to have cold feet like me). If you're searching for a good Malaysian traditional massage, then Kuala Lumpur is the place to go. During our stay, we were told to visit the numerous Malay blind masseuse. These are people who have lost their sight and have been professionally trained to provide excellent massages. As is the case in many of the places we have visited, it seems each culture has their own special way of touching people, primarily by way of varying massage techniques. We were informed that the blind people who give massages are among the best at their trade, and if we had more time in Malaysia, we definitely would have experienced this treatment. We acknowledge Mr. Teo and salute him for his expertise and for sharing his gift with us. Also, the D2M duo would like to thank Elynn & Xen Angelides of ‘X-Factor Training Systems' for their friendship and for guiding us to Mr. Teo. To connect with Xen & Elynn, e-mail them at: xenophon23@hotmail.com. We extend a special thank you to Ms. Mirka Knaster, author of "Discovering the Body's Wisdom," for her knowledge on reflexology. NOTE: If you or anyone in your circle of friends are connected with any healer or complementary/alternative medical practitioner around the world who you would like us to research or visit, please E-mail us at chesney12@comcast.net D2M
TRIVIA QUESTION #2 ACCESSIBILITY It
has become a standard procedure for us to take advantage of the
assistance airports provide from the moment you disembark the aircraft.
Once the porter asks you, "Do you need any assistance from
here?" take full advantage of this courtesy. Even if you
think you can manage and want to prove your independence, let the porter
assist you. Why? First, a porter will help you with any
carry-on luggage. Second, if you are tired after a long flight, a
porter will offer to push you. In the past, I felt the need to
"prove" myself in another country and would push myself to
exhaustion. Who am I trying to impress and what am I trying to prove?
Let them help you. Third, with a porter's assistance, you will
bypass the long lines at immigration and usually go through a special,
short line that all pilots and flight attendants pass through.
Trust me, you will save yourself a good 20 minutes in many countries.
Fourth, the porter can steer you in the right direction if you need to
exchange currency, to use the toilets, or have any other needs.
Fifth, the porter will help you or get someone to help you with your
luggage at the baggage claim. Sixth, and finally, in the short
time that you spend with the porter, you can find out some information
about the city, how long a ride you have to your hotel, where to eat,
how to Traveling around Kuala Lumpur, you will not notice too many signs for disability access and will encounter many architectural barriers. If you are a wheelchair user, I would strongly suggest you take someone with you if you venture outside. If you choose not to, just plan on pushing in the street and facing even more obstacles. As is the case in many countries, the government has not answered their wake-up call to the needs of the disabled and society has yet to be "sensitized" to the needs of their brothers and sisters who are physically and mentally challenged. You will find a whole new world in many of the larger hotels including the one we stayed at, The Sheraton Imperial. Our budget has been depleted more than we anticipated because the only hotels in most countries are four and five star hotels and needless to say, are the most expensive. In many cases, four and five star hotels are the only hotels with any kind of accessibility. Why? Because they have the money to spend on making a certain amount of their rooms, restaurants, and bathroom facilities, accessible. These are larger chains that are beginning to understand that if they make an investment in their hotel to accommodate the disabled, they may be able to lure in a whole new market. It is one of fastest growing markets in terms of travel, so why wouldn't all hotels begin to make the necessary renovations? Money. As is the case in every country we have visited, there are pioneers at work. These
are people who are making a difference in their community, by moving
forward in their lives and contributing to helping others. Sounds
like the philosophy of Devotion to Motion! Well, in Kuala Lumpur,
you have a number of energetic and focused individuals who are beginning
to get the attention of their government and their peers. The
first stick of dynamite is Shahimah Idris, a woman who is paralyzed
close to three years ago and is now walking with crutches. Her
conviction to move her lower limbs coupled with her passion to help
others who are disabled, attracted us to her immediately. She
arranged newspaper and radio interviews for us and allowed us to
communicate our message to all of Kuala Lumpur. She even managed
to arrange a talk for us to the community which was well attended.
She has assembled a great group of pioneers to further the cause for a
voice for the disabled, beginning with Anthony Thanasayan.
Anthony, who has been handicapped since the age of 10, is now in his
twenties and writes a weekly column for one of Kuala Lumpur's largest
newspapers, The Star. His column entitled, "Wheel
Power," is certainly a motivating, inspiring, and informative voice
for the disabled. His words are slowly "sensitizing"
society as to what is possible for people with special needs and the
strong contribution that they can still make to society.
"Wheel Power" is certainly filled with "will power!"
Never before have we noticed a weekly column in a major newspaper
devoted to the message of the disabled. Congratulations Anthony for
being heard and seen! Finally, an energetic couple, Rina and
Siva, both of whom are disabled, have founded Independent Living, which
is a new project that focuses on housing for the disabled, so they can
begin to lead as independent a life as possible. Their goal is to
train the disabled person on how to perform daily activities within the
home, so that the person can be an active member at home, as well as
within the society. We wish them luck. Here is just a little
side note about Siva. He is a quadriplegic, meaning limited us of
his arms and hands, who drives a car and gets around pretty well.
No big deal you may say. Well, considering that most quadriplegics
who drive, drive a van with a lift to get them in and out, let me remind
you that Siva drives a car. Therefore, it is quite difficult or
almost impossible to manage getting his chair in and out on his own.
Do you know what he does? Everywhere he travels, he calls out to
strangers to help get his chair out of the car, assemble it, and lift
him out of the car and into his chair. He travels everywhere and
has not been stuck yet! How's that for determination! We would
like to thank Shahimah, Rina, Siva and Anthony for their guidance,
support, and inspiration. Shahimah Idris can be reached at: artcase@po.jaring.my.
To contact Rina and Siva, to learn more about their up and coming
Independent Life Center, e-mail them at: francis5@tm.net.my. EDUCATION
Historic dates:
ON
A LIGHTER NOTE YOUR
HELP IS NEEDED!! WHAT
DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?? NEXT
ISSUE!! D2M TRIVIA ANSWERS
Trivia Answer # 1 - about 1.5 billion people will fly this year. Thank you for listening and we'll visit you again in two weeks! Scott
& Pratiksha Chesney |
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