First Real Post

Despite having been blogging for a number of years, I have never participated in Blogathon. I have watched my friends blog, I have pledged… but I have never been a blogger. This year is going to be different. I will be blogging in Blogathon 2007, with Jeyadev and Jinny, in memory of the CHiQen we all love, for Malaysian Mental Health Association.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason this blog was set up. In memory for a friend we love, and for a cause we truly believe in.

CHiQen
Val, or CHiQ to some, left us in June this year. It was a loss no one was prepared for and it has affected us in many ways. As her friends, we do not understand why she had to go, and sometimes, I doubt she knew too. Whatever the reason may be, I don’t think it is important anymore. I am choosing to remember her as the wonderful person she is. The chirpy girl, who was always so fun to hang out with… the helpful sister, who would never say no to a friend… the great listener, who would sit with me for hours on end. Each of her closest friends have been dealing with this loss in their very own ways. There is no way any of us can forget her… but eventually, we will come to terms with it all.

Val loved Cyndi Lauper’s “Walk On By”, and J suggested using it as the title of our blog. If you take time to go through the lyrics, I am sure you will agree with me that it is appropriate…

…Make believe
that you don’t see the tears
Just let me grieve
in private ’cause each time I see you
I break down and cry
And walk on by (don’t stop)
And walk on by (don’t stop)…

Malaysian Mental Health Association
MMHA is a non-profit voluntary organisation managed by an elected committee of interested persons and professionals in the community. The association’s objectives includes:
- To promote mental health in the community
- To help raise the standard of treatment, prevention and research in the field of mental health.
- To provide rehabilitative services for the mentally ill.
- To safeguard the interests and welfare of psychiatric patients.
- To support caregivers and family members of mentally ill persons.

In a society where mental healthcare is often neglected, and where mental health patients face stigmatisation and discrimination, the work of an organisation like MMHA is indeed important. We need to realise that mental health is important and to seek help is entirely alright. Furthermore, patients and their family should be aware of avenues to seek help and support when needed, and definitely not be shunned by the very community they live in.

Find out more information about MMHA on their website.

How You Can Help
If you were Val’s friend and will like to say something during the blogathon, please send a copy of your post to us at blogathon07[at]gmail[dot]com. We will post your entry during the course of the blogathon, but it will not be counted as one of the 49 entries (heehee, so we won’t be cheating…). You can also stay online and cheer us on during the course of the blogathon (from Malaysian time, 9pm on 28th July to 9pm 29th July). And of course, a very practical way of supporting us will be to pledge towards our cause.

Please support our cause (or any other blogathon-er’s) by following these 5 easy steps (thanks, Edrei):
1. Go to the Blogathon website.
2. Click on “Want to make a PLEDGE?” and you will come to a list of bloggers and their blogs.
3. Click on the blogger and cause you want to support. In this case, click on “Walk On By” and “Malaysian Mental Health Association” or this link.
4. If you have not signed up, you will have to register before you can pledge. All you need is your name, email address and password for yourself. If you have signed up, you need to log in with your email address and password. Enter the amount you wish to donate and the currency in which you’re donating. If you wish to be anonymous, there is an option for you to do so.
5. Once you continue, you’ll be asked to confirm your amount again.

And you’re done.

Yes, this post was originally posted on YP’s Rantings. This is an editted version.