ABOVE: The accountant who took the lives of his two childreen was reportedly suffereing from depression and had sought tretment apparently without success. Clinical depression, unlike normal sadness, is an illness, which causes the one who suffers to feel a sadness of intensity unknown to others who have not experienced it. It has been with mankind since the beginning of human history. The ancient Greeks called it melancholia. Great men and women through the ages had come face to face and did many a great battle with this. It is still seldom recognized by Doctors and, much less treated. Much of the ignorance is due to the unwillingness of sufferers of depression to share their experience with others.
Depression treatment
The present standard treatment for depression it seems is to go for “counseling” and after seeing a psychiatrist you would most probably be given the much touted drug Prozac (after all, a psychiatrist would know if you REALLY needed Prozac, right?).
But if an individual is unable to perceive a different reality and get back his strength to get out of the depression and get off Prozac, the task would be difficult. Prozac was meant to help you to cope with sadness and anger and other feelings that make you feel worthless. Prozac is supposed to take away the problem or lessen it but if it doesn't really do what a person thinks it should, then where is the hope? Maybe that is what triggers some people to commit suicide or violent crimes.
Certainly this is not a black and white issue - and as we create our own realities, this is no less complicated. It is not helpful that drug companies sell the doctors on how "beneficial" the antidepressants will be. Then society "buys" that it is helpful and heaven forbid any of us experience the "negative" emotions and be unproductive. We are told we have to be "happy" and productive - don't "feel" anything negative. Sweet words from counselors and pysciatrists. So until mass reality changes, there's Prozac and other antidepressants to give us the quick fix.... and this is just plain sad without going into the core beliefs that is troubling people.
Society at large & Coporations at fault?
Many of us seem to be making judgments about what others should do in their lives, and blanketly. When it is your life, then of course it is your place to judge what you do and don't do. But other people create their own lives, and some create situations where anti-depressants are of benefit, others where these drugs may send them in a downward spiral, or reduce their inhibitions so that they take action on suicidal thoughts. They create these lives for reasons you and I do not know.
The Christian Scientists do not believe in any medical treatment. They believe that the problem of a broken arm is not a physical one, but a spiritual one, your spirit - your perception of reality, your relationship with God is what is broken - once you 'fix' this the arm will be perfect. The Religious Scientists say, yeah, well until you perfect that belief, go to the doctor and get the bone set! Be practical in the now. Yes the more appropriate question is why are so many depressed and in need of any treatment. But then people list off what is wrong with this society as if it is being done to them/us rather than realizing society is a product of our creation. It is not separate from us - we are society. We, as a society, push more onto our children, demand more and offer less support. That's me and you - not some ambiguous 'they'. We demand more from ourselves, we don't take time out for ourselves, we work harder and harder pursuing more and better, but our efforts seem to produce less of what we value.
We don't grow our own food, we don't make our own fuel, and they need a degree to flip hamburgers in the States. Our corporations are sociopathic in nature and do not put any returns back into our society. It's all about the bottom line. We try to do more and more in less and less time. In the west they go, go drinking double, no triple lattes two or three times a day just to keep up, can't sleep because you're still trying to process the day, not getting enough sleep, sleep-deprivation causes all kinds of psychotic episodes.
The food we buy and eat is processed for quick processing and delivery destroying much of its nutritional value, even our fruits and vegetables are losing their nutritional value because they are being cultivated to grow fast rather than be nutritious. We eat dyes and pesticides and stuff that cause various disorders in large quantities. We have to eat more just to get what we need and we want it quick and easy and we want it colorful and to stay edible for 10 years.
We say parents should spend more time with their children yet our businesses won't give them the time to be with their families. Why, because we wouldn't make as much as quickly as a business would. It would cost too much - well that shows us a value comparison right there - profit is more valuable to our society, to our businesses and corporations than family, then children's well-beings. Who runs and works at the businesses and corporations - we do. Who buys their products - we do. We say we care about the environment while we spew shit into the air we think/believe is unhealthy and then breathe it. We contaminate our food chain and water sources in the name of making a buck or saving a buck, or 'saving time' (drive a car, use plastic products, use laundry detergent, use a dry cleaners, use anything made of metal, or anything processed or manufactured on a large scale?). Te environment we have created contributes highly to the increase of medicated people in our society.
But then look at it in the positive way. Isn’t this the survival of the fittest being play out?.
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Notes on suicide
No man dies unless he wants to die, and for a much better reason than that you want him to. There is always some conscious recognition, however, though the individual may play tricks with himself and pretend it is not there. Even animals sense their dying ahead of time and on that level man or woman is no different.
Sometimes you think of suicide as ignominious and passive, but of war as aggressive and powerful. Both are equally the result of passivity and distorted aggression and of natural pathways of communications not used or understood.
However, suicides and would-be suicides often have such a great literal lust for life that they constantly put it into jeopardy, so that they can experience what it is in heightened form.
Some people might say, I have a right to die, when they are arguing the case for suicide. And while this is true, it is also true that the people on our planet need every bit of help and encouragement they can get from each person alive. In a certain sense, the energy of each individual does keep the world going, and to commit suicide is to refuse a basic, cooperative venture.
Left alone, the self and the body are so entwined that the separation would be smooth. The body would automatically follow the wishes of the inner self. In the case of suicide, for example, the self is to some extent acting out of context with the body, which still has its own will to live
Suicide is a matter that should not be taken lightly. Those who take their lives leave a path of destruction. Families despair and feel responsible. Children of suicide victims are scarred and risk poverty if that person financially supported them. Friends lose a companion who could make their lives easier. Businesses must cope with the disappearance of an employer or employee and if debts were unpaid then the economy is adversely affected.
Some cultures believe suicide signifies selfishness. Buddhists state it is morally wrong and will result in negative karma. It might mean being reborn in one of the hells or as an animal or hungry ghost. Christians claim those who kill themselves might be thrown into hell. Hence suicide must be discouraged not encouraged
= = = = == =Saturday February 17, 2007;STAR
Family inconsolable with grief at funeral
ABOVE: Lee's wife and relatives at the Cheras Christian cemetery, where Lee and his two children were buried.
PETALING JAYA: Lee Tiang Siang and his two children were laid to rest in an emotional funeral ceremony yesterday afternoon. More than 100 people attended the ceremony held at a church in Damansara Heights at 1pm. Lee's mother arrived at 11.30am, followed by his wife 20 minutes later. Both of them were inconsolable with grief, and had to be physically supported by relatives and friends. Their crying became worse when they heard the mourners singing funeral hymns and, during the sermon, when the pastor asked them to forgive Lee for his actions. The bodies were taken to the Cheras Christian cemetery at 2pm for burial.
= = == = = = =UPDATE: 16 FEB 2007; Once again the BELIEFS in our lives played havoc with our thinking and action. A lack of a PhD is a failure in life? Apparently this was the main reason he took his life along with his two children but NOT his wife whom he considered NOT his responsibility. He was moving in a direction of what he believed to be, in his truths, his own spiritual expressions; choosing what rings within him and knowing that it is an expression of his own free flow. He was generating expectations of himself which may be contrary to his natural movement and desires.
Change your misguided believes and life changes immediately
= == = ==Dad who killed kids had history of depression
ABOVE: Deceased who was under depression (see below) had sought treatment; BELOW: His father
16 Feb 2007; Lee Shi-Ian and Alang Bendahara; NST KUALA LUMPUR: He had a history of depression, was jobless for a long time and did not want his children to suffer the same fate. And this was why, according to a suicide note left by Lee Tiang Siang, he decided to kill his children before he took his own life. While family members were trying to come to terms with the tragedy, police investigations revealed that Lee, 39, had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for depression since he returned from New Zealand in 2002. He had gone there to do a doctorate but returned without completing the course.
Lee had been unable to hold a permanent job over the past five years. He was last known to be working in a real estate firm but could not hold on to that job. Police believe that on Wednesday evening, Lee’s mind snapped. He strangled his daughter, Lee Mei Shen, 10, and suffocated his son, Lee Wei Shen, 9. After killing his children, Lee committed suicide by consuming a mixture of bleach and floor cleaner. In his letter, Lee had stated that he was deeply affected by his failure to secure a permanent job and to be a more responsible father and husband.
He had tried several jobs but things did not turn out well, putting additional financial pressure on his wife, who worked as an insurance agent. It is learnt that his wife’s father helped the family out financially, further depressing Lee, who felt useless and a burden to his family. "I overheard the couple having an argument yesterday and angry words were exchanged, including claims that the husband could not even support the family," a family friend claimed. The man, who declined to be identified, said he had known Lee for about seven years and he was a quiet type but friendly. Commenting on the tragedy, the family friend said Lee’s wife brought the children home from school and an argument ensued not long after.
The wife then stormed out of the Villa Angsana condominium unit in Jalan Ipoh and went to her father’s house nearby, he said. When the wife returned later, she heard cries. As she did not have the house keys, she sought the help of security guards to break into the unit. The children’s bodies were in the master bedroom while her husband’s body was in the attached bathroom. Neighbour Tham Yew Ming, 81, described the family as quiet and friendly. "I did not hear them arguing much or scolding the children. But then again, I do not see them often as I leave the house early in the morning," he said. A post-mortem at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital revealed Mei Shen was strangled to death while Wei Shen died of suffocation. Lee’s father and brother were at the mortuary to make funeral arrangements. Police have classified the case as murder-cum-suicide.
Friday February 16, 2007, STAR
Fund manager who killed self, kids suffered frequent bouts of it
KUALA LUMPUR: Depression is believed to be the reason fund manager Lee Tiang Siang killed his two children before he took his own life. According to the police, Lee, 39, was said to have felt he was a failure and this probably made him take the lives of nine-year-old Mei Shen and seven-year-old Wei Shen at their Jalan Ipoh condominium here on Wednesday night. After the father suffocated the children, probably with plastic bags, he was said to have consumed bleach and other cleaning products. City CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Ahmad Ibrahim said:
“Our investigations revealed that the family did not have any loan shark problem or any enemy. Lee suffered frequent bouts of depression after returning here from New Zealand in 2002. The family told us that Lee did not complete his PhD studies there. “Since then, he was always upset.” SAC Ahmad said police found four letters handwritten by Lee addressed to his wife, parents, brother and a friend overseas. “The letters revealed that Lee felt that he had let down his wife and family members, especially his children, and that he had no choice but to take his and his children's lives.
ABOVE: The daughter nine-year-old Lee Mei Shen “Lee wrote that he regretted not making it in life and that he did not want his children to follow his footsteps,” he said. At 9pm yesterday, Lee's father and brother claimed the bodies of the deceased from the KL Hospital mortuary. Lee and the children were found dead at 7.30pm by his wife, an insurance agent in her 30s. It is believed that Lee had argued with his wife after coming home from work at 6pm. A neighbour who declined to be identified said the family was not known to have loud quarrels. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said individuals who attempted suicide normally did so when they lacked support from friends and relatives or worry about money or health.
“When you live such a stressful life because of expectations and you have nobody to turn to except your immediate family, and you do not get that type of support when you are home, you can feel very frustrated,” he told reporters yesterday. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil has urged the police to get to the bottom of the deaths.
= = == = = = == = =15th Feb 07
It is another tragedy almost very similar to the last December one in which the parents killed their 3 children and tried to kill themselves without success. In this case, the father was able to take his own life but reportedly left a note. The reports are still early and speculation is again that “Ah longs” are in the picture . Accountant, 2 kids found dead in murder-cum-suicide15 Feb 2007; NST
KUALA LUMPUR: A man is believed to have strangled his two children to death yesterday before killing himself by consuming a deadly mixture of bleach and floor cleaner. Lee Tiang Siang, 39, an accountant with a unit trust company, locked himself and his children, Lee Mei Shen, 9, and Lee Wei Shen, 7, in their Villa Angsana condominium off Jalan Ipoh, before apparently committing murder-cum-suicide. Lee’s wife found the bodies of her children, a boy and a girl, in the master bedroom.
ABOVE & BELOW: This morning Villa Angsana condominium as seen off Jalan Ipoh
Her husband was in the attached bathroom. Next to him was a hand-written note in English and a bucket containing a mixture of bleach and floor cleaner. However, there were conflicting versions on events leading to the tragedy. Neighbours claimed Ah Long were involved but Sentul OCPD
ABOVE: The condo unit as seen from another perspective:
ACP K. Kumaran (ABOVE) said police had ruled out the involvement of Ah Long. He however did not want to go into details as investigations were ongoing. Neighbours reported seeing Ah Long visiting Lee’s unit on the second floor of Block A at 5.30pm yesterday.
ABOVE: The entrance door to the condo unit and BELOW: The swarm of police officers were present to do their duties
Lee did not allow them in. A short while later they left. More than an hour later, Lee’s wife, a cashier at a gaming outlet, came home and an argument ensued after she found scratch marks on the family car, believed to have been made by the Ah Long. Lee’s wife left the condo unit and went to her relative’s unit several doors away on the same floor. When she returned an hour later, she found the unit locked and became suspicious. She ran downstairs and sought the help of security guards, who called the Fire and Rescue Department. Firemen broke down the front door and found the children in the room.
ABOVE: The condo unit as spotted last night and BELOW: The night scene at the entrance
They died before the ambulance arrived. Firemen later broke down the bathroom door and found Lee frothing at the mouth. He was already dead. Neighbours and relatives who gathered outside the unit later said they found it difficult to understand the death of Lee and the children. They said Lee held a good job, his wife was also working and there were no indications that they faced financial problems.
ABOVE: The school attended by the two dead children
It is, however, learnt that Lee dabbled heavily in the stock market. The children attended a Chinese primary school in the area. The bodies were removed about midnight and sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a post-mortem. Police also recorded a statement from Lee’s wife, who became hysterical when the bodies were being carried out. This incident is chillingly similar to the case in Desa Petaling last December, where a couple allegedly killed their three sons before attempting to take their own lives.= = == = STAR’s Brief account Thursday February 15, 2007; By MARC LOURDES
Man and children found dead
KUALA LUMPUR: A man and his two young children were found dead in their Jalan Ipoh condominium here last night. Fund manager Lee Tiang Siang, 39, and his children, nine-year-old Mei Shen and seven-year-old Wei Shen, were found dead in their house at about 7.30pm by Lee’s wife, an insurance agent in her 30s. It is believed that Lee had an argument with his wife after coming home to his Villa Angsana condominium from work at 6pm. This led to her storming off to a neighbour’s unit.
When she returned to her flat an hour later, she found the front door locked and heard the sound of her children whimpering . Alarmed, she sought the help of the security guards to break open the house door. They found the children lying outside the bathroom. It is believed that the children had been strangled to death with plastic bags. Lee, who was said to have been studying for his doctorate, was found dead in the bathroom. Several bottles of bleach and other household cleaning liquids were found nearby. A neighbour who declined to be identified said the family was not known to have loud quarrels.
Sentul OCPD Asst Comm K. Kumaran (ABOVE) said there were no marks on all three bodies and the case had been classified as sudden death until the post mortems were completed.
ABOVE and BELOW: The bodies one by one were taken down and transported to the Hospital Kuala Lumpur for the post mortems to determine the actual causes of death.
ABOVE: Logo Adapted from Kickdefella
ABOVE: The Largest "Nien Ko" (CNY Year Cake") you can buy (in KL Petaling Street) ...more pics loading for those interested .. Check back
ABOVE: A typical 7-course dinner, TOP right; Big Prawns (RM35, 13 pcs 1/2 Kg); 1/2 Roast Duck (RM18); Promfet (RM70 1kg +); Gingko Kai Choy (Rm10); Kow Yoke (Siew Yoke & Yam slices) (RM25); Kampung Chicken (RM18) & Yee Sang (RM24) & BELOW ( The "low hei" for 4 with plenty of left overs. It is doubtful the restaurant could give you value for money
ABOVE & BELOW: At the Store Supermarket, located Pudu Plaza, Pudu, Feb 1st 07 barely two weeks before the CNY, you will find more goods than people buying; the crowds were no longer there. All their pockets are sick - empty. You can drive up and find the parking lots are not fully occupied most of the time.
ABOVE:: In contrast, the Giant Supermart, Ulu Kelang, 11 Feb 07, a week before CNY; ALL the lower prices and variety are there and BELOW: The check out counters are full and you can spot only one "pony-tail" non-Malay. Who are the people with the cash and buying powers?
ABOVE & BELOW: The traditional florists along Jalan Sultan were stocking up with all sorts of varieties and the wishy washy willow "lan fa" were a plenty with no takers.
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ABOVE: The Lime tree (Kut) can be found in abundance in the Sugai Buloh nursery (RM35 - RM38 per pot)and BELOW: the unique and decorative "Chun Chee" -Pearl plant with purple coloured berries which have medicinal value; rtetailing RM88
