Saturdays for me, very rarely start at 7 am. But yesterday was different. My mom had to attend one of the adopted schools of Petronas' Program Bakti to give a speech and meet the kids and their parents. So I tagged along. :D

Prior to this, I didn't really understand what my mom did since she moved to Corporate Affairs. Only recently have I learnt what she and the rest of her department are doing, how dedicated some Petronas staff are and how the company has amazingly found ways of improving children's lives.

Program Bakti is not your average charity project. It’s not a ‘collect money and donate for expenses’ fund. This program targets underprivileged children who are getting low marks in school and gives them free tuition. Besides that, once a month, volunteer Petronas staff go over to the schools and have various activities with the children in English. They play games, do work exercises and learn new things. This lets the children strengthen their grip on English, improve their confidence and motivate them to do better.

Its ingenious really, if we want the nation to produce a better, more ambitious society, then where else to start if not in schools through education? Adults have the responsibility to mould these children to be better individuals socially, spiritually and mentally. Schools are perfect avenues for this and Petronas has taken it upon them to provide kids who really need help with the tools to improve their lives. Statistics show that there has been a significant improvement in their overall performance, including their discipline and behavior.

Another thing I find absolutely astonishing is that the volunteers are Petronas staff that are not being paid overtime or coerced into taking part in this program. They do it out of the goodness of their heart and seriously, it isn’t easy taking time out of ones busy schedule to deal with impetuous children without any concrete benefits. But every year they come back for more and the emotional profit is reflected in their proud smiles every time a student excels.

I now have a new found appreciation for my mom’s job, Petronas’ efforts and unselfishness as well as the volunteers. Thanks mom. :D

I was reading this book by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The protagonist is an autistic boy of fifteen with an amazing mind that's logical and superb with numbers. He however, is not adept at social interactions. He despises people touching him and he doesn't understand emotions. When in doubt, he crawls into a small, enclosed space and sits there in silence. With all his idiosyncrasies, it's hard for him to navigate through the real world. But once people know of his condition, they 'allow' him to behave that way, because he isn't posing any threat to anyone.

Why is it then, that if 'normal' people were to crawl into nooks and crannies, who detest being touched, and who would rather read books in room corners than mingle at parties are viewed as weird and socially unacceptable?

Some people rather use the treadmill at the edge of the gym because they hate people staring at them when they workout. Some people rather walk around malls while listening to their ipods because they feel secure when they don't have to interact with other people.

Not everyone goes out with the intention of meeting new people or to get lucky. Not everyone feels the urge to meet old friends every day and reminisce every night. Not everyone appreciates being picked up at the gas station or supermarket.

So why don't the rest of us loosen up and cut these people some slack once in awhile?