Welcome to Grouchland

If All Are Equal

2011-08-09T21:00:00.000+08:00

Ok, now markets are falling, people are selling and S&P is downgrading.

So what happens if all becomes equal. In a world full of beggars who will be the king?

The one with the big stick of course!

So now we have two countries with big sticks. One just got downgraded and the other, his major money lender.

The days of mutual destruction via nukes or nuclear deterrent, is more or less over.
Today, its the world of mutual economic benefit or disaster.

No one county in this world can afford another to default.
Perhaps we have arrived at some kind of a yin and yang, night and day equilibrium economically.

24 Hours

2011-08-05T14:05:00.003+08:00

The markets move these days in an almost continuous cycle. One day up and one day down. So tell me what change between the 5-8 hours that we spend sleeping and the next ?

You can say information drives the market but information in general is more or less readily available. With all the talking heads on TV telling you all kinds of *news* and breaking developments.

So what drives it? Fear? If all funds stop investing, what would the money do? In the first place, has anyone asked himself/herself where the funds come from ?

Unless the cycle stops - between spending and earning, the markets will just carry on.

Malaysia Day

2010-09-17T00:12:00.004+08:00

Malaysia day is over, pretty much like any other day. Quiet and peaceful, just like any other day.

In Malaysia, there was a holiday declared.

It was nice to know that the people there get to be on holiday. It was nice to know that they had fun.

It was nice to see other people smile.

Growing Up

2010-06-15T00:07:00.002+08:00

I happen to chance upon some old videos which I took of other's and other's took of me from a span of almost 9 years.

I saw myself then and I see myself now. I realized I have changed a lot. A whole lot. I was such a kid then, just 9 years ago when I thought I was already a grown up but obviously not.

It is quite a realization to see myself in that perspective. Stupid and immature. It took me 9 years to somewhat sort of find myself, if I ever could, or if anybody else ever can to grow up.

I just hope that I could be conscious of my own actions and its effect on others and continue to grow up and old and hopefully wiser as time goes by.

Exit

2010-03-18T23:53:00.004+08:00

We breathe our first gasp of air by crying,

We see our first light through tears,

We fall often before we learn about walking, then running,

We continue to fall, sometimes alone, sometimes in arms so dear,

We often meet junctions and partings,

We will lose the people near and will shed them a tear,

At the end of it all, we will be by ourself, hoping,

Hoping that what we did in this life, is out of love rather than fear.

Roll With The Punches

2010-03-10T01:26:00.002+08:00

Life or sometimes our superiors or people who you come across in our day to day life will throw us punches. Some soft some hard but punches nonetheless.

Some of us will fall and give up the fight, but I guess after years of taking these punches and rolling with it, I kind of became more and more immune to it. And it's a good thing.

We got to roll with it. Fall down and stand back up without fear or anger and just keep trudging forward towards our goal.

Today I got punched for no reason. But tomorrow is another day. And I will stand back up and face more ahead not with fury but with a sense of calm and peace, knowing that no matter what I will only come back stronger.

If

2010-03-07T23:59:00.003+08:00

If I could take back all the hurt I cause I would.

If I could take back all my words spoken or unspoken I would.

If I could I would not one minute of your time be wasted and let them be mine.

If I could just turn back time.

But I couldn't.

Wits End

2010-02-22T22:43:00.003+08:00

They say a picture says more than words can. Above picture reflects what I am feeling inside.

Connections / It's a small world after all.

2010-01-28T11:42:00.007+08:00

Here I was, sitting at the bar counter in a little french restaurant called Telluride somewhere in New England. Minding my business talking to my colleague over red wine and good food, the man who sat to my right suddenly said to me " Are you guys in shipping?".

Apparently he had heard me mention something about the types of ships used to ferry goods around the world, as my colleague had asked me about earlier. We turned to him and told him yes and no. We were grain traders. Boring business dealing in trading and shipping grains like wheat and corn from one country to the other across the great oceans both Atlantic and Pacific.

He however, worked for a ship owner that specializes in shipping chemicals and clean fuels. That's where the first connection came. Upon further chit chat, I later found out that he was in Singapore a month back and stayed there for 6 months. That's the second connection.

What's even weirder is, he worked for the same company with the husband of one of my friend.

This complete stranger. At the french restaurant and by blind fate sat beside me, been to Singapore and worked with the husband of my friend. That's the third connection.

Okay, now, how do I make these into numbers so that I can probably buy the NY Jackpot. Hear it's close to USD 100 over mil now in prize money. Or maybe that's not what it is about...heh, the money bit.

But don't you think it is weird? Coincidence? Or is there really such a thing called coincidence.

Maybe our world and the world outside is not that big after all. We are all connected somehow in this little biosphere called Earth.

Ukraine

2010-01-22T07:08:00.005+08:00

Ukraine. A very fertile land with almost 53% arable land and I also think it's the largest country in Europe. (East Europe).

This is a land where some of the earliest trades of wheat took shape when the demand for bread becomes more and more significant to feed the masses in UK during the industrial revolution.

Food for hardworking people of Ukraine.

Field of soybeans.

Potato harvest. French fries in Ukraine taste good!

Above is a soybean plant. Edamame for you.

This is a stalk of corn and below is the field.

Grass being grown over harvested fields to replenish nutrients.

Ukraine is a land full of land.........to plant food for the world.

The New Audi A1

2010-01-22T06:43:00.003+08:00

Audi has come a long way from 100 years back.

I remember when I was a kid, when my father drove past the first Audi showroom in Ipoh, I asked him what brand of car it is. The four rings look very interesting to me and it looked like the Olympic rings minus two. And they are silver in color.

I never did like gold since young I dont know why though I want to kick myself for not going long it when it was abt 400 bucsk an oz. I should trust my gut.

Somehow I vaguely remember then perhaps when I get to be able to afford one I'd get myself one.

Well guess when one's on a roll, like a small snowball going down the slope it will gather momentum and mass along the way and that is what Audi seems to be doing.

Improving it's boring designs of yesterday with its current ever expanding range from the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, the coming A7,A8 Q5, Q7, rumored Q3, TT and the R8. Not to mention also the various variants in the S types to the RS types.

Well here you go, enjoy the video.

Mass Effect 2

2010-01-22T06:38:00.001+08:00

You know why I love videogames? Check out the following video.

It's from Mass Effect 2. Looks awesome. Western RPGs have gone a long way versus their Japanese counterpart who is still making Final Fantasy number XIII so on and so forth.

The thing about western RPG is there is a solid story and feels more engaging and more real time versus the Japs.

Jap RPGs are just a re-hash of the same old turn based formula themes with upgraded graphics thats all.

We Hate Bankers

2010-01-16T11:46:00.002+08:00

You know what, hearing President Obama talking about how he wants to tax the bankers like JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and the like for making lots of money and hence wanting to reward its employees by granting big bonuses is comical and paradoxical.

On one hand, these banks (those mentioned and some like Citi wants to repay) repaid the TARP money plus interest of around 20% and now we have the President here coming on TV wanting to *penalise*them for making money turning their books around, and hence hopefully the US economy, eventually by having more liquidity and thus alleviating the Federal Reserve to continue to finance all the bad assets is just plain not making any capitalistic sense!

You know what, I think the any Govt in the world should do? They should just open their arms to welcome these banks to set up shop in their country. And let them do what the do best under some form of regulation/ethics code and like some would say, let the good times roll.....

Why the hell not? They provide funding, they provide jobs, they pay well to the people they employ and they pay taxes base on the profits they make.

Make heck of a lot of sense to me.

NYC Sights

2010-01-10T11:18:00.005+08:00

City of Blinding Lights

2010-01-10T10:46:00.005+08:00

Finally, the city I had wanted to visit. The city that I have always knew from the movies and tv shows. Finally I was there, walking the streets, breathing the air, hearing the sounds and taking in the sights.

It was quite an experience. Rain on my face, snow on my shoes, smoke from the manholes and yellow taxi cabs everywhere. NYC! NYC!

I feel small in this city. Almost invisible. There are so many people packed in this city, you become just a background or backdrop for countless tourists taking pictures to commemorate their visit. Lines formed everywhere, restaurants are full and the service is to me just adequate and yet the city is on the brink of bankruptcy.

The city in the country where piracy is shun upon, strangely street peddlers sell counterfeit LVs, Prada and Chanel bags right outside the big and fancy boutiques. Yes, NYC is also a city of paradox and contradiction.

Central Park, a brilliant concept when building a city. A garden amongst the madness along it's borders. A lung for the city to breath in non congestion air within a sardine of a city.

The grid system is brilliant but not so for a city on such a tiny land mass. Driving within the city is certainly no joy. It's a city built for walking and the subway. The veins buried underneath the skin of the city ferries its inhabitants like veins in our bodies ferrying blood vessels to the vital parts of our body.

While Central Park is it's lungs, Wall Street and the whole of downtown is it's heart. The voices of people yelling out buy and sell orders and the whispers of secret deals and exchange of information from within the walls of the buildings here feed it's inhabitants with food and aspirations as well as greed. Here is where the American dream is supposedly made these days. A place of opportunity as well as contempt for its extravagance.

NYC. A city that is unique. One of a kind.

Food That I Cooked!

2009-06-27T22:46:00.000+08:00

The Milan Station

2009-06-27T22:43:00.001+08:00

The couple II

2009-06-27T22:40:00.002+08:00

The couple

2009-06-27T22:36:00.004+08:00

They say a picture says a thousand words.

Leave it to you to wonder what this picture says to you.

This was taken in Milan on the grounds of the old castle.

2009!!!

2007-12-11T22:55:00.004+08:00

Wow.....2008 gone already and now it is 2009.

Only yesterday it was Y2K party.

9 years have passed wow.........time to slow down...slow slow slow :)

The Birth of Vader!!

2007-12-11T22:49:00.001+08:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...........................................*****pisssssssssssssh!!!***

At last I am re-born!! Look at me with awe!! Fear my fearsome black armor!! MUAHAHAHA...eh, wait a minit, I am stuck! and and, I am ...WTF!!!? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FINGERS??

Guards! Guards! HELP!! I AM STUCK I AM STUCK! FUCK who made me a goddarn Lego!!

I asked for the latest model I didn't ask to be a stupid lego!!!

Oily-Wand you are going to pay for throwing me to the pits!!!

Yes Lord Vajer, you called? WAHAHAH...oops! Sorry mi'lord...errr, what they heck did they do to you??? Cant you use the force to somehow, you know alter your molecule or something to make you back to become the big old nasty that you are?......come to think of it, you do look kinda cute short and stunted!!!

To be continued......

Dunes of Gold

2007-09-04T22:51:00.001+08:00

Seafood Thai style down in Chinatown!!

2007-09-04T22:45:00.000+08:00

Anthony Bourdain I am NOT!

2007-09-04T22:32:00.000+08:00

One of the perks of my job is, I get to go off the beaten path when I go on business trips. And I get to see and experience some cool stuff whenever I go to such places where tourists will never go. Recently, I was somewhere in Thailand in the province of Lop Buri. Where is that? Well it is about 150km northwest from Bangkok.

This area is basically a hilly area dotted with BIG limestone hills that are fast disappearing due to granite blasting and marble manufacturing. The soil here is also fertile which enables farmers to grow corn, tapioca, sugar cane and rice.

And whenever we get to go off the beaten path, we also get to sample the food off the beaten path which is something that I totally look forward too whenever I go *out and about* in a country and this is the time whereby I do think that *hey, I could be the next Anthony Bourdain-Asian style unlike the Asian wannabe Bobby Chin* - Man I hate that guy...but Tony's tops!

And the main reason why I cant be like Tony is not because I am not a good presenter or food expert, (I live to eat, not eat to live) but it's because I lack the patience and control that Tony has, coz even before the camera got to the food to show the audience it's yummy goodness, it is gone. Gone into my stomach and all that's left is all you see right here!

Pasar Malam!! (Night Market!!)

2007-08-27T21:11:00.000+08:00

As we cruise into the 21st century with wifi, mobile phones, internet everywhere, somethings should just stay as they are and one of it is the Pasar Malam!.

I remember when I am a kid, I used to love cycling to the nearby pasar malam whenever they come to my neighbourhood to set up shop to sell all kinds of stuff from food to clothes to cassettes to magazines to household knick knacks and what not!

Recently I got the chance to pop over to one back when I was home and here's some photos to share!

And if you notice those pink turtle buns! they are only found in Ipoh especially around October when they celebrate the Ninth Emperor festival where such buns are sold everywhere and chinese opera plays for nine straight days for free!

Rodiots!!

2007-07-30T15:04:00.000+08:00

Whats a Roadiots? - Road Idiots! aka Idiots on the road!

I normally do think that general road users on this Island that I am living in are fairly courteous and pretty law abiding. However, there are of course exceptions to the norm, or was it that those were the norms? Let's leave that to a later debate. So in this post, I would like to recount my WTF! moments and they are as follows :-

WTF No.1

Now, have you ever tried signalling when you want to switch lane? Of course you have! Any half decent driver would right? But there are some assholes who, whenever they see you signalling, the farker will step on the accelarator even though that tibai fella is at least 2 car lengths behind! I mean, you just cant get in front of them! No! It's their road!!!

WTF No.2

You know those merging lanes? where 2 lanes merge into one, well, I was on the right side of the lane while the ever courteous taxi driver of the blue comfort one was on my left. We both started cordially side by side but as my car is more powerful than the taxi, I overtook him and was ahead of him on the merging lane. Then suddenly I heard this "VROOOM" - tibai mad fark taxi driver cut ahead of me from behind on a merging lane!!!

WTF No.3

After merging lanes, we also have fork roads. You know left lane right lane forks, well just today, along the AYE where the express way divvys up towards Keppel road on the left and towards the CTE on the right. Guess who the dumbass again is putting the lives of us courteuous road users in danger again?? YES the TIBAI TAXI DRIVER of the blue comfortable type!!!! bloody effing idiot just went straight towards the center of the fork and stopped and then decide at the last min which one to turn to and he just signalled and turned!!! WTF?!!?!?

WTF No.4

Now we have the Tibais who drives as if their Momma owns the road. This kind of driver will go on the fast lane and drive as if they are on the slow lane. You follow them patiently, they dun care, you flash them they dun care, you honk them they go slower! WTF!!!

So far I have listed above 4 WTF moments. Will list more when I have more time!!!

Business Too Good!

2007-07-01T13:16:00.000+08:00

I think these days, business is too good for most F&B outlets in this glorious Island of Acronyms! Age limit for women over 35 at St James Powerstation for ladies nite, meaning if your are over the hill you are not welcome to the establishment. They only want young hot patrons there! Old hags exit stage left please and do so quietly!!!! Business is just too good to cater to these old women who still think they are hot enough to party at their club. Even though they may be single, divorced, hot and damm loaded and willing to throw money there!!!!!! But the management say cannot because their club is exclusively for women below 35.

But the place has like 5 sub clubs in inside which caters to different genres of music like jazz, ching chong canto beng pop and also normal club rooms with house and retro music. SO, the ladies could possibly be interested to go to the Jazz bar no? It's ladies nite so why not let them let their hair down and enjoy themselves? Not as if the the clientele there is uber hi class and elites........business too good hor!!!

Also, personally I also had this experience sometime ago at this micro brewery called the Pump Room at Clarke Quay. We were there after work fr a drink or two to celebrate the birthday of one of our colleagues. We got ourselves a tower and that time was around 930, so by the time we finished our tower at abt 1000, we decided to get another one. But the special offer for the tower ends at 10 and by the time we ordered, it was already 5 pass 10. So we got the waiter over and asked if they could extend us the offer as it was only a few mins passed the time limit.
The answer was NO!.

Fark!! talk about bureaucracies at the BAR!!! WTF!!!....if I own the bar, and bars are supposed to be a happy place, I would have extended and gave us the beers because after that, we would feel well treated, happy to get the beer and we would have recommended this place to our mates instead of me now bitching about it on me blog!!! Business too damm good la!!!!

Also, the farking place got no nuts or tidbits to go with the beer and when we asked the waiter for some, dude look at us like we killed his entire family like that!! He then shoved us the menu and said they only serve finger food after 10 and now they only serve proper dining food!!!....we felt like we were in Alcatraz.

Anyways, business is indeed to good for these outlets la.....well, let's see how long they can tahan with this attitude coz what they dont realise is, us consumers have a LOT of options to throw our money at....business is never too good.....

The I-RACK!!

2007-05-10T15:38:00.001+08:00

April Showers

2007-05-05T12:21:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow Never Comes...

2007-04-12T00:39:00.000+08:00

Time waits for no one but tomorrow will always come. We always feel, yeah, we can always do it tomorrow, talk to our loved ones tomorrow, express our love and appreciation for the people dear to us till tomorrow, put things we need to sort out till tomorrow, say we are sorry till tomorrow, do our taxes till tomorrow, arrange our lives till tomorrow because there's always a tomorrow.

Yeah tomorrow, how wonderful it is that we always have a tomorrow for we are just too self absorbed now to be giving a hoot to all this stuff till tomorrow.

But what if tomorrow never comes? Tomorrow is actually finite! There aren't too many tomorrows actually and tomorrow's are actually not determined by us!

Damm, I better do my taxes now.....because like people always say, death and taxes are always certain! Whether tomorrow comes or not....these two will for sure come!

Love/Laugh

2007-03-27T23:29:00.000+08:00

Funny how these two words start with the same letter. They go hand in hand. What is life without laughter and what of a life without love. Is it that illusive to learn how to laugh and love in some parts of the world that these two words does not exist anymore?

All that's left are tears, suffering and aches never ending. Life becomes cheap and death is but a statistic. Why do we fight for an ideology when such an ideology is flawed and complex with too many rules and caveats when the basic caveat that we should have is to live a full life governed by love for fellow humans and one that is filled with laughter?

Dusk....

2007-03-25T21:36:00.000+08:00

Day's end, day's gone,

Hated Monday's tomorrow,

Most feel as I, so am not alone,

But I guess it has to come,

For Tuesday to follow,

And the weekend will come soon,

To end our sorrow....

So that the weekend will

Jakarta Floods

2007-03-25T21:24:00.000+08:00

Bird Flu?

2007-03-25T21:20:00.000+08:00

This was taken during the Jakarta floods in February. The guy in the motorbike was transporting a bundle of wet dead chickens behind his bike.

Asking for it?

Crossings

2007-03-25T20:56:00.000+08:00

As we journey through life, we often cross paths with many different people and only a handful of these people mean something or anything to us. Others are just strangers who happen to walk into our way or we meet at certain intersection of our journey.

Last Friday, I happen to come across such an intersection and meeting 2 people, whom I do not know personally but they happened to be close acquaintance of a friend of mine. How interesting I thought, that this couple would sit a few tables away from me, and that I have heard of their "tales" through my other friend and yet I am a complete stranger to them.

Is there something more that fate probably has a hand in but have yet to reveal? Or is this suppose to be some sort of sign that I need to be doing something, somehow, somewhat?

But then as I tucked into my delicious oysters, I thought to myself, well the universe has always a way to work things out so, if it is for a reason then the reason will be revealed in time. So in the meanwhile, I'll just take a deep breath, to feel alive, and slow time down for awhile to enjoy the food that's right in front of me.

Joggers

2007-03-16T22:16:00.000+08:00

On the way home today, I saw a couple (male and female) happily jogging along a busy road. Looking ever so lovey dovey, smiling at each other, flirting with each other and smacking each other in the butt ever so often to cheer each other on.

All this activity goes on with their Ipods firmly strapped to their arm and headphones to their ears as the bounce along the road like two bounding jackalopes! Perhaps they are even listening to the same lovey dovey tunes....so romantic....isn't it? To be able to exercise and yet enjoy each other's company.

But then, a thought came to me. These two fellas are jogging along a busy road, stacked with cars and what not crawling down the road spewing all this dirty exhaust fumes, churning out dusts and grime.....I mean how romantic can that be?!?!

I think, the best way to exercise and still to be able to enjoy each other's company in a cosy environment is to.......just.....shag!!!

Don't ya think so???

What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life...

2007-03-11T23:47:00.000+08:00

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and south and east and west of your life?
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me.

All the seasons and the times of your days.
All the nickels and the dimes of your days.
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days.
All begin and end with me.

I want to see your face,
In every kind of light,
In fields of gold and
Forests of the night;
And when you stand before
The candles on a cake.
Oh let me be the one to hear
The silent wish you make.

Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love you keep in your eyes,
Ill awaken whats asleep in your eyes,
It may take a kiss or two..

Through all of my life..
Summer, winter, spring and fall of my life,
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you.

Home

2007-03-02T01:13:00.000+08:00

"Home"

Another summer day

Has come and gone away

In Paris and Rome

But I wanna go home

Mmmmmmmm Maybe surrounded by a million people

I still feel all alone

I just wanna go home

Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you

Each one a line or two“I’m fine baby, how are you?”

Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough

My words were cold and flat

And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane

Another sunny place

I’m lucky I knowBut I wanna go home

Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home

I’m just too far from where you are

I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life

It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right

And I know just why you could not

Come along with me

'Cause this was not your dream

But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come

And gone away

In even Paris and Rome

And I wanna go home

Let me go home

And I’m surrounded byA million people

I still feel all alone

Oh, let me go home

Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home

I’ve had my runBaby, I’m doneI gotta go home

Let me go home

It will all be all right

I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home

Truism

2007-02-14T23:24:00.000+08:00

They say ignorance is bliss and curiosity killed the cat.

How true is that!!!

The fellow who came out with that is indeed a darn wise fellow. But then maybe it's 2 fellows instead of one.

To enjoy the bliss, he had to be the one who survived due to his ignorance.

Meanwhile for the other fellow who was curious, well, God rest his soul, coz he is sleeping with the Kitties for eternity.

So in summary it is still ONE wise fellow at the end of the day.

The stupid one. Ignoramus Hippopotamus!

I Don't Like Mondays

2007-02-12T16:49:00.000+08:00

The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown

Tell me why I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down

The Telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl
Sweet 16 ain't that peachy keen
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown

Tell me why I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down

All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain crackles
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die

Tell me why I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down

- The Boomtown Rats (aka Bob Geldof)

Light Bulb Blues....

2007-01-14T13:31:00.000+08:00

I am singing the blues today....and here are them blues :-

What is this world coming to?
When a light bulb cost 22!!
She says I need bulbs all 42!
All my money goes down the loo......

Oh what is this world coming to???....
All me money say to the loo!
Coz bought the bulbs then I am blue!
No more money left in my shoes....

The End.

Clarity

2006-12-19T23:22:00.000+08:00

Kindness / Weakness

2006-12-11T22:31:00.000+08:00

Kindness does not equal weakness. Often times we cant differentiate between the two.
But in reality, the line between the two is not gray.

Kindness is white, weakness is black. Once given, kindness does not ask for compensation nor adulation. Kindness needs no recognition but do not mistake kindness for weakness.

Aaargh!!! and Sir Winston Churchill

2006-11-21T23:50:00.000+08:00

Today is one of those days that things just dont, I repeat DON'T want to go your way.

Dammits!!....sigh....

What then is there to do when such days happen??? I feel like pulling all my hair out and exploding like a mini big bang, perhaps big enough to create a black hole to suck it all in!!!

BUT, luckily for me, Sir Winston Churchill was at hand to share some wisdom....he once said....

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb. "

Sir Winston Churchill

Memories

2006-11-20T00:13:00.000+08:00

Sometimes we wish we had a delete button installed somewhere in our physiology. So that we can dump unhappy memories and keep only the good ones in our brain.

However, be glad that we don't have one because memories are not meant to be forgotten even the unhappy ones because it is these collective memories that we collect along our journey in this lifetime that defines who we are.

Hopefully, enough to show us the path to do the right thing for the future.

We Are All Part Of The Weave

2006-11-18T22:55:00.000+08:00

Individually, we seem disconnected. But truth is, collectively, human beings are part of the the same weave. We are connected in more ways than one. But as an individual, we fail to see where we fit into the bigger scheme of things.

However, the fact remains, our actions have consequences and to act with a mind of such consequences is more important than to think our actions affect no one and nothing in nature other than ourselves.

Often times, humans take time to react and acknowledge the adverse effect of our actions. And often times, it takes a reckoning for us to finally see the collective effect of what we do to each and everyone on this planet that we live in.

Ramble

2006-10-30T22:21:00.000+08:00

This is a ramble of my thoughts that are in my head now that I am putting on paper for no one to read but if you choose to read them and if you get pissed reading this ramble coz there will not be any full stop at all, then I suggest you stop reading now before it's too late and your blood pressure goes up until you feel your head adding on some kilos, numbness in your fingers and toes and shortness of breath, because I surely will not take any responsibility for your condition, heck, even I myself wont take responsibility for that happening to me because if it ever happens to me, it is because I am too darn lazy and tired and lacking of time to do any exercises these days but then again I think it is just an excuse on my part not to do any exercises because I can clearly rememeber a time when I played in almost all kinds of sports and whatever happened to those days you may ask, is, well, most of my kaki's got married, too old, too fat, too lazy, too important to steal any time whatsoever to play with me a game of soccer, tennis, handball, hockey, rugby so on and so forth because I can't find them anymore or maybe that is just my excuse or maybe that is the same excuse we are telling ourselves so that we can don't exercise or meet up for any purpose whatsoever because most likely after awhile, we kind of pass that stage where we need to get together now that we have so called our own life to lead whereas when we were still back in school or whatever we kind of shared something in common which is either playing truant or scoring A's for our parents until one day we realise that school or even university serves no actual purpose in determining whether your life will turn out great or turn upside down because that is something that no one else can do unto us except ourselves and that is our God given right to choose how we end up living this life, where we can spend all of our time here on Earth being pissed at each other or start accepting that each and everyone of us is different and similar at the same time in order to see beyond our percieved differences and recognise the unifying factor that all of us are flesh and blood regardless of culture,race,language and religion because when we are happy we laugh and when we get hurt we cry and that itself is a miracle don't you think so?

Haze

2006-10-30T22:08:00.000+08:00

When our forest burns, we suffer from the ashes, the remains of life once rich. Even though we may be hundreds of kilometers away, our eyes still tear. Tears from the ashes, brought to us by the wind to remind us that somewhere not too far away, something living has passed on by.

The Departed

2006-10-11T21:34:00.000+08:00

To lose oneself is akin to selling one's soul to the devil. Most literature both modern and old, dealt with this topic and the reason behind it is mainly for fleeting selfish wants and indulgences. The one moment in time where we become weak and succumb to unnecessary wants, is the time we lose our goodness, our values and principal. That is the moment we will sign on the dotted line the contract with the horned one.

From that moment on, we are doomed. Condemned. Not by God or anyone, not even the Devil but by ourselves. We betrayed ourselves. We lose ourselves in the endless chasm of discontentment and disappointment.

Mending Fences and Second Chances

2006-10-02T22:56:00.000+08:00

Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes once in a while.
Everyone of us will have our moment of weakness in any given point in time, whereby we may have wronged someone close to us, a loved one, a friend or perfect stranger even.

The most important thing is then, is to realise our mistake and make amends to right the wrong. I think all us do know how to differentiate what is right and what is wrong. Once we realise our wrong and when the dust settles, that is the time to mend fences and for second chances.

Alone Time

2006-09-25T21:05:00.000+08:00

We all have our own time. Time to be with people, time to be by ourselves. We spend most of our days interacting with people from work and play and the days seem to past in the blink of an eye. Before we know it, another day has past and before long another year has past.

However, when we have time to be by ourselves, time seems to slow down. Everything moves according to our whim and fancy. We have time to reflect. We have time to relax. We can spend such time in our own space or share such time with mother nature. Let our guard down and just in that space, be ourselves again and be one with our surrounding.

A time of rediscovery, a time of peace.

Epiphany

2006-09-21T21:51:00.000+08:00

On the 21st of September 2006 at around 530pm.

This too, shall pass, she said....

Big Red Hot Chilli Crabs!!

2006-09-18T22:44:00.000+08:00

My what big crabs!!!!!

32 Hours - The First Quarter

2006-09-16T01:44:00.000+08:00

The 1st Hour :-

I came to this world fragile and weak.
Nearly gone in less than a minute.
Luck was on my side and hence,
I past my hour with love and care from my mother and father

The 2nd,3rd,4th,5th hour :-

During these hours, most of everything was a blur.
I remember a metal push car here and a Dog called Mao Lui there.
I remember running around with my King Kong toy and a T shirt to match.
I remember taking the bus with my mother in the morning.
I remember my father carrying me as I looked at his footsteps as he walked ahead.
I remember watching movies with my parents and it was great.
I remember giving my Grandpa back knocks and massages.
I remember he would always catch either me or my cousins to massage his back whenever we are in his vicinity.

The 6th/7th hour :-

These are the hours which brought forth my formal introduction to the world at large.
At the 6th hour, I was exposed to the language called English. Made a new fried (late friend now, RIP Alan) called Alan. His name I feared due to a movie called Alien which my parents took me to watch. Around the half hour mark of the 7th hour, my fear subsided and he became my first good friend. Around the 6th hour, I also met a girl who will eventually be my only link to my days here in the kindagarten. Her name is PS.I remember the 7th hour. The first minute of this hour, fear again struck me as I was now leaving the 6th hour school, into the 7th hour school called the Primary school.I remember my mother, bringing me to school. I remember the moment class began and I remembered how fearful I was to see her leave. Though the seconds spent in school are insignificant, I felt the fear of losing her then, which seems more real than anytime else. I remembered crying and not letting her go. The seconds however, slowly passed. My fear of losing her passed as well. School became routine.
Made friends, good friends, built sand castles in the sky while the teacher taught, all these I did. PS was with me in the same school. I remember my mom bringing me fresh shirts during recess as I would play with my friends and would perspire until my shirt is drenched. I remember how my mother made friends with the canteen operator. And everytime I order food from her, the auntie would give me extra servings and sometimes I would get a treat from her. Either a pack of twisties or O' ya. It is also in the 7th hour that I lost my first grandparent. Rest in peace - Kung Kung. It was the first time I had to deal with death. I remember my father coming to school to pick me up. I asked him why in the car he wouldn't say. And when we reached home he told me Kung Kung has passed away. It was also the first time I see my mother cry....

The 8th/9th/10th/12th hours :-

These are the hours best remembered for my academic results. Seldom I am below 5th in the class rankings nor the school rankings. But then again, in my school before the 12th hour, there were only 2 classes in my same grade :P. It is in these hours,that I kept falling ill most of the time before each examination. It is in these hours that I also realised how my parents were actually happy with my performance at school. I remembered having came back being number 11 in class and school. I remember the feeling of disappointment that my parents would have had of me. I also remembered how wrong I was to assume such. They were not disappointed with me. They thought I was mad to give oneself so much shit. During these hours, I had a lot of fun, played soccer almost everyday at 6pm. I remember riding my BMX around the neighbourhood with my little biker gang. I remember before riding my BMX I had a smaller bike. I remember trying to whack a mosquito on my leg while riding the bike. I failed to hit it, lost balanced and fell to the ground, hitting my head on a rock. I remember seeing blood drip from my head. I was not afraid, my cousin came to bring me back. I washed my wound and drenched my t-shirt with blood. My mother came and saw my bloodied t-shirt, she almost fainted. It was also the first time I got stitches. I had 8 stitches to my head. I remember camping outside my house, getting scared and cold and wanting to go back in but not allowed to by my father because he spent 100 bucks to buy me the tent! I had to use it because it was my request. I remember how small things like planning to go for walks in the morning is to me. How excited I would get excited about waking up early in the morning before the sun rises. Which at the 32nd hour is something that I absolutely do not miss!! I remember how quiet it is in the morning. I remember how beautiful it is to see the colors of the sky when the sun starts to rise. I remember how tasty my first bowl of supper maggie noodle was when I was allowed to stay past midnite once with my cousin staying over. We were watching Sapphire and Steel and my mom cooked us maggi that night. I remember how the dark nights, when the power was out, I would go over to my neighbour's house to listen to Grannie tell us tales of her younger days. She brought up her only son by working in a tin mine. Now she's got a daughter in law and 3 beautiful grand daughters. I remember how fearful I get whenever my parents fought and I remember how somehow, whatever they fought about seems to get resolved whenever it rains. It is also in the 9th hour, my brother was born. During this particular hour, I felt so much love from my mother and father, I thought I was the happiest kid on the block. I remember my father went to open a video account at Home Video and we would rent videos to watch during the time when my mother was in hospital about to give birth to my brother. I remember seeing my mother at the hospital, I remember the distinct smell of her room in the hospital. I remember one night we brought porridge for her, it was raining outside and I found this little gazebo just outside her room. It was rainy and it felt nice and cool. The next minute or so, my brother was born. I remember seeing him in the hospital and I remember how small he is. From that minute on, I have a brother. The 10th/11th/12th hour I saw how fast he grew and how cute he was when he was young. His head was bigger than his body, and he was quite a chubby baby. We called him Tua Toa Kia. During these hours, I also remember my birthday celebrations. All my family would come and my mother and my aunt will prepare the food. Sometime we would have BBQ but others would be great food whipped out by all my aunts. I remember the presents, I remember playing with my cousins. Soon came the 11th hour and at this hour we had to take a national exam. My other Grandpa promised to give me 10 ringgit each for every As I scored. I came back with straight As and I got 50 ringgit. I felt happy and before long I got to experience my first change. I changed school. It was really traumatising for me then because I lost touch with my good friends and teachers that I have grown to love. This happened in the 12th hour. This was also the first time I got to experience riding in a school bus. At first I was apprehensive but before long, it became fun. At the new school, I got to make new friends and it is these friends whom I still keep in touch with till this day. At this hour, I got to find out my skills with a hockey stick. I somehow got into the school team and we went all the way to become 2nd in the state primary school category. I remember my coach telling me that I am the "King of the field". I remember scoring my best one touch goals ever. I also remember getting hit in the head by my opponent's hockey stick, falling into the grass, blacked out and saw stars for the first time when I came around. I remember also at this time, besides hockey, I can run. I can run pretty fast and I dont feel tired. I felt invincible. And before long, I got to join the 4 X 100m team. It was exhilarating to compete with people from other schools. I felt strangely proud of wearing my school colors then. And it was at this hour that I start to talk a lot with one particular girl. I didn't know why then, but it seems there are a lot of things to talk about with her. It is also odd that I will feel anxious whenever I see her. And before long the 12th hour ended. And so is primary school. We moved on to secondary school in the coming hours.

Corporation Organisational F**k Up!! Beware

2006-09-07T20:50:00.000+08:00

When you start a business on your own and you grow it, you can see its progress and you are close to the people on the ground, your staff, your suppliers and your customers. And they love you for your kindness, strenght, respect you for your business acumen and inspirational leadership.

However as the growth of your company goes out of control, and your business grew from a 1 man shop to a 200,000 people corporation, you lose touch of the ground as you are now sitting on the moon looking down at the earth. Neglecting the people who helped you out and unreachable to the folks back on earth who may mean something to you should you bother to know them. From that point onwards, you work based on assumptions and you rely on others to help your eyes see what you cant see. And you start to lie to yourself and you become drunk with power and mesmerised by ass kissers.

All you care about then is the financial reports cooked up by your employees. You dont really give a shit about who churns the gains or the losses and you are blinded by organisational firewalls set up by your managers and yourself all in the reason of being focused on the big picture. Well, I think that's a f**ked up thing to do innit??

You walk around carrying the BIG BOSS tag and you lose your real self in it, you become distant, heartless and last but not least STUPID! Stupid not because you remain a BIG BOSS to grow your business but STUPID because you lose your human values and virtues to do the right thing. You betray yourself and your people and hide behind tons of excuses trying to justify all the shitty things that YOU know YOU SHOULDN'T do!!! All in the name of enhancing some shareholders value and your own bloody pockets!!

And the strangest thing is, when your company starts to lose money, the first thing your management board recommend is to cut cost! YES! that's the light at the end of the tunnel for your company - CUT COST!!! and ironically, the people that got cut are always the ones getting paid pennies while the ones spending the dollars remain! Hooray for cost cutting!!!....Guess in such an organisational f**k up, the shit doesn't go as nature intend it to....they come spewing out from the mouth.....why? Coz of the stupid management (the ones that should really be handling the shit instead of pushing it away) firewalls that prevent the shit from passing through to the right channel....and guess what will happen to your company if your company keep shitting through its mouth??? YOUR COMPANY WILL CEASE TO EXIST!!! So wake up and smell the goddang shit!!! Call HOUSE now and STOP lying to yourself before its too late!!!!

Storm Of The Year!!

2006-09-05T20:53:00.000+08:00

Last night, while I was deep in slumber, flitting about in the land of dreams -(dreaming that I was piloting my giant robot and taking on Godzilla!!!), I was rudely woken up by a blinding light that pierced through the shrouds of my inner consciousness. I thought at that time it was Godzilla shooting his powderful spine death ray at me!!!! But it was not!!

After the dust seem to have settled, I struggled to open my eyes and sieze on to the waking world. To catch a glimpse of all the racket and flashes that went on outside my window and wonder if it was indeed just a dream. The loud bangs of thunder and lightning raged on with an intensity to which I have never witnessed before. There was neither Godzilla nor my giant robot, but a freaky thunderstorm!!at 5am!!

It was the storm of the year and it was indeed one of the freakiest thunder storm that I have ever experienced. The intensity and frequency of the lightning and thunder is very intense. It was as if Singapore was under heavy aerial bombardment!!! or being attacked by Martians!!!

When the thought of martians came into my mind, I start to freak myself out!! And the safest haven that I could think of to protect myself from the uncertain event outside my room, was, my comforter!!

The one hit that freaked me out the most while I was cowering under my sheets was the one that hit across my window at a tree!! The sound is like none that I have ever heard before! and the flash lit up my room like a million watts!! It was freaky as heck!! And somehow, I managed to seek asylum back in my dream world...and before long...I was gone....only to be greeted 2 hours later by the beeping sound of my phone alarm....sighs......back to the grind...again.....

Damm, being woken up with such a BANG! and getting all excited in the middle of my slumber is not conducive for a normal work day!! And not to mention, now I will never know the outcome of my deathmatch between me and Godzilla!!! :(

Still A Longer Way To Go.....

2006-09-04T23:14:00.000+08:00

Still A Long Way To Go...

2006-09-04T21:15:00.000+08:00

The Root of all Evil...is NOT money.

2006-08-27T20:19:00.000+08:00

The root of all evil is not money. Money is just an excuse. The real culprit is Fear. Our fear of everything. That is the root of all evil.

Superman Returns? More like Superman Remixed

2006-07-01T12:44:00.001+08:00

The movie is good, not great...It just didn't give me the kick,..you know that, wow! I am gonna get the DVD when it's out or something!!

Perhaps if it were shown way before, like back in the 80s and before all the other heroes hit the screen it would have, but after Batman, X-mens, Daredevil, Hulk, Blade and the upcoming Ghost Rider.....Superman seems......lacking...the hero action fighter...it comes across more like a love story cum drama. Which somehow I feel (of coz this is just me opine) is not the the right package fr a superhero movie these days?

I mean, Superman is a SO Dang powerful and his villains in this movie are from the Care Bear camp! I mean Lex Luthor, and his partner Kitty, is there to provide what, comic relief? Yeah they do the usual world threatening thing but I mean they are just aint menacing enough and there's not really any moment of true suspense in this movie version..come to think of it, the Lex in Smallville is scarier than the movie version (btw is more or less a revamped version of Superman with Christopher Reeves in it)....oh I dont know...guess after the movie, there's just a feeling of "Oh so much, but yet, Oh so little..."

I guess Bryan Singer would have fared better directing X-3 and let maybe Chris Nolan or even David Lynch to put a new take on Superman.....

Ok that aside, casting Brandon Routh as Supe...is a good choice....Kevin Spacey could have done so much more...and in my humble opinion, they should just do away with Kitty. She's just so irritating!!

Lazy Dog - Copyright Protected 2006

2006-06-25T16:04:00.000+08:00

Bowelation Correlation

2006-06-20T16:15:00.000+08:00

Had coffee with a bunch of friends last night and the topic of conversation was that one of our friend, whom I shall call Obiwan, apparently needed to answer the call of nature 3 to 4 times a day!

Now that of course set my logical mind to think. Due to my natural concern for my buddy's health, the thought of something seriously not working then sprang into my head! Immediately I went on to suggest that maybe something could be wrong with his bowels?? My companions on the table comforted me that it is not likely the case and that apparently hitting the pool to drop your friends off 3 times a day is a pretty common affair.

However, my mind was still trying to seek a logical explanation to this predicament and finally I struck gold!! You see my friend Obiwan is of a certain height and hence, that could explain his digestive tract could be shorter than others. Due to that, his food goes through faster and hence 3 times a day!! There you have it, another of life's mystery solved!!

The Human Drama

2006-06-05T19:03:00.000+08:00

Life is filled with dramas. Some unavoidable and most are self made. The Human drama. This has been a week of endings and beginnings. Of passing and of birth. Everything happened within just this 1 week alone. The week beginning the 30th of May 2006.

It was surreal and yet, it felt right and it was unavoidable. It was as if Life had decided to pick me up and throw me to the deep end and said to me "Sink or Swim!".There were happy times and there were sad times but all in all, everything ended as it should be and ended well.

In between all the drama swirling through my life during that week, I also noticed another kind of drama unfolding, the kind whereby, it is self made. Whereby Life, didn't bother to give a hoot about. I guess some people feel life is just too boring without having to manipulate people and environment to create some drama in their day to day life.

Too much television perhaps?

Well in anycase, it was an interesting week indeed. Life is indeed too short. Too short to not be happy and too short for all these dramas. And heaven is not too far away, it's actually in our own backyard. Take a peek once in awhile....

Bad Decisions....

2006-05-29T12:26:00.000+08:00

Bad decisions are......

a) When the Durian decided to sue the Paper, and we all know what happened to Durian after that. Enough said.

b) When Creative Technology decide to sue Apple for alleged patent infringement (wanting to make a quick buck from the lawsuit perhaps?). Apple, naturally went on a counter suit against Creative immediately. For sure such a process will drag on and on, probably for years and the only true winner here, will be the lawyers. This kind of lawsuit is as if them lawyers have behaved like little good boys all year round and Santa decided to drop an early visit with goodies!

c) When Sony decide to make a grand unveiling of their latest Playstation 3 model and took out the rumble from the wireless controller and worst of all, pricing the damm thing at USD 599 in the US and 425 pounds in the UK (meaning 1000 bucks ++ over here!!). and the best thing is, after the grand unveiling, they have managed to push their target consumers more towards their competition. What they can offer, both Nintendo and Microsoft has already offered and more.....so, the only other plus point is the blue ray player. WHY THE HECK WE NEED A BLU RAY PLAYER FOR A GAMING CONSOLE ANYWAYS??.....Best thing is, they are telling GAMERS that this is a "cheap" blue ray player so go get one!!!....(err...I thought the point is in the games, no? Sony, no? yes? No? No? No?)

Why sometimes we ponder such decisions are made....

April Showers!

2006-05-05T20:14:00.000+08:00

Someone asked me why I like the rain so much. Well, here's my top ten 10 reasons why I like it so!!

Ten reasons why I like April showers :-

10) It allows Big Foot in Johor to leave footprints so that I can get my daily Big Foot fodder on the newspaper!! (Otherwise news in Singapore is damm boring....)

9) It reminds me of Autumn in Melbourne 2001 and it brings much relief from the heat... :)

8) It gives me a reason not to have me car washed so often!! (lazy la - HA!)

7) It gives the lot of people an excuse to be late for work in the morning! (if it rains in the morning that is, not that it applies to me of course!)

6) It gives me a reason to not play tennis (HA HA HA HA - which I really should be playing actually!!)

5) It's nice to drive at night when the streets are wet and the city lights are reflected off the wet road...especially now with my DLO!

4) It gives people the reason to have longer lunches than usual ( Eating halfway - Damm! rain! oh well, coffee?....)

3) It drives away the haze! Brings back the fresh clean air!

2) It gives couples a chance to cuddle in public under a brolly!!

1) It's nice to sleep at night when the air is cool and the bed is cozy.......Yeah! ;)

There you go, top ten reasons why I like April showers so much!

Life is....

2006-05-04T23:10:00.000+08:00

Life is pretty farked up sometimes, one man's demise is another man's gain. Is this how the world, the universe does its checks and balances?? Or perhaps we have not yet see the point to the way things are meant to be as yet? Or maybe there is no point in a pointless debate.

Perhaps that is the reason. Perhaps what we have, the so-called free will is but an illusion and at the end of the day we are part of a larger weave. We are but a thread on a weave of life.

Perhaps that is the point? Are we anything but pawns in life's game of chess? Perhaps because the beginning and the end are the same except for the victor. But what would it mean for the victor in a game of chess, which is nothing but loneliness in a land with nothing more to conquer?

How so then the scale balances itself? At the end of the road, we know what awaits I guess so in the meanwhile perhaps its wrong for us to assume that life will balance itself out, perhaps it is more prudent for us to balance OURSELVES out first.

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Slow Dance

2006-04-25T22:14:00.000+08:00

Slow Dance
By Anonymous Works.

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done do you lie in your bed
with the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say hi?

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift...
Thrown away...

Crash Part II

2006-04-23T11:32:00.000+08:00

Thinking back, it could have been me who may have been crashed into as I was behind the SUV. Somehow I swerve at the last minute to side of the SUV. What would have happened then?

Crashed

2006-04-23T00:09:00.000+08:00

A car crashed into another right in front of me today. Not exactly in front but it was the car beside mine that got smashed into. It was pretty surreal, I turned around to my left and I saw a stationary SUV at a red light. Next thing I see was a car, without even braking, a Honda City, smashing right into the rear of the SUV.

Needless to say, the front of the honda was totalled. Next thing I know was, the driver of the Honda came out and started yelling at the driver of the SUV and she kept saying, "I can't stop, why did you stop!??! I can't stop!!". She was a young Indian girl and next to her sat her mother.

At this point, I wound down my window as the lady of the SUV stepped out and said that she was stationary because of the red light. But the young Indian girl kept yelling the same thing. At this point I got a tad pissed so I said to the girl, "Look its a red light! You are supposed to stop and you didn't"

And then afterwards, I told the lady of the SUV to drive aside and try to settle the matter. The mother of the girl was more calm and agreed to talk after moving away from traffic.

Green light and off I go. Leaving them to their own devices.

The observation is, we both stopped at the light, why didn't she? She did not even brake. I saw her coming at a constant speed smashing into the back of the SUV. Just like how it was in a crash test.

The next thing that came into my mind, was the movie Crash. 4 person came together at that point today in the afternoon through an accident in a split second, I don't know them, neither will I know if our paths will cross again, but this thing brought us into an interaction of some kind. Otherwise, we will just be strangers in our own world.

I guess we do crash into each other sometimes. For what reason or purpose I don't know but one thing I do know is that, the people around us apart from our family and friends, the strangers we presume, are REAL people and not some sort of object or an It factor which we usually ignore or take for granted as we go about the world with our self interests.

We breath the same air, we feel the same emotions and we are a reflection of them and likewise us. Warts and all. And that is the reality.

Lots Of Voluntary Effort

2006-04-20T20:09:00.000+08:00

I have been a tad lazy to blog much these days but I did come across this story from one of my friend....

So here goes... :-

Story of My Friend

One morning when my friend's father was driving her to school, she asked her father "Dad, what is love?". Being the cool dad that he was, he answered her matter-of-factly without taking his eyes off the road,

"Love... is lots of voluntary effort. L.O.V.E. Lots of voluntary effort lah."
"That's all? Love explains itself?"
"Yeah. Simple. When you love someone, it's a commitment to volunteer. You volunteer to make that person happy, to keep that person from harm, to have that person's best interests at heart, to share dreams or build a life together... That's why love is different from like. Understand ah?"
"Hmmm... I think so."
"Good."

So there we have it folks!........and so many brain cells have to die before we understand that! :)

Presumption

2006-04-19T00:01:00.000+08:00

Presumption is the mother of all fook ups!

So don't presume :)

The Road...

2006-04-06T12:17:00.000+08:00

What do you do when you know that fate has dealt you a deal whereby you know that no matter what you do, your time is up.
How do you deal with the inevitable? All of us know that, the moment we are born, we are destined to meet death but usually, we go about our daily life without even thinking about it. As the thought would just stifle us from living.

Furthermore, death is often viewed as a passage from a ripe old age and not before. But what if the time comes and you are not prepared? I am not talking about the possibility going off in a plane crash or a car accident but more of an incurable disease and that you only have a matter of years or months or weeks to live. Would you spend your days left feeling angry and fearful, that life dealt you a raw deal or that you would embrace it as it is, and live the balance days with acceptance?

I guess in a way, certain things happen because they are meant to happen as we travel down Life's windy road. Perhaps it is already pre-programmed in our genetic data that, at some point certain events will occur. This is perhaps what we call Fate or Destiny and that it is in the hands of the Almighty to determine.

As for me, I don't know what I would do, or how anyone would feel when faced with this situation. Different people react differently I guess. I try to think about it, but I cannot come up with any form of rationalization now. But I guess the only thing left to do is acceptance and perhaps to live life to the best of our ability in a good way. After all, our time here is finite, but our soul is infinite. In my opinion at least.

Rainless No More!

2006-03-27T21:43:00.000+08:00

The rains came! Finally! Woke up this morning to the sounds and smell of rain. The pitter patter of rain drops washing away all the dirt and taking away all the heat and humidity!!

Reminds me of the movie, Be With You, I am going to hang all the sunshine "ghost" dolls upside down so that the rains will continue! But can't for too long or this place will definately flood! Can't have that now can we?

Anyways, thank god for the rain, as said in V for Vendetta, God is in the rain......maybe he is, rain coupled with sunshine gives life.

Guess life is all about balance...finding the center. The sun had it's fun, now the rain needs to do its thing!.

Rainless Clouds

2006-03-26T18:48:00.000+08:00

For the past week I have been seeing ominous looking rain clouds bearing down on us, hoping for a great splash to bring some relief to the heat but to no avail!!

However, despite such rainless clouds, we still get drenched if you take a walk outside!! Yes! I guess the rain is actually all around us, in the form of 90%+++ humidity!!

That probably explains such rainless rain cloud formations!

To Love...

2006-03-26T01:54:00.000+08:00

To love someone is to love without self,
To love someone is to love without conditions,
To love someone is to love without fear,
To love someone is to love without measure,
To love someone is to love without guarantees,
To love someone is to love without boundaries,
To love someone is to love without needing a reply,
To love someone is to love as it is,
To love someone is to love without possession,

To love someone is to love with an open heart....let your heart be no matter the season nor the weather...

Dear Child

2006-03-25T02:29:00.000+08:00

Dear child,
Why are you crying?
Are you lost as you wandered through paths unending?
Are you seeking the way home?
Or are you seeking just some understanding.

Dear child,
Whatever your worries, lay it down,
Lay it down on the ground.
Lighten your load and you shall be light again,
For what strength you waste carrying that load,
You will now retain, to swim in life's ebbs and flow,
For you'll be home soon.

Famous Last Words

2006-03-23T21:09:00.000+08:00

After the wash
Before the fire
I will decay
Melt in your arms
As the day hits the night
We will sit by candlelight
We will laugh
We will sing
When the saints go marching in

A for a heart
B for a brain
Insects and grass
Are all that remain
When the light from above
Burns a hole straight through our love
We will laugh
We will sing
When the saints go marching in
And we will carry war no more

All of our love and all our of pain
Will be but a tune
The sun and the moon
The wind and the rain
Hand in hand we’ll do and die
Listening to the band that made us cry
We’ll have nothing to lose
We’ll have nothing to gain
Just to stay in this real life situation
For one last refrain

As the day hits the night
We will sit by candlelight
We will laugh
We will sing
When the saints go marching in
And we will carry war no more

Arranged Marriage

2006-03-16T22:09:00.000+08:00

Just got back from India and heard a colleague of mine, N, is finally getting married. Of course I immediately assumed that it would be with his girlfriend which he had told me about. However to my surprise it is not! It seems his family had found someone for him and likewise the family of the girl to have them marry each other!

I asked him, how does this work, and he said that, the whole thing basically was arranged by both their parents and he seems to be happy and accepting to the choice of his parents and seemingly she is too. Right now according to him he and her are being "friends" and getting to know each other till their big day in December. That is when they will be officially married after a 7 day wedding ritual/banquet.

Later in the day, I went around the office and found out almost the whole lot of them had their marriages arranged. One of them said it was for the better, because at that time, he was working so hard, he hardly had the time to go out and find someone to settle in a "Love" marriage (as they put it).

When his parents introduced the girl to him, his first impresion was that she is a very down to earth lady and very well educated. And till now, he said, as each day that passes, he is growing to love his wife more and more. They both have a son who is 5.

Well as for N, he seems happy and he offered me the statistic that, it seems the rate of divorce in a "Love" marriage in India is higher than that of an arranged marriage. And arranged marriage is indeed very common in India.

Well, whatever the case may be, I wish him and his future bride all the best and may they be happy always!

3 Gee....sheesh

2006-03-13T12:02:00.000+08:00

Got my first 3G phone the other day. Funny thing is, I was pretty excited before the phone came about. Reading about all the cool features that 3G technology can provide and connectivity and all. But somehow, after getting the phone and having it in my hand. It's hard to discern the technology from the existing 2G or 2.5G phone that I had. It was not so exciting after all...... :(

Except for 2 things though.

The so called video phone feature and the so-called "Live" TV viewing feature. The Live TV is line provider exclusive content. Say if your phone company which you subscribe to does not have TV Mobile, then it's just as much content and use as a feature that you have but cannot really capitalise on!!!

It's like buying a house with the most advance broadband infrastructure built in, but in a land with no internet access like in the Sahara desert!!!

And finally the video phone!! It's a damm cool feature as I have tried it with the Gazelle! It's really cool and it's streaming is smooth and in real time!!! This is so futuristic!!! Like something you once see in the movies but now it's being realised!!!

And I am holding this magnificent device in my hand!!! Video calling! WOW!!

But then a brick fell on me head, and I realised.......it's only me and the Gazelle have the video calling phone.

Sheeesh....go on all of you! Get yourself a 3G phone so that we can all do video calling!!! or not!

From Eloisa to Abelard - An excerpt...

2006-03-07T23:37:00.000+08:00

May one kind grave unite each hapless name,
And graft my love immortal on thy fame!
Then, ages hence, when all my woes are o'er,
When this rebellious heart shall beat no more;
If ever chance two wand'ring lovers brings
To Paraclete's white walls and silver springs,
O'er the pale marble shall they join their heads,
And drink the falling tears each other sheds;
Then sadly say, with mutual pity mov'd,
"Oh may we never love as these have lov'd!"

Hate

2006-03-05T20:53:00.000+08:00

Hate is a powerful emotion. Hate is a wasteful emotion.
Hate begets hate. So whats the point of hate?
What good will come when we will have more and more hateful people.
As they chant cries of pain and anger!
Picking up swords for vengeance but for what relief?
Will washing your hands with the blood of your enemy bring you peace?
Will it end the hate you have inside once he is gone?
Will you then see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Lay waste to this emotion as it will lay waste to your soul.
Let it be free of hate and your soul be spotless.
Tainting yourself with hate will never ease the pain.
Only time will. So why hate?

Looking and Seeing

2006-03-05T01:21:00.000+08:00

A lot of us are looking but not seeing. We look at an object but we do not see what and how the object came about.

It is like when you are in a car and you look out the window at the scenery whizzing by you. You only look at the scene but do not see the story behind. The people you see, the structures you see and the building you see, they are just things we look at.

Imagine however, if you could just stop looking and take a minute to see our surroundings, we can probably learn a lot more about the people and things around us.

Imagine all the story each and everything have and what they want to tell us by letting us see. Imagine what we can learn and how much more we can understand....

Life / Movies

2006-02-27T23:37:00.000+08:00

If your life is like a movie, what would you want that movie to be? A romantic drama, an action blockbuster, a horror film, a tragedy, a monster flick or just a simple feel good movie about the normal joe?

Well, I doubt most of us would want our life to turn into a horror flick ala Land of the Living Dead or Friday the 13th or a tragedy/disaster movie ala the Titanic or the Poseidon adventure.

I think most of us would want it to either be a feel good movie or an action blockbuster where the hero/heroine always saves the day. Or even a comedy!

Such movies are often associated with certain trials and obstacles along the way for the characters involved to face before they are rewarded with the final goal, the ultimate ending and the famous last word that often are associated with such movies. Like in Casablanca, where Humphrey Bogart's famous last word was "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" after sending of Ingrid Bergman. Or like in Jerry Maguire, where Jerry says to the one he loves "You complete me..."

Are movies a reflection of life and all it's whimsical nature printed on film and projected onto a canvas for all to see and admire? I think it is, I mean after all, these are stories written by real people. They get ideas from the things they see around them and often times also of their own experience and the people they know. Add a bit more imagination either to make it more exciting or bring it to a different planet, the core relationships in all these movies are the same.

And they are always very humanistic in nature. Don't you think so? Anyways, just a random rambling for me on a Monday night.....

Happy Juice!

2006-02-16T22:09:00.000+08:00

Happy juice happy juice,where are you?
Happy juice happy juice, i miss u!
Happy juice happy juice, I need you!
Happy juice happy juice, I’ll find you!!!

Howie is Grouchie

2006-02-14T23:23:00.000+08:00

Howie is Grouchie,
Coz his car got a bumpie!
But now he is alrightie,
Coz his car got fixies!!!

Home...

2006-02-14T00:46:00.000+08:00

I was home after driving 5 hours and dodging speed traps and patrol cars along the way. It was a pretty good drive except them freaking trucks and lorries who are pulling so much weight and yet, they still wanna go neck and neck with each other and would just swerve out at 40 kmh to overtake the 30kmh truck in front....while I was driving in excess of the speed limit coming from behind!!!!

But at least that kept me awake for the journey home. Somehow the hours flowed by without making the drive seem too long...I looked around the highway and enjoyed the scenery and also saw some wildlife as well along the way. Some monkeys were monkeying around on the trees and some lay dead by the roadside. I also saw some eagles flying above me and some dead spotted cats along the road.....

And before long I was home.........

I'll Stand By You

2006-01-23T20:13:00.000+08:00

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
’cause I’ve seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you
You don’t know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

So if you’re mad, get mad
Don’t hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
Well I’m a lot like you
When you’re standing at the crossroads
And don’t know which path to choose
Let me come along
’cause even if you’re wrong

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

And when...
When the night falls on you, baby
You’re feeling all alone
You won’t be on your own

I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you

I’ll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

Life's too short...

2006-01-23T01:04:00.000+08:00

Life's too short to love
Life's too short to not love
Life's too short to laugh
Life's too short to not laugh
Life's too short to have fun
Life's too short to not have fun

Heaven and Hell

2006-01-19T23:33:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered what heaven or hell is like when you die?
We all will die eventually and that is a given but are you afraid that you will end up in hell?

And what do we think heaven would be like if we live our life constantly doing good deeds due to our fear of hell.

Does it make our heaven better to be in or is it left to the greater scheme of what heaven should be, in terms of our own individual religious beliefs and how it was dictated to be?

To me, one thing is certain. Our life is like a candle. The moment we are lit, we will burn and shine and shine the brightest to lit up the dark as we go on burning. However, eventually we will fade back into nothingness just like how we emerge from nothingness.

So what then is heaven? Of course the candle thing is just an analogy! We dont emerge from nothing! DOH! We are a product of copulation between a male and a female, unless of course you are a product of a hermaphrodite. But still, it's something....cellular.

Anyway, back to the concept of heaven. To me, all of us are taught about the concept of good and evil since young. Regardless of race, religion, culture, creed and whatever. Heaven and Hell is a universal concept for mankind. (except maybe for some..)

But what do they mean? Is there really a place called heaven for the good people and a place called hell for the bad people?

To me, heaven is the moment, when we are about to pass on, where, in that instant we can look back at our life and tell ourselves that we have lived it to the fullest with love, with joy, with no regrets, with no wrong done to a fellow man/woman, with respect for others and with peace in our hearts; as we close our eyes and return to the soul of the world, of the universe and back to God.

While as for hell, well I guess it is the flipside of the above.

Little Things

2006-01-17T11:47:00.000+08:00

In today's world where the pace of life is getting faster and faster, we often lose sight of our surroundings. We just trudge headlong towards our immediate objective and goals without stopping for a second to see and appreciate the little things around us.

Yesterday, while I was driving back home after a day in the office, things around me started to slow down. Maybe it's coz of the traffic. Maybe it's because of the music that I was playing in my car. I was listening to Clair de Lune and Nocturne by Chopin.

I started to look at the trees that lined the AYE as my car was inching on the AYE. I started to gaze at the street lamps that hid behind the trees. I saw the orange tinge from the lamp dancing against the swaying green foliage of the trees as I move past them one after another.

I then looked ahead at the horizon and I saw the grey puff of rain clouds that seems to be edging towards me. I saw the mesh of colors which emitted from the setting sun as it struggled to shine through the blanket of puffy rain clouds. I saw the light of dusk bathing the buildings and all my surroudings.

And it was beautiful.

I felt a strange sense of calm and peace which I have since long forgotten. It's like how when I was little and it was raining outside. I cant go out to play and I have nothing to do. I would just sit there by the window and sulk. However, somehow as I was staring at the rainfall,I would often times find myself to be happy.

In that instant I realise it was a moment to appreciate life's simple pleasures and beauty. It is around us all the time.

Endless Nights

2006-01-15T17:19:00.000+08:00

The stars that shine in the endless nights,
May they come in the most beautiful of sights...

Ominous

2006-01-15T17:18:00.000+08:00

I took out the gun,
And I shot the man,
I realised it,
Only when the bloodied warmth,
reaches my hand,
Ominous, the rushing of life,
And to death.

Seasons

2006-01-15T17:14:00.000+08:00

The warmth that it brings,
Will cometh in Spring,
The chill that it shatters,
Will happen in Summer,
The gloom that consumes,
Will happen in Autumn,
The snow that falters,
Will happen in Winter.

Life's too short...II

2006-01-15T17:07:00.000+08:00

Life's too short to not be sad,
Life's too short to be sad,
Life's too short to not be worried,
Life's too short to be worried,
Life's too short to not regret,
Life's too short to regret,
Life's too short to not be angry,
Life's too short to be angry,

Friend

2006-01-15T17:04:00.000+08:00

Friend

I have a friend,
He, who lends a hand,
Whom, I could not comprehend,
He is a foe,
When I do not know,
For the price I have to pay,
That I cannot say,
For once he is a friend,
Then be it till the end.

Friendships and Blue Chips

2006-01-11T00:04:00.000+08:00

Friends. They are the people that we hang out with to have a good time and depend on when the going gets tough. Recently a friend of mine came out with a financial analogy for friends.(Brilliant thought Mindy!)

In her view, we can look at friendship in two categories. Old friends and new friends. Old friends shall be referred to as Blue Chips and new friends shall be referred to as IPOs.

For friends of old, they tend to be more like the blue chip stock because they are usually reliable, stable and will always nett a good return and are relatively risk free. Likewise their level of friendship; always dependable, reliable and relatively hazard free. And thus, require lesser time and effort to maintain and monitor. Plus they have withstood the test of time.

As for new friends, they are more like IPOs, new and exciting, present enormous possibilities and potential for growth. But, as most IPOs go, they are more risky than blue chip stocks. The risk of crashing and getting your arse burnt with new IPOs is much much higher and so is the return especially for the first couple of quarters but whether can it withstand the test of time, is a another matter altogether.

For some people, they cherish the blue chips but for others, blue chips are more prone to be ignored because they are boring. Same old routine, same old expected returns. Slow and steady. They prefer the more exciting IPOs! They enjoy the thrill because of the expectation of better returns and potential.

But more often than not, IPOs tend to tank more than succeed. They are exciting prospects but in my humble opinion, I think as far as friends go, don't you think investing in blue chips is better than IPOs?

Bad Luck Struck...And That's Why the Helmet

2006-01-03T21:58:00.000+08:00

Today is Helmet day coz the sky might literally just fall on me! Somehow on the 3rd day of 2006, I woke up to a bright sunny morning which I thought, well...isn't it nice out there today.

However, to my dismay it's not to be, coz first I dented my bumper! (sobs!) and second my office pc crashed on me and thirdly, my handphone battery died on me for no ryhme or reason!! Murphy's Law...bad luck happens in 3's?

So I decided to risk no further me life and me possessions...hence me now is camped somewhere safe with a helmet on...

Hoping the sky wont fall on the Grouch no more....... :(

Quote

2006-01-02T15:41:00.000+08:00

" The world is made round, so that we don't see too far down the road"

200-5/6

2005-12-30T17:49:00.000+08:00

We are once again at the end of another year. Somehow, year end holds for a lot of people some sort of significance. Like some sort of milestone that one passes and of course for all of mankind, we are also getting another year notched into our age.

All these are the fault of time. We invented time, had we not have time, there would not be any such milestones to pass and events to celebrate or to mourn. Why cant we not have time?

For some, time passes very quickly and for others time does not seem to move at all.

It's all relative at the end of the day as we go about the cycle of each day from sunrise till sunset. Day in, day out.

However, have you once paused to wonder what does all these means? All the things that you have done and all the things that you want to do but not have the time for and all the things that you did and regretted. What does all this means when we are at this milestone, this end of year? When we are all getting older but do we get any wiser?

Why must we reflect only now and not earlier of our actions and events? What is so special about this particular time of the year? If there's no time, there's no such thing as an end to a year.

For me the answer should not be found at this particular time, the answer should be looked out for all the time. It's not easy but we should reflect on our actions all the time and make less any deeds that are wrong and make more deeds that are good. Not take each sunrise and sunset for granted and people for granted, cherish each day as if it's the last.

Because in the larger scheme of things, our universe, however "big" we think it is, is nothing but a speck of dust darting across a treacherous sea of rocks and poisonous gasses.

But since we are saddled with the event of time, let me take this opportunity to wish one and all...

Happy New Year and May All Your Dreams and Wishes Be Found!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

2005-12-17T18:30:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

It is again near Christmas time. I would like to share with all of you, my favourite song of the season....which I think conveys all the essence and spirit of this time of the year....so here goes..................

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light,

From now on, our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on, our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years,

We all will be together,

If the Fates allow,

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

Merry Christmas, God Bless, May peace be with all.