Live everyday as if it is the Last

Neuro Linguistic Programming

2007-10-05T14:08:00.000+08:00

I got myself a book on NLP and really enjoying it. Goals setting, subconscious mind programming, it is actually quite simple. Too bad, I can’t post any of the chapters on the web for plagiarism. But indeed it is one of the most interesting books I’ve read this year along. One of the very few books that I would rate on par with Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Unlimited Power.

Men from Mars, women from Venus

2007-09-28T09:59:00.001+08:00

I received this mail earlier and find it real funny...

I never quite figured out why the sexual urge of men and women differ so much. And I never have figured out the whole Venus and Mars thing. I have never figured out why men think with their head and women with their heart. FOR EXAMPLE: One evening last week, my girlfriend and I were getting into bed. Well, the passion starts to heat up, and she eventually says "I don't feel like it, I just want you to hold me."

I said "WHAT??!! What was that?!" So she says the words that every boyfriend on the planet dreads to hear... "You're just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman enough for me to satisfy your physical needs as a man." S

he responded to my puzzled look by saying, "Can't you just love me for who I am and not what I do for you in the bedroom?" Realizing that nothing was going to happen that night, I went to sleep.

The very next day I opted to take the day off of work to spend time with her. We went out to a nice lunch and then went shopping at a big, big unnamed department store. I walked around with her while she tried on several different very expensive outfits. She couldn't decide which one to take so I told her we'd just buy them all. She wanted new shoes to compliment her new clothes, so I said lets get a pair for each outfit. We went onto the jewelry department where she picked out a pair of diamond earrings. Let me tell you...she was so excited. She must have thought I was one wave short of a shipwreck. I started to think she was testing me because she asked for a tennis bracelet when she doesn't even know how to play tennis. I think I threw her for a loop when I said, "That's fine, honey."

She was almost nearing sexual satisfaction from all of the excitement. Smiling with excited anticipation she finally said, "I think this is all dear, let's go to the cashier."

I could hardly contain myself when I blurted out, "No honey, I don't feel like it." Her face just went completely blank as her jaw dropped with a baffled WHAT?" I then said "honey! I just want you to HOLD this stuff for a while. You're just not in touch with my financial needs as a man enough for me to satisfy your shopping needs as a woman." And just when she had this look like she was going to kill me, I added,

"Why can't you just love me for who I am and not for the things I buy you?"

Apparently I'm not having sex tonight either.

Market updates

2007-09-25T22:04:00.000+08:00

It has been close to 4 banking days since Fed cuts its interest rate by 50 basis point to 4.75%. There has been assumptions as whether will Fed reduce its interest rate at their next meeting scheduled on 31 October’07. Man would suggest that Fed will maintain a look and see policy as the market would need some time to adjust to the IR reduction.

The sloop in the housing industry over in the United States is undeniable. If the Fed gets it just right, the economy will slip through this crisis and keep expanding with only modest inflation, making investors happy. If the Fed's rate cuts are too little, too late, recession fears will return, sending another cold wind through credit markets and the stock market. If the Fed cuts rates too much, inflation could loom.

On the local front, KLCI marks an overall satisfaction improvement and currently stands at 1324.47 pts influenced by the overall surged on Wall Street’s stocks.

Not an equation

2007-09-23T21:39:00.000+08:00

Life is never a bed of roses; we cannot escape from the ups and downs of it. The only way is to enjoy everything that comes along the way without rebuffing every lesson that comes along the way. For me, it almost guarantees the maximum satisfaction in life.

For the past few days, I have come across different different instances that made me reshape my thinking. I use to hold people very tightly to their words and promises, I cannot understand while given the same set of scenario, I person would feel different. Isn’t 1+1=2 and isn’t that an answer always? Life is not a mathematic equation, we cannot expect people to be the same though given the same set of scenarios. Even in economic movements, unexpected reactions are always considered, what more human’s behaviours and emotions. In fact, I guess I should also allow myself to feel/think differently. Still learning how to alleviate myself of having expectations towards both myself and other people.

What do I do next? Get myself a comfortable dancing ground to kick off my shoes, I already have my dancing partners ready. Life is good

Back on track

2007-09-22T09:36:00.000+08:00

Wait SIFU, I've not found the guts to post anymore of my analysis after receiving your comment on my previous one. Let me study from every angle (like you have requested) before posting up. Else, I’ll for sure kena hentam from you again. Your comments are really hard to stomach :-(

Like my header suggest, it’s time to get back onto track, getting back to the Yvonne 6 months back whereby nothing in life truly worries her. Yippeee!!! I have got a HUGE list of things that I’ve postponed.

People! Let me know if any of you is keen to join me in any of my activities ya

Begin my salsa/dancing lessons.
Pick up my aeronautics course at the point I left months ago.
Attend my skiving theory classes, else I will really risk my life.
Get my butt back into Rotaract ASAP.
Get back in touch with my beloved Rotarians.
Get back in touch with my community service friends.
This is hardest – Exercise :-(
Re-activate my role at Perdana Global Peace Org.
Equipped myself with the knowledge of the world market (I’ve my sifu to guide)
Give more love, and enjoy every moment with those people around me.
and finally – Have FUN :-)

My career has finally taken off after 15 months of waiting, although it is still not where I want it to be but at least I’m comfortable on my direction. I WANT to DIVERSIFY my career focus and I’m doing it now.

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is Mystery, Today is a Gift and that is why the call it the Present :-)

Federal Reserves cuts Interest rate

2007-09-19T15:11:00.000+08:00

The Federal Reserve cut its federal funds rate for the first time in more than four years to 4.75% from 5.25%, and also cut its discount rate by half a point, citing turmoil in financial markets as a threat to economic growth. Most economists and investors had expected the Fed to trim its benchmark federal funds rate at least 25 basis points, but the 50-basis point reduction took some by surprise and left the market to mull where rates are headed from now. Some predicted that more cuts are yet to come, which would keep pressure on the dollar.

The results are evident as EURO recordsits highest exchange mark against the US Dollar ever since it begins trading in 1999. The dollar depreciates against many other currencies with exception to the Japanese yen as the dollar up 116.07 yen, from 115.80 yen earlier. This is due to the fact that Japan's has the lowest benchmark rate of the developed nations.

The effect on Malaysian Ringgit? The ringgit has appreciated per US dollar from RM3.4859 to RM3.4823 overnight. That would mean... The government would purchase Oil at a cheaper price, but this benefit will not be transfered to the end users i.e. you and me :-( Ceteris Peribus- the ringgit would appreciate further as the Fed is expected to reduce its interest rate for this 14 month period.

Updating

2007-09-18T14:32:00.001+08:00

I have been bugged to update this blog of mine. Haha... I'm getting lazier indeed.

I'm now quite insipired by a business associate of mine. He first set up his own company at 22 yrs old and is now one of the internet tycoon. Such great achievements at such a tender age.

I have always wanted to learn more about the share market and this is an opportunity. Despite his busy schedule, He travels extensively and resides in Canada, he has volunteered to guide me into understanding the stock markets. I had my first few lessons online via emails and my views and thoughts are challenged to the extend I feel like smacking the laptop. He is definately not giving face, felt worst than being hit by a tornado and worst than the worst lecturers.

Now, everytime I get time off work, I will read up every single news available and all the stock trading books I can get hold of. Finally, I found someone to challenge me. Thanks !

Time machine in the making. . .

2007-09-17T11:37:00.000+08:00

Sorry for not updating this blog of mine. I was busy with other blogs :-p

Getting myself back on track, First, I need to blog on this incident. . .

An attempt to create a time machine... in the saloon.

Mr Adrian Ng was looking somehow matured, with tanned looking skin. His personality was of course *ehmmmm* very young... This was how he looked . . .

He wasn't satisfied with his hairstyle however and wanted a hairstyle that meets his level of thinking :-P, so he went to a saloon named, the "The cut that brings you back in time", and this happened . . .

Transmission suceesful and He was instantly brought back to how he looked like 10 years ago in just 20 minutes of napping time. . .

Songs

2007-06-28T22:04:00.000+08:00

I'm sure everyone will agree that in every situation, there are always a particular song that represents our emotions...

If I should stay, I would only be in your way.
So I'll go, but I know
I'll think of you ev'ry step of the way.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
You, my darling you.
Hmm. Bittersweet memories that is all I'm taking with me.

So, goodbye.
Please, don't cry.
We both know I'm not what you, you need.
And I will always love you.
I will always love you.

(Instrumental solo)

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of.
And I wish to you, joy and happiness.
But above all this, I wish you love.
And I will always love you.

I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.

I, I will always love you.
You, darling, I love you.
Ooh, I'll always, I'll always love you.

A Letter From India - A Mom to her Son

2007-06-07T11:03:00.000+08:00

One of the funniest stories I have received this far...

My dear Jagjit,

I am in a well here and hoping you are also in a well there. I'm writing this letter slowly, because I know you cannot read fast.

We are not living where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happen within 20 miles from home, so we moved 20 miles.

I am not able to send the address, as the last Sardar who stayed here took the house number with him for his new house
so he would not have to change his address.

Hopefully, by next week we will be able to take our earlier address plate here, and that our address will remain same too.

This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine, situated right above the toilet. But I'm not sure it works too well. Last week I put in 3 shirts, pulled the chain, and haven't seen them since.

The weather here isn't too bad. It rained only twice last week. The first time it rained for 3 days and second time for 4 days.

The coat you wanted me to send you, your Aunt said it would be a little too heavy to send in the mail with all the metal buttons, so we cut them off and put them in the pocket.

Your father has another job. He has 500 men under him.
He is cutting the grass at the cemetery.

By the way, I took Bahu to our club's poolside. The manager is Badmash. He told her that two piece swimming suit is not allowed in his club. We were confused as to which piece we should remove?

Your sister had a baby this morning. I haven't found out whether it is a girl or a boy, so I don't know whether you are an Aunt or Uncle.

Your uncle, Jetinder fell in the nearby well. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off bravely and drowned.
We cremated him and he burned for three days.

Your best friend, Balwinder, is no more. He drowned and died trying to fulfill his father's last wishes. His father had wished to be buried in the sea after he died. And your friend died while in the process of digging a grave for his father in the sea.

There isn't much more news this time. Nothing much has happened.

Love,
Mom.

P.S : Jagjit, I was going to send you some money but by the time I realized, I had already sealed off this letter.

My best Friend’s wedding

2007-05-27T15:47:00.000+08:00

Was dead busy and excited for the past few days preparing for my best friend’s Wedding. It was all over yesterday and today I just stayed at home trying to recuperate on the time I’ve lost for myself.

This was the first time I ever got myself so engaged in a Malay style wedding preparation. There was so much to be done, the bunga telurs, cakes, cup cakes, table arrangements and much more. Nadya was so stressed up that she has fallen ill 3 days before her big day. She lost her voice and had a little fever, the weather was really bad.

Her akad nikah was held on Friday and the bersanding ceremony was conducted yesterday night at Dewan Jublee Perak, Shah Alam. A total of 1,000 guests were expected and by Saturday noon the organising committee is seriously stressed up. The scheduled rehearsal was scrapped off and that leaves the MCs all confused on the flow of program. Well well, it ended well though not as well as planned. I was so hyper during both her akad nikah and bersanding ceremony that the photographer, Johan, keep shooting candid pictures of me. Most of them either fighting or plain laughing to ease the tension. I really have to filter through his collection before he hands over the pictures to the public. Darling, I need your help in this :P. We need to hunt Johan and Mary down...

Well, here are some pictures taken from my N70…

Me and my darling just after the make over. I must say she looks faboluous this day. Nadya, our wish of you not needing to put on your 'tudung' was granted at the last minute. So happyyy...Muakz

From left: CT, Wan, myself and Hana... Mas was missing in action

The bride and Groom with the 5 'pretty' bridesmaid

Me and my favourite lecturer, Pn Kamariah, such a wonderful women.

5 of us again. We were so busy taking pictures everywhere and lucky to have the photographer following us around.

Me, Kathy and Aisah with the newly weds. Lovely people I've met.

Bride and Groom with the bubbly bridesmaids.

Wreck Specialty

2007-05-25T12:13:00.000+08:00

Voila….

Went for another diving trip again last weekend and this time we did our wreck specialty. What do I have to say? All wet fine FUN! Diving is seriously addictive and this is a diving year for me, I have been having one trip every month for the past 3 months and do hope that I can keep this record until the season closes. So diving buddies reading this, do keep me informed on any of your upcoming dive trips. I would love to tag along.

In fact the trip last weekend was planned well in advance. We booked our flight tickets early January this year, and had only decided to take up wreck specialty months later. I still have not found the time to complete my dive log yet with unfilled RDP records.

The interesting thing about this trip is that I got lost while visiting one of the best dive sites in Perhentian. Myself, Eddie and Joshua was too ignorant to listen to our instructor’s advise and bang!!! We missed Fish Heaven. However, thanked God that He did not call us back to his Heaven either * wink wink* The feeling of being separated from the group was freaky especially when we are not well verse with the dive site. Lost in the open water, what an experience. That was also the time, we felt that we really need to stay together, the other feeling that I very much treasure, we know we can’t afford to lose one another and we ascended holding onto each other. It was another form of bonding and that is why my best buddies are my diving buddies. Love them lots!!! But as usual, Yvonne loves to make fun out of any situation and I got my 2 buddies to take ‘lost’ pictures.
Above: me and Eddie.
Left: Joshua

5 of us at the Kota Bharu airport waiting for our 9.40pm flight home. It's a new airport and I'm really impressed with the condition of it.

Me and my AOWD buddy, Cath... at the airport

For more pictures, please refer to Perhentian May'07 Album

Blessed

2007-05-23T08:44:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling very much blessed at the moment. If anyone of you noticed that I'm putting on weight, YES. Indeed I am, HAPPILY getting FAT. This is life, we can never have the best of everything in anything. So have to make a choice and live with it. Muahaha... but it was never a choice for me to be Happy and Fat. Must lose the extra kilos soon... but how??? Hmmm... Since it'll be quite sometime I wouldn't be having my weekly ice creams and that would take a few hundred calories a week off my belt. That would be the first step towards my long postponed goal.

Gosh… This is so not balanced, I need more exercise already if not the 'scale' would be tilted over to my side :( This cannot be. I'm NOT supposed to be the heavier one.

Children with Aids

2007-05-03T14:06:00.000+08:00

Message: Another dedication :-)

Whether life is like smooth journey on the highway or as rough as Off-the-road journey, it's entirely up to our perceptions. We could either see the glass as half full or half empty. Anytime, we find ourselves sturggling in life, why not we try to change the 'lenses' we are using. It's much easier and more efficient than changing the situation. Look at those around you, don't you realise that someone that complains everytime will keep complaining in everything that happens around them? Think about it. I have extracted the following article so that we know that even with the problems we currently see as huge as the sky, we are very much blessed compared many many others. Count our blessings dear.

Here's the story...

When my parents were still alive, my brother Thearith, 7, and I were very happy. There were five members in my family -- my parents, my grandmother, my brother, and me. My parents took good care of us, fed us, bought us nice clothes, bathed us, and played with us.My mother was a farmer, while my father worked as a taxi driver. My brother and I spent most of our time with mother. One day in early 2004 my mother felt sick, and we brought her to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed her as being HIV-positive. Then all of us, including my father and brother, decided to have our blood tested … and we all received the same result.A few months later, my mother passed away.Since then, my brother and I followed my father everywhere in his taxi. In just a couple of months, my father’s health began to deteriorate, and he could no longer drive. He then applied for work at a local car garage as a mechanic. It was very hard work for him. His health dropped dramatically, to the point where he could no longer leave his bed. We brought him to stay and be treated in the hospital.My grandmother never came to visit us. She began to hate us, and said to me: “If your father is dying don’t ever bring him to die at my house, go die somewhere else.”

My brother and I stayed in the hospital with Father. We had no money to buy food. One day, as I walked to the food court, I met a sugar cane juice seller who felt sorry for me and gave me some juice. A few days later, the doctor told me to get some medicine for him, but when I returned he had already passed away. It was just nine months after the death of my mother. After the death of my father, we could no longer stay in the garage. So my brother and I decided to come to my mother’s older sister’s house, hoping that she would accept us and let us stay. But when we arrived, she was not pleased with our presence. She did not allow her children to play or eat with us like before. She fed us leftover food even when she knew we were hungry. At night she made us sleep outside under the tree without mosquito nets. It was dark, and my brother and I were very frightened. My brother cried often, and Auntie chased us out of her house. We were skinny, dirty, and had itches all over our bodies. We were not allowed to use Auntie's water for baths.

One day in September 2005 as my brother and I walked passed a snack shop in our village, a merchant asked me if I had any relatives who could help my brother and me. At that moment, I recalled having another auntie in Ponlei village of Kompong Chnang province. The merchant lent me her phone and dialed the number for me. As I heard my auntie's voice, I told her that my parents died due to AIDS. My brother and I had no food to eat and no place to stay. I told her that we were skinny and starving and asked her to come and pick us up. I was very weak at the time and tried to speak louder so she could hear me.

Living with my auntie, my brother and I were well cared for. There were six members in her family -- her four children, her husband, and herself. As the breadwinner in the family, Auntie works very hard. However, the money she earned from vegetable sales at the market was not enough to feed the family. Even though she was poor and had four children to raise, she took good care of us as if we were her own children. I really love her. If I could make one wish and have it come true, I would wish to have lots of money to help improve Auntie's living conditions and offer some peace in her life. Now, I am in grade three. I am the first runner-up student in my class. In the future, I want to become a pilot. In my free time, I like to read books and color pictures. I participate in children’s club activities every month.

Note: Those highligted phrases to evident that a little kindness, a small extension of a helping hand goes a long way :-)

Dedication

2007-05-02T12:02:00.000+08:00

A close friend of mine had gone through a difficult year for the past 12 months. God has put her faith and the strength of her heart to great test. I wish I could do more for her but realised that there is actually nothing much to be done.

She had already been told what I have to tell her, she had already prepared herself of situations what I could have told her.

Since there is nothing much left for me to do, I wish to dedicate this post and song to her.

“Dear, always remember what doesn’t break us will only make us stronger. There are lessons learned from each step we take forward into the future. Always look at what we have left and not what we have lost. The past is history, the future is mystery, today is a gift and that is why the call it the PRESENT. Love you lots and wishing you be blessed with a never ending happiness and fulfilled life ahead. Muakz”

I've survived
So many things
From broken hearts
To shattered dreams
In every wall
I've found an open door

I'd miss a step
I'd learn to dance
Come back again
With half a chance
Stronger than before

There were times
I couldn't see
Beyond the blue
Inside of me
A thousand miles away from shore
But every moment
Every day
With every stepI find my way
Stronger than before

I believe in miracles
I believe in dreams
Through the pain
I've come to know
How far the heart can reach

A spark of hope
In sorrows place
Will shine
With such amazing grace
Stronger than before

I believe in miracles
I believe in dreams
Through the pain
I've come to know
How far the heart can reach

A spark of hope
In sorrows place
Will shine
With such amazing grace

Stronger than before
Stronger than before
Stronger than before
Stronger than before

Diving- Lang Tengah 12 April 2007

2007-05-01T19:58:00.000+08:00

Was a little engaged last few weeks that I finally found time to update my blog on diving. Did my Advance Open Water certification last April and had great fun for that trip.

Diving is fabulous and I had found another reason to love diving more than before. Been counting my days for the coming trips and yes, as of today, I still have 15 days before my trip to Perhentian Island.

For my Advance Certification, we did 5 modules. Deep Diving, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Multilevel and Computer diving, Navigation and Night Diving.
Pic: From left. Adrian, Jim, Myself and Fred

Richard and his his OWD students for their first open water dive :) from the pic we have Wai Meng and Shen as fun divers and Siew and Yew Hong DMT for the trip.

I just love diving at night (provided that nobody reminds me of the spooky stuffs at night). At night, the sea/ocean is so tranquil that the peace in it is just amazing. Imagine that your view is only limited to the area where your torch shines on. You wouldn’t be able to even see your buddy next to you. Everything is just completely dark and there are times I really felt very alone. Creatures at night are very different from those during the day time, the common creatures are crabs, shrimps, octopus, planktons. Yes, Planktons. There was once where we hid our torches and we realised that we were surrounded by luminous blue planktons. Just felt like being among the stars in the galaxy. Wish time had stood still then J. But like law of nature has installed for everything, the best /most beautiful things in life doesn’t last long, and I’m glad I had that moment. It’ll be the reason why I would go back to the sea for another time at night.
Having our dinner before the sun sets and we are off for our night dive.

Looking at my smile, you would be able to guess how interesting night dives are :)

Posing before getting on the boat. Gosh...I have to squad with this heavy tank. Thanked God I just had dinner.

All in the Boat

Leaving off to the dark. I have to stress it again... Night diving is amazing.

The other dives were as usual fun. Practice does make things better and after every dive, I get to enjoy more as I dive more. One of the reason why this trip is made special as I had my Sister, Michelle to tag along for her Open Water Certification. Looking at the joy diving has brought her, I'm glad we are both divers now. And for those whom I've infect the diving bug with, I'm so sorry. Sorry that you would now need to spend big bucks for the hobby. Diving is more addictive than drugs.

Upside down while doing boring safety stop. Look at the bubbles.

Pre-dive briefing

Beautiful beaches and waters of Lang Tengah

Posting after our morning Deep Dive. Great dive that day. Spotted tonnes of sharks and a semi-blotted puffer fish :)

Boat ride back from Nibong Laut :)

For more pictures, please refer to Lang Tengah Album

Dedication: Everyday I love you

2007-04-03T14:12:00.000+08:00

This is one of my favourite song...Beautiful indeed.

I don't know but I believe
That some things are meant to be
And that you'll make a better me
Everyday I love you

I never thought that dreams came true
But you showed me that they do
You know that I learn something new
Everyday I love you

'Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don't you know that I do)
And you'll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul.

It's a touch when I feel bad
It's a smile when I get mad
All the little things I am
Everyday I love you
Everyday I love you boy
Everyday I love you

'Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don't you know that I do)
And you'll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul

If I asked would you say yes?
Together we're the very best
I know that I am truly blessed
Everyday I love you

And I'll give you my best
Everyday I love you

Thoughts

2007-03-27T22:40:00.000+08:00

Recently I have 2 friends that have confided in me that they are feeling rather helpless and stressed up with life. The up and downs of life is taking its toll. I very much feel helpless over the problems they are facing and with the fact that there is nothing much I can help other than to offer a listening ear and the comfort of friendship. I guess my previous experience as a counsellor and the experience of life itself is not enough for me to give them the advice they very much needed. This has created some level of stress within me as I am too undergoing some stress from work and life itself. *sigh*

I really hope that I can cheer my friends up. Any suggestions?

Believe It Or Not...Continued...

2007-03-22T10:47:00.000+08:00

No word in the English language rhymes with month.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the '30s lobbied against hemp farmers, they saw it as competition.
Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
Shakespeare invented the word "assassination" and "bump."
Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
Starfish haven't got brains.
Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night.
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.
The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan."
The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites.
The sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English language.
The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
The word racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.
There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.
TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
You are more likely to be killed by a Champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.
You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.
You share your birthday with at least nine million other people in the world.

Diving

2007-03-13T15:01:00.000+08:00

Most of my Diving buddies are blogging away on their excitement over the reopening of the dive season. Reading their blogs on the upcoming dive trips and their newly bought equipments is great as I’m also extremely excited about it :p

The silky white sands, crystal clear waters, abundances of marine life, indescribable feeling of floating in the water, great sense of serenity, feeling the changes of underwater pressure and temperature, descending to the unknown not knowing what our next encounters are, the underwater macro life, colourful corals and many other inexpressible, indefinable feelings that are beyond words. Most important for me, my customers would not be able to reach me by my cell phones *Muahaha* A total cut-off from the busy and stressful world above the sea level.

It would take a diver or someone that has experienced the experience to understand the real pleasure of diving. This is also the reason why divers will always feel very much connected to each other and they will never run out of topics to talk about. Not to mention that we depend very much on each other deep down under. Horay... I'm going back to sea. Miss my 'friends' and buddies lots :)

"I can only think of one experience which might exceed the interest of a few hours spent under water, and that would be flying in the blue sky"

Thean Hou Temple

2007-03-13T10:20:00.000+08:00

Sis Ivy will be leaving Malaysia this Thursday, hence 2 siao women decided to go around to snap some last minute pictures. Here are some funny ones.

Sis Ivy's Zodiac animal, the Rabbit

Us within the Dragon's body
We are supposed to share the same opening but Sis Ivy refused to move and allow me inside the mid-hole. We almost ended up fighting :p
Me on the Tiger. Gosh..it's not easy to climb up the body indeed, my rock climbing practices did help out a little. So climbing buddies, stop complaining bout my climbing habits k. Sis Ivy attempted but failed, hence resorted to putting her hand into the tiger's mouth instead (Below) . Muahaha

We thought, imitating the Rooster would be funny, and did our part. Sis Ivy somehow looks more like the pig. Muahaha

Sis Ivy and Myself with our respective favourite/ most loved Zodiac *wink wink*

I'll be missing her lots espcially won't be around to see her off. Muakz

Family Recipe

2007-03-12T11:32:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, my family did another round of Yong Tau Foo from my late Grandma's recipe. It wa tedious as we have to wake up early in the morning to get the ingredients from the market. Not the mention that we slept quite late the night before cos we were busy Yakking away, catching up on gossips. Wohoohhooo, finally this time I get to be the chef and mastered the recipe.

We bought altogether 23 Bitter Gours, 8 Brinjals, lots of Lady Fingers, Taufoo and some red chilles.

The raw meat paste made of fish paste, pork, salty fish, fried shallots, onion leaves, salt and oyster sauce as seasoning.

My 2 cousin brother helping out to stuff the meat paste into the bitter gour.

Stuffed unfried tau foo, and bitter Gouard (Below)

Some of the ready food, there is another pot in the kitchen.

Ready to be eaten

It was a whole day's work from the early morning and guess it'll be quite sometime before I'll want to do this again. But anyway, there is no better feeling seeing your family members enjoying food we have prepared and it's all worth the effort. That is also why I enjoyed cooking so very much.

Global Warming

2007-03-04T17:56:00.000+08:00

Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.1 The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.

If Global warming continues at this rate, we can expect the following to happen very soon…

Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.
Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.
Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense.
Droughts and wildfires will occur more often.
The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050.
More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050.

There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming.

Crisis in Darfur, Sudan

2007-03-03T10:57:00.000+08:00

The conflict in Darfur dates back to early 2003 when black Africans from Darfur rebelled against the country's Arab Muslim leadership demanding improved infrastructure in the region, proceeds from oil wealth and a power-sharing government. The Sudanese government retaliated by sending in government forces to quell the rebellion.

The government also reportedly organized and supplied the Janjaweed militia to combat the rebels.

The main rebel groups involved in the conflict are the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement, or SLA/M, and the Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM. Both groups have demanded equal representation in the government and an end to the economic disparity between black Africans and Arabs in Sudan.

The violence in the mostly arid desert region has driven millions of Darfur villagers from their homes. Most are in disease riddled refugee camps in Darfur while some have fled to crowded camps in neighboring Chad.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has characterized the crisis in Darfur as the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world today."
Few aid agencies have been able to penetrate the region because of the violence. Those that have gained access report alarming scenes of starvation, disease and mass killings.

An estimated 180,000 people have died and 2 million have been displaced in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan where militias have targeted civilians in attacks the United Nations warns could rival the 1994 genocide in Rwanda in which more than 800,000 people died. "The people of Darfur are suffering a catastrophe -- terrible crimes have been committed against them," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said.

The killings of mostly black African Muslims have been blamed on an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed. Like their victims, the Janjaweed are Muslim, but are accused of ethnic atrocities, including burning and destroying villages in parts of Darfur and of slaughtering men, women and children.

Human rights groups and refugees also accuse the militia of mass rape, characterizing the situation as ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Last day of the Dog's year

2007-02-25T21:44:00.000+08:00

Finally had time to post something on the New Year celebration. We had our reunion dinner at Tai Thong restaurant, manage to get a room for 2 tables with karaoke facilities and had a waitress to ourselves. Food was just alright (but the bill was ehmm....darn expensive), and there was quite some lag time in between dishes. We were alright with the waiting as we had the karaoke system and some dancing around to keep almost all of us occupied.

The United family :) Mummy was holding the camera. She was in the other picture. Uploaded this picture as I thought I look better in this :p

We were screaming on top of our voices especially to a few hit songs. Among the few songs that attracted some unwanted attention from guests seated outside was Thanks Monica-Leslie Cheung, I will Survive, and God of Prosperity. We realised that we were extremely noisy, when those of us that left the room for the restrooms were given some weird stare from the people outside. Phew... knowing that, I held all my 'calls' and wait for the dinner to end before making my one and final exit from our room door, and yes, people were indeed staring. They should really sound-proofed the rooms.

Daddy, Mummy, Mei and myself. Love them lots.
For your information, this is the best smile my Daddy can give in a picture. Every year, Mummy had to almost beg him for pictures.

As usual, the 2 crazy sisters had conducted the 'party' well. My Mei is gifted with a good voice so she sang most of the songs, her elder sister i.e. myself entertained the crowd with the gift of the gap. There were so much laughter that we could hardly hear anyone talking. The rule is - If you want to be heard, don't talk, SCREAM or YELL

Most loved Daddy and Mummy.
My 'Tai Ku' and her childrens. Sis Ivy (First from left) had just arrived from Ireland the day before and we went to the airport to get this 'tai siu cheh'.

She has been eating non-stop from the hour she arrived. It only makes me wonder whether there are food over in Ireland. She must have starved helfself much over there.

4th Uncle busy serving everyone wine and brandy. It's his trick to hold the bottle so he's in control and others won't be able to make him drink. Anyway, we were playing so hard that everyone was semi-drunk at the end of the dinner.

Together in the picture were his wife and my two naughty cousin brothers.

Our 'Yu Sang' hmmm... nice

It was a 3+ hour dinner and we all left with full stomach heading towards my home for our 'game' session.

Couldn't post any of those pictures as every picture has some 'illegal activities' captured.

Child Abuse

2007-02-24T17:24:00.000+08:00

It's shocking to realize. This small, round-cheeked 14-year-old in the pale, pink sleeveless top (we will call her An, though her real name must be withheld to protect her privacy) could be a poster child for modern-day slavery.

Sold by her aunt and brutally raped by a sex predator, An’s experience parallels that of the approximately 2 million children in the world today enslaved in the global sex trade.

"I Thought He'd Kill Me!" Last year, An recalls, she was invited to visit her aunt's house a few miles from the home she shared with her grandparents in Phnom Penh. During the visit, An's aunt asked her to walk with her to see a friend. When they arrived at an abandoned house, "My auntie told me that it was her friend’s house," she says. Claiming she needed to go shopping, the older woman told her niece to wait."My auntie promised to return, but [hours] later a man with a long beard came rushing toward me. He was very big, and when he pushed me, I had no energy to defend myself." When the man began to rip her clothes, she said "I thought he'd kill me.

I wanted to call out … but could not shout."An was brutally raped three times that night. It was just the beginning of a horrific siege of abuse. "I was imprisoned in that house," she explains. "The man kept doing the same thing to me every night. During the daytime, my legs, arms, and mouth were tied.”How could a relative sell her own flesh and blood to a sex predator?

There are no easy answers. But we do know that poverty makes children more susceptible to exploitation. Cambodians are among the world's poorest people, around a third of the population live on less than a $1 a day, and the vast majority go without electricity or running water. In this deeply impoverished Southeast Asian nation, the asking price for a child's body is $50 to $800.
While most of the men who abuse children in the country are local Cambodians, foreigners from wealthy countries searching for sex with children fuel an increased demand for young victims. Traffickers and brothel owners quickly service the demand. So-called sex tourists come to Cambodia, where they know they'll find impoverished, hence vulnerable, children; low-cost prostitution, anonymity, and a likely escape from prosecution.The result of this toxic equation? An estimated one-third of prostitutes in Cambodia are children.

Like An, these youths typically have been abuducted, lured, or deceived into sexual slavery — many of them sold to brothels.

An's physical torment ended one humid, hot afternoon, two months after her ordeal had begun. Her rapist rushed breathlessly into the abandoned house where she had been imprisoned. "He untied my legs and arms and gave me $10 to leave. I jumped up and ran to find a taxi to take me home."After telling her story to her grandparents, her grandmother cried, An says, adding: "I thought I was no longer a good girl for having my virginity taken away from me."

Hearing of the small girl's tragic ordeal, one of An's neighbors suggested taking her to the Neavea Thmey Center. A sexual trauma recovery facility operated by World Vision, it is supported by donors who participate in our "Child in Crisis Partners" program.

Message: Count our blessings everyday is a must but at the same time, we should also do our bit to help those out there. For further information on how to, please visit http://www.worldvision.org/

Believe It Or Not!

2007-02-23T10:44:00.000+08:00

A cockroach will live nine days without its head, before it starves to death.
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.
A snail can sleep for three years.
All Polar bears are left-handed.
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
Butterflies taste with their feet.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, dogs only have about ten.
Cat's urine glows under a black light.
China has more English speakers than the United States.
Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
I am. is the shortest complete sentence in the English language
If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck.
If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn white.
If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
Marilyn Monroe had six toes.
Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.

The Valentine's Story

2007-02-14T00:02:00.000+08:00

Saint Valentine is said to have lived in Rome during the third century. That was a long time ago. During this time Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. Many people did not like the ruler.

Claudius was having trouble getting men to serve in his army. He felt many men would not volunteer to join because they did not want to leave their wives and families. He thought that if men were not married, they would join the army. So Claudius passed a new law which did not allow any more marriages. Most people thought this law was cruel. Valentine, who was a minister, did not support the new law.

Even after Emperor Claudius passed the law, he kept performing marriage ceremonies secretly. One night he was caught and thrown in jail and told he would be put to death.

Many young people came to visit Valentine. One was the daughter of the prison guard. On the day of his death Valentine wrote a note to the daughter signed "Love from your Valentine". This was on February 14, 269 A. D.

Most say this started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day.

Shape of My Heart

2007-02-13T16:36:00.000+08:00

Hmm, yeah, yeah Baby,

Please try to forgive me

Stay here, don't put out the glow

Hold me now, don't bother if every minute it makes me weaker

You can save me from the man that I've become

Lookin' back on the things I've done

I was tryin' to be someone

I played my part, kept you in the dark

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Send in this beautiful loneliness that's tragical

So help me I can't win this war, oh no

Touch me now don't bother if every second it makes me weaker

You can save me from the man I've become

Lookin' back on the things I've done
I was tryin' to be someone
I played my part, kept you in the dark
Now let me show you the shape of my heart

I'm here with my confession

Got nothing to hide no more

I don't know where to start

But to show you the shape of my heart...

I'm lookin' back on the things

I've done I never wanna play the same old part

I'll keep you in the dark

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Lookin' back on the things I've done
I was tryin' to be someone
I played my part, kept you in the dark
Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Lookin' back on the things I've done

I was tryin' to be someone

I played my part, kept you in the dark

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Show you the shape of my heart...

Old Hindu legend...

2007-02-13T14:11:00.000+08:00

There was once a time when all human beings were gods, but they so abused their divinity that Brahma, the chief god, decided to take it away from them and hide it where it could never be found.

Where to hide their divinity was the question. So Brahma called a council of the gods to help him decide. "Let's bury it deep in the earth," said the gods. But Brahma answered, "No, that will not do because humans will dig into the earth and find it." Then the gods said, "Let's sink it in the deepest ocean." But Brahma said, "No, not there, for they will learn to dive into the ocean and will find it." Then the gods said, "Let's take it to the top of the highest mountain and hide it there." But once again Brahma replied, "No, that will not do either, because they will eventually climb every mountain and once again take up their divinity." Then the gods gave up and said, "We do not know where to hide it, because it seems that there is no place on earth or in the sea that human beings will not eventually reach."

Brahma thought for a long time and then said, "Here is what we will do. We will hide their divinity deep in the center of their own being, for humans will never think to look for it there."
All the gods agreed that this was the perfect hiding place, and the deed was done.

Message: And since that time humans have been going up and down the earth, digging, diving, climbing, and exploring--searching for something already within themselves.

American History

2007-02-08T13:57:00.000+08:00

Here's a little part of US history which makes you sit up and go hmmmm....

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners
Both were succeeded by Southerners.
Both successors were named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are comprised of fifteen letters.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Kennedy".
Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln".

Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And here's the kicker....

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was in Marilyn Monroe.

The Work of Julian Beever

2007-02-07T15:48:00.000+08:00

Julian Beever has made pavement drawings for over ten years. He has worked in the U.K., Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Australia.

Some people were even avoiding the drawings...

Pictures were taken from Julian Beever's site. Please refer to this webpage for more pictures

15 Things that takes years to learn

2007-02-06T15:39:00.000+08:00

You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.
The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe we are excellent drivers.
There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.
If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will NOT use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle and too much make-up.
You should not confuse your career with your life.
A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person.
No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Usually, that individual is crazy.
Your friends love you anyway.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

How significant we are....

2007-01-27T16:46:00.000+08:00

Pictures

2007-01-26T16:23:00.000+08:00

Monkey Business

2007-01-26T10:45:00.000+08:00

I remember this story told to me sometime ago by my relative from the 'kampung'. Monkeys are trapped in village to help villagers to harvest coconuts from the trees and like many other animals, they do not turn up in front of the villagers and volunteer themselves for the job. They are caught and made to work, whether they like it or not.

Have you ever wonder as agile, quick-witted and fast moving monkeys are, the villagers can still catch/trap them? The technique is simple and it works. They simply placed some peanuts in a bottle of a small opening. The opening has to be large enough for the monkey to insert their hand into it to grab the peanuts and small enough so that they are not able to remove the hand (in the position of a fist) with the peanuts. After the monkey grabs the peanuts, the villagers will come.

The monkey sees the villagers coming and knew he is going to be in deep trouble, but then again, he is not willing to let go of the peanuts. If only he is willing to free his hand, he would not be caught. A simple theory that everyone reading this post would figure out, right?

Reflecting back on ourselves, we can also learn from this ‘monkey story’

Message: All we have to do is to learn to LET GO. We often don’t realise that because of our reluctance to let go of something, we are missing/forgoing a better opportunity in life. And most of the time, the ‘peanuts’ are nothing compared to the ‘freedom’ the monkey is risking. Think bout it.

Pictures

2007-01-24T13:33:00.000+08:00

Nice pictures...

Pictures

2007-01-24T11:43:00.000+08:00

I received these pictures via email yesterday and I find them truly amazing.

One of the greatest Inventors of all time…

2007-01-17T09:25:00.000+08:00

I enjoy most reading on the bibliographies of successful people, it’s a natural form of motivation for me. After reading uncountable stories on these people, I realise they have something in common and most common people lack of.

One of my favourite person in history is no other that Thomas Alva Edison

“Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. With only three months of formal education he became one of the greatest inventors and industrial leaders in history. Edison obtained 1,093 United States patents, the most issued to any individual.Edison's greatest contribution was the first practical electrical lighting.

He not only invented the first successful electric light bulb, but also set up the first electrical power distribution company. Edison invented the phonograph, and made improvements to the telegraph, telephone and motion picture technology. He also founded the first modern research laboratory .Edison was also a good businessman.

He not only designed important new devices, he created companies worldwide for the manufacture and sale of his inventions. Along with other manufacturing pioneers of his era, Edison helped make the United States a world industrial power. He and Henry Ford became friends after Edison encouraged Ford to use the gasoline powered engine for the automobile.

Reference “http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96feb/edison.html”

Quotes by Thomas Edison

As you can see from his quotes below, he had a strong work ethic, and was determined not to give up. He presevered and had a positive attitude when he faced challenges.

Truly, Thomas Edison's persistence and determination is an inspiration to all of us!

I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

There is always a better way.

We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.

Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.

There is no substitute for hard work.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

The first requisite for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly without growing weary.

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are,
first, hard work;
second, stick-to-itiveness;
third, common sense.

Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration.

We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.

Restlessness and discontent are the necessities of progress.

Results! Why man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know of several thousand things that won't work.

Nearly every man who develops an idea works at it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged.

Discontent is the first necessity of progress.

Dinner @ 13 January 2007

2007-01-16T12:06:00.000+08:00

It has been quite sometime since I have last prepared food for my friends. So I thought it would be a great idea to welcome year 2007 with a dinner with some of the closest people around me. The dinner was postponed a few times as we were all "busy" people, but finally got it set on the 13 January 2007.

Dinner was prepared for eight packs and we had lamb chops. This is truly a unique group of friends, everyone is so connected in one way or another. We are soul mates (share tonnes of secrets between us), diving buddies (6 of us graduated as divers in 2006), climbing buddies, “yam cha kakis”, travel mates and are even working on some potential part time business with some of them. Needless to say, for the past few weeks, we meet up almost everyday.

Allow me to introduce them in pairs....

The first pair to arrive... Eric&Ginn

I have known Ginn for exactly 10 years. We went through many things together during our high school days. Being the youngest among the 7 of us, she is the most 'manja' and demanding of us all and most of the time we gave in to her. One of the few girls I know that does not put on weight at all, even by eating a lot. Her nick name is Trigger Fish, as the name suggest, sitting either to her right or left spells danger. “Beware…Ginn bites when provoked” Eric is Ginn’s boyfriend. Got to know him only recently, quite quiet compared to the other 2 clowns in the group but a very charismatic guy who has a very sweet smile. Thanks Eric&Ginn for the Wine.

The second pair... Joshua&Pei San

Similiar to Ginn, I have known Pei San for 10 years as well. Miss those days where we will hang out at her dad's office after school for the girls talk and sleeping over at my house for the silly stuffs. Those were the days. Pei San is a perfect listener, someone who is very patient and understanding, and one of the girls I knew that rarely demand for anything (Note: Lucky Joshua). She is so close to perfection if not for fact that she reacts rather slowly. Thus she is nicknamed Sea Cucumber. An ordinary girl who is very special in the eyes of many.

I have only known Joshua for 6 months, but due the ample time we spend together, our friendship blossomed very fast. Someone who described himself as water, and indeed he goes along well with anyone. Someone who smiles a lot and who is always conscious of the feelings of others. It’s always fun to have him around.

The late comers...Sim&Winnie

Winnie use to work with me in my previous place and we clicked instantly the first time we met. It was recently when we agree to be pet sisters. She and Sim met on one of our rock climbing sessions and their relationship grew from there. Winnie is one of the young girls I knew that has big ambitions. Having the desire and the urge to achieve the best things in life will keep her going on. A sister that I will love and treasure always.

Sim was also my high school friend, we used to take the same bus to school and fought along the way. We still fight now, this is all because he is not someone who gives in to girls, well at least not me. Aside from the fights between us, we share some really good conversations too. He is a very caring guy and he takes good care of his female companions. That is why I have booked him as my diving buddy. Looking back to those days, we never expect to be the best of friends we are now, right? I cannot even imagine that now. *hehe*

The final pair...Cath&Me

Catheryn was my one year junior during high school. We’d recently teamed up because of diving. Fun girl to be around with as she is always very spontaneous and super friendly. Anytime you are down, she would be a great person to hang out with. Too bad dear, I don’t club, if not I think you’ll be a great clubbing partner. Looking forward to our dive trip the coming April.

Lobster Love

2007-01-09T14:20:00.000+08:00

If you read one disgusting story this year . . . LET IT BE THIS ONE!

One morning around am 22 year old Susan DeLucci of Kittery Maine, woke up with a painful need to urinate. At first she thought she had diarrhea, but when she stood up out of bed, she realized that it was urinary pain. It was very similar to the feeling of having diarrhea, just out the wrong hole.

She wobbled to the toilet and upon sitting on it, her vagina erupted into the most horrific messy farting noise anyone has ever heard. In paralyzing pain, Ms. DeLucci for the next few minutes continued to push and squirt out of her vagina a burning tide of wretch and filth while she gripped the sides of the toilet, white-knuckled. She was screaming wildly, and the neighbors called the police.

When medics arrived they found Ms. DeLucci unconscious lying on the floor of her bathroom wearing nothing but her bath robe. Running down her leg, was a stream of brown and green syrup. The medic had to transfer her to a stretcher, so he grabbed her left leg which was bent crossing her other leg, to straighten her out. She was lying there all twisted up. When he lifted her left leg to straighten her body out, he exposed her vagina at which point a creature, no larger than the tip of a finger wormed its way out of her genitals and landed on the floor with a wet popping sound.

Shocked, the medic stared at the creature that was lying on the tile bathroom floor in a casing of mucous. It was a tiny mud shrimp and it sat there on the cold floor gasping for water while flipping itself back and forth. The horrified medic turned to the toilet as he felt the nausea setting in. When he put his face down into the toilet to puke what he saw was so horrific that to this day he cannot look into a toilet without convulsing.

The entire toilet bowl was boiling with baby brown mud shrimp flipping and splashing at a furious pace. If you think that is bad -- wait until you hear how it happened:

Ms. DeLucci official death was the result of a combination of shock and severe head trauma. She stood up over the toilet in pain and when she saw what she had done, she went into shock and fell, smashing her head on the toilet and then on the floor. It is believed by medical police that on two nights before the accident she had purchased a live lobster at a fish market. While lying in a tub, she gently inserted the creature's tail into her vagina to derive pleasure. At that point, she held a lighter under the creature's face causing it to flip its tail in a violent snapping motion.

The medics found a lesbian XXX video in the VCR and the TV was positioned on a table in front of the tub. The lobster was found in the kitchen garbage can wrapped in a paper bag. Traces of Ms. DeLucci's DNA were found on the lobster along with pubic hairs that had wedged themselves between the lobster tail joints. The lobster's face was lightly burned with the same fuel used in lighters. The lobster's digestive track and colon were found to be full of mud shrimp egg casings. Doctors believe that the lobster had eaten them (they are common in the water at fish markets and are usually harmlessly boiled to death) and the lobster had crapped them out into Ms. DeLucci's cunt when she was torturing it.

Maine mud shrimp only take two days to gestate and Ms. DeLucci was only four days away from getting her period, doctors believe that at that point of her menstrual cycle, her womb was the perfect pH balance to grow these mud shrimp which are a much larger version of the popular "Sea Monkey" pets sold throughout the US. Over night the eggs had hatched and the mud shrimp began doubling in size every ten minutes. You can imagine the pain she was in when she woke up that morning and gave birth to well over 1,000 mud shrimp in her toilet.

Message: Use the right equipment please... *hehe*

To my potential business partners/associates

2007-01-08T14:31:00.000+08:00

Dear All,

This is one simple Geese fact that I wish to share with all.

The thought that we will be working together hand-in-hand towards a common goal instantly gives me the comfort that however difficult things are going to be in the future, we will embrace it together.

Next time when you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way:

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range, than if each bird flew on its own.

Message: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

Message: It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs and leading the group.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Finally, and this is important. When a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

Message: We will stand by each other this way, and not let anyone of us fall out of the formation/direction.

Time Bank

2007-01-07T15:35:00.000+08:00

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day.
Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!!

Each of us has such a bank.
Its name is TIME.
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.
It carries over no balance.
It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the remains of the day.
If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back.
There is no drawing against the "tomorrow".
You must live in the present on today's deposits.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!

Message: The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

Treasure every moment that you have! And reassure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

Remember that time waits for no one.

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!

Belaian Jiwa

2007-01-06T20:39:00.000+08:00

This message is especially posted to the person who help me out a lot with the creation of this blog.

Do you still remember this song???

Seindah
Tiada lagi kau ku ingatkan
Sayang kau hilang
Menanti
Biar sampai akhir hayat
Ku di dunia ini

(Chorus)
Kau tahu betapa
Ku sayang padamu
Hanya bidadari sebagai ganti
Hanya takdir
Menentukan ia
Ohh Belaian jiwa

Ohh angin
Sampaikan lagu ku padanya
Yang sedih pilu
Terimalah
Lagu ku jadi teman
Hidupmu untuk selamanya

(Chorus 2 x )

I've played the song repeatedly over my MP3 player for 2 consecutive days, and it brought back profound memories, memoirs that I initially thought were not momentous enough for me to remember. I was wrong.

I know the message should have been conveyed over to you long before but these words came only after ~15 months.

You were such a darling, so thoughtful, tolerant, accommodative and loads of other things. Thank you for being so understanding [although you lashed back at me many times :)], all the little stuffs you took time to plan, the efforts you made to make me happy, the ever ready shoulder for me to lean on, the time you spare to spend with me (or should I say, wait for me). I was a fool not to realise nor appreciate your efforts then but I do now. Thank you for still being my best friend, for still standing by me all these time and for still being available at any time.

Message: I am so blessed that we are the best of friends now, heartfelt appreciation and being a friend who will standby by you is ALL that I can offer in return. I wish to hold and preserve the friendship bond between us it as it is till the end of time. It’s so precious that, I would not risk this relationship even for anything better. Thanks!

Don’t Hope, DECIDE

2007-01-05T14:02:00.000+08:00

It's 2007, it’s another year and I have already set my milestones for the year.

2006 was a great year. It was a good 2 years I spend in the Bank, before I finally dappled upon an opportunity for me to build my own ‘empire’. I enjoyed my banking days, I loved meeting up with my clients, dining in posh restaurants, attending functions, meeting up with ‘big shots’…phew, it was just fantastic. I owe it a lot to the Bank and my ex-bosses for grooming and moulding me into what I am today. Thank you!

However, the gratitude I had for the Bank does not impede me from moving on (by the way, the Bank had also funded my university expenses). I know very well that my growth will be very much constrained if I were to linger on in the Banking line, or should I say, in the employment market. I had the urge to move on to have better control over my destiny, and the only option I had was to set up my own business.

Spoken to many experienced people and you would not be able to imagine the amount of negative feedbacks I’ve received, everyone was telling me that the economy is bad, that I should not give up the security of being under employment, and at 24, I know very little of the ‘jungle’ out there.

Their feedbacks fell on deaf ears. On the 1st June 06, I tendered. I know very well what I want in life and how to accomplish it, so I made the DECISION. I rather live my life out trying, that to imagine many years later with all the ‘what ifs’ that I would ask myself.

Message: Most of the time, we find regrets in NOT doing things that we should have done, rather than doing it.

I went head-to-head against my parents, relatives and senior’s advise and move on into the ‘jungle’. It has been a good 6 months being both physically and emotionally present in the jungle. Trust me, it is not easy at all. I have to cope with stresses from all angles and at all levels, in return I get a lot of free time to do stuffs that I enjoy. I have not regretted any choices I made in the past, and have DECIDED that I shall not regret on my decisions. Life move on, and we learn from mistakes, not dwell in the mistakes.

I do not hope for 2007 to be a good year for me…

I have DECIDED that 2007 WILL be a great and fantastic year.

Message: We do not just HOPE for things to happen, WE SET, PLAN and EXECUTE things.

The Uncertainty Principle

2007-01-04T09:20:00.000+08:00

Two sailors ran into each other in a pub. Over a few beers, one of the men told the other about his last voyage: "After a month at sea," he said, "we discovered our masts had been eaten through by termites! Almost nothing left of them." "That's terrible," said the second sailor. "That's what I thought at first too," the first sailor said, "but it turned out to be good luck.

As soon as we took the sails down to fix the masts, we were hit by a squall so suddenly and so hard, it would surely have blown us over if our sails were up at the time." "How lucky!"

"That's exactly what I thought at the time, too. But because our sails were down, we couldn't steer ourselves, and because of the wind, we were blown onto a reef. The hole in the hull was too big to fix. We were stranded." "That is bad luck indeed."

"That's what I thought, too, when it first happened. But we all made it to the beach alive and had plenty to eat. But now here's the real kicker: While we were on the island whining about our terrible fate, we discovered a buried treasure!"

As this story illustrates, you don't know if an event is "good" or "bad" except maybe in retrospect, and even then you don't really know because life keeps going. The story's not over yet. Just because something hasn't turned out to be an advantage yet doesn't mean it is not ever going to.

Therefore, you can simply assume whatever happens is "good." I know that sounds awfully airy-fairy, but it's very practical. If you think an event is good, it's easy to maintain a positive attitude. And your attitude affects your health, it affects the way people treat you and how you treat others, and it affects your energy level. And those can help pave the way for things to turn out well.

A good attitude is a good thing. And a bad attitude does you no good at all. So get in the habit of saying "That's good!" Since you don't know for sure whether something will eventually work to your advantage or not, you might as well assume it will. It is counterproductive to assume otherwise.

Think about it. If someone ahead of you in line at a store is slowing everything down, say to yourself, "That's good!" They may have saved you from getting into an accident when you get back in your car. Or maybe, because you slowed down, you might meet a friend you would have missed. You never know.

Message: Life is uncertain, the only thing we can be certain of is the ability to work the uncertainty to our advantage.

Shake It Off And Step Up

2007-01-03T11:34:00.000+08:00

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

Message: THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US!

Those who has everything but is nothing or those who has nothing but is everything

2006-12-29T12:42:00.000+08:00

I have a very close pet brother who is an ex-student if an International school in Kuala Lumpur. Though him, I got to meet and mingle with a group of 9 ‘rich’ brats, those who were born with silver and some even gold spoon their mouth. I was very closely knitted to them for a few months.. At the same time, through my Rotary/Rotaract network, I got to know a group of young people that has just recently joined the working world.

On the Surface.
Rich Brats-My first impression over them is like ‘these people are really cool’ This is because in that group of 9, all were driving cars with purchase value over RM1million, fully equipped with the latest gadgets, dressed in luxury brands, dinning in the finest restaurants.

Working group- Most of them were from average families and is most of the time are struggling to juggle with their financial commitment. Every Ringgit spent was carefully thought over and they have to save up for months for a ‘simple’ holiday.

After hanging out with these 2 groups over time, I notice the following…

Rich brats -

At their mid-twenties, they are still surviving on the pocket money from their parents. Though they do work (In the parent’s company), I don’t see that they really do much.

They have no particular goals in mind. Asked them about their 5, 10 year goal? They starred at me as if I’m speaking French.

Ignorant. Talked to them about the social problems, and they will reply ‘who are we to worry for them’

Values. Don’t think they have any, they play girls out like Barbie dolls and show very little respect for other people outside the group.

Working Group :-

They are working and supporting themselves independently. They do not need their parents to feed them at this age.

They have clear direction on where they are heading, and are aware of the necessary hard work and effort that they have to shove in order to attain their goals.

They are very inspired to contribute to the society in the way/method they are capable of.

They do not take things for granted and appreciates their friends who stood by them.

That short period of 6 months mingling with the two groups taught me many things, and the quote below is one of my favourite and that I have been constantly reminding myself .

“It does not matter where a person is currently at, what matters is where they are heading to”

Little thoughts for my friends

2006-12-29T09:58:00.000+08:00

Not too long ago, as I was browsing through my ex-classmate’s blog. In that, I came across her most recent post on her love for her mother. The family has been going through a rough period of losing someone dear. I find her words quite touching and thus decided (impulsively) that I need to get these words to her mother. Have to actually call up a few friends to get the house contact number, and when I finally got it, I made the call. Conveyed the intended message across to her mother (stammering with errr…arrrr.. and all those comical voices you could think of). Her mother was quite calm and cool actually, and I was the one freaking out. At the end of the conversation, I requested the mother to keep this away from her daughter as I was afraid that it would affect the friendship between us.

5 minutes after the call, I was feeling really at fault towards my friend and then again decided to confide in her on my actions. Thanked God that she did not mind me being too busybody.

Message: Thanks Dear and I will always treasure the friendship between us.

I had a good chat with some of my buddies one night, and was deeply touched again with the way the child feels towards the parent, only this time was the gratitude, respect, admiration, love of a son towards his dad. He is inspired to be able to provide like his dad and is actually using his dad as the benchmark for the man he aspired to be. This young man very much deserves my respect on his role as the son, although he craps a lot most of the time.

Message: You should be telling your dad exactly what you told us. If you can tell your friends on how much you admire this person, why can’t you let him know? I’m sure he will be truly pleased if he knows everything that he has done is well appreciated by his love ones. Let him know while you still have the chance. Most of the time, we have regrets only for things that we should have but not done.

The one who complains and the one who is being complained.

2006-12-27T13:02:00.000+08:00

I experienced a session sometime ago where I had one of my friends (“A”) confiding to me on how A felt on another friend (“B”). Seems to me that A and B could not get along well in each other. As usual and like always, I will be the mediator between them (Got weary after having to do this for sometime). Whole time of listening to only complains was irksome, I do not know about A but I suffered quite a bit during the conversation.

I personally do not agree with the conduct of B, but couldn’t help defending B as all I really want is things to mellow down between them and also A was attacking B callously. My defence ignited the fire in A and he/she asked me why am I being so protective over B. Weeks ago, I had a similar session with B, he/she was too complaining about A just that it wasn’t this harsh, and I had the same remarks from B stating that I’m very protective over A. Goosh… can’t you guys leave me out of the battle, I have more important things in life to fret on.

Little do we realise that people normally think less of the one who complains than the one who is being complained. Nobody is made perfect, and all we can do is to accept our friends as they are. We should never set standards/guidelines on how others should behave and live their life.

Acceptance (devoid of judgement) is most of the time the best gift we can bestow our friends with and most of the time the only thing we ever call for in our friends. Most important of all, it’s something that can be given at anytime to anyone in anywhere.

We just have to keep our judgemental mind aside.

Before I Fall in Love by CoCo Lee

2006-12-26T11:13:00.000+08:00

A very nice song....Though a little sad

My heart says we've got something real
Can I trust the way I feel'
Cause my heart's been fooled before
Am I just seeing what I want to see
Or is it true, could you really be

Someone to have and hold
With all my heart and soul
I need to know, before I fall in love
Someone who'll stay around
Through all my ups and downs
Please tell me now, before I fall in love

I'm at the point of on return
So afraid of getting burned
But I want to take a chance
Please, give me a reason to believe
Say, that you're the one,
that you'll always be

Someone to have and hold
With all my heart and soul
I need to know, before I fall in love
Someone who'll stay around
Through all my ups and downs
Please tell me now, before I fall in love

It's been so hard for me to give my heart away
But I would give my everything ,
Just to hear you say

Someone to have and hold
With all my heart and soul
I need to know, before I fall in love
Someone who'll stay around
Through all my ups and downs
Please tell me now, before I fall in love

Dance like no one is watching,
Work like you don't need the money and
Love like you have never been hurt.

How Stanford University got started

2006-12-22T14:55:00.000+08:00

"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them."

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband,dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president of Harvard's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.
She frowned. "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.
They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted to do. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him.
And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."
The president wasn't touched, he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly. "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery". "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue.
We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

Appreciation

2006-12-22T14:38:00.000+08:00

Appreciate what you have...How our lives are, is how WE choose to see it...

One day . . . a wealthy family man took his son on a trip to the country, so he could have his son see how poor country people live.
They stayed one day and one night in the home of a very humble farmer. At the end of the trip, and when they were back home, the father asked his son, "What did you think of the trip?"
The son replied, "Very nice dad."
Then the father asked his son, "Did you notice how poor they were?"
The son replied, "Yes."
The father continued asking, "What did you learn?"
The son responded, "I learned that we have one dog in our house, and they have four.
Also, we have a fountain in our garden, but they have a stream that has no end.
And we have imported lamps in our garden . . . where they have the stars!
And our garden goes to the edge of our property. But they have the entire horizon as their back yard!"

At the end of the son's reply the father was speechless.

His son then said, "Thank you dad for showing me how poor we really are."

Isn't it true that all depends on the lens you use to see life?

One can ask himself what would happen if we give thanks for what we have instead of always asking for more.

Learn to appreciate what you have. Wealth is all in one's point of view, it may not be measured in monetary terms...

I personally choose to measure the wealth I have based on Love.

Indeed, I am very WEALTHY

My principals in life

2006-12-22T14:23:00.000+08:00

Its not difficult at all to keep ourselves happy. Other than my 3D principals for success, and to remind myself very often on how lucky I am, I also keep the following in mind alwiz...

1. WHEN THINGS GO BAD, always remember: It could be worse.
2. NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP. Keep working on your speech and your life.
3. NEVER LOSE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. Laugh at yourself, laugh with others.
4. STEM DEPRESSION by thinking of, reaching out to and helping others.
5. DO UNTO OTHERS as you would have them do unto you.
6. PRAY, not for God to cure you but to help you help yourself.

Life not measured by the number of breathes but rather by the number of events that took our breath. Everyday is spectacular, if and only if we allow it to be......

Beware Divers

2006-12-22T14:17:00.000+08:00

Being a diver myself, I pray very hard that my passion will not end this way...

Fire authorities in California found a corpse in a burned out section of forest while assessing the damage done by a forest fire. The deceased male was dressed in a full wet suit, complete with scuba tanks on his back, flippers, and face mask. A post-mortem revealed that the person died not from burns, but from massive internal injuries. Dental records provided a positive identification.

Investigators set about to determine how a fully clad diver ended up in the middle of a forest fire. It was revealed that on the day of the fire, the person went for a diving trip off the coast some 20 miles from the forest. The fire-fighters, seeking to control the fire as quickly as possible, called in a fleet of helicopters with very large dip buckets. Water was dipped from the ocean and then flown to the forest fire and emptied. You guessed it. One minute our diver was making like Flipper in the Pacific, the next he was doing the breast stroke in a fire dip bucket 300 feet in the air.

Apparently he extinguished exactly 5'10" of the fire. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed -

This article was taken from the California Examiner, March 20, 1998

A tribute to all Women

2006-12-15T09:39:00.000+08:00

Interuption... Before I proceed on with my tributes, There is this message that I need to convey out to those people around me that I love very much. My family members and dear friends...

I am very blessed being made a lady born in this era. In fact, this is the transition period between the conventional thinking era and the new era. God undeniably has made women stronger in many ways, for many reasons. One of them would be of course to bear the pain of labour.

A tribute to all Women...

A little boy once asked "God, why do women cry so easily?"

GOD answered......

"When I made woman,

I decided she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,

yet, made her arms gentle enough to give comfort...

I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth

and the rejection that many times will come even from her own children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going

and take care of her family and friends,

even when everyone else gives up,

through sickness and fatigue without complaining....

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her badly....

She has the very special power to make a child's boo-boo feel better

and to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears....

I gave her strength to care for her husband,

despite faults and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife,

but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly....

For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed.

It is hers to use whenever needed and ! it is her only weakness....

When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her,

and all she does for everyone,

and even though she may still cry,

you will have made her heart feel good.

Each day is a mountain that must be climbed;

with courage each step gets easier.

The single most important Person in MY life

2006-12-14T13:22:00.000+08:00

My first TRIBUTE...to my BELOVED MUM....

In actual fact, there word mum explains everything. The sacrifices she has made for the family, the love she had for her husband (yes, my Dad), the care she showered on her children, the effort she made on the home...the patience she holds while everything else is in total mess. An amazing women, the closest person to heaven I have known.

MOTHER is the sweetest and
Most delicate of all.
She knows more of paradise
Than angels can recall.She's not only beautiful
But passionately young, Playful as a kid, yet wise
As one who has lived long.Her love is like the rush of life,
A bubbling, laughing spring
That runs through all like liquid light
And makes the mountains sing.And makes the meadows turn to flower
And trees to choicest fruit.
She is at once the field and bower
In which our hearts take root.She is at once the sea and shore,
Our freedom and our past.
With her we launch our daring ships
Yet keep the things that last

I promise I will cook more for you and spend more time with you...WE will travel together more (I will try to get you to DIVE with me also..hehe). Mum, I know whatever I can do for you is nothing compared to the unconditonal love you have showered me for the past years. Not matter how much uncertainties the future holds, the one thing I can be assured of is your Love and this assurance will keep me going on in life....

I LOVE YOU, MUMMY!

2006-12-13T18:18:00.000+08:00

After much procrastination, I finally came to the fact that I need to make use of the Blog space I have reserved months ago. Was I too busy to start earlier? well, not at all. In fact, I started with some posts weeks ago. And yes, they are still in the drafts, for the simple fact that I have not learned how to add pictures in the Blog.

This Blog serves as my dedication platform to those people around me that I really treasured. I will never be able to express myself to my family members and friends, not because I don’t but rather because they never take me seriously.

For my first post, I would like to draw your attention to a brief description of myself (just in case if there is anyone out there who has the slightest interest in getting to know me better…Hehehe). Most of these pointers were provided by people closest to me, so please leave your comments. I appreciate honest and sincere comments indeed.

So lets begin, I was born in 1982, and that makes me 24 this year. My life has been a breeze this far. I have always found myself very lucky and life has been treating me good. That is what I have been telling my friends, most (if not all) reply by saying that its because I’m a contented person, and is always happy (this doesn’t apply to my working life, which is the only time I am demanding towards myself and people working with me).

Generally, I operate in 2 modes…the Serious Mode (Strictly during working) and Playful mode (operates 24 hours when the Serious mode is non-operative).

The 2 modes are on the either extreme…for those who have worked with me before and are now friends, you will be nodding in agreement.

Nobody messes with me when I’m working, even my best friend cum partner would avoid getting in my way…Right Nadya? Love you dear…There is no need to elaborate further on Serious Mode, Believe me...you wouldn’t like the Yvonne operating in this mode.

Let’s turn to my playful mode, which is operative most of the time. During Diving (my utmost passion), Rock Climbing, Eating, Driving, Walking, Sitting, Swimming, Talking, Hiking, Golfing, Dancing, Badmintoning, watching, and even Sleeping…and everything else other than working. During this time, I will never take anything seriously, everything is fun. My objectives? TO have FUN…that’s all. An extreme example of Hedonism.
I remember having a heated up discussion with one of my close buddy, he asked that why izzit that I never take climbing seriously? Why am I climbing without objectives? Why am I so different from what an ex-colleague (Which is also my God-sis) described of me when working? Of course le, I’m not working ma. So many questions asked, but no answers provided…If you may ask why? Because My Playful Mode is turned on…heheee…

That’s all about me…you will also get to know me more as I introduce those people around me from time to time. In a nut shell, I would consider myself very lucky, I have a big group of supportive and loving people around me and is always surrounded with happy and caring people. My days are always filled with things to laugh about and to play with, my sis sometimes even said that I'll smile while sleeping (this is creepy wei).

My favourite quote

“Learn as if you were to live forever, Live as if you were to die tomorrow”

2006-12-07T15:22:00.000+08:00