Wednesday...
Went for a jog at Lake Gardens. It was a great evening but I was feeling unusually lazy. I almost changed my route and gone home! I pushed myself to go because I know I have to acclimatize myself with running on the road. I ain't gonna run on a threadmill on Sat! It's a run on the road. I took my changing bag into the toilet. 20cents per entry with free tissue. But must remember to take the tissue from outside, there is only a drier in the toilet. a very basic unit. All floors were wet. Found one that was more dry than the others and got in to change. I reminded myself not to ever go there to change again as it was very very inconvenient.
I warmed up near my car. It was about 7:15 when I started to walk. about 500 metres into walking I bumped into an old friend Dharmein whom i've not met for ages! We chatted for a while and I found out that he was also going for the SHAPE run! He was with 3 of his colleagues there. I asked again - 12.3KM? He said yea.. so not the fun run ah? Yes, fun run is 5KM.
WOW what a coincidence i said. He asked why i haven't been coming out these days. I had no idea! I guess being in Subang has been a little inconvenient unless prior plans were made and we never made such plans.
I excused myself after a while as it was getting darker then. I didn't like the idea of running in the dark.
So I ran. One full round ONLY and I was already tired! I am soo screwed this Saturday I thought to myself.
Bad bad shape!
One thing that made me happy was to see my sweat. I had trinklets of sweat which appeared on my hands and forehead and body when I was cooling down. That felt good. To see and feel my own sweat. As my history goes, I am not used to sweating before. I also have never ran in my entire life except in school during P-Jasmani lesson for warm up when we used to run around the padang and in preparation for sports when we had to sprint for our sports team. Even then running was never a priority to me. I dreaded it and never really got off with it in the right foot.
It carried on till today. Until 2010 came about & Sumi came to KL. 2010 came with a lot of new plans and changes and Sumis' presence eased the transition period as well as she was the one who loved to run (IF I can say that. Altho she'll KILL me for saying it)
At least she was someone who was used to running, unlike ME!
I used to hate running alongside her because she doesn't allow room for being tired. It was military rules with that woman! Anyway as much as i resisted, I also started to see it positively. I read a great deal about running, on how to improve my stamina, different running methods etc etc. Bugged VJ a lot. And then the gym membership came along. It was very timely as we used to go to the park at least a few times in a week, after work for me and after class for her. It didn't quite work because our plans were subject to weather conditions. If it rains or drizzles plans had to be cancelled. So gym treadmill was a good alternative and I began frequenting the gym more than I ever did in my entire life.
I relieved my previous 2 gym memberships with the idea that gym was not ideal for me. I'm not a gym or equipment person I used to say.
And I still signed up. I must say that in the past 2 months, I have frequented the gym more times than I have in the 3 years of being a gym member. My push factor has been the goals I had in mind to achieve - at this point of time is to be able to participate in the SHAPE run without dropping DEAD!
I'm going again today. We'll see.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Readers Digest Prize Money RM250,000
Received an email with Readers Digest letterhead a few days ago. It was a brief letter stating that I am one of the lucky winners to-be for a RM250K cash money. They asked me to wait for another email with details of the same. 2 days later the detailed letter arrived. It even had a car key attached on a piece of paper. I wish it was a "real key" for me to use. There were 3 cars to choose from: 2 Hyundai models and a Honda Civic. I was eyeing on the Honda but there was a number etched on the key which corresponds to which car you will be getting. 2638 - Honda Civic! Wow, what a coincidence I thought.
I had to verify the legitimacy of the letter and the names it had on it. SO I did a simple search on the names mentioned. This included the address of the actual RD office in Malaysia.
Checking on the Finance director, E Courtney I came across this link which is from the RD office UK which clarifies that it is a SCAM. There's nothing more assuring than hearing it from the ORIGINAL https://myrd.readersdigest.co.uk/misc/Fraud.htm . Apparently there has been other names used as their Fin Director.
They even have some basic tips on avoiding scam here https://myrd.readersdigest.co.uk/misc/Tips.htm
On further investigation, The contact details of RD Malaysia Customer care centre is the exact one provided in the snail mail - with a legitimate email add : friends@rdasia.com.my (What a clever cover up!!)
The numbers were also correct BUT the names and other details aren't. In fact it is a very clever marketing cover. They didn't write as I am a guaranteed winner BUT it's written as Unrestricted Access to a special prize opportunity worth up to RM145,000! They were also giving away a FREE Piercarlo D'alessio watch and an opportunity to win RM250,000 or more.
And the Piercarlo D'alessio watch actually costs about RM35 up to RM70 depending on the face and wrist type. Upon checking that out, I ended up at Coupon snapshots at which then led me to the Malaysian version at http://www.shoppy.com.my/ for goods of all sort and http://www.foodpromotions.com.my/2009/04/wendys-online-coupon.html for food promo coupons.
I think I'm sliding off topic here, so back to the initial post, I did check again on the scam activities by RD considering that this isn't the first time I came across such a promo bearing their name. I was led to this site: http://www.scam.com/. I've registered myself in it to have more access to their forums and post some of my own 2 cents worth where it applies. Good to visit it since it also covers scams in Malaysia and worldwide.
Long short of the matter is, in this internet age where information is indeed power, it only takes at least 10 minutes to google such an information to confirm it's legitimacy. In my humbe opinion, I think it is time well spent. As the saying goes... A stitch in time saves nine, I have my own - a google in time saves 10!
I had to verify the legitimacy of the letter and the names it had on it. SO I did a simple search on the names mentioned. This included the address of the actual RD office in Malaysia.
Checking on the Finance director, E Courtney I came across this link which is from the RD office UK which clarifies that it is a SCAM. There's nothing more assuring than hearing it from the ORIGINAL https://myrd.readersdigest.co.uk/misc/Fraud.htm . Apparently there has been other names used as their Fin Director.
They even have some basic tips on avoiding scam here https://myrd.readersdigest.co.uk/misc/Tips.htm
On further investigation, The contact details of RD Malaysia Customer care centre is the exact one provided in the snail mail - with a legitimate email add : friends@rdasia.com.my (What a clever cover up!!)
The numbers were also correct BUT the names and other details aren't. In fact it is a very clever marketing cover. They didn't write as I am a guaranteed winner BUT it's written as Unrestricted Access to a special prize opportunity worth up to RM145,000! They were also giving away a FREE Piercarlo D'alessio watch and an opportunity to win RM250,000 or more.
And the Piercarlo D'alessio watch actually costs about RM35 up to RM70 depending on the face and wrist type. Upon checking that out, I ended up at Coupon snapshots at which then led me to the Malaysian version at http://www.shoppy.com.my/ for goods of all sort and http://www.foodpromotions.com.my/2009/04/wendys-online-coupon.html for food promo coupons.
I think I'm sliding off topic here, so back to the initial post, I did check again on the scam activities by RD considering that this isn't the first time I came across such a promo bearing their name. I was led to this site: http://www.scam.com/. I've registered myself in it to have more access to their forums and post some of my own 2 cents worth where it applies. Good to visit it since it also covers scams in Malaysia and worldwide.
Long short of the matter is, in this internet age where information is indeed power, it only takes at least 10 minutes to google such an information to confirm it's legitimacy. In my humbe opinion, I think it is time well spent. As the saying goes... A stitch in time saves nine, I have my own - a google in time saves 10!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
On Death...
It's funny how we miss someone whom we love even after they've passed on in life.. The memories alone is not enough to feed our thoughts when we think of our loved one... The absense of their presence still leave a hollow space in our lives.. But for how long?
It's been 4 years since Anya left us. Although I am rest assured that his physical suffering is gone and he is tending to the gardens of Heaven, I still miss him daily even until now. There's never been a single day he has not been in my mind. Memories of him coming back in his bicycle, calling my name to ask for coffee, scolding if the water is not hot enough and even giving me money from the very little that he has.
I don't have the opportunity to give him money in return.. He is long gone. I miss his presence dearly. The physical presence of him talking to me, walking with me and taking me in his bicycle to school when we were much younger, carrying all 4 of our bags on his shoulder and walking us back in the evenings, plucking jasmine flowers together with us in the afternoon when he comes home for lunch..
Those are fond memories of the past which still lingers on. Times that has long passed but I live it each day by thinking of it. Some experts might analyse my situation and say that I am clinging on to my past. I beg to differ. I am not clinging on the the past but merely memories of those which has my anya in it.
Memories which remind me again and again why i loved him so much.
Memories which tells me how a fatherly love should be and remembered..
He may not have left me many riches in the material world but he left me with so much of fatherly love and care... Something no money can buy or trade for.. An experience I can only pass on to the generations to come.... In the hope that they cherish it as much as I did.. I still love you anya.. Rest in peace.
It's been 4 years since Anya left us. Although I am rest assured that his physical suffering is gone and he is tending to the gardens of Heaven, I still miss him daily even until now. There's never been a single day he has not been in my mind. Memories of him coming back in his bicycle, calling my name to ask for coffee, scolding if the water is not hot enough and even giving me money from the very little that he has.
I don't have the opportunity to give him money in return.. He is long gone. I miss his presence dearly. The physical presence of him talking to me, walking with me and taking me in his bicycle to school when we were much younger, carrying all 4 of our bags on his shoulder and walking us back in the evenings, plucking jasmine flowers together with us in the afternoon when he comes home for lunch..
Those are fond memories of the past which still lingers on. Times that has long passed but I live it each day by thinking of it. Some experts might analyse my situation and say that I am clinging on to my past. I beg to differ. I am not clinging on the the past but merely memories of those which has my anya in it.
Memories which remind me again and again why i loved him so much.
Memories which tells me how a fatherly love should be and remembered..
He may not have left me many riches in the material world but he left me with so much of fatherly love and care... Something no money can buy or trade for.. An experience I can only pass on to the generations to come.... In the hope that they cherish it as much as I did.. I still love you anya.. Rest in peace.
Hurry burry weekend
A very long, tiring weekend led the path to a long tiring week...
Missed 3 days of running now. Very bad momentum to kick start a 12.3KM run this Saturday.
I need some divine intervention... Dire need indeed. . .
Missed 3 days of running now. Very bad momentum to kick start a 12.3KM run this Saturday.
I need some divine intervention... Dire need indeed. . .
Thursday, July 22, 2010
10 style secrets to looking slimmer & Why you can't lose that extra 10 pounds
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/loveyourbody/why-you-cant-lose-those-last-10-pounds-1964849/
- taken from Shine!Yahoo!
http://www.wowowow.com/slideviewer/465383/2
- taken from The Women on the Web (WOWOWOW)
- taken from Shine!Yahoo!
http://www.wowowow.com/slideviewer/465383/2
- taken from The Women on the Web (WOWOWOW)
Workout Update - Wednesday
Wednesday, 21st July
Supposed to meet the girls for dinner after Sumi finishes her class at 930pm. I finish work at 6pm. 3 1/2 hours to kill before I meet them. Instead of heading off to the gym immediately after work, I stayed on in the office till about 710pm. Smugly I thought I can definitely avoid all the usual traffic jam. How wrong I was. The roads were still full of cars even then!
Anyway I reached gym at about 8pm. Just right, 1 1/2 hours to kill. After changing, I did my usual routine. Gym was unusually empty. I suppose the rainy, damp weather isn't very appetising to be held in the gym. My Sun salutation routine was longer this time. I realised that I have been so complacent in doing this routine that I haven't been paying attention to the progress, IF ANY. I still couln't have my feet flat on the floor when I am bending front for one. I was more focussed this time. The entire stretching area was MINE :)
I stretched my head-knee as well. My head should be touching my knee once I have mastered this pose. And everytime I do it, I should aim to achieve a smaller degree. I am still at about 35 degrees angle with my knee. I am determined to achieve this. I realised that by breaking down my goals to smaller chunks as such, it is more satisfying and attainable than having a general big picture such as I want to do 10 rounds of yoga or loose my baby fat.
I stretched my time for staying in the pose from 3 to 5 minutes. I am sure I can achieve the final goal if I keep raising the bar each time. If I stay at the same pace, I can be doing it for the next 4-5 years and nothing would have changed.
As for my running, I decided to follow VJ advise on a technique he proposed. He asked me what's my pace the other day. I was blur. My pace.. as in my speed or my time or my distance or a division of either or?
What do you mean? I gave him an idea of how my speed increase would correlate with my feeling, if I feel like running faster, I would increase my pace. Usually I would hit 9.0 and start panting for breath before I reduce my speed. And then I would maintain at that. I have written previously that I increase my speed gradually but this wasn't tied to a specific time. So he told me his technique and asked if I wanted to try something different. I agreed. So this time, I started at 5.0 with brisk walking, increase 0.5km every 3 minutes at first till I started to run at 7.0. By then I have walked about 600m.
As soon as I started running, I kept tab of the time and every 5 minutes, I increased my speed by .5. This way I was not concerned about stopping in 30minutes alone. My challenge was to keep going. SInce there is no hard or fast rule to this, I also did maintain at 7.5 for more than 5 minutes.
I stopped at 30minutes at 9.0km/h speed. And the only 2 reasons I stopped was because the machine reached its maximum time and i had a runny nose. As I was telling Sumi and VJ, i start having my phlegm running down my nose after a certain time while running. I thought that this must be because of the blocked nose I had some days earlier. It was worse initially that it just flows down like a broken tap even 10 minutes into my run. This time it was after 30minutes so it wasn't so bad. But i'm not too sure about how to deal with it. Perhaps I should try taking anti-histamine? I don't know.
Let's see it another day.
Supposed to meet the girls for dinner after Sumi finishes her class at 930pm. I finish work at 6pm. 3 1/2 hours to kill before I meet them. Instead of heading off to the gym immediately after work, I stayed on in the office till about 710pm. Smugly I thought I can definitely avoid all the usual traffic jam. How wrong I was. The roads were still full of cars even then!
Anyway I reached gym at about 8pm. Just right, 1 1/2 hours to kill. After changing, I did my usual routine. Gym was unusually empty. I suppose the rainy, damp weather isn't very appetising to be held in the gym. My Sun salutation routine was longer this time. I realised that I have been so complacent in doing this routine that I haven't been paying attention to the progress, IF ANY. I still couln't have my feet flat on the floor when I am bending front for one. I was more focussed this time. The entire stretching area was MINE :)
I stretched my head-knee as well. My head should be touching my knee once I have mastered this pose. And everytime I do it, I should aim to achieve a smaller degree. I am still at about 35 degrees angle with my knee. I am determined to achieve this. I realised that by breaking down my goals to smaller chunks as such, it is more satisfying and attainable than having a general big picture such as I want to do 10 rounds of yoga or loose my baby fat.
I stretched my time for staying in the pose from 3 to 5 minutes. I am sure I can achieve the final goal if I keep raising the bar each time. If I stay at the same pace, I can be doing it for the next 4-5 years and nothing would have changed.
As for my running, I decided to follow VJ advise on a technique he proposed. He asked me what's my pace the other day. I was blur. My pace.. as in my speed or my time or my distance or a division of either or?
What do you mean? I gave him an idea of how my speed increase would correlate with my feeling, if I feel like running faster, I would increase my pace. Usually I would hit 9.0 and start panting for breath before I reduce my speed. And then I would maintain at that. I have written previously that I increase my speed gradually but this wasn't tied to a specific time. So he told me his technique and asked if I wanted to try something different. I agreed. So this time, I started at 5.0 with brisk walking, increase 0.5km every 3 minutes at first till I started to run at 7.0. By then I have walked about 600m.
As soon as I started running, I kept tab of the time and every 5 minutes, I increased my speed by .5. This way I was not concerned about stopping in 30minutes alone. My challenge was to keep going. SInce there is no hard or fast rule to this, I also did maintain at 7.5 for more than 5 minutes.
I stopped at 30minutes at 9.0km/h speed. And the only 2 reasons I stopped was because the machine reached its maximum time and i had a runny nose. As I was telling Sumi and VJ, i start having my phlegm running down my nose after a certain time while running. I thought that this must be because of the blocked nose I had some days earlier. It was worse initially that it just flows down like a broken tap even 10 minutes into my run. This time it was after 30minutes so it wasn't so bad. But i'm not too sure about how to deal with it. Perhaps I should try taking anti-histamine? I don't know.
Let's see it another day.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Challenge for speed
I am faced with a challenge at the moment.. A challenge for speed. In the internet age that we live in, I must admit that I am always seeking for speed! In the virtual as well as real world. I am always walking fast, driving fast, thinking fast for answers, searching fast on google and I expect my machines to be up to speed when I need to look for something. This is especially crucial since the nature of my job requires me to work with a lot of data.
I'm currently being placed on site temporarily for a few weeks. The challenges I had to overcome were countless. From day one up to week one - chasing up on telephone lines. (unique codes are required to call out). Week 2 till week 3 now: my workstation is changed from a laptop to a desktop. I have no issues with going back to basics but I've been given a machine I would have likely used 15 years ago. It's a data entry PC I complained to the MIS guys. He kept quiet. No mention of how I can escalate the issue and demand for a higher level PC. Once my anger subsided, I looked at the situation again. My colleague said that I need to issue a ticket to the help desk and the IT team works on those tickets. These are their KPIs.
The turnaround time to solve an issue is about 2 weeks! 2 frieking weeks in which time I will not even be in the office anymore. I brought my own laptop on days 1 & 2. A lot of changes and data corruption due to the different Windows version in each OS. SIgh....
Day 3: I decided to just use the 1960's machine and get my work done. Now this is a usual scene for me at work:
8:50am - Switch PC on
9:00am - Log on to Windows
9:10am - Open Lotus Notes
9:20am - Lotus notes opens & I replicate for new emails
9:25am - Open Internet Explorer
9:30am - IE opens. I need to wait for a few more minutes before I can type in jobstreet.com.my and monsters.com.my (Have to wait for a while as doing it simultaneously can cause the system to hang).
Bear in mind that speed typing is also a challenge here as the system hangs. Too much of words gibberish!
FinallyI am able to start work at 9:45 or so after making sure that there are no urgent emails to follow up and I work on the applications.
That's all for me in ONE DaYs work until the 28th at least.
I'm currently being placed on site temporarily for a few weeks. The challenges I had to overcome were countless. From day one up to week one - chasing up on telephone lines. (unique codes are required to call out). Week 2 till week 3 now: my workstation is changed from a laptop to a desktop. I have no issues with going back to basics but I've been given a machine I would have likely used 15 years ago. It's a data entry PC I complained to the MIS guys. He kept quiet. No mention of how I can escalate the issue and demand for a higher level PC. Once my anger subsided, I looked at the situation again. My colleague said that I need to issue a ticket to the help desk and the IT team works on those tickets. These are their KPIs.
The turnaround time to solve an issue is about 2 weeks! 2 frieking weeks in which time I will not even be in the office anymore. I brought my own laptop on days 1 & 2. A lot of changes and data corruption due to the different Windows version in each OS. SIgh....
Day 3: I decided to just use the 1960's machine and get my work done. Now this is a usual scene for me at work:
8:50am - Switch PC on
9:00am - Log on to Windows
9:10am - Open Lotus Notes
9:20am - Lotus notes opens & I replicate for new emails
9:25am - Open Internet Explorer
9:30am - IE opens. I need to wait for a few more minutes before I can type in jobstreet.com.my and monsters.com.my (Have to wait for a while as doing it simultaneously can cause the system to hang).
Bear in mind that speed typing is also a challenge here as the system hangs. Too much of words gibberish!
FinallyI am able to start work at 9:45 or so after making sure that there are no urgent emails to follow up and I work on the applications.
That's all for me in ONE DaYs work until the 28th at least.
Workout update
Despite the heavy downpour on Tuesday evening, I managed to reach Manulife by about 640pm. Started off with Yoga. The area was crowded but managed to wait around until it cleared and did 10 rounds of sun salutation and head-knee post. Proceed to run. Unfortunately I experienced pain on my left side near the stomach & right below my chest. My pace was walking from 5.0km/h, increased up to 6.5 then I started running at 7.5. I ran for about 10 minutes until the pain came around. Usually massaging the area works and the pain disappears. But this time it continued and I was forced to stop. I walked for about 5 minutes or so until the pain went away.
I continued on after that, with an average speed of 7.5 moving up to 8.0, 8.5 and then 9.0. Managed to clock up to 30minutes, 3.5KM.
Slight increase of about 5%. There's still more room for improvement. Went on to the bicycle for about 15 minutes. Clocked 5km there. Time was already about 9pm then. Showered, had dinner and then back home. Time well spent. To-be continued again today.
I continued on after that, with an average speed of 7.5 moving up to 8.0, 8.5 and then 9.0. Managed to clock up to 30minutes, 3.5KM.
Slight increase of about 5%. There's still more room for improvement. Went on to the bicycle for about 15 minutes. Clocked 5km there. Time was already about 9pm then. Showered, had dinner and then back home. Time well spent. To-be continued again today.
The joy I feel within
I find it undescribable.. Can't seem to put my finger on the right words to explain the way I feel right now.. I am in love.. Totally in love again... I've experienced this feeling many times before with VJ and now I am going through the same with HIM. I recall back to my childhood days when I used to sit in my garden in the evenings and compose songs of praise to HIM. I have always been fond of HIM and his wonderful works around me. I have found myself back in this relationship with HIM again. It feels great. I have drifted away and I have come back. As the story of the prodigal son goes, HE accepted me with an open arm. I can feel HIS hands wrapped around mine as HE walks me through the carpet of life. The journey is long and weary and there are many troubles along the way but it feels secure with HIM by my side. I am not worried about the journey anymore. I can surrender it all to him and let his plan take place. I do try what's within my might to go through it all because I am assured that HE will not bring me to it if I cannot do it.
IF I really can't go through it, HE will help me. But the lesson in the journey is what will make me a stronger and better person. I have to do it HE says. And I listen.
I listen willingly because I have seen all the goodness and wonderful things HE has done for me. I have taken it upon my human self and relied on my own strength before, ignoring HIS voice and going my own way. Disaster upon disaster came upon me. Again I thought, this must be part of the plan. Since I am so stubborn like a mule, this must be the only way for me to learn.
In fact, I am feeling more and more love and compassion for those around me, even more for the kindred soul, VJ.. HE has blessed our relationship and I believe HE has greater plans for us together which is why we are now stronger than yesterday. There has to be a reason I thought. Our souls relate to each other in a way I cannot explain. And this feeling surpasses everything physical and worldly.
I am writing this entry in words as the thoughts flow because I experienced HIS wonderful handwork in the beautiful morning.. Showers of blessing that poured so early this morning and continued to pour as I left for my car. The roads were full of puddles and it was wet everywhere. Nice condition to be in bed I thought. On 2nd thoughts, maybe not. Something great is about to happen today and I am not going to miss it. I will go through it, another day!
IF I really can't go through it, HE will help me. But the lesson in the journey is what will make me a stronger and better person. I have to do it HE says. And I listen.
I listen willingly because I have seen all the goodness and wonderful things HE has done for me. I have taken it upon my human self and relied on my own strength before, ignoring HIS voice and going my own way. Disaster upon disaster came upon me. Again I thought, this must be part of the plan. Since I am so stubborn like a mule, this must be the only way for me to learn.
In fact, I am feeling more and more love and compassion for those around me, even more for the kindred soul, VJ.. HE has blessed our relationship and I believe HE has greater plans for us together which is why we are now stronger than yesterday. There has to be a reason I thought. Our souls relate to each other in a way I cannot explain. And this feeling surpasses everything physical and worldly.
I am writing this entry in words as the thoughts flow because I experienced HIS wonderful handwork in the beautiful morning.. Showers of blessing that poured so early this morning and continued to pour as I left for my car. The roads were full of puddles and it was wet everywhere. Nice condition to be in bed I thought. On 2nd thoughts, maybe not. Something great is about to happen today and I am not going to miss it. I will go through it, another day!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Unregrettable decision - ALPHA
Of all my days of attending ALPHA, I was feeling a little lazy on this particular Monday. I entertained the little voice of the devil in my head and told my sister that I might not make it for ALPHA. But I wasn't 100% firm. Surprisingly, I left my office building at about 6:10pm and the roads were clear. A very unusual sight on a Monday i thought. Hmm... I'm sure there will be a jam at some juncture. Surprise again.. Damn... I got hold of VJ on the phone and checked his co-ordinates. At Curve meeting a friend and gym afterwards. What happens if you see me I asked, what changes? He will not go to the gym he said. Well, no worries then. Go ahead with your plan and I will go home. Still not decided on ALPHA i headed home. I reached at about 645 or so. Plenty of time I thought. I took my own sweet time to shower, had dinner and took the kids out with Rita to fuel my car at Shell Jalan Ipoh.
Time was 8:25pm when I got home. Just right for me to go for ALPHA and I left for church after dropping them off. The unfortunate part of the matter is that I also told VJ earlier that we could do dinner together once I was done. This was approximately at 9:30pm.
When I got to the seminar room, I saw that Nikki Gumbel has already started. Damn.. I mis-calculated my time I thought. Anyway the topic of the day was "Does God Heal Today?"
As usual, Nikki held my attention well with his animated talk and jokes throughout the session. Unusually though, after the session, we would usually break into our own groups for discussion. Time check then was about 9:15 or so? I thought okay, 15mins to go. I can run away now. The lady who got up to do the announcements gave a short summary on how to allow God to heal us and led us into prayer. I was lost in prayer and lost track of the time. SInce i put my phone in silence - no vibration or notice when the phone rings or messages come in. We all got up from our seats and grouped. This time we joined another group since there was only 4 of us who came. This shouldn't take that long I thought. I can finish it by 945 i thought and sent VJ a quick sms and joined my group. What followed was an express session of praying for each other. We all observed silence and in the moment of having invited the Holy Spirit into our midst, we continued praying for everyone in the group. As a group and individually after. For my part, when I stood in the centre, I lifted up those I know who needed God's healing. I was glad I took that center space because I know something moved within me that night.
I felt awfully guilty about keeping VJ waiting though. As soon as we sang praise and final thanksgiving, I left the room heading to my car. I was worried that VJ might have come over and waiting for me downstairs. Fortunately he wasn't downstairs but unfortunately he was upset. He waited for an hour he said. I felt guilty for not having told him earlier. But as I told him, I didn't expect the healing session, no one did.
Anyway, next week will be my last ALPHA.
It was testimonial time and we were encouraged to bring a friend who would benefit from the program. I thought of VJ since I have been asking him since day ONE. I also thought of Rita, Janice and even my mother. In fact anyone and everyone must attend the ALPHA. It was an eye opener and simplified version on how we can approach our own faith.
So, there goes - an unregrettable decision. I'm glad I went that Monday.
Time was 8:25pm when I got home. Just right for me to go for ALPHA and I left for church after dropping them off. The unfortunate part of the matter is that I also told VJ earlier that we could do dinner together once I was done. This was approximately at 9:30pm.
When I got to the seminar room, I saw that Nikki Gumbel has already started. Damn.. I mis-calculated my time I thought. Anyway the topic of the day was "Does God Heal Today?"
As usual, Nikki held my attention well with his animated talk and jokes throughout the session. Unusually though, after the session, we would usually break into our own groups for discussion. Time check then was about 9:15 or so? I thought okay, 15mins to go. I can run away now. The lady who got up to do the announcements gave a short summary on how to allow God to heal us and led us into prayer. I was lost in prayer and lost track of the time. SInce i put my phone in silence - no vibration or notice when the phone rings or messages come in. We all got up from our seats and grouped. This time we joined another group since there was only 4 of us who came. This shouldn't take that long I thought. I can finish it by 945 i thought and sent VJ a quick sms and joined my group. What followed was an express session of praying for each other. We all observed silence and in the moment of having invited the Holy Spirit into our midst, we continued praying for everyone in the group. As a group and individually after. For my part, when I stood in the centre, I lifted up those I know who needed God's healing. I was glad I took that center space because I know something moved within me that night.
I felt awfully guilty about keeping VJ waiting though. As soon as we sang praise and final thanksgiving, I left the room heading to my car. I was worried that VJ might have come over and waiting for me downstairs. Fortunately he wasn't downstairs but unfortunately he was upset. He waited for an hour he said. I felt guilty for not having told him earlier. But as I told him, I didn't expect the healing session, no one did.
Anyway, next week will be my last ALPHA.
It was testimonial time and we were encouraged to bring a friend who would benefit from the program. I thought of VJ since I have been asking him since day ONE. I also thought of Rita, Janice and even my mother. In fact anyone and everyone must attend the ALPHA. It was an eye opener and simplified version on how we can approach our own faith.
So, there goes - an unregrettable decision. I'm glad I went that Monday.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Count-down to SHAPE run
Its 19th of July 2010. 12 days to go before the SHAPE 2010 run at Putrajaya. Me and Sumi signed up as part of our plan this year to get back into activity-to be active.
It all started off with the Tioman Eco-Challenge race 2010. As part of our preparatory exercise, we used to run at the park on weekends. Sunday mornings were our usual time. Regardless of how lazy or tired we were, we both pushed each other for training at least for 4-5 weeks until we moved into our own training. This was when Sumi left for Singapore. We met again at for the race at the bus station in Mersing.
ABout the SHAPE run on the other hand, i came across the registration details on the SHAPE magazine. I bought it immediately. Reading through the details, i called Sumi and checked if she wanted to proceed. Dates were okay, registration details etc. We made a trip to the menara OCM in KL to submit our registration forms directly.
This was sometime late June?
I have joined the gym since and my fitness activities revolved more around the gym than the park. However, I did make it a point to run in the park whenever I can.
At present my training regime starts with 10 sets of sun salutation and a few other yoga posts for the legs including head-to-knee stretch and rabbit pose. This is my warm up session.
Following that, I will get on a treadmill and start with a 3-5 minutes of brisk walking, increasing my pace every minute and eventually i would start running. My run has not lasted for more than 30 minutes so far. My ranges are between 8-7 minutes per KM. In total, I usually clock 3KM for about 30 minutes (including walking & resting time). Resting time here refers to the short walks I will reduce to if I am experiencing shortness of breath or any form of pain.
Following my run, i will get on the bicycle for about 10-15 minutes. I do allow a break of at least 3 minutes between each activity.
Next, I will get on to doing weights. My usual weights or other exercise will depend on what my focus is. I've been alternating between my stomach and legs for exercise. If VJ is exercising with me, I would ask for a customized training instruction. He operates as my gym trainer as and when needed. These times are quite rare so I make the most of my training times with him so that I can learn some new exercise and improve my skill. I will then do these exercises when I am on my own.
Approaching the heavy weights and machines in the gym can be rather intimidating. I always shy away from there in fear of being ridiculed as not knowing what to do and how to do it. But, it is totally different when you approach it with someone else who confidently teaches you the methods on using it specific to your capability. I believe that I set my own limit and exceed it. The best way is to keep raising the bar to reach maximum capability.
In this next 10 odd days, I need to raise the bar higher as I am running out of time. I have a total of 7KM to reach and I also need to time my pace so that I am not caught off guard.
My schedule for gym so far looks like this:
Mon - Alpha program in church
Tues - Gym
Wed - Gym
Thurs - Gym
Fri - Gym
Sun - Run in the park
With the above, is there a possibility that I might collapse and die out of too much of muscle activity? Perhaps I will allow rest on Thursday. Let's see.
In terms of expectation - I ain't aiming to come up as the 1st. I am aiming at completing the race. Regardless of the time but I don't want to spend too long on it. Not till midnight at least :)
So, there goes. I will update this blog again on my progress.
It all started off with the Tioman Eco-Challenge race 2010. As part of our preparatory exercise, we used to run at the park on weekends. Sunday mornings were our usual time. Regardless of how lazy or tired we were, we both pushed each other for training at least for 4-5 weeks until we moved into our own training. This was when Sumi left for Singapore. We met again at for the race at the bus station in Mersing.
ABout the SHAPE run on the other hand, i came across the registration details on the SHAPE magazine. I bought it immediately. Reading through the details, i called Sumi and checked if she wanted to proceed. Dates were okay, registration details etc. We made a trip to the menara OCM in KL to submit our registration forms directly.
This was sometime late June?
I have joined the gym since and my fitness activities revolved more around the gym than the park. However, I did make it a point to run in the park whenever I can.
At present my training regime starts with 10 sets of sun salutation and a few other yoga posts for the legs including head-to-knee stretch and rabbit pose. This is my warm up session.
Following that, I will get on a treadmill and start with a 3-5 minutes of brisk walking, increasing my pace every minute and eventually i would start running. My run has not lasted for more than 30 minutes so far. My ranges are between 8-7 minutes per KM. In total, I usually clock 3KM for about 30 minutes (including walking & resting time). Resting time here refers to the short walks I will reduce to if I am experiencing shortness of breath or any form of pain.
Following my run, i will get on the bicycle for about 10-15 minutes. I do allow a break of at least 3 minutes between each activity.
Next, I will get on to doing weights. My usual weights or other exercise will depend on what my focus is. I've been alternating between my stomach and legs for exercise. If VJ is exercising with me, I would ask for a customized training instruction. He operates as my gym trainer as and when needed. These times are quite rare so I make the most of my training times with him so that I can learn some new exercise and improve my skill. I will then do these exercises when I am on my own.
Approaching the heavy weights and machines in the gym can be rather intimidating. I always shy away from there in fear of being ridiculed as not knowing what to do and how to do it. But, it is totally different when you approach it with someone else who confidently teaches you the methods on using it specific to your capability. I believe that I set my own limit and exceed it. The best way is to keep raising the bar to reach maximum capability.
In this next 10 odd days, I need to raise the bar higher as I am running out of time. I have a total of 7KM to reach and I also need to time my pace so that I am not caught off guard.
My schedule for gym so far looks like this:
Mon - Alpha program in church
Tues - Gym
Wed - Gym
Thurs - Gym
Fri - Gym
Sun - Run in the park
With the above, is there a possibility that I might collapse and die out of too much of muscle activity? Perhaps I will allow rest on Thursday. Let's see.
In terms of expectation - I ain't aiming to come up as the 1st. I am aiming at completing the race. Regardless of the time but I don't want to spend too long on it. Not till midnight at least :)
So, there goes. I will update this blog again on my progress.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
It should be World Cup Finals everyday :)
Driving back home was a breeze for me yesterday. When I left my office building at 6:10pm, I headed out to the main road and was caught by surprise as there were no cars at all. It looked like a Sunday! No complains, I drove on and reached home at 6:20pm. From Section 13 PJ all the way to Sentul. WOW! Amazing, record breaking time I thought. I suppose most people were still catching up on sleep after staying up late for the once in a 4-year game finals.
I'm happy for Spain that they won. I love the some of the countrys' architecture, landscape, the language, the people, their dances... Above all, after browsing thru FIFA.com on the team write up, I learnt that most importantly, their indominable team spirit never died. They gave their best! Bravo Espanyol!
I'm happy for Spain that they won. I love the some of the countrys' architecture, landscape, the language, the people, their dances... Above all, after browsing thru FIFA.com on the team write up, I learnt that most importantly, their indominable team spirit never died. They gave their best! Bravo Espanyol!
Monday, July 12, 2010
On the different branches and brunches of life...
I was inspired to write this entry thanks to one of the resumes I was browsing through... This line tickled me.. "...Also supporting for **** brunch at 4 other location in Ipoh, Melaka, Johor and KL."
He must've been hungry at noon time while writing this resume I thought.. As brunch - food between breakfast and lunch is chosen instead of the different branches / offices..
Similar to the line above, I have come across MANY of them. Some which I can vaguely recall are as follows:
- I'm preferred to work in KL
- Thank you for your respond.
- We are looking for post of sales man or representative
- she’s looked for permanent job
- Here I attach my resume for your l looking for job HR perment job or any tempory job in shah alam area. If they are any please call me .
If you still cannot find any fault in the above lines, you shouldn't continue reading this entry. I hurt everytime I read such lines. I see them everyday, in cover letters, professional resumes, in emails and the list goes on. These days, I even catch one or two of such errors on national newspapers!
I stopped keeping tab of such mistakes and tried to look beyond the words, for the benefit of doubt. Unfortunately, I am 99.99% accurate when I follow up, only to be disappointed with very basic few lines of conversational English and reverting to ... "boleh bercakap dalam bahasa melayu tak?"
To be honest, I am open to being a Malaysian. I am proud of my country and the languages and the rich cultural heritage we bear as one nation. However, I do believe that in the advent of globalisation today, we need to be armoured. All rakyat or Malaysian citizens need to make an effort to master some basic communciation skill in order to interact with the society around them. This is especially true for the youths of today. No one is an island. And the youths are the future pillars of the nation and there are millions of them out there who cannot hold a decent conversation in English. No doubt Malay is our Bahasa Kebangsaan but learning a new language doesn't mean adapting to the cultures of the language or losing foothold of their mother tongue. If anything at all, it gives one an added advantage amongst the rest where the workers of today are no longer a local but global worker, open to opportunities worldwide
Going back to the grassroots of the issue, ultimate importance has always been given to the subject Malay language in school. You could have achieved A1 for subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English. BUT if you fail your BM, you will need to repeat the paper or else you will not be considered for a full pass in your final secondary year exam. And the reverse applies where you can have an 9F for 8 out of 10 papers in your SPM with a B for your BM and you will be considered pass. This is the reality. If I can scan all the resumes of the latter I have seen, I can draw out a statistic on the same. Sad but true .... The weight of importance is misappropriately placed in our education system.
Recently there has been a massive debate on the validity of continuuing PMR and SPM papers. I believe all students are praying really hard so that the bill will be passed to scrap the papers altogether. Well, here comes another trial-error. Let's see the result - are the students screwed up at the end of graduation or are they fine, in fact better on hands-on experience or SME (subject matter experts) on concerned subjects.
In this climate where even the fundamental basics are not laid and sorted, we are trying to fish back the local expertise who have left for overseas to work there given a better and more conducive environment for growth.
I wonder what lies ahead for the children of our future. Home education? Private tutoring? Or Private schools, following Britsh of foreign syllabus?
What about those who cannot afford the luxuries of private schools? Those middle income earners? What about their rights to choose the best for their children? Do they have to leave their children in the mercy of the education system which is on a reverse-forward and trial-error mode?
I am praying that I will not be in a situation where my kids will be forced to become voluntary guinea pigs.
That God will enlighten the leaders of today to pave the education, financial and governing system in a way that will be able to progress children of all layers of society and it will truly be an education for all.
He must've been hungry at noon time while writing this resume I thought.. As brunch - food between breakfast and lunch is chosen instead of the different branches / offices..
Similar to the line above, I have come across MANY of them. Some which I can vaguely recall are as follows:
- I'm preferred to work in KL
- Thank you for your respond.
- We are looking for post of sales man or representative
- she’s looked for permanent job
- Here I attach my resume for your l looking for job HR perment job or any tempory job in shah alam area. If they are any please call me .
If you still cannot find any fault in the above lines, you shouldn't continue reading this entry. I hurt everytime I read such lines. I see them everyday, in cover letters, professional resumes, in emails and the list goes on. These days, I even catch one or two of such errors on national newspapers!
I stopped keeping tab of such mistakes and tried to look beyond the words, for the benefit of doubt. Unfortunately, I am 99.99% accurate when I follow up, only to be disappointed with very basic few lines of conversational English and reverting to ... "boleh bercakap dalam bahasa melayu tak?"
To be honest, I am open to being a Malaysian. I am proud of my country and the languages and the rich cultural heritage we bear as one nation. However, I do believe that in the advent of globalisation today, we need to be armoured. All rakyat or Malaysian citizens need to make an effort to master some basic communciation skill in order to interact with the society around them. This is especially true for the youths of today. No one is an island. And the youths are the future pillars of the nation and there are millions of them out there who cannot hold a decent conversation in English. No doubt Malay is our Bahasa Kebangsaan but learning a new language doesn't mean adapting to the cultures of the language or losing foothold of their mother tongue. If anything at all, it gives one an added advantage amongst the rest where the workers of today are no longer a local but global worker, open to opportunities worldwide
Going back to the grassroots of the issue, ultimate importance has always been given to the subject Malay language in school. You could have achieved A1 for subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English. BUT if you fail your BM, you will need to repeat the paper or else you will not be considered for a full pass in your final secondary year exam. And the reverse applies where you can have an 9F for 8 out of 10 papers in your SPM with a B for your BM and you will be considered pass. This is the reality. If I can scan all the resumes of the latter I have seen, I can draw out a statistic on the same. Sad but true .... The weight of importance is misappropriately placed in our education system.
Recently there has been a massive debate on the validity of continuuing PMR and SPM papers. I believe all students are praying really hard so that the bill will be passed to scrap the papers altogether. Well, here comes another trial-error. Let's see the result - are the students screwed up at the end of graduation or are they fine, in fact better on hands-on experience or SME (subject matter experts) on concerned subjects.
In this climate where even the fundamental basics are not laid and sorted, we are trying to fish back the local expertise who have left for overseas to work there given a better and more conducive environment for growth.
I wonder what lies ahead for the children of our future. Home education? Private tutoring? Or Private schools, following Britsh of foreign syllabus?
What about those who cannot afford the luxuries of private schools? Those middle income earners? What about their rights to choose the best for their children? Do they have to leave their children in the mercy of the education system which is on a reverse-forward and trial-error mode?
I am praying that I will not be in a situation where my kids will be forced to become voluntary guinea pigs.
That God will enlighten the leaders of today to pave the education, financial and governing system in a way that will be able to progress children of all layers of society and it will truly be an education for all.
Friday, July 09, 2010
How to make more money online?
Skill replication. Copy cat methods that have worked for others? I am ephasizing SKILL replication i.e. the process & tools used & always try to improve. On another note, why not pay attention to your current job & enjoy it. OR look for something you are passionate about doing. You'll never need to worry how much money comes in after that as you will be passionate and the work becomes your 2nd nature ;)
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Thai Food at Flying Chillies
After a gruelling 1 hour++ drive from office to MidValley, I finally arrived. Late, depressed and upset for making him wait for soo long. Anyway we headed to have dinner. Flying chillies - for Thai food. This should repair the damage I made the night before, I thought. Had Green Curry at this one fancy joint in Telawi street and yucks! It was really bad. And I'm not that much of a foodie but that was one recipe gone totally wrong! Never again I told my friends to order that dish. In fact I think they should remove that food item from the menu right away and stick to their specialities - pasta and the like.
Food at Flying Chillies was waaay better.
The menu looked very similar to the Just Thai restaurant at 1-Utama. Price was also almost similar. They had those huge red chillies everywhere. It's almost like their trademark.
We had Green Curry (Chicken), Egg foo yong (omelette with prawns), Kangkung fried with Belacan, ice lemon tea and chinese tea in a pot.
Total: RM 68 for 2 persons.
Thumbs up for ambience, food and service.
We shopped around for a wedding gift for a friend and ended up getting memorabilia champagne glasses for them. Had it wrapped and ribboned. Task 1 down. One more to go.
I've been scouting around for a block of Parmesan cheese for the longest time. Didn't find any at the Tesco in The curve the other day so have been wanting to look it up in Carrefour instead. Of course they had it there. So finally my pasta will have its flavour again :)
After that was home and I stopped by my sisters office to fetch her back. Time we got home: almost 10:00am. Time well spent.
The menu looked very similar to the Just Thai restaurant at 1-Utama. Price was also almost similar. They had those huge red chillies everywhere. It's almost like their trademark.
We had Green Curry (Chicken), Egg foo yong (omelette with prawns), Kangkung fried with Belacan, ice lemon tea and chinese tea in a pot.
Total: RM 68 for 2 persons.
Thumbs up for ambience, food and service.
We shopped around for a wedding gift for a friend and ended up getting memorabilia champagne glasses for them. Had it wrapped and ribboned. Task 1 down. One more to go.
I've been scouting around for a block of Parmesan cheese for the longest time. Didn't find any at the Tesco in The curve the other day so have been wanting to look it up in Carrefour instead. Of course they had it there. So finally my pasta will have its flavour again :)
After that was home and I stopped by my sisters office to fetch her back. Time we got home: almost 10:00am. Time well spent.
Looking back
I just browsed through some of my posts for the past 2 years and realised that I had a few un-recorded major events! How could I do justice by not having these important momentos put to paper. This will serve as a memory jog when I am old and gray and my memory fails me..
1. Gua Tempurung Trip
2. Salsa adventure
3. Road trips to a few places
-- and a few more that i will be sure to write down when I remember.
1. Gua Tempurung Trip
2. Salsa adventure
3. Road trips to a few places
-- and a few more that i will be sure to write down when I remember.
On Bamboo
BAMBOO
- Bamboos seldom and unpredictably flower, and the frequency of flowering varies greatly from species to species. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years.
Preparation of lemang - cooked over coal fire
- Textiles: Bamboo fabric is known for its softness and boasts strong absorbency and anti-microbial properties, though the chemical process in bamboo rayon destroys any anti-microbial quality.
In addition, the fiber of bamboo has been used to make paper in China since early times. A high quality hand-made paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make spirit money in many Chinese communities.
- Musical instruments:
Bamboo's natural hollow form makes it an obvious choice for many instruments, particularly wind and percussion. There are numerous types of bamboo flute made all over the world, such as the dizi, xiao, shakuhachi, palendag, jinghu, angklung. In India it is a very popular and highly respected musical instrument, available even to the poorest and the choice of many highly venerated maestros of classical music.
- Is part of the grass family
- The fastest-growing woody plant on Earth
- Unlike trees, all bamboo have the potential to grow to full height and girth in a single growing season of 3–4 months
- Bamboos seldom and unpredictably flower, and the frequency of flowering varies greatly from species to species. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years.- Once flowering takes place, a plant will decline and often die entirely.
- Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of longevity, while in India it is a symbol of friendship. The rarity of its blossoming has led to the flowers' being regarded as a sign of impending famine.
- In Japan, a bamboo forest sometimes surrounds a Shinto shrine as part of a sacred barrier against evil. - The pine tree, the bamboo, and the plum blossom (song zhú méi 松竹梅) are also admired for their perseverance under harsh conditions, and are together known as the "Three Friends in Winter" (岁寒三友). The "Three Friends" is traditionally used as a system of ranking in Japan, for example in sushi sets or accommodations at a traditional Ryokan (inn). Pine (matsu 松) is of the first rank, bamboo (také 竹) is of second rank, and plum (ume 梅) is of the third.
- In Chinese culture, the bamboo, plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum (often known as méi lán zhú jú 梅兰竹菊) are collectively referred to as the Four Noble Ones. These four plants also represent the four seasons.
USES of Bamboo
- Animal feed (i.e. Panda)
- Commercial Timber: Timber is harvested from cultivated and wild stands and some of the larger bamboos, particularly species in the genus Phyllostachys, are known as "timber bamboos". 
Bamboo timber (image)
Bamboo timber (image)- Construction: In its natural form, bamboo as a construction material is traditionally associated with the cultures of East Asia and the South Pacific, to some extent in Central and South America.
In China, bamboo was used to hold up simple suspension bridges, either by making cables of split bamboo or twisting whole culms of sufficiently pliable bamboo together.
- Ornament: collectors desiring to grow specific bamboo typically obtain their plants as divisions of already-growing plants, rather than waiting for seeds to be produced. Furnitures are also made of bamboos and sprayed or painted with shellec to give it a shine
- Culinary: The shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of bamboo are edible. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths, and are available in supermarkets in various sliced forms, both fresh and canned version.
Preparation of lemang - cooked over coal fireLemang
- Medicine: Bamboo is used in Chinese medicine for treating infections and healing
- Textiles: Bamboo fabric is known for its softness and boasts strong absorbency and anti-microbial properties, though the chemical process in bamboo rayon destroys any anti-microbial quality.
In addition, the fiber of bamboo has been used to make paper in China since early times. A high quality hand-made paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make spirit money in many Chinese communities.
- Musical instruments:
Bamboo's natural hollow form makes it an obvious choice for many instruments, particularly wind and percussion. There are numerous types of bamboo flute made all over the world, such as the dizi, xiao, shakuhachi, palendag, jinghu, angklung. In India it is a very popular and highly respected musical instrument, available even to the poorest and the choice of many highly venerated maestros of classical music. Transportation
Several manufacturers offer bamboo bicycles & can be knitted together to form a "rakit" - In asian regions, drifted on rivers
Well I learnt something new from this research. Hope you did too! Thanks for reading.
Note: ALL IMAGES IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES.
Note: ALL IMAGES IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES.
Greener fresher look ;)
I couldn't stand the sight of my blog one day. It's had the same look since it's inception. Boring.. Why not give it a facelift I thought. And thanks to blogger, there was a small message box with added features and new designs on bloggerdraft. I ventured a little, custom-picked the design I wanted. But the spread of choices left me with Hobsons choice! How to choose. Re-align your thoughts, I told myself. Back to the core of the blog - Caught in the forest of life? Forest, green, nature.. These were some of the themes that came to mind. I initially wanted to create a background myself from scratch but I never got around to doing it so this was the next best option and then I stumbled across this forest full of bamboo trees. Looked up some facts about Bamboo from Wikipedia & a few online sources and I'm putting it together in my next entry called On Bamboo..
It would be great to get some feedback on the new look. If you are reading this now, and have something to say about my blog, new look or any of my entries, please feel free to comment. ANY comments will be accepted with a pinch of salt.
It would be great to get some feedback on the new look. If you are reading this now, and have something to say about my blog, new look or any of my entries, please feel free to comment. ANY comments will be accepted with a pinch of salt.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
On my way to work
Thursday
My new route to work for the month of July =
MRR2 -> Mahameru -> Jalan Bangsar -> Jalan Kerinchi -> Federal Highway -> 3rd exit up to Asia Jaya LRT station, right turn into Section 13
Time: 8:10am
Usual traffic along Mahameru was clear.
Time: 8:15am
Road turning into Jalan Bangsar has a long queue lined up. I immediately swayed into my left road and took back into Jln Mahameru. I had no clue of an alternative route I could take. Followed the road into Jalan Duta and turned into Pusat Bandar Damansara.
Thank GOD the road was clear.
Followed the road into TTDI, KGPA and took that road. I've made this mistake too many times to not remember - if i'd gone straight, I'll come to a toll. I keep to my left and I arrive near Section 16. The Star building is ahead of me. From this point onwards I am familiar of the route. I follow the road ahead and I find myself at the traffic light I usually wait at on my way back from work. My new office lies a few stone throw away.
Time: 8:35am.
Arrived at parking.
Not bad at all. Was that luck or coincidence? Either ways, Thank you God.
My new route to work for the month of July =
MRR2 -> Mahameru -> Jalan Bangsar -> Jalan Kerinchi -> Federal Highway -> 3rd exit up to Asia Jaya LRT station, right turn into Section 13
Time: 8:10am
Usual traffic along Mahameru was clear.
Time: 8:15am
Road turning into Jalan Bangsar has a long queue lined up. I immediately swayed into my left road and took back into Jln Mahameru. I had no clue of an alternative route I could take. Followed the road into Jalan Duta and turned into Pusat Bandar Damansara.
Thank GOD the road was clear.
Followed the road into TTDI, KGPA and took that road. I've made this mistake too many times to not remember - if i'd gone straight, I'll come to a toll. I keep to my left and I arrive near Section 16. The Star building is ahead of me. From this point onwards I am familiar of the route. I follow the road ahead and I find myself at the traffic light I usually wait at on my way back from work. My new office lies a few stone throw away.
Time: 8:35am.
Arrived at parking.
Not bad at all. Was that luck or coincidence? Either ways, Thank you God.
Damages of being bold on social media
I just read the World News on CNN.com and was sad to read this piece: CNN Editor Sacked Over Teary Terrorist Twitter Tribute!
If she, Octavia didn’t explain further to defend herself that the statement she made is not a reflection of how or what she felt over the terrorist life work, I wouldn’t have a clue. But the damage has been done. Whether she likes it or not, she has to step down as CNN does not take her reasoning. Twitter has become a very powerful networking tool. Most influential figures – political or rockstar alike subscribe to a twitter account and they tweet about their daily life, whereabouts etc. Ardent fans who wants to keep up to date on what their super stars have been up to add them to their twitter account and follow them very closely. Octavia is one leader in a sense as she did contribute to the entire world a glimpse into the Middle East series of events. And the one who passed away is not exactly a pro-govt or the nation or US, in fact, he was very much against it.
Now, I don’t know the entire full account of what happened out there but this piece of news is somewhat an eye opener to corporate figures out there. Akin to posting private pictures on Facebook only to be discovered by your boss and senior management, I think Twitter tweets pose similar threats. Personal stands, views and ideas posted on any social networking media needs to be filtered. A few days back, my own corporate communications guideline on dealing with media was released internally and some of the points I came across was rather shocking to me.
Being consultants representing the organization, we are not allowed to speak on behalf of the organization in views relating to the field of expertise. This can either be to a personal friend or a reporter or anyone at all who might quote our names without permission and land us in trouble. Likewise if someone intends to put you into trouble, all they’ll need to do is to hack into your system and type something that totally damages your career and reputation. In this progressive world of media revolution, it doesn’t hurt to be wary of our actions as these speak louder than words.
So the next time you post a remark or update your status – think again… is this remark really necessary? What will the consequences be if your boss reads the comment you’ve just posted? Do you risk losing your job? Pause and think for a moment before you click on the send button!
If she, Octavia didn’t explain further to defend herself that the statement she made is not a reflection of how or what she felt over the terrorist life work, I wouldn’t have a clue. But the damage has been done. Whether she likes it or not, she has to step down as CNN does not take her reasoning. Twitter has become a very powerful networking tool. Most influential figures – political or rockstar alike subscribe to a twitter account and they tweet about their daily life, whereabouts etc. Ardent fans who wants to keep up to date on what their super stars have been up to add them to their twitter account and follow them very closely. Octavia is one leader in a sense as she did contribute to the entire world a glimpse into the Middle East series of events. And the one who passed away is not exactly a pro-govt or the nation or US, in fact, he was very much against it.
Now, I don’t know the entire full account of what happened out there but this piece of news is somewhat an eye opener to corporate figures out there. Akin to posting private pictures on Facebook only to be discovered by your boss and senior management, I think Twitter tweets pose similar threats. Personal stands, views and ideas posted on any social networking media needs to be filtered. A few days back, my own corporate communications guideline on dealing with media was released internally and some of the points I came across was rather shocking to me.
Being consultants representing the organization, we are not allowed to speak on behalf of the organization in views relating to the field of expertise. This can either be to a personal friend or a reporter or anyone at all who might quote our names without permission and land us in trouble. Likewise if someone intends to put you into trouble, all they’ll need to do is to hack into your system and type something that totally damages your career and reputation. In this progressive world of media revolution, it doesn’t hurt to be wary of our actions as these speak louder than words.
So the next time you post a remark or update your status – think again… is this remark really necessary? What will the consequences be if your boss reads the comment you’ve just posted? Do you risk losing your job? Pause and think for a moment before you click on the send button!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Race Day
We were up as early as 530am. Breakfast is served from 6am onwards. We were among the few early birds who were up so early. Boat-uncle has been waiting for us since 630am - he told us afterwards when we met. We had a hearthy breakfast as we needed all the carbs, protein and energy we could ever have. We were given a banana each from the kind chef :)
I was having small butterfiles in my stomach on my way there. But the wind against my face somehow blew those uneasiness away. I enjoyed the boat-ride till we reached the race pit.
We ran 2X around the field and did some more warm ups to get started 30minutes before flag off time. The track was pretty straight-forward as explained but we learnt the hard way that it is not as easy as mentioned.
There were altogether about 3 main tasks in the race: 1st leg: Run for 2km until the foot of the jungle.
2nd leg: tracking into the jungle. In this leg there are many other challenges such as climbing, going down-hill, passing river and more. And mind you, this challenge is in a virgin-jungle. There is no track or trail. Red-white plastic ribbons were tied around trees as landmarks to follow. If one loses track of any one of these, for sure you will be lost and there were at least 20 over people who were lost on the race day.
Thankfully Sumi and I stuck through it together. We met a few of them along the way at times when we needed some help i.e. when we were totally clue-less, not able to find the next marker or to get over a huge boulder. But we were alone most of the way. We were not aware of what lay ahead of us. There could've been snakes / monkeys or even tigers for the matter but this is a case when ignorance is bliss. What we didn't know didn't hurt. We climbed up tree roots, wen over a river full of rocks, stopping by for a drink, climbed over huge boulders with no foot-holds to step on. And we thought the worst is over... Until we arrived at the 5th checkpoint! I couldn't see flat ground anymore - where we were supposed to continue and the marshalls at this pit stop told us that the next leg of the journey is to climb all the way where your knee will come up to your chin!
That totally put me off. We or at least I was not prepared for a climb as such. My feet by then was already aching very badly as I put too much stress on my feet whilst climbing downhil earlier. My Nike shoes were made for running not climbing and they were not particularly helpful in my up and downhill attempts.
We sat for a while, and I analysed myself honestly from all perspective. (Bad)
1. My mind was willing but my feet was really weak.
2. I knew that I will get myself bruised and hurt since my feet was pressing against my shoe front and was aching.
3. Time then was already close to 1pm. The sun was high up my head and I was very dehydrated. My rate of dehydration was faster due to the loss of energy along the way.
4. The next pitstop for water station is at least another 5 km. I didn't have proper tools to carry my water bottle. And since the next leg is climbing all the way, i will need to use all 4 limbs and no space for water bottle!
(Good)
1. I MIGHT be able to finish the race & receive a certificate BUT I MIGHT be too hurt or bruised or worst - DEAD to take it
2. Bragging rights - Won the first ever race in my life but again I MIGHT not be alive to brag about it
Having gone through all the pros and cons, I decided to call it quits. I and Sumi walked down another route - a road that led us to the Berjaya Resort grounds again.
On the way we were given a ride by one of those managers who was on his way to pick up some food for his workers. We picked our bags, chatted with the organizers for a bit and then left. This' not the end. Initially our plan was to stay back for the night of Dinner and Prize Giving where the Sultan will be present together with the media etc. Since we didn't complete the race, and it was still early then, Sumi suggested to walk back instead of taking a boat ride to Paya beach. Now that we knew how the tracks connect to the beach.
I agreed without realising that the way to Paya also had some climbing to do, which meant going back into the jungle. I was cursing and swearing that Sumi made me go through the jungle all over again despite my deteriorating feet condition.
However, I was relieved at the end of the journey when we arrived at Paya beach in no time. She saved us both RM40 each per boat trip! The money which we used later on for a decent meal.
I was having small butterfiles in my stomach on my way there. But the wind against my face somehow blew those uneasiness away. I enjoyed the boat-ride till we reached the race pit.
We ran 2X around the field and did some more warm ups to get started 30minutes before flag off time. The track was pretty straight-forward as explained but we learnt the hard way that it is not as easy as mentioned.
There were altogether about 3 main tasks in the race: 1st leg: Run for 2km until the foot of the jungle.
2nd leg: tracking into the jungle. In this leg there are many other challenges such as climbing, going down-hill, passing river and more. And mind you, this challenge is in a virgin-jungle. There is no track or trail. Red-white plastic ribbons were tied around trees as landmarks to follow. If one loses track of any one of these, for sure you will be lost and there were at least 20 over people who were lost on the race day.
Thankfully Sumi and I stuck through it together. We met a few of them along the way at times when we needed some help i.e. when we were totally clue-less, not able to find the next marker or to get over a huge boulder. But we were alone most of the way. We were not aware of what lay ahead of us. There could've been snakes / monkeys or even tigers for the matter but this is a case when ignorance is bliss. What we didn't know didn't hurt. We climbed up tree roots, wen over a river full of rocks, stopping by for a drink, climbed over huge boulders with no foot-holds to step on. And we thought the worst is over... Until we arrived at the 5th checkpoint! I couldn't see flat ground anymore - where we were supposed to continue and the marshalls at this pit stop told us that the next leg of the journey is to climb all the way where your knee will come up to your chin!
That totally put me off. We or at least I was not prepared for a climb as such. My feet by then was already aching very badly as I put too much stress on my feet whilst climbing downhil earlier. My Nike shoes were made for running not climbing and they were not particularly helpful in my up and downhill attempts.
We sat for a while, and I analysed myself honestly from all perspective. (Bad)
1. My mind was willing but my feet was really weak.
2. I knew that I will get myself bruised and hurt since my feet was pressing against my shoe front and was aching.
3. Time then was already close to 1pm. The sun was high up my head and I was very dehydrated. My rate of dehydration was faster due to the loss of energy along the way.
4. The next pitstop for water station is at least another 5 km. I didn't have proper tools to carry my water bottle. And since the next leg is climbing all the way, i will need to use all 4 limbs and no space for water bottle!
(Good)
1. I MIGHT be able to finish the race & receive a certificate BUT I MIGHT be too hurt or bruised or worst - DEAD to take it
2. Bragging rights - Won the first ever race in my life but again I MIGHT not be alive to brag about it
Having gone through all the pros and cons, I decided to call it quits. I and Sumi walked down another route - a road that led us to the Berjaya Resort grounds again.
On the way we were given a ride by one of those managers who was on his way to pick up some food for his workers. We picked our bags, chatted with the organizers for a bit and then left. This' not the end. Initially our plan was to stay back for the night of Dinner and Prize Giving where the Sultan will be present together with the media etc. Since we didn't complete the race, and it was still early then, Sumi suggested to walk back instead of taking a boat ride to Paya beach. Now that we knew how the tracks connect to the beach.
I agreed without realising that the way to Paya also had some climbing to do, which meant going back into the jungle. I was cursing and swearing that Sumi made me go through the jungle all over again despite my deteriorating feet condition.
However, I was relieved at the end of the journey when we arrived at Paya beach in no time. She saved us both RM40 each per boat trip! The money which we used later on for a decent meal.
Ragging-issues-rugged up again
Todays newspaper had at least 5 to 6 articles on the issue. Ragging - an ongoing issue that has always been undercover has surfaced up. If you notice, ragging issues are most prevalent in the local universities. Or maybe the incidents in the private U-s don't surface due to the strict rulings and "expensive" consequences they might need to face.
Relating to my own experience, entering into a well-known local uni, I was told the scariest stories about how seniors will rag the juniors, things they used to do, and I was even told to bring along punjabi suits (traditional Indian costume) to be worn throughout my 1st semester. I was horified at the stories - not so much for the ragging bit but for the part where I have to wear punjabi suits everyday for the next 3-6 months??
The bigger problem was - I didn't have that many suits to use. My cousin sister offered to pass me some of hers. So, 1 bag full of suits and another full of my own things. Being the rebel that I am, I wasn't at all bothered to adhere by the punjabi suit rules. I wore my baggy jeans on day 1, 2, 3, 4, until the end of orientation week and then at my faculty, I did the same. I only wore my own punjabi suit (I took a personal favourite just in case) for the Malam Suai-Kenal - a get-to-know dinner night with speeches from the top management & lecturers.
Looking around me, majority of the Indian students were clad in Punjabi suits. Most of them came from the small towns of Ipoh, Malacca, Kedah, Pahang etc.. They all spoke in Tamil all the time, giggled at the sight of any Indian male and was very shy - looking to the ground.
I wore my fav one on Fridays alone when I had 1 class and we had to meet the Indian seniors for a get-to-know session. Out of respect and to have a feel of the group, I wore my red suit. I sat aside a friend who ended up glueing herself to me throughout most semesters and eventually dropped off.
Then the orientation took place - where everyone was supposed to think of a joke or sing a song or act out something. When it came to me, I had no joke, no song to sing and coming to think of it, I can't even remember what I ended up doing. I think I was told to think of a joke in the next meeting which eventually went forgotten.
And then, the Indian male seniors will crowd our supper stalls at night. All the Indian female students were required to be present during this "supper-stall-session" but I always had my excuse.. stomach ache / gone back home / sick / exam or assignment etc etc.
I finally came down one day - to check it out for myself. The female seniors were not notorious at all. They were very kind in fact, some of them. Some others were rather rude or cruel. But there'll always be good and bad apples.
I used to wonder if the seniors had nothing else to do since they were all so free to be there at that hour to get to know us. But those who were very quiet and submissive had a bulk of their teasing. I was rather bold, probably too bold in fact that they didn't quite find me an interesting subject for teasing. They did attempt to ask me to follow them out with them in their cars etc. But I knew it better not to follow any stranger, at night, alone in a car!
The fact that I came from Sentul - which is known as a very notorious area in town did help me quite a bit. Some of them were cautious to tell me to do stuff or tease me too much in fear of being beaten up by thugs from Sentul.
Only I knew the reality of the matter as those stories were not exactly true. Sentul has been stripped off its mafia-status many years back. And as for me, growing up in the area where drug addicts roamed by and street gangster-wannabes drove about teasing and disturbing girls, I have seen the worst of teasings and learnt the art of avoiding them.
I made some very good friends during this time. Some of which I am still connected to. I think when the rod comes out from the furnace, it is made stealthier and stronger than when it went it. This was my experience. I was trying to reason out the logic behind every event that took place then but to no avail. I suppose God above all else has his own plan in the work of it all. We are merely the players.
Perhaps mine wasn't the worst case of rag that can be. The worst is being locked in a room with 3-4 seniors in my faculty and all my other friends were told to go back. Probably locked was not the right term, I didn't attempt to run out or try opening the door. I just sat in the room, bravely looking them all in the eyes, watching them do their work, some were merely playing games, asking questions etc.
When they were done asking me questions and trying to get to know me, I was allowed to go back. In fact i asked to be excused due to an exam i had the next day. One senior even offered to send me back when he was on the way. That's it. In fact, the next days and week, we were back to normal. No teasing or disturbs. In fact, they appreciated the fact that we looked them up whenever we needed some help. Occasionally when we bump into them we exchange the usual hellos, how are you. Apart from that, campus life was back to normal. Majority of the events were forgotten.
The ones we clearly remembered were those in which we were actively involved or played a role. One particular friend was always the bait to knock at the senior door whenever we were there to ask them anything at all. She was the most outspoken one among us who didn't mind the attention and speaking up. I on the other hand, couldn't really be that bothered about any one of them. We all had our own strength and weaknesses.
But if there is any one thing I can go back and change, it will definitely be to take up my studies more seriously as I wanted to do initially.. Some things might have changed, as I am at present at a junction where I am knocking myself hard for not paying much attention to score the 3pointer. Anyway as I've mentioned earlier, God has better plans for me. I thank you Lord for the wonderful gift of life and eventz in it.
Relating to my own experience, entering into a well-known local uni, I was told the scariest stories about how seniors will rag the juniors, things they used to do, and I was even told to bring along punjabi suits (traditional Indian costume) to be worn throughout my 1st semester. I was horified at the stories - not so much for the ragging bit but for the part where I have to wear punjabi suits everyday for the next 3-6 months??
The bigger problem was - I didn't have that many suits to use. My cousin sister offered to pass me some of hers. So, 1 bag full of suits and another full of my own things. Being the rebel that I am, I wasn't at all bothered to adhere by the punjabi suit rules. I wore my baggy jeans on day 1, 2, 3, 4, until the end of orientation week and then at my faculty, I did the same. I only wore my own punjabi suit (I took a personal favourite just in case) for the Malam Suai-Kenal - a get-to-know dinner night with speeches from the top management & lecturers.
Looking around me, majority of the Indian students were clad in Punjabi suits. Most of them came from the small towns of Ipoh, Malacca, Kedah, Pahang etc.. They all spoke in Tamil all the time, giggled at the sight of any Indian male and was very shy - looking to the ground.
I wore my fav one on Fridays alone when I had 1 class and we had to meet the Indian seniors for a get-to-know session. Out of respect and to have a feel of the group, I wore my red suit. I sat aside a friend who ended up glueing herself to me throughout most semesters and eventually dropped off.
Then the orientation took place - where everyone was supposed to think of a joke or sing a song or act out something. When it came to me, I had no joke, no song to sing and coming to think of it, I can't even remember what I ended up doing. I think I was told to think of a joke in the next meeting which eventually went forgotten.
And then, the Indian male seniors will crowd our supper stalls at night. All the Indian female students were required to be present during this "supper-stall-session" but I always had my excuse.. stomach ache / gone back home / sick / exam or assignment etc etc.
I finally came down one day - to check it out for myself. The female seniors were not notorious at all. They were very kind in fact, some of them. Some others were rather rude or cruel. But there'll always be good and bad apples.
I used to wonder if the seniors had nothing else to do since they were all so free to be there at that hour to get to know us. But those who were very quiet and submissive had a bulk of their teasing. I was rather bold, probably too bold in fact that they didn't quite find me an interesting subject for teasing. They did attempt to ask me to follow them out with them in their cars etc. But I knew it better not to follow any stranger, at night, alone in a car!
The fact that I came from Sentul - which is known as a very notorious area in town did help me quite a bit. Some of them were cautious to tell me to do stuff or tease me too much in fear of being beaten up by thugs from Sentul.
Only I knew the reality of the matter as those stories were not exactly true. Sentul has been stripped off its mafia-status many years back. And as for me, growing up in the area where drug addicts roamed by and street gangster-wannabes drove about teasing and disturbing girls, I have seen the worst of teasings and learnt the art of avoiding them.
I made some very good friends during this time. Some of which I am still connected to. I think when the rod comes out from the furnace, it is made stealthier and stronger than when it went it. This was my experience. I was trying to reason out the logic behind every event that took place then but to no avail. I suppose God above all else has his own plan in the work of it all. We are merely the players.
Perhaps mine wasn't the worst case of rag that can be. The worst is being locked in a room with 3-4 seniors in my faculty and all my other friends were told to go back. Probably locked was not the right term, I didn't attempt to run out or try opening the door. I just sat in the room, bravely looking them all in the eyes, watching them do their work, some were merely playing games, asking questions etc.
When they were done asking me questions and trying to get to know me, I was allowed to go back. In fact i asked to be excused due to an exam i had the next day. One senior even offered to send me back when he was on the way. That's it. In fact, the next days and week, we were back to normal. No teasing or disturbs. In fact, they appreciated the fact that we looked them up whenever we needed some help. Occasionally when we bump into them we exchange the usual hellos, how are you. Apart from that, campus life was back to normal. Majority of the events were forgotten.
The ones we clearly remembered were those in which we were actively involved or played a role. One particular friend was always the bait to knock at the senior door whenever we were there to ask them anything at all. She was the most outspoken one among us who didn't mind the attention and speaking up. I on the other hand, couldn't really be that bothered about any one of them. We all had our own strength and weaknesses.
But if there is any one thing I can go back and change, it will definitely be to take up my studies more seriously as I wanted to do initially.. Some things might have changed, as I am at present at a junction where I am knocking myself hard for not paying much attention to score the 3pointer. Anyway as I've mentioned earlier, God has better plans for me. I thank you Lord for the wonderful gift of life and eventz in it.
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