6th CLA Youth Scavenger Hunt 2008

If I could tell you what happened at the recently concluded Scavenger Hunt, I could sum it all up in two words - interesting & tiring! Interesting for the participants & tiring for the organisers! First and foremost, all credit goes to God for giving us a blistering sun, good weather and a touch of cool breeze. Many thanks too to Errol, Steven, Jessica, Soon Ling, Bee Ling, Chai Yen. Wilson, Rebekah, Siok Chin, Bryan Lee, Michael , Jonathan ,Marriane and many others who had turned up to help in the running of this hunt. The journey starts from CLA Church with challenges like segregating the colour Hersheys chocolates candy, eating them up and shooting down the ping pong balls with the use of water gun. The best part was for the youths to use the public transport to get to their destination after receiving a route marker. I could have sworn that when they came down from the public bus they took this morning, the bus became empty, man! Then it's all about getting answers to the qeustionaires in Melaka Mall. Then it's off to the Historical sites in Melaka and this is where it gets even more physical but no less exciting. They have to locate the places in the printed clues and get some photography snap shots of the places with at least two members of the team in the photograph. Fun, hilarious, mystery, tenancius teamwork, etc.etc was the order of the day. Thank God for clear heads and very calm & compose youth teams. Whew! No one got stabbed , kicked, tied up or even thrown down the steps of St.Paul's hill or even get thrown out form the earlier visits to the supermarket. Yunno, the youths are so creative! Who in the right frame of mind would purchase 3 fishball, a pack of 90sen beef cuts or even bought RM 1.00 worth of vegetables in the surpermarket challenge! I tell you , they have learn to economise and get the best out of RM 5.00 purchases! The best I have seen - 7 items for RM 5.00! Yup! Who says it can 't be done? These youth have proven that you can buy 7 items with RM 5.00 without having to repeat buying the same item! " Kau lat",right? well, they are youths -that's their specialities! Then, it is Nasi Ayam Malaysia feast at Melaka Sentral where they asembled a jigsaw puzzle to advance to the next clue! I made sure every youth finish their meal ~ soup vegetables, rice and chicken before they proceed to the next activity!

At the end of the day, the best team wins and it was the "Mafia" team led by Stefanie Sim and really fit looking team! Their prizes - Allianz backpack & 1G Kingston pendrive! Yes, the prizes were truly awesome. Thank you donors and sponsors for your contribution! By the way, the youths were happy with their prizes because at the end of the day, EVERYONE had a prize. All nine teams were awarded with prizes though they may range in items. Once again, it is not so much on the winning, it is the great participation, fellowship and the special spirit of teamwork that really matters. Sore losers? Nay, there were NONE today. Everyone is a winner! I have learnt one thing over this activity - it is a joy for me to see their beaming faces when they receive their prizes - no matter what they were! There was just pure joy on their faces. That gives me a lot of satisfaction and a special warmth in my heart. I have fought a good fight with a great team and I am blessed to see the smile on the youth faces. That's all that matters to me! Nothing beats that! Absolutely nothing!

Jus Dam....

I was on my way for work in Gemas when I passed by the vicinity area of Jus Dam in Jasin. I just couldn't help noticing the beautiful clear water, the peace & tranquil of the water in the early morning. What a sight indeed! Then I thought of the joke Vive told me when we were driving through Durian Tunggal dam the last time. I was imagining myself running a retreat/resort at this beautiful place. My introduction would probably be :

" Welcome to the Dam Resort! It is so nice to see each and everyone of you. As the host of the Dam Resort, I welcome you all with our Dam hospitality. As you will be the Dam guest for the next few days, you will be called the Damnites! It's a name we give for our Dam guests! Please feel free to use our Dam facilities and should you have any enquiries , be sure to ask our Dam staff who would be more than willing to answer your Dam questions. Should the Dam staff are unable to accommodate your Dam requests, you are most welcome to contact the Dam Head of Staff - Mr. Dam Lee Sort. he should be able to handle all your Dam need. Don't forget to try out our Dam spa, Dam Sui kau food, special Dam dumboard games and Dam watersport facilities! Now, if you will follow the Dam porters, they will bring you to your Dam place. Once again, have a great Dam day ahead!"

Now, isn't this just Dam great ?

Miracles...

When Fatih Terim, the Turkish football team coach says that he doesn't believe in miracles, I just couldn't understand him. All fabrics of religion believes in miracles and here is a man who doesn't believe in miracles! What a shocker, indeed!

Living and breathing every day in our lives is itself a miracle, don't you agree? To open our eyes and to wake up each and every morning is itself a miracle. So, is having a miracle significant? Of course! It is the very fabric of God's deity, His love and His Grace. God gives us miracles in our lives! No one gives miracles like He does!

To me, I am so thankful that I have many miracles in my life from God - my wife ( remember how He got you to meet that guy/girl ) , my children ( imagine a single spermatoza out of the millions that swam towards the egg managed to get in and the miracle begins! ) my job ( the one you work on to put food on the table! ), my home (how you manage to get the downpayment for the house ) and many others. How could we not be thankful for the miracles in our lives or how could we not believe in miracles? It is like mocking God that He is no good to you and that's wrongful thinking!

By the way, Turkey lost to Germany, ok? The irony, Germany scored in the very last minute. So, does miracles work? YES! For Germany!

Klebang 8 - Sweet...

On Sunday, 22/6/2008 visited the Singaporeans, Yam & Ting in their hideout in Klebang 8. Sweet, breezy and cool place,man! The wind was blowing nicely and it was cool all the way. The view from the top was breathtaking and really nice. However, the sea view was tarnished greatly with the on-going reclamation works! It is really rubbish when nice places are being turned into project sites! Sigh! So much for the BN gomen!

As usual, had a great time out there especially the children getting to swim in the pool and enjoying themselves for the day. Wish I have many more days like this! Yeah! In our fast track world today, rest & good sleep are such luxury items nowadays!

It's always work..work..work...and fast...fast...fast... Anyway, just love the family getting together. Wish I could eat , sleep and rest at this place for days! Whimsical and wishful thinking, right? Well, who knows, I might win a condo in a competition someday, hopefully!

BBQ Special....

Jenak fish, chicken wings, "tau kee", fishball, stingray, bee hoon , drinks, jelly and good company of the day during Saturday night BBQ made this BBQ session a special one indeed. It was special because Soon Ling's family and our close friends ( the usual - Dinesh, Abby, Errol, Jessica, Steven , Wan Sin, Siew Bee and L.Chin ) were around to make the BBQ a real fun time, sharing of thoughts, fellowship & "feilo ship" and great laughter. The day was made even sweeter with the presence of King Ryan! As usual, smiling ear to ear but screams his lungs out when he couldn't sleep. When he actually slept for a while, there was just this sweet poignant time of peace!

But I love this kid! Call it whatever you want but he really is a sweet kid! Love his smiles, his laughter and his baby ways!

Nothing beats having family members around like Wei & Ming Jade, mother-in-law, Kenneth and Ting & Yam plus Wei Li. Really happy to able to get everyone around for some great family time and foster better relationship with one another.

Then there are great friends who just makes it a perfect day by their presence. Hanging around with the friends are just about the best things in life. Sure, cooking by the BBQ pit is hot and greasy,but having great friends & family to share this experience is irreplaceable. Just wish another great couple - Vive & Sathy, could have joined us! It would have been great!

Well, I must say, it was hot, greasy and sticky but I am really glad it turned out well. Even the 40 minutes effort in making the makeshift BBQ stand was worth the time!

I may not be a genius at carpentry but at least the BBQ stand did not catch fire nor burn down. That, itself is a miracle!

Ryan B....the cute boy

This is Ryan B [ short for "baby", actually. Unlike some big buffaloes out there who still wants to be called Baby! Sigh! Grow up, man! ] He is the little precious jewel of my brother-in-law, Wei & Ming Jade, two beautiful people. When Ryan was younger, I used to put him in my arms and he would sleep soundly. Some say it's the "dunlopillo" effect I have in my arms. Our family used to go down to Seremban quite frequently when he was newborn. Soon, it gets tougher for us to travel down due to work constraints, activities and other obligations. Kinda miss him, actually ( sniff ! sniff! )

Ryan is intelligent and cute but he can really scream when he is in a bad mood. But I like him a lot. So.......huggable and .......innocent! Yup, he's got laughs and has got that smile to die for! He can really chuckled aloud when you get him to laugh. It's fun being with him. At least, it makes me feel a few years younger though. A riot for his parents but kinda fun being with him. At this stage of his life, all toys and all possession of his get his royal trademark of approval - his saliva!

I guess, being children is still the best! You don't care a two hoots on what's happening in the country and your meals are always on time! You cry and someone changes your diapers and even wipes your butt all in one beautification package! You scream when you are sleepy and someone will rock your sarong so that you will sleep soundly! Wow! That's life we all want , right? Gosh! When you scream like this in the adult world, you'll probably be sent to Tg. Rambutan!

They say that a child is a gift from heaven. I totally agree to this.

Anyway, Long live King Ryan!

Masage Pen....Hmmnnn..An interesting thought

A good Samaritan gave me massage pens a few days ago and I was amazed by it. The top half is powered by a small size battery while the botom side is a writing pen with a twist! The explanation was simply "to kill two birds with one stone" thingy! One to soothe the stress away by the vibrating top while to finish your work with the other end. Did it work? Sure! It really works! It ain't the actual thing but it's the best thing poor guys like me could try out.

It is nicely placed in a silver box with instruction papers & battery included. God ! What will they think of next! I thank people like the good Samaritan for taking the trouble to pass me something like this unlike some organisations who only hoard items rather than giving them out or worst still, sells them! Isn't it in the word of the Lord that says " Freely you have received, freely give." ?

Be rest assured that these items together a host of items received and blessed by so many good Samaritans will be put in good use in the coming event. As for the massage pen, bbbzzzzzzzzzzz................it's bzzzzzz.................... a .......bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............classic !

Three cheers for good hearted people!

Fantastic Songs for Occassions

I was resting at home when I was suddenly hit with this inspiration - songs for all occassions [ the funny side! ] Can you imagine this happening? Well, here goes:

Touch My Body / Home - At a funeral service
Bye Bye - At birthday party of auntie/uncle who heckled you ceaselessly on why you are
still a bachelor or why are you still childless.
Dilema - At economy rice stall
Hope/ When You Believe - When you are diagnosed with cancer and you have 3 months to live
Why Do Fools Fall in Love/Bleeding Love - When you and your partner [ original ones only, ok? ] break-up
From A Distance - When you admire a piece of blueberry cake at a cafe and you are on a strict diet.
The Time of Your Life - After a session of you know what ! Yippeeeeeeeeee! [ Don't you dare get dirty, ok? You sicko! This is a "clean" blog, ok? ]
Ting Mama De Hua - When your mom scold you for not marrying early.
Let's Get Loud - When you are having a quarrel with your spouse!
Everything - When your spouse cleans up all your money and property after a messy divorce
1973 - The very last time you ever shave your armpits!

See, I told you so! I have so many things crammed up in this cute brain of mine and they are beginning to expand! Hey, have a great day ahead! A good laugh is a good cheer to the soul!

Daughter's Choir

I was so mad with myself for missing out on my daughter's participation in the Inter-school competition. [ Hey, family is important, ok? ] I was so wrapped up in trying to finish my work in the office that I totally forgot about her participation. I guess, I was very dissappointed with myself. You bet, she worked real hard and I am so proud of her! It's not that her voice is good but hey, she can really sing, man! Well, don't look at me if you are think if she got the great attributes from me! Definitely not from me! It is from God, ok?

Anyway, I am so proud to announce that her school team got 2nd place! That's a great achievement. Heck! Everyone wants to win , right? But coming in second is itself a good achievement. So very proud of her! Probably gonna get her something for her to celebrate when my financial situation improves over the next few days. [ Yeah! Waiting for my reimbursement to come in! ] To the choir teacher who takes the trouble to help this children to achieve what they did today, I salute you and God bless your heart for taking the initiative to discover great talents ! Who knows, today- choir competition , tomorrow - Malaysian Idol, perhaps?

CHUCK & Friends!

I was watching "Chuck" [ AXN 701 - 9.00pm ] on Monday night and I felt very much like Chuck Batowski, the nerdy computer store support, who suddenly had so much info in his head. The only difference is that he had important Govt. info in his head while I have more stress and crap in the head! Also, he is always surrounded by hot butt kicking babes while I have to content with vultures and hawks wo wants a piece of me most of the times! Hey! We do share something in common though. We have great family and great friends. For me, to all the friends ( Vive, Sathy, Errol, Steven, Jason , Jessica, Shirley, Julian, Robert, Dinesh, Abby,the list goes on.........) who have been instrumental in making this person in me a better person, A BIG THANK YOU!

Speaking of friends, since putting up the blogspot of mine, I've received calls and endless e-mails on congratulating me for doing this! One call in particular was " Woi, cham-liao [ direct Hokkien translation - " problem already!" ] Fu-yoh! Now you can blog and release all, man! This is bad! " Sigh! What great encouragement!" Then , there is one , " KNN... [ You don't want to translate this in Hokkien because it is not that nice! ], we all sure "die one" since you can blog now!"

Anyway, it is not that I am ruling the world. (sigh!) Heck! I am just writing my blog,man. Give me some credit for even learning to write a blog! I must say, I am quite illiterate on all this but I've learnt,man! Anyway, thanks for all the encouragement and support! I will write my blog as I see the things in my perspective. They may be narrow, they may be hard and they may be humourous. Like it or not, it is here to stay,man.

To all my fans and friends out there, EAT YOUR HEART OUT !

Happy belated Father's Day!

Hey everyone,

Welcome to my blogspot! I just wanted to share my thoughts of what I have in this congested brain of mine and I really hope it would be an encouragement. Whatever you read will be sweet, poignant, straight-talking and hard hitting as well. All in all, take it all in with " a pinch of salt"- you'll get what I mean!So, here's to great times ahead.

Yesterday was Father's Day. Hey, Happy belated "Father's Day" to all the great fathers out there! You deserve the great day as you toil each day to protect, love and put food onthe table for your family. For those of you who have not been doing this, shape up and get some work!

My family gave me a beautiful fridge magnet which read " The greatest gift I ever had came from HEAVEN.... I call him my Dad!" Thanks.........it gave me a teary eye, actually. I really appreciate that a lot. It is not about the size nor the pricing of the gift.....it's the meaningful words and the size of the heart that matters! Don't you forget that, ok?

Great day! Great family!