Dodgy Grass Cutting Works!

This morning I was on my way to work and stopping at the Bkt Beruang-Jusco-Bkt Baru T-junction traffic lights when I noted that some small stones/peblles were hitting the side of my car and the windscreen. You bet, I was agitated as I could hear the sounds of the stones/pebbles hitting the windscreen. Luckily, I had slowed down as I was reaching the traffic lights. I couldn't imagine what would have happened had the motorists especially those with cars were travelling at their normal speed and stones/pebbles hitting at their windscreen. I believe, this would have caused chipped damages to the windscreen or even causing unneccessary dent to the body craft of the cars. The scarier part is that the windscreen might just shatter and big bucks would have to be spent on replacement!
The part that really irked me was the fact that there was this young man on the left hand side of the street cutting the so-called grass on the road verge. Yunno what? He was cutting a non-grass patch and to me, this is plain rubbish. His clothings are distintively of the local municipality council contractor and his face is bundled up for the fear of people might recognised him. [ Sigh! I guess why? Probably when the stones/pebbles actually break someone's windscreen, he won't be able to be identififed! ] Hey, I am not against people earning a living but please, do it with integrity and with full trustworthiness. After all, we are all tax payers and when money is spent on cutting grass on a no grass patch, that's plain rubbish and downright corrupt practise.

Everyone who travels along this road can see this very clearly and in plain sight. There is nothing malicious of what I am saying. Afterall, a picture paints a thousand words, right? Look at the picture and tell me that there are grass on the road verge. If I am not mistaken, my late Geography teacher, Science teacher and Art teacher used to tell us that grass is green in colour! Seriously, either our education system is seriously flawed or grass is now grown in brown colour! You tell me-lar........

Flashback - MJ

Yesterday when I came to know from sms and the Internet that one of the all-time greatest icon in pop music, Michael Jackson passed away, I was a litle bit shocked and taken aback. Sure, I know that Michael Jackson was 50 years old but I couldn't imagine that he would pass away so suddenly. In Hollywood terms, he died early, actually. I must say though that I am not into the Hollywood stuff but I've seen some great musicians, singers and composers lived through longer that the 50 year old zone. Anyway, God knows better, right? When the time comes, when your number is up, you have to say "goodbye" and move upwards then. I guess, I was kinda sad knowing that Michael Jackson, the musician, artist and performer would not be around anymore. Only his record sales and mere memories will live on. Just like any other superstar or megastar, he may be eccentric, weird , problematic and whatsoever his life may be labelled, the bottom line is that he is really a good performing artist. I am not going to dissect the morality or life preferences or even his personal being because to me , that's private and we should respect that. I am interested only in his music.
Yesterday evening, as SLing and I watched some of MJ performances over songs like " Heal The World", " USA for Africa", " Black or White", " Beat It", " Thriller", "Ben" and the list goes on, you can't help and marvel at this artist. He really is a great performing artist, musician and a pop icon.

Yeah! I got a taste of MJ music at quite a young age, actually. Didn't quite like Jackson 5 songs particularly but like only the songs individually sung by MJ. As my uncles and aunties were music lovers, I kinda get a taste of English songs then. Boy, that was way back in the 6o's, 70's, 80' but right through to the 90's and present time, I am still a fan of MJ. By todays' standard, the music at my time would be categorised as oldies and softies. Never mind, at least, those music were an ease to the ears unlike the present day music which is good too but simply too loud or incoherent at times. Well, like I used to say to my children, "one man's food is another man's poison". So, it's actually down to your preference and your individual taste. To me, I like all kinds of music including classical music and opera music. So, I am not that particular about music. Currently, I kinda like Rain [ Korean artist ] music and a few others. Just enjoying music as it is!
Coming back to MJ, I guess, he has his own eccentric ways and own lifestyle and what not but at the end of the day, he produces really great music. His songs and music appeal and really a treat to both the young and the old. I still marvelled at his moonwalk dance steps and also the dance steps in "Moonwalker" video. Wow, really breathtaking to see an artist like that doing stuff that no artist can come close to in performances. It was really a solid performance.

I guess, as years go by, his songs are focused on mother nature , children and humanity. These are good stuff, I tell you. I guess, I must say that MJ is really a gem, talented and gifted pop artist. Yeah! You'll probably say that we all heap praises only when the artist dies and so on but the sad truth is that MJ will always be remembered as a really superb & gifted artist.

To be honest, I haven't seen anyone doing the moonwalk or the body slant better than MJ. This is indeed something to marvel at especially his talent. The incorporation of such suave dance moves and artistry gives MJ a standing that is incomparable. This is the one and only Michael Jackson, man!

I still remember dancing to his upbeat songs during the younger days - still do it, though! Nowadays, it is more to sweat it out a bit! A little older, a dash [ sorry, dollop! ] of white hair here and there but still enjoying the music. I guess, in a way, MJ has touched lives out there somehow. Thank you for the music, Michael Jackson!~

Father's Day Treat...

Last Sunday, I had a pleasant surprise as I got back from RR meeting. It was not only an exhaustive day but truly, I am dead beat from church service morning right till to the evening. As I plodded on the floor near the sofa set, I put my head on the coffee table and SLing came over and asked if I would be game to have a teppanyaki meal. My eyes lighted up but my head and and body were still at the coffee table and on the floor!
As usual, chirpy SYuen came over and said, " Dad, it would really be good for all of us to have a teppanyaki meal at Sibaraku!". Seeing her excitement and the loving gaze of my wife, SLing, I slowly plucked myself up. I know deep in my heart, I really have a wonderful wife who has been a constant companion and a great encourager. I know too that having a meal together with the family is truly a beautiful thing. Maybe I was too conscious of the costs involved but hey, it's the family fare, man. I shouldn't be missing these times , right? Afterall, they ( the children ) will grow up faster than we can ever imagine and so, I decided to go for it and have a blast of a time. SLing said something about asking JWee about the place and so on. I got myself ready and SYuen told me that she is going to pay the meal for me and asked me not to worry about the costs. I am really so blessed to have a good hearted daughter, SYuen. She has been a constant joy in my heart for her golden heart and good ways. I am really blessed. Then, JWee and SLing came in and told me that the children and SLing will take care of the meal today. I know that SLing was all out to give me a good treat. I have been amazed with SLing the very day I met her and I understand why I love this woman so much. Yeah, she can be difficult at times - no doubt about it but she is really a woman with a family heart. I guess, that makes her a very special person. BTW, most of the time, she is the one who would treat me meals. So this time, it was off to Sibaraku for teppanyaki buffet. We had a little confusion when we arrived there as we did not have reservations and it was crowded. Anyway, we listed ourselves for dinner in an appointment book and noted down 8.15pm for our dinner. We had some time to "ronda" before we get in for dinner. So, off we went to the various shopping outlets in Mahkota Parade. By the time we went in for the meal, the chef started us out with some chicken dishes and it went to oyster omelet, lamb, beef preparations and some vegetables dishes. SLing and I had rib eye steak with black pepper sauce. The portions [ rib eye steaks ] were small but it tasted heavenly for me. It was during the fish preparation that SLing told me that it was her first time having a teppanyaki meal. I smiled at her and told her that one day, I would bring her to sample some of the finest meals. She smiled because she knew I always keep to my words. That's what make old couples like us special. I have learnt over the years that sharing simple meals together and having good quality time together helps you get close to your spouse and children , most indefinitely.

As I lay down to sleep that night, SLing whispered, " Happy Father's Day, dear!" and soon she drifted to sleep. Me? I am the most blessed person to have a really good partner in life and a pair of beautiful children in SYuen and JWee. Thank you, Lord for blessing and colouring up my life with these special people in my life!~

To all fathers out who have been a great influence & inspiration to their respective families, I salute you and I wish you " Happy Fathers' Day "!~

Termites in the wood...

Of late, I've been thinking a lot in regards to the condition of our hearts towards God. When it comes to matters regarding this, I am serious and I want to put my life right before God. I don't claim to be the super spiritual person or even a "holier than art" kinda person. In fact, I am greatly humbled by His love every day as I wake up and have air pumped into my lungs to breathe. I'm glad to be alive and I am most certainly thankful for His mercy and grace each step of my days.
As I was sitting in my living room just now, I remembered the recent conversation between two of my colleagues in regards to termites infestations. One of my colleagues remarked that she didn't realise the devastation that was caused by the termites as she hardly noticed anything wrong with her wooden cabinet until she saw a brownish trail on the wall. The other colleague then told her that the outer skin of the wooden furniture would look nice from the outside but the inside is another matter. Termites create such artistry dunes and sculpture in the wood which would make the outside looking like a failed project.

Just as little termites eat out the core of a wooden post, weakening it and causing it to collapse, so too little sins in our lives have the same effect if they are not dealt with. Outwardly, we may appear to other people to be good strong Christian. But what are we really like on the inside! What is our true condition?

When God calls His people to turn from their wicked ways, we think, " What! This cannot apply to me ! There is nothing wicked in me!" We may think these words are too strong But we fail to see that every small departure from God's way of holiness is sin! And sin, no matter how small and unimportant it may seem to be, is "wicked" because like tiny termites, it's spoils God's highest and best purpose for us. Little sins can eat out our spiritual strength and vitality without us realising it. These sins must be identified so that we can repent on them and find forgiveness, release and revival.

Are you prepared to pay the price for this? That's where real revival comes starting with you!

Fishing Fellowship.....

The last time I went fishing was quite some time back. I also remembered that the last time I went fishing at the exact spot a few years ago, I was practically "conned" /vacuumed into the leadership role of RR Melaka # 1. Anyway, I had a good time that night and I still remembered it clearly. So, to get another invitation for fishing and fellowship, I daren't pass up the chance. It wasn't so much for the fishing but it's the fellowship that I was more interested. After receiving the call from my good friend Dinesh, I geared up for the fishing and time of fellowship. Yes, I love the sea and I really had a lot of good times at the sea. There were times in my life that I wish I was a fisherman, really!
Look at it this way - I practically fed/supported myself with the produce from the sea during my teaching days in Sabah and I really had good times going out to the sea and put up my miles long of nets [ 1/2", 3/4" and 1" nets] to catch a variety of fish and crabs. I learnt so much from friends like Cikgu Malijin, Rosli [ still one of my best friend ] , Suhaimi and another local teacher. Most of the time, I went to the sea with Malijin and Rosli. Between us, we caught basin full of crabs, belanak fish [ mullets - big & small ] , grouper and other varieties. So, yeah, I miss the sea a lot. Nowadays, it is even harder to do fishing because of time constraint and the " bising" from the nagging wife!

So, like an eager schoolkid, I got my children, JWee and SYuen to join in theh fun too while SLing was out with her friends attending a high tea function. When we got to our destination near Melaka Club at Tanjong Kling, I set up my fishing gears together with JWee. Dinesh, Abby and the children, Dave and Caleb were excited about the fishing and the fun they could have on the beach. It was high tide and the waves started to come in and I thought, " The fish would be coming too!". After a couple of bites, most of our lines were snagged at the rocks and they could be frustrating trying to retrieve the hooks and sinkers. I think, I lost about half a dozen of sinkers and two-way lines plus hooks due to the rocks. Bah! That's fishing! You win some, you lose some. Anyway, soon after, we were joined by Nelson and his family. It was fun to have Nelson, Sarah and Lydia around for a time of fellowship and fun. Soon, Steven Cheong, Angela, Clement and Claudia plus their family members making this such a fun time of talking, fellowshipping, sharing of thoughts and fishing time.

We shared a lot of good food and had a lot of laughter together. It was fun seeing the children and adults having a good time at the beach. It was more of a relaxing time for each of the family that day. You could see all the tension being wiped off and smiles were all around. Yes, that's relaxing and that's fun.

As for the fishing, I caught a medium size sembilang fish while Dinesh caught a small gelama fish. We both had a great time together. It's not about the size of the fish ~ it's the size and magnitude of fun and fellowship that matters!~

A Time of Pizzas - The RR Way...

Last Sunday, during the RR meeting, I was given the honour to teach new stuff to the children and I stuck to my my forte, quick and simple meals cooking. Prior to this, the commanders and I had a dicussion that for every third week of the month meeting, the children will get to sample specilities from the commanders. No-lar, not food all the time or else the parents will complain that the children are growing up side way. I started out with cooking while probably , the follwoing special will be conducted by Comdr Steven next. I know that he has something outdoor and good in store for the children. Just wait and see then!
OK! As usual, I made my preparations of the ingredients and also prepared the pizza dough early. Yeah! It wasn't easy to do it this time as work just gets much tougher each day but I trust my Father in Heaven and so I managed to get all the things ready throughout the week during lunch hour. It is just so amazing that everything just come all at one go and it makes me really-really dizzy at times. I thank God that I keep myself cool and it was really intense for me, actually!

Deep in my heart , I just want to impart as much knowledge I've gained as possible to the children. Afterall, what's the use for me to keep and make this skills exclusive and take it with me to the grave. Skills and expertise are meant to be shared and I really want to share what I have learnt to the children so that they too could somehow passed the skills on. Yes, I am always intrigued by food and so when I am given the opportunity to do so, I'll read up, do experiements weeks in advance and then served a sample of the fare before I passed it on to the children. I am blessed that I have supportive commanders to help me along the way. People like Bee Ling, Jessica, Errol, Jason and Steven made my job much lighter and fun. That day, I had the bigger boys Stephen, John, JWee and Daniel to work up the dough and it was fun seeing them having a hand at it. Yes, the hands were cleaned and washed up before doing the kneading of the dough. The boys soon had a hang of it and the dough shaped magnificiently. Then it's time to roll out some great tasting pizza. Pineapple cuts, tomato sauce, herbs, spices, mushrooms and meat were spread on the dough and it was shaft into the toaster! Viola! 7 minutes later, the end result is one mighty nice tasting pizza in the mouth. After that, I just sit back, sliced up the pizzas and had fun watching the children do it. Then it was tie for the younger children to have a hand in it after they were "punished" by Comdr. Steven by not knowing the basis RoyalRangers coloured points.
Hey, we even managed to feed the small BM congregation with our specially made pizzas. There were about 8 of them at that time, I think. They looked happy after wolfing down the pizzas and we started to clear up. As the day came to a close and as the children systematically left for their home, I couldn't help feeling happy that I've done my best. Like I said many times, the joy and laughters of the children are my rewards itself. No one could take that away from me. Once again, I thank God that I've been enabled by the Lord to do something that is within my ability - To be blessed and to be a blessing to others! Thank you, Lord!~

Cheers!

The other day, some colleagues and I made the effort to celebrate the birthday of one of our colleague. It was a rather spontaneous one but I believe that it was a memorable one for our colleague. In many times in our lives, we sorta "forget" our colleague's birthday in the midst of our "mad-mad rush-rush" world we live in. Sometimes, we forget that we are human beings too in our robotic lifestyle of today. I guess, celebrating colleagues birthdays is a thing in the past now. I have heard from fellow friends who have worked in other places that such celebrations are now considered too personal. Come on, people! We've become so distant from one another that we are no different from living zombies and workaholics!

Earlier that morning, a colleague, LTK who was on leave, called me that he would like to be a part of celebrating our friend's birthday. I gladly told him that plans are underway as we spoke. In a certain way, I am thankful to really good and co-operative colleagues. Immediately after the call, I contacted YVon and asked her to arrange for birthday celebration of our colleague. By this time, YVon and TSP were already planning for a feast. That was really quick and efficient.

I then went to hunt for the cake and I managed to get a fresh one at St.Merry's Cake House - Coffee Cake. It wasn't so much for the money spent on the cake or the food celebration. It was more to show to my colleague that he is cared for and he is equally important to us as a friend and a colleague. That's the spirit of unity. I was glad to see him being happy while he was emotionally choked up by all the celebration.

Well, the world has always been a difficult/hard place to live, why not hand out an olive branch for peace , love and hope. With a little compassion, a little caring and a little kindness, we can change to make the world a much better place to live in.~

Mom's "Bak Chang"...

When I got back from work yesterday evening, SLing said something about my mom doing a special treat for her grandchildren namely JWee and SYuen. Tired, as usual, I was partially deaf nor awake but I remembered that I did hear something from SLing. The rest was just a blur though. Shrugging it off, I went up to have my bath and freshening up. It was good to unwind and relax after a long day. Yesterday, I had travelled to Bahau and it was tiring because of the twist and turns into the place I was supposed to go but the scenery was kinda nice. Oh!Yes, plenty of durians , rambutans and mangosteen for sale along the roads. Well, "lomang" a.k.a. lemang were also sold along the road to Bahau. The colors and sounds were pretty exciting. As usual, I could really feel the strain from travelling from one place to another but it's all okay with me. It's just work, though. No complains here! I don't know, it's so different when you are driving during the holidays time and when you are at work!
When I arrived in Bahau, I immediately searched out my intended case workplace. Then , I headed out to have a quick chow down at a nearby place. Upon arriving, I was asked by the proprietor[ stroke victim ] if I wanted to have some food. I answered positively and then he told me that he couldn't help me on the scooping of rice and dishes while I have to do it myself. I replied that I was alright and would get it myself. I spoke to him that he should be resting and seek recovery instead of attending to the food business. He instaneously replied that " wa gian lui, mah" - [ Hokkien translation : I just love money! ] and laughed. His wife, a big burly woman came out and said the same thing but added that the economy is bad that they couldn't afford to rest as the scenario is very much tougher nowadays. I just shook my head and ate my rice quietly. Then as I did my work, again when I asked the proprietor on her working days, she replied Mondays to Sundays. As usual and out of spontaneous stupidity, I blurted the question," You are wokring on Sundays too?" You've guessed the answer! "Wa Gian Lui-mah!", she replied and laughed. Then , she needlessly went on to explain the need to feed the family and the children and the saga continues. I see the mother's heart here but I guess, everyone has got their reasons for doing so , right?

Coming back to my mom's surprise, well, due to her love for the grandchildren , she made 7 pieces of special "bak chang" for them. The triangular based is about 4" and height is about the same too. Really, really big "bak chang"-lar. I was secretly informed that the children told my mom that the regular "bak chang" she gave was too small and 3bites - they are gone. So, they managed to "kechek" [ Nyonya/BM for " sweet talk " ] my mom to do bigger ones for them. I am sure SLing had a part to play too though she pleaded innocence! I know that out of the grand goodwill and abundance of love in her heart, my mom would do it for the children. I am really thankful to mom for loving the children so strong. Yeah , new jargon to use - I love you so strong! [ Thanks, Stefanie! ]
The last time I checked i.e. this morning, the "bak chang" were still intact at 7 pieces. I know, it'll be down to four come dinner time! BTW, I am without my spectacles today while at work. [ I left it on the table this morning as I rushed to work! ] So, every word is a blur to me and I am quite miserable without it as I had to strained my eyes to see and to type words! Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhh! I am going for a coffee break!~

Pizza treat...

Last Wednesday, I had called up my cell group member, Dorin and asked her on certain ingredients for pizza making and while I was at Tesco, I quickly got the basic ingredients. Once I've got the basic ingredients, all was needed was the time to do it. I know that I've been buoyed by massive works since I got back from my break and that's why my pizza making days get pulled further behind. Eventually, I managed to get the pizza dough done before getting it refrigerated. Then I'll have to wait till I have the time to do it.
Well, I have promised my family that I am going to get the pizza done in the next couple of days and today seemed to be the best day though it had slipped my mind about Ministry Leaders' Meeting in church later in the evening. I had gone to work as usual today morning and after that, I attended an encouraging learning seminar in a church sanctuary in Bachang. By the time I got home, I 've gotta get ready for the meeting. No matter how busy I was , I am determined that I've gotta get the pizza done for my family. Fortunately, I had remembered to ask my wife to take out the pizza dough from the refrigerator so that I could get it done later after the meeting.

Immediately after the meeting, at about 11.05am, I started cutting up the ingredients such as pineapple,mushrooms, streaky bacon and chicken sausages. Then I got the dough ready on the small tray, laced it with olive oil and spaghetti sauce. Then, I stuffed the base with pineapples cuts, cut button mushrooms and finally, chicken sausages. Then its more spaghetti sauce , a generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning spices & herbs, a dash of pepper and finally, some olive oil. Then popped it into the faithful toaster. [ handy piece of electrical essential ! ] I set 8 minutes for it and 8 minutes later, mamma mia! The pizza is ready. BTW, it doesn't have it's stringy yellowish streaks when you lift it up coz' I did not have any mozzarella cheese around to splash on it! Probably, the next time I do it, I'll splurge the goodness of mozzarella cheese!

Later, I sought the family's food critics [ SLing, Syuen and JWee ] on the pizza and the feedback was that the pizza crust had no taste, [ Sigh! I did put in one teaspoon of salt into the dough mixture earlier ] so I have to add more salt to the pizza crust base. Other than that, there were no other complaints. Hey! It works! Thanks and credit to Dorin for all her help!

The second dough complete with toppings was already popped into the toaster after some modification. The hope is that the second one will taste better than the first one. It is always that way. I didn't wait around to ask SYuen and JWee about it as I was beat and ready for some sleep. After clearing and cleaning up, it was at about 12.00midnight. As I drifted to sleep, I am already thinking of my next food culinary adventure - French or Moroccan cuisine!

Bon Apetit, Mademoiselle/Monsieur!~

7th Indian Global Show...

While we were in Banting, we came to know that there is a great exhibition of Indian fair going on in Mid-Valley, KL. Not wanting to miss such an exhibition, we decided to have a look at what was all the abuzz was about. Upon arrival at the main exhibition hall, I was hit by the razzmatazz of Indian festivities. I must say that it was all done in great taste and style.
As I continued to walk around, I noticed that there was hardly any Chinese folks around but soon, I was really enjoying myself with the sights, colors, sounds and taste [ enjoying the sweet stuff and traditional Indian cakes & goodies ] in the exhibition hall. There were rows and rows of clothes stalls located on the left hand side - each bellowing their prices and the specilialities. I guess, the ladies - SLing, SYuen, Jessy & Sathy had a great time comparing, haggling and even check out the Punjabi suits and so on. Eventually, the each bought a Punjab suit and there were smiling faces that day!

As for the guys, we checked out the food fare-lar, of course. There were ladoo, sweet cakes and all the crispy good looking stuff. Boy! They really take the trouble to decorate their stalls. Me, I'm following Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Food show, favourite tag line, " If it looks good, eat it ! " Then, Syuen got an ancient hand-decorative artwork done. [ Menadin , if I am not mistaken!] It looks kinda cute but after having it on for some time, she decided to clean it. Then , it was back and forth to the shops selling clothes and so on.

I then ventured to the right side of the exhibition hall which houses rows of stalls selling silverwares, gold -plated jewellery items, silver jewellery items, artificial gem stones, decorative items, religious items and other stuff. One stall that stood out the most in my opinion was the oil painting stall. There were plenty of beautiful oil paintings around but they are not cheap. The best part was that the stall was manned by a Mat Salleh guy [ Couldn't guess his nationality !] By time I arrived at that stall, a customers was haggling with him over a piece of fruit painting. So, I took the opportunity to take pictures of the paintings and also, flipped through some of it. Good frame and good painting strokes! I actually loved the building scenery and the table of fruits painting. The are actually quite big oil paintings , so, fat hopes in obtaining them. Silently , in my heart, I really wish I could possesed painting skills like that so that I could hang my own painting works in my home! Really nice paintings!

Oh!Yes! I also get to sample some of the sweet cakes and goodies. If I am not mistaken, there are about 3-4 stalls selling this kind of goodies. I especially like the one who actually took the trouble to decorate the stall with all kinds of grains and colourful goodies in a squarish stand plastic tank. That is ingenious , actually. Also, I get to sample a lot of traditional Indian sweets, cakes and it made me culturally richer! You could taste the spices & herbs - sweet, slightly spicy, tangy or even milky taste. Yup, quite a challenge to our Chinese tastebud, actually but I love it coz' I've always like Indian food and so, I could actually differentiate the spices and so on.

As for the people in the exhibition, well, it's a good thing. At least , they have a variety of choices to chose from and the prices are quite alright. Three pieces of Punjabi suits for RM 100.00 is considered reasonable-lar , actually. [ Thanks to the bargaining power of Vive & Sathy! ].

Then , there is this stall that offers photography sessions and wedding planner kinda thing. This pretty looking Indian lass approached me cajouling me to have special photography sessions with my wife and children. I tell you, this is one of the most hilarious situations in my life. Anyway, I shuddered at the thought that due to my astounding handsomeness [ ahem! ahem! ] , the camera lenses may just crack and break during the photo shoot sessions! Ha................ha.................ha..................

It was a good day for the family at the exhibition. Just for info, it made our family closer to one another. I guess, a good outing with great friends helped a long way!~

Commuter Trains.....

Have you tried travelling on KTM Komuter before? If not, I would suggest you try other alternatives when travelling to Seremban or to Klang. Yeah! I had the first hand experience to board the KTM Komuter from Klang to Mid-Valley and I must say, it is a NO joy ride. OK, you may argue that that it is on a weekend and there would be a large crowd and so on. Your point is well-taken but what about adding more coaches if you know that there will be a big crowd during the weekends? Don't they - KTM Komuter people, know this? Come on, I paid a fare of RM 3.70 just to stand all the way from Klang to Sentral then to Mid-Valley amidst all the bodies around me. I really felt like a pole dancer standing in the commuter. To be honest too , I've never felt so "molested" all my life! Imagine when you have to shield your wife, daughter and even your girlfriend from the sardine-packed people from all walks of life and all sorts of nationalities! Their bodies were moving, swaying, get close and accidentally hitting/touching one another. It is not that they purposely do it but sometimes during the travels, the commuter goes fast and slow, to the left and to the right. I must admit , occasionally, I would bumped into somebody, touch here and there due to close proximity and even accidentally knocked someone's face and so on. Yes, I am very uncomfortable with this. It is a sweaty and tiring experience plus my armpits doesn't smell that good when sweaty-lar. BTW, there were just scores and scores of people from all nationalities boarding the KTM Komuter to Sentral/Mid-Valley that day.
The other thing is the general rudeness of the public when getting in/alighting from the commuter. True to the Malaysian spirit of "rush-rush", there are lines for people to queue up but when the commuter doors are opened, all hell break loose! I won't be surprised if someday, you'll see some limbs - arm, legs, fingers, ears, hair etc.etc, being thrown out during the rush hours. Man, Malaysians and other nationalities [ Indonesians, Pakistani,. Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Indians dll ] have got to learn some serious civic manners. One thing is clear though, even though there were so-call KTM officers manning the so-call lining up lines, the enforcement part was weak and clearly needed improvement. It's a far difference when you board a commuter train in Singapore. There's order and civic-mindedness in place. If you don't believe me, try going down to a commuter station and see if what I say is true or not. We look like a bunch of monkeys trying to tear our heads off when boarding and alighting from the commuter. Anyway, once you're inside the commuter, there is just this mixture of smell as the air-conditioning needs some serious fixing and repairing, man. I can safely tell you this - if there is any man/woman who "accidentally" let go or leak some of their natural gases in the commuter, you'll probably have a pandemonium of shrieks & fainting in the commuter. Also, if you have a guy who has bad gases for a last few days, get him off the commuter! It'll probably make H1N1 virus look like child's play, man!

I tell you this, if there is ever going to be any epidemic in our country, it would have been easily released through our commuter services. Yes, there has got to be some enforcement checking or even so civicness at our commuter station. Really, there has to be improvement in our public mode of transportation if we are ever going to move forward. No wonder cars and motor cycles are piling up on our roads simply because if our public mode of transportation is reliable, efficient and clean, there definitely will be less cars in our streets today.

My five sen inputs are just this :
One - Please ensure that the air-conditioning is working and in good order.
Two - Ensure that there is enough coaches during weekends or peak hours.
Three - Ensure that there is orderly lining up in boarding and alighting from the train.
Four - Ensure that old people, mothers with children or even pregnant women are given seats.
Five - Touch card system will be far more efficient than ticketing system.
That's so much for our commuter system. Will I board the KTM Komuter again in the future? Naaaaaaah!~ That's the truth.

Breakfast & Memories.....

Someone used to tell me that breakfast is the single most important meal of the day. It is the start of the day and you want to have a good breakfast before you move on for the day. The other day, my family had breakfast at Sathy's house in Banting. I remembered that I woke up quite early that morning and here was Sathy's mom, preparing breakfast for us and our friends, BA & Jessy. Gosh! I could imagine the early hours she must have woken up to prepare the meals. We had "ithali" and "putu mayam" that morning with chicken curry and some sweet stuff for the putu mayam. Yunno, it's has been a long time since I tasted some really good home-made stuff. I guess, I must say, I really enjoyed the breakfast. The other wonderful surprise was the half-boiled kampung chicken eggs. Always fresh and probably the best in town-lar! Just love the taste, though I am constantly reminded by Vive that Sathy's mom has lost about RM 6.00 worth of kampung eggs of income that day!!!!! Ha......ha......ha......
Yunno, simple kampung life is really something that I missed a lot. Fresh air, no need to be fussy and a whole lot of greenery before your eyes makes it a real relaxing place. The wonderful part of Sathy's home in Banting is that chickens and ducks roamed freely in their oil palm land. Not forgetting monitor lizards, snakes and birds too! Chatting up with Auntie Ellama [ Sathy's mom ] that day brought a lot of good childhood memories flooding my brains thus sending sentimental feelings to my heart. Yeah! I missed the kampung days whereby we would catch ikan betuk, ikan Sepat Siam, ikan keli, frogs and what not from the paddy fields, enjoying the morning breeze and the meeting of friends at the paddy fields. Yeah! Life was simpler then, right? Well, it just goes to show what quality of life we are having nowadays. I am not complaining of the progress and development ; merely missing the good ol' days. Lots of people tell me that we've got to change with the flow of time but my question is " what change? " and "what flow?" I don't think our children of today even know one bit about what our traditional games are. I don't think that our children even know what were our traditional food too. Don't even go to our traditional culture thing - that's even far away. Call me an old school idiot but these are things that are......US! If we continue to forget and erode on a daily basis these things, we'll probably raise up cyber children in the next few years. So much for "follow the flow, bro and change!"

In many ways, we do have to change accordingly and there will always be pros and cons on this matter. For me, I just want to saviour whatever simple life I can and get my children involved in it. At least, in that way, they too could one day tell their children that they too had saviour and sample some form of the old days lifestyle.

Allow me to give you an example of what we've been missing all these years. Of course, my favourite would be on food. Let's take the nyonya kuih for example. Wow! I really love my aunties kuih muih sessions especially my dad's eldest sister specials. In those days, we used to sample treats like pulut tekan, wajik, ondeh-ondeh, making kaya and the list goes on. But today, how many could actually say that they could concoct out such beautiful fares? I am not talking about the commercial nyonya kuih. We have plenty of that in the streets but I am talking about taking the trouble to pass on such culinary skills to our younger ones. Even simple fares like laksa, pong teh, Hainanese chicken rice, lor bak, assam fish head, beef rendang, chicken varival, Indian fish cutlet and so on - just to name a few. BTW, even simple fare lke sambal belacan is lowly coming into extinct. These are the food fares that I have enjoyed over my young days and I really want my children and the generation to come to sample this or else, the skills will just continue to be diluted, compromised and eventually disappear altogether.

Today, allow me to take you down memory lane. Try remembering a game you used to play, the food you used to eat and the kuih you enjoyed the most. Ask yourself this: Are they still as good as you used to have it or it is different now? Well, you could start by making a difference. Try sharing with your children the simpler things in life. Their reaction will probably shock you but it's a start. At least, you'll understand what I am tryingto get at!~

God's Message on wheels.......

It was indeed a great honour and privilege to meet with Bicycle Man, Pastor Chia who was in Good Samaritan Home, Klang recently. BTW, The Good Samaritan Home, Klang is managed by Pastor Albert Ong and staff. Another man of God with a heart of compassion for the abandoned, abused and uncared children. Thank God for people like Pst. Albert. I guess, God positioned special people in special places for them to be a blessing to the society rather than just breeding more complacent Man of Gods in our already overstuffed and puffed up egoistic society!

Anyway, never in my wildest dream that I would one day meet this man of God, Pastor Chia who had made numerous headlines over the years with his travelling passion of sharing the Good Word of the Lord. Over the years, Pastor Chia had raised funds for his orphanage home in Chiangrai, Thailand and also, brings the passion of the Word to the people. He does it in a non- threatening manner but through his travels stories and eventually speaking on the Word of the Lord with pure conviction. I guess, we could all learn a thing or two from this man when it comes to sharing the Word.
Together with Vive, Sathy, BA , Jessy and my family, we talked to this man of God in regards to his experiences and his travel logs. As he shared his experiences, you know for sure that this is truly a passionate and caring man. Eccentric and insane in our twisted minds but he does what most of us would not do in our life time – literally seeing the people inthe streets and our nations , praying for our nation, sampling simple food, catching his own food at times, sleeping at places you could never imagine and thanking the Lord for every kilometer completed. Truly a Penangite! Yeah, that’s the special thing about this island people They are really positive, dedicated and fun people – just like my good buddies, Vive, Sathy, BA and Jessy.
Like I said earlier, Pastor Chia runs an orphanage home for the abandoned,neglected, abused and even raped children in Chiangrai, Thailand. There are currently 58 children in the Home while 3 staff manned the Home. He further informed us that prostitution and sex trade are rampant in Chiangrai and the children had been exposed to such trade very early in their lives. Thank God for the works of Pastor Chia and his fellow workers, at least some of the children are saved from this kind of trade. However, he stressed that some children won’t come into the Home because they get better food and treatment while in the sex trade. Seriously, it is sad knowing this fact. It is also makes such crusade against them seemed helpless but God is a good God , right? Well, I don’t know. I guess, they must so poor that the only resort of getting out of poverty is through sex trade and while that’s wrong and sad but it is a sad and hardened fact. Have you ever notice that where corruption is abound, sex trade equally abound? Sad but true fact. Stomach that! It's a fact! More clean-ups are welcomed!
Anyway, where there are plans to visit Pastor Chia’s orphanage home in Chiangrai, I would be most happy to participate in it. In fact, Vive and BA would be looking into the plan to go to Chiangrai and I‘ve asked not to be excluded from it. We then had some photographs with the simple bicycle. I would call it a rickshaw, actually. Honestly, I could really see Pastor Chia struggling to cycle up the hilly areas but I was informed that he thanked God for every kilometre that he had surpassed as sweat dripped down his back. As he narrated stories and adventures along his travels, laughters and admiration for his determination permeates the space. I know that it isn't easy doing what he does but such sheer dedication and determination are what marvels me. BTW, Pastor Chia informed us that he took only the old roads to towns because it would be too much of an attraction on the highways. Furthermore, the views and scenery at the old roads seemed kosher food for the soul! Couldn't agree more with that.

After meeting Pastor Albert, Pastor Raymond, Pastor Chia, their spouses, guests and the home children , we decided to bid our farewell and headed out for dinner. Before leaving, we noted that there was a little boy in the arms of Pastor Albert's wife. My heart goes out to this child as we were told that his parents just abandoned the child when the child was born. How could any parent abandoned their child? This really defies humanly logic, man. That to me is an awfully inhumane and a barbaric act. I am so angry whenever I hear of such cases because no child, I repeat, no child, deserves such abandonment. For crying out loud, give the child up for adoption or even go for help. There are people out there who are willing to help. What good does it do to us to achieve so much development when abandoning a child in the street , dumpsite or even a shelter home is already a norm in our society today? Where is our heart today? Where do we draw the line in an unmeaningful relationship, extra marital affairs, one night stand or even sexual relationships - living in sin and bearing the sin of having unwanted pregnancy and eventually dumping them away or worst still, abusing them? That's the modern disease & plaque that is robbing our society today. The faster we realise this, the better it is. This is no laughing matter while statistics don't lie. We can hide and pretend under the cloak of our religions and overly self-righteousness on this matter while we think it won't happen to us or our families but the fact is that these are real happenings, folk! Statistics in children's homes today don't lie. Don't just take my word for it- check it out yourself. Be it a Malay, Chinese, Indian , Punjabi, Caucasian or whatever colour you want to be, these are hard facts to digest!~

Stay faithful. Live right!~

Concept Restaurant....

Have you ever thought of having a meal in a concept restaurant? If you are scratching your head over what concept restaurant is all about, join in the club of major blurness. At first, I didn’t get the idea of what concept restaurant is all about until the invitation of our good friends, BA & Jessy to chow down some food in a concept restaurant. Well, it turns out to be TBowl Restaurant in Queensbay Mall.
It is indeed a very interesting restaurant. Imagine walking into a restaurant whereby the seats are actually toilet bowls while the tables consisted of bathtub or even bathroom sinks. It’ll probably turn you off completely but yunno what, it is really a nice place to have your meal. Once you have passed the stigma, it should be okay. At first, all of us felt a little bit awkward as passerby and people peered into the restaurant and it kinda gives us the feeling that we’re in a fish tank. But BA’s jokes and light hearted snippets brought calmness back to our distracted lives, actually! Yeah, people just stare at you and laughed their heads off when they saw us in the restaurant. Anyway, we ordered fried spaghetti , fried seafood Udon, black pepper chicken rice special, seafood fried rice special, another rice meal and tom yam cheese rice. The food were presented in a tasteful manner that is in special toilet covers plates and in a decorative toilet bowl plate.[ This is for the tom yam cheese rice ! ] It was a real blast of laughter from all of us.
Really, when you look at the place, it sorta make you fell awkward but the idea is simply ingenious plus insane, I would add. It’s really a fun place. On the left side of the wall, you could see two sets of shower area complete with it’s fixtures and fittings adorning the wall. BTW, the tiles matched the ambience of a bathroom area, though! Ha……ha………It was really a hilarious sight but I realy hope that the people would try the food out. It is really tasty and I would definitely come back again whenever I am around in Queensbay Mall. [ I spend hours in Borders , pouring over the humongus collection of assorted books from all over the world. BTW, Borders should open in Melaka but books shouldn’t be pricey-lar! ]
I would say that sitting on a decorative toilet bowl as a chair is something that I would do and cherish definitely! [ Yeah ! I am that eccentric and corny at times! ] Amazingly, it is quite comfortable as the seat are wide. The only embarassing thing is when you rise up , you could heard the squeek of ceramic sounds and that sends rupture of laughs from my children, JWee and SYuen. It’s like you have just completed your “big job” thingy!
Then BA suggested that we get “chocolate banana split” for desserts and this again sends roaring laughter from all of us.[ Sathy, Jessy, SLing, JWee , SYuen and myself ] What a sight! Anyway, we got ourselves “honey dew surprise “ and “ banana split” as dessets. Those desserts came in on a decorative bathtub bowl and that’s fascinating! Now, can you imagine having “chocolate banana split” in a bathtub bowl? Now, that would really stuff your delicacy palate for a while, right? Well, at this restaurant, it’s a mixture of fun, ambience, good money worth food and a whole new experience in dining, actually.
So, the next time you’re in Queensbay Mall and looking for a meal, why not try out TBowl Restaurant. You can’t miss it. It is just situated next to the Cineplex area.
BTW, have a good time at the johns!

The Breeze....

One fine morning ,when I woke up early, I was sitting at Vive & Sathy's apartment balcony, I felt peaceful and calm. I couldn't believe it that I was at the balcony and enjoying a cool early morning breeze. Earlier that evening, I was driving 6 hours straight to arrive at where I am. I may sound pathetic and incomprehensible to you but I was really glad I made this trip with the family because I really needed the rest. [ BTW, the dinner consisting of Indian food cuisines were fantastic! ] On top of it, I was on the brink of mental exhaustion and I could feel that my entire physical & heart state were also thinning in patience and endurance.
Usually, I am one person who would just grit my teeth and endure everything that comes my way but this time, I really felt ........spent through and through. I could never explained it to you how much I needed a break from what I've been doing right now. I guess, I am writing this because I know many of you feel the same way that I do. In all honestly, I know and I care. That's why I am sharing this experience with you so that you too could take the bold step to save yourself from being in such a state.

When I arrived at my good friend's place [ Vive & Sathy ], I was so exhausted but at the same time happy to see my reliable and true friends in Vive, Sathy, BA and Jessy who are in another town. I know in my heart that I have friends who would talk to me and give me good sound advice. I also know that there are also friends like Kuna & Cheng who would be a real blessing in my life with their special ways. More than anything else, it also helped my family to gel together and have a great time together. I really love my family a lot but I realised that sometimes I have been a little bit on their nerves as they have been on mine. Somehow, a time out like this helps to strengthen the family together. Yunno, you'll never be at peace until you have your family in peace and in tune. Afterall, when you get back from work each day, you face your family members and they are important in your lives. Remember, family is all you got. Be with them and treasure them. This includes your good buddies and close friends.

Coming back to the balcony, the caress of the early morning breeze and lush greenery in front of my eyes helped me to really feel at ease. Yeah, I needed that calmness in my hectic life. I acknowledged that taking a break from work schedules helped me to recuperate from the mental bruising, self-esteem bashing and all the craps of life. It also helped me to re-focus and re-draw my direction in my life. I take nothing away from God and I give all glory to God for whatever I go through - good or bad. I know deep in my heart that He is the author of my colourful life. As I thanked God that morning for every step in my life, I thank Him that He provides that peace for me in my life. That morning, I had the best Cinnamon roll bread [ Rainforest bread shop, of course! ] I've not had that for quite some time. Breakfast was simply superb and so was the company.

The breeze in the apartment.........heavenly!