Earthquake Tremors.....

It was exactly at 6.20pm while I was minding my own business and working at my table when I felt it. It wasn't strong at first and I thought it was kinda funny to have movement at the bottom of my feet and my table. I then checked myself if I have had too much sugar or even had any hallucinating pills lately! Unfortunately, I had none of these and the grounds in the office actually shook for a while and so did our working tables. Only a few of us were around when it occured.

How would I describe my feelings at that time? Sheezh! In a way , I was scared. Rapture would have been worst to others but a joy to us , really. But this was different indeed. At the back of my twisted mind, I was already thinking what would have happened if the office building would have collapsed. It was not a help to know that the flooring of my office are actually constructed of timber planks laid with carpet and they are older than my late grandmother, actually! There are times I often wonder if I am safe in such a building. With the oldest profession being carried out at the adjoining building next door and a hot restaurant on the ground floor, our place is like " an accident waiting to happen!" Anyway, touch wood! Everything has been going on fine all this while.

Coming back to the earthquake tremors of aftershock, a quick check in the internet revealed that a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Padang in southern Sumatra at about 6.17pm, causing tremors as far away as Peninsular Malaysia. This is indeed the first time I had felt such tremors. I must say that it was be quite unnerving and shocking indeed. Uptill now, I could still "feel" the tremors. It is really not a nice feeling. Then , a quick check at the net revealed that tsunami had hit Samoa Islands and other parts of the world causing massive tragedy, deaths and a trail of destruction. I can imagine the cries for help, cries for a hope and a future, cries of finding a loved one and so many other emotions. Gosh ! That was a close call. I shudder at the thought of any mishap or happenings which could have befallen my colleagues and I at that time. Though it occured only for a few minutes, we pray that it would not happen again. Yes! It was so nice to be able to walk out of the office today.... Alive!

Snippets of life.....

I constantly marveled at life as it is and how it is presented each day to us. The other day, I was having lunch at my usual place when I caught a glimpse of four people at the next table. Unmistakenly, these are elderly couples with an appetite, indeed! I noted that the couple on the left was more elderly than the couple on the right. Then came the part of ordering the food and these elderly folks really knows how to enjoy themselves. They ordered the house briyani followed by mutton varaval and chicken varaval. The spread on the banana leaf was an array of goodies consisting of vegetables fares, papadam, chicken curry gravy, dhall and some other stuff. After a short prayer, they started "attacking" the food with such vigour. I was amazed that at their age, they are still attacking the mutton and chicken like they are in their twenties!! I guess, I was envious of them in a way but I was just amazed that they could still enjoy the fullest of their lives despite their age. Here I am struggling to get down the food in front of me thinking of the high blood pressure, cholestrol, high sugar-level, blood clot, hypertension and what not! Well, I guess, in a sweet way, I pray that I would one day have the opportunity like the elderly couples, enjoying a plate of briyani and mutton varaval. Now, that would be heavenly, isn't it?

Steven then quipped that he would like to climb Mt.Kinabalu when he is in his fifties. He went on talking about making a milestone of celebration at every 50's, 60's and 70's of our lives. Well, that a mighty fine thought, actually. It would be good to celebrate life that way.

For me, I would definitely like to be at the foot of Mt.Everest [ my lifelong ambition, actually! ] before I close my eyes and meet my Saviour! Now, that's ambition, isn't it?~

Adrenaline rush - Paintball!

" Two on the right, two on the left" , " Man at the wood!", " Drums!Drums!". These are some of the instructions which was belted out during the adrenaline-pumping paintball game which I had participated. The venue was Flashpoint Paintball Park and it is quite a paintball park. With quite a nice rapid fire arena and a realistic jungle arena, it was indeed a challenging course. Together with Steven, Dinesh and some young people like Stef, JWee, Bryan ,David Teo and JWee's friends, we had some fine time at the course. We also made new friends like Stefan, an Austrian national, former Army Captain, Ben, Irene and a few others. I was really impressed with Stefan who was fully geared up for paintball equipped with grenades of smoke bombs and all the accessories. Then there is Ben and Irene who are regular paintball players who were really good on the field.
Anyway, we started out by having 4 -a -side with me leading one team while Steven led another. We started out at the rapid fire arena and it was fast and furious indeed! Our Tippman markers were spewing out pellets faster than you can say" Go!". It was really fun ; a lot strategy involved and fine team players. Sure! There are some pains when the pellets strike you but that's the beauty of the game - taking your opponent out in the fairest of way. It is just a game but a game with strategy and loads of fun. I remembered at one moment when we were at game with Ben's team in the jungle arena, I was on my belly behind two drums belting out shots at the Yoga teacher! With two shots, I shot him out. It wasn't just charge-charge-charge but more of waiting patiently and taking accurate shots. Anyway, I was taken out by Ben who shot me at the pellet loader! Then, there's the rapid fire rounds and again, against Ben's team. It was really a good game indeed while this time it was more fun and intense. At the end of the game, there was a good round of handshakes and patting on the back. After some rest and drinks, we were back on the arena for another round of fun.

That day when I got back home, I surveyed my body parts and I had a few shots at the shoulder area and the thigh. They were reddish in colour but I reckoned that's the price you get while playing paintball. BTW, the young people played the game much better indeed! Kudos to them! As for the older people like me, I am just enjoying life and the game as much as I can!~

Friends on holiday - more pics

Friends...memories in the heart!

For the past 4 days , it has been really fulfilling days being able to host great friends and making new ones. Of course, the food plays an integral part of it but most of all, simple, honest & great fellowship over a meal is all that really matters, actually. When Vive, Sathy, BA ,Jessy, Kuna & Cheng [ they later left to join Cheng's sister in Cheng ] came by to the house to spend some days of holidaying and food trip, my entire household was really joyful and blessed to have them. These are really great friends. Friends that I treasure really close to my heart. What comforted me very much was their humbleness, their care and most important of all, their loving heart! I pay tribute where it is due because these friends are really gems of life. We will go through life and meet people along the way but finding good friends like these are quite an exception, really.
SLing and I have been blessed with God's finest individuals like these people because they really are simply a joy to be with. To top of the icing on the cake, we also play host to Pastor Lawrence and his wife, Sis.Evelyn [ shy, ever smiling, reserved but a very pleasant lady, indeed! ] from Singapore. Really a barrel of fun and laughter, Pastor Lawrence had us all in stitches and barrels of laughter with his jokes and easy way. We shared some great meals together like dinner at my place over my mom's Hainanese chicken rice [ the day my grandpa met with an accident and I was running around like a mad man ! Phew! ] , breakfast at Tanjong fried mee shop, Tangkak beef noodles , cendol at Banda Hilir and dinner at Sea Terrace at Kg.Portugis. I guess, we had a great time fellowshipping,talking and having fun.

Cheng's sister, Pui Loo and family treated us to a home cooked meal and it was simply awesome. But the one I really enjoyed myself was the fruit drinks and listening to great songs at Me & Mrs. Jones Cafe at Jonker Walk. We were all out at Jonker Walk hoping to catch a glimpse of Cheng's dad singing performance but he wasn't singing in the competition that day! Well, we ended up at the cafe with a great time.

Having beef rendang with lemang and sharing some time together with Lih Gin was equally fun and special. We had great fun of fellowship and we really spend some quality friendship time together especially our teasing and all the others. It was really great just to spend time with great friends.

I also want to thank Praba & family for hosting all of us for breakfast today. The food spread was really fantastic - nasi lemak, idhali, apom, roti canai, tosai, capati, fried mee and fried bee hoon ! Really great breakfast. Thank you so much, my friend!

Oh! Yes! I will not forget the passion, energetic, nail-biting, "kancheongness" and the ruckus we all made during the MU Vs MC match that night! What a night indeed!~

I leave you with this - Friendship is about being honest, humble, caring and it's all about sharing of the heart!~ Thank you, friends!~

Lunch Lesson...

There are times I've often wondered what God has in store for me from the time I opened my eyes to a new day to the time the sun set. I wish He could have at least prepare me for the day or I could have a sneak preview of the day. I started the day quite alright, doing my work and concentrating on completing my cases , as usual. So, I thought that maybe, it is going to be another day of pitting against myself and doing my share of work to justify the salary my employer is paying me [ peanuts, actually but I am very thankful though! ]. Then, I was assigned to a case in town and I am glad that I was able to gather the facts and figures to the case. I even managed to share a view or two with the officers [ this is a rare occurrence, indeed ! ]assigned to the case.
Earlier I had made an appointment for a discussion in Malim and due to the unexpected early end to the assignment given to me, I headed out to Malim for some drinks. As usual, I had reviewed my files in the car before heading out towards Malim. There is this particular Indian stall in Malim which I've always liked to have some drinks. Incidentally, during the last flood season, I practically had my breakfast , lunch and tea at this place. The Indian food fare was quite extensive and tasty but it can be quite hot under the corrugated zinc roofing enclosure.As I was early, I went to this corner stall and it was quite crowded at that time. I then decided to sit on the same table with this almost 51-52 year old uncle who was reading the Chinese daily. I ordered my food and drinks, clunked it down my throat , sit back and relax for a while. Then, I began to notice this man on my table. Rugged and deep lines face, his skin was blackened by sun tan and really rough hands. He did not have any drinks in front of him and as I leaning back, I noted that he was using his handphone to call someone. After a while , he put down the phone and muttered that the guy on the other line was not picking up his line in Mandarin. Then he looked very strained and you could just see the hopelessness in his entire expression.

I don't know why but I just picked up my courage and greeted him in my half past six Mandarin. I then asked him what was the problem. He then answered that he was trying to call this man to pay up for construction work done. This was when he told me that he is a labourer. He then told me that he had undertaken a job to do renovations for another contractor and after the job had finished, the contractor had not paid up for his services. I then tried soothing and calmed him down with my "not so canggih" Mandarin. Occasionally, he would laughed at my Mandarin in which I profusely apologised as I tried to explain to him that the situation in society today can be quite a pain in the "you know where" nowadays. Nope! I didn't use any vulgarities but I was quite pissed with the fact that someone is constantly conning someone as we speak each day.

Anyway, he sorta shared with me that his wife is constantly "singing" [ in simple translation it means, wife is nagging him to bits! ] in his ears and that's why he is hopping mad with this contractor who had not paid up his dues to him. I seriously didn't know what to say except that I advised him that he needs to be patient and continually ask this contractor to pay up the debt. I then treated him to a cup of tea and I even asked him if he had eaten. He declined my offer for food but he told me he would take up my offer for a drink. I paid up for my food and the drinks when it arrived. I had no qualms of paying for this man. You could see that this was a man who was also concern about putting food on the table for his family. Now, I could relate to that. Later, I learned that he is called Ah Chai while I introduced myself. At one time, he took out the chit of paper from his wallet to show me the bill this contractor owed him. It was about RM 3,100.00 in all. When I took a look at the worn wallet, I managed to peek in and saw that there were only a fistful of dollars in it. I guess, with the work I do, it had indeed sharpened my skill in observation and I know that this man was certainly down. As we chatted up, I asked him if this contractor had paid him the amount. He told me that the contractor had paid up RM 2,000.00 and this too after meeting him up for 8 times -all the while taking small sums each time. Well, I told him, it is much better than not being able to get anything out of it. Then with almost teary eyes, he told me that it was his hard work money and he was really looking forward to save it for the family. I guess, he was choked with emotions for a while. Then he told me about his Malay friend who was also not paid for the job done and Hari Raya is just round the corner. He went further to explain that another friend is facing the same problem too and is at Pringgit begging another contractor to pay up. Looking at his predicament, I told him that if he had not eaten , I would be glad to pay for him. He declined and he spoke to me in Mandarin saying, " Young man, I know you are a good man. You meant well for an old man like me but I am okay. Thank you very much. I am already a little bit happier." At first, I looked at him with narrowed eyes, then he laughed a bit and explained, " Young man, I've seen so many con men in my life and one look at you, I know you are a good man. Not because you gave me a drink or offered to buy me a meal but there is something about you." Yunno, for a moment I thought that these are just sweet words from diabetic lips then I felt humbled by such words from a person I don't know at all. I guess, I've never looked at myself at that way. I have always deemed myself to be a really hard man and I can be very hard & difficult at times. But today, I have been blessed by such kind words.

Then Ah Chai told me if I am ever in need for house repairs, I could call him up and he gave me his numbers. Out of compassion from my heart, I don't know why, I offered a RM 50.00 to him and told him that he should get some meals for his family. I told him that it was all I could afford to give him as it was the middle at the month. He took one look at me, laughed, declined the offer flatly and told me to keep the money. Though I told him that he probably needed it more than me, he told me flatly a big "NO". As it was nearing my appointment time, I told Ah Chai that I needed to go to my appointment. We bid farewell and before I left I asked him what time was his appointment with this contractor. He replied " 1.00pm!" I looked at my watch and it indicated 2.45pm. I then asked him, " How long are you going to wait for him?". He smiled and replied in Mandarin, " I can wait. Not to worry, young man! He will come and he'll get it from me. That's for sure! Go on your way, now!" As I was heading to my car, Ah Chai called out to me in Mandarin, " Low Pan, sieh-sieh nee!" YEAH! I looked like a "kuli" and he calls me "low pan!"Tsk!Tsk!Tsk!

As I drove away, I reflected to myself, how many have suffered the fate like the one Ah Chai had to go through. This is our society today. A world of pretense and deceit. O God! Would these people walk freely without conscience and compassion? What a perverse generation in our society today! I don't know what would happen to Ah Chai and all the Ah Chais in this nation of ours. It is a grim and gruesome thought!

Let us pray that God would continue to watch over us, bless our lives as we bless others with lives! Thank you, God for another golden nugget in life!~

Good time....

On Saturday, I spent my birthday at my brother-in-law, Wei's place. It was quite a pleasant surprise too as my nephew Ryan celebrates his birthday on 13th September and so, they decided to have a birthday party for Ryan. This is perfectly good as we getto celebrate double celebrations. Ryan's party table was adorned with Woody and Buzz Lightyear characthers buntings and table covers from Toy Story. It was really a good set-up and definitely a lot of effort had been put in by his parents, Wei & Jade.
As I looked into the works in making the party a success, I am grateful that these two young parents not only put in the extra mile for their beloved child but also, ensured that Ryan would have a great birthday party among family members. I guess, I share in the joy of the celebrations. I guess, I really had a lot of fun with Ryan and playing with him. Gosh! Never could have enough of him coz' he's really cute. You can just see it in his face and eyes light up when Wei slide out his birthday present which is a battery powered blues sports car! Anyway, it was really fun seeing him jump all over the car and having his time. Well, boys will be boys, right?

Then we had cake cutting time and his cake turned out to be Buzz Lightyear character cake. It was great having Jade's parents and family over for a time of fun and fellowship. I guess, nothing beats having close knit family and it is very important to maintain such relationships. Sometimes, I do get upset when I see the young generations of boys and girls had failed to give proper acknowledgement and respect to the older folks. Anyway, I am just grateful that the bond between us is good and healthy. That's what makes family tick, I guess!

Yunno, I am really blessed with my wife and the children, JWee and SYuen. They have never failed to get me a present everytime my birthday comes around. I am so blessed as they got me a Victorinox multi-purpose piece for my birthday. To be honest, I've always wanted to own one but many times, I felt the money could be put in better use for the family and so , I keep skipping from buying one for myself. Now , finally, I've got one. It's a very useful and important tool to have indeed especially during emergencies and so on. I am so thankful that my family had given me one. I guess, it is correct to say that only family knows your heart best, right? Yesterday, I received a great computer bag from Errol and I am so blessed. Like I said, I've always wanted certain items but I would give it a miss but receiving the bag from Errol was simply marvelous. Then the meal with good friends yesterday was indeed the top of the cream to optimize my joy. Thank you , my friends! I am really glad indeed.

Coming back, I remembered SLing telling me that she was so sorry to pull me back to Seremban on my birthday. I just told her that I would be glad to be back in Seremban coz' nothing beat family gatherings. You see, earlier of the day, I drove to a palm oil mill near Selancar along Segamat -Kuantan highway for work. the road to the palm oil mill was uneven, filled with pot holes and very uncomforatble for me. Yeah, I know that I've been through such roads in my life but somehow, it seemed extremely difficult to drive that day. Then when I got back, my whole body was aching plus my migrane was back. Popped two trusty Panadol Acti-fast in and it's off to Seremban. Yes! It was tiring indeed but no complaints though for family gatherings are not to be missed,man! Besides, I wouldn't miss it for the world to spent some time with Ryan and the family.I am a lucky man indeed. I have a great family and extended families. Lots of terrifically wonderful plus eccentric friends, what more could a man ask for? In many ways, I want to say thank you to each and everyone of you who had literally coloured my life up with your great love, warmth, hospitality and blessings.
I want to say thank you for blessing my life, EVERYONE!~

Burger Delight....

After having just attended our usual cell group meeting, SLing and I decided to grab some a snack for supper on our way back home. Interestingly, my cell group leader Daniel & Rosemary told us of the delightful burger prepared by one of our cell member, Alvin who is now doing it for sale near Paya Ikan, Bukit Baru. By their explanation of the burger special, my stomach immediately created some space and consoled my brains that I have spaces in the stomach for a burger. It wasn't a hard battle but the stomach won the day by a mile!
So, off we went to Paya Ikan road near the mamak corner shop area. It was not difficult to spot their stall. Bright lights and a clean working area greeted us. Alvin & Jasmine were in their apron and doing up their creative part. We greeted Alvin & Jasmine warmly and ordered for two black pepper beef burger. Initially , I had wanted to order the burger special but I was told by Alvin that he did not bring them out for sale today. So, we settled for our black pepper beef burger and the couple went to work while we chatted away.

After taking the burger home, it was tasting time. I took one bit and chew on it for a while....savouring the taste, texture and the aroma of the burger. I must say that the burger tasted good. Now, you will say that I may be biased but I can tell you this - if I taste lousy food , I WILL say it is lousy. I am not that type that would be soothe somebody's heart or whatever. I have only this to say about the burger ~ It is really, realy , really nice. If you are a burger lover, you will understand what I am saying. YES! The burger tasted so good indeed. It is like I am digging into a prosperity burger! Serious, it is really really that good. I wish I could have bought more but one "bijik" is not enough for me! Yes, the sauce of black pepper covered the beef patty and the accompanying capsicum and bun was indeed heavenly. I really wish the bun and the burger was bigger,though!

This was not just my view but the view of SLing and my son, JWee. We had a good time enoying the burger. SYuen was asleep at that time and she wasn't able to sample it. As for the price, it is reasonable enough for a burger. Yes, if I were you, I would go to Jalan Paya Ikan and look for the stall tonight itself. Alvin opens his stall at 7.00pm and closes up at about 12.00midnight. His burgers include eggs burgers, chicken burgers, double special and some palatable burgers! So, if ever you are thinking of burger as your late snack , think Alvin's burgers at Jalan Paya Ikan. You'll definitely be coming back for more.

One word of advice though ~ ask for the special ! I heard it is really good and terrific!
Two burgers special , please!

Early Surprise!

Today my fellow colleagues in the office gave me an early birthday bash! To think of it, they have never missed blessingmy life on my birthday. Though , officially, I came out from my mom's womb to face the world on 12/9, I'll take all the blessing I could today. In fact, I received early birthday greetings from fellow friends as early as yesterday. I want to thank each and everyone of you who have made my life a bit more colourful this year coz' without you people, there wouldn't be much fun, isn't it?

Friends or foes, whoever you may be or whatever category you want to put yourself in, I just want to thank you for making my life a bit more cheerful and/or misery, whichever way you want see it. As I looked back into my 44 years of colourful life, I can only say that those are really.............................. hard years, man! Just joking! I have been blessed so much, actually!

Seriously, I am indeed blessed. Like I say each time, to be able to be awake each day itself is a bonus in my life. Looking into the "accidental" deaths happening around us these days, I am considered extremely lucky, though! At least, I don't get beaten up or worst still, blown up for no apparent ryhme or reason. I get the occassional "evil" tag or even "troublemaker" accolades but I'll take these "compliments" as they come. No bad blood intended nor offence taken. In life, we will win some battles and we will lose some battles. But at least, you can't fault me for trying to make this place a more livable place.

Yeah! Amidst the coffee cake, KFC and some soft drinks, that's life, man. I really appreciate my colleagues to really take the effort to get the cake and all the stuff to have a good time today. In some weird, funny and some connectivity concoction, we have touched each others' lives. I want to thank CK, Liong, Loh, Yivon, Tye, Teo,Kok and Tai for taking the trouble to make this day a truly exceptional day.

Tomorrow? Well, I'll be on the road to Segamat-Kuantan highway for work! Yeah! That's life, man. Waits for no one and life goes on!~

Thanks to all friends & family who had blogged, FB, sms and even called me today. God bless you all!~

STOP RACISM!

For days and weeks now, I've quietly observed the happenings in our nation over the "Cow Head" incident and the subsequent happening. I must say that my heart is broken seeing the rearing of the ugly head of racism and turning of blind eye by the authorities in such matters. This is a blatant disrespect of humanity and not just a community as a whole. I have often wonder that people who are on candlelight virgil, wearing black and gathering together in functions are quickly identified, caught/hauled up by the authorities and charged but point blank disrespectful cowardly acts commit by such people are just down played. I shudder to think what would have happened if people of other race and faith does such an act in retailiation? My God, can you imagine the ruckus and the chaotic scenes that would have happened. I believe with all my heart that this is act of agression comes only from the fanning of racial fires and untowards scare tactics. People who are behind this type of agression are just such cowards who hides behind the racial lines and our politicians are no better in this sense! I must register my respect and admiration for many of us who are not in this line and who would not take the stand to destabilise what harmony all races in this country had enjoyed over the years. I respect and applaud the majority of the people who simply would not react to such provocation and chaotic ways. I believe too that this form of intimidation and show of disrespect can only comes from the ever-ready and ever-present backing from racists tout!

How can we, as a nation, ever recover if the quest to wrest one/two particular state from the opposition at all cost is the ultimate desire? How can we, as a nation, goes through the healing process if innocent dead bodies crop up every now and then? How many times will the word " commit suicide" be used distastefully. How can we, as a nation, recover from our fears,shock and disgust, if thieves and robbers continue to harm/rob/steal from our homes at ease? How can we, as a nation, protect our family and children from such atrocities that is happening in our country?

Every man, woman and child in this nation has a right to ask for a stop of such dastardly acts against one another. We have the right to demand for peace, love and joy to prevail. We have the right and the duty to ask/petition/pray/seek of God to rid of people of such malicious tendencies. We have the right to work with one another in harmony. We have the right to ask for a stop of such embarrassing situations which is stooping to the all time low in community spirit and morale!
STOP RACISM before it stops your very heart! Search your hearts, people!

A Serious Message..

Over the past few years now, after much reading up and research, I have found that the recent outbreak of the flu is nothing compared to the relatively known virus which had been recently unveiled by the medical fratenity. I guess, I must say that this mesage brings cold chill down to my spine after I have read through the various articles and clinical test subject results on the actual devastation it brings to the human development. According to well known researches and scientist from the US, UK and the European nations, the virus which has really evolved over the years are deemed to be equally efficient in bringing about to a major catastrophe if left unchecked. All major efforts from the EU nations to combat and contain the outbreak are still on -going with little success bringing about to a grim outlook of the future.

In recent times, the major evolution or mutation, some experts may call it , had expanded rapidly both in the genes and scientific structures of the molecules. With this rapid development , it is no surprise that it first spread through our neighbouring country, Singapore though they have sought expertise from the EU nations to combat this recently vastly-mutated virus. Though the government was adamant that the outspread is under control, the success rate is far from convincing. I believe, it wouldn't be long before it reaches the shore of our beloved nation. One must not rule out that the recent outbreak of H1N1 virus was largely due to migration of the people from the affected nations. Thereby, I shudder at the thought that if the H1Ni virus could be easily transmitted via this type of migration, I wonder if we would be ready for this onslaught in later days. It is good that all our resources and expertise are channeled into combating and containment of this serious out break. It has been reported that families are ruined and face certain bleak times should one be afflicted with this virus. Though over the years , pharmaceutical companies together the FDA authorities has slowly succeeded in alienating the source of cure for this type of outbreak, mass production of the cure are still on-going with further testings to be carried out. Results over the years had been bleak and slow but at least there are progress in their quest for a cure.

Alarmingly, this virus is more likely to infect married men. Thereby, men are to be aware of such difficult disposition and practise a lot of patience when aflicted with this. A word of advice though : Do not panic. It is said that the usual symptoms are fever, annoyance, mood swings and loss in the mental ability and in worst case scenario, retardation! But it is curable!

Yup , the not-so-new virus is called the B1N1 virus! So, be very aware of this. You heard it first from your friendly neighbourhood watch team! Take a good dose of love, patience and kindness. That should make you grow like a champion, grow!

This community message comes to you from the bottom of my heart!~ Cheers!