People of Inspiration....

I want to thank Pastor Jit Pang for posting a nice video documentary on FB which I had picked up immediately once I saw it. It was a refreshing and eye-opening documentary. So, thank you very much Pastor Jit, as he is fondly known. BTW, if you are ever looking of a way to serve the community and give something back to the community for all the goodness you have tasted from the One Above, you can check out Pastor Jit Pang community works which is a real blessings to the community in Kluang, Johor. I bet, you'll be blessed indeed.

So, to many of us, the name Narayanan Krishnan doesn't ring a single bell in our own tiny brain cells but I must say, he meant a lot to a lot of people in India. I am not talking about celebrity status in the form of politicians, Bollywood star or even the notorious underworld figure. He is a community crusader and you will be shocked to bits to know that this 29 year old man is one of the CNN Top 10 Heroes for the Year 2010. And so, what does he do to deserve such honorary accolades you may ask,right? Well, he did what most churches and religious establishment simply would not do today. [ with the exception of some! ] He simply cooked meals, fed the poor, the old and the destitute and he showered more love. To me, what he did is a real challenge to our complacent, purse fattening, uncompassionate and sometimes, blind & simply comatose religious establishment today. Here is this man, who is an award-winning chef and worked in the Taj Hotels in Bangalore, simply felt devastated when he saw an old man eating his own human waste due to poverty. "I saw a very old man, literally eating his own human waste out of hunger. I went to the nearby hotel and asked them what was available. They had idli, which I bought and gave to the old man. Believe me, I had never seen a person eating so fast, ever. As he ate the food, his eyes were filled with tears. Those were the tears of happiness,” said N.Krishnan.That day, he knew exactly what he would do next. That life changing experience hit his raw nerve of humanity hard. He turned down an elite cooking job offer in Switzerland and decided to quit his job. He then made it his lifelong ambition to feed the poor, the old and the destitute!

Narayanan Krishnan founded his nonprofit Akshaya Trust in 2002. Every day, he wakes up at 4 a.m., cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a van and travels about 200 kilometres (120 miles) feeding the homeless and mentally-disabled in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to 400 indigent and elderly people in Madurai. He has brought 1.2million meals to India's homeless and destitute thorough his non-profit organisation. He carries a comb, scissors and razor and is trained in eight haircut styles that, along with a fresh shave, provide extra dignity to those he serves." The panic, suffering of the human hunger is the driving force of me and my team members of Akshaya," he said. "I get this energy from the people. The food which I cook ... the enjoyment which they get is the energy. I see the soul. I want to save my people. That is the purpose of my life". "Now I am feeling so comfortable and so happy," he says. "I have a passion, I enjoy my work. I want to live with my people." Inspiring, truly inspiring!!!

I throw to you a timely challenge, O! You, leaders of our religious establishment, how many of you can actually stand straight without hunching, stiffing and hurting your plush backs to answer to this call from this unsung hero in your own place? Is it too difficult or is it just too mundane of a task? Or you simply just won't care or is it just the rosy, glossy, sweety lip service that we serve day in, day out, months in , months out, year in , year out and tried looking and justify as pious as possible? I don't know........maybe.........just maybe............ it is time to wake up from our slouchy slumber and do something about it.........

Hmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnn...........I wonder if the leaders would sleep well enough or would you rather search your heart and seek the ways of the One Above! BTW, please be extra careful when seeking divine help because you might follow the Other Fake One, yunno........ That one too could make you feel as though you are "in" the feel-lar but you get my drift,right?~

BFF......

What does the term BFF means to you? How do you define BFF? What makes BFF different from the rest of the friends pack? What is BFF? As I looked into the terminology of BFF and dwelt deeper, I came to realise that this terminology is for nuts and nutcase, in a good way! The very fact is that nothing last forever and there is always room for improvement [ good or bad ] , validation of friendship and most important of all, mutual respect. We can never say that we are BFF if we always defend our friend(s) even though he/she is at the wrong at most times - especially in words, in deeds or in actions. So, what makes BFF ticks? Well, I got a dose of what BFF means last weekend. Hey, it is purely my own interpretation and it is as original as it gets to me. So, don't go around throwing daggers at me when I interpret it as I see it, ok?

Last weekend, I had the most wonderful eye-opener and get a dose of what friendship really means. This group of caring friends [ as close as family , actually! ] spoke to me on a lot of matters ranging from career to personal life to family matters. There was so many messages sent, some hard hitting and explosive facts, some defensive deployment but the atmosphere is really terrific and of respect. There was no malice intended, there was no hostilities, there was just pure raw love. Like any other raw/tough love, you've gotta sit up and listen. Sit up and listen I did! There is simply no personal agendas nor intrusion into anyone's life for that matter but of best interest and pure care in full view. Yes, I bear the brunt of much that was discussed but I was very comfortable with it and I know I still have a lot of work to do in my life journey. Friends or rather, family, just poured out their views and advices as should and I take it all in good spirit because they meant well in what they say. I have always believed that if so-called BFF just butters everything you say then that is not real friendship - that's stupidity or feeding the devil, as I would call it. Good friends are friends/family that are able to speak freely without fear nor favour but in a great stern of logic, care and concern. I guess, my friends saw a concern and they addressed it with great finesse and great effort. I really appreciate what they said to me. Those are words that comes from loving hearts and I really felt blessed by it. As a hard man as I am and as cow as I am [ they say confession is good for the soul, right! ], I readily accepted their support, their criticism, their advices and their profound views. Sometimes, we are so absorbed with what we do lest we forget to see ourselves in many of the situations. That's why good friends will tell you the hard facts minus the sugar-coats and pull the cushion off our plush ass! I guess, at the end of it all and the beauty of it is that there is simply no ill feeling or bad vibes or even bad intentions noted. That, to me, is the epitome of what BFF [ Barking Facts Friends! ] really means.

So, I just want to say thanks to friends/family who had made last weekend a truly great time. One that cost me only spending a fraction of my time but the memory of kindness last a lifetime, friends. I cherished the friendship a lot and I know that I could not repay the kindness you have shown me or my family. I am truly blessed. I truly am!~

The Rich Poor Man

When someone sends me a story via email, I would normally take a glance and run through a background check before I proceed to read the article. So, when I received this article from a friend Emily Y, I run a check on the character of that the story and it was not only overwhelmingly touching but inspiring indeed. So, I decide to let you decide if you are as touched as I was when I read this article.

Peddling a trishaw to finance poor students, Mr. Bai Fang Li touched the people of China. This is a story of an ordinary trishaw peddler who is well-known in Tianjin. From the age of 74, Mr. Bai Fang Li has supported hundreds of poor students using the money he earned from peddling his trishaw. In fifteen years time, he has contributed more than 350,000 yuan to finance more than 300 poor students in their tuition fees and living expenses, helping them complete their studies. For almost twenty years, this elder peddled his trishaw to earn yuan by yuan to save up for his donations.

This thin and skinny elder did not keep any money or property for himself, what he has left is only his selfless spirit and love. Nobody really knows how many poor students have Mr. Bai Fang Li supported. His lunch was two buns and plain water. Luxury to him was the sauce he put in his water. Dinner was a piece of meat or an egg. What he wore was from what he picks from the dump. An extra was a luxury.

Mr.Bai Fang Li paddled 365 days every year, in snowy conditions or in the soaring heat. He started at 6.00am every morning and finished at 7.00pm to 8.00pm every night. It has been calculated that over the years, Mr. Bai Fang Li has peddled equivalent to going round the Earth's equator for 18 times. Mr. Bai never thought to be rewarded. The money that he donated went through schools for needy students. The old man never inquired about the student's name. When asked about what he expected of the children, his humble reply was, " I only want them to study hard, get a good job, be a good person and to give back to the country."

In the year 2001, Mr Bai Fang Li, aged 90 years old, donated his last sum of money. By this time, he was unable to peddle trishaw anymore but instead, he looked after people's car at the station and saved up 500 yuan. He arranged and neatly saved his 500yuan in a box and handed over the money to Yao Hua School saying, " I cannot work anymore. I can no longer donate money to others and this shall be my last." All the teachers in that school wept that day for they know the significance of this man's sacrifice.

Mr.Bai Fang Li, a rich poor man passed away on 2nd September, 2005 in a hospital. Many turned up for his funeral and many wept openly knowing that here lies a man who had given his best twenty years of life so that students in schools can see a better future. He was the epitome for the phrase, "A special love to a special you."

Somehow, I really wish that God would move and impressed the hearts of the people to be more like Mr.Bai Fang Li in our cold, racialistic and cruel world today. Let's make a commitment to bless someone today - even the gift of a smile would go a long way to make this world a better place to live in. God is watching. He, the Almighty is always watching!~

Coffee breaks...

The other day while having our coffee break at the nearby coffee shop, my colleague, Teo and we started talking about the number of years we have worked in our present job. We reminisced the day we both accepted our job offers and the circumstances in which we took up our job. He took up the job because he didn't like his earlier job while I was simply at my wits end also when I took up this job. But thanks to one man's faith, our former boss, Mr. Sim, who really taught us the ropes of the trade, looked out for us and patiently guided us through the rough and tough of this job. It wasn't an easy to adapt to the changes especially from the job we used to do to our present job but with much hard knocks, cruelty at times and perseverance, we are where we are today - still the lowly paid seniors! Hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa....... [ Phew! At least, we still have jobs to our names unlike many others who had lost their jobs, right? ] Anyway, our scope of work is different, the people we meet are different while the working hours are equally different and long sometimes. I guess, what is fulfilling for us is to be able to do the best of what we can do and to be able to give our families a better life. That's all that matters, right? And so, equipped with these goals in our minds, we are exactly where we are today. Sure, there were horrific times of trials, tribulations, personal humiliation and degradation by others and office top brass & dogs [ those with very persuasive tongues and watery tongues lapping the bosses "yunno where"! ] , harsh reality of office politics, mistakes and a host of unpleasantness but yunno what, my colleague and I have survived it! I don't mean it doesn't give us a heartache or near fatal heart stopping moments but we have really survived it because we supported one another in good times and in bad times. I guess, that's why I am truly appreciative of this colleague of mine, Teo. Now, that circle of friends have widened and it sure is nice to have good friends giving words of encouragement from time to time as we worked on in our workplace.

Anyway, one topic which had in tatters and stitches of laughter was when we shared that we've been working with this company of ours for the past 14 years and had we studied our brains out at those time, we would both would have been double degree holders! [ 7 years each degree!] Yeah, think about it. Ah, wishful thinking, right? But it was really a fun time as we sipped our coffees and think of what we would have done. Probably, I would have done Psychology and with the tantrums and funny stuff I see going around in my office, I would have done Early Child Prevention Program too! [ My friend, Abby would have been proud for me! ] Hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa............

It was just a day of taking a break and wishful thinking, actually. Ah...the coffee was certainly nice and refreshing that day. Yeah.....there will always be days in which you will win in some situation and you will lose some also, so, I say to you..........live everyday as though as it is the last day of your life on this earth! Someone asked me the other day, "Does loyalty in company pays?" Seriously, I don't know but I know for sure, more often than not, it doesn't. Anyway, God is always gracious, right?

Masterchef - Junior's way

What does Gary Mehigan, George Coolombaris, Matt Preston and Anna Gare have in common? Well, they are all notable chefs in Australia and they are the judges for Junior Masterchef Australia 2010 Season 1 cooking reality show for children from ages of 8 to 12! I was really bumped out when I saw how good some of these children can cook. They can really put us all, the adults, to shame with their culinary fare! Again, like any other Sunday evening, all of us gathered at the living room sofa area to have some family time at the colour box called the television and watched some nice shows like " Pitchin In ", "Lie To Me" [ I like this show a lot where facial expressions gives a lot story! ], "NCIS: Los Angeles" and stumbled upon, " Junior Masterchef Australia 2010". At first, I thought that these young kids are going to do their usual cakes, pudding, pies, chocolates cup cakes, muffins and so on but I was dead wrong, man! These kids cook fish, beef, lamb, chicken, clamps, squid, prawns and use every imaginable food pyramid fare and in all types of cooking style. WOW! Really WOW is the word to describe these children. They are so talented indeed and their culinary skills are really very good. You'll probably ask me how do you know if you have not taste the food, right? Well, when you spent enough time in the kitchen cooking or baking, you can know by the ingredients used and the look of the dish that it is either going to taste "not-so-good" or taste fabulously. Anyway, that wasn't my priority when I see the show. It was really the cooking technique and the ingredients used that I was more interested. The other thing is that they are cooking healthy food using vegetables, stocks and fresh ingredients. That's healthy living and living right,man.
I was really impressed with these young children who really took the trouble to cook beautiful dishes like stuffed squid, herb crusted snapper topping with lemon herb sauce, garlic infused prawns with special tomato sauce, seafood fettucine and the list goes on. Gosh, I am really impressed. Really impressed with the food fare which were churned out by these very young ones. The other wonderful thing was the way they handled the baking equipments, the knives, the oven, the chopper and all the rest of the equipments. So expertly handled and hygenically cleaned - I loved it! Honestly, the children are so expressive and when Matt Preston said that the children who didn't make it to the next round can kick him in the shins, one of the girls ( aged 10, I think! ) went over and actually kicked him in a jest! That's how competitive, compassionate and expressive these children were at this competition. I loved it. I really loved it!

I wonder if our 8 year olds or even 10 year olds can even cook a simple meal of fried rice, for that matter lest trying out for these illustrious culinary dishes. Who knows, Junior Masterchef Malaysia, perhaps?

Huntington Revolution....

Last night, after dinner, SLing, SYuen and myself plonked on our plushed sofa and watched Jamie Oliver Food Revolution - Huntington, West Virginia on Astro Channel 707 [ 7.00pm slot ]. I must say, it was the most wonderful 60 minutes of our lives, actually. I must say that I am really in amazement of what Jamie Oliver is trying to do for the community of Huntington, West Virginia which was deemed by the CDC [ Centres for Disease Control & Prevention ] of US as the nation's unhealthiest people. Gosh! It is really shocking for all of us as we watched the 60 minutes fare. My hats off to Mr. Jamie Oliver!

I guess, I must say that I am so proud of Mr.Jamie Oliver for taking the courage and wanting to make a change in that community. It is really obvious that "change" is the one word that scares a lot of people and it is evidently portrayed by the way Jamie was relentlessly chewed by local disc jockey, Rod 'The Dawg' Willis and one cook, Alice of Central City Elementary School, Huntington.W.V. The show started out with a trip by Jamie to the radio station where he was practically eaten alive by the DJ who sneered at him for his mission. Then, he went to the local church, First Baptist Church of Kenova to see the pastor, Pst. Steve Willis and together, flipping through the book of the church congregation, he was informed that many of the church congregation had died at their prime and it is a saddening fact. If it weren't bad enough, he decided to check out local trucker family and upon asking the wife to prepare the food listed for the entire week, it was obvious that the food spread out on the table was making the entire family members into obese people,man. Seriously, that's a lot of oily stuff and processed food on the table for a family of 5. I was really shocked at what they feed their families especially the fried food stuff. SLing and SYuen cringed at the sight of the food as they beckoned to the corner of the sofa set. After the realisation, Jamie helped the family into getting them to cook fresh food and simple pasta dish. That really touched my heart because you could see that Jamie is really on a mission to help them. Nothing fake nor bollocks about it. It wasn't just a TV reality show but a real genuine effort by a bloke [ celebrity chef ] from England to get the people to eat right. Yeah and why shouldn't he be given the credit for the genuine desires in his heart. I was really moved when I saw this celebrity chef was reduced to tears when his statements in the papers were twisted and made to mock the people of Huntington. Poor fella but I guess, when you have a great heart and a mission to do a change, somehow, the One above would help in a way.

I must say, the greatest shock to us was the food fare fed to the elementary school children during breakfast and lunch. Can you imagine having pizza for breakfast and nuggets for lunch? It was disheartening to see children dumping apples, bread and the good stuff into the bin while stuffing nuggets, pizza and processed food into their tiny stomach! I was really knocked off my socks for that matter. That's day in day out in their school food program! It is no wonder that they get to chose their plots earlier! The other thing is this; the authorities in charge of the school food program are equally cuckoo too,man to serve such food to the children in America!

As Jamie spoke passionately about a change, in this instance, on their food habits, I can't help feeling that changes are difficult for these people and what more for the entire community. But if it is for the good, why not? Yeah, there must be passionate desire to want to change in order for us to succeed. This occasion is no different too in our lives and society today as we face the challenges of todays' living. As I looked into this program, it is a fact that if something had not worked and is the cause of rot and decay in our society today, why can't we make a change, right? Yes, it is always difficult handling a change. Yes, it is also difficult to bear the cold brunt of changes and the awkwardness that comes with it but if we are to live and survive in our harsh realities of today, we have to adapt to changes and changes we must do. This , to me, applies to every level of our living today whether at the people running our country, our government bodies, our work, our religious establishments and even our family lives.

I don't know about you but my Thursday nights at 8.00pm seemed to be more interesting nowadays. Won't you make your Thursday nights interesting and see the show? I bet, you can learn a trick or two when it comes to nutritional food and other items of life which are featured in the show. Don't take my word for it - See it and CHANGE!

BTW, pork is still my staple food! Hahahahahaahahahahahahahhahaaaaaaa...................definitely!

Only Losers...

I want to state that it is indeed a dark hour for all Malaysian irrespective of race , color and creed yesterday when Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas, the death inquest coroner for the untimely death of Teoh Beng Hock returned an open verdict. It simply means it is not murder and it is not suicide either. So, correct me if I am wrong - what circumstances brought to his death then? Natural causes? Heart attack? Lightning strike at Plaza Masalam? Freak windstorm blew him off to the window? Shattering earthquake of 5.5. Ricter scale at Plaza Masalam? Wet dreams? Sleepwalking? High on drugs? What? What? What? It is not wonder that the judiciary system and the laws of our country had become the laughing stock of the entire world. It doesn't take a genius to understand why the public is so distrustful, angrified and would not hesistate to spit a bunchful of saliva towards our lawmen and lawmakers as a whole. The ridiculous antics of MACC chief prosecutor Datuk Abdul Razak Musa is now famously taunted as "How to fail your English exams, Law exams and Acting Class - The Malaysian Way!"
Gosh! I guess, even Clara Chooi of The Malaysian Insider who wrote the article " Teoh inquest: Winners and losers" got it all wrong altogether. There are never winners when untimely and unexplained death in such incidences occured......only losers, my dear. It impacted the entire nation of ours. It impacted our views of the law and order, the judiciary system, the people who are in power and the very fragility of our lives. Imagine, if you get into the wrong hands of the law, you might end up on the tarmac of some building. How do you feel about that? What about brutality while in the hands of the law? Remember Kugan? Remember Aminur Rasyid? What would you do if the one lying dead on the floor of some cell or some courtyard or some building tarmac happened to be your brother, father, mother, sister, cousin, uncle, loved ones instead of someone else's loved ones? Yeah, we turn the other cheek because it is not our loved ones - it is someone elses, right? Like I said, it may happened one day. Wouldn't you be crying your eyes out, seeking justice and seeking all avenues,; knocking on all available doors to see justice served? I tell you , people, this is not just about Teoh Beng Hock, Kugan, Aminur Rasyid and all those who had died. It is about all right minded Malaysians of all race, color and creed. It is about being Malaysians stopping the rot of abuse and sweeping things under the carpet mentality when filth gathers rather quickly. It is about accountability and correcting the wrongs in our nation today. I can't imagine the trauma and the pain that the Teoh family have gone through and would have to go through more in days or probably years to come. My view is simply that justice must be served. The fact remain conclusively that a witness had died while in the custody of MACC and IN MACC building, for goodness heaven sake! That has to account for something, right? It certainly raises their questioning techniques, interrogation hours, practises and security issues because as I see it, there were indeed discrepancies that had cropped up as the inquest was being held.

To me, the esteemed coroner had taken the safest route ever by stating the open verdict. I questioned the coroner if he has a conscience and would he be able to sleep at night because of many salient points raised during the inquest. If he failed to see this, then , he is with the system and hey, don't rock the boat mentality comes in, right? I guess, it is the safest way to safeguard one's career, right? I am seriously appalled at this type of mentality whereby standing for what is right is no more a noble stand. I guess, I have always enjoyed the movie, " A Few Good Men" but today, some how, even the few good men would not stand to be accounted. What a crying shame! What a crying shame indeed!

Exhorbitant Price Hike...

Last Sunday morning while enjoying my wan tan mee as usual, my wife went to get Gardenia bread for our family. She came back fuming over the new price hike on bread while the proprietor told her that the price had gone up much earlier. I was sure that the price did not go up all of a sudden because I was sure I bought some bread about a week ago and it was still at RM 2.90. Anyway, I noted with interest that the price had indeed went up from the normal pricing. It was a hike of about 30 sen which is from RM 2.90 to a new price of RM 3.20. That, my friends, is a 10.5% increase. Wah! This is really a lot. So, you know me-lah, I did some homework and I found out that the cap for white bread was only recently off on 1/1/2011. So, how could the proprietor say that the price increase happened some time back? Jeng!Jeng!Jeng! Gomen enforcement not doing their job, right?

OK, what the heck, generally, people will think that it is a small increase but there are other cost of essentials that have gone up tremendously. One in particular that comes in my mind is the cooking gas which is RM 28.00 per tank today. BTW, have you looked into the cooking oil pricing lately? You haven't , right? I've got news for you and when you scroll further down, the facts will be unveiled. Anyway, the last time our family paid for cooking gas tank was at RM 22.50 which was not too long ago! I seriously don't know if you realised it or not but everything seemed to be spiralling upwards like we are a bunch of rich citizens in our aristocratic country.

Well, something is extremely wrong when prices goes up and the public have to bear the brunt or rather a bulk of that increase. Look at the prices of garlic today and it was announced not too long ago that my favourite meat, the pork, is going to have an increase in price due to shortages for the coming festive season! Shortage, shortage, shortage [ tearing out some hairs! ] , my foot! Some idiotic people are making money somewhere is all I can say! Every time a price increase is due, it will be the same excuses - feed shortages-lah, feed getting expensive-lah, vegetables didn't grow properly-lah, ground infested with chemicals-lah, rainy season-lah, hot season-lah, sea very rough-lah, shortage of ice-lah, insecticide and pesticide price increase-lah, packaging material increase-lah, fuel price increase-lah , labour cost goes up-lah, transportation cost goes up-lah, government policy-lah and so many other reasonings & a bunch of flowery excuses. Try giving these excuses to the PM and asked him to bear the brunt of the cost increase, please!

For those sceptics who says this increase is small and unavoidable, well, I did my homework and checked at Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan site for Senarai Harga Barang Kawalan. Here are some interesting fact for you to digest and digress.

Sugar - Priced at RM 2.10 [ Coarse ] and RM 2.20 [ Fine ] - increase of 20sen since 4/12/2010
Petrol - RON95 [ RM 1.90 ] , Diesel [ RM 1.80 ] & LPG [ RM 1.90 ] - increase 5 sen since 4/12/2010
Flour - RM 1.35 per kg meaning RM 1,350.00 per tonne [ So, how come bread price goes up,huh?]
Cooking Oil [ Pure Palm Oil ] - RM 13.35 for 5kg
Cooking Oil [ Palm Oil Mixture ] - RM 14.70 for 5kg
The following is more interesting:-
Steel - Price cap off on 12/5/2008 [ We can't eat steel ! ]
Chicken - Price cap off on 1/6/2008 [ Didn't see chicken price drop-leh!]
Cement - Price cap off on 5/6/2008 [ We can't swallow cement either! Probably more important for the Mafias for their execution jobs ! ]
Condensed Milk - Price cap off on 1/4/2009 [ Interestingly, we can't feed babies with this and teh tarik keep increasing in price! ]
White Bread - Price cap off on 1/1/2011 [ No wonderlah, the bread slices at Hainanese coffee shops keep increasing ! ]

See....you get what I mean? Where is the enforcement? Everyone can spew all hell and fury over the need to cut cost and the burdensome worry of the rakyat and speak till the saliva frothed and dribbled over the mouth but my question simply this : Where is the enforcement part of the gomen? So, do we, the tax payers, have to put up with price increase every now and then while the enforcement officers asks " apa macam boleh settle?"

I bet you can see my voting bend in the coming elections. Oh! How I wish it would come soon so that I can put a big sure "X" at the ballot papers. Ah! I am a kacang putih voter-lah. No need to worry about us, right? Well, to the leaders of our nation today please, please, continue to overlook kacang putih voters like us. We don't make much difference-lar........

Friendship mechanics....

Reflecting on friendships that I have made over the years, I must say that I have been tremendously blessed both at work and in my personal life. I am very glad with really blessed friends whom I have taken into my family circle and they stay very treasured in a special place in my heart. Sure, I made some mistakes along the way on people whom I have known and cared for all these years too but it doesn't dampened my spirit to say that they are still friends of mine but the feeling would be different. I hold no grudge nor any personal vendetta towards anyone but relationship/friendship just won't be the same anymore. Lord, forbids, I don't hate anyone; just those who really take advantage of our friendship, goodness and hospitality and turn them into a nightmare more scary than David Koresh mass suicide or Elm Street debacle! I don't hate them, really but just felt letdown. I had an experience like that recently. Though many had comforted me and sought that I shake off such notions, the very fact is that I can't do it if I don't address it. It hurt me, my family and my family friends whom I treasure a lot. This is not an issue of poking fun at someone or making that person or this person inferior or insulting the person's level of intelligence or even hurting anyone for that matter just for fun. A fact is a fact. This has nothing to do with starting a warfare of words, actions or bludgeoning people's heart and smearing the fun of a really good adventure with a ward of dung aftermath. It has everything to do with standing up for what is right and stopping the nonsensical mentality.
I believe deeply with all my heart that there is NEVER an intention of malice or ill feeling intended by far by anyone. It is just that when you spin stories after stories after a good outing- that ticks me off completely. How could one called a friend laughed so much, ate at the same table, share the same food, posed for fun filled time, took part in activities happily and had so much fun - came back and spin stories of unhappiness, bullying or even started shouting/mouthing vendettas. Tsk!Tsk!Tsk! It is not only very perplexing, hurting, total disrespect but blatantly outright selfish. If wanting attention is the main reason for the spin off of such blatant misfits, then, I suggest Ayurveda treatment for the brains! The other perplexing thing is that how could one actually get mad with the entire group of friends when travelling in a group. Sure, I made mistakes when I was in a group not because I am senselessly insensitive but because I am who I am - an imperfect human being. So were the rest of the group of people, I guess, if I or any other person in the world are perfect today, then , God would have to work overtime to return earlier than expected and all of us would have been raptured by now! Some to cooler places while some to hotter places, right? Look, we are all imperfect human beings. But to spin stories after stories that the people are insensitive to feelings, couldn't care less and what not , well, that is really far far out from the actual reasoning for anger and story spinning like a spoilt brat stuffed in an adult body. Look, travelling in a group has it's difficulties - logistically but always a fun thing. There is always a need of balance and a lot of "give and take" attitude when one does group travelling. Well, to be perfectly honest, I still bear the teasings and all the remarks after all these years because friends don't get hurt by such things! It only strengthens our level of respect for one another and maturity in group dynamics. It is a point of conversation and at the same time, a reflection of our silliness sometimes in which I find amusing too because we all make mistakes. There is NEVER malice intended when friends teased each other but the most important of all is to have the right attitude. In fact, it strengthens and deepened relationships and made it stronger because of this. Anyway, if any of writing today is offensive or my actions are an offence to any of you then, I apologised sincerely but don't get cocky nor proud because apology is meant sincerely from the heart and not to boost up your pride or in any way say that you are right in story spinning ways or you are right in your childish tantrums. If that is the reason for you to get your apology through throwing of childish tantrums then I must be the very first to disappoint you because only true friends apologised from the heart.

Sometimes, I stand dumbfounded when people don't see this at all. To caution someone, to speak louder to someone or even to advise someone sometimes in a harsh overtones are NOT meant to belittle or to say anything less about that person or a test of that person's intelligence. In fact, I am told that I am SOPWD but who cares anyway. I have been called worst names before, anyway. I may not have an academic degree to my name or sometimes a.k.a. the "boh tuck chek" fella but I believe, I have reacted far better than the ones with an academic degree or the "tuck chek" people! Not all anyway- just a comparison-lar! There are really still many nice "tuck chek" people around!

I don't mince my words when I write what I feel and this time is no different. I really really felt very letdown by such mentality. My late dad used to tell me this: "The coin had two sides, son. Always give a chance to others even to the ones that hurt you." Personally, I know Dad is wise not because he had a string of degrees to his name but because he has a firm and caring heart. I think, he is wise eventhough he was in the category of silly old people without degree rapsheet! The very same rapsheet I am in right now or being labelled as! My last words on this matter : GOD, in all His might and splendour, would not even lift a finger to help you if you would not want to help/change yourself ! Take a nice cup of tea, sit in a corner, take a good look at yourself, reflect the times and go figure it out!~

BTW, my inspirational proverb for the day is this : Whoever eat the peppers , remember to drink lots of warm water -not the cold ones! Cold water is always a temporary relief. It is the wam water that soothes the heat!~

Me...I am done!~