wandering wonders

Adventure in Laos (1 of 7)

2009-02-05T00:20:00.017+08:00

Sabaidii ("Hello" in Lao). Photos of Lao kids' pastime:

Muddy buddy time

Mudslide - Natural slide!

Playing tali getah

Playing with doggies

Baby riding piggyback on his sister

Weaving attap roof

Playing masak-masak! Deja vu :p

Fishing

Climbing trees. Look closer... there are actually two kids on the tree.

Lovely kids!

The kids' life are so carefree! Nature is their playground. Strong and happy they are.

Fellow city folks, let's let kids be kids - Give them all the quality playtime they deserve so that they too will have their own memorable childhood to cherish just like most of the 80's city kids. :p

Love you! Thank you!

2008-12-25T23:50:00.006+08:00

My lengthy blog entry on Gratitude has lost. Accidentally deleted it. Could't retrieve it. *Sigh* Anyway, it's ok because I can't undo it anyway. So, I must be more mindful the next time lor.

Basically, in that blog entry I've long lists of people whom I sincerely honour & love (the lists encompass the whole lot of young & not-so-young, near & far wondrous people whom I've crossed path with through Tzu Chi, KCBA, Incovar, school, tuitions, college, office, at random and even at home!) ^_^

You & many others are in my lists. I've thought about You today and here's wishing You a Blessed Christmas, a Joyous Holiday and a Fabulous Year 2009 which brings gifts of Joy, Peace & Love always. =)

With Metta!
*Hugs*

Outstanding blog entries

2008-09-20T17:12:00.007+08:00

It's not about outstanding entries but it is about outstanding entries. I mean not outstanding as in "prominent or distinguished in excellence"; but outstanding as in "still not done". Ok, lame as usual. :p

List of my outstanding entries:

Humanitarian relief in Myanmar (Cyclone Nargis) : 25 - 28 Jul 2008
Skytrex adventure at Bukit Cahaya : 30 Aug 2008
White water rafting at Sungai Kampar : 31 Aug 2008
Resignation and retraction of resignation (LoL) : Aug 2008
Medical outreach at Tanjung Sepat : 1 Sept 2008
Backpacking at Laos : 11 - 16 Sept 2008

Always wanted to update this dear blog... but been too busy lah (Common excuse... hehe). Every weekday, weeknight and weekend have been fully occupied doing this & that, going here & there, attending this & that. Excuses. :D

On a separate matter, Wedding Bells are ringing. Not mine, though. :p

Warmest Congratulations to:

Brian Ng & Ng Shenn Min (my ex-coursemate and colleague) : 27 Sept 2008
Chong Lee & Tan Mui Sim (my colleague) : 27 Sept 2008
Jason Wong & Cheok San San (my kalyana mitra) : 11 Oct 2008
Mrs. LJF & Lim Ji Fong (my kalyana mitra) : 27 Dec 2008
John Hew & Chua Shin Lee (my kalyana mitra & ex-schoolmate) : 3 Jan 2009
BK and Soo Fook Ming (my kalyana mitra) : 7 Mar 2009

Wees are lovable!

2008-07-11T00:26:00.002+08:00

Just after my TMC meeting which ended at 10.30pm today, I received an sms from my sister:

Che : Dearest mei, we left some fruits for you in the fridge. Happy eating. Good night! :)
Me : Ok. Thank u weery much. :-)

Then, brother also sent smses:

Boi : Mei, remember to eat the fruits when u r back, specially prepared.
Me : Ok. Thank u weery much. :-)
Boi : Most welcomee!

Wee Leng & Kim Wee = The Wees. Wees are lovable! Not because they do me favours... but so much more! Their thoughtfulness. Their genuine care and concern. Their unconditional love.

Mee Leng (me! =D) is so blessed to have such great siblings! By the way, Boi even offered to wash the plate after I finished the fruits. Well, if Che was awake, she would offer to do the same too! Anyway, I insisted on washing the plate myself 'coz they have been too nice already - always!

By the way, Mom is thaaaat tooooo nice too... especially to us - the wees and mee. However, the wees and mee have been mindful (but still can be even more mindful) in doing what we could do and what we should do because we should not, could not and would not want to take her niceness for granted.

Blood donation

2008-04-07T22:33:00.000+08:00

In collaboration with the National Blood Centre, Tzu Chi is organising a blood donation drive at Jusco Bukit Tinggi this Sunday (13 April 2008) from 10.30am to 3.30pm.

I'll be assisting at the registration counter. First time. Excited & looking forward to it. :)

Mari, mari... save lives by donating blood.

Spring cleaning & ang pows

2008-03-20T01:02:00.006+08:00

Spring Festival = Chinese New Year (CNY).

This is definitely a loooonnnggg delayed post as today is already the 43rd day of CNY. Yes, I did my maths and counted : 43. Haha, ok, yes, there's no such thing because Spring Festival only lasts for 15 days.

Before CNY
Every year, the period before CNY is the best time for my house. It gets its annual makeover -- a necessary drastic one. Every year, my family and I somehow manage to turn the house downside up (opposite of upside down ;)) with our magical spring cleaning skills. Thank goodness for CNY -- at least all mess are carefully cleared once a year.

My sister was in Dubai before CNY & during CNY this year. I missed her (because I had to do more cleaning in her absence. Haha.) The period before CNY is the time when I sometimes wished I had more siblings -- Wee Leng and Mee Leng, plus Fee Leng, Pee Leng, Kee Leng, See Leng, etc. :D

Well, it's not that bad lah actually. Spring cleaning is definitely a good form of exercise, right?!

After CNY
Ang pows (red packets). I like my mom's idea of ang pow sharing. Every year, my siblings and I would pool all our ang pow earnings and then divide it into three equal portions. We genuinely disregard how much our respective initial earnings are. Ang pow earnings are extras anyway.

If you have kids, try instilling this practice among them. It teaches them to be unselfish. It allows them to appreciate the beauty of sharing. :)

"May the year of rat brings you happiness and health, peace and prosperity, and lotsa love and laughter." (Received this via sms from CL during CNY. I like the alliterations - h & h, p & p, l & l.) ^_^

Don't give in, don't give up

2007-12-17T00:17:00.000+08:00

"... don't give in and don't give up..."

That's part of the many words of wisdom IA imparted to me in dealing with striking opportunities that come by. Her words always leave positive impact on me. :)

"...don't give in and don't give up..."

It sounds simple but profound to me. It's been a week since she said it but it's still lingering in my mind as I keep thinking over and about it. :D

"...don't give in and don't give up..."

This I will, IA. Thanks :)

Lata Kinjang Waterfalls

2007-11-12T21:44:00.000+08:00

The sight of any waterfall is therapeutic by itself. :)

When Xue and I were driving up to Cameron (5 months ago! haha), we decided to "detour" to explore Lata Kinjang Falls. It's near Chederiang, Perak. It's about 20 mins from the North-South Expressway Tapah exit. From the Tapah exit, just follow the signboards that say "Chenderiang". The way to the fall is kinda clearly signposted. :)

Nothing that extraordinary about Lata Kinjang waterfalls... but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth going there. It's one of the highest waterfalls in Malaysia and also one of the most easily accessible waterfalls.

Spectacular sights of the falls - cascading 850m down rocky terrain.

Xue wushu-ing.

Me - In an uncreative pose. Haha. :D

Caving adventure

2007-10-28T00:53:00.000+08:00

Some photos of our 3 hours caving @ Gua Tempurung in July 2007:-

Entering the cave

Walking

Bending as cave ceiling drops low

Wading

Exploring

"Swimming" (don't be deceived... the water level was wayyyyy too shallow for swimming!) :D

Leng chai (coincidentally, he's my sis' Columbian colleague)

Approaching a pit which leads to another crawlway

Duck-walking

Crawling

Army crawl

Looking at exotic cave formation

Roomy area of the cave

Sliding down about 8 metres

Sliding

Chimneying

Climbing up, squeezing between big rocks

Emerging from a hole

Climbing steps towards exit

If you're going to explore Gua Tempurung, go for the Grand Tour - nothing less. It's the best yet still decent. It's decent as in not as dangerous or as tough as one may think - Simply because even a 12-year-old and a 50-year-old could do it. =) Go for it! :)

Pale Blue Dot

2007-10-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

Pale Blue Dot refers to the famous photo of our Earth taken from a distance whereby Earth is just as big (or as small) as a speck of dust.

It's also the title of a book written by Dr. Carl Sagan - the world's most famous astronomer. His book expands on the following:-

Reflections on a Mote of Dust

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." - Dr. Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)

Nothing beats having Dr. Carl reading the above to us. Click here to listen.

I find the above very meaningful, like it & wanna share it - So, it's here! =)

Thanks Win for sharing it with me today :) Coincidentally, today is the day Malaysia sends her first astronomer to space. Haha. :D

Nation Building Dialogue

2007-08-31T08:22:00.000+08:00

Wf, Hx & I had the privilege to attend the Nation Building Dialogue @ Sunway University College on 30 Aug 2007 in conjunction with our 50th Merdeka anniversary. Thanks Ed for telling us about it.

During the dialogue, Tun Dr Mahathir (our former PM) and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (former President of MCA and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia) were supposed to give a special address on "Experiences, Struggles and Lessons from the Past". Unfortunately, both weren't present due to medical reasons. Tun Dr M was discharged from IJN recently and was advised to avoid 'emotional excitement'. :-(

Nonetheless, I learned a lot from the other 5 distinguished panel speakers on "Building a United Malaysian Nation". :) Here are some details on what the speakers shared (based on what i understood, if i understood correctly) :

Toh Puan Uma Sambanthan (Wife of former MIC President, Tun VT Sambanthan)

She lives near the surau. Every morning she hears the loud Azan prayers. She doesn't let the loud Azan prayers "disrupt" her peace of mind. Instead, she took it as a reminder for herself to pray in her own way and be grateful to the Almighty for all the blessings. We should do the same - Take it as a reminder to say our own prayers too. By doing so, we will also be respecting our Muslim friends at the same time. :)
As Merdeka came along, her parents taught her about freedom - the meaning of independence.
In being an effective parent in this modern era, she negotiates with her daughter instead of telling her what to do.
As a parent/senior citizen/politician/statesman/etc, one should never blame the younger generation for not being filial/patriotic/grateful if one does not lead by example.

Toh Puan delivered her speech in a wise yet humble motherly manner. She related many insightful & interesting personal stories about herself and her late husband who was one of the Founding Fathers of Malaysia.

Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Simon Sipaun (Vice Chairman of SUHAKAM and former Sabah State Secretary)

The melody of a love song called Terang Bulan (Moon Shine) is used as the melody of our national anthem - Negaraku. :) He first sang it just before he left school in 1957.
Patriotism is something that is in the mind that comes from the heart; not from slogans (especially misleading ones) and etc.
The mother of all problems in Sabah is the overwhelming numbers of refugees and illegal immigrants. They have outnumbered the Sabahans. Detention centres are not solving the problem.
His hopes for the nation include:

The real value of RM must be realised in all government expenditure.
To have more statesmen instead of politicians.
To have a standard of good governance.
To eliminate the need to indicate race or religion on any forms. Celebrate human commonality.
To create a Minister of Indigenous Affairs.
The right to own land on ancestry rights should be respected.
To have a more equitable distribution of economic wealth.
Poverty has no border. Hence we should attack it at source.
To have a multicultural government.

Tan Sri Simon's 15 minutes speech was indeed short enough to attract attention but long enough to cover the vital parts - as what he intended it to be. He injected lotsa elements of humour. He is an entertaining speaker who nevertheless effectively delivered a profound speech. :)

Dr Chandra Muzaffar (President of JUST / International Movement for a Just World)

We must look ahead in a sober and rational manner.
Some websites claim that Malaysia is a total failure, a complete disaster. In his opinion, no thinking person can accept that.
Malaysia is one of the most successful colonial countries. We have:

Inter-ethnic peace.
Cultural diversity at street level!

He pays tribute to a group of Malaysians who are seldom praised - Our Policemen. Though some of them are corrupted, they contribute largely to the peace that we enjoy. Their sacrifice for the nation is important. Btw, some police live below the poverty line!
In 1950s, KL only has 4.5% Malays. Now, KL has at least 40% Malays. Since non-Malays dominate the economic activities in KL, if the Malay population didn't grow in KL, we would have been on the brink of disaster during the 1997 economic crisis.
We are still in a sad state of socio-economic disparity. To combat this, the 'losing ones' should have a greater vigour in fighting competition.

Dr Chandra is very articulated. He speaks with an influential air of confidence. He doesn't address us using "ladies and gentlemen"; he said "friends" instead. :) He is wheelchair bound... when he was wheeled into the hall, I thought he was Stephen Hawkings! At one glance, he looks like Stephen Hawkings from the side. I was not the only one who thought so.

Reverend Dr Hermen Shastri (Secretary-General of Council of Churches Malaysia)

Let's celebrate Unity in Diversity!
Interfaith dialogue in Malaysia is not in a good state (yet) in terms of effectiveness.
As we are multi-racial and multi-religious, the interfaith commission is important in resolving dispute while preserving peaceful co-existence.

Ambiga Sreenevasan (President of Malaysia Bar Council)

Federal Constitution is a contract between the government and the citizen. It was carefully drafted after a long process of negotiation and compromise.
As such, every leader and politician must read and understand the Constitution wholly to ensure that they make responsible statements.
There should be no silent re-writing of the Constitution.
After 50 years of independence, politicians should not treat us like children. They must trust that we can handle sensitive issues. It will be stormy initially, but that will subside as open discussions go on.
We should be a secular state.
Our strength lies in our diversity.

Tan Sri Dato' Dr Ramon V. Navaratnam (Chairman of Centre for Public Policy Studies at ASLI)

After 50 years of Merdeka, we are at a major National Crossroad. Which Jalan or Road are we taking?

Jalan Adil - Our PM's road to the future. A road to Fairness for all Malaysians.
Jalan Ketuanan - The road of Dominance. Dominate with race and religion.
Jalan Tidak Apa - The road of Indifference. Accept all trends and development since there is nothing much that can be done to change or improve the future.
Jalan Keluar - The Exit. Being fed-up with uncertainty and fear, just migrate!

We cannot do much as individual citizens, but we can exert some influence collectively.
Hence, he urged the 5 million unregistered voters to register (urgently!) to vote and vote wisely.

Lastly, the following are what I've gathered from the Q&A Session

Q: The culture of corruption is widespread. It has become an unspoken rule. How to stop corruption?
A: Corruption is like a dirty floor. We cannot clean a dirty floor with a dirty mop.

Q: Federal Constitution is of utmost importance for the nation. When issues go wrong, we must fall back to the Constitution. So, why aren't students and the public being educated about it?
A: It's an inevitable weakness which is needed to safeguard the top-down notch.

Q: Does the public has access to the Federal Constitution?
A: Yes. View it at: www.malaysianbar.org.my

Q: The New Economic Policy (NEP) aims to reduce the disparity between the Chinese minority and the Malay majority. After so many years, the disparity is still obvious. Why?
A: NEP is a Never Ending Policy. :p It has good intention but bad implementation.

Q: Our fathers feel proud to serve the government. Civil servants were the elite those days. It is not at all popular anymore. What happened?
A: There is no equality in opportunity and promotion.

Q: How are ministers appointed? Some are disgracefully underqualified. Some don't appear to know what they are talking about.
A: Ministers are not necessarily the brightest with the highest IQ. However, they are appointed because they are popular, have connections and are influential.

HAPPY MERDEKA!

Alive with a life

2007-08-28T21:08:00.000+08:00

Recent so-called "happenings":

21 Jul : Caving adventure @ Gua Tempurung
22 Jul : Cave hopping and makan-makan in Ipoh
22 Jul : Choir performance @ 'Gratitude Night'
25 Jul : Experienced flying Boeing 747-400! Amazing MAS simulator. :)
4 Aug : College best buddy's birthday! =)
7 Aug : Of orchids and frangipani
12 Aug : Medical & dental outreach service for Burmese refugees
17 Aug : Dream a Little Dream - An evening with AirAsia Tony Fernandes
18 Aug : OJA's darling Kate Lynn's full moon makan
19 Aug : (LC = WL)+ (HX = KW) + M + D + m = ^-^ Happy day. :)
23 Aug : TM eval contest
25 Aug : Malaysia International Fireworks Competition (MIFC) @ Putrajaya
26 Aug : Floria Putrajaya (Flower and Garden Festival) - Lovely!!
28 Aug : On leave to run errandssss. Productive day! :-)

Activities/events to look forward to:

29 Aug : Hero Chew's surprise birthday makan
30 Aug : Nation Building Dialogue @ Sunway
2 Sep : On duty @ free clinic. EK coming along - YaY!! =)
3 Sep : The making of angku, fried sesame balls and kuih lapis :-)
5 Sep : Sign language class
8 Sep : IMU carnival
8 Sep : 'The Secret' show and talk @ BGF
9-16 Sep : Beijing ^-^

Sounds like I've retired, eh?! Haha... :D
Well, the peak period at work is over for now. *phew~* ^_^

Never look down on anybody

2007-08-16T00:19:00.000+08:00

"Never look down on anybody unless you are helping them up."
-Jesse Jackson-

Source: The back of a t-shirt I bought from Sukhihotu. :-)

One Dollar

2007-07-17T22:38:00.000+08:00

I spent the first week of May 2007 with Xue and his family in Siem Reap,

Cambodia

Riel is Cambodia

’s local currency. However US dollars are generally used in all transactions – from accommodation to transportation to food and admission fees to temples.

In Siem Reap, many young, adorable, poor children sell one dollar items everywhere. It is common to see kids roaming the Siem Reap streets approaching tourists to buy one dollar items. Here are four of my one-dollar-related encounters:-

Encounter 1

Outside Angkor Wat, an eight-year-old girl asked me, “Lady, you wanna buy postcards? 10 for only one dolla.”

Then she went “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.” as she counted each one.

She pleaded, “Please buy. Only one dolla. Please help. Only one dolla.”

Looking at her condition and expression, I didn’t have the heart to turn her down. Afterall, she was just helping her poor family to make a living.

Encounter 2

Near the Bayon Temple, another little girl approached me, “Lady, you wanna buy bracelets? Three for one dolla."

"I need money to go to school. How about 10 postcards for only one dolla…. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.” She smiled with hope.

I smiled in return and asked her, “How old are you?”

“Seven,” she said.

I was shocked because she has the height of a three-year-old! She looks fragile.

Then she asked, “Where are you from?”

I replied, “

Malaysia

.”

She prompted, “You mean Kuala Lumpur?”

I nodded.

Then she went, “Satu, Dua, Tiga, Empat, … (up to Sepulah)” as she counted the postcards again.

That was Malaysia's national language. I was impressed! I then found out that she took the initiative to learn up 1 to 10 in 19 languages including Mandarin, French, Japanese and Korean… just to spark conversations with tourists! Imagine that... she's only seven!

Encounter 3

In a restaurant, a nine-year-old boy came to our makan table and again, “Lady, look! Nice postcards of

Cambodia

sceneries. You can give them to your friends. Only one dolla for 10.”

I had to say no because I had bought enough postcards.

He paused, smiled and then turned to Xue and asked, “You wanna play tic-tac-toe with me? If you win, I give you one postcard. If you lose, you give me one dollar and I give you 10 postcards.”

Such an enterprising kid he was!

We didn’t want to 'gamble' with him, so we said no.

He persisted and said, “If you win, I will leave. If you lose, you buy, ok?”

Cambodian kids are creative. They are potential successful sales personnels.

Encounter 4

As we “cruised” around the Tonle Sap floating market on a 10-men tongkangboat, a teenaged girl rowed her small run-down boat towards our boat. Her boat slowly touched our boat slightly. Then, she held the side of our boat with her left hand and held a tray of cold canned drinks on her right hand.

She said, “Hot day. Cold drinks. Only one dolla for one.”

Her boat was exposed to the burning heat from the sun and it was almost tearing apart. In contrast, our boat had shed and cushion seats.

On one hand, I wanted to buy a canned drink from her simply because I sympathised with her. One dollar can meet her day’s needs. Afterall, she was not plain begging. She puts effort to sell something to make a living.

On the other hand, I didn’t want to buy any canned drink from her because firstly, I didn’t need a drink at that moment. Secondly, I usually avoid carbonated drinks and thirdly, one dollar for one canned drink is expensive! One dollar dilemma. Would you buy??

Conclusion

Some say that we shouldn't buy postcards/bracelets/etc from those children in

Cambodia

. Otherwise, they will continue to be used or misused to earn for their families; and there will be no end to “child labour”. If we want to help them, we should help by donating to the right channels.

On the contrary, some argued that it is alright to buy postcards/bracelets/etc from those children because we will surely make their day, draw smiles on their faces, and allow their families to get by the day easier. Instant positive impact - isn't that good?

Having said that, would you buy any postcards from those children? In my opinion, neither is completely right nor wrong.

What is one dollar to us? What is one dollar to those poor Cambodians? When we spend one dollar, they earn one dollar. We will be one dollar poorer while they will be one dollar richer. However, being one dollar poorer can hardly ever affect our standards of living in any way; while one dollar richer can make a significant difference to a poor fellow Cambodian for a day or two.

The real value of one dollar in the hands of a poor Cambodian is significantly higher than the real value of one dollar in our hands.

Respect books

2007-04-16T00:41:00.000+08:00

Noted the following from the walls of Borders @ Times Square today:-

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends, they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors and the most patient of teachers."
-Charles W. Eliot

"Books are the carriers of civilisation. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought & speculation at a standstill."
-Barbara Tuchman

By the way, "...respect books..." was the theme for 2006 World Book Day.

Mongkang (blur)

2007-03-26T09:00:00.000+08:00

Signs of overworking which I've experienced:

I dialled "9" before making an outgoing call from home. Hey ML, you only need to do that when making calls from office phone. :D
When I was just about to wake up on a Sunday morning, mom asked what I wanted to makan for breakfast. Rightaway I said, "Page 7". One minute after that, I burst out laughing when I figured out why my mom was laughing hysterically. :D
While I was talking to a client over the phone@work, I wanted to type a few figures onto an Excel spreadsheet. I "typed" on the phone keypad instead of the keyboard! :D

ML definitely needs to cultivate mindfulness. *Taking a deep breath and wondering if there are any effective shortcuts to do so* :) Ah, just be mindful lah. :)

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (7 of 7)

2007-01-23T23:21:00.000+08:00

Overwhelming hospitality

Too many commisioners ushered us upon arrival at the Taipei airport - as though we were the world's most distinguished VVIPs!

FYI, we are novice volunteers. On the other hand, the commisioners who greeted us are experienced volunteers who have vowed to dedicate their life to voluntary missions! They sang welcoming songs, clapped rhythmically and smiled naturally all the way. Warm & touching experience.

The commisioners even transported our luggages from the airport to the bus, then from the bus to right outside our respective dorms - all to our surprise. There were over 100 luggages to be sorted to more than 10 dorms. Everything was done swiftly and orderly 'behind the scene' (i.e. with hardly anyone's notice).

Upon our arrival at every Still Thought Halls (i.e. Tzu Chi centres), we were also given the warmest possible welcome by the commisioners - Different groups of commisioners at every centre, but they were equally genuinely loving and warm hearted. Hard to believe, but it's true. Their sincerity was felt beyond doubt! :)

When departing from every centre, they sang goodbye songs & waved goodbye with both hands non-stop until we stepped into the bus. From the bus, we waved with gratefulness in return - that's the least we could do. They continued waving with both hands until our bus was beyond sight.

Even when it rained, the commisioners held an umbrella each and stood in a line such that the umbrellas formed a shelter for us from the bus right up to the doorstep of the Still Thought Hall! :) Creative, eh?! I was utterly impressed!

The commisioners not only cared for the community. They truly cared for fellow volunteers too. Every small detail was cared for - in food preparation and food decoration to daily programme to comfort everywhere. The Taiwanese Tzu Chi members are simple people who project the typical vibrant spirit of Tzu Chi volunteers in everything they do. Everything that they do is perfect; nothing could be better. They are examplary. What are their secrets? Perhaps it's their passion. They just do all that they could do in the best possible manner with downright sincere big loving heart!

Back in Taiwan we were indeed at home with so many unconditionally loving family members. Lovely! They form a big part of a blissful paradise on earth.

Special volunteers

She can't walk unaided as she has lost a foot. However, that never prevented her from being committed in Tzu Chi recycling activities.

For this volunteer, if it takes 10 minutes for a normal person to walk to a place but it may take 10 hours for her, she will still walk because she will reach the destination too. :)

She is blind due to glaucoma. Despite her blindness, with strong determination she has learnt to differentiate various types of bottles by feeling the bottle shape & bottle cover & bottle print. Hence, she is able to assist in segregating bottles based on their respective quality for recycling.

PS: Photos courtesy of Bro WFC

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (6 of 7)

2006-12-20T00:00:00.000+08:00

This post covers two areas: Recycling Centres and Still Thought Halls.

(1) Recycling Centres
Recycling centres are what they are normally known; but Tzu Chi calls them environmental protection centres. These centres are carefully built by volunteers themselves.

Creative, economical and environmental friendly.

This centre was built on cleared bamboo groove. Bamboos from the groove were not trashed; they were fully used to build the ceiling and the wall of the centre!

They even used recycled materials to build the centre - i.e. materials salvaged from dismantled temporary shelters which were built for 9/21 earthquake victims.

Bicycle rims recycled to form stairs railing at one of the environmental protection centres!

Grounds are laid with unattached interlocking blocks whereby rainwater can sip through the gaps of the blocks and then chanelled from the ground to the toilets flush!

A bike decorated with brand-new-looking recycled toys. As this bike goes rounding in the village, every kid who contributes an item for recycling will get a toy in exchange. They can choose their toys.

These aren't ordinary stacks of newspapers. These newspapers have been neatly folded in two-plies into two halves. This increases the value of the newspapers by three times when they are sold to fruits/vegetables sellers.

This chart shows how PET spun bottles (most mineral water bottles are PET spun, i think) are processed to produce spun yard fibres for blankets and soft toy stuffing. They can be further processed into synthetic fabric.

(2) Still Thought Halls (Jing Si Tang)
Still Thought Halls are activities centres of Tzu Chi.

The Halls are simple yet majestic and serene. Impressive architecture! The halls are ever so clean and neat! Thanks to the team of dedicated volunteers there.

The design of Still Thought Halls highlights nature's beauty. The delightful view of ground-and-sky can be savoured from various angles.

(Not in pic: The surrounding landscaping brings out relax and calm feelings)

Note how glass panels (roof and windows) are affixed wherever appropriate to optimise the use of natural sunlight - to save electricity.

By the way, this particular hall has the shape of Tzu Chi's logo from a bird's eye view.

A spacious auditorium with twinkling stars on the ceiling.

Prayer hall

Activity hall

Comfy dorm

PS: Five photos of Still Thought Halls courtesy of Bro WFC. :)

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (5 of 7)

2006-12-06T22:10:00.000+08:00

This is 5 of 7, i.e. 2 more posts to go. I still have lots to share... so much so that 2 more "normal-length" posts are not enough to contain everything. Anyway, I'm sticking to 7 cuz I like 7. :) So, I'm cramming three 'sub-topics' here:-

1) Education

Holistic education system. The kindergartens, schools & universities nurture students in special ways that our conventional education system does not do.

In a Tzu Chi kindergarten, the kids were taught to make mooncakes! During a special session in the kindergarten, they presented the mooncakes to their parents and gave their parents a big hug, then served them tea. Tears rolled down from the parents eyes. Whose parents won’t be touched by such gestures?

In Tzu Chi University, students are taught to cultivate good habits. For example, it's compulsory for students to wake up by 8am everyday eventhough they do not have morning classes.

2) Silent Mentors

One significant thing which I never knew until I went to Taiwan is the existence of Silent Mentors. Dead bodies are Silent Mentors. People in Taiwan could pledge to donate their dead bodies for medical research.

Some asked: Why do some people willingly pledge to donate their bodies to medical students? Answer given: They would rather medical students make multiple mistakes on their dead bodies rather than any mistake on a life body. Relatives of Silent Mentors always reassured the medical students not to be afraid because they have the blessings of the Silent Mentors. Moreover, no matter how deep they cut their Silent Mentors, the Silent Mentor will not feel hurt and they are merely helping others.

All Silent Mentors are treated with utmost respect. The life history and researches done on the Silent Mentors are well-documented.

A special memorial service is held at the Gratitude Hall for every Silent Mentor to allow the medical students and the Silent Mentor’s relatives to meet to express mutual gratitude.

Tzu Chi has been getting overwhelming response from potential Silent Mentors. There are approximately 300 donors and 10,000 have pledged to donate their bodies to-date. It goes without saying that bodies of suiciders are never accepted as suicide is frown upon. Unfortunately, Tzu Chi does not accept donation from outside Taiwan due to logistics reasons.

3) Everyone benefited from the Taiwan trip

The activities were inspiring and definitely impactful. Many touching stories and experiences were shared through videos and life speeches with us. I can confidently say that everyone (including all-time machos!) was moved to tears on many occasions. Those who didn't shed any tears must have had forcefully endured brink of tears.

From the video presentations and sharing sessions, we were reminded that reaching out with unconditional love in times of need does make a difference regardless of how simple or complicated a situation could be. The power of Great Love can reveal possibilities in the impossibilities.

Every person-in-need is a teacher to us. There is so much to learn from everyone and everything. There is so much that we can do for the community; depends on how much we wanna do. There is so much meaning to life if everything is done passionately.

As learnt, let us not wait till we are sick to realise how beautiful the world is.

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (4 of 7)

2006-11-29T18:00:00.000+08:00

The Hospitals

Tzu Chi Taipei Hospital is the 1st in the world with an exceptionally strong foundation such that even in the event of earthquake, a major operation could go on!

Photo shows a sample of the foundation structure. It's height is about 3 times of an adult. The base of the Taipei hospital has 30 of this.

Grand piano at a Tzu Chi hospital lobby! A volunteer plays the piano at 9am daily to entertain patients.

On a separate note, Tzu Chi hospitals do not have the typical hospital medicine smell simply because they're immaculately clean. In fact, most of us wouldn't think some hospitals were actually hospitals because they look like five star hotels! They look spanking new too! :)

An informative section of the hospital which gives a glimpse of the hospital's history and successful medical endeavours.

A calming & refreshing view at a hospital garden.

Before I went to Taiwan, I thought Tzu Chi has established only one hospital (i.e. in Hualien). Actually, there are six Tzu Chi hospitals all around Taiwan! Visited four or five of those (err... i lost count).

A few of my friends who studied medicine had the chance to undergo elective training at those hospitals.

Having mentioned all the above, the best assets of Tzu Chi Hospitals (just like other good hospitals) are still its admirable teams of professional doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers who are constantly brimful with Great Love. With genuine human touch, they relieve people of the pain which medicine could not help.

My conclusion on the Tzu Chi hospitals I visited:
Quality hospital environment with the best of medical and nursing care. They live up to Tzu Chi's medical mission of respecting life, saving life and caring for life.

PS: First four photos courtesy of Bro. WFC.

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (3 of 7)

2006-11-23T22:54:00.000+08:00

We had the privilege to be the first to stay in a new dorm in Taoyuan. It has an intelligent design. It's so sophisticated until we needed to learn how to use the bed:-

We can put lotsa things on the attached shelf. On the right & left of the shelf are the cupboards.

Such concept is indeed ideal for hostels/dorms. Hmm... maybe many hostels/dorms already have such beds; just that I didn't happen to see one before.

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (2 of 7)

2006-11-14T22:24:00.001+08:00

Here are among the few photos captured using my camera - six of which were taken during a train journey. Didn't manage to take many photos. So, I'm relying on other brothers and sisters for more & better photos. :)

Brothers & sisters ^_^

Sign language mentor =)

Sign language practice in train (on our way to Hualien) ^-^

Something funny :)

Panaromic view from train (somewhere between Kaoshiung and Hualien)

Fresh home-cooked lunch on train. A team of volunteers prepared it from a distance. We merely collected the food from them at one of the train stops during our 4-hour journey. Most of us expected something simple like fried rice; but we obviously had more than expected! :)

One of the six Tzu Chi General Hospitals :)

Garden park view from the Lotus Ward at Level 6 of a Tzu Chi Hospital. :) Yeah, it's not on ground floor! Lotus Ward is for the terminally ill.

A big and cute English _ Sherperd named Da Bao. Formerly a stray dog. Now a vegetarian dog living comfortably at Hualien Tzu Chi Centre. :)

To Taiwan with Tzu Chi (1 of 7)

2006-11-09T22:35:00.000+08:00

2-8 Nov 2006. A memorable and meaningful week in Taiwan. Journeyed to TzuChi-related places literally around Taiwan - from Taoyuan to Fongyuan to Taichung to Zhanghua to Dalin to Ganshan to Kaohshiung to Hualien to Taipei to Banqiao.

It's a tremendous blessing for having crossed path with GREAT Taiwanese 'boddhisatvas' (divine beings). Gan en (grateful)! Every sze ku, sze po, sze xiong and sze che (i.e. senior teachers, brothers and sisters) were ever genuinely loving and warm hearted, always smiling naturally. They're full of wisdom and compassion. The hospitality they provided was beyond five stars!

The jing si (still thoughts) halls are all simple yet majestic and serene... and ever so clean and neat!

The Tzu Chi hospitals doctors, staff & volunteers are wholeheartedly devoted. Commendable! Quality hospital environment with the best of medical & nursing care.

The environmental protection centres (commonly known as recycling centres) are unique in unimaginable ways!

The activities were all inspiring and definitely impactful. I'm deeply touched by many ppl and things in Taiwan.

The one week in Taiwan was like one week in a blissful heavenly paradise. Gan en!

I shall elaborate on the above in separate blog entries as and when I'm free. :)

Lilo & Stitch

2006-10-27T20:25:00.000+08:00

"Ohana means family; family means nobody gets left behind; or forgotten."

-Memorable quote from Lilo & Stitch-

PS: Artistic work courtesy of my lovely sister, a high profiled madame in an established oil & gas giant who happened to have nothing better else to do to release stress, perhaps. LoL. ^-^

Thanks so-o-o-o-o much, che! Really like your creative work very much!! Couldn't stop smiling & laughing when I first saw them. *big hugs*

I never knew that I could resemble Lilo so much! All the while I thought I was prettier. :p

Hardly study hardly

2006-10-23T02:48:00.000+08:00

C'mon ML, time to buck-up. :-)
Remember, it's worth it! :-)
All the best, ML! :-)

Twists in Bengkok...

2006-10-16T11:13:00.000+08:00

...I mean Bangkok. :D

The four-day EYHCAPACSS (SS in short) was held in Bangkok this year. 17-20 Sept 2006. :)

During SS, we learn/relearn presentation skills, time management, client relationship skills etc and have technical knowledge sharing with our counterparts from other countries.

The Partners who conducted the sessions were GREAT! I admire them a lot for their absolute professionalism - they are technically competent (definitely!); they presented the sessions in toastmasters-champion-like perfection; and most importantly they have great people skills which are so true from within themselves. They praise generously and appropriately; they criticise in a very nice manner thoroughly but constructively and positively. Four days is definitely not long enough to learn enough from them. If ALL my bosses here were like them, workplace would be heavenly mann! Having said that, I must admit that most of my bosses are not bad. :)

SS was an experience money can never buy.... It was so much like those camps I had with my kalyana mitras (spiritual friends) - only difference is that it's business related. After the four-day SS, I was supposed to extend my stay for another two days to visit temples, go shopping, jalan-jalan etc. Unfortunately, I had to come back to Malaysia immediately after my training cuz of the military coup. :-/

I had a pulsating "adventure" in Bangkok on the evening of 19 Sept - the night the coup began. My colleagues and I only knew about the coup after midnight - i.e. after we returned from our "adventure".

It all started like this: Immediately after the training ended for the day, most of us took a cab to MBK, a shopping mall. We spent 2 hours at MBK. :) As MBK closes at 9.30pm, we decided to continue exploring Bangkok. So, we went on a tuk tuk ride to a night market which opens from 9pm to 6am. :)

We reached the night market just before 10pm. Around 10.30pm, it looked like it was going to rain. Most stall owners were pulling huge plastic sheets over their stalls and some just closed their stalls. We tourists thought it was merely because of expected rain, but actually the stall owners already knew about the coup and emergency. At that time, my friends and I were still completely ignorant about the coup. Since it was going to rain, we decided to go back anyway. We tried catching a taxi back to our hotel... but none of the taxi drivers agreed to fetch us back to our hotel. We thought perhaps our hotel was too far away; so we decided to get a taxi to send us just to MBK instead. From MBK, perhaps we could catch another taxi back to hotel.

When we (there were three of us) reached MBK, we tried to get another taxi to send us back to the hotel but unsuccessful. We didn't know why. Without wasting more time, we quickly walked to the nearby skytrain station to catch a train back instead.

As we were walking pass a restaurant, a lady who was pulling down the roller shutters of her shop asked us, "Hey girls, where are you going?".

We told her that we were heading to the skytrain station. She quickly said, "Better be quick. There's curfew and the train station might close soon."

Hearing that, we didn't know whether or not to believe her. Giving her the benefit of doubt, and moreover since it was already drizzling, we walked even faster towards the skytrain station.

When we reached the skytrain station we knew something was not right. :-/ Soldiers were lined up along the staircase towards the station. Soldiers were on our left & right as we were walking up the stairs. Soldiers were stationed at many spots around the train platform. Every soldier was armed with an arm-length rifle! (M16?!) Total quietness. I was shocked. I was worried but wasn't panic because it was peaceful. Peaceful as in no violence, no chaos; just perfect silence. I had scary thoughts of "What If's". What if a soldier opens fire since we were 3 blur foreigners? What if there's no train and we could not go back to hotel? What if we were taken hostage?! What if this, what if that... Oh no Oh no Oh no! My only wish then was to be back to the hotel safely. Yeah, just that. :)

No one else were at the train station besides the 3 of us and another 3 local students. Thank goodness one ticket counter was still open. Thank goodness the soldiers were just there; stationary. Thank goodness the train arrived 10 minutes after that. Thank goodness we had a safe 15 mins walk back to the hotel from the train station nearest to the hotel. Thank goodness we were safe back in hotel at midnight! By the way, train stations close at midnight! Thank goodness everyone was safe. Thank goodness! ^_^

The moment we stepped into our hotel room, we switched on CNN. That was when we found out about the coup. We saw statements like:

"Coup has taken over the Thai prime minister's office"

"14 tanks surrounding the Thai prime minister's office"

"Thai Deputy PM hopes democracy will prevail"

"Thaksin has declared emergency in Bangkok"

"No violence reported so far"

After seeing all that, we understood why taxis refused to fetch us back to our hotel which is in the middle of the city. After that, we were extremely thankful for having safely returned to the hotel!

The hotel receptionist reassured us that there is nothing to be afraid or worry about because there will be no violence at all and basically, the coup just wanted Thaksin to step down. She said there is nothing to fear because it is far from a war. She added that it is the best time to be in Bangkok because it is by far safest with so many soldiers and police around the city. I agree with the receptionist that it is still safe to be in Bangkok at that time but I didn't dare to take the risk & feared there might be flight disruptions (baseless fear? well, maybe).

There and then, I arranged to bring forward my flight home because I'd better not let my dear people at home have sleepless nights because I'm in Bangkok, no matter how safe I think it is. Well, no matter how safe it is, there is no way that I can convince my parents that it is really that safe.

I am still confident that Bangkok is a safe place to visit and will definitely go there again when opportunity comes by. Thinking back (realistically!), it was indeed very safe in Bangkok because there was no violence and the soldiers and tanks were just there, harmless; seriously. Kinda surprising. Well, luckily!! :)

Lepok Waterfalls @ Hulu Langat

2006-09-26T11:59:00.000+08:00

Was there on 16 Sept 2006 (Sat) with 6 others - i.e. Xue, Ed and their friends [now my friends too! :)]. Organised by Ed (a kaki hiker who is also an expert hiker) in thanksgiving and celebration of God healing his knee well. Had loads of FuN - thanks Ed!! :)

It was quite a long hike up. Took an hour plus climbing uphill, but it was worth it! :) As Ed promised, it was indeed the most pristine waterfall most of us have ever seen. The waterfall is about four storey high - with water gushing over broad and smooth boulders which are suitable for sliding. (If you plan to slide, slide with care and caution. MUST wear watersports helmet for this, ok?! Safety first. It was frightening to see some friends sliding down without helmet.) :)

We had three hours of fun at the waterfall itself. Our so-called "warm-up" at the falls was a freezing cold dip (& splash-one-another-crazy) in a 4ft deep natural wading pool. After that, we scrambled up the right side of the falls to reach the midpoint of the falls. At the midpoint, we walked under the falls from the right to the left side of the falls. Water gushed slightly above our heads and curtained us while we were toddling under the falls!! Cool! :)

As it was not possible to descend from the left side of the falls, we had to walk under the falls again to go back to the the right side of the falls. So fun! From there, since it was too steep to scale down the boulders, a few of us slid down the waterfall using Ed's waterpark-standard huge black rubbertube while the others abseiled down the boulders using a rope. By the way, there were ppl abseiling down the waterfall!! So fun!

Thanks to Ed, all of us had the courage and energy to experience such cool adventure! :)

Unfortunately, none of us brought a camera. :-( Anyway, that allowed us to fully enjoy nature's beauty as it is, without thinking about where and when to capture the best shots.

Check these out:
Photos 1 and Photos 2 : Photos of Lepok Falls from Waterfalls of Malaysia website.

^_^

Chief Reverend (1919 - 2006)

2006-09-02T23:01:00.000+08:00

The demise of Chief Reverend is a great loss to the Buddhist community in Malaysia & Singapore. Death is a necessary end. Chief Reverend's departure was a peaceful and timely one as he has lead a complete life - just like the Buddha.

Although Chief Reverend has departed, his talks, advice and numerous publications will continue to illuminate the lives of many people.

I often relied and can always continue to rely on Chief Reverend's writings for invaluable guidance and practical solutions - to counsel me in living life.

Chief Reverend has lived a life of profound wisdom and compassion.

I bow down low to Chief Reverend with deep respect. Maha Sadhu.

Chief Reverand, may you blessed with supreme bliss of Nibbana.

Life story of Chief Reverend: http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Inspiring quote

2006-08-21T22:14:00.000+08:00

"To laugh often & much; To win the respect of intelligent people & the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics & endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, on Success-

Thanks for sharing the above inspiring quote with me, Lauren! :)

Wondrous weekends

2006-08-15T22:45:00.000+08:00

Last weekend:
A former drug addict was invited to share his experiences and aspirations with secondary school children at TzuChi. An informative video on substance abuse was showed. After that, we visited a drug rehabilitation centre at Kapar with the secondary school children.

Recent weekend:
Saturday
(1) Progress test on Adv Tax @ SYUC. Then, went shopping at Subang Parade (since it's so near SYUC and Megasale is on! Bought two formal top.) Hehe... :-)

(2) YS baby's full moon celebration. Tuan YS has been promoted to a daddy! Very happy for him & his wife. :-) Found out that my ex-classmate is YS' cousin! During YS' wedding, I found out that my other ex-classmate is the cousin of YS' wife. That means two of my ex-classmates are actually related - without them realising! :-) Well, I guess all of us are somehow interconnected. Also met two friends from YC2 1995 and a bunch of KCBA laulang. Hehe :-)

Sunday
(1) Visited Kasih Sayang Home (home for special kids) @ Southern Park with 7 others. As usual, the moment the kids saw us, they greeted each of us with a loud cheerful "che che/ko ko", gentle hand shakes & big smiles... and some with hugs! Even before we had the chance to do anything for them, they have made our day instead! You just have to meet them to feel how truly lovely they are! The "Mama" of Kasih Sayang nurtures them with so much love and patience. Every night, she goes to each of their bedside, one by one, hold their hand in her hands and pray for them. She just know what it takes to make the kids feel safe and comfortable. Admirable. It was touching to see a kid simply went up to her and gave her a big hug. Even the kakak of Kasih Sayang gives the kids unconditional love. Whenever she could sense that a kid isn't feeling good, she would spontaneously give the kid a big warm hug & say "Sayang, Sayang you" & very gently swing them left-right-left.

(2) Wonderful Sign Language Musical Drama on "The Profound Parental Love" @ KLCC by Tzu Chi Singapore. Touching moments. Deep meaning of unconditional parental love was conveyed through true stories, meaningful lyrics, beautiful music, expressive gentle body movements and graceful sign language. Creative, impressive and most of all, it was impactful. Although I hardly ever shed any tears watching sob stories, I was moved to tears on many occasions throughout the Musical Drama. True story videos on boundless parental love were also showed - Phua Siblings of Singapore, Leong of Penang & Azmah of Klang. It's a universal truth that all parents love their children unconditionally in many different ways known & unknown to us. Mom & Dad... I can never thank both of you enough for everything. I love both of you lotss!! *Hugs*

Upcoming weekend:
Dialogue on Integrity from the Christian and Islamic Perspectives with Professor Syed Hussein Alatas (former V-C of University Malaya), moderated by Dr Ng Kam Weng & Dr Syed Farid Alatas. Jointly organised by Graduates' Christian Fellowship (GCF) and Oriental Hearts & Mind Study Institute (OHMSI). Looking forward to it.

Angrrrrr...

2006-08-07T23:19:00.000+08:00

At times, I need to remind myself about this:

Aristotle's Challenge
Anyone can become angry - that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - this is not easy.
-Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics

It's about managing emotions with wisdom and intelligence.
It's about reacting with understanding.
It's about being temporarily insane if anger expressed is not justified.

No one can make us feel angry without our consent. :-)

Footie

2006-07-03T23:53:00.000+08:00

When I first saw the logo, I like it cuz the simple happy friendly faces easily bring smiles and warmth! Didn't expect it to be the logo of WC. Kinda unbelievable it is; but then again, why not?! :)

Argentina-vs-Germany was the first football match i've ever watched from the start of the match till the end (don't know whether i should be proud or embarassed about it... haha). It was my first, so I was lucky that it was a full length one -- with extra time and ended with penalty shoot-outs. I know almost nothing about footie but I must say that it's arresting & interesting to note the footballers' agility & skills, superhuman stamina & strength, character & emotions & pressure, and of course their stunning looks too. haha... :D

Visit to Oz: 22/5/06 to 5/6/06

2006-06-19T00:02:00.000+08:00

The trip to Oz was more than a holiday - for some undisclosed reasons.

Just had the time to review the photos and some of the videos taken at Oz. Miss the people, miss the places.

Remarkable people
Absolutely nice & lovely couples like Mr&Mrs KR, K&SF, David & Diane, Peter & Wendy. Witty & warm-hearted genius, NL. Quick-witted & inspiring Dhammafarers like JN & BY. Amazing music whiz, BH. Met all these great ppl for the first time. A privilege and honour indeed - especially since I've heard so much good things about them earlier. =) It goes without saying that getting to meet Song was the best of all! I had a completely enriching & fun time throughout my 5-days stay with Song. There's so much more for me to learn from you. How nice if we can just meet up anytime. :) I wish all of you well & happy always. Sukihotu! :)

Wonderful journey/places
Spectacular 400km journey along Great Ocean Rd. Scenic seascape all along.

Marvellous trip up to Mt Buller.

Four hours of breathtaking scenes along windy Great Alpine Rd - which links Wangaratta (north-east) to Bairnsdale (heart of Gippsland). Alpine Rd weaves through mountains, magnificent forests, farmland, cottages, valleys, rivers & vineyard. Alpine Rd is Oz's highest road. I was totally dazzled when the car went thru the clouds, went higher & above the clouds!! Coming out from the car to see fluffy clouds below is Heavenly. :D Before this, I didn't know cars could bring us up above the clouds like aeroplanes do. :) Fascinating.

All these great journey were made possible because Xue is an adventurous driver, confident, takes calculated risk and instinctively knows his directions. Jalan-jalan around the city on the other hand were very well guided by Song. My parents enjoyed your company a lot, Song! :)

Other places: Bodhivana Monastery, BSV, Royal Botanic Garden, Vic Market, Melb Zoo, Melb Uni, Monash Clayton, Monash Caulfield, Monash Med Centre, Metung scenic lookout, runaround an extensive padang, Traveller's Lodge, UniLodge, St Patrick's Cathedral, Crown Casino, Yarra River Cruise, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, King Cross, Clayton Town, etc.

Fantabulously yummilicious food
NL's mutton, dal, lentils, pumpkin, Song's creamy corn soup, curry chicken, stir-fried vege, scrambled eggs with cheese+milk+corn, boiled eggs and omelettes. Steamboat (perfect for the start of winter!), lemon juice, mamak@RichMaha, vietnamese food, oriental cuisine, variety of cheap large pizzas, cheap yet luxurious buffet@Crown, spanish doughnut, nougats, etc. Btw, food is abundant at Song's place!! Everything is well-stocked! :)

Others
Little stuff that means lots: Tag-along to shop for groceries, going online, typing smses, lazing and relaxing, munching Doritos, talking & laughing & much more.

Wira for sale

2006-06-18T23:20:00.000+08:00

I'm quite reluctant to put this car up for sale cuz I'm so attached to it. I'm contented enough to use it for as long as it can last because it has been reliable, problem free *keeping fingers crossed*, fuel efficient & economical in terms of maintenance.

However, I cannot retain it simply because my parents believe in changing cars every 5 yrs or so.

Specs of the Proton Wira:

1.3 Aeroback (Manual)
June 2000
Metallic grey
1 owner, accident-free
Good condition
Mileage is kinda high (approx 118k km) but serviced regularly & well-maintained
Alloy sport-rims
Auto-lock installed. Everything else is original
RM20k

Interested? Or need more info? Pls e-mail me at cmeel@yahoo.com. If there's no taker by early July, it will go to a 2nd car dealer. :'( Farewell, cherished Wira.

Will blog again soon :)

2006-06-16T08:40:00.000+08:00

Hi hi! =) I've been wanting to blog about some recent 'happenings', but haven't made time to do so yet. Will make time soon... this weekend perhaps... or next week.

Brake for a break

2006-05-16T23:39:00.000+08:00

The nature of my work demands long working hours around March to April, late June and late December.

Sometimes, I stop and wonder if it's worth being overloaded hence gotta overwork - you know, at the expense of family time, sleeping hours and leisure pleasure!! Immeasureable opportunity costs forgone! However, somehow I always get reassured that it's worthwhile - because clients assisted, self enriched, Company profits, self satisfied and the fact that there are actually many 'off-peak' months for every other thing. Fortunately, I get full support and understanding from my loved ones. :-)

On the brightest side, the overtime hours are convertible into leave hours! :-) This is the most rewarding factor to me. Hehe. :-D

Am looking forward to a long leave from 22 May to 6 June. Yippie!! ^_^ Shall be back to work refreshed for the June busy period. :-)

By the way, Happy Wesak/Happy Mother's Day/Happy Teacher's Day/Happy Birthday (where applicable) :-D

Angels @ office car park

2006-04-30T01:00:00.000+08:00

Three incidents below prove my point.

Office parking system: Take ticket upon entry. After work, pay at machine, enter car and exit with paid ticket.

Incident 1
After work, i dipped my hand into the slot of my bag where i always put my parking ticket. Ticket wasn't there. Not surprising... mindless me always leave the ticket in the car. So, i went to the car; but couldn't see the ticket through the windscreen (which i usually did). Then i started wondering where i misplaced it. At that very instance, i found the ticket!! It's outside the driver's door - firmly tucked between the window and the rubber strip which lines the window base. Phew~*wiped sweat*~ :-) The ticket had a few shoe prints and was slightly crumpled - These prove it was actually lying on the floor before an angel picked it up and put it on my car. I wonder who's that angel. So kind of you!! I'm amazed how you could tell the ticket is mine? :) You made my day!! You reassured me that there are real nice people around office! Thanks so much!! :) Come to think of it, anyone could have taken the ticket since it's outside my car... but no one did. Blessings to all kind souls out there. :)

Incident 2
After work. I paid for parking at the machine, hastily took the change (6 fifty-sen coins!) then walked really fast to the car as I was in a hurry. Someone called-out-loud: "Hey Miss! Moi! Moi! Hello Miss! Cik!" I ignored him as i was sure he's just a harmless bored security guard calling me for fun. He walked faster to catch up. He caught up when i reached my car which was parked 50 metres away from the pay-machine.

"You left your ticket at the machine lah! Nah, here is your ticket." he said.

I was very grateful & guilty and went, "Thanks so much, Encik. Terima kasih banyak-banyak for taking all the trouble to walk all the way just to return my ticket to me! Thanksss!! Thanks! Sorry ah! So sorry!"

Lucky me! ^_^

Incident 3
Parking fee is RM7 per day (yes, it's that expensive!). The machine does not accept RM50 notes. Only RM1, 2, 5 and 10.

At the machine, one girl went, "Oh shucks! I only have one RM50. Sigh."

Immediately, the other girl behind her (who's a stranger to her) offered her RM7 and said, "Just take it. I don't have change for fifty but i have enough loose change to pay for yours and mine."

"Which floor are you working at? I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"Ah, don't worry. Don't bother. Just take it (extended her hand with the money and insisted the girl to take the RM7). "

"Huh?! But... how... no lah, cannot...cannotlah."

"It's ok. Someone helped me the same way before. It's my turn to help. (Smiled)"

"Wow! I'm so glad I meet you here! (Beaming with smiles) Thanks a lot! By the way, I'm X".

"I'm Y. Nice meeting you. Have a great week ahead and see ya around! ;)"

Conclusion: Little things like this easily make someone's day. The best thing is when the "infected" person spreads it on sincerely. Spirit of Good Samaritan. Wonderful!!

Wombats say HI

2006-04-17T01:45:00.000+08:00

May your heart be peaceful and free
May your mind be happy
May your body be healthy
May you be well & happy

Same goes to:-
- the people who've cared for u (parents/teachers/relatives)
- your family / loved ones
- your friends & relatives
- someone with "problems"
- all beings

^-^

TAXing Time

2006-04-12T00:03:00.000+08:00

It's the time of the year to file our Malaysian individual income tax return.

Deadline for submission of tax return form and payment:
Friday, 28 April 2006 (for individuals without business income)
Friday, 30 June 2006 (for individuals with business income)

Simplicity

2006-04-01T23:32:00.000+08:00

"Beauty lies in simplicity" -- LCH (college buddy)
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" -- Leonardo da Vinci
"Simplicity is the key to brilliance" -- Bruce Lee

How simple could simple be?
How simple should simple be?

I'm still learning how to be simple without compromising on quality outcome.
Possible?
Why not?

Embrace simplicity! ;-)

Empowering colleagues

2006-03-25T01:46:00.000+08:00

I am lucky! I've met many nice people at workplace... although many significant ones such as the following have left just within year 2005 and early this year:-

AGL - She's an AnGeL. :) She was my mentor who's rich with technical knowledge & wisdom, always care to guide others, extremely patient, warm-hearted, very kind and loving. Her aura resembles a Saint's. It's a privilege that my workstation was beside hers. Everybody loves her!

LWL - Vanilla Coke and Chezzels can make her day. :) A humble counsellor. She's strikingly sincere and downright honest. Once, another colleague who was reversing LWL's car accidentally hit & slightly dented another car. Question: Who would leave her contact number on that dented car so that the victim could contact her for compensation? LWL did! I was impressed and inspired by her! :) Oh yah, she's also a technology pro. I admire her expertise in using and creating all sorts of canggih tech tools. I wish I had learned more from her before she left.

LLA - The beautiful SM who sat near me. She's an esteemed leader. Wise and knowledgeable. Flexible yet principled. From the way she argued her thoughts with clients/other colleagues, I have no doubt that she is really ethical and tactful, firm yet gentle. A remarkable professional. A role model for corporate figures. *Salutes*

GCY - The most interesting woman in the department simply because she is. :) My makan buddy. She loves food (so do I :p). She is one person who doesn't lie in giving feedback or comments. Go to her for frank opinion - anytime. She has a natural tendency to build good rapport with clients. By the way, I envy her complexion - baby's perfection! :D

YL - She's an AM who sat facing me. I learned professional phone ethics from her. Her command of English is impeccable. Yes, I even learned English from her (thru unavoidable eavesdrops)! :) Btw, she speaks Japanese with Japo clients. :) Her technical competency is commendable. She taught juniors how to learn properly - i.e. research & read the Act before asking. :D

MIL - Cool, steady and forever calm. I've never seen her angry. At peace always. Senyap-senyap ubi berisi. Always punctual. Co's fixture which appreciates instead of depreciates. :p Brilliant but keeps a low profile... However, everybody knows she's gooooood and reliable! :-)

ELE - A lenglui who's also most chirpy in the department. A girl of beauty and brains. She goes around spreading joy and laughters. Always smiling, laughing or giggling. Cheery cheery. Warmhearted and friendly. An awkward silence sets in whenever she was not in office.

KFA - A dedicated gentleman who's most familiar with clients' matters which are most unfamiliar to the rest of us. Juniors haven't learnt enough from him. SM & PIC relied on him to handle extraordinary cases. We miss him. A considerate and tolerant man. Nobody (yet) is capable enough to handle his unique portfolio and do the exact good job he did.

I'm grateful that we crossed path. All of you remind me of my camp kalyana mitras.
My best wishes in your current & future pursuits. May all of you be well & happy always. :)

The best part about my work is the people! With such supportive and empowering colleagues around, work is good no matter how demanding or stressful it can be. :-)

PS: The list above is not in any particular order; simply random. :) Btw, none of the above know I've a blog. Hehe... :D

Fast, Nutritious & Tasty Breakfast

2006-02-27T22:20:00.000+08:00

Step 1: Pour cereals into bowl.
Step 2: Arrange cut fruits on cereals.
Step 3: Pour yogurt over it & makan!

Ahhhhh....

^_^

Courtesy of Nestlé

The bit we can do

2006-02-23T19:19:00.000+08:00

Last Sun (19/02/06), we went ‘house-to-house’ at a low-cost-flat area in Port Klang – to invite the residents to seek free medical/dental services at Stella Maris Community Centre (@ Port Klang St Anne’s Church) on a coming Sun, 05/03/06. It’s collaboratively organised by Port Klang Rotary Club, Kelana Jaya Rotary Club, Educare Port Klang, Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital, Stella Maris Community and Tzu Chi. Non-religious.

One of our "tasks" was to get needy residents to pre-register for the free medical/dental services to minimise their waiting time on 05/03/06. Besides, it is also done to ensure a good turnout on 05/03/06, hence optimising the use of free medical services/resources offered by volunteer doctors & helpers on that day.

Rotarians, Tzu Chi members and even volunteer doctors jointly went house-to-house! In teams of three, we knocked on doors, called for responses and greeted them with loving-kindness. :D Then we told them all about the free medical/dental/eye treatment at Stella Maris Community Centre and the free shuttle bus service to & fro the Centre on 05/03/06. We particularly urged families which never had any opportunity to seek medical/dental/eye treatment to take advantage of the free medical services and pre-register for it.

The pre-registration drive was successful! :-) We aimed to cover only three blocks of the low-cost-flat (due to time constraint) but managed to cover all six blocks instead (as there was extra manpower! =))

This is something small that we can do for our community. Interested to join a similar future event? Or interested to be a volunteer medical/dental assistant? Experience is not required. Requirement: Commitment and training participation only.

(PS: Posting this entry to remind myself that there's always something which we can do for the needy & deserving... if we just start doing something.)

Egg eggdict

2006-02-08T22:57:00.000+08:00

I'm an egg eggdict! Loving eggs in all forms (eggcept century eggs). For eggxample: scrambled eggs, omelette, poached eggs, sunny-side-up (better known as bull's eye or mata kerbau in Malaysia), over easy, fried eggs, half-boiled eggs (i.e. coddled eggs), hard-boiled eggs, chawanmushi, roti telur, egg tarts, egg salad, etc.

I'm eggstremely crazy over eggs. I can have eggs for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper and mamak. Hehe, yeah I can, but unfortunately it's not advisable. I'm cracked up over eggs. Eggs can make my day!! :-D

Eggs are eggstraordinary -- they are key ingredient for delightful dishes. Eggs are easy-to-cook. One doesn't need to be an eggspert to cook eggs. :-)

Immortalising thoughts

2006-01-24T22:50:00.000+08:00

There are many lil aspects in life which are noteworthy. Although they are important, they could easily slip off my mind as I have the tendency to mindlessly take things for granted of-and-on. :-D

I have found a solution, though. :-) I write down everything that I'd like to remember for life --- In a book with a cover that says "Hello Butterfly. How nice of you to flutter by". Coincidentally, butterfly could be a metaphor for T H O U G H T S; so it means "Hello Thoughts. How nice of you to pass by". The book turns six this year. I read it again and again off-and-on so that I'll remember what I've forgotten. =)

Same goes to this blog. I prefer to blog on stuff which I'd like to remember for life. And of course, only on stuff which I'm ok with them going public. :-D

Ah, well... nothing is immortal anyhow. Even my so-called immortalised thoughts could only live with me for as long as I live. Or shorter -- if the book is misplaced or destroyed (hope not, though). Ah, good enough lah, at least for now there's something which can tell me what I've forgotten to remember. :-)

Lesson on Life for Life

2006-01-18T23:18:00.000+08:00

"In times of adversity, we learn the most within the shortest time."
~CSL, 04/2000~

Camping @ Penyabong (Endau, Johor)

2006-01-02T09:07:00.000+08:00

29 Dec 2005 - 31 Dec 2005
Camping at Pasir Lanun, Penyabong, Endau, Johor.

When we left for camping on 29 Dec 2005, all we knew was that we were going to camp somewhere in Johor; maybe Kuantan.

On the way to Johor, we stopped by and checked out a few potential camp sites before we finally stumbled upon Pasir Lanun - the most 'ideal' camp site. :-)

"Songie, wish you were here!!"

Left: 2nd last sunrise of 2005.
Right: Last sunrise of 2005.

Left: Our blue tent at camp site. Sole tent.
Right: Hurricane lamp.

Outdoor firewood cooking -- fully done by the guys!! *Thumbs up* Food seems to taste better outdoors. :D

Beach football.

Rock trekking.

Cave??

Jeans cuff caught fire!! Fire was doused off by water and sand.

Huge tent for rent at Pasir Lanun. Easily accommodates 10-20 pax. Only RM70 per night per tent.

A mollusc with tentacles! Caught, held & released.

Interesting book (Xue's biography)!! Good read!!

SMS-ing Songie =)

^_^

Polluted sea near Kampung Sepat @ Kuantan. We stopped by at this site on our way to Johor.

Pasir Lanun -- Designated camp site. Quiet campground surrounded by tall shady trees. Fringed by a field of woods. Steps away from the beach.

Weather was perfect. Despite the rainy season, there was no rain and it was not too hot. Brezzy all day long!! Constant wind unbelievably blew non-stop from morning till night... hence, no mosquitoes could bite! Plentiful shiny stars glazed the clear dark skies on both nights! Luck was on our sides. Pleasant, fun, refreshing & relaxing camp. Safe journey to & fro Johor. What more can we ask for? ^_^

Empathetic compassion

2005-12-27T21:42:00.000+08:00

At TzuChi, we learn how to see with our ears and listen with our eyes. ;-)

Spirit of Christmas

2005-12-25T20:58:00.000+08:00

"Christ was born in the first century, yet He belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet he belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries." ~George W. Truett~

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." ~W.T. Ellis~

Have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year, everyone!

P/S 1: Moose swings his shoulders and head while he plays "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" with his saxaphone!! Xue brought Moose to town from Scotland in Dec 2004. ^_^

P/S 2: Cute card of Santas forming an X'mas tree... all the way from LWL in London. LWL, thanks for the lovely card. Merry Christmas to you too... with loads of love. Miss you!! *Hugz*

Youth Camp 10 (YC10)

2005-12-20T23:29:00.000+08:00

Klang & Coast Buddhist Association (KCBA) YC 10 : 14 Dec 2005 to 18 Dec 2005
Theme : Back to Basics, One to Ten.

8pm, Dec 16 : YC 10th Anniversary celebration.

Past & present YC Prez: WL (YC2&3), JL (YC5), JC (YC1), YS (YC4), WK (YC7), WP (YC9) and PY (YC10). Not in photo: WP@NZ (YC6) and KL@S'pore (YC8).

YC10: Present youngsters. Oldest was only 19!!

Good ol' Buddhies - Met through bygone camps.

SS, FC & ML - Friends from KCBA - since primary years. :)

Historical: "1st time" Hx was serious :p. Hx with WF & CY.

I was fortunate enough to participate in YCs 1, 2, 5 & 6 (1996, 1997, 2000 & 2001). ^_^

Boiling eggs naturally

2005-12-14T23:01:00.000+08:00

How can eggs boil without heat from electricity, gas or fuel? In hot springs!! Look at the photo... two baskets of eggs boiling in a natural hot-spring-well at Sungai Klah Hot Springs Recreational Park, Sungkai, Perak, Malaysia.

Half boil takes 3 mins while hard boil takes 7 mins. The temperature of the egg-boiling-well ranges from 90 to 100 celcius.

Other eco-leisure activities at the park are hot spa (including sauna & jacuzzi), hot spring pool, hot spring path for foot reflexology and hot spring bath facilities. The temperature of those hot springs ranges from source to source - all in all between 40 and 110 celcius. All natural.

We "happened" to be at the Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park last Saturday while travelling home from Cameron Highlands. We took the coastal roads (for more scenic views =)). Moving through Perak, we deliberately turned towards Sungkai simply because we like the name - Sungkai!! We had tea break at a classic kopitiam there. :) After that, as we drove around Sungkai we saw a sign to 'a hot spring park'. Being "adventurous" we decided to just follow the sign and 'go and have a look' at 'a hot spring'. :) Great spot; worth the stop; way better than expected. :)

By the way, on the way up to Cameron Highlands, out of curiosity, being "adventurous", and to make full use of the journey, we drove around the area of Kuala Woh Recreational Forest, visited the Lata Iskandar Waterfalls and stopped over at Tanah Rata for the famous pancakes! :)

I agree that it's advantageous to use coastal roads. Yes, journey would be longer... but there are lots to see and lots to discover especially if we take "random" road diversions. Longer route means greater length of sightseeing. :D Yalah, given that we're not in a hurry to go anywhere. :) Drive safely anyhow, everywhere. ;)

Tunes of Dharma

2005-12-09T17:43:00.000+08:00

We have 'Wayfarers', 'Xpounders', Imee Ooi, 'Melody of Truth & Beauty', 'D-Kidz', etc;
and here comes the much awaited official release of an album by 'i.gemz'.
Congratulations i.gemz!! :-) All of you indeed inspire through music.

Meaningful lyrics, pleasant music! ^_^

Finding Anchorage in a Volatile Sea - Developing Peace & Purpose in Life

2005-12-05T00:28:00.000+08:00

Attended the above seminar by Ven. Dr. G. yesterday.
Thus have I understood:-

Purpose in Life: Peace & Happiness.
Peace -- Comes from within; not from external sources. Needs to be cultivated.
Peace -- Developed on individual basis. One cannot possibly cease ALL conflict in the world.
Those who want conflict will find every possible reason to create conflict, while those who want peace will do every possible thing to promote peace.
In a conflicting world, when need be, we must be ready to compromise, agree to disagree and respect others' opinion, ideas, etc.
Listen rather than just hear; See rather than just look.
Inner happiness = Neither pain nor pleasure; it's of equanimity and purity of the mind.
Goodwill generates positive hormones which promote good health.

Thanks YW for informing me about the seminar & Maha Sadhu to Ven. Dr. G. & Nalanda for the wisdom shared with fellow participants. ^_^

Hanxue's World of Irony

2005-12-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

Part of everything, yet distinct from everything else
Logic, but doesn't make sense
Correct, but untrue
Crappy, but convincing
Quietly noisy, and noisily quiet
Obvious, but inexplicable
Does crazy things, but is not crazy
Does things at extreme ends, but leads a balanced life.

If you don't understand this, Hanxue understands why. It's
All about Hanxueism
All about a Hanxuestic Hanxueist
All about just being Hanxue.

The extraordinary. The principled. The comical. The everything wolfie. ^_^
Lovable!

~ml 3/12/05~

The following excerpt from the movie "Mr. Deeds" describes Hanxue well:-

"... has faith that no one can shake;
strength that no one can break; and
character that no one can fake."

^_^

Stepping Stone -vs- Stumbling Block

2005-11-23T16:31:00.000+08:00

"The difference between a stepping stone and a stumbling block is how we use it." -by dunno who (btw, do you know who?)-

My brother wrote it on the whiteboard at home months ago - and it's still there. As I see it too often (no choice, 'coz the board is strategically placed at home), it's been drilled into my conciousness (& subconciousness!). :p

Meaningful quote, tho'. Thanks Mr. Boy. :)

Pleasant day @ Serdang

2005-11-16T10:26:00.000+08:00

Yesterday: Near UPM.

Woke up thinking it was 11am but it was only 8.30am! Pleasant start of the day. :)
Plastic folding. :D
Simple breakfast. :)
Revision. :)
Nap. :p
Learned the simple steps to make & savour yummilicious home-made pancakes for lunch. =)
Revision. :)
Evening walk at UPM. =)
Sushi dinner. Kinda pricey :-/
Water taxi / lake cruise. :)
Movie: Exorcism of Emily Rose. Good watch! :)
Quick shopping @ Mines. :)
Stopover at fruits market. :)

^_^

Thanks to best company! ^_^

Home lizards

2005-11-16T08:49:00.000+08:00

Harmless icky creatures. Cute too, if you appreciate their beauty! :D

One home lizard just dashed over my feet while i was staring at the pc in my room.

Just wondering...

Before:
I've only seen them on walls, ceilings and the outer-side of the window nettings. They used to hide behind picture frames hung on walls, behind shelves and in the gaps between the ceiling and the ceiling lights.

Now:
I no longer see them on any of those places. Instead, they wriggle their way around the floor and on tables! Why huh? Are they no longer vertically-oriented? Mutated? Evolution or reverse development? By the way, are they behaving the same in your home?

Humanity

2005-11-09T22:47:00.000+08:00

"There's no one on earth we cannot love;
There's no one on earth we cannot forgive; and
There's no one on earth we cannot trust at all."

True indeed, right?
It is an excerpt from one of the few English songs by TzuChi.
Wanted to buy the CD but it is not in production yet.

AIRigami: Balloon art

2005-11-06T23:30:00.000+08:00

At hi-tea today, there was BooBoo the clown shaping air using balloons! :)

BooBoo fostered good contacts with the kids as he created a balloon sculpture for each of them. His balloon art includes yellow dog, green dino, pink bear, blue sword, white rabbit, red flower, blue bike and yellow gun.

My family watched in fascination as BooBoo pulled out every balloon from his pocket and pumped&twisted each balloon with skill, creativity and speed! BooBoo actually realised that the ppl at my family's table were mesmerised by him... so he said "Wait ah, wait ah, I'll come later... after getting done with the kids." It's a bonus that BooBoo the clown actually dropped by at my family's table!! We thought he was joking. =)

Ivy got a pink bear; I got a yellow doggy; Xue got a blue Harley Davidson; mom got a flower; and dad got a white rabbit which he wanted so much! :p

Btw, BooBoo said some professionals like doctors, psychiatrists and lawyers actually join the clowning association to release stress and spread cheer to kids at orphanage or special events while they hide their professional identities.

Thanks BooBoo. Thanks for the lovely balloons, good thoughts & funny jokes. Thanks for making us (as how you put it: the not so young ppl or the experienced ppl) feeling like HaPpY KiDs again. ^_^

Deeparaya, X'mas & CNY

2005-11-04T08:55:00.000+08:00

Deepavali: 1/11/05

Went to SM's and RB's with FN. Met AJ, DL & GD there - all are ex-MGSians.

Meeting up with ex-schoolmates during festivals has been a wonderful ritual since I left school. *Counting the number of years since I left school* *Awed* Hahaa... :-D

Hari Raya Aidilfitri: 3/11/05

Went to HY's with EK. Started going to HY's hse with EK since we were seven! (HY, EK & I have been best of buddies since the beginning of time).

Those days, we played monopoly, hide&seek, uno, batu seremban, snap and attempted to talk with Awang (HY's bird) which could say "Assalamualaikum". Cute! Now, we have mature 'aunty' dialogues with frequent utterance of "Oh, time is passing by very quickly." LoL.

Those days, HY's lil sis was not even in kindergarten yet. Now, she's in UM! Well done, PP! :-)

Christmas: 25/12/05

Looking fwd to meeting all of you again & more at EK's and FN's!! :-)

Chinese New Year: 29/1/06

Come to my house eventhough I forget to call, ya?! It's open on the 1st day of CNY as usual. :-)

Keep in touch! ^_^

It's nice to be nice.

2005-10-26T16:18:00.000+08:00

Just feel like writing this to spread the NICE awareness.

Let's give all that we can give - to anyone, anywhere, anytime. As long as it makes another person happier, we shld be happiest! :)

It is a joy to serve/assist/help/give anything/care/do favours for others. We can derive immense happiness and satisfaction if we can or have the opportunity to make another person's life easier and/or day happier.

Just by being nice, life is so much more fulfilling! :)

It never cost us anything to be nice; and
We lose nothing at all by being nice!

In fact by being NICE, we gain (HaPpInEsS!) and others gain too!
Having said that, we shld not hope for anything in return for being nice; not even any form of acknowledgement... to avoid disappointment. Simple lah: Just be nice and be happy about it. Full stop. :)

On "holiday"

2005-10-25T10:33:00.000+08:00

Am on study leave. :) Will only return to work on 14 Dec! :D Utilising accummulated OT hours as study leave. I.e. i've actually worked in advance for this "holiday". So there's nothing you should envy about. :)

Feels like a full-time student again. So-o-o-o-o-o-o nice! =)
Still having weekend classes. Mock exam's early next month. Exams are on 8 & 13 Dec.
I shall be good and get focused on studying. :)

By the way, this is also a good time for me to repay sleep debts, exercise more, do more housework, spend more quality time with family, lepak a bit and catch up with good 'ol friends. Heheee.... say only.... let's see. :p

Anyhow, i shall not kill most of my time e-mailing, ICQing/MSNing, friendstering or blogging. Shoo me off if you see me online too often. Thanks!! :)

Ok, back to work.

Songie Pongie Mongie (As how her sis puts it. Cute, ya?! :))

2005-10-18T00:48:00.000+08:00

Loong Soong Hern...
done the most in nurturing my inner strength.

1. A DAUGHTER all parents want:-
Filial, thoughtful&grateful, loves her PaMa lotss, always have good wishes for them, multi-talented - makes her parents proud! :)

2. A MUSIC TEACHER any student wants:-
Passionate about job, cares a lot for her students progress+overall well being, dedicated & loves them all.

3. A FRIEND/SISTER anyone wld treasure for life:-
Good listener, counsellor, supportive, warm-hearted, positive, helpful, always spreading joy&laughter, always seek to bring out the best in others. Knows when to be strong and when to let others be strong.

4. An examplary COMMUNITY member:-
Has a big loving heart, sincerely care for others, seize opportunities to serve for the welfare of others. Done a lot! :)

5. An EMPLOYEE who's hard to find:-
Hardworking, committed to give her best, upholds honesty & always ethical.

Music, handling kids, cooking, accounts, counselling, etc.: Semua boleh, yet she's very humble.

Only a guy with VERY good karma can have! ;)

Thanks for touching my life with your beautiful friendship, Songie.
May you & your family be well & happy always! ^_^

INCOVAR

2005-10-17T23:30:00.000+08:00

INCOVAR
Provides instant boost of Dhamma-inspired energy,
Where my motivation gains momentum,
To strive on with every stride,
To keep growing thru life,
Rather than going thru life.

INCOVAR
A popular avenue to Kalyana Mitras,
Where positive vibrants are spread,
Where unconditional care & love prevail.

Learning Dhamma in the style of Incovar,
Is simply a wholesome fun, a memorable one.

Thanks to its organising committee/teams,
Who have been outstandingly original,
Incredibly innovative and wonderfully warm!

INCOVAR
Sparks inspiration
Gives us the G.L.O.W.: Golden Lessons Of Wisdom,
That brightens our paths,
And illuminates our insights.

INCOVAR has made a difference in me,
Being part of the Incovar family,
I'm blessed indeed.
Incovar inspires indefinitely!

^_^ ~ml 06/2003~

Fortunate enough to participate in the following Incovar camps:-

11th camp: Apr 1999
12th camp: Oct 1999
13th camp: Apr 2000
16th camp: Oct 2001
19th camp: Apr 2003
20th camp: Oct 2003

PS: INCOVAR = INter COllege VARsity

Crippling criminals

2005-10-08T11:49:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered what would you do if someone tries to harm you? Robbery, rape & murder are shockingly prevalent these days. Ok, Choi! Choi! Touch wood! Touch wood... but it's worth giving some thoughts to this. :)

One of my 'stategies' is to pretend to be a ghost! Wakakakaaa.... :D
Anyway, how sure are you that I'm a human?? :P

Hey, don't be afraid & avoid me, okay? I'm only ghost when harmed; but an angel otherwise! *ahem... kononlah* :p

May all innocent surviving victims find strength to rediscover the wonders of living... and be rest assured that good days will far outnumber the bad!

Acronyms

2005-09-27T00:02:00.001+08:00

L Love
O Ourselves and Others
V Value
E Everything and Everyone

G Golden
L Lessons
O Of
W Wisdom

L Life
I Is
F Fun,
E Enjoy

~ML 11/6/01~
(: while brainstorming on theme for KCBA Youth Camp 6, Dec 2001. :)

Orang Cina

2005-09-21T23:52:00.000+08:00

As part of a multiracial society, we get exposure to an array of colourful culture & beliefs, customs & lifestyle, language & knowledge, art & delicacies, etc.

Isn't it wondrous to be a Malaysian? Of course!! :D

Irregardless of everything, we should take the effort to discover more about our own ethnic group. This allows us to appreciate the beauty that lies within it and benefit from the wisdom that it offers.

Well, I pandai talk only. Hahaa.... :D

I've been staying in Klang all these years but never learnt to speak Hokkien. People will either condemn me or salute me for this.

Condemn me because I never picked up Hokkien even after so many years living in Klang!
Salute me because i survive in Klang all these years despite not knowing Hokkien! :D

Anyway, here are my aspirations:-

To learn to communicate in simple Mandarin & Hokkien;
To learn and understand more about the Chinese culture (& festivals);
To discover more about the art of tea drinking;
To travel around the countless breathtaking natural areas of China;
To learn to read & write in Chinese (this would be REALLY wonderful... but, too ambitious lorr. Anyway, this is essential if one wants to access the original sources of Chinese wisdom); and
Anything else you think i should add here?

PS: My source of inspiration - An examplary Chinese from 'Heilongqiang'. ^_^

Teachers

2005-09-16T00:21:00.000+08:00

Guess what?! I can recall all my class teachers' names and faces (faces as they were when they taught me :p).

Kindergarten Year 1 : Miss Selva
Kindergarten Year 2 : Miss Soh

Std 1 : Puan Ruhamah
Std 2 : Puan Kasmawati
Std 3 : Puan Raja
Std 4 : Puan Minah
Std 5 : Miss Wong
Std 6 : Cik Fazlon

Form 1 : Puan Kamsina
Form 2 : Puan Kamsina
Form 3 : Puan Selvi
Form 4 : Puan Devi
Form 5 : Puan Devi

:D Unfortunately, i don't remember (or rather, never knew) their full names. Anyway, good enough lah... I remember each and every one of them; although i cannot remember everything they taught me. Hahaa... =)

I've been blessed with wonderful teachers!!

Treasure Hunt

2005-09-11T00:10:00.000+08:00

9/9/05: EY Tax Dept Treasure Hunt Day! :)

Hunting journey: Office-Damansara Heights-Sri Hartamas-Mont Kiara-TTDI-Damansara Jaya-Tmn Megah-Endah Parade-Mines Resort City.

25 teams (i.e. 25 cars). 4 members in each team.

Our tasks:-

(1) 25 Questions (Clues). E.g. of clues:-

Q: Woman calls her husband this. A: Restoran Habie
Q: If you see it on the road or on the wall, pls don't park here. A: Yellow Box Solutions S/B.
Q: In style I rate shy, but it's madness. A: Fashion Hysteria S/B.
Q: Cantonese calling for more rice. A: Salun Kafun.
Q: Woman supporter of public transport: Brabus (Car service centre).

(2) 3 Treasures (Breaking clues and buying the items). E.g.:-

Q: It refreshes our breath. "Tradition" in initial Corporate Tax Services. Buy one of any type.
A: "tradition" = lore; "Initial" indicates first letters of Corporate Tax Services. I.e. CloreTS.
Q: This is what it's called when we pay for our own, the chivalry says this sex won't need to pay. Then c---- h---- o---- c---- o---- l---- a---- t---- e---- (can't remember the sentence... anyway the initials of words for the sentence spell "chocolate"). Get one of any size.
A: pay for our own = go on dutch; the sex which doesn't need to pay = lady; Initials of following sentence = chocolate. I.e. Dutch Lady Chocolate milk.

(3) 5 Road safety questions.

(4) 2 Challenges at The Cage (Endah Parade).

(5) Final challenge (after dinner by the lake at Mines Biz Centre): Talentine - Performance of song (own lyrics) using the YMCA tune. Judged based on grp's performance, lyrics and crowd's response.

My group's name was 'Shades of Pink' since each of the four of us wore different shades of pink t-shirt. We got 2nd placing for the song performance! :) Here's the song which earned each of us RM40 worth of MPH vouchers:-

(To sing using YMCA tune)
Treasure, we are coming right now
We are running, thinking, searching around
Feeling tired, slimmer, all freshed-up now
So please give us our prizes now now now now now!!~

Shades of pink pink... we are we are we are oh
Shades of pink pink...
This is Ng Chai Yee, this is Wong Wai Ling,
This is Kellyn and Mee Leng eng eng eng eng.

Yeah! Shades of pink.

Great time!! BIG Thanks to EY organisers (SSW, MIL & TMS) and www.timesolutions.com. =)

Laurenism

2005-09-08T18:57:00.000+08:00

Lauren CYP : The most remarkable person in my college life!

Just re-calling the dedication of alliterations especially for her 20th Birthday, years ago. :D Here goes:-

A LAURENISTIC Person Is:-
1. Extremely Ebullient
2. Superbly Special
3. Wonderfully Warm
4. Unquestionably Unique
5. Gloriously Gifted
6. Truly Terrific
7. Notoriously Nice
8. Astoundingly Amazing
9. Dramatically Different
10. Flat-out Fantastic
11. Brilliantly Bright
12. Tremendously Talkative
13. Clearly Clever
14. Remarkably Restless
15. Absolutely Admirable
16. Incredibly Inquisitive
17. Perpetually Popular
18. Ludicrously Loud
19. Freakishly Fast
20. Extraordinarily Eloquent
21. Constantly Curious
22. Overly Observant
23. Bearably Bad
24. Happily Humble
25. Pricelessly Precious

(PS: Items 2-10 are from the original greeting card)

Altho some words above seem superlatively exaggerating, every word above is how I'd describe Lauren as precisely as possible. She's the most outstanding girl in college - in all ways!! Lauren enjoyed sticking around me and i'm proud to be associated with her! (I tumpang glamour lah.... hehee. Ah, perasan ML.) I've learnt a great deal from her.

Thanks for everything, Lauren.

May u b well n happy always. ^_^

Being on time

2005-08-28T14:59:00.000+08:00

Punctuality is all about respecting other ppl's time.
It shldn't be dependent upon other ppl's sense of punctuality.

Altho being late is part of the M'sian culture, shld we make every effort to be punctual always?
Of course!! :) Norms are not always the right thing to do.

Biz simulation game

2005-08-25T21:41:00.000+08:00

I went for an ACCA leadership/entrepreneurship camp at Frasers Hill from 5-7 Aug 05.
The computer-aided business simulation game was great... Imagine this: there are 8 grps; each has RM40m capital. Each grp is a competing handphone manufacturer... competing against one another in one world (i.e. same market) to maximise profit. We (each grp) are
given basic info for 7 sales centres (i.e. 7 countries) which we can venture into --- info given includes market demand&supply, ceiling price, once off cost for factory set-up, minimum fixed annual expenses, import charges, marketing and R&D expenses, option to buy mkt info, etc.

We compete for 5 rounds (i.e. 5 financial yrs).

For each round, each grp needs to decide where to set up factory (can only set up 1 every round), the level of production (max is 650,000), where to sell (in which countries and respective amount to sell), selling price for each country (must be below the country's ceiling price), how much to spend on quality mgmt/R&D/marketing (assuming that the more spent, the higher sales level wld be). At the end of every round, the grp leader wld key-in the grp's input into a pc. Each leader does the same at the same time. Then, the computer wld generate the financial statement and balance sheet of each grp and rank grps based on profit reaped.

It's like the real world... coz we wldn't know whether our competitors will venture into the same places and we wldn't know if any sales centres are untapped. :) However, we can opt to buy mkt info (i.e. info about other grps' decisions and performance in the past rounds) to help us make decision in future round(s). These put our analytical skills to test.

Hmm... dunno if u can picture the game from my messy discription above. Anyway, all in all, it's challenging, interesting and exciting! =)

Fellow Centricans - HX, JR, LC, JY, KK, JF, MH, SN & ZY - I had a superb time with y'all! ^_^

Faith

2005-08-19T01:05:00.000+08:00

"Believe in ourself, but do not be attached to our own point of view."
-JSA-

Benefit of doubt

2005-08-11T01:06:00.000+08:00

"When in doubt, always give the person the benefit of doubt!" :)

Hey, this is really good! Always be mindful in practising this, ML. :) Why create discomfort for ourself and the people around us by perceiving 'ugliness' that might not exist at all, afterall, right? This makes life simpler, more peaceful and happier for ourself and the people around us. =)

Blog? Don't blog? Blog? Don't blog?

2005-07-31T05:30:00.000+08:00

I always wanted to blog and always didn't want to blog. You know what i mean? If you do, you know me better than i do! :p

I always wanted to blog simply because i'd like to share with my friends bits of my life as how i see or feel about it... but ended up not blogging at all bcoz fearing of revealing too much about myself to dunno whoever who knows or don't know me.

Here are the results of the above:-
www.xanga.com/cmeel : set up on 7/11/03 but never posted anything there. :D
cmeel.blogspot.com : set up on 8/12/04 but posted the first entry on 30/7/05!

Ah, i shall not think too much... and just blog about whatever that i'm comfortable with. :)