Your Sincerely ( Y S ) could not help noticing a new phenomena in his small town of Alor Setar. It is the 1Malaysia shop located strategically as one takes the only-and-soon to be removed-roundabout into town. As with all other new happenings in a small town, they never fail to attract lots of attention. Each time Y S goes to town, he notices huge crowds at this new outlet.

Ever since the Prime Minister whipped out this acronym " 1 Malaysia " to prove that there is unity in our beloved multi-racial nation and to promote greater unity among the races in the country, an assortment of " 1 Malaysia " establishments have been birthed. 1 Malaysia Clinics. 1 Malaysia Restaurants. Not to mention an array of 1 Malaysia shops all over the nation. of late, Y S even spotted one 1 Malaysia "Koay teow" stall. ( Fried flate noodles.) It is the case of monkeys see, and monkey do.

It goes beyond the little bit of gray matter in Y S' head that such effort can portray and promote national unity.

How does a I Malaysia shop bring together people of various races? You may say " Oh, they shop together and brush shoulders and greet each other and become friends." Well, this has been happening for decades at our supermarkets, hypermarkets, malls etc etc etc and nothing happens !

You may say, " Oh, they sit and eat together and become better acquainted in a 1 malaysia restaurant." Well, there was better unity those days when fellow Muslim colleagues could sit and eat "Curry noodles" with you prepared by a Chinese "Ah E " (Aunty) in the school canteen 40 years ago . But not now!

You may say, " Oh, going to the 1Malaysia Clinic they could interact while waiting their turns." Well, it is fat hope.

The main crux of the problem, among other things, is that a certain race and religion in this glorious nation has for the past 40 years evolved away from a multi-racial nation building by being unnecessarily overt about their religious practices and observances to the point of being unreasonably dogmatic and ritualistic while their outlook blind spotted other races and their presence, needs and sensitivity.

Until the day, we meet at mid field and work on universal and common values, and not emphasizing our differences and uniqueness, " 1 Malaysia" will flicker and flicker, and die out. And Malaysians will be kept busy with another acronym.

"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be set right." - Carl Schurz

.... of meaningful sayings.

Some sayings to share with you which Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) received from his email. Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter rain. Just pray for a better umbrella. - That is attitude. When flood comes, fish eat ants and when flood recedes, ants eat fish. - Only time matters. Just hold on, God gives opportunity to everyone! Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship, it's not how we care in the beginning, but how much we care till the very end. Some people always throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make with them. A Wall or a Bridge? - Remember you are the architect of your life. Search for a beautiful heart, but don't search for a beautiful face. Coz beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful. It’s not important to hold all the good cards in life. But it’s important how well you play with the cards you hold. Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, 'relax dear it’s just a bend, not the end.' - Have faith and have a successful life. One of the basic differences between God and humans is, God gives, gives and forgives. But the human gets, gets, gets and forgets. Be thankful in life....

........ of People, People and more People

According to the United States Census Bureau, the world's population has touched 6.974 billion whereas the United Nations Census says that it has exceeded 7 million. Whatever the figure is, the world's population has grown by leaps and bounds. There are people, people and people wherever.

How many have come into our lives and stay ? How many have left our lives? How many have left footprints on our lives? How many have pissed us off? How many have we chosen not to remember? How many have we remembered fondly?
Some say that people can be divided into four classes: 1) Those who always do less than they are told, 2) Those who will do what they are told, but nothing more, 3) Those will do things without being told, and 4) Those who will inspire others to do things. - William J H Boetcker

Indira Ghandi said that her grandfather once told her that there are two kinds of people; those who work and those who take the credit. He told her to try to be in the first group since there is less competition there.

It has also been noticed that there are five types of people" those who make things happen; those who think they make things happen; those who watch things happen; those who wonder what happen; those that did not know that anything had happened.

Buddha has this to say. There are three kinds of people in the world. The first are like letters carved in the rock: they easily give way to anger and retain their angry thoughts for a long time. The second are like letters written in the sand: they give way to anger also, but their angry thought quietly pass away. The third are like letters written in running water; they do not retain their passing thoughts; they let abuse and uncomfortable gossips pass by unnoticed; their minds are always pure and undisturbed.

To think that we are one of the 7 billion is very daunting. To count how many friends we have out of the 7 billion is even more daunting ! Yours Sincerely ( Y s ) is regretful that in his 35 years of career, he had had hardly made three friends in the true sense of the word " friend.' Even his very own colleagues, some had had worked with him for 30 years did not turn out to be his friends. In fact, Y S has made more friends in his two years of retirement than during 35 years of his career. Pathetic when you think that the world's population has touched 7 billion. There is no secret as to why, but the simple truth that " if you go out looking for friends, you are going to find they are scare. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere."

..... of 11-11-11

There are people who believe in numbers and think that certain numbers are good for luck, wealth, health etc etc etc. Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has friends who would pay thousands of ringgit for sets of numbers for their vehicles, of course, the favorite of all favourites is " 8 8 8 8 " which in Cantonese sounds like " wealth, wealth , wealth." There are also those who go for and are willing to pay hefty sums for single digit or double digits number for their vehicles. A friend with a double digit black and heavily tinted SUV claimed that his vehicle gets lots of respect from road blocks and sped traps. While we are talking about numbers, there are punters who would go for a certain sets of numbers draw after draw, and end up poorer and poorer.

Today, the 11th day of the 11 month of November of the year 2011, or 11-11-11, seems to be auspicious for many wedding couples. Y S observed many bridal cars zooming here and there in town, and there is also one wedding a few doors away from Y S' house.




Y S overheard that some very pregnant mothers are also planning Caesarian or birth induction today so that the babies can have a memorable birth date : 11-11-11.

Many more move into their new homes. So many activities go on today in the good hope of the blessings or luck the numbers, 11 -11-11 bring.

Y S remembers the same happened on 8-8-88 years ago. And that the year 1988 which also happened to be the Chinese Dragon Lunar year, had a baby boom, that includes Y S' younger daughter but that was a flute shot and nothing planned.

To couples getting married today, marriages are made in heaven and so are thunders and lightnings, and the maintainance work is done right here, on earth !!! It has nothing to do with the numbers but the continuous hard work and effort of the couples.

How evil triumphs ?

Y S feels dejected like this dog in his own church.


" Throughout History, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." -

Haile Selassie.

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke

Yours Sincerely's ( Y S ) posting about the " Con Man In Church " ( Read previous posting ) received a mixed reaction. While a good number rang up to thank Y S for alerting them, and one in particular felt indebted to Y S because he was timely approached by the con man after reading Y S' posting. A good number also frowned on the posting saying that it should not be done although it was done in good faith. Moreover, no name was mentioned but only the modus operandi of the con man. "Churchy " people feel that we have to be patient, understanding and pray for the con man ( While he takes more preys.)

The Assistant Parish Priest , in particular, phoned up and pleaded with Y S to remove the posting. He acknowledged that he is now counseling this con man who has been conning people for 30 years in the church premise !!! He claimed that he had heard different versions of the situation from the con man. ( Perhaps, the con man went for confession. Y S got the feeling that the Rev was conned at the confession. How much lies have been confessed at the penitentiary rite, Y S wonders ! ) Evil is sooner and readily believed than good. The Rev believed the con man more than Y S !!!!!!!

So, following the act of Pontius Pilate, Y S washed his hands clean of this case and let the "blood" of the next victim ( s) of this con man be on the hands of the Rev. Y S prays that the Rev's counselling works good and fast enough on this 30 years plus hard core, if it really works. LOL

Life is strange. The one who who shouts and alerts " Thief !!!!!! " suddenly becomes the culprit while the thief gets away Scot free. This is the way of the world now. No wonder, some people prefer to " See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Do No evil." Y S ' 2nd sister often comments on Y S social works. " Why do so much ? Do less good and no evil. ! " That seems to set the equilibrium for her between evil and good.

This can be a controversial world !!!

.... of heavenly minded and no earthly value

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) observes that the best place for Confidence Trickers and, con men and women to operate is in the church and, of course, among the circles of "well meaning, church-going people." The place where you regard as your sanctuary can sometimes be your "battle field" full of bobby traps and mines. It is a place where you have to be drowned in your own suffering and miseries because no "well meaning church- going people" are going to side with you in any issue that call for taking side. At the most, you will be advised , " Oh, don't hate the sinner but the sin."

There is this Catholic con man, now in his forties, who operates in Y S' church for many years. He takes a prey on and off and then disappears for some time, feeds on his ill gotten gains, and resurfaces for another unsuspecting " well meaning and church going" victim. Well, memories are short, especially for " well meaning church- going people." This Catholic con man has quiet eyes and a boyish face that keeps on pleading innocence that even Hitler would have spared him in the Holocaust.

His modus operandi is to tell tear jerking sob stories of his chronic diabetic, kidney, liver, stomach, heart, intestines and what other organs have you complications that call for emergency treatment or operation. Then he pleads with his quiet eyes for a loan from you while invoking heaven and earth with promises of repayment. Of course, you kiss the loan good- bye.

Many " well meaning church going people" in Y S church have fallen for his ploys all these years BUT NO ONE HAS DONE ANYTHING TO PROTECT OTHER " well meaning church -going people" from been cheated. Many were cheated and kept quiet about it, perhaps they felt ashamed for doing "blind charity." Others would tell you about being cheated but made you promise not to tell out !!! A few more are so good hearted that they blessed him " for he knew not what he was doing" Grrrrrrrr !!!! All because "well meaning church going people" are not supposed to talk bad of others. "Oh, hate the sin, not the sinner."


This Catholic Con man targets members of the Parish Council, "well meaning church- going people" with ministry and new "well meaning church- going people." He is still on the prowl. The latest victim was Y S' friends. A "well meaning church- going" lady who draws a small salary but has a big heart. She wanted to help, not knowing that she was taken for a ride. RM6,500, a few months of her salary, vanished.

Sometimes Christians are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly value. Too many evil things are happening because good men are just looking on.

.... of keeping up with technology

One of the best ways to feel like being a dinosaur is to be left behind in this rat race of technology in almost every appliance and gadget that we use. Of course, a very prominent gadget is the cell phone, hand phone , mobile phone and what-nots.

Yours Sincerely ( Y s ) bought a cell phone many, many years ago when the children were very much younger. It was a "Phillip," and had since been retired. When the daughters grew up and used handphones, Y S has been receiving hand-me-downs all along.

" Pa.... why don't you take over my phone ? It is still ok but I wish to upgrade. " And this "Pa" being a frugal person would not let things go wasted. It is always " Reduce, Recycle and Recycle." So, Y S and his Better Half have been recipients of old "Nokia," " Sony Ericsion," " Samsung," "Panasonic", you name it.

These hand-me-downs become so because of minor faults here and there which young people cannot bear but the oldies can live with. On and off, friends complained that bY S' phone was not clear, with lots of noise and static and worse of all, it suddenly went dead in the middle of a conversation.

Anyway, Y S seemed to be proud of becoming the owner of hand-me-downs until he was awakened by a friend who told him that he had just purchased two state-of-the-art hand phones at about one thousand ringgit each. According to him, his spouse also has to keep up and not him alone. That was inspiration for Y S. No more hand-me-down. It is "Just do i t" Nike style. After all, you don't need a hand phone when you are 6 feet underground !

It is a Samsung Galaxy Ace (GT-S5830) :-

HSPD 7.2 Mbps
Dual band (900/2100MHZ)
Quad band
3.5" HVGA TFT LCD Screen
5MP AF Camera wwith LED flash
800MHz CPU
TopuchWiz 3.0 for Android
Social hub
Wi-fi 802.11b/g/n
GPS/Geo-tagging.

..... attempted burglary

Several weeks ago Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) discovered the 15 feet solid metal grille on the windows of his study room was prised opened. Ten 3-inch nails were cleanly extracted from their resting places without a single bent ! The gap produced by the opened grille was about a foot which was quite sufficient for anybody with an eel-like and monkey agile body to tightly slitter in. Y S ' books and other paraphernalia on a smaller table by the side of the window was upset and were sprawled all over the floor. NO ENTRY WAS MADE! Surprised !!!!

Two theories were advanced : the gap made by the opened grille was too small as it was blocked by the side of a cupboard and secondly an air-conditioner starter switch also blocked the other corner of the grille. While Y S accepted both the theories, behind his mind is the All-watchful God he believes in. There is POWER in the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ . The situation was all ready for a crime scene but yet the burglar(s) fled without entry into the premise.

However, having your living space about to be compromised by some "idiots" can be stressful. Better Half disclosed that for several nights Y S had nightmares and yelling out " Curi ! Curi ! ( Thief! Thief!) Y S wondered how his elder daughter managed to live through the experience when her apartment on the 8th floor was burglarized and her personal possessions leisurely checked through. She is a brave girl/woman/wife . LOL In police stations in the west, there are
trauma rooms for victims to de-stress before/after making their report. The authority also provides post-trauma counseling.

Having your private space about to be compromised, or worst still compromised can be traumatic. It is like having someone going through your handbag or wallet. It is like your personal diary being read.

Gone are the gentle and peaceful days we used to live in. My natal house had no grilles whatsoever. The world has changed or rather is changed by unscrupulous supposedly humans. The going is tough and so the tough gets going. Y S and his neighbours co-operated and discovered a weak defence behind their houses. So, we co-operatively put up a "Great of Wall of Lumba Kuda." 80 feet X 8 feet concrete wall . Still thinking of putting up barbed wires combat war zone style on the wall !!! Or, perhaps plant numerous mines behind the houses. Electrify the fence !!! LOL .Come what may ! Let's protect our living space. Trust in God. He is still in-charge. But do what you can and He will do what He will.

.... of funeral wakes

Remembering Y S' mother's funeral.
" Had I visited her enough when she was aged and sick ???"

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is amazed by the trouble people take to attend the wake of a relative or friend, not to mention a family member. Some rush from very far to be at the wake or funeral. At some wakes, Y S attended and observed lots of custom, traditions, religiosity and observances, and also gaiety ! Dirth and mirth seems to mix fairly well.

These days, the funeral wakes come in several packages with differing costs and types of services and products. The more high end canopies come in white and full of ribbons and laces to hide away rough edges and rusted metals. The in-thing is, of course, the air-conditioner. The lower end comes with air cool sprinklers, and the budget one is fans. Gone are the days when the free drabby khaki lorry canopy was used. Sometimes without the announcement scrolls hung at the canopy, you wonder whether it is mirth or dearth ! The colours usually associated with death is now camouflaged. Death as Shakespeare puts it is indeed " sweet sorrow." ( Romeo & Juliet. I hope I remember it right.)

The chairs at the high end wake are dressed in white and ribboned. The cheaper ones are the common plastic chairs, and the free ones are the rusty, old foldable ( usually blue in colour) ones borrowed from the Chinese association or clan in town. There is still no equality in death. Ya?

The menu during the wakes also range with the cost. There is always a variety of mass fried noodles and porridge, and free flow of Chinese tea, coffee, tea and bottled water. Whatever food is offered, there must be a free flow of groundnuts ! At some wakes, cigarettes and beer are freely offered and freeloaders have their hey days. The servers are always busy serving hard because their work ends when the food finishes. LOL

Y S also observes that "mahjong," card games and gambling of sorts are carried out until the wee hours of the morning. The din is unceasing and is comparable to that of the wet market. Many catch up with old friend and relatives, and there is lots of chit-chatting. These activities are carried out vis-a-vis the prayers and chantings, cymbals and gongs of the Taoist priests and mourners. Sorrow and joy seem to co-exist peacefully, so going for such a wake, you don't know whether to be sorrowful or joyful. These mambo jumbo can go on for many nights, especially for the richer deceased.

Such practices and observances are good as they keep the community vibrant, strong and united. The practice of giving cash offering, commonly called " White Gold" for the deceased's expenditure in the after-world also serves a good function in helping the less well to do families to off set the funeral expenditure.

However, Y S thinks that the wakes are really for the living. The dead is dead not matter how lavish is the wake and how elaborate is the funeral, or how much prayers and masses are offered for him / her. If such a big celebration is organised for the deceased when he was living, he would be on cloud nine !

The point Y S is driving at is to do what you want to do to anyone when he / she is alive. When he is dead and gone, there is nothing much we can do, except those things that would ease our conscience to make us feel good, or that we are filial children. "Ho ! So and so spent so much and so much for his father's funeral ! "

If you think of your parents, visit them. If you remember a friend / classmate, pay him / her a visit. If you recall a colleague, invite him / her out for a meal. If you think of someone who has made a difference in your life and you cannot visit him / her, give him / her a call, send an email or an SMS.

Follow NIKE, " just do it." Don't wait until the person's funeral !

.... of Optimism and Pessimism

This photo was shot when the dark rain bearing clouds were descending on Tongle Sap in Cambodia. The rain renews life in the lake, extending its frontier, revitilizing aquatic lives and refreshes the water.

According to Corrie Ten Boom, if a bird is flying for pleasure, it flies with the wind, but if it meets danger it turns and faces the wind, in order that it may rise higher. Kites also rise the highest against the wind and not to mention, airplanes take off against the wind, not with it. As they say, some see the hole in the donut and others the ring.

When confronted with a Goliath-sized problem, which way do you respond : " He's too big to hit" or like David, "He's too big to miss ?"

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has been dragging on with the baggage of pessimisms all along his life. Y S is always prepared for the worse, the very, very worst. If the car could carry 2 spare wheels, Y S would carry them. If RM1.00 is enough, Y S would carry RM2 or RM3, just in case. And living with " in case" is very heavy and draggy. Looking at the black side of life wouldn't not disappoint Y S, and he would be cheerful if it doesn't work out. So, Y S could call himself a "cheerful pessimist." But not anymore.

As life is at the threshold of 60 years, a reorientation in one's outlook is a blessing. To be able to see things more clearly or as they should be viewed. According to Albert Schweitzer, " An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the stoplight. THE TRULY WISE PERSON IS COLOUR-BLIND. "

Tomorrow is not another day but another chance. The night has fallen, no doubt, but morning will soon come. Optimists are possibilitarians .No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, they raise their sight and see the possibilities and they always see them because they are always there. " The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunities, the optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulties." Winston Churchill. Remember that the same sun that melts butter also harden the clay.

However, an optimist may be wrong as often as the pessimist, but he has a lot more fun anyway. So, the optimist laughs to forget BUT the pessimist forgets to laugh.

... of the rich and the poor

A floating village. Houses on bamboo rafts. This one even has potted flowers for decoration.
This is a Catholic Church and is adjoined by a school for the floating children.
A school for the floating kids of the floating villages.
This is a gathering points for the floating villagers. On the day Y S visited an organization came to distribute some handouts.

Y S noted a lop sided demography where there are many adults, aged and young children. The youths have moved to the cities for employment.

Have a basin can travel. Danger? What danger when you are born in the midst of danger.

Do these kids have a future ? Are their parents worried about their future? " Do they go for tuition classes?" " Ballet classes?" "Piano lessons?" " Mental Arithmetic classes?" DO THEY HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT? This is a realistic question.
Note a pig farm on a raft.

This is home for the floating people on Tongle Sap.


Yours Sincerely visited Tongle Sap, a great versatile lake in Cambodia, which expands and shrinks according to the season. Here you can see several crowded floating villages with houses of many shapes and sizes, shops of sorts, a Catholic Church, two schools on rafts, several fish and pig farms, and lots of POVERTY.


Life when lived at survival level is very basic and simple. There are very few needs and almost no wants. Surviving from "hand to mouth" makes life very plain and Y S asks himself whether life is intended to be such !

The inhabitants have no permanent address and their floating houses moves about according to the level of the water in the lake. It seems that the schools and shops also moves up or down the lake accordingly. There is no water bills to pay and bed time follows the sun.

From the noise and faces Y S observed at one gathering point for the inhabitants, they were oblivious to the tourists' presence and conducted their lives as usual. " Are they happy and contented?" When life is emptied of wants, there are in fact few needs. Perhaps the real measure of your wealth is how much you would be worth if you lost all your wealth ! Sometimes adversity makes a man, and prosperity makes monsters.


This is a mini bridge that joins Canada and U.S.A.

A giant castle on one of the Thousand islands. Only occupied in summer when the owner comes for his holidays.
These are all individually owned houses which are practically empty most of the time.

On the contrary, Y S was at "Thousand islands" that straddles the US and Canadian border on the St Lawrence River.. Here you can be amazed by the huge gigantic private mansions and castles of the super rich, all built on individually owned islands of all sizes. There is a myriad of architectural wonders which baffles the mind, not so much on the construction technology but rather on the immense wealth the owners possess ! It seems that each property has its own "Indah Water" / waste disposal facility. It has to be contained and transported to the mainland to be discarded. You can imagine the cost !

To signify Y S' comparison to the floating "huts" and "coops" on Tongle Sap, these mansions and castles are only used as get-away summer homes once a year !!! Sometimes, wealth exalts and poverty downgrades a man by three degrees !!! Poverty is no sin and the poor may sleep soundly but still being poor can be terribly inconvenient!!!

What a world we live in ? The rich man worries over his last meal and the poor over where his next meal to come.

Y S is contemplating voluntary work in Cambodia.

.... of a Birdie!

Today is a day to be celebrated !

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) was golfing at Permaipura Golf Course near Bedong and this is the first time Y S hit a birdie from 150 meters with an Iron 5. It is a stroke to be cherished. Don't ask Y S how he did it , and neither could he do it again.

Practice is the best of all instructors. And practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.

The birdie makes my day !!!

...... of "Dato Kong"

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is by nature very observant, and being observant, one cannot help noticing things. To the left of the main road by the side of Y S' house stands a shrine. It used to be a very samll one with just an urn of joss sticks and a plague identifying the "saint" as a "Dato Kong", simply translated as " Great Great Grand Father."

Of late a number of devotees are seen praying at this shrine. The site is kept clean. Once a year, a tent would be erected at the site and a feast is held in honour of the "Dato Kong." Some superstitious people driving by would clapse their hand in prayers respecting the shrine.

It did not dawn on Y S that this particular shrine is dedicated to a Muslim "Dato Kong" until a notice specifying the fasting times and prayer times at this shrine. Wow, what a great country we live in. This is 1Malaysia of the most unique kind. We can live together if we can accept one another at face value, and not be manipulated by those who seek to benefit from our disunity.

So, look around your neighbourhood. There are interesting things to discover.

.... of life and work

Two years and 4 months down the road of retirement, Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has still been bombarded with the exclamatory questions in the Chinese Hokkien dialect : " Bor Choe kang ?" ( Are you not working? ), " Bo kang choe? " ( No work ? ) , " Mai choe kang ? " (Don't want to work? ), and " Mien Choe Kang? " ( No need to work? ) To the China man, life is work. And if you turn the other round, work is life! Both sides of the same coin. And also both words are 4-lettered !

When you are confronted with "Are you not working?" the questioner sort of expects you to work and not laze around or rather you are still too young to retire.

If you are asked " No work ?", the inquirer seems to be sympathetic with you that the economic downturn has caused so many to be unemployed and that includes you !

"Don't want to work?" implies that you are a lazy bone and refuse to work !!!

In fact, " No need to work ! " is Y S usual answer and you can readily expect the next very bold and odd question which any westerner would NEVER dare ask, " How much pension do you draw???" To this Y S would answer, if I don't have enough I will borrow from you !!!

Many more good meaning friends would also volunteer advice. These are among the many Y S received :-

" Ai yo,.... you have to do something. It is very boring sitting at home."

" You MUST do something to keep your brain active or else you get Alzheimer ( This is a dirty word among retirees.) !.

" You are still young, don't waste your time ! "

" My uncle retired several years ago, did nothing and died at 60 from a stroke ."

" Keep your brain active, play mahjong, or else your brain cells will die."

And the list goes on.

There are a few local private schools which pay retirees a stipend, thinking that these people are already receiving their pension. Many a retired teacher would make a beeline to such schools begging to be taken in as if there is no life in their retirement

Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead. Retirement could be the best thing that happens to you. Live on.

..... of Dolly Parton "Pau"

Off the highways, Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) through the recommendation of a fellow blogger "Random Shot " @ http://amelia7.blogspot.com (do pay a visit to this blog, you will continue visiting after that) there are things to discover. We are so caught up with time constraint and speed that we lock ourselves from one toll booth to another and lose experiencing all the goodies the trunk roads have to offer. If you keep yourself on the highways you can only eat "nasi lemak" and "teh tarik." Be adventurous, take time and discover new things.

Y S golfed at Putra Golf Course, Kangar last week and remembered a recommendation by Random Shot. This special "Pau" ( ..er...... the Chinese version of BIG Mac) found at Kaki Bukit which is about 24 KM from Kangar. This a quaint small town which grew from the Emergency New Village set up in the 1940s and is full of Hakka speaking Chinese whose parents were rubber tappers and orchard owners.

So, Y S phoned up to book a number and made a beeline to the shop after golfing. Y S' golfer friends were astonished by the size of the "Pau" and as men were men and are still men, they Christianized the "Pau" as " Dolly Parton Pau." See for yourself !

.... of saying " NO "

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) was not brought up to say "NO" to any requests asked of him. There had been requests which Y S sincerely could not fulfill but yet Y S agreed and then coughed and puffed trying to fulfill them. These misadventures had caused lots of stress and unnecessary tension in his life. Even when Y S was working often he stood up for his colleagues and went to the extremes to make colleagues happy.

As a fellow sojourner in the local church, Y S had ( Note the past tense used ) never said "NO" to any request made by the priests to the point of willing to sail into troubled waters where angels feared to tread in the Diocesan Pastoral Team ( The Bishop's Think Tank ) of the Penang Diocese. Y S survived " some beatings and tongue lashings " from the priests who feel that they are above reproaches and are very unteachable.

In the days of old ( just two months ago) Y S would say "yes" and then only think of ways and means to do it. When It was beyond his capacity, Y S even went to the extent to recruit others who had the knowledge and talent and worked together with them. NOT ANY MORE. The first "NO" Y S said was about two months ago.

The Parish Priest phoned Y S to represent the Catholics of Kedah to sit in the MCCBHT ( I hope I get it right. It is the Malaysian joint body of Buddhist, Christians, Catholics, Hindu, Taoist, Bahais etc etc etc and what have you) . You don't make someone a sacrificial lamb and land such a big duty on him by just phoning and without any guidelines and references.

Y S sniffed shirking of official duty. The body as all Malaysians know is represented by " high and higher" priests of sorts and Christians leaders with titles of "Rev so and so," Father so and so ," and "Swami what and what." It is like asking Y S to talk theology with the Dalai Lama, Pope, Billy Graham, Swami .. something ...something. Y S braved out the word " NO " and felt so nice about it. From that day the Parish Priest does not greed him in church anymore. This is the way of life even in churchy circle. You are a good sheep if you follow order but a bad one if you don't. But it is nice to be a bad one if you are right.

The moral of the story : learn to say "NO" if you really cannot assume the request. Y S is still feeling good about the first " NO " he uttered.

.... of change and the need to change for the better

The transformation of Puduraya Bus Terminal.

When Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) was a student, going to Kuala Lumpur ( K L ) from Pasir Puteh, Kelantan was by Mara Express Bus. This bus would stopped at the Puduraya Bus Terminal in the wee hours of the morning. Having no friends, kiths and kins in K L , Y S had to wait for the sun to rise before he could go about conducting his business. The old Puduraya Bus Terminal was dirty, polluted, stinky, unsightly, dangerous, crowded, messy and all the negative adjectives you could think of. It has recently been resurrected to be a first world bus terminal as you can see in the photos.

The moral of it is that a place can go through such transformation, can human nature do so ? Many a time, people commented that they were born and bred that way and there is no way they can change come what may ! " I am like that already " is a common statement.

There was a young female teacher whom Y S observed in a staff development session who spoke in hardly audible voice to a huge class of 45 students. When gently commented, she replied that she had used the maximum volume God had given her. Until today her pupils have to strain their ears to hear her. If the young feel that they cannot change then the older ones would feel hardened and fossilized.

Y S remembers his late 3rd sister who kept on to one fashion of dressing for all her life. The good lady had never tried blue jeans, pants or shorts. Some would never venture to try food cooked by other cultures but stick to their palate all their lives even when they are overseas. Y S has a friend who is still driving his 35 year old Mazda car ( The company had since defunct for years) , not so much for its antique value but rather his unchangeable human nature.

There are also friends who do not change their negative , quarrelsome, hot headed, selfish, unsavory, strongly opinionated, unforgiving and repulsive behaviors and mannerisms all these years. Many sadly carried them to their graves and were thorns in the flesh of many people when they lived.

Y S believes we must not only change but be prepared for changes. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once said that " Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must change and be prepared for changes." (Darkened words are Y S ' ) That is to change within us and also respond to the changes around us. If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.

In the final analysis, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. Change is inevitable if we are still above the ground.

Yours Sincerely observes that the Chinese Malaysians have a peculiar habit of "belanja" or treating friends or paying up friend's bills in eating shops. There are several types of encouters of this nature:-

The first is not the prearranged type but rather impromptu as when you happen to be at the same place and at the same time with him. He has finished his meal, stood up, called for the bill and gestured to the cashier to also include what you are eating in his bill. When you have finished eating you get the "pleasant" surprise of discovering that it has been paid for you.

The second is when a few of you decide to have a meal together and walk into an eating shop. After the feasting and when it is about time to leave, you call for the bill. And when the bill arrives, there begins a tussle to foot it. Sometimes, the tussle can be embarrassing and the more insistent one or the one who is holding up a bigger note wins the day.

At other time, while your bill is being mentally calculated by the cashier, everyone digs into his pockets, and indicates that he wants to pay. In this situation, you may find that the bill is jacked up because the owner of the establishment knows well that no one is going to itemize the bill, and you end up paying more ! How silly!

Of course, there are the free loader or the free " luncher " who always seems to lose in the battle to pay by either :-0

i. Being to slow to produce their wallet and money
ii. Producing small notes by sheer "bad arithmetic"
iii. OR always seem to visit the toilet at the right time when the bill comes. LOL

While such "custom" or unwritten ethics may be good, it can be embarrassing especially when you do not bring enough cash since you do not expect to meet friends. However, to be on the safe side, and since living in a small town, Y S always ensures that he carries a bit extra just in case an impromptu situation arises.

However, many a time, Y S was proud of himself when his former students who are now working or having successful businesses insist that they want to treat their teacher. These former students always make my day, not so much for the free meal but the APPRECIATION that they show. After all what else can a retired teacher delight in ???

...... of cheese cakes

Cheese cake is something Yours Sincerely ( Y S ), in a manner of speaking, would die for. It has a certain aroma, texture and taste that can only be appreciated by those who have a passion for it and have cultivated and acquired its taste.

Y S is blessed to have a golfer friend who is seriously into cheese cake baking. He is a very adventurous baker and has experimented his cheese cake with orange, durian, green tea, "Kalua" coffee liquor, pineapple and his latest is Kiwi fruit. And for all his experiments, Y S gets to taste them because Y S is called upon to give his expert "critical assessment and evaluation" after every sampling.


This is Andrew Zibberman. "If it looks good... EAT It !!!"



Anthony Biourdain. " I don't know what I'm doing ( his job) ...but heck... I love it."

And only now, Y S realizes that people like " Anthony Bourdain'" "Andrew Zibberman" and other travel and eating personnels of the "Travel n Living" programme have a splendid career. They simple travel and eat. Perhaps Y S will be one of them in his next life!

The latest Y S sampled was the Kiwi Fruit Cheese Cake.

The following is a sample comment :-

" Excellent foundation and presentation. Perfect base made of crust cereal which is of the right thickness and does not crumble when sawn through by the spoon. Excellent texture that is smooth and sufficiently creamy to melt in the mouth. The slight sourish hallmark of cheese cake is soothingly and evenly present and not over-powering. The Kiwi fruit puree topping does its job perfectly well and enhances the taste. The scatter of sliced almonds titillate the taste buds as you chew on them. Grade : A "

Baking cheese cake takes time since it also needs grilling and refrigeration. Inspired by this friend, Y S took out his Better Half's baking book and turned to the pages on Cheese Cake. After reading the procedure, Y S put the book back safely on the book shelf. Perhaps what makes Y S' friend's baking superb is a special ingredient - love. He loves his hobby and shares his labour of love with his friends.

Anyone for cheese cake?