They are fixed, nailed and pasted on tree trunks, lamp & electric -posts, road signs and dividers, walls , and sometimes on vehicles all over the town - advertisement on produce, products and services. While Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has no grouch against such mosquito advertisers since doing business without advertisement is like winking at a girl in the dark, such advertisements can really be an eye sore since when they are indiscriminately displayed. Many a tree has been defaced and sometimes they cover up the road signs and hide away traffic lights.

Of late another type of advertisement widely sprouted all over strategic places in town and promising male potency while guaranteeing satisfaction both to the clients and their "victims." Sexuality has come a long way since the prudent Victorian age.

Y S understands that there is a by-law governing the placing of advertisements in town. They have to be whetted and a substantial fees imposed by the town council. There is also a time frame for the advertisement and hence the owners are responsible for removing them. However, those put by the mosquito advertisers are left to rot with the forces of nature.

It is not hard to impose such ruling if the powers so be is game. Just give a call to the phone number provided on the advertisement and nap the culprits when they appear to collect their spoils. But so far, nothing is done.

It takes all types to make up this world.

.... of old dogs and new tricks and perseverance

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) almost gave up golfing had it not for the heavy investments put in the sport:-

Golf set : RM 4,500.00
Golf bag : RM 750.00
Trolly : RM 70.00
Coaching : RM 500.00
Insurance : RM 120.00
Driving range practice : 100 balls X RM8.00 X countless sessions
Caddy fees : RM 20.00 per 18 holes X countless rounds
Total = RM x(*&opa;#2@%^7

At the verge of giving up, Y S awarded himself the above trophy: "The lousiest Golfer of the Royal Kedah Club." Y S started to hate small balls. They are so hard to hit and can be very elusive. Golf balls flew into the rough and hid among the tall grass. Golf balls looped into the pond with a loud " ploop" and a big splash as if to sneer you. Golf balls hit the branches of the trees, frightening away the birds and shed some leaves to spike you. Your iron carved out a huge chunks of divot, giving the green bald patches here and there . Your driver missed the ball, and you hit the air !!! Your golfing friends pretended not to see to save your face !!! On some days ,Y S could swear that he heard the trees, bushes, birds and insects laughed at his wayward balls. Y S also suffered the sympathy of the grass cutters. On a few occasions, they volunteered some tips here and there. Of course, the most hurting experience is to hear his better half quipped, " I TOLD YOU ALREADY. GOLF IS NOT YOUR SPORT!!!! bla...bla....bla...."

Not wanting to give up, Y S went back to the driving range. It was hours of hard practice and many more hours of walking the 9 holes almost every morning if it did not rain. Last few months, if you saw a lone golfer on the Royal kedah Club greens even at high noons, then it had to be Y S.How to hit straight and accurate? It is practice, practice and more practice. Remember that practice alone does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. And practice is the best of all instructors. Then Y S has to mention the many hours of watching golfing U-Tubes. They are a good source of lessons.



PERSEVERANCE PAYS. Y S has improved his golf tremendously. He can now hit straight and place his balls. He loses less balls to the obstacles. The secret lies in perseverance. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. It is said that, like postage stamp, a man's value depends on his ability to stick to a thing till he gets there. Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts.



If one has passion for the game, he has to love the balls. They may be inanimate objects, but they have their own spirit and soul. A good golfer friend, Mr Peter Teoh, will never, never putt his golf ball without giving it a good rub and polish. "Thomas, make sure that not a speck of sand is on the ball. It makes a difference to your putting." " Never move the ball with your feet. It's disrespectful to the ball. It's a taboo. Use your iron to move it." Talk to the ball like you do to your plants. His advice to Y S .

Old dog can do new trick if it perseveres.

Golf ? Give Y S a call.

... of a farewell to the fifties

It has been three years down the retirement road for Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) and this day 20th April, 2011 Y S is celebrating his .........his.........his.....59th birthday... sob...sob.....sob the last year of the fifties, and the advent of his sixties, and then it is the downhill. When you were a child, how you wish your birthdays come quickly and more in between but not at this age. In the 'down the hill years" you tend to pick up speed and the years are so much shorter.

The " going down hill years" in spite of all the sayings, poems , ballads, songs and odes dedicated to its glory is in fact not that glorifying :-

It is when your friends begin to flatter on how young you look but there are sure signs that you are growing old.

It is when gray hair is a sign of age but they flatter you by saying that it is wisdom. (What wisdom ? The cost of hair dye and the frequency of your need for it is forever increasing ! )

It is the prime of life, no doubt, ar ... but then it just takes much longer to get primed in many things.

It is when you pay more attention to the food than the waitresses.

It is when you mind say " Go, go.... !" but your body says " Wait....wait....! "

It is when you keep forgetting where you put your glasses and hand phone.

In spite of all these oddities of bidding farewell to the fifties, Y S is nevertheless grateful to the Almighty for all those of years of His choicest divine spiritual and temporal blessings showered on Y S - the better half that he is blessed with , the daughters and also son-in-law whom he loves and treasures, the siblings he values, the friends whom he cherishes, the health he enjoys, the list is unending.

Btw the birthday cake is specially baked by a former pupil and now Y S' good friend, Mr Beh, who is a photographer by profession but he cooks and bakes like a chef ! It is a cheese cake and that is Y S' favourite. This one is "superlicious" because it has an added ingredient - love. You may not see any candles, well, do you have to remind me of my age ? why waste money on 59 candles ?

Life lives on. The BEST is yet to come !!!

.... of the "nine" taboo in ages

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) remembers a certain taboo related with the number "9" in matters concerning one's age. It is about crossing the "9" taboo and is more relevant to seniors crossing the thresholds of "59" going to "60" or "69" going on to "70." The taboo centres on the need to smoothly cross over to the next figure. i.e. say from 59 to 60 and then one is assured of years of peace and solace until one reaches the next " 9 ", like 69.

How much water does this taboo hold water is seen by the number of people being struck down when they were 59, 69 or 79. So, much so that certain Chinese families play a trick on this taboo by skipping " 9 " and goes on to celebrate the next figure, i.e bypassing 59 and celebrate it as your 6oth birthday. So, a 6oth birthday celebration or demise age could actually be 59.

And of all the "9s," the "49" and "59" are thought to be of greatest significance. That is why many celebrate their 50th or 60th birthday, happy that they have safely crossed-over or seem to have crossed over. Look at the obituaries in the Chinese newspapers, you can never find the deceased age with a " 9."

Y S talks about this because he is " thresholding " over to 59 in a few days time, and has a year to live on to turn 60. Y S is not so much concerned about the taboo, as Christ has set him free, but more concerned with the UGLY FACT that he has only one more year in the fifties. Then, it will be 60 oleli, wor !!! (sob! sob ! sob!) He has also very recently joined the "High B/P gang" and has to devote a morning each month to queue for the doctor and medicines at the General Hospital. Life is still a four-lettered word - GOOD. If we gather all our troubles together and lump them together so that we can see each other's problem, I think, we would still pick back ours and be contented to live with it, ya ?

Anyway to grow old is to pass from passion to compassion. Age on. The BEST is yet to come !!!

... of 34 th wedding anniversary

MANY, MANY YEARS AGO WE LOOKED LIKE THIS . lol

Today is Y S' 34th wedding anniversary. 34 years is a mighty long time to be devoted to a single woman. You see her face when you turn on the bed. You see her again at the breakfast table. You still see her beside you when you drive. Love at first sight is easy to understand; it is when two people have been looking at each other for 34 years that it becomes a miracle! And after 34 years, Y S has to confess that he did not marry someone he can live with but he has married some one he cannot live without !!!

What clicks in a marriage? My daughter going into her 4th year of marriage asked.

In the first place, remember that marriage may be made in heaven, and so is thunder and lightning. And that all the maintenance work of marriage is to be done by men right here on earth!

Success in marriage is more than finding the right person. Being the right person is even more important! The perfect husband is one who does not expect a perfect wife and vice versa. And that marriage is the art of two incompatible people learning to live compatibly, and after 34 years Y Ss is still learning very day. So much for life-long learning and education for life.

Leather becomes moldy and hard if unpolished. Iron rusts. Wood rots. Marriage, too. So, a bit of sugar and spice, pepper and salt, honey and also "Tabasco" to spruce your marriage now and then work a long way.

Finally, it pays to keep falling in love everyday, WITH THE SAME WOMAN !!!


Stay married, the best is yet to come.

... of blood pressure

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has been very busy this week ferrying himself between the General Hospital n( G H ) and home. The good doctor, Radha , of the GH has put Y S on the monitor for hypertension. Y S used to think that hypertension , Diabetes etc etc are for others, not him.

However, of late Y S' b/p has shot up to as high as 200 / 90, in spite of all the golfing, squash and gymn, and that alarmed the second half more than Y S. She bundled Y S off to the G H one fine morning and threatened to abandon Y S ( poor me ! ) if Y S did not seek treatment. Scary, eh ?

Another catalyst that rushed Y S to the G H was the condition of Y S' childhood body builder idol - Malek Noor. He was carried off the football field to the hospital hardly five minutes into a friendly showcase match ! Frightening, eh ? A body builder ! (Sorry, picture is blurr)

'
During his hey days ............................ Mr Asia.

On the day he was heart attacked .......
So, there goes Y S to the G H for five mornings already and the final verdict will be passed this Wednesday, the 13th of April. If "guilty" then it is medication for the rest of my life.

There is a certain deterioration of the body's parts and functions as one ages. ( sigh !!!) There is no panacea to heal them. Healthy diet and exercise can only help to maintain them a bit. If you are young and you read this posting, VALUE your youth and health . It comes only but once. So, take good care !!!