Doubtom

..... of our club's gymnasium

2012-02-15T00:02:00.008+08:00

Have you ever realised that putting on weight is a whizz but removing it off, especially from around the waist can be exhausting and for some it remains there " until death do we part. " Yours Sincerely's ( Y S ) N Zealand trip was where Y S was pampered with food by his daughter and this was followed by the Chinese Lunar New Year where Y S and family spent it with his sister who loves to cook. The result was a few kilos around the waist.

Fancy that a few weeks of feasting could easily cause an increase of 3 or 4 kilos but several months of exercises could hardly remove it. They call this quantum physics.

So, Y S has sentenced himself to the RKC ( Royal Kedah Club) gym every morning and has made several interesting observations.

The gym is like the golf driving range. There is a certain fraternity which inspires free and unsolicited advice. Within your ear shot, you can hear tips on how to do this machine and that machine, and how this diet and that diet has worked effectively. And how this and that person has his or her this and that muscle torn and suffering from this illness and that etc etc etc.

Often you see the serious ones hard at work. They could not afford a smile. They sweat profusely and are proud to show you that their sweat drips down like rain drops on the floor and machine. If they shake their heads hard enough, they would stain the walls with their salty sweat. Their t-shirt is normally soaking wet and they pant and grunt to despise your under-effort at exercising.

Often Y S observe a middle aged lady but still in good shape: slim, supple and firm. This particular lady is a bit of an exhibitionist. She would hop on this and this machine and work on them effortlessly. And her finale is always how she contorts her body to the left and front, left and right, also effortlessly. She could sit and her fore head could touch the tips of her toes repeatedly. A feat for a lady of her age. And she does all that proudly in the full view of the gym spectators of all shapes and sizes. All admiring but some envying and a few sneering, perhaps our of jealously !

Also often Y S spots the " rollers" who are always over-weight and visit the gym perhaps for the first or first few times. They are a bit conspicuous and never announce their appearance or disappearance. They would quietly roll on the treadmill and walk for a few minutes. Then roll on the cross trainer. Then roll on the multi-gym. Then hop on the exercise bike. Then roll on the leg machine. All these for a few minutes each. Then stand and admire the weights on the storage rack, perhaps saving them for the next visit. BUT .... but they will never miss the vibration plates .................................................

Some plant themselves on this machine until grass could grow beneath their feet. Y S' only worry is that they might entangle their small and large intestines ! Or if they constipate, they may have to dash to the toilet ! LOL

Y S does not know which category he belongs to ! Y S just wants to maintain whatever muscles the Good Lord has given him before they are rudely snatched away by age , especially untimely snatching. To young readers of this blog, start saving your muscles when you are young.

So, exercise on.

... ...... Of confusing practices in the Malaysian Catholic Churches

2012-02-10T22:08:00.005+08:00

Dear Editor,

“Being a Catholic convert and having left far behind many Chinese pseudo-cultural practices, I am confused and aggrieved by how the church is accommodating such practices during the Chinese Lunar Year Masses year after year in the name of acculturalization.

I particularly refer to the use of red candles; big joss sticks; the offering of food; three bows before a replica of the ancestral tablet and the setting up of a red ancestral altar adorned with sugarcane beside what should be the only altar of Christ in the church.

Reflecting over how I took a firm stand and in the process hurt my family for not partaking in ancestral worship, I am aggrieved to see that the Church seems to encourage it. Some say that it is not worshipping but merely showing respect to the ancestors. But then we have “All Souls’ Day” and “All Saints’ Day” specifically for that purpose. The semblance of what I used to partake in and what the church is condoning now is too close to confuse me.

Of course, I am not against such acculturalization but simply want the church to take a firm stand on this matter for the benefit of the faithful like me.

If the setting up of a red ancestral altar, the lighting of red candles and joss sticks, food offering, and bowing before the ancestral tablet are allowed, I am glad that I can fully participate in the forth coming “Cheng Beng” festival in April !

Thomas Chua
Alor Setar

......... of Waimangu Volcanic valley in N Zealand

2012-01-14T13:05:00.009+08:00

A visit to Rotorua , north island of New Zealand (NZ) is a must to feast the eyes on geothermal features, soak in the geothermal lakes and also smell all the sulfur you can.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) was taken to Waimangu Volcanic Valley which is the world's youngest geothermal area. Y S stepped into a world of astounding geothermal features and gigantic volcanic craters.

The four hour walk, with lots of coaxing and encouragement from the daughter in the forms of tit bits ( chocolates and Muesli bars and rationed bottled water ! Y S and Better Half were tenderly treated like old folks from the homes on an outing. ROFL ) , introduced Y S to huge steaming lakes, bubbling hot spring, newly formed terraces, mysterious inferno craters, and powerful volcanic activity. There are rare and unusual plants which have adapted to grow in the hot earth and rapidly regenerating native forest. All these were seen up close as you are a part of nature in this park.

The tickets are a bit costly and the walk long , so you are away from itineraried packaged tourists who are usually taken to the Old faithful geyser just to witness the periodic sprays.

A dip at the Polynesian Spar that evening ( Sorry. No photos allowed) completed Y S' full experience of Rotorua.

Nevertheless, it is quite daunting to think that your property lies above tons of molten lava, and that you are practically conducting your life daily on them!

This visit is top on Y S' lists of things Kiwi I did.

.... of what we did in New Zealand II

2012-01-14T11:19:00.006+08:00

Daughter took us to a quaint restaurant, FLEUR at stone's throw away from Moeraki Boulder, tucked away at an idyllic spot, surround on three sides by the sea.

The quaint interior of Fleur Place is very Kiwi and maritime for your liking. You can see in the photo posted , the renowed owner Fleur Sullivan, all gray, on the left , signing her latest book " FLEUR." At 70 plus she still makes her presence felt in her restaurant, going around "Hello" here and there, delighting Y S.

This the main door into the restaurant. Like the door of our "Kampong' (Village) toilet. But.. ....... when the door is opened, the crowd of lunchers (My own word for people who are lunching.) and wafts of the delicious food may make you berserk looking for your reservation. If you don't know about the place, you may not choose go in.

Sinfully delicious dessert to titillate your taste buds and shoot up your glucose level. But who cares ? You are on a vacation. (Anyway, whether you eat or not, the difference in your life span is only 2 hours.Terms and conditions applied.)

The green shell mussels in the big bowl are ultrally fresh. This is one of the few "Orang Putih" (White Man) cookings that is not that "buttery and cheesy." The flavoring is just enough and so the taste of the seafood is not robbed off like the Chinese "Kam Heong" frying where the taste of the seafood is simply robbed off by the flavoring. Y S' "Cod wrapped in bacon " was a real treat.
Better Half's "Seafood Chowder' is equally exquisite.

Finally, my ratings on the scale of 5 :-

Food : 5
Desserts : 4
Presentation : 3
Service : 5 (Delighted by the owner's personal presence.)
Ambiance : 3 (Furniture a bit old. Chair rickety. But then they are for rustic reasons.)
Toilet : 4
Cost : 4 ( If you don't convert! )

Thanks Dr Adeline for the treat.

....of what we did in N Zealand

2012-01-13T12:04:00.007+08:00

With 20 over days to spend with your married daughter and her beloved hubby in a foreign land could be quite daunting. How to spend or kill time when the couple went to work ? Yours Sincerely (Y S ) does not like to be cooped up, and be "home alone."

You know what ? Daughter laboriously planned out an intensive, extensive and comprehensive 21-day itineraryon a spread sheet that covered eastern north and south island of New Zealand. Talking about killing time ??? And the days were just enjoyably stretched to the limits, taking advantage of the longer summer day light, and her impeccable, meticulous and proactive planning where everything was pre-booked : car rentals, hotels, resorts, restaurants, parks, tour packages, museums etc etc etc. You just cannot beat a Phd holder.

There are too many web sites describing amazing places in NZ, so Y S only wants to share his personal experience and from an aging father point of view the places and experiences.

A short drive away from Dunedin, Y S was taken to visit the Moeraki Boulders.

The Moeraki Boulders are a group of very large spherical “stones” on Koekohe Beach near Moeraki on New Zealand’s Otago coast. These boulders are actually concretions that have been exposed through shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs that back the beach.

They originally formed in ancient sea floor sediments around 60 million years ago

Some of the boulders weigh several tonnes and are up to 3 metres in diametre!

Maori legend tells that the boulders are remains of calabashes, kumaras and eel baskets that washed ashore after the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru was wrecked at nearby Shag Point (Matakaea).

The Britons have Stone Hench. The Kiwis have Moeraki Boulders. Geologically impressive. Some look like dinosaurs' eggs. Y S was impressed.

.... 0f 2012

2012-01-03T23:24:00.006+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) and his better half spent their 2011 Christmas with their elder daughter and her husband in Auckland, New Zealand, and the 2012 new year eve hassling with the airport officers over over-weight cabin luggage. Somehow with God's grace, Y S managed to get all his luggage home safely. It was a holiday of a life time - picturesque places, exciting events and activities, sumptuous food of chef's standard, comfortable accommodation, fine weather ( after a few days of rain and cold wind ) and being with your loved ones is just indescribable !

When Y S touched down at Changi, Singapore, it was already 6.30 am, 1st of January, 2012. With jag lag buzzing, and nostalgia hovering over YS, the new year simply zoomed in unushered. Y S simply had no time to take stock for 2011 or make resolutions for 2012. It was just like when YS was getting use to yesterday along came today.

Anyway, the years have slowly become unimportant to Y S as a retiree at the threshold of his 60 s ( sigh !!!), now the seconds, minutes and hours count more ! " Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." Will Rogers Yesterday is a cancelled cheque. Tomorrow is a promised note. Today is ready cash, use it ! Let us live in the sunshine of today and not the shadow of yesterday which is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision ..... But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Let's us have not only the usual happy new year but a happier bordering happiest new year !

2011-12-11T08:10:00.003+08:00

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.

2011-11-25T02:22:00.002+08:00

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

2011-11-12T10:50:00.005+08:00

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

2011-11-11T17:53:00.004+08:00

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 ?

2011-11-09T17:41:00.005+08:00

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

2011-10-21T23:18:00.004+08:00

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

2011-10-02T10:52:00.003+08:00

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

2011-09-28T18:15:00.009+08:00

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

2011-08-27T21:41:00.010+08:00

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

2011-08-18T12:24:00.007+08:00

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

2011-08-15T11:04:00.012+08:00

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!

2011-08-05T22:09:00.002+08:00

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"

2011-08-05T21:54:00.004+08:00

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

2011-08-01T19:31:00.006+08:00

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"

2011-08-01T06:31:00.006+08:00

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 "

2011-07-29T13:39:00.005+08:00

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

2011-07-20T18:28:00.008+08:00

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.

2011-07-02T21:27:00.003+08:00

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

2011-07-01T00:22:00.005+08:00

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?

...... of Y S ' leather belt.

2011-06-30T23:39:00.007+08:00

S
One strange thing about men when it comes to fashion is that most of us really do not care. Of course, there is a sizable fast lane and cool male homosapiens who move with fashion. The majority, Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) thinks , does not bother about the changing trends in clothes, shoes , hair-styles and other accessories like watches, glasses, belts, wallets etc. ( Besides, cars, of course) If they are caught with the latest fashion, it is because their favorites are already out of production ! One good example is glasses frames. You have to move on. The opticians do not stock old models.

This morning Y S took a hard look at his aging leather belt, a "Mustang" which gave way due to leather fatigue. It is about 18 years old !!! ( Y S pities the factory that makes good belts like this and wonders how it could survive, making such long lasting good quality product!!! ) It was bought in 1990s when Y S looked good in blue faded jeans but not now. The belt stays on with Y S' other pants because it simply refused to "break down" so that was no good reason why it should be discarded. Moreover, as the years rolled by it gathered lots of sentimental value. It had gone on globe trotting with Y S and its metal buckle had triggered many a security censor at the various airports Y S passed through and was ogled at by many an immigration offer.

A strange about fashion is that to the male homo sapiens, we are proud and we show off our long lasting things. Shirts that last a decade. Pants that are still wearable after 10 years. Shoes that do not seem to wear off, 5 solid years and are still good. Wallets that seem to last an eternity.

I don't think the fairer sex would parade such possessions. More often than not, their desire is to make known that whatever they adorn and use are the latest. The more sophisticated would not even shop at sales, fearing to be seen in their duplicates. For this reason, owners of boutiques are laughing their way to the bank.

Even to be seen in the same dress for another function is a disaster ! Not even in the same dress as their fellow colleague. There was an occasion when a collegue rushed home to change her clothes because another colleague adorned the same fashion of dress and in the same colour. She swore not to buy at sales anymore. It is a taboo !!!

Coming back to Y S' belt, Y S thinks it needs to be taken to the cobbler to be given some stitches here and there and a new lease of life.

They don't make things to last anymore these days.

......... of idiots in abundance

2011-06-24T09:11:00.005+08:00

This is a news report from The Star of 24th June 2011:-

" In an unrelated case, several people in the state had fallen victim to a 4-D scam purportedly run by Indonesians.

It is learnt the foreigners would go around the city showing their victims what were supposed to be winning lottery tickets and offering these for sale at a much lower price.

Claiming that they could not redeem the tickets because they did not have valid documents, the foreigners would even ask for jewellery or other valuables in exchange.

In a recent case, a cook in his 20s, lost almost RM16,000 to such a syndicate, which had offered him a “winning” lottery ticket for RM80,000.

The cook, who met the foreigner along Jalan Wong Ah Fook, only realised that he had been cheated when he went to claim his prize money and was told that the tickets were fake.

Police confirmed they had received reports on both cases. "

On and off Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) reads and scoffs at such news. This is the new millennium and the "Cyber Age" and yet we have people walking around with cave man brain, thinking that it is that easy to make a fast buck these days.

Y S was brought up by his "China man immigrant father who came to this glorious land with only two changes of clothes" that life has absolutely NO freebies or free lunches ( Besides at the Salvation Army, and even there if you eat for too long your soul will be salvaged.) This adage has been imprinted in Y S ' children. Hard work, grit, grime and sweat, and brain is the surest way.

Even in Y S ' "city" of Alor Star, he has been approached and offered "ROLEX" watches for half price ! Singapore dollars for a rebate of 20 to 40 % below market rate! Mercedes for 40% below market value! Well, if even a million is brought to the foot step of Y S' humble home for FREE, Y S would doubt the intention. It is better to be a million ringgit poorer than to have a million sleepless nights and troubles!!!

The world seems to have a good number of idiots, and the other half of people clever enough to take advantage of them. Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. Nothing in this world is more dangerous than conscientious stupidity. They say that only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and Albert Einstein is unsure about the former and so is Y S.

The bottom line of all is, of course, GREED. The rich wants to become richer, and the richer want to be the richest. And the richest want some more and some more, failing to know that finally all that one needs is " 6 x 6 x 4 " underground. The first emperor of China, Shih Huang Ti, of course, had a super large tomb. See what happens? Until today archeologists do not let him rest him peace. They are digging and digging into his tomb. Do you think he can rest in peace? For that matter, not even the Great Pharaohs of Egypt !!!

"Nothing is enough for the man for whom enough is so little." Epicurus. And the most grievous kind of destitution is to want more money in the midst of wealth.

To the cook who lost his RM16.000, we can only ask him to "Go and fly kite" !!!

What say you?

........ of punctuality

2011-06-23T21:46:00.007+08:00

Your Sincerely ( Y S ) has been preoccupied with punctuality and being punctual for almost all his life, and for 36 years of his working life, HE WAS NEVER LATE FOR WORK !!! However, there was no citation for this when he retired. " The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it " ( Franklin Jones) Very few people seem to bother about the quality or habit of adhering to an appointed time. "Laugh and the world laughs with you, be prompt and you dine alone" (Gerald Barzan) Y S is not referring to the occasional lateness due to unforeseen circumstances but the habitual practice of being late due to lack of concern of being on time.

Have you observed that the Chinese wedding dinner reception never start on time. It is at least half an hour late, even though it is held at posh hotels where you can expect more polished guests ? Notwithstanding those held at clan and association or temple halls can be behind time for as much as an hour !!! Being a Chinese course dinner, everyone has to be seated before the serving can start. It is unlike the Malay "Kenduri (Wedding feast) buffet where the lunch hours is stretched very thin from 12 noon to as late as 6 p.m. Perhaps this is more practical, guests can pop in and out at anytime. Well, you can even pop in twice, one for lunch and another one for early dinner . LOL

What irks Y S more is that the late comers are not frown upon. It is accepted like a norm. The host seems to condone the late comers as if they are V.I.Ps. At Chinese wedding dinners some tables are reserved for them. They seem to get preferential treatment in full view of the punctual ones. Even in churches, habitual late comers park their vehicles indiscriminately and are lovingly ushered to vacant pews like V.I.Ps, and when the mass / service is over, they are the last to come out of the church. Thus, their vehicles block others.

In school, we have school prefects who have to sacrifice their lessons to wait at the school gate to "welcome" and record the names of the late comers. Some come to school on their own vehicles. And these late comers have no urgency. They stroll leisurely into the classes, interrupting the lessons.

I think the only time people are punctual is when they have to check into "Air Asia" counter at the airport. The one-hour check-in procedure has no compromise ! Another instance of real punctuality being practised in Malaysia that Y S observes is at the banks when new issue of "Amanah Saham Malaysia" ( Malaysia Trust Fund that promises good returns) are released. Some are overtly punctual and can queue at the bank door before dawn !!! Talking about banks, try to repay your bank loan by a day late and see what happens?

Lack of punctuality is a theft of someone else's time. Lack of punctuality is also the lack of respect for others. Y S has always made is a point to be at least 15 to 30 minute early for appointments, lunch, dinner, golf etc etc etc To be punctual is a decision. Get up earlier. Get off earlier. Get started faster. Of course, it is better late than never, but better never late is even better. " I have always been a quarter of an hour before my time, and it has made a man of me. " Lords Nelson.

Of course, the traffic always gets the blamed for causing unpunctuality, and when it rains then the weather gets the blame. Sometimes, it is the alarm clock but most of the time traffic jams. Y S has yet to come across a late comer who blames himself :-

" Oh, It is my fault. I dilly dally."
" I'm sorry. I'm a tardy person."
" Oh, I woke up and then went to sleep again."
" I dilly dally and started late."

Punctuality is a decision. When you decide to be punctual, you will think of ways and means to be punctual. What do you think?

...... of the Chinese wedding tea offering ceremony

2011-06-14T13:08:00.006+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) received several wedding invitations this June. June, the even month, could be an auspicious month and it also coincides with the two- week school mid-year holidays. So, couples take the golden opportunity to tie their matrimony knots. Y S is always happy to be present for wedding ceremony and reception. It is time to meet family members, nephews, nieces, grand nephews and nieces, relatives and also friends.

It is also interesting to see how people compare notes when they meet. Some flatter each other on their youthful looks although the faces are covered in layers of Avon, SK II, Max Factor, Clinique etc etc. Others brag about the achievements of their children. " My so and so son/daughter is earning USD doing this and doing that." Some showcase the abilities of their grandchildren being able to read at aged 3, recite the alphabets at aged 3.2 etc etc, short of praising their DNA. A few delight in displaying their expensive apparels bought from S K Tan, Mid-Valley Mega mall or their Coach Handbags bought in N. York. The list is unending. It can be quite amusing to Y S who has nothing to brag about besides his travels. (Perhaps to the other party this is also bragging. LOL )

Y S approves the Chinese wedding tea offering ceremony and believes that this is a good tradition to continue. To the uninitiated, at this ceremony the bride and groom would offer a cup of tea to family members and relatives, according to seniority hierarchy. While the tea is being offered , the person concerned is introduced to the newly married couple.

Take for example, Y S is number five in the family hierarchy after my three sisters and one brother so my turn for the ceremony comes fifth. The mistress of ceremony who is usually an elderly and chatty person would introduce, " This is your second grand uncle and Aunty." The couple would respond, " Second Grand Uncle and Aunty please drink tea." The tea in special tea cups is offered to the person concerned.

After sipping the tea, the recipient is supposed to offer a cash gift in a red packet called "Angpow." This is a good practice for the cash gift would serve the newly wedded couple well. The amount depends on the person.

However, there are some "cheap skate" siblings and relatives who put in a small amount of cash and in this case they would not write their names on the "angpow" and hope hard that it would somehow get disguised among other "angpows."

In this way, the newly wedded is introduced to all the clan.

Good tradition should be preserved.

...of "until death do we part."

2011-06-13T11:18:00.008+08:00

Yours Sincerely counted lately and solemnly realised that a good number of his acquaintances and friends have lost their spouses to all sort of illnesses and mishaps. Strangely but surely, the males seem to go first than the females who are left to grieve for their beloved, except for a few widowers Y S knows.

One particular widower, a fellow Catholic, so grieves for his spouse that he decides not to stay in his shop house and has asked Y S to look for a room to rent for him. He only wishes to go to his shop house for his day business as a tailor. Night time is too much for him to bear his lonesomeness. He confided in Y S that his lunch used to be hot and deliciously served at 12 noon daily, but now he eats takeaways from stalls and shops as late as 2 or 3 pm. There were times when he scolded his spouse for serving him late lunch, but now he has to content to very late lunches, and most of the time he has no appetite. Pitiful !

Y S' friend rented a room in another widower's house and he confided in Y S that his landlord, a quiet fella, used to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and weeps, pinning for his departed spouse. There is no grief like the grief that does not speak . Eerie, eh!

There was another one Y S used to see at Jalan Sultanah Catholic Cemetery who stood in front of his wife's grave every morning, AT THE SAME TIME, rain OR shine. More eerie !!! He had already joined his spouse, in heaven, I pray.

During Y S' last trip to Kota Bahru, he stayed with his golfer's friend who also had recently lost his spouse. He confided in Y S that the memory of his late wife is very strongly present in all the things in the house. They were married for at least 40 years ! Too long to forget each other. On the 7th day of her demise, he felt her presence at home and "she even locked him out of his bedroom" Spooky ! And on their trip to collect her urn, they could smell her favourite medicated oil in the car they were traveling in. More spooky!

In this world nothing is so sure as death and taxes, but people do not want to think about it, least make preparation for it like the Great Pharaohs. It is a taboo. Death only happens to others until they themselves are struck down six feet underground.

Spouses should learn to carry on and live on their own. For that reason, Y S is now operating the gas cooker, micro wave, washing machine etc etc etc, learning to live alone. Similarly the Better Half is encouraged to source out her own circle of friends ( good, respectable, caring and dependable ones but NOT the free loaders !) and she should keep driving so that she is mobile.

In the event of finality, Y S believes that the one who is called first is the blessed one for he/she leaves behind people to grieve for him/her. The left behind spouse should be able to carry on and not to be so devastated, helpless, broken and paralyzed.

Many selfish spouses, especially females, make their spouses solemnly promise not to remarry after their demise to the extent of promising to come back to haunt them if they do. And many self-centred children frown on the remarry of their widower fathers, and especially widowed mothers. Well, if they so desire and if there is an opportunity what is wrong with remarrying since the marriage contract explicitly states that " UNTIL DEATH DO WE PART."

The world does not need another Taj Mahal ( Mausoleum built by an over faithful husband, Shah Jahan, for his beloved wife.) What do you think?

.... of grandpa and gandma

2011-06-12T20:48:00.005+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) was back at his hometown to attend a niece's wedding. So, it was also time to meet his kith and kins and friends. A very common inquiry in the midst of conversation in the company of these people is : " When are you becoming a grandfather? " It was quite sometime ago when Y S was asked, "When are you becoming a father?" To the latter question Y S could easily answer because he and the better half were responsible for the whole situation , but certainly not the former question. How is Y S going to know? How is Y S able to
know? What can Y S do??? It is out of Y S' jurisdiction!

To Y S' generation, those with married children, having grand children seems to be another important milestone in their lives after educating their children and sending off to universities. Many have exchanged their sunset years of relaxation and living our their dreams to repeating the changing of diapers, picking up after the child, making milk in the wee hours of the morning and baby sitting. A couple Y S knows once left the comfort of their home and familiarities to squat in a one room apartment overseas to help out baby sitting for their son. All these were done in the name of sacrifice. Y S only hopes that the children truly appreciate such sacrifice.

Nearer home, another MALE former colleague has practically turned back the clock of his life to baby sit for his daughter. He has shut himself from his friends and the activities he once loved to do. and devoted all his time to the granddaughter. Somehow he has turned himself into a wet nurse and nanny.

Meeting him once at Taman Lam Sun, he was pillion riding his granddaughter on a bicycle and he stopped to talk to Y S. He bored Y S to near death with tales about his granddaughter's achievements, the best baby formula, methods to arm up milk etc etc etc. Before Y S bade farewell, he coaxed his granddaughter to say, " Goodbye uncle." Somehow the small kid chickened out and there was deep disappointment on his face. Y S assured him not to worry the kid could say but was shy.

Children are, of course, the natural consequence of a marriage. However, they do not necessary come naturally. There are many who just cannot have children. There are also many who do not want children. Whatever the reason is, parents cannot be held responsible for the issue. Let the married couple decide for themselves.

BUT if married couple so aspire to have children, there is always the right time after marriage. Y S has seen friends who postponed having children until it was too late. They CANNOT have them anymore. There are those who have them too late, and they can no longer ride the roller coaster with their children or they are embarrassingly asked, "Is this your grandchild?"

So, Y S' favourite answer to the question : " When are you becoming a grandfather? " is " Why ask me? Ask them."

... of branded food in USA

2011-05-28T12:32:00.006+08:00

.

n

The Quincy Market at Boston which used to be a trading house in the days of the "Boston Tea Party" (1773) where the colonists rebelled against Britain, dressed as Read Indians boarded some British cargo ships and emptied their precious cargo of tea into the sea, thus began the history of American liberalization from their colonial master, Britain. A small bit, Yours Sincerely ( y s ) could recall from Form 5 History lesson way back in the 1960s. Bet present day pupils don't have an inkling of the "Boston Tea Party" but maybe they know more about the murderer turned patriot " Maharaja Lela " who cold bloodedly murdered James W W Birch, the first British Resident at Pasir Salak . (circa 1875)

The Quincy Market now houses numerous stalls and restaurants, something like our high end food courts with cuisines to increase your waist length, elevate your glucose level and cholestrol. The glittering and gleaming food seem to gaze at you invitingly, welcoming you to mouth them.

Y S could only post 10% of all the outlets. There are many more, not to mention the souvenir stalls.
When travelling, forget your staples and sample as much local food as you can stomach.

.... work stink in USA / Canada

2011-05-25T22:15:00.020+08:00

Yours Sincerely' 's ( Y S ) work stink in the USA and Canada was another one from his bucket list. You just cannot kick off from this world without having a glimpse of the USA. Y S was struck by its cosmopolitan nature, system, orderliness and advancement. As good, old Confucious said, " A picture is worth a thousand words, " Y S is posting more than one for them to tell the stories. Hope they do.

This is south of Toronto, facing the Niagara Falls, a very touristy city comparable to Gold Coast of Australia. You get a huge assortment of interests : restaurants, rides, shops, kinky museums, peep shops (Where you take a peep of things that your mother may not want you to see !), souvenirs stalls, parks and, of course, their Hard Rock Cafe.

This is the Korean War Memorial at Lincoln Memorial. The Americans never forget to remember their dead soldiers fighting for others' freedom. Fresh wreaths and notes are placed daily.

Y S was amazed by this Civil War cannon, still in mint condition.

This is the ticket station for the ferry ride to Ellis Island, the immigration check point for the early immigrants.

In Boston, eat like the "Bostons ", eat whole lobsters. The restaurant's name is " No Name." Splendid ! A good look at this creature makes you don't want to eat them. They are so adorable and perfectly created. Y S bets they would have fought for the life in them if they are still alive like this one that "bit him."

Typical of the westerners, the only way they know how to cook lobsters is just to boil the creatures and perhaps add some salt to them. While this is a good way to cook in order to get the wholesome lobster taste, our Asians' taste buds have been pampered with all sorts of flavours : "Kam Heong the lobsters, (lobsters fried in hot, sour, sweet, oil source )" " fry them with salted eggs (This is yummy since the "eggy" saltiness of the egg yolks stuck to the shells titillates your taste bud and adding flavour to the morsels of lobsters.) " or simply dip the morsels of lobsters in "sambal belachan (This is chilly paste mixed with fermented shrimps. It can leave a stint on your breath and fingers for eternity.)" or "Cabai burung in soya sauce. ( This is the renowned super hot "bird chilly soaked in salty soya sauce and functions as a dip which additionally flavours the morsels of lobsters.) "

By the way, Y S was also intrigued by the various American " surgical instruments " provided to work on the lobster.

This is Times Square. The New York that never sleeps. The neon signs still glimmer and glitter in the day light.
The crowd at Times Square never thins out. If you stop walking suddenly you will be bump from behind.

Better half with her favourite movie star, Morgan Freeman, whom she claims resembles her late father, not the colour or the height, but, perhaps, the general features, especially the nose. LOL
This is the concrete jungles of the Big Apple, New York.

The interior of Notre Dame Basilica at Quebec. It is more opulence than the one in Paris.

This is The Niagara Falls. The temperature was 5 degree Celsius but the wind was gale strength so it was biting cold. The mist and spray made the falls only 30% visible. Y S was very disappointed. This is an awesome natural wonder of the world. One from my bucket list !

In America, enjoy like the Americans. The strange thing about humans is our set habits or rather fossilized habits which are difficult to change. Some fellow travelers hunted for "nasi lemak," " bak kut teh," or " char koay teow" and had to check out ChinaTown for its familiar sight, sound and taste. When travelling, taste what the locals do. Go local.

Y S and Better Half had " Whole semi rare roasted ribs " with Canadian beer ! But had forgotten the taste. It was drown by the vibrancy and dimness of the place. Anyway it was good experience where deafening noise is called music and lots of head shaking and nodding which is called performance.

This is Capitol Hill where the US law makers meet and have their tee-a -tee and "powwows" .

This is the front of Lincoln Memorial.

So much about freedom in the USA. This lone Anti-Nuke demonstrator has been demonstrating for more than 10 years outside the White House, in full view of the President and the FBIs, Y S supposes. He simply camps right in front of the White House. Try that in Malaysia. You will be eating hard boiled broken rice with equally hard fried fish and a few drops of curry in the privacy of your cage ! LOL

This is the White House. Nothing spectacular, except that it is really white. The occupants were not at home at the time of Y S' visit. He was visiting the Queen at Buckingham. Talk about security, you can see FBI officers with binoculars walking on the roof tops ! Supposed to be popularly elected by the majority !!!

More visitors to the White House.

Have time, travel. See the world.

.... of Mothers' Day

2011-05-08T19:18:00.006+08:00

Today, 8th of May, is Mothers' Day and Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) wishes to salute all mothers.

"A glorious Mothers' Day ". In fact, judging from what mothers do and have to do and are doing, every day has to be Mother's Day. They say that a thousand men may build a city but it takes a mother to make a home. They are like fine collectibles - as the years go by they increase in value. And it is because God could not be everywhere, so He made mothers.

Y S lost his mother to old age a few years ago. She suffered no sickness at all until her last breath, and she just expired and went over. She held on to Around her was Y S' siblings, and her grand children and great grand children. She was given a warm and tearful send off. With the demise of the great matriarch, things are never the same anymore. You sort of lose an important piece in the mosaic of a family. Mothers hold up that mosaic, not so much the fathers. Y S' mother had had lived a great life, caring for all of us and making others happy.

Abraham Lincoln once said : " All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother." Y S read somewhere that " One mother can take care of ten children, but ten children can't take care of one mother" ! May those of you who still have your mothers with you, love them, and never, never be one of these ten children!!!

.... Why "Doubtom" ?

2011-05-07T11:38:00.005+08:00

Betrand Arthur William Russels, British Logician, essayists and social critics.

Many inquired Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) why "Doubtom" ? Well, Y S has been branded as " Doubtful Thomas " since the days when he was searching for his Savior, Jesus Christ. The late Irish Jesuit Priest, Rev Fr Geoffry Murphy, Y S' mentor, was at wits end trying to answer Y S ' questions. Y S was an undergraduate at that time and he was our Chaplin. Y S laboriously studied controversial books, as controversial as Betrand Arthur William Russels, a British logician, essayist and social critics, " Why I am NOT a Christian ? " before going for his mental sparring with the learned man of God, a Jesuit !

The Reverend was a very, very patient man. He did not talk much but nodded and nodded, and listened and listened as Y S was trying to show off his tiny, weeny bit of "gray matter. " He didn't even bother to argue with me but kept on listening attentively.

Y S was simply impressed by this learned Reverend who could sit through hours of spiritual discourse with Y S and was listening most of the time. At the end of every session, the reverend gave an excellent summation of the day's discussion and then we adjourned for some food. He would drive Y S in his old and small Fiat car. Soon we cultivated a bond and friendship which made Y S searched deep into the recesses of the Reverend's heart and soul. Y S spotted the "light" in him. This servant of God came thousands of miles away to spread the Good News. The news must be certainly Good to sacrifice his homeland, kith and kins, and to give his life to his Saviour as the Saviour has lovingly given HIS to him.

On the day Y S was baptized, the Reverend gave Y S a double promotion, i.e. baptism and confirmation on the same occasion. Y S asked whether he would regret doing so. He answered, quoting from Francis Bacon, " If we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubt; but if we begin with doubts, and are patient in them, we shall end in certainties."

The rest is history, the Reverend picked a very symbolical Christian name for Y S : " Thomas"
Somehow the "Doubt" aspect still sticks to Y S because the search was overwhelmingly long : 6 years !

" Doubt sees obstacles; faith sees the way. Doubt sees the darkest night; faith sees the day ! Doubt dreads to take a step; faith soars on high. Doubt questions, "Who believes?, " Faith answers, ' I ! " The Good News

....... "disclaimer " in prayer

2011-05-06T11:45:00.003+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) snapped this at the Church of St. Mary at Krakow. Sitting in a pew and gazing at this majestic piece of art helps you to reflect on the three " omni " of the Almighty - omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience.

____________________________________________________________________

Of late Y S has been reflecting on the set prayers that he has been uttering in the presence of his fellow faithfuls and in the FULL presence of the Almighty. The prayer that ends with : " ..... in all that I have done and failed to do........ "

The matters which we have done are not that over whelming since most of our actions and deeds are committed or done mindfully. We decide to do it, rightfully or wrongfully. But, the matters where we fail to do are very open-ended and subjective. They may be those we are unable to do. Matters beyond our capability, beyond our human effort and ability or beyond our influence and domain. They could even be those that we do not even know of. Those that unconsciously slip our notice, observance and attention, or those through no fault of ours at all.

So, like legal documents drawn by unscrupulous lawyers, we, the tiny, weeny humans add in a " disclaimer " in our prayer to play safe . It is a blanket statement that covers everything and ask for the Almighty's forgiveness " for what we have done and failed to do...."

" The purpose of prayer is not to get answers, things or anything - not even holiness. Valuable though they are , all of those are side effects. The purpose of prayer is to get acquainted with God. Anything else is a bonus. " Alfred C McClure.

.... of the world becoming borderless

2011-05-05T19:07:00.005+08:00

In a few days time Yours Sincerely ( Y S )will start working again after a long holiday of about three months. Y S' last worked in South Vietnam and that was during the Chinese Lunar New Year.
If you are confused, according to Y S, traveling is not a holiday but work. Holiday is when you come back home from traveling and fall back comfortably to your good old restful routine.

This time YS and Better Half will be working in south-east USA. While Y S is filling up his suit cases, the breaking news of the death of Osama kept flashing on CNN, BBC and Al-jazeera. Since then Y S' phone has been ringing off the hook from siblings, friends and well wishers over travel safety to USA.

See how the world has become borderless and a global village. Happening in one small corner of Pakistan can affect a small, insignificant and humble retiree right here in Alor Setar, kedah, West Malaysia, thousand of kilometers away.

In 2011, Y S and Better Half were all set for UK when Osama triggered the 911. This raised travel security and concern, and Y S canceled his trip, losing thousands of ringgit of flight bookings etc. On the hind sight, Y S should have gone ahead with the trip as security was very much tightened and thus the trip would have been, in fact, safer. This time around, Y S isn't going to have his booking canceled and deposit forfeited, Osama or no Osama !

The world isn't becoming more peaceful and safer anymore. The age of innocence in travel is over. If you want to step foot out of your house, you have to take care, look out and trust in God's providence.

There are many people who trusted in the safety of their homes, anyway they died in their homes, too, on their beds ! LOL

2011-04-29T16:52:00.006+08:00

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

2011-04-26T10:35:00.008+08:00

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

2011-04-19T22:01:00.010+08:00

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

2011-04-16T21:28:00.005+08:00

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

2011-04-13T07:02:00.004+08:00

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

2011-04-11T12:05:00.009+08:00

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 !!!

........... of living purposefully

2011-03-16T07:31:00.004+08:00

Y S' footprints on the melting snow at Sinchiang, China.
Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) received this in his mail. It is a good reminder for those who have reached the summit and also those who are still climbing. Read on .......

And then it is Winter.

You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly

and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young,

just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.

And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,

and I wonder where all the years went.

I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...

But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...

How did I get here so fast?

Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well...

seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people

were years away from me and that winter was so far off

that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...

But, here it is...

my friends are retired and getting grey...

they move slower and I see an older person now.

Some are in better and some worse shape than me...

but, I see the great change...

Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...

but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks

that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!

And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!

Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...

now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared

for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability

to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...

this I know, that when it's over... its over...

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...

things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done.

It's all in a lifetime...

So, if you're not in your winter yet...

let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.

So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!

Don't put things off too long!!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today,

as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so,

live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...

and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things

that you have done for them in all the years past!!

"Life is a gift to you.

The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.

Make it a fantastic one."

LIVE IT WELL!

ENJOY TODAY!

DO SOMETHING FUN!

BE HAPPY! BE THANKFUL!

...... of 2012

2011-03-13T09:43:00.005+08:00

With two major earthquakes, the one in N Zealand and recently in Japan, of such disastrous magnitudes happening within such short interval, images from the block buster movie "2012" kept flashing in Yours Sincerely 's ( Y S ) mind. Would Planet Earth end up in a series of catastrophes and cataclysms : earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, twisters, typhoons, landslides, floods, Tsunamis, drought, collisions of the planets etc etc coupled with political turmoils in the Arab countries and else where in the world ???

Y S tries to assure himself with self reasoning that "2012" is a block buster hoax and that natural disasters are always the order of the day. Ice bergs of all sizes , for example, collapse into the Tundra and Antarctic almost everyday and that glaciers turn into avalanches every now and them. Floods, twisters and volcanic eruptions have been happening since time immemorial. The only difference is that now we have efficient and effective mass communication. In the days of old, at the most one could only see a picture in black and white on the front page of the newspapers, and perhaps a few coloured pictures sometime later in "Time" or "Life" magazines NOW, you can see the HD images and video clippings of the natural disasters right in your living room on your LCDs. These images keep repeating themselves and with each passing days, CNN , BBC, CCTV or Al (Something?) serve you with better and more detailed images. How not to etch in us lasting impressions of the events ?

The theory that flashes of images on the LCD screen can leave a lasting impression on our mind holds water. This has been capitalized by advertisers to ingrain their brands on our mind by regularly flashing all the silly advertisements on our TV screen. The images of the catastrophes and cataclysms do leave an impression on us subconsciously in the same way.

Are we moving towards "2012"? As much as Y S does not want believe it, things are unfolding almost everyday. Yet, Jesus Christ says that He will come again "like a thief in the night." So, would "rapture" (Where believers would be assumed into heaven before the world suffers in turmoil. ) followed by "Tribulation" ( Where the world would be in turmoil before the assumption.) or vice versa? It is confusing.

What do you think?

.... the light from within

2011-03-04T00:21:00.005+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) once read that "people are like stained glass windows! They glow and sparkle when it is sunny and bright; but when the sun goes down, their beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. "According to Buddhism, all beings are imbued with a spark of inner divine light.... The Jewish mystics use similar words when they speak of the inner spark or the spark of God. The Koran, referring to man, talks about the little candle flame burning in a niche in the wall of God's temple.

Almost inevitably a spiritual search becomes a search for divine or sacred light. By cultivating our inner core, we search for this light in ourselves as well as the divine." - Lama Surya Das It is the "light from within" that produces in man strength and happiness to find out the way in which God is going, and he going that way too.

It is often said that the foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feel. That is why that happiness is like a butterfly which when pursued is always beyond our grasp, but which if you sit down quietly may alight upon you.

Cecil Rhodes, born in 1853, played a major political and economic role in colonial South Africa. He was a financier, statesman, and empire builder regretfully said at the conclusion of his life, " Happy ? No! I spent my life amassing a fortune only to find that I have spent half of it on doctors to keep me out of the grave, and the other half on lawyers to keep me out of jail."

There is a common belief that happiness is something that is achievable and can be held on to. We look forward to that time in which we can finally be happy, but it continually recedes. We want to get to the top of the Wheel of Life and stay there. When in the university, we think, "If I can just graduate then I will be happy." Graduation, however, is not fulfilling, and we decide " Maybe it will come upon finding the right job, buying the right house / car / etc etc....... or getting married, or having children, or retiring. " The goal remains elusive. The "happiness that lasts" is never found because it is actually impossible to get happy and stay happy. If life is based on obtaining happiness, then we will always fall short because life is always changing as the wheel turns.

Y S likes what Richard L Evans once said, " May we never let the things we can't have or don't have, or shouldn't have, spoil our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have. As we value our happiness, let us not forget it, for one of the greatest lesson in life is learning to be happy without the things we cannot have or should not have," How true?

And above all, it is so important to know that we can choose to feel happy. Most people don't think they have that choice.According to Aristotle, "Happiness depends on our selves." For people are just as happy as they make up their mind to be. True happiness may be sought, thought, or caught but never, never bought. It is the light in our inner self that keeps burning even when the sun has set !

.... of help, helping and being helped

2011-03-03T10:32:00.004+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y s ) discovers that it is very hard to offer help to others these days. People are self-sufficient. They do not want to be indebted. They rather exercise their self-sufficiency than to accept help and remain indebted so they think.

Y S used to ask a friend to fetch him to the airport in wee hours of the morning since we are living in a BEC and that is a Basic Ecclesiastical ( Godly, in spiritual communion, brotherly ) Community and since so much have been preached about mutual help and co-operation among fellow Catholics in a common locality. Y S could have called a taxi but then that is denying a brother-in-Christ to exercise his ecclesiastical deed or duty to help another member of the BEC. Y S asked for help with the hope that the same could be returned to him when he is in need. However, Y S found out that the brother-in-Christ called a taxi to get to the airport when he could easily called Y S. So, do you dare to ask for his help again ?

In the circle of the middle class society, self sufficiency is what people aim for. Gone are the days when you borrow an onion, some sugar or an egg from your neighbour. People rather drive all the way to the grocery kilometres away just to get those menial things. Or rather people buy in dozens and scores to store up and many a time groceries are stored until they are rotten and discarded.

"HELP" is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. " says Ralp Waldo Emerson. Allowing ourselves to be helped if so necessary is also a virtue that has to be learnt. How many have suffered in silence, thinking that they are virtuously bearing the so-called "crosses" of life. A good exercise for the heart is to bend down and help another up, and also to reach up and accept help. As it is said that when you help someone up a mountain, you will find yourself close to the summit too.

Think.

... the last lap of life

2011-02-26T22:56:00.010+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) observes many healthy, good hearted and well-meaning people seem to think that sicknesses and illnesses and death are for other people, and that they are immune to all these ....op..op..op... (taboo to talk about ) things. Touch wood! Touch wood! As if by ignoring and not talking about them, they will automatically be bypassed. It is paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but then the idea of getting old becoming sick and death does not appeal to anyone. There is nothing so certain as sicknesses and finally death, and also the income tax!

Many would disagree that life is 3 score and ten (70) and the rest of the years are bonuses. One may have a bonus of , say 15 years, and that adds up to 85. A ripe old age ? Remember, one may not have all the 15 years of bonus. With the present environmental degradation; pesticides, chemical fertilizers, mono sodium glutamate, preservatives, artificial coloring etc etc etc in our food and coupled with fat and cholesterol; and not to mention the rat race and stress, it is safe to deduct another 5 years. That leaves one with only 80. Then, one needs to question himself whether his last 10 years of bonus can be lived out free of doctors and hospitals ?

What if his last 5, 6 0r 7 years is riddled with wheelchair and hospital bed. Then, he has only 75, 74 or 73 years ! And taking 58 as the retirement age in Malaysia now, one only has 17, 16 or 15 years of blissful retirement! That is not long. Many of Y S' friends, ex-colleagues and acquaintances have been called home at around 75 and some as early as 68 ! Scary, eh ?

How is one to live out this last lap of life ? Some think that retirement is like taking a permanent vacation. Some drop out of sight after their retirement. Some tire themselves out selling insurance and trust fund. Many more turn baby sitters and child minders for their children. Y S observes a few craftily and quickly move in with their children and stick to them tightly as an old age insurance.

After the "honeymoon" phase of a " permanent vacation " wears out, this last lap of life has to be lived purposefully, mindfully and fruitfully. It can be a time of catching up with hobbies, skills and other interests; reconciliation; "paying back" and preparation to meet the Maker ( If you believe in Him). It is time to clear your "Bucket List" one by one pleasurably. It is time to know new people and widen one's circle of friends. It is time to play "hop scotch," and "Batu Tujuh" ( A child's game played with 7 rounded pebbles which you hurl into the air and catch it with the same hand.) , so to speak, if you so desire.

15, 16 or 17 years is short either for one to merely exist or live it. So, live it them ............

.... of heaven

2011-02-21T20:02:00.004+08:00

It baffles Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) that we, Christians, who read, listen, talk about, sing about and being preached to about heaven may worry if it is time to go there. So many good Christians may think twice or thrice about going to heaven since one has to die first to get there. And everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

Even those who are afflicted with terminal illnesses, and they have ready tickets to heaven, will empty their purses looking for healing and remedy to get better and consequently postpone their trip. Why are they throwing away their tickets to heaven ?

Why do people who so glorify heaven as the eternal resting place, the ever-lasting paradise, the Lord's House " where tears will be wiped away " and " laughters fill the days" rethink their desire when really faced with the option to exercise to go to heaven.

Why do they pay the doctors to delay their much desired trip and choose to be on earth some
more ? Baffling ?

There are those who never ever pray, or pray much, or find themselves near places of worship, leave alone to enjoy the company of angels and saints, and music from harps, also desire to go to heaven. What would they be doing there for eternity ?

There are also those who are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly value. They talk and sing of heaven , trouble themselves and others with "rules and laws'" and "do's and don'ts" for heaven bound beings, but would not lift a finger for their fellow beings. This is not " kosher"
and that is not "kosher." " No carnivorous diet, only herbivorous diet." " No Pork." " No beef." "No lamb." " No Valentine." "No meat on Fridays." etc. etc. (You can add on to the list yourself. ) Is entry to heaven by merit or favour ?

Mark Twain once said that " Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." Wesleyan Methodist adds that " To get to heaven, turn right and keep straight."

If this ONE life is well lived, do you think you need an eternity some more ? The main object of religion is not to get a man to heaven, but to get heaven into him. THINK.

Teachers or educators ?

2011-02-20T23:57:00.003+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) could not help posting this inspirational piece which was forwarded to me by a friend. Read on ..............

*According to a news report, a certain private school in Sydney 's **
> Eastern Suburbs was recently faced with an unusual problem.. A number of
> the girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the
> bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would
> press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints .
>
> Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the
> girls would put them back. Finally the Headmistress decided that
> something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and
> met them there with the maintenance man .. She explained that all these
> lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to
> clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the
> little princesses) .
>
> To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked
> the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He
> took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet bowl, and
> cleaned the mirror with it. The silence was broken by a large number of
> gasps, a few girls vomited and apparently someone fainted. Since then
> there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
>
> There are teachers . . . and then there are educators

How true !

.... of Ho Chi Minh City and South Vietnam (Part : 1)

2011-02-08T17:50:00.022+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y s ) is back on holidays again after spending 6 days working in South Vietnam - waking up in the wee hours of the morning, having people to make your bed for you, zipping and unzipping luggage, checking in and out of hotels, feasting on hotel buffet breakfast, dinning at choicest restaurants on exotic food, going up and down the tour bus, visiting sites and places, snapping photographs ........ and that is what Y S calls WORK.

As Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) entered Ho Chih Ming City from the airport, Y S was head ached by the buzzing over loaded ( Y S saw one with 6 riders, practically the whole family. If there were some more space, grandpa and grandma could also travel along. ) "Kap Chais" ( In Cantonese, they are small C.C. motorcycles) which buzzed in and out of traffic with their incessant " pip.... pip......pip .......pip" announcing their presence on the road. The "pip...pip..pip...." and even seeped through the crevices of the windows of Y S's budget hotel, smacked right in the city centre, like hordes of mosquitoes. Crossing the thoroughfares of city is a chilling experience, not for the faint hearted, of course. The "Kap Chais" are kings of the road.

Anyway, in a city with practically no public transportation: city buses, LRTs, MRTs whatever how do you expect people to go about ? However, Y S was enthralled by the abundance of glistering, poshy , bourgeoisie MPV taxi plying the roads in the city. So much for communism, eh ?

Y S' visit coincided with the Vietnamese' New Year of the Cat. So, there was a double celebration of the Cat and the Rabbit. Both seem to get along well in Vietnam.

The double event also coincided with a floral and book exhibition. So, the streets of Ho Chi Minh City was overflowed with locals and tourists.

This is the Chinese made tank that crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace and reunited north and south Vietnam. A brave reminder of what people's power could do !

Eating on low stools and tables on the five foot ways or on the beach seems to be the national pastime. A family is having a meal together at Vung Tau.

In Vietnam, do as the Viets do. Y S was having some bean curd on a low stool. Btw, it was hard to get up after the meal, not because of the meal but the lowness of the stool.

When you travel, make friends and share experiences. Strangers are friends we have not met and spoken to.

This is the statue of "Christ The Redeemer" at Vung Tau. To reach the statue are many flights of steps, about 500 hundred, I panted and lost count. Then you have to go up some more steps to the top of the statue. The view of the city and coastline of Vung Tau from the shoulders of Christ is rewarding, well worth the effort of climbing up.

This is among the weirdest fish Y S consumed. It has been very deeply fried until the scales stood out and curled up. The waitress will then peel it up for you. The flesh is then enveloped in a piece of thin rice paper with some vegetables. It is dipped in chilly sauce before being consumed.

This is the happiest Buddha statue Y S has ever seen in all his travels.
When you travel, loosen up and merge with the locals. What a treat Y S had with four pretty Vietnamese damsels singing their folk songs. Of course this photo costs money : D 100,000.00, Don't worry that is about RM8.00. ( About 2 USD) In Vietnam, you spend like a millionaire.

This is the Notre Dame Cathedral of Ho Chi Minh City. Imposing architecture, resembling its namesake in Paris but it has no compound, saved for a patch of green at its facade and this is also taken up by hawkers as their trading space. Two busy roads traverse on its left and right.

Y S took a sampan ride on a tributary of the Mekong River. This activity is specially created for the locals' livelihood. Well, it is one of its kind, somewhat like those gondolas on the canals at Venice.

.... Y S is working

2011-02-03T00:47:00.002+08:00

This blog takes a break because Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is working in Vietnam. Will be back home on holidays soon with stories and photos. Adious !

Rabbit Lunar Year

2011-01-31T19:59:00.005+08:00

Wishing you

a fulfilling,

joyful,

healthy and contented

New Lunar Year of the Rabbit.

Thank you for crossing paths with me in the cyber world. I cannot think of anything else but carrots, carrots and carrots for the Rabbit Lunar Year.

~ doubtom ~

.... are we lonely ?

2011-01-31T19:19:00.004+08:00

We are all, each and everyone of us, completely and irrevocably alone!
No matters how many friends a person may have ( could also be siblings, relatives or even spouses) , nor how close those friends may be, it does not change then fact that we are each an entity in ourselves. You would have experienced the dismay feeling of being more alone in a crowded room than you were actually physically alone.

A thousand and one persons would have greeted you last year with the question, "How are you? " Have you ever answered that question literally ? Really told those people how you really were ? Told them your personal aches and pains, about your troubles etc etc etc. If you have, you would have noticed a subtle glazing of your acquaintance's eyes after a few moments. Then they get fidgety, and probably leave you talking to yourself !

Your troubles and problems are yours, and nobody really cares. The reason being that others have problems and troubles of their own, and perhaps more important or bigger ones.

So, we are really alone. But, there is a way to relieve that loneliness .......

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) finds that answer lies in overcoming the overpowering dictates of the great "PRIVATE I ." Most of us are imprisoned in that seemingly escape-proof cell of ego, that dark, despairing dungeon of self, and to believe that the entire world revolves around " me ."

Force yourself to be interested in others. Try to think of others as another "I" instead of "he" or "she" or "they."

Instead of thinking of what to say next when someone talks to you, listen to him. If you cannot help, then feign that attention for a start and soon it will be cultivated. Y S always feels a personal loss if he does not listen and learn from others. Y S has a friend who can rattle on and on from topic to topic, issue to issue, theme to theme etc etc etc all the way from Alor Setar to Penang, and ......... back. In his presence, Y S never feels lonely.

If you have trouble listening to people then you cannot be interested in them. You cannot relieve that relentless loneliness until you can be interested in others.

Having retired from 35 years teaching service where Y S used to talk and talk down to docile students, cultivating interest in others and listening to them is a pleasurable change.

What do you think?

... of criticism from the pulpit

2011-01-14T11:55:00.004+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) wonders whether priests or pastors have the God given legitimate right or licence to criticise blankly from the pulpit. There have been instances in my church when the parish priest ruthlessly, point-blankly, and strongly lashed out at certain individual, individuals, groups and teams in the church. To Y S, lashing out from the pulpit is like hitting below the belt because you cannot expect the congregation to answer back or at the very least clarify the issue.

There is this " throwing out of hat" criticism whereby you wear it if it fits you. Then, there are times when the hat thrown out is so tailored that it is " FS " or Free Size and seems to fit everyone, or it is tailored XXL, so large that it fits almost everybody's head, and you keep wondering whether the criticism is directed at you.

Of course, there are culprits for whom the hat is meant for, but they are not seated at the pews in church to receive the hat. So, the poor faithfuls who have been attending church regularly get the hats thrown right into their faces Sunday after Sunday ! It is like preaching and preaching to the converted !!!

There is also this "to whom it may concern" criticism, so loudly proclaimed that it injures your ear drum even though you know fully well that you have nothing to do with it. Again, the receivers are not in church to be corrected.

An injurious occasion Y S could remember was when the church choir was mercilessly criticized from the pulpit. Following that you could hear the choir members sang with lumps in their throats, and the choir master who had tried his butts to form the choir was red in his face. He resigned after that. Being criticised from the pulpit can be pungent and hurting. The choir master had even stopped coming to church. He attends another church a distance away. Perhaps he could not take the shaming. Well, Y S does not blame him. It is hard to take criticism which border shaming in public, especially in a Christian public in church !!! This was done a lot in China during the Cultural Revolution.

Y S himself was once publicly criticised in a priestly meeting. An ecclesiastical meeting which Y S thought would have been motivational, upbuilding, merciful, gentle, kind and all the positive heavenly adjectives you can think of. There was this robed person with many years of priestly vocation and who was not attentive to Y S' presentation as he was playing "Soduku" , opened his caustic mouth, introduced his opening paragraph with, " I HAVE TO EDUCATE YOU that ....... " right to Y S' face. Y S has forgiven him but somehow the words still ring in my subconscious. Y S does not have Alzheimer so it is hard to forget such critically cutting criticising remarks.

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots. Mahatma Ghandi once said that " Throughout my life I have gained more from my critic friends than from my admirers, especially when the criticism was made in courteous and friendly language. " They say that a trained diplomat can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

While criticism has its good point, it should be handled out and received with loving kindness and care and above all the dignity of the individual involved should not be sacrificed on the altar of the pleasure of blasting out the criticism. It may give you the feeling of being John the baptist for a short while but then it has no changing effect but breeds ill will and division.

If the criticism involves a individual, do it gently in private. If it involves a couple, invite the two persons and do it in private. If it involves a group, summon the whole group and do it in private. If it involves the whole congregation, then by all means, do it diplomatically with Christian love and charity from the pulpit.

What say you?

... of anger

2011-01-13T14:56:00.004+08:00

Do we realize that "anger" is only one letter short of "danger."

This is one element Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has been trying to tame three quarters of his life. It can surge out like the ferocious hot magma of a volcano and burn kiths and kins, all alike , if not properly contained.

And if you speak at such juncture, you will make the best speech you will ever live to ever regret for anger opens the mouth and shuts the mind. As it is rightly pointed out, an angry person is like a match stick which has a head but it has no brains.

Better Half once told Y S of an ugly scene in our church compound where the self provoked angry parish priest unnecessarily lost his cool over a very petty matter. One of the parishioners over-parked his car. The front wheels slightly rested on the floor of the church foyer. It was a minute matter since the floor is built of stone but the priest, unknowingly, was provoked by his apple polishers. He indulged himself in rudeness, yelling, anger ( These are a weak man's imitation of strength) and finally " ordered the poor parishioners out of the church" !!! The person involved who is a good friend of Y S is still nursing his wounds. So much for "love" and " forgiveness in the church, eh ! An angry person is seldom reasonable and a reasonable person is seldom angry. King Solomon in the Book of Proverbs, says that "a quick tempered man does foolish things." If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size ??? ( Good thinking )

Another pointer from King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes, " Do not quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow, says a Chinese proverb. Anger can be like a stone thrown into a hornets' nest ! It is one letter short of D A N G E R.

But then, it is also said that holding on to your anger only gives you tense muscles. Blowing up gives relief. There were instances in Y S ' life when he should have lashed out at certain unreasonable and rude people but then he chose to hold his cool rather regretfully and let the culprits get away Scot free, and thinking that they are perfectly correct .

What do you think ?

....... of 2011, the new year.

2011-01-05T08:23:00.006+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is a few days' late writing this new year's page. Many would have written on their 2010's escapades and, perhaps, their long list of new year's resolutions. Y S expresses his gratitude from the innermost core of his being for His grace to usher in 2011. That means another year to live on this glorious planet, earth. Recounting 2010, Y S has the Almighty to thank for being able to live through peacefully, joyfully and fruitfully, and so the file for 2010 is closed and stacked up !

2010 whizzed past so fast especially the last two months when YS and Better Half were inundated by the flood, and then followed by the frenzy of house cleaning and repairing. The knocks and drills of the mason had just petered away and so were the drips of wet paints of the painters. A few sticks of new furniture had also been delivered. And after the bills were paid... o la..... the house is a haven again. Life restarts ! Another year of adventures to live through.

2011 loomed in differently this year for Y S because for the first time in his life, he and his better half attended a new year's eve count-down mascaraed party at the Royal Kedah Club, instead of the year end church service. You have to guess what we dressed up as ! It was, indeed, fun to see friends dressed up ( Some down) hilariously with face masks. Their Royal Highnesses, the Tuanku Sultan and Sultanah of Kedah graced the event.

And 2011 is very significant for Y S. HE IS LIVING THE LAST YEAR OF HIS FIFTIES !!!!! SO, it better be a great year for him before he turns ..................... !!!!

So, let's celebrate life and live ..................

2010-12-22T22:49:00.008+08:00

Life is short and uncertain,

Break the rules,

Forgive quickly,

Kiss slowly,

Love truly,

Laugh uncontrollably,

And never regret anything that made you smile.

Don't miss the 9 requisites for contented living by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe :-

Health enough to make work a pleasure.

Wealth enough to support your needs.

Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them.

Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them

Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.

Charity enough to see some some good in your neighbour.

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others,

Faith enough to make real the things of God.

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) gets solemn, melancholic and philosophical as the year grinds to an end. So many thoughts and memories mull in his soul and spirit. What will the new year, 2011, brings ?

Let's rest our uncertainties in the Good Lord, Our God. And take the bull by its horns. Come what may. !

The 2010 Glorious Christmas

2010-12-22T22:41:00.003+08:00

“ Life is for the living. There is plenty of time to be dead.. Let’s seize the day , celebrate life and get busy living and building the Kingdom for Our Lord, Jesus Christ ! Salute ! . Cheers ! ”

~ Christmas 2010 ~

“Thanks be to God for

His unspeakable gift – indescribable, inestimable, incomparable, inexpressible – precious beyond words. “

Lois Lebar

You are always fondly remembered and are counted twice when we count our blessings. May the Good Lord’s rain His choicest blessings and favors on you and your loved ones constantly each and every day of your life.

From

Thomas & Marie Chua

..... of doing a small bit of charity

2010-12-11T11:07:00.007+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) moved a motion in the Parish Pastoral Council of the Church of St Michael, Alor Setar, to form an Ad Hoc Post Flood Relief Committee to deal with the current post flood situation with the hope that it will birth a permanent committee for emergency relief and also to set up an evacuee centre at the imposing three-storeyed parish house ( which currently house only two priest !!! ) . It was unanimously agreed since there was fund from the POHD, SVP and some well wishers which the priest had no way of using.

We were (Y S used the past tense with the prayerful hope that things will change after this) unequipped and ill organised for emergencies. As a big organisation, The Roman Catholic Church, with super and minor hierarchies, upper and lower echelons, we simply could not move fast enough in emergencies. Have you ever seen elephants and buffaloes in flight ? They are hopelessly clumsy and sluggish compared to smaller and sleeker creatures. The same applies to churches. The smaller one are closer knit, more agile and swift. But the older ones are not without advantages. They have years of cultures and traditions and a very rich heritage. However, these advantages could fossilize the ways things are run.

Anyway, the Ad Hoc Committee sprung into action and in three weeks we managed to collate data of the victims, apportion and distributed the amount of relief, and also visited the affected homes in Alor Setar, Jitra and Kangar. The Parish Priest consented to come along to bless the victims and their homes, and give them new courage and hope to start again.

It is when Y S visited such victims and their homes, that he came homes with bended knees gratefully thanking the Good Lord for all the blessings that He has bestowed on him. " The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth. It is obvious that man is himself a traveller; that the purpose of this world is not " to have and to hold" but " to give and serve". There can be no other meaning." Wilfred T. Grenfell.

The following is a report Y S wrote to Herald :

Better late than never

The Church of St Michael, Alor Setar , has formed an ad hoc Post Flood Relief Committee to investigate, document and provide relief for the parishioners , their

families, friends and neighbours who were victims of the recent flood. The relief also covered other affected areas in Jitra and Kangar. In the inaugural ad hoc committee meeting, Rev Fr Vincent Paul, the new Parish Priest stressed, “ We were ill organized to help the flood victims during the flood. Let’s no fail again to help them after the flood. It’s better late than never. “

The committee is chaired by Henry Goh and assisted by Vincent Victor, Maria Arokiam, Thomas Chua, Gabriel Tan, Susan Saw, Nathan and Joseph Arokeim, and collaborates closely with the POHD and SVP. It has stretched the fund provided by POHD, SVP and other well wishers very thin and far.

Inquiry forms had been distributed to the flood victims and the data was finally collated

to facilitate the committee to distribute cash relief of between RM 100 to RM 250. Rev Fr Vincent Paul and his assistant, Rev Fr Marshall accompanied by the committee members, had kindly consented to visit and bless the victims and their homes. Affected parishioners were touched not so much by the cash relief brought by the committee but by their parish priests’ visit. Paul, a retiree, from Taman Aman said with teary eyes, “ I have been living here for years. This is the first time my Parish Priest visits me .” Dave Cameroon, a student, from Taman Lumba Kuda, exclaimed, “ The cash will be very helpful. We’re down with only RM9 left ! “

The committee hoped to birth a Relief Committee, not only for floods but other emergencies. It also hoped to set up a relief centre for evacuees. Thomas Chua, the Chairman of the Parish Animating team, in his hind sight, commented ,” The flood has taught us an invaluable lesson in building BECs. We need to keep an up-to-date parish census to reach out during emergencies. “

By Thomas Chua

"He that bestows his goods upon the poor, shall have as much again, and ten times more. " - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress.

........ peculiar sign boards in China

2010-12-10T23:40:00.005+08:00

The Chinese have a peculiar way of writing their sign boards in English. They literally translate them from their language. So, these sign boards not only sound funny but convey hilarious meaning in atrocious grammar .

So, "Travel makes people merry civilization."

..... of Thai creativity and innovation

2010-12-10T23:19:00.008+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) stumbled upon this by the side of a petrol filling station near Patalong, Thailand. It is a disused double decker coach converted into a cafe, serving full menu food and drinks. The bar is in the coach while the wet kitchen is outside. So much for Thai's creativity and innovation. Such structures would be rusting and rotting away in our junk yards.

Cool place to hang out, eh!

Travels open the mind to new things.

.... of three things in life

2010-12-10T23:10:00.003+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) received these meaning thoughts and upon reflecting on them, how true they are .

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person
1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiving

Three things in life that you should never lose
1. Hope
2. Peace
3 Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable
1. Love
2. Family & Friends
3. Health

Three things in life that are never certain
1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

Three things that make a person
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work

Think about them ................................

.... of lying and telling lies

2010-12-06T22:06:00.005+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) once drove a student home to fetch her homework. She claimed to have completed her homework but forgot to pack the book into her school bag and that was not the first time. Y S, through years of experience, could even smell out students who lied. Her brazen
face, wide eyes and assuring voice would have easily taken inexperienced teachers for a ride.

When Y S insisted on fetching her home to get her homework, she confidently agreed but claimed that nobody was at her home in the morning. Y S suggested going to her mother's working place and to fetch the mother home as well. She boldly agreed. So, Y S had to request the escort of a female teacher to officially pursue the matter.

The student's face and voice did not change at all on the journey to her mother's office. But when Y S started to park the car, she suddenly burst out crying and confessed to her lies. Of course, she was forgiven after a long sessions of counseling.

Surprisingly such negative habit is also predominant among seemingly normal adults. Y S ' better half came across a case where someone claimed to have gone visiting some place with a mutual friend and his family. In actual fact the trip was not made at all. Somehow the lie was not water tight, it seeped out when the person involved himself denied making the trip with the said individual and her family.

This is just one example. There are countless examples of adults lying. People lie for numerous reasons : -

To get away with their wrong doings.

To be free from their duties and obligations.

To blame others for some mishaps.

To get what they want.

To cheat others.

But, there is one serious type of adult lying - lying to artificially put oneself in good stead, to boost one's pathetic self esteem or to astonish the unsuspecting or to put it simply to show off.

May the Good Lord grant us the sanity to discern lies from truths.

... of dinosaur entertainments

2010-11-25T12:04:00.011+08:00

In the sixties, Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) and his siblings' only home entertainment was the radio. We had a German Grundic which operated on a huge 12 v dry cell battery. Those days there were very few bands, and the family's favourite was a "Hokkien, Cantonese and Hakka" comedy, popularly known as " Four Friends" Of course, the volume was set to high since it was for the whole family to enjoy. In the outback of kelantann, there was no "Rediffussion" (Pay radio channel) to enjoy like in bigger towns of Penang or Ipoh. Very few people could afford a portable transistor set and to have one was a luxury like today's kids having an ipod or stuffs like that.

When Y S was in Form Five, he longed for a record player. A low range portable National record player cost about RM 50.00 those days and that was a lot of money. It took Y S all his years of accumulation of "anypows" money to get a record player (Red packet money gifts which you got once a year during the new Chinese lunar year. The biggest amount Y S used to get was miserable RM4.00 . So, you can imagine how many years of hard saving .)

With the record player, you had to buy gramophone records. The LP or Long Play cost about RM5.00 ( a pirated, of course) and contained about 10 songs while a SP (Short Play) cost RM2.00 and contain one miserable song on each side. Of course, they came with lots of statics and other noises. If they were roughly handled, they developed scratches which produced more noises.

In later years the tape recorder became popular. You could tape up songs and it was cheaper than buying gramophone records. Y S' brother bought one second-hand tape recorder and that was the attraction of the family. Of course, there was no CDs those days, not even the obsolete cassette but big rolls of plastic tape wound round a spool, and if you were not careful, or when it was a bit old and over stretched, the tape over mounted the spool and got entangled. Moreover when the tape was overused the sound quality deteriorated and you might hear " Oooo Carooool I aaam buut a foooooooool ......ooool.......... " To forward or backward the tape called for great patience and long suffering unlike the present CD or DVD. Technology has come a long, long way.

Those were the days .........

....driving in a convoy

2010-11-15T06:53:00.014+08:00

The convoy assembled at the town square apposite the state mosque. 25 vehicles of assorted makes and model and 10 big bikes. All waited for the arrival of the royal patron. Then the flag down and Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) was escorted by police outriders on the right lane and through all the traffic lights to the border town of Black Wood Hill ( Bukit Kayu Hitam).

Through the green lane at the border check point of Danok, Y S and convoy were escorted by the Thai police car all the way through the towns of Sadao, Phatalon and Trang to Aonang Krabi.

It was a drive of a life time, doing between 100 to 140 Kpm, with head and tail lights on and hazard lights flashing all the way . Y S was vehicle # 5, one vehicle after the Tuanku's Land Rover.

This is a land bridge between two islands and accessible at low tide.

This is called " The Chicken Island" by the locals. Anyway, it does look like an ostrich to Y S .

On Y S' motorcycle roam at Aonang, Better Half and Y S stumbled across a Catholic Church hidden among the lush surrounding. We were in time for their Sunday mass. It has 30 parishioners and they usually have tourists worshiping with them. The music for the mass is from CD, no choir. And who says a church should look like a cathedral in Rome ?!

This is a Presbyterian Church we found while checking out Trang where we were marooned for two days while waiting for the flood water to recede to cross over to Phatalon.

Krabi-Aonang is the White Man's / "Orang Putih" playground. Scores of White Men and Women sun bathe all over the beach. You might step on them if you don't look out. LOL Some are reading while others hide their eyes behind thick, dark glasses in the blazing, blasting, grilling hot sun !
They seem to throw caution to the wind, adopt a comfortable position and spread out like the drying of salt fish, with only minimal shading of certain body parts, not from the sun but from prying eyes ! ( Not Y S' !!! Better Half always warns " Look away !! Look away !!! Y S always argues with her, what are eyes for? To appreciate beauty mah ! ) LOL

One unique cave to share with you. This cave has become a shrine for hopeless men and also women, Y S means, in a manner of speaking, men whose flag post cannot hoist their flags properly - maybe half-mast, or three quarter mast or "no mast" at all, would come here to pray for their flag post. Each would bring an offering in the shape of a well carved wooden flag post which is to be placed around the shrine. "Sonless" mothers also pray here to get male babies. By the look of the numbers of offerings, it is quite a popular shrine !

This is the RM 650 room at Aonang Beach Resort that went for a special rate for the Kedah Motor Sports Club - clean, spacious and plush. A hotel room which makes you want to return to.

Sharing a speed boat with 30 other holiday makers to the picturesque islands around.

A dip into the Andaman sea. The corals are a disappointment. They are dark and dead. The water isn't crystal clear as expected. Perhaps the area isn't sustainable anymore with so many tourists dipping in.

This is God's endowment to the Thais , picturesque islands. Together with their gentleness and hospitality, they are magnets to the tourists.
This is the tourist town of Aonang Krabi. It is hard to find Thai food but the whole place is full of restaurants cooking German, Italian, Irish, French etc etc etc food. These are managed by the Thai wives of foreign expatriates who start business after falling in love with the local women and place ! Y S and better Half had a German meal at one joint, and entertained by the German proprietor.

This is the first time Y S drove long distance in a foreign country. The club is planning one more convoy to Chiangmai, North Thailand. Y S hopes it comes soon before his SUV grows older.

A big one out of Y S' Bucket List.

..... of floods

2010-11-09T07:23:00.003+08:00

Coming home from Krabi Convoy is not holiday this time. IT IS WORK, real HARD WORK. The house was under water a few hours after Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) drove into the porch. Y S and his Better Half only had the time and most of all ENERGY to salvage a few costly and important things. By then, age showed up. You see, we are not young anymore. Many hours of walking in the muddy water disrupts circulation and you get that tinkering sensation like being pricked
with a thousand needles all over your feet. So, Y S told the better Half that "enough is enough."

However, poor Better Half got her ring finger caught under the mammoth fridge ( Don't you people ever buy big, big appliances anymore !!!) when we tried to rest it above some bricks. When adrenaline is rushing in your system, you can do almost everything. You can bet that the fridge could never come down after the flood without help.

By the time water and electricity had been disconnected and the water rising, there was no point staying on. YS secured the house and escaped to Sungai Petani Inn. While resting on a dry and comfortable bed, it dawned on Y S that life is "TOUCH N GO." Anything can come in between. Anything can happen. Anything can rob you of whatever you have, even your life. At least Y S fled in a car, with dry clothes and Credit Cards ! Think of Gunung Merapi victims fleeing with almost nothing, not even knowing whether their children, siblings, relatives, friends and neighbours could make it or not. Y S did not enjoy the hotel buffet breakfast the following day !

Let's count our blessings TWICE !

....... on a convoy to Aonang-Krabi

2010-10-28T23:30:00.003+08:00

This blog is taking a break. Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) and his Better Half are on a convoy of 25 cars and 15 big bikes to Aonang-Krabi, Thailand. This is one out of my bucket list. Y S will share his experience in the next blog.

So, work starts again and until Y S' next holiday when he is back.

Adious ! Chai Cheang !

" Have 4 X 4 SUV must travel. "

.... of people and entertaiments along The Silk Road

2010-10-26T10:18:00.013+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) likes to snap photos of people in places he has visited. In the faces of the people is the soul of the place. Here is a shrewd Kazakh trader selling camel souvenirs.

A stage show at urumuqi.

A stage show at Dun Huan.

Another stage show a Dun Huan.

This, as you can guess, is belly dancing.

A Kazakh trying to start his motorcycle cart.

A very shy Kazakh woman at her home.

The Kazakh have many children.'

Modern Kazakh at a bazaar.

Children play everywhere.

This cute one posed for Y S.

These two cuties posed with Better Half and left their addresses with her.
They want letters in English.

The keeper of the mosque at Urumuqi.

A vendor enticing tourists outside a restaurant.

People are exercising everywhere in China.

More people are exercising.

A vendor at Xi An.

National Service in china.

This is another sales personnel trying his skills.

My China (my right) and Malaysia ( my left) guides. The lady was my ex-student in Form!

The inhabitants of the world are awesome !!!

........ of selected sights on The Silk Road

2010-10-25T07:31:00.014+08:00

These are some interesting sights on The Silk Route of North-western China.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is posing in front of a unique mosque in Turpan. No Arabic resemblances but a mixture of Mongol and Ming architecture. Who says that a mosque must look Arabic ?

This is the Er Dao Qiao or the Grand Bazaar of Urumuqi. Better organised than the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, Turkey. Here, you can buy anything under the sun. Ar but then, you might die haggling before you expire.

This is the skyline of Urumugi, the capital of Xinjiang, from Hong Shan (Red Sun) Park.

Picturesque and placid " Heavenly Lake" , a glacier lake, atop Tianshan Mountains. 1980 meters above sea level.

The alpine view from the "Heavenly lake."

This is another unique mosque, the Emin Minaret in Turpan.

This is a stream which flows from a Karez, underground stream that conveys water from the aquifers in the snow capped mountains.
The Magoa Caves or ' Caves of A Thousand Buddhas' of Dunhuang . Its numerous grottos are full of ancient Buddhist statutes and relics.

This is the Flaming Mountain, the hottest part of China - barren, eroded, sandstone hills in the Tian Shan Mountain range in Xinjiang Province.

This is the ruins of Gaochang ancient city of Turpan in the Gobi Desert.

The southern Balikhun pasture of Nan Shan in the Kelawucheng Mountain range. The Kazaks still live in such abodes and herd sheep, cattle and horses.

A common sight in rural China - Public transport.

This is the scenic Crescent Lake oasis. It springs up right in the middle of the desert.

The is the Grand Gate of the western portion of The Great wall of China at Jiayuguan Pass i n Gangsu. This portion marks the end of the Great Wall. In front is miles and miles of desolate Gobi Desert.

Y S has a better understanding of an oasis.

The oldest and original western portion of The Great Wall at Jiayuguan, Gangsu. It is awesome and totally constructed of earth !

Y S studied about the Yellow River of China in Form Two. Y S was thrilled to see it and touch its water. The Zhongshan Bridge is the first bridge built across the Yellow River in 1907.

This is the Yellow River Mother Statue - photography spot.

A 600-year-old water mill is still in operation, grinding corn for as long as the river flows.

The South Gate of Xi An City Wall - massive and strong.

The big Wild Goose Pagoda.

This is the "Tut Tut" of Xi-An.

Claimed to be the statue of the renowed Yang Guifei ( 719 - 756 AD) , the prettiest woman of ancient China " who would shame any flower on earth" at Huan Garden of Huaqing Palace. ( Y S wonders whether ancient Chinese women were that proportionately endowed ?)

These are the famous Terra Cotta warriors' massive excavation sites.

This is claimed to be the emperor's bathing tub.

The Hua Qing hot spring - picturesque and serene.

"Happiness is to see the world. "

..... of food and drinks on The Silk Road

2010-10-23T21:32:00.014+08:00

Of course, Chinese food predominates The Silk Road and there is little difference from those available at home. So, Yours Sincerely wants to blog about the food that I find interesting. Lamb is the main meat eaten all along The Silk Road, and its also happens to be Y S' favourite.

Huge chunks of lamp are being cut, heavily seasoned with spices and skewed through long bamboo sticks to be barbecued over slow fire. The aroma is very inviting and the taste is mouth-watering. Y S can make a do with 10 to 20 sticks in one sitting !

This is their giant nun bread which is heavily laced with sesame seeds. O la la when warm and moist and could be a little dry and dull when cold. 5 Yuans (RM2.50) per piece.

This is sort of rolled up "koeyteow" in black sauce.

This man is busy preparing "Ramen" or literally translated as "Pulled Noodles." It is served with spicy and oily lamp stew. Another O la la.

This is where the giant lamb " satays" are barbecued. There is a flat tray of spices for you to lace the "satay" with if you want it to be more spicy.

This happens to be the largest barbecue pit in Urumuqi or China. It can barbecue 10 lambs at one go. You can imagine the "lamby" aroma in the air. Enough to make you salivate. ( You see, the Chinese have to be the longest, tallestt and biggest in almost everything after the last Olympic !!!)

Of course, the proof is in the eating. Y S has a go with a lamb's hind leg and down it with Chinese beer. This is the BEST way to taste berbacued lamb. Hmmm !!! Never had so much and good before. O la la.

This nearly broke someone's teeth. This is camel's meat cooked among polished river pebbles. So, the darker pieces are not mushrooms but pebbles. They are heated and then used to cook the meat. A novelty !

Y S found this pieces of cakes along the Muslim Street of Xi An. They look like slices of melons and taste like jelly.

This is another delicious snack which tastes like persimmon found at the Muslim Street of Xi An.

Orchards abound all along The Silk Road. Grapes, oranges, apples and melons are in abundance and cheap.

This is "Ramen" prepared in a 5-star restaurant. Btw the one Y S had by the road side tasted better.
Y S had a go with all sorts of Chinese beer which is cheaper that Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola. This is astrange beer for Muslims in Uurumugi.

More beer all along The Silk Road.

More and more beer as you go along.

When you travel eat strange and exotic food.

Live and see the other side of the globe.

.... of tranportation on "The Silk Road"

2010-10-23T07:28:00.011+08:00

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has always been enthralled by the travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian traveler who managed an overland caravan journey from Venice to the courts of the Mongol Emperor in China.

Images of the "ships of the desert" , the hardy, faithful and docile camels never fail to capture one's imagination when talking about "The Silk Road." Y S only wishes to highlight extraordinary, interesting and enthralling aspects of the journey which Y S experienced since factual expositions can be found all over the travel sites of the inter-net, like the Lonely Planet.

A big portion of The Silk Road now is traveled over road like this. Our coach overtook and was overtaken by countless over-laden lorries. The over-taking margin between vehicles is in inches !

Some parts of The Silk Roads are completely covered by the sand of the Gobi Desert.

Btw the the ladies are not mountain trekking but climbing over a ridge to ...............relieve themselves !!! You see, there is no toilet facilities all along the way. Somehow, the coach driver through experience could locate spots where these ladies could be shielded from the passing vechiles. As for the men....we....just........ let go by the road side. Well, in a way, we are helping to water some of the shrubs by the road side. LOL

The Chinese diesel train, disappointingly not the elevated ones that travel to Tibet, is part of the transportation on The Silk Route. The over-night 700km journey from Xi An to Lan Zhou in a cabin has just enough space for 4 travelers and could be quite claustrophobic for some. For those who are prudent and highly polished, they may not even dare to f a r t for it takes some time for the effect to dissipate in such an enclosed area and all the more in such cool and air-thin atmosphere. LOL

Y S and Better Half shared a cabin with another friendly couple. Somehow a small space becomes cozier with good people. Nobody snored, perhaps nobody dared to sleep and snore.

The donkey cart trip is to the noble ruins of Gaochong, the ancient Uyghur capital in the Gobi Desert.

This is the horse ride in the steppe grassland Kelawucheng Mountains. The Kazaks still live here with their herds of sheep, cattle and horses.

This is the cruise on a glacier lake, Heavenly Lake , in the Tianshan Mountains, 115 kilometres of Urumuqi. 1980 meters above sea level and is hemmed in by the towering snow-capped Bagda Peak. The water is emerald and crystal clear. Captivating scenery!

The camel transport is to the oasis at The Crescent Lake, south of Dunhuang city, in the Gobi Desert.

This is an ancient raft made of whole dried sheep skin whose body content has been "excavated" and human lung-blown into shape to float on the Hwang Ho River, "The Sorrow of China,"at Lan Zhuo. They still smell 'sheepy." It can easily take 6 passengers and can traverse white waters.
Without a few internal air transits in China, The Silk Road could be arduous. Of course, one isn't that eager to repeat the return journey so a flight from Urumuqi to Canton is very welcoming - 6 hour flight compared to 4 or 5 day dusty road trip plus 2 or 3 hotel overnights.

The numerous transportation makes The Silk Road interesting.

...... Hols begins when travelling is done

2010-10-22T11:41:00.005+08:00

This is Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) on the last leg of transit flights from Canton to Penang after 12 days of "official" work : ungodly hours of morning calls; flight transit after transit ; long hours of coach riding; hours of lectures from the various tour guides; many more hours of sales talks and enticements from greedy Chinese sales people; several captivating cultural shows; a multitude of awesome scenery; countless meals of exotic food; a sea of endearing faces; countless opening and closing of luggage and the list is unending. Phew ! Finally, it is home sweet home. Y S has to thank the Almighty for the safe journey all the way.

"The Silk Road" will be blogged in stages.

Holidays begins when traveling ends.

........ of working or holidaying

2010-09-30T22:01:00.005+08:00

This blog takes a short rest. Yours Sincerely ( Y S )and better half are working again on an expedition along Marco Polo's "Silk Route " in north-west China. Most people think that traveling is hectic , especially on an organised tour. You see, they wake you up very early in the morning, stuff breakfast into your system and off you go to see places. You are only back again at the hotel at 7 or 8 pm for dinner and you have to send yourself off to bed early to generate energy for the following day's itinerary. This goes on for 10 or 12 days. So, when you come home, you need another holiday to get over the other holiday.

As for the retirees, Y S thinks that they have their holidays well and good when they are not traveling, i.e. when they are at home; no alarm clock to wake them up and, of course, no clock in or clock out of their working days. So, everyday is then a holiday until they start to pack their bags and travel. Then, they are subjected to a timetable, a routine or an itinerary. So, they are working until they come home for their holiday.

" All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go .......... " Till after my work ........ Take care. GBU.

.... of staying in LOVE

2010-09-27T23:34:00.006+08:00

LOVE is another 4-lettered word which has misled, confused, complicated, motivated, built and destroyed, in fact you can substitute any verb you can think of.

Some say it is blind. Others say they are drawn into it. Still many claim to have fallen into it. Many more have fallen out of it. Some say it happens at first sight. Some could not sleep, others could not eat because of it. Of course, almost all agree that they got married because of it. FALLING IN LOVE IS EASY, BUT STAYING IN LOVE IS SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) attended the 45th Wedding Anniversary of a friend. 45 years is a huge amount of time devoted to ONE person and vice versa. What keep them going on ? What is the recipe of a long, fruitful and joyful marriage? What keeps the luster or radiance in a marriage when there are mountains of files in the divorce courts?

The secret, if it is a secret at all, is to keep falling in love again and again .............................
................................................. ( continue reading ) ................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................................
with the same woman or man !!!

Many have failed in their matrimony for the simple fact that they want a perfect wife or husband without realizing that being the right person is even more important.

Love at first sight is easy to understand. It is when two people have been looking at each other for nearly a lifetime that it becomes a miracle ! The middle and end years of marriage are even more critical. In the early years, spouses want each other and in the late years, they need each other. "Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without. " James C. Dobson.

Y S' favourite writer, Agatha Christie, once said that an archeologist is the best husband any woman can have. The older she is, the more he is interested in her ! LOL

... of one forgotten by God

2010-09-25T23:31:00.005+08:00

Chain-smoking whisky drinker marks 100th birthday

Arthur Langran celebrated his 100th birthday drinking pints of ale with his family and friends

A lifelong chain-smoker has celebrated reaching his 100th birthday - despite puffing his way through nearly 300,000 fags.

Hard-living Arthur Langran has smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day since the age of 20.

The father-of-two also religiously drinks a dram of Macallan single malt Scotch whiskey every evening before getting into bed.

Arthur, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in Britain celebrated his 100th birthday drinking pints of ale with his family and friends at his local pub - The George - in Hintlesham, Suffolk, which is run by his youngest son John, 57 on Sept 8.

He said: "I always say the secret is doing things you’re not told to do."

"I have been smoking since I was 20 and I still enjoy it, and a pipe. I have a whiskey every night."

"I also like reading the papers and doing crosswords with the help of my son John."

Arthur’s eldest son Peter, 62, revealed that doctors have told his father to keep smoking.

He added: "Dad has smoked roll-ups since he was 20-years-old and more recently used a pipe."

"These days he rolls himself five or six a day but used to smoke more and has his pipe once in the morning and once in the afternoon."

"He has a small single malt whiskey every night. He’s been doing that ever since he was elderly."

"He’s had a tough old life. He was an orphan, had a terrible time living and working in Canada and was blown up by a grenade in the war."

"The doctor has said its not worth getting him to give up the cigarettes. He’s still in good health despite the smoking and still mobile and gets up stairs whenever he wants."

Arthur was born an orphan and sent to Canada by National Children Homes when he was just 14 years old to work as a farmhand.

He returned to Britain in 1940 when he was 30-years-old so he could join the Army and fight Hitler and the Nazis in the Second World War.

It was also the same year that he smoked his first cigarette, shortly after signing up with the Suffolk Regiment.

He was married to Ivy who sadly died in 2000.
Source:swns.com

Published Sept 25 2010

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is baffled by this piece of news. This is certainly one fella forgotten by God

So, does abstinence from tobacco and liquor always pay ?

Liquor is still satan's urine and tobacco smoke is still satan's fart.

**Doubtom**