Resurrection of interest in blogging.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S )has stopped blogging for a long, long time since  FC  has taken over his social communication. Some friends and eldest daughter commented that  FC does not have the depth, subtlety,  creativity, definition and inspiration of blogging as a social communication media.

Perhaps, among YS' resolutions for 2013, having survived the Mayan D Day ( sic ) , is to continue blogging.

Have a better new year - 2013.

Make sure that you slip into the Pearly Gate with a worn out and thoroughly used body - sun burnt from holidays at Hawaii, Bora Bora, Christmas Islands, Mauritius Islands etc  ;  hands and fingers with callouses  from holding golf irons and woods, tennis and badminton racquets, bowling balls, snooker cues etc ; waist and shoulders with marks of bungee and para gliding straps ; feet, legs and shins with gashes and cuts from trampling, jungle trekking and climbing ; shoulders with muscles from diving and swimming ;  and stomach still digesting Alaskan oysters and king crabs; Boston lobster; morsels from the Chinese signature dish " Monks Jump Over The Fence" etc and your bladder still holding " Chardonnay ," 24-year  X O , and maybe your favorite Starbuck coffee. And with disheveled hair, creased clothes, worn out shoes, broken watch, cracked glasses...........  and say : "  Yipeeee......... I made it !!! "

Have a better 2013 ! Decide to live !! Make every day count !!! (Don't just count the days!! )  The days are long and the years short for retirees !!!!!!!

.... of public transportation

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) did his bit for the environment and also for the love of other road users who had the necessity to drive. During the last Chinese New Year, he went down to Kuala Lumpur ( K L ) by coach, MARA Liner. The senior returned ticket comes with a RM20.00 discount and you practically have the whole coach to yourself. ( Business is so bad for this company that the coach hardly carried 8 passengers for a 34 seater both ways ! ) Y S also saved on petroleum and did not burn extra rubber on the highway. And perhaps saves a few hundred ringgits from the police coffer.

Sinking himself on a single seat, Y S slept and slept, and dreamt and dreamt for 6 hours before he arrived at Pudu Sentral, the coach terminal in KL.



There was no need to fight for space on the festive congested highway or to play hide and seek with the police on their speed trap spree.

Y S also did not have to put up with the raging stalkers who are normally found in very fast-driven and expensive cars. They would appear very suddenly behind you, tail gated you and the front of their vehicle fills up the whole of your rear mirror while you are struggling to over take the vehicle on your left at more than 110KPH. These stalkers would flashed and flashed their high light as if they could not slow down and are in a great hurry. You feel as if they are going to bull doze you off the road if you do not make it to the left lane fast enough. If you could not make it to the left lane fast enough, their loud horn would blast you to eternity.

Fancy you get more and more of such drivers as you are nearing KL, somewhere after Tapah. As they overtake you, you get no chance to have a glance at them. Their heavily tinted windows shadow them. Their registration plates are single or double digited. Somehow, these drivers are above the law !!!!

Once in a while, it is nice to be driven. You get to relax and enjoy the scenery and you arrive refreshed and ready for your programme.

A change to the rigid life routine is refreshing !

..... of our club's gymnasium

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

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

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

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

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

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 !

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

.... of meaningful sayings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

..... of 11-11-11

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

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




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

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

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

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

How evil triumphs ?

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


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

Haile Selassie.

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

Edmund Burke

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

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

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

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

This can be a controversial world !!!

.... of heavenly minded and no earthly value

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

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

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

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


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

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

.... of keeping up with technology

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

..... attempted burglary

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

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

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

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

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

.... of funeral wakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

.... of Optimism and Pessimism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

... of the rich and the poor

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

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

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

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

This is home for the floating people on Tongle Sap.


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


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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Y S is contemplating voluntary work in Cambodia.