Saturday out with my Gorilla

My trusty Gorillapod, which is a very flexible tripod for my small compact camera is taken with me everywhere. It remains in my Winter jacket all the time.



The only unfortunate part I thought earlier was that I did not have my DSLR with me and had instead to carry a compact.

Nevertheless, I am grateful as a compact fits in most of my pockets which means I am able to keep my hands, face and ears warm comfortably without the hassle of carrying my D80 and all the lenses and flash.

Okay, so the pictures are not as great but they are better than nothing.

Here's a picture of me on the hotel bed with all the mess on it, things and books I bought today. The good thing about staying in the hotel is that there is free breakfast, somebody makes up your room, the public transportation stations are just a stones throw and the office is very near.

The bad thing is that I have a smaller living space and have yet to find a laundromat. No worries, I am not one of those that turn my underwear inside out and wear it again, I have brought enough things to last me a month. But I need to find a laundromat soon, even if it means going to someone else house to do my laundry.

Rijk is the Dutch and Afrikaans equivalent of German Reich. In a political sense in the Netherlands the word rijk often connotates a connection with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Rijksmuseum is so the national museum. It is basically an art museum in Amsterdam. Next to it is Van Gogh museum which I will visit another time. Went to Amsterdam with Matt for the morning to visit the Rijksmuseum. Very nice but rather small, smaller than both of us expected.



I bought this museum card for Euro 40 which will get me into quite a number of museums for free. I think it is worth it because just an entrance into one museum can be up to Euro 16.



Matt took this picture of me, I was not about to climb up those alphabets. I am the one standing in between I am and I am in red. Like little red riding hood.



We also had some of this mini pancakes with tea.



Went to Hague and bought some guide books. One general one for Europe and one specific for Netherlands. Also bought a book for Krakow.



On the way back from the bookshop to the Central station in Hague, as usual, had to have a beer. Well, I also had my meal. An early meal before heading back to Rijswijk.

Finally reached The Hague central station and headed back to Rijswijk.

Used the No. 17 tram with my Nationale Strippen Card and was back in my cosy hotel room in about 15 minutes or so.



Take care and be well.

We are not racist .... what a bunch of hog crap

The orang putih everywhere always like to pride themselves as being not racist. The say they are color blind. There is equality.

What a bunch of smelly hog crap.

In my few days in Europe I have already been exposed to subtle references to "... but she is Asian and it takes her a while to do things." ; "...oh you know how it is with Asians."

In USA, everyone is harping at the 1st black president. Firstly, Obama is only half black. And secondly, why even refer him as the 1st Black president - he looks a little brown to me. Plus he is the best person for the job.

Okay, orang putih are colorblind alright - they are peach but call themselves white, they call anyone that is dark as black, they call Chinese yellow - obviously they cannot differentiate colors.

A friend of mine, a rare orang putih (who is married to a Vietnamese) said he is sad when his kids are referred to as white americans and would even be sad if they are refered to as Asian Americans. "Why can't they just be referred to as Americans?"

In Malaysia, racism is ingrained as part of our lives. It is sad but at least most of us accept we are racist, we live in a racist society and environment.

Of course, people like me, my wife and my friends including very open minded prince and princesses of the soil (bumiputeras) are trying our best to be better people and really starting to see beyond our skin colors, we accept that we are in a society that is racist.

But the crap is that the orang putih are racist but they will not accept it.

I have met many many people that are not racist, but what I am saying here is that racism is also part of their society.

The world will be a better place if the best person for the job get's the job, whether be it President of the United States or Prime Minister of Malaysia.

It took America hundreds of year to elect someone outside of white ... how more racist is that.

Ramblings and musings again... but had to do it because surprisingly in my 3-4 days in Europe, I have already been exposed to this subtle or direct racism.

I have many great friends in all walks of life, all colors of skin, all levels of education, all types of height, and sexual preferences . . . I am proud. Many a times in application forms especially in Malaysia where they ask race, I put HUMAN.

I am only a human, not perfect, but thriving to be a better human.

Take care and be well.

Delft on Wednesday and Shop on Thursday

Went to Delft on Wednesday night. Quite a nice small town just one stop away from Rijswijk in the train.

I would say it is nicer than Rijswijk in terms of a town. Delft is a University town, and therefore, many many young people which results in the streets and pub scene being a little more lively.

First thing you see as soon as you get out of the train in Delft is bicycles. The Dutch are crazy about cycling and pretty much cyling is a way of life.

In Delft, I see more of the nice old type European buildings and like older towns, pretty much the cathedral is in the middle of everything.

Had another Bock beer - only 1 beer this time. Name of this beer is Afflingen.

Savouring the beer, even eyes are closed and tasting the magnificience of this beer.

Had a nice Ravioli, do not know what the filling was but it was some cheese based filling with nice sald on top and a cheese that I did not fancy too much. It came with a nice mushroom based sauce with some mushrooms as well.

Tonight (Thursday night) is late night shopping and therefore I am going to drop by the Rijswijk mall to see if I can get some nice gloves.

Don't get too excited about late night shopping. Stores normally close at 5:30pm on normal days and 8:30pm on Thursdays - this is their version of late night shopping.

And I thought Miri was boring.

Take care and be well.

Some pictures from The Netherlands

Finally managed to upload some pictures.

A view from Room 1204 at around 8:30am on Sunday 25 Jan. This was the warmest day. It has been getting colder ever since.


Vegetarian Weiner Shcnitzel with potato balls in a bowl at the Half Moon restaurant near the hotel. May go there for dinner again but lunch is there on Friday as well.


De Koninck Bock beer, I have not had a bock beer since Michelob bock beer in my days as a student in the US.


That's me having the last beer ... maybe 1 beer too many but hey, when you are always going out for dinner alone, that's what happens, you eat too much and you drink a wee bit much as well. Have not drank a beer since the dinner on Sunday though, so, no worries, not becoming an alcoholic nor becoming like Kupps and his prosperous belly.


That's the Grand Winston Hotel on the right of the picture, taken on Monday. The other buildings are all Shell buildings.


Me in the train feeling the chills on my way back from The Hague in The Netherlands. What The toot


Me at work, at my desk.


Me at work - another perspective.


Take care and be well.

Nasi Goreng Tja Siew

Been going to The Hague every night since Monday night, which means 2 nights.

On Monday night, 1st day of Chinese New Year, I went for dinner at a Chinese Resturant.

The menu in most restaurants are in Dutch but somehow I could understand quite a number of entree's.

Like Nasi Goreng, Mi Hoon Goreng, Tja Siew (Char Siew), teeh.

So I had Nasi Goreng Chai (vegetarian) with teeh.

On Tuesday, went to a different area of The Hague and went to a Spanish restaurant. Had some tapas and a glass of red wine.

Tuesday was a lot colder than Monday.

Work is work, but in the evenings, I am lonely. Do not have the support of friends to call anyone up. Also, it is too late to call friends in Malaysia.

Ces't la vie.

Take care and be well.

Shnitzel and Beer

Had vegetarian weiner schitzel and beer for dinner yesterday.

How many beers? Well, 1 too many.

Tried a beer called Palm, then extra cold Heineken served at 0 degrees, then 2 bok beers which I cannot recall the name.

Then I had a vegetarian schnitzel served with this cute little potato thingies which were little balls - like kacang ... very nice.

The restaurant was near the hotel and called Half Moon. The bartender and maybe part owner named Harry was rather friendly but not like "Cheers" sort fo friendly but he did have his regulars.

I wish I could upload pics, but alas, some problems with that. Will upload as soon as I can.

Lunch today was in the Shell restaurant - quite good I would say. I had a vegetarian meal, some soup, some salad and some bread with fennel cheese. I had the most compared to my other colleagues here who eat rather light meals for lunch.

Tonight, I am just finishing work and packing back. It is 5:45 and is already rather dark.

Where to eat, what to do?

Take care and be well.

Room 1204

Arrived Netherlands this morning in the dark. Thankfully safe.

Weather is cold and crisp but bearable. It does not snow here, maybe it does, but not right now.

Managed to check in early to Grand Winston Hotel in Rijswijk.

The hotel is named after another famous Winston with his big big picture hanging in the lobby. I wonder why a hotel in Netherlands would name their hotel after Winston Churchill.

Took a tram to The Hague central station and came back to Rijswijk on the train. Not many things seem to be open - but then again it is Sunday and I am in a new environment, so did not venture away too far.

People are generally friendly, in fact friendlier than most Dutch I meet in Malaysia.

However, language may be a little problem because everything that is written is written in Dutch.

I am in Room 1204, the weather is cold and the room is one of those simple cold looking rooms.

Not much view from my window except for other square buildings.

Still getting accustomed to my surroundings.

And in the meantime, missing loved ones - wifey, Al E, dad and friends.

Tomorrow, I start work.

Take care and be well.

Leaving on a jetplane

Flight at 11:45pm tonight.

Off to Amsterdam, then drive to Rijswijk, Netherlands.

Next post will be from another country, another time, another musing.

Will cherish every moment here and then cherish every moment there.

Take care and be well.

Good friends don't come any better than this

Good friends, good times, good food . . . a day with Kunjali and Nilsar

I guess a pre-birthday for Mack. Wishing you all the happiness.

Spent time at my home in KL, then some shopping for camera (Mack got a nice cool DSLR and I am gonna try it when I get back), then just driving a little and then a simple Mamak dinner at NZ, sometime at Mack's cool pad and dropping Kupps off into the jungle at FRIM.

Good friends, good times, good food.

Anjali (Mack), Kuppusamy (Kupps), Nil and Sar-wifey


All in a row


Mack and Cheese - well Mack and I anyways - pondering


Kupps, Nil and Mack


Belly rub for prosperity


Take care and be well.

Every Breath

I am missing Al E. I wonder if he is missing me.

Been speaking to my dad, and he says Al E pays attention, at least when I speak to him.

As usual, Al E is starting to tire out my dad.

Check out my post about Al E and Dada in the other blog.

When I arrived in KL, I went to a friends house and saw this dog I have known for years called Max. Max is a 8 year old shitsu pekinese mix which I have known since he was a puppy.

He just come up sniffing to me . . . I guess he smelled Al E on me. He does come to me usually, but this time was different, Max was really sniffing up my shirt.

It has been just 2 days away from Al E. Just another 100 or so to go. SIGH!

I will survive and I am sure so will Al E. I do believe he is in great hands with Dada now and then with his mummy later.

Every breath I take and every breath he takes, I'll be missing him . . .

Take care and be well

Nil's 6L's for a good life

Listen
Always listen, be patient and give people an opportunity to speak. I have always been told since young that I have 2 ears to hear and listen whereas only 1 mouth which is used to talk, eat, drink and many other activities. As such, even our creator intended for us to listen more. Be aware of our surroundings and truly listen to what people are saying.

Learn
Every activity is a learning exercise, a lesson. Strive for ideals and learn to be a good person, learn to listen, learn to live, learn to laugh, learn to love and learn to be loyal if you have not. We have a life which is filled with learning, and it never stops, even in death we may learn something.

Live
Just live life, enjoy living. Seize the day and live as if today may be the last day of your life. Al E, my boy, he truly enjoys living and he, more than many others, have taught me the joys of living and enjoying it.

Laugh
There is truly nothing like having a great laugh. But don't laugh at the expense of others, laugh with people, laugh out loud, laugh until you have tears in your eyes and cramps in your stomach. Laughter is maybe not the best medicine but it comes pretty darn close.

Love
Love actually is all around us. Learn to love, love nature, love family, love pets, love friends, love people, love God, have true love emanating from you. Don't think people don't love you or you are not loved, because you are loved. So, just love back and don't let small trivial things bother you.

Loyalty
Loyalty is like having faith. Once you have faith in yourself, in your family, in your friends, in God ... then you have the confidence to do anything. Don't confuse faith with blind faith. You must be clearly aware of who you put your loyalty to.

I am not perfect, I too am practising and a student of the 6L's. I am just sharing and maybe some of this sharing helps.

Take care and be well.

The final countdown (Bitter Sweet Symphony This Life)

Yup, it's the final countdown. I had a very very busy Monday just attending meetings and clearing up stuff.

Just collected my air tickets, a cool RM21k on the credit card - thankfully the corporate card.

Back home, packed the 2 big bags. Got an allowance of 45 kilograms. How much do you take when you're away for 3-4 months and quite a bit of the weight is just the winter clothes?

I got the morning at work tomorrow, then I will be gone to KL for the next 3 days before flying off to the land below sea level.

Excited yet not; happy yet not; looking forward yet not; ecstatic yet not ... maybe at the moment it is all in a rush and it is all a blur but my heart is starting to sink a little because I know I will miss my wifey, my daddy, my friends but I will speak to them, chat with them and feel better. Most of all, I will miss my boy, Al E.

I am feeling the lump in my throat of having to miss birthdays - Mack, Kupps and Al E - I am so sorry. Wifey - I still hope you will be able to come over for your birthday.

I am also thinking what I will do all alone on my 40th birthday. Yah, a selfish thought but still, I know over here at least wifey and friends will do something. A big one, likely all alone - maybe go to Vienna to cheer myself up and spend some time with some old friends.

Ah, it's a bitter sweet symphony this life. Trying to make ends meet, trying to find some money then you die.

I am not sure how active in blogging I would be, I reckon a little less active but my target is to still get a blog in every other day or in 2-3 days.

Until then, signing out.

Take care and be well.

Hello Goodbye

Literally Hello Goodbye.

My dad arrived to Miri this Saturday mainly to stay here the next month or so to take care of Al E.

And Sarah left for KL today mainly to take care of her family needs and some work in KL.

And I am leaving this Tuesday to get my visa done and then fly off further on Saturday.

There is a good reason for everything, many times I do not know the reason and hope for things to be easier, less painful, less melancholic, but there is a good reason for everything.

So, it has been like Hello Goodbye like the Beatles song.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.

Deus, dona mihi serenitatem
accipere res quae non possum mutare,
fortitudinem mutare res quae possum,
atque sapientiam differentiam cognoscere.

Take care and be well.

Reunion Dinner

2 Indians, 3 Ibans, 2 Kayans, 2 Chinese, 1 Kelabit and 1 English having dinner in a Chinese Seafood Restaurant.

Nope, not a beginning of a joke and no punchlines.

Supposed to have been 3 Indians and 3 Chinese. And the English guy was of course Al E, my English Cocker Spaniel.

Nevertheless, 10 friends, irrespective of race, irrespective of religion, irrespective of backgrounds, status, age.

Just 10 + 1 friends, having a nice dinner on a nice night when the rain finally stopped after days of pouring.

Good food and good friends.

Good times.

This is something that I will truly miss and cherish while I am away.

Take care and be well.

My favorite poet

Out of the blue, the question came
Who is the one poet
That I enjoy the most
Being my natural self
Despite the stress
The answer that I gave
And rolled from my tongue
Was naturally Nilesh Timbadia.

Anyways, I do truly enjoy Ralph Waldo Emerson and Rabindranath Tagore as well.

Here's something from my dear friend Ralphie, who is now long gone.

The wings of Time are black and white,
Pied with morning and with night.
Mountain tall and ocean deep
Trembling balance duly keep.
In changing moon, in tidal wave,
Glows the feud of Want and Have.
Gauge of more and less through space
Electric star and pencil plays.
The lonely Earth amid the balls
That hurry through the eternal halls,
A makeweight flying to the void,
Supplemental asteroid,
Or compensatory spark,
Shoots across the neutral Dark.

Man's the elm, and Wealth the vine;
Stanch and strong the tendrils twine:
Though the frail ringlets thee deceive,
None from its stock that vine can reave.
Fear not, then, thou child infirm,
There's no god dare wrong a worm.
Laurel crowns cleave to deserts,
And power to him who power exerts;
Hast not thy share? On winged feet,
Lo! it rushes thee to meet;
And all that Nature made thy own,
Floating in air or pent in stone,
Will rive the hills and swim the sea,
And, like thy shadow, follow thee.

And then something from my other mate Robbie.

Art thou abroad on this stormy night
on thy journey of love, my friend?
The sky groans like one in despair.
I have no sleep tonight.
Ever and again I open my door and look out on
the darkness, my friend!
I can see nothing before me.
I wonder where lies thy path!
By what dim shore of the ink-black river,
by what far edge of the frowning forest,
through what mazy depth of gloom art thou threading
thy course to come to me, my friend?

Take care and be well.

Nikon D80 is hospitalised....

Well, as some or most of you may know, my Nikon D80 DSLR has been hospitalised.

It seems that the shutter has reached its lifespan - which is surprisingly only 50,000 clicks - or atleast that is what I have been informed.

However, it will take some time to fix and therefore I will not be able to take it with me.

As such, now I am looking for either a decent compact to buy or a cheap Nikon DSLR body ...

As for compacts, Mack recently got a nice Sony but since I am using Nikon already and already have so many SD memory cards, maybe I need to look for a compact that uses these.

Any suggestions, any ideas, any thing?

Take care and be well.

Diagnosed with Cephalalgia

I have just been diagnosed with Cephalalgia.

Oh well, nothing compared to spinal spondolaysis and other things that I have been diagnosed with before.

So what is Cephalalgia anyways?

Cephalalgia is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. It ranks amongst the most common local pain complaints and may be frequent for many people.

Yes, Cephalalgia is a headache ... and I am sure having a grand one, a migraine.

Take care and be well.

Letter from United Nations Secretary General

Just received a letter from Mr Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary General. Seems like now United Nations is giving out USD100,000 and have entrusted Nigerian scam artists to distribute these funds.

Anyone interested in USD100k, go ahead and make arrangements with Jim Ovia. I instead decide that Jim Ovia can use this funds as he pleases.

Remember, there are many many scams around. As the economy becomes worse over the next few months, don't fall for these and hope for some quick cash. The likelihood is that you will loose more money than you will ever see.



Attention:

How are you today? Hope all is well with you and family?,You may not understand why this mail came to you. We have been having a meeting for the passed 7 months which ended 2 days ago with the then secretary to the UNITED NATIONS.

This email is to all the people that have been scammed in any part of the world, the UNITED NATIONS have agreed to compensate them with the sum of USD $100,000 (One hundred thousand United State Dollars Only).

This includes every foreign contractors that may have not received their contract sum, and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government problems etc.

We found your name in our list and that is why we are contacting you, this have been agreed upon and have been signed.

You are advised to contact Mr. Jim Ovia of ZENITH BANK NIGERIA PLC, as he is our representative in Nigeria, contact him immediately for your Cheque/ International Bank Draft of USD$ 100,000 (One hundred thousand United State Dollars Only. This funds are in a Bank Draft for security purpose ok? so he will send it to you and you can clear it in any bank of your choice.

Therefore, you should send him your full Name and telephone number/your correct mailing address where you want him to send the Draft to you.

Contact Mr. Jim Ovia immediately for your Cheque:
Person to Contact Mr. Jim Ovia
Email: jimovia_70@hotmail.com
OR jimovia43436@gmail.com
Tel: +234-807-444-1712
Fax: +234-802-773-3240

Thanks and God bless you and your family.

Hoping to hear from you as soon as you cash your Bank Draft.

Making the world a better place.

Regards,
Mr. Ban Ki-Moon
UN Secretary General

Take care and be well.

What People Are Made Of

Modest Mouse

"And the one thing they taught me bout human beings was this
They ain't made of nothin but water and shit"

Apologies in advance for any offence caused.

Modest Mouse may be right, people are mostly made of water and shit.

But people come with a heart and a brain too, just that sometimes people choose not to use them.

Take care and be well.

10 Things that make me angry

10. People who drive like idiots. In Malaysia, especially those that slow down to look at something going on on the other side of the highway like an accident or those who drive really really really slow in the fast lane.

9. People who text message/SMS while having a conversation with you. How insulting is that?

8. People who talk during the movies. What gives? Like, can you be quite for 2 hours without talking? This is more so in Miri - it is getting ridiculous.

7. Companies that make you listen to though a million options before you can speak to a live person and after pressing all the options, you are put on hold. By the time you get to the live person, you are ready to freak out. No different with a call to 1010 in my company.

6. People who smoke right at your face. Nearly as bad as spitting on your face while talking.

5. People who pass gas on a crowded public elevator. They know they did it, yet they know they can get away with it without being caught. Some people actually do this on purpose - I can understand if it was accidentally.

4. Gossip and well just gossip, rumours. Find something real and positive to talk about.

3. People who are rude and people who lie. There is just no good reason for being rude. Are you the one that cuts in line, pulls into a parking spot out of turn, or guilty of #5 above? Do you just like telling lies for the fun of it? Get some manners!

2. People who use a lot of vulgarities in every sentence or just a tad too often. I've just about *toot*ing had it. I have in the past ended a friendship because a friend who used vulgarities directly at me in an unprovoked incident. Yogi was a good friend that just became an arse.

1. Themselves. They allow themselves to get mad and pissed off, when in fact getting mad is a choice! I see so many people just getting angry for nothing.

I am no saint myself and need to do more to reduce my anger. I have reduced my anger so much since my childhood days that it is unbelievable. I was an angry child for some reason. I was also nicknamed "Khario" by my grandparents which directly translates to salty but means like an angry person in Gujarati.

Oh well, just gotta learn to be happy and less angry which I have been doing over the years.

Take care and be well.

Rain Rain Go Away

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.

Rain, rain, go away.
Come again some other day.

Little Arthur wants to play,
In the meadow by the hay.

Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again.

Rain, rain, pour down,
But not a drop on our town.

Rain on the green grass,
and rain on the tree,

And rain on the housetop,
but not on me.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again on washing day.

Rain, rain, go to Germany,
And remain there permanently.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come on Martha's wedding day.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day,

If you don't, I will say,
Rain, rain go away.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again some other day,

We want to go outside and play,
Come again some other day.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again some other day,

If you don't, I don't care,
I'll pull down your underwear!



Take care and be well.

#8 Done, #2 is hapenning soon

Yes, #8 done and #2 in about 10 days.

8. I will finally cave and buy an iPod so that I don't have to carry countless CDs.

Yes, bought a 16GB iPOD nano, green color.

Downloading endless songs to take to Netherlands.



2. I will be in Netherlands for 3.5 months of 2009 ... like this is not expected.

I will be leaving Miri to go to KL and then to Netherlands before Chinese New Year.



I will miss all of my family and friends but I will still be able to speak to them.
I will miss Al E mostly because I may be able to see him but no more get his slobbering licks and he just does not pay attention to Skype or telephone calls.

Oh well, I will miss a few public holidays, I will miss a few birthdays and likely celebrate my 40th by myself but Ces't la vie... Such is life and I should make the best of things and sieze the day.

Take care and be well.

Fairy Tales and Bed Time Stories

I simply enjoy fairy tales and bed time stories.

I used to read such stories before going to bed.

Even as an adult I read bed time stories.

It usually consists of a mystical, fun and amazing world or life.

Brothers Grimm or Dr Seuss, all of them create such magnificent but simple stories.

I sometimes create bed time stories for Al E before we go to sleep.

I don't know if he understands, but he does seem to listen, calm down and go to sleep.

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived this man who loved his dog so much.

However, one day, a good omen came and took the man away ...

Oh well, bedtime stories are nice, they make me happy, they make me laugh, they take the sadness or loneliness away, they make me creative and I truly enjoy them.



What's your favorite bedtime story or fairy tale?

Take care and be well.

10 things to make us happy

1. Savor Everyday Moments
Enjoy every little thing every day, savor the good times. Take time to smell a rose or see children play. Anything, but savor it. It's easy enough to do.

2. Avoid Comparisons
Comparing and complaining about the grass being greener on the other side, of someone earning more, anything. Stopping the comparisons will not be easy but will make you happier.

3. Put Money Low on the List
Put your other interests on the priority. People who put money high on their priority list are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

4. Have Meaningful Goals
Strive for something significant whether it is learning a new craft or something else.

5. Take Initiative at Work
Express creativity, help others, suggest improvements, or do additional tasks on the job. We can make our work more rewarding and feel more in control.

6. Make Friends, Treasure Family
We don;t need relationships, we need close ones. Close friendships and family can easily make us happy.

7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
Laugh even. It sounds simple but it works to just smile even when you are down.

8. Say Thank You Like You Mean It
I keep a gratitude journal, everyday I am thankful for something. Say thank you to someone, be thankful for something, and mean it.

9. Get Out and Exercise
I am so happy when I run around and exercise with Al E on the beach. But in rain, I am still running around the house and playing with him. If you don't enjoy the gym, do something that you enjoy but do some exercise.

10. Give It Away, Give It Away Now!
Every year I give something to the needy. I am not rich, but I have enough that I feel I can share and when I share with the truly needy, I feel happy doing this.

Jen Angel writes about sustainable happiness and the 10 things above were taken off from her writings on sustainable happiness. The meat/details was my take on this and I am going to start doing things to make me happy.

Take care and be well.

I'm on steroids

Don't judge me, but I am on steroids!

Most people may not realise this but they would have taken steroids for one reason or another.

For example, a few months ago, I was sick and had a high fever and wanted to get well fast because I was travelling.

So the doctor gave me a jab and he told me if I want to get well fast, there would be some steroids in the jab.

He told me it is not addictive and not the same dangerous dosage that athletes sometimes take and get themselves in trouble for.

Well, it was a couple of months to the Olympics - but I said I missed the cut, so guess I would not be tested anytime soon.

Then out of curiosity, I asked, "How many medicines contain steroids?"

Apparently quite a number.

For example again, on Saturday I got an eye infection and went to the pharmacy for some drops.

Knowing the pharmacist as well as having called my doctor, I bought something that would cure my infection without need for other medication.

And guess what?

My right eye is now on steroids.

So, I am on steroids.

Don't judge me, I am not addicted but I am cured.

Not all steroid usage is addictive or bad.

Take care and be well.

2009 A Look Forward

I will like to do a look back to 2008, and will do so ... but let's take a look at the future that I can foresee ... although nobody can really see into the future.

Nine things looking forward in 09:-
1. I will reach 400 blog posts by end of 2009 ... this is my 200th post.
2. I will be in Netherlands for 3.5 months of 2009 ... like this is not expected.
3. Al E will have his balls chopped off ... I feel sad for him.
4. I expect to be promoted ... wait a minute, I already was!
5. USA will have the 1st black president ... like this is a prediction :P
6. Malaysia will have a new Prime Minister who will be a son of a former premier.
7. I will complete 40 years of my life.
8. I will finally cave and buy an iPod so that I don't have to carry countless CDs.
9. I will celebrate Gawai this year, somehow, unless #2 above gets postponed again :(

This year I will try as much to follow one of my idols, Dr Suess' advice.

I will be who I am and say what I feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

First day of work in 2009, new shirt, old tie, old pants, same old person, a little extra bulge.



Take care and be well.