An American Tale

My all time favourite cartoon since childhood and the song that made me cried the first time ever :) Even now, it still tingles the heart as the little mouse cannot reunite with his family.

Quote

Sometimes, do you feel that

"The smile is like a mask"

Blessed

I have been blessed with people around me who really cared especially during my recent hard time. Even if I were to lose the roof above my head, I know that there is someone whom I can rely on in times of need. Friends are not only there during your happy times but is willing to lend a listening ear during rough times as well.

Thanks for being there :)

Reflections of 2011

2012 and it's time again for reflections.

Revisited Tenggol Island and just got now Advanced certification. Now I can do deep dives up to 30 meters and see more. It was a crazy trip and really fun. Too many funny incidents like runaway buddy, getting tricked by our instructor, being stopped by marine police and had a super foodie meal along the way before and after the trip. Met some new diver friends as well. The sea was a little rough and there was one dive where I was holding on to the sausage line and the wind practically blew us away and I scraped my new suit on the rocks!

Calm Tenggol

Visited Thailand for the first time and twice this year. Once to Bangkok and another time to the idyllic Krabi. Had some super shopping and massage madness time in Bangkok. Thai food is indeed delicious!

Grand Palace

Krabi's Emeralds

Rode on ATV for the first time in the Malaysian rainforest and I enjoyed it so much. There were muddy slopes, puddles of water, fallen bamboo obstacles but best of all, breathtaking view of our natural greenery. This was at the Kampung Kemensah.

Pandas will not go hungry here

Our Guide on his ATV

Had my first overseas dive trip and stepped into Indonesian land for the first time. Saw a different variations of marine life like lobsters, cleaner shrimp, octopus, crabs, jelly fish, two 2 meter long nurse sharks next to each other and had fun trying to spot the flounder or sole in the sand which is like hide and seek :) Swam to a deserted island and sat on dead coconuts as chairs eating packed Nasi Padang.

Beautiful Soft Coral

Tried surfing for the first time and it was so damn fun! And got sunburnt really bad as it was too fun during the surf that I didn't realise that I was being burnt. Probably the last time when I got burnt so badly was when I was around like 5.

Inundated with Water

2011 has its own bitter sweet moments. 2012 will be better ;)

Black Clouds

Sometimes there are just times where you just want to be left alone. Even a slight irritation can make you blow up to 10 times the magnitude. My meter for toleration has decreased and just couldn't bother anymore. These are just one of those days.

Wild Mangosteen

Tasted wild mangosteen which is also known as Santol, the texture of a pear which is a little grainy but more juicy like yam beans in Krabi, Thailand recently.

Santol in its Raw Form

The version that I had was marinated with chili, salt and sugar which was sweet and very spicy at the same time. I read that the combination of marinate is actually called phrik kap klua and often sold together with mangoes by fruit street stalls in Thailand.

Pickled Wild Mangosteens

Plus it made its way into the 10 most exotic fruit in the world according to HotelClub. Most of the fruit that are in the list can be found in South East Asia.

Finding Out What You Really Want

Read an excerpt from here.
Recognize that to be happy, you must live the life that you truly want to live. It’s your life and you are the only one who can truly determine what is right for you. There is no tragedy in shooting for your dreams; the tragedy is in looking back on your life and saying “I wish I’d ?”. Georgia Anne Geyer said, “Follow what you love. Don’t deign to ask what “they” are looking for out there. Ask what you have inside. Follow not your interests, which change, but what you are and what you love…”

The Beatles - Let It Be

Snapshots of 2010

Was going through my old pictures and some just made me smile. Especially thinking about the good times of family and friends. It's really fast how time passes by. Here are my snapshots of 2010. A little too late but better late than never ;)

Participated in a treasure hunt for the first time from Bukit Jalil TPM all the way to Pangkor Island. It's not so much like a treasure hunt but more like a amazing race kind of thing.

Sunset

Visited the Aquaria KLCC with mum. Saw sharks, all kinds of fishes, reptiles and amphibians. Was fascinated with the silly look of mudskippers. They look like they are singing :p

Frogs - easy to capture cause they don't move :p

Visited the National Art Gallery for the first time with good friends.

An Artistic Wall Piece

Went to the beautiful Bako National park after the Rainforest Music Festival in 2010. Was glad that we went there instead of my suggestion of going for kayaking.

Wild Orchids

Got certified as an Open Water Diver in Tenggol Island on 12 June 2010 :) Saw blue spotted rays, baby barracudas and turtles.

Tenggol Island Map

Participated in sea cleanup drive organised by Berjaya and flanked byProject Aware. Redang Island Beach Cleanup from 24 to 26th September 2010. Divers were in charge of picking up Crown of Thorns and became more aware of our ocean's fragile ecosystems.

Berjaya Redang Resort Seafront

Visited Taiwan on a 9 day trip. The Flora Fest coincidently was on going that time. Plus, we tried all kinds of transportation that you can name :)

Hong Kong Flora Exhibit in Taipei Flora Fest

Had Glogg in Sweden :) It's a Christmas drink in cold weather. First time on European soil and also first time seeing snow. Jakun right? :p

Glogg

Had so much food and desserts while having fun chats. Sweets desserts and sweet memories :) And happy hours of course ;)

Came across these interesting slogans along the way :)

These memories are definitely fond memories :)

Urban Permaculture

Permaculture is similar to organic farming but it is more friendly to the ecology as you would only use materials found nearby. This means carbon footprint is reduced and energy (transportation) is saved. Permaculture involves sustainability whereby is it self sustainable/ sufficient. I read from somewhere on the internet that permaculture is an acronym for permanent agriculture which refers to long term agricultural practices where resources is not depleted but rather, in a manner where it will be sustainable.

Most of us living in city areas where land is scarce for agriculture activities, thus the term urban added to the front. This concept factors in the scarcity of agricultural land and maximise the use of whatever that we can find commonly. Composting of waste, getting seeds from the fruit that we eat, sourcing plants from nearby or neighbours, harvesting of rainwater and in other words reduce, reuse and recycle. Bricks and construction materials that are to be dumped, can be used for structures like the herb spiral. Wooden chips, dead leaves swept from the roads and even our broom sticks (made from coconuts) can be used for "enrich" the soil. Large planters box would be in place if there is no garden land.

I was fortunate to have a friend who attended a permaculture course and started sharing her knowledge in this area. You would be surprised at what nature has to offer and in our tropical climate, there are just so many herbs and spices available. Imagine, cooking and just grabbing the herbs and vegetables just outside your backyard ala Jamie Oliver, just grabbing and tossing them into your own pan :)

Crown of Thorns (COT)

After the cleanup dive in Redang in 2010 for the annual Project Aware which is more focused on removing the Crown of Thorns, I began to read more about it.

One, Crown of Thorns also known as COTs appears naturally as part of an ecosystem balances the whole life cycle. Their diet consists of coral polyps.

Two, the known cause of the COT population explosion is never known exactly. Some attributes it to global warming, over harvesting of Triton seashells or maybe agriculture chemical leaching into the sea providing an alternative food source.

Three, COTs are not sea urchins and not black as what I believed earlier.

Four, chemicals from the sunblock that we usually use contains paraben that is harmful for marine life. Get a sunblock made from organic ingredients for sea activities.One that I found out is called Badger and is available in Singapore. Another place to get Badger products is from an organic shop in Centerpoint, Bandar Utama but they only stock certain products from Badger and not sunscreen.

Five, if you get stabbed by one of the sharp spines of COTs, your hand will swell like an elephant for days and it will hurt badly!

Six, when removing COTs from the corals, lightly pull them out slowly and not forcefully. Remove them bit by bit. Breaking the COTs will cause them to spawn in defense and it will release it eggs thus, creating even more COTs!

Seven, to spot a COT is to look out for white patches of dead corals. Why these white spots? Well those are the places that the COT have already fed on. So they are somewhere nearby.

Singapore and Malaysia

I am a Malaysian and I have been staying Singapore for the past few days for training. I know, I know. It is too short for me to say anything but I will just comment about things that I noticed. Just my simple analysis.

Differences between Malaysians and Singaporeans.

1. Cleanliness
Yes Singapore is cleaner. It is true that Malaysia is dirty but only in certain areas.

2. Arrogance
It is true some Singaporeans are pretty arrogant and not really friendly. But they do have their own fair share of nice
and friendly people as well. Just like in Malaysia, we have our own share of friendly and arrogant people.

3. Mandarin
Here anyone who opens their mouth to speak to you and you are chinese, automatically they will speak to you in
Mandarin.

4. English
Singaporeans generally think that the Malaysians are not very fluent in English. Well that's not the case. However,
I do find practically all Singaporeans have good English though. From the hawker selling food to professionals, they
can speak good English.

5. Exercise
Singaporeans do walk so much more than Malaysian and they take alot of public transportations. No wonder the
girls in Singapore have nice legs :p

6. Shopping Malls
Malaysian shopping malls are better organized and not so confucing. Singaporean malls tend to be like a maze,
full of corridors and pretty narrow at times. Maybe due to scarce land their design tends to be like that.

7. Japanese Food
Japanese food here is so much better compared to what we have in Malaysia. Plus, it is more affordable for their
fellow Singaporeans due to the strong exchange rate. The fish and ingredients really fresh because Singapore is an international import/export hub. Thus, fresh seafood is more easily accessible.

8. There is definitely a higher number of foreign people in Singapore. Mostly western foreigners or chinese nationals. Malaysia too have a lot of foreigners but from Indonesia. :p

To Change or Not To Change

It has been two years that I have been working in my current company. In fact, it is the longest staying company that I have been in.

Speaking to those people who job hopped all their lives, they say if they meet a great boss, they will not change their job. I have met a great boss (a boss who gives us 24" LCD screens when we request for it without questions asked) but if the tasks are becoming too mundane and there is no challenge in my work, I think I should do something about it. Work that is passed over from the US, doesn't really give me the challenge that I need. This doesn't really give value to my CV. I am still at the stage where I can still accept challenge and it serves as a brain stimuli.

Having a nice boss is a factor but a nice boss who has the power and authority to take action is really good. My ex-boss is a good boss but he doesn't have enough authority. The soon-to-come economy crisis is another factor to consider. Recession is inevitable in these times as it is a global phenomena although our dear politicians are still in denial.

My ex-boss taught me how to weigh the pros and cons of switching to another job. This is how you do it. Put in weigh in terms of priority. Each person will have different sets of priority. At the end, total up the number that you set for your priorities and compare between both. I think it works. In fact, quite a number of management people use this way to make decisions by making them quantifiable.

I will need to do my own analysis soon.

I Need an Escapade

So beautiful! I must definitely come here soon. Need some timeout.

Someone did a Bad Paint Job!

Submitted this to TheStar to try and win their Picture of the Day. It didn't get through. Oh well....

A Thought

Recently I met up with a buddy of mine who recently broke up. It's a little bizarre about what he told me about what goes in a guy's mind.

He told me he could recover the next day and he feels happy. It's a long distance relationship but if he doesn't really like the girl, then why be with her in the first place? Moreover, his complexion is really vibrant and happy. From what I heard, it seems that the girl is really heart broken.

Midfields @ Sg Besi

I went to look at the Midfields show unit during their "exclusive" preview. It's pretty pricy for a leasehold and the size is about 1000 ++ square feet. The access roads are great because it is in the middle of both KL and PJ. The living and dining area is pretty substantial but the rooms are so small. Price range from 238-300++ and it is located next to the highway (noisy) and high power tension cables! This doesn't really rock my boat for that price. I can easily get one with that price around PJ area and freehold. However, their finishing and materials used are really good and looks modern.

Living Room


Dining Room


Master Bedroom


Bedroom


Bathroom

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

It's mooncake time again! Hope our country's political turmoil will end soon...

Finding a Common Ground

Things that I do doesn't necessarily mean the other party would be interested. Maybe it's too boring. Maybe it's just not their cup of tea. It's too tough. Compromise? How to compromise if one is too extreme and the other is just not as. They try to slot you in their own activities but how about my own interest?

So, just let the other party do whatever they want to do and I just do whatever I want to do. This ain't going too well.

Marriage is just a Piece of Paper?

I have been pondering, does marriage equal to just a piece of paper? Some say, its to legally bound two person, some say to give self more security, some say just to satisfy their own parents, some say it's for convenience eg: to migrate elsewhere.

For centuries, people get married and marriage wasn't just a piece of paper. Depends on how you perceive it I guess but I do personally think that it is a symbol of unity and commitment to each other.