Brainstorm - Everything about Anything

The Last Lecture

2009-11-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

After watching Randy Pausch's video presentation in Oprah's show (this link is on this blog topic "Live"), I was all very keen to share this inspiring topic with anyone who cares to listen. In my sharing journey, a friend loan me his book "The Last Lecture" .I was totally taken and awed by his 40 odd years of life journey. Randy Pausch was an extraordinary person on earth and when he passed on 25th July 2008, he has done more than most people who lived a full life or is still living...... he is an icon we should introduce to our younger generations.

In this simple 6-chapter book of his, I have gathered a lot of knowledge I have not gotten in any of my readings.....

I am so taken in by his joy of life; how he carries on happily facing death, how he never give himself a moment of self-pity, sadness, depress or morose which naturally will be faced by people who knows they only have months to live. Values that he lives by .... honesty, integrity, gratitude, joy, dignity and self-esteem and achieving his childhood dreams.......

These are a few of the wisdoms he imparted..... his invaluable gift to all who reads his book.

~~ doing the best you can with limited resources
~~ if you can dream it, you can do it
~~ when there's an elephant in the room, introduce it
~~ we cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand
~~ "I won the parent lottery" -- having good parents
~~ never make a decision until you have to
~~ just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over
~~"We know just how you feel, honey. And remember, when your father was your age, he was fighting the Germans." (this is a good one to use on complaining stress out kids... by changing the last phrase to suit the family background -- I particularly like this!)
~~ When you are screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.
~~ many kids today are so coddled!
~~ I don't believe in the no-win scenario
~~ tenacity is a virtue
~~ The brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them - even if someone has practically had to throw you over - it can be helpful to to others to tell them how you did it.
~~ The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people.
~~ It's easy to look smart if you're parroting smart people
~~ People are more important than things
~~ automobiles are utilitarian devices, not expressions of social status
~~ No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse; at the same time, it is often within your power to make them better
~~ The truth can set you free
~~ Luck is where preparation meets opportunity
~~ Ernest is better than hip
~~ Let's make a deal
~~ Don't complain, just work harder
~~ Treat the disease, not the symptom
~~ Don't obsess over what people think
~~ Look for the best in everyone
~~ You are only as good as your words
~~ No job is beneath you
~~ Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
~~ Rights come with responsibilities
~~ All you have to do is ask

From all that I have learned from Randy and from his book "The Last Lecture" (you may get more from your different point of view), I would like to add a little of my own ....

"Go on those trips you've always wanted to take. Live in the moment, even if you or your close family do not have a terminal illness" In other words, do not wait for the inevitable before you put your dreams into action! Live and let live!

"Life"

2009-10-29T02:12:00.000-07:00

I started by writing about "Death" which I do not think anyone who thinks they are in their right mind would want to talk about. However, I learn from viewing this video that "Death" is very much part of "Life".

The question here is whether anyone knows how to live? And.......

Talking about living..... I just came across this link from a forwarded email which I wish to include in this post so that we can keep this video handy and to be brought up every now and then to remind us how to live........its a lecture given by a man with 3 young children who has only a few more months to live due to pancreatic cancer.... an inspiring true life story.
Click here: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8577255250907450469&hl=en

Appreciating Nature

2009-10-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

How does one appreciate nature, enjoy scenery, view natural phenomenon like sunrise, sunset, aurora borealis, midnight sun, clouds formation, waterfall, greeneries, lightning and others and marvel at their occurence; how do we allow it to be percepted by our senses......??I found the way the author of "Daughter of Heaven", Leslie Li's description very extraordinary clear and appropriate .....
How one should appreciate nature:-

I look at them as one should look at a vertical Chinese landscape scroll;
from top to bottom,
from far to near.In the distance,
to the west,
was Folded Brocade Mountain - layer upon layer
of soft greens, grays, and violets,
like so many quilts folded neatly,
one piled atop the other.
To the east,
on the riverbank, the straight,
proud shaft of Wave Restraining Hill
was more than adequate to contain the Li River,
which,
due to the dry season,
was almost at a standstill.
on the river bank

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

2009-10-17T04:48:00.000-07:00

I read the book "The Life of Pi" by Canadian author, Yann Martel and I have extracted a very interesting passage on one of Pi's methods of escape; the story is that he being a survivor of a shipwreck on how he (Piscine Molitor Patel) got through his ordeal..... "One of my favourite methods of escape was
what amounts to gentle asphyxiation.
I used a piece of cloth that I cut from the remnants of a blanket.
I called it my dream rag.
I wet it with sea water so that it was soaked but not dripping.
I lay comfortably on the tarpaulin and
I placed the dream rag on my face,
fitting it to my features.
I would fall into a daze,
not difficult for someone in such an advanced state
of lethargy to begin with.
But the dream rag gave a special quality to my daze.
It must have been the way it restricted my air intake.
I would be visited by the most extraordinary dreams,
trances, visions, thoughts, sensations, remembrances.
And time would be gobbled up.
When a twitch or a gasp disturbed me and the rag fell away
I'd come to full consciousness,
delighted to find that time had slipped by.
The dryness of the rag was part proof.
But more that that was the feeling that things were different,
that the present moment was different from
the previous present moment."

WARNING: No one should try this method of escape ... no matter what and we do not hold any responsibility of any eventuality. It is just something extraordinary that the writer of the book "concocted" - I hope, and which a blogger felt like sharing with others!! So be warned.
And, nevertheless, I still find the description very extraordinary and fascinating........

GGC - Another Attempt at Fun!

2009-10-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

Two pretty faces....

One can see the food is an important part of a GGC's life.....nothing better than a good meal.We are back to our old haunt, after a break of a month! Another attempt at having fun again....

Brunch at Loy's

2009-10-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

Super Delicious.....

The Buffet Spread... just dig in!!

Best Carrot Cake, EVER!! Special Order accepted!

Our gracious hostess

Food glorious food....... a meal of home cooked "lontong" dishes by our gracious hostess goes a long way... what with good company and fun!!After eating ... its tall tale time!!

2 simple riddles:
Aunt Lucy has a big one
Aunt Molly has two small ones
A man has none and
A lady has it in front

Ramasamy has a long one
The wife will use the husband's one
The priest will not use his one
and your brother has one

GGC - Happy Times

2009-10-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hahahahahaha!! This is the best stress reliever!

Just give us a table and some chairs in a comfortable environment..... and you will see happy and laughing faces like this.................Golden Girls having another eat out and chit-chatting session.......

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

2009-10-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with this term "Familiarity breeds contempt". Actually the more I think about it the more I agree with it. Indeed when people gets too familiar with each other, we see a lot of the less desirable.

For example, my friend was telling me that she knows a couple who live with each other for seven years and finally decided to marry but the marriage lasted only 6 months. Why? I am sure its not the mere marriage certificate that changes the situation; it must be the human factor that has changed! Someone certainly let down their guard with the stability of marriage.....

We are definitely more polite with mere strangers we meet than we are with our friends, worst still our spouses, children, siblings or family members we lived with. With people close to us, we tend to forget to say "please", "thank you" or a simple "may I". Why? Simply that familiarity breeds contempt......

Maybe we should start looking at the way we treat our friends and love ones and put some effort into how we relate with each other ... you may just make the world a better place for some....

Do you see the rain? Or maybe not.
Maybe it is such a familiar sight that we have taken it for granted!!

Stop once in a while to smell the flowers, appreciate mother earth.
Do not allow contempt to get you, nature is always there to awe you!!

"Death"

2009-10-05T03:06:00.000-07:00

Death ~~ what is it to you?

Most people fear death and do not even want to talk about it or simply avoid the subject in totality.

Have you ever ponder what death is all about?

I like what I read, this definition about death in Tony Parsons' book "One for my baby"; the words of Canon Henry Scott Holland.....

He said....

"Death is nothing at all. I have slipped away into the next room. I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still."

"Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone, wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me."

"Let my name be ever the household word it always was. Let it be spoken without effect, without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever means. It is the same as it ever was - there is absolutely unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident! Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well."For me, Holland's words are well said, simply makes "death" ~ the much feared word sounds so manageable, so easy to comprehend, something everyone needs to come to term with....... one fine day. The eventuality is definite ~~ we do not know when and how.

So, lets live our life like there is no tomorrow ....... taking each lovely day, one day at a time ...... always be thankful for yet another day to live.....

Let's live!!!

Nineteen Forty Nine

2009-09-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

ninETEEn FOrTyninE

My favourite restaurant in Beijing city............
the food is good, with lots of choices and the food presentation second to none,
environment is superb and truly unique in its own style!Jimmie, the cricket taking a break and some sun tanning outside;
otherwise he will be entertaining the diners in the fine dining restaurant.
Jimmie sings non-stop until someone comes near, he can somehow
sense the presence of human.... all will suddenly be quiet.
The Noodle Bar.... where you are served the best ramen
with a choice of pork ribs or beef condiments Display of attractive, love-to-own and expensive art sculptures for sales around the premises

Dine & Wine

2009-09-12T02:10:00.001-07:00

After 2 and a half years, finally the mystery woman was introduced to "Charlie"s angels.......:} in a restaurant called 1949 that serves Beijing Duck.... crispy, roasted, crunchy duck skin... yum yum....

The Chef carving the perfectly roasted duck.....

Duck skin served on white duck plate

condiments to go with the duck skin.... oh that little duck is not for eating, its a chopsticks stand

Diane and Marcella

Vina and Diane
(all natural shots.... no posing allowed)

This is the best and the fun part. The duck sauce requires some dressing. First you spoon the mustard and ginger paste on to the sauce in circular motion. Then you swirl your sauce plate in circular movement until a beautiful pattern comes on......you might not do very well on the 1st time.... just like me

Then you spoon the crispy fried shallots in the middle!

See what I meant? This one was done by the expert! Vina......

Oh, I forgot to take pictures of the best part of the meal, the desserts; they were so delicious that we can't wait to take picture before we dig in.....sweet rice balls with different flavour of ice cream inside and the best mini egg tarts I ever tasted... the tarts even have frosted decoration on it and its piping hot.....

Finally, while we dine and wine, we were being entertained by Jimmy, the cricket. He sang all the way through our meals until when we asked and the waitress brought him in his cage to introduce him, then he stopped singing (shy, we think)......special!!!

Beijing Skyline

2009-09-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

Pictures taken on a clear sunny day .... the sun is setting over the Beijing skyline. The odd looking structure is the CCTV building just completed about a year ago?...

The CCTV Tower

The building is not on fire; though one beside the CCTV tower (the one on the right) was burnt down recently due to some fire crackers; the building was a brand new hotel supposed to open the day after the fire..... it is now a big eyesore!

The burnt building .... brownish in colour

These 2 pictures taken on a clear morning....

The Best Eulogy

2009-07-31T17:40:00.001-07:00

"Love the imperfections" ~~ This is one very good advice for a lasting marriage life. Instead of finding your other half's idiosyncrazies annoying, try looking at them with a different set of eyes or better still see them with your heart. Watch this youtube and you will understand what I am trying to say.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx9ocubowMs&feature=player_embedded

Cry if you must but learn from it..... there is no perfect person in this world, admit it you are not perfect yourself so try not to be so picky.... life is too short!!

"All Quiet on the Western Front"

2009-07-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

"All Quiet on the Western Front" today simply means "for lack of action".

It has become part of English language commonly used by babyboomers for lack of action in the modern days. This slang is adapted from the German Army war term; translated by author, Arthur Wesley Wheen in 1930.

However, while in a conversation with my son, a dotcom kid in his twenties who was not aware of such term gives me a feeling that we are not passing on such terms and knowledge to our kids thus causing THE generation gap.

I do appreciate the advance in technology but still feel strongly that we should retain some of the good English used by the babyboomers........anyone dare to defer?

Revelation of Truth - Faiths

2009-07-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

One of the pillars of life I strongly advocate to is "faith"! Then I read in Louis Fischer's "The Life of Mahatma Gandhi" and this particular paragraph highlighted itself to my full attention of which I wish to share:-

All faiths constitute a revelation of Truth, but all are imperfect, and liable to error. Reverence for other faiths need not blind us to their faults. We must be keenly alive to the defects of our own faith also, yet not leave it on that account, but try to overcome those defects. Looking at all religions with an equal eye, we would not only not hesitate, but would think it our duty to blend into our faith every acceptable feature of other faiths.

Louis Fischer further mentioned that this paragraph is a portrait of the Gandhi mind; he was the conservative who would not change his religion, the reformer who tried to alter it, and the tolerant believer who regarded all faiths as aspects of the divine. He was loyal yet critical, partisan yet open-minded, devout yet not doctrinaire, inside yet outside, attached yet detached, Hindu yet Christian, yet Moslem, yet Jew.

How interesting.... this character of our past.... The Mahatma Gandhi!

I Wish You Enough

2009-07-13T08:49:00.001-07:00

A friend forwarded me this email about "I Wish You Enough" which is very meaningful. I want to remember the meaning of "I Wish You Enough" greeting so I am pening it here to write it on rock as well to share with whoever stumble on my blog and like what it is

The gist of the story is that someone overhead a mother and daughter bidding each other farewell and as the mother felt that it is a last time for her to bide farewell to her daughter, it was really a sad event. Both mother and daughter bid each other "I wish You Enough". And the meaning of this wish is.....

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how grey the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final goodbye.

It is too much to say all these when you say goodbye to someone and it is so logical to cut it short yet it meant so much..... For those who reads this .... "I wish you enough!"

The Breaking of Dawn

2009-07-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

The breaking of dawn will probably be the most beautiful natural site you can ever witness in your life. If you will to sacrifice one or two hours of your sleep by waking up before 6am you will be able to view this beauty all by yourself or even share it with someone...... its really worth it!!

These pictures have to be taken at different views simply because while the sun is rising in the East, the moon is leaving us towards the west .... remember.... the world goes round and round....

Golden Girls Day Out

2009-07-10T03:37:00.000-07:00

Buah Langsat tree in BG

Botanical Garden in full bloom

Golden Girls at their best..... daily early morning exercise to keep fit and healthy ..... hunting for good bargain .... eating fruits before breakfast.... roam around until we are hungry again and then .... lunch before we are ready to go our own way.........

At one of the bargain section (70% discount) at MJ Members' Day

Coconut Water .... anyone?
It delicious, nutritious and cools down your body!

Beautiful Quote

2009-07-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

.... the most unselfish act one can ever do
is paying forward all the kindness one has received
even to the most undeserved person....

Alley Cats taking a snooze......
Look..... how neatly they are piled together... so cute!Hey! You got permission to take our pic?
Please do not disturb!

Coconut Water -- the fluid of life?

2009-07-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

Of late, I have been reading a lot on the benefits of drinking coconut water. Since I am one person who loves drinking coconut water fresh from the nut and also enjoy tremendously eating the coconut flesh, I have summarised some articles I have read:-
Characteristic of Coconut:

Low in Carbohydrates
99% fat free
Low in sugars

Good for weight control ~~ fills you up after drinking 1 coconut water

Health benefits:

Keep body cool
Orally rehydrate body - natural isotonic beverage
Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells
Naturally replenish your body fluids after exercise
Raise your metabolism thus promoting weight loss

Disease/sickness control?:

Boost your immune system
Detoxify and fight viruses
Cleanse your digestive tract - kills intestinal worms
Control diabetes
Aid body to fight viruses that cause flu, herpes and AID
Balance your PH
Reduce risk of cancer
Treat kidney and urethal stones - helps break up kidney stones
Boost poor circulation

Good nutrient source:

full of electrolytes
has a natural balance of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium
anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial

There are many sites proclaiming the wonderful benefits of the coconut water and if you want to know more this is where you start but do not end here... find out more to convince yourself to drink coconut water everyday.I personally will drink 1 coconut water a day if it is convenient as it is my favourite beverage. But I wish to caution to drink it the minute it is cut open because this fresh juice turns bad very fast.

Made in China "Ikan Bilis" - Anchovies

2009-07-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

"Disgusting Made in China food....BeWare!!

"Ikan bilis" made in China. Fish skin is made from PE (plastic) tube,
meat is made of some kind of jelly or gelatine. It has fishy smell.

I boiled with hot water for sometime the PE gets burst and exposing fish meat. These fish has NO bone and color would not change after cooking a long time.These fish also sold in flour coated form."

I found this again in one of the rampant forward emails with some pictures. All the time I wondered the authenticity of such info. I googled the web for confirmation but this time I found nothing on this topic... maybe someone out there could shed some light!

Financial Cycle

2009-07-03T00:55:00.000-07:00

Is this latest modern theory or what?..........

It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town.

He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to choose one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.....

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is doing business today.

Wow, this sounds simple enough!! Basically, it just means that when recession hits, one should not stop spending, in fact, everyone should be spending, spending, spending in order to allow the cash to flow. No one should be guilty of putting the brakes on this "cash flow" machinery.........

Confidence, Trust & Hope

2009-07-02T02:58:00.000-07:00

Got this in my email today.... it is so true......

Confidence
Once, all village people decided to pray for rain,
On the day of prayer, everyone gathered
and only one boy came with
an umbrella....
That's
CONFIDENCE

Trust
Trust should be like the feeling of a one year old baby
when you throw him in the air,
he laughs, because he knows you will catch him.
That's
TRUST

Hope
Every night we go to bed
we have no assurance to get up alive the next morning
but still you have plans for the coming day
That's
HOPE

Have CONFIDENCE, TRUST and never lose HOPE

Grandma's Hands

2009-06-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

Grandma's Hands
by
Bill Withers

Grandma's hands
Clapped in church on Sunday morning
Grandma's hands
Played a tambourine so well
Grandma's hands
Used to issue out a warning
She'd say, "Billy don't you run so fast
Might fall on a piece of glass
"Might be snakes there in that grass"
Grandma's hands

Grandma's hands
Soothed a local unwed mother
Grandma's hands
Used to ache sometimes and swell
Grandma's hands
Used to lift her face and tell her,
"Baby, Grandma understands
That you really love that man
Put yourself in Jesus hands"
Grandma's hands

Grandma's hands
Used to hand me piece of candy
Grandma's hands
Picked me up each time I fell
Grandma's hands
Boy, they really came in handy
She'd say, "Matty don' you whip that boy
What you want to spank him for?
He didn' drop no apple core"
But I don't have Grandma anymore

If I get to Heaven I'll look for

Grandma's hands

Yes, its a song... a beautiful and meaningful song by Bill Withers (listen to this song). But I was actually motivated by a forwarded email on a story about how grandma's hands were in good use; for prayers, for soothing, for assisting her to move around in her old age.... I suddenly realised that how important our hands are. And in honour of my grandma who has passed on years ago, I now take pictures of my mother's and sisters' and nieces' hands.......DO CARE FOR YOUR HANDS!!This is an original photo but not an original idea......

The Sexiest, The Funniest & The Most Admired!

2009-06-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

The Sexiest Man

The Funniest Man

The Most Admired WomanOkay, there you are, I managed to take pictures with the
3 most interesting personalities
of the World!!

Ooopps!!
I have been busted.... ya you were right, I was in the wax museum,
Madame Tussauds, London. How else can a common person
take pictures with the uncommon.......

"Kiasu" Syndrome

2009-06-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Are you "kiasu" or "kiasi"? Do a survey; first on yourself, then among your friends. Ask yourself whether you are "kiasu" or "kiasi". For those who do not understand these terms; they are actually Hokkien (one of the multitude of Chinese dialects) coined to portray "afraid to lose - kiasu" and "afraid of dying - kiasi". If I am not mistaken, this started in Singapore due to the competitiveness of this small nation and they, the Singaporean are being labelled "kiasu" for their fear of losing out due to the smallness of their country - unfair but quite apt!

So the "Kiasu" syndrome has expanded to include "kiasi" and the like "kiaboh". I personally do not advocate "kiaboh" - meaning - fear one's wife, simply because it has a gender connotation and a personal attack on all men without their defence being called. Also, I do sincerely respect men who listen to their wives and pay due respects to them instead of those, chauvinistic types who treat their wives as mere second class.... so "kiaboh" is definitely not in my category of vocabs!!

So back to the question in time ~~ are you "kiasu" or "kiasi". For me, after some thoughts, I think (feel) that I am not afraid of dying but I probably would be more afraid of losing. I have always try to do better than others, I love to compete and win and there..... I am "kiasu"!!!! What about you??

William Arthur Ward

2009-06-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some beautiful quotes by William Arthur Ward which can be used as pillars of our life...his timeless words of inspiration can help everyone understand life better, live better.....

Before you speak, listen

Before you write, think

Before you spend, earn

Before you invest, investigate

Before you criticize, wait

Before you pray, forgive

Before you quit, try

Before you retire, save

Before you die, give

William A Ward

(1921-1994)

The pessimist complains about the wind;

the optimist expects it to change;

the realist adjusts the sails

William Arthur Ward

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it

If you can dream it, you can become it

William Arthur Ward

The mediocre teacher tells;

The good teacher explains;

The superior teacher demonstrates;

The great teacher inspires.

William Arthur Ward

Study while others are sleeping;

Work while others are loafing;

Prepare while others are playing;

And dream while others are wishing.

William Arthur Ward

The Regent's Canal Dock

2009-06-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

I was really fascinated by the workings of the Regent's Canal Dock when I was shown by my friend on arrival in London. I would called this simply the miracle wonder of the man's mind. The Regent's canal was opened in 1820 to connect to River Thames for coal shipment.
What is interesting is the simple workings of the canal junction where one higher canal meet another canal with a lower water level. In order for the boat to turn into the lower canal, the boat operator has to open a gate to allow the water to flow into a basin so as to create a water level of similar height. From my understand, hydraulic power is in use here. Once the boat passes through, the boat operator once again closes the gate and thus creating 2 different water levels again until the next boat comes along.

I suppose it is not easy to imagine how this works and you will have to really see for yourself to believe and understand it.

It is just simply amazing how one can think of ways and means to provide transportation in the olden days. This system is still in use in "The Regent's Canal" near Islington/Angel Station. There are 10 such canal docks along the famous River Thames in London.

The Mouth of Truth

2009-06-18T02:22:00.001-07:00

The Mouth of Truth

On the last day of my visit to Rome, I managed to get onto a bus and explore Rome city with 2 of my travel mates. We found a few more sites not included in our package tours. One of them is "The Mouth of Truth". It took us quite a fair bit of walks and asking numerous people before we finally found it. It was such an achievement for us!

This site was made famous by an old movie, "Roman Holiday" (1953) ~~ A bored and sheltered princess (Audrey Hepburn) escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman (Gregory Peck) in Rome.

Legend had it that if you lie and when you put your hand into "The Mouth of Truth" your hand will be bitten off; that was what Gregory Peck (the newsman) told Audrey Hepburn (the innocent princess) in the movie. I watched this movie a long time ago and when I spotted the picture of "The Mouth of Truth" in a postcard, I suddenly remembered that it is here in Rome; that started our frantic search for it.

So long, farewell, Bambino!!

2009-06-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

Introducing.....................Bambino and Bambinee!!!

First it was "Bambino", originally white in colour, rescued from a young owner who took good care of it but have to part because of his father's nagging. "Bambino" came to me limping with 4 flats but with the help of my brother-in-law, I managed to nurse "him" to health. That was 25 years ago.......

10 years ago, "Bambino" had a whole body overhauled and was given a nice "Mercedes" blue outfit, grey seats, air-condition, polished antique number plates, new lights and indicator covers even with the original "Fiat" sign specially imported from Italy!!

"Bambino" served me well as a reserved and it was alway a pleasure to go with him around town. He commanded respect and attracted quite a bit of attention..... sweepers stopped their work to salute him. He is also a subject for conversation; strangers came up to me to talk about him.

But viola! there he goes, I have to part with him due to my changed of lifestyle.... I have to just only stick to "Bambinee" because she is the only one I can manage to cope with, she is the only one that can take me around town quickly.....

So .... so long, farewell "Bambino".... I am happy you have got a new owner who will appreciate you and take good care of you... The last I heard is that he is going to give you a brand new RED outfit..... YOU SURE WILL LOOK GOOD IN IT!!!

Believe it or not --- Queen E!!

2009-06-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

I went to London to see the Queen!

Believe it or not... this is a powershot of the Queen and her husband passing by us while we wait by the road side to see who is the important person going through. Its none other than the Grand Old Lady ~~ Queen Elizabeth ~~ just coming out of her son's, Prince Charles resident.

Some Britons said they have never seen the Queen in person.... how lucky can we be?

All in a "Name"

2009-06-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

How do one come out with an appropriate name for a business, a company, a shop in order for it to be successful. Or is it just a random name plucked from the air? Could it be just any name you fancy and channel great effort in promoting or is it just clever advertising?

So what is the theories and strategies behind these names.......

How do names like "Ugly Duckling", "Fat Face" or just a simple "Eat."
or "All Bar One" can get so famous and successful... Go figure......

The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World

2009-06-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of my life long goals is to visit all the 7 ancient wonders of the world. After visiting the 1st one; The Great Wall of China many years ago, the opportunity of continuing to visit the other 6 did not opportune itself until recently with the wide offer of budget airfare, also thanks to the understanding and support of my family, I have finally managed to surge on to visit 4 more, making a total of 5.

I have always been fascinated with the 7 Ancient Wonders and did not cease to be in awe even after visiting some of them...

1. The Great Wall of China
2. Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

3. Colosseum, Rome, Italy

4. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

5. Stonehenge, Wiltshire County, England

There are many versions of the 7 Ancient Wonders and I would like to consider these 5 that I have visited as the 5 out of the 7. 2 more in my list of must see are the pyramids and Taj Mahal.

However, my list of must visits goes on...... there are the natural wonders like Niagara Falls, Grand Canyons etc etc...... life is full of wonders and they are always there for all of us to discover and explore...... Happy travelling!!!

Homeless with a Sense of Humour

2009-05-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures in my email inbox, as always, another of the random forward mail but this one touches my heart. I wish to share and bring your attention to how resilient some people are. They may be down and out but somehow they found a cheerful and creative way of asking for help of which I admire greatly!!

Angkor Wat - One of the 7 Ancient Wonders!

2009-05-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

Cambodia ~~ where the great "Angkor Wat" was built some hundred of years ago is indeed a spectacular sight. I was recently in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap with 9 others (2 young girls joined our group to make it to 10).

It was a memorable tour for me and I had great fun, so does the rest in the group.

Listening Skill

2009-05-12T08:49:00.001-07:00

I was told that God gave us two ears and on mouth because He wants us to listen more than we talk. Somehow, I estimated that about 90% of the human race rather talk than listen. Listening is hard, it is hard for me too!

Some people practise "selective listening" ; they only listen to what they want to hear and this is a very common cause for communication breakdown, which further create misunderstanding and things being done the wrong way. Mistakes are then made........

One simple example was when we were discussing about our ailing mother ..... our 2nd elder sister was trying to explain to us about clear, murky or foamy urine; how we must observe our mother's urine in order to know about her physical health. But unfortunately, our youngest sister interjected cheekily that if you drink the household cleanser your urine will definitely be foamy!!

Everyone laughed!! The discussion was interupted. None of us were any wiser about how to recognise unhealthy urine.

Anyway, one can change the situation by just consciously pausing to at least listen until the speaker is finished with his "yakerty yak" before interupting with a question or to crack a joke!

Learn to listen consciously which is actually very simple if you control your brain from processing for that moment......... give it a try!!!

Filial Piety

2009-05-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

I had a life experience and learned about filial piety recently when my mum has fallen very ill all of a sudden. As a chinese decendent, I was brought up with a lot of emphasis on being filial to the elders and it has always been what I valued most and want my next generations to have this value but in reality I have not been given an opportunity to put into practise what I have learned all my young years.

When my paternal grandmother was bedridden due to old age, my siblings and I took it for granted that she was waiting for her time. We took it that she will be cared for and my mother has taken up the task of caring for her full time for 2 long years. We (my siblings and I) just came to visit anytime at our convenience. We thought we were doing our duties and we were being filial as grandchildren.

Six months after our grandmother passed on, our father was diagnosed with cancer and also bedridden abiding for his time. Again my mother was left to care for him alone and we just came visiting. All because we already have our own families and own life to live.

When our mother was having a near-death experience, we (my siblings and I) regretted not doing enough for her and wanted a second chance. With the help of our most respected "Tutor", my family's divine power, she was brought back to us. We were all grateful but was in disarray as to how we can fit our lifes into hers, how we could devised a smooth plan to care for her while we can still have our own lifes.......

Things fall into place after some teething problems, for 7 siblings to agree is a hard task but amidst much disagreement, disappointment and many arguments, we managed to run our household with the least interruptions and be able to spend time with our mother who is now healthy except for the bedsore she acquired during the 3 days of unconsciousness.

We, 6 sisters and 1 brother managed so well, we are her driver, adviser, nurse, care-giver and loving children all blend in one. Even our elders sister who suffered from oesteo-arthritis managed to chip in doing the loads of household chores like cooking and washing while we assist in both caring for our mother's need as well as keeping her house sparkling clean with a happy atmosphere.

We find it a pleasure to keep her in comfort while she is healing and all of us do our part and tries not to step on each other's toes and we practise the "give and take" concept making full use of our individual potential; be it personal traits, talent and finance.

I can say my mother is a happier person before her illness..... and I felt that we have been given a second chance and we will have to make full use of it!!

History to keep

2009-04-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

I was in Melbourne for 2 months and I found most endearing of Melbournian or rather in a broad sense the Australian, is their pride of their roots. They are really proud of their history!! Just to prove my point, these are two maps of Melbourne city; one drawn 170 years ago and the other is a current print, you will see that the names of the streets are exactly the same. They have such good sense of belongings that they do not see fit to change street names at all. There is nothing you can do to improve or change a historical fact!! Definitely not to change the street name just to honour someone else!!

A Tribute to the Golden Girls

2008-12-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

A tribute to all the golden girls of the world! If any of you reading this can relate to the message in the above poster, then congratulations, I might say, you are wanted and needed. Be happy and live with what you have and have fun.

The Secret to a Happy Marriage

2008-11-22T00:31:00.000-08:00

So, what is the secret to a happy marriage? The answer is so simply portrayed in this forwarded email that I thought if I don't pen it here, it would really really goes to waste!

To the WIFES of this world "BLESS YOU!"
and
To the husbands "YOU'RE BLESSED!".

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

Have a good laugh and while you are at it; wives ~ its good advice and its free; take it; husbands ~ if you see your wife knitting, crocheting, smocking like mad, say you are sorry... it is also good advice and it is also free; take it!! You are blessed that she knows how to do needlework....... or else ......

All About Hearing Aids

2008-11-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

I just have this urge to make people laugh.... Its sad when we grew up forgetting how to laugh! Like one of my label says "Laughter Releases Endorphins" and we all need all the endorphins we can get to keep us healthy in these days of unhealthy environment and unhealthy living habits......

Growing old is fun if you know how to laugh ~~ start laughing at yourself first, laugh at your friends who can take it and laugh at jokes like these .....

An elderly gentleman… had serious hearing problems for a number of years.
He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him
fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%.

The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor
said, 'Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you
can hear again.'

The gentleman replied, 'Oh, I haven't told my family yet.
I just sit around and listen to their conversations.
I've changed my will three times!'

Here's more ...... :)

Three old guys are out walking.
The first one says, 'Windy, isn't it?'
The second one says, 'No, it's Thursday!'
The third one says, 'So am I. Let's go get a beer.'

Then...

A man was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid.
It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art.
It's perfect.'
' Really,' answered the neighbor. 'What kind is it?'
' Twelve thirty ..'

And this is the killer.....

Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.
A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a
gorgeous young woman on his arm.
A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said,
'You're really doing great, aren't you?'
Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc:
'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.''
The doctor said, 'I didn't say that. I said,
'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'

I BET YOU HAD A GOOD LAUGH..... LOL

You Got "Male" !!

2008-11-06T00:52:00.000-08:00

One of those internet jokes that is worth keeping and its good for a laugh ~~ I supposed its Gen Y's way of expressing facts of life .....

A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?' The father answers: 'Well son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway!

Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:

You got Male!

Quote for the Day!!

2008-11-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

'Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply.

If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So - if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of shit.'

Love and appreciate all the women in your life!

I like this quote… found on the internet as well. So ladies, you are phenomenon and gentlemen…. be informed, treat your ladies well and you will get double good treatment!!

A tribute to the Golden Girls!!!

Baby Carrots You Buy from Supermarkets!

2008-11-04T02:32:00.000-08:00

Yet another email forwarded again and again, and this time it may just ring true....baby carrots you buy in the supermarkets are not baby carrots in the real sense.

The following is information from a farmer who grows and packages carrots for IGA, METRO, LOBLAWS, etc.

The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic bags are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots, most people probably know this already.

What you may not know and should know is the following: once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in your pool) since they do not have their skin or natural protective covering, they give them a higher dose of chlorine.

You will notice that once you keep these carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form on the carrots, this is the chlorine which resurfaces.

At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables which are practically plastic?

Chlorine is a very well known carcinogen.

Baby carrots can be less economical… http://www.wisebread.com/baby-carrots-the-frugal-idea-that-isnt - this site will give you more details.

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/carrots.asp More information on this site for you to re-affirm what we read in email.

And wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_carrot) has a few external links if you need to know or understand more.

The decision is yours whether baby carrots are good or bad for your health and whether you should continue buying bagged baby carrots as your “healthy” snacks.

"A horrible fact about KFC"

2008-11-03T00:20:00.000-08:00

I received this email, not once but many times, about a horrible fact about KFC. When I first read the story, I felt a loathing for such a practice but then I wonder again .... "Is it true? Would a well reputed international company go to such low level to save cost and earn some extra money?". Like I said, I started to google up to get factual reporting on such rampant rumours.

Here are part of the email about KFC that has been circulating on the net:

Kentucky Fried Chicken has become KFC. Does anybody know why? We thought the real reason was because of the 'FRIED' food issue.

IT'S NOT! !

The reason why they call it KFC is because they can not use the word chicken anymore. Why? KFC does not use real chickens. They actually use genetically manipulated organisms. These so called 'chickens' are kept alive by tubes inserted into their bodies to pump blood and nutrients throughout their structure.. They have no beaks, no feathers, and no feet. Their bone structure is dramatically shrunk to get more meat out of them. This is great for KFC because they do not have to pay so much for their production costs.There is no more plucking of the feathers or the removal of the beaks and feet.

The government has told them to change all of their menus so they do not say chicken anywhere. If you look closely you will notice this. Listen to their commercials, I guarantee you will not see or hear the word chicken.
I find this matter to be very disturbing.

I found a few site talking about this subject particularly:-
1. Kentucky Fried Chicken Hoax - seems there no proof on a specific study done in the University of New Hampshire
2. The Curse of Frankenchicken- The University of New Hampshire wasted no time publishing a rebuttal on its Web site.
3. Taste like chicken - genetic engineered food.....
4. Kentucky Fried Cruelty - I guess its people promoting going vegetarian....

So folks, read and make up your own mind.......

Internet Hoax

2008-11-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

Artificial foods are at rampant and with the advanced in technology, we received information in loads telling us about foods that are tainted, artificial, genetically altered and are bad for our health.

Diseases are also at rampant. We received depressing information so fast these days, we can consider that "the world is flat now". Some of the information received over the net, in forwarded emails are so disheartening and sometimes I wonder about their authenticity!

So in order to bona fide the information I read, I usually take some time to google them up before panicking and even before forwarding to friends and love ones.

Internet Hoax not only report on food but also on the subjects of politics, crimes, environmental subjects etc etc...... I usually read them with a pinch of salt or not read at all.

I will research on these reported stories and share under the category of "Internet Hoax" hoping to create awareness on the legitimacy of such subjects.

Your Right If You Live to 50!!

2008-11-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

After living for 50 years and more, you have definitely earned the right to a lot of "privileges"!! Golden Girls have agreed to a few.....

After 50, one should....

live while you can
love while you can

spend time with love ones while you can
spend time with friends while you can

do things you enjoy
do things that make you laugh
do things that are fun
do things that you want to

live day by day .... but to the fullest!

And after 50, you have a right to.....

forget your appointment
ask for reminders
forget friends birthdays
say "no" to anything you are uncomfortable with

stop worrying about "what if"
stop crying over spilt milk
stop living for your children
let them live their lives, the way they know how
they will find their ways, just like how we did!

Forgetting is part and parcel of maturing and
then, just like one of my friends said so appropriately.....

If and when you remember .... it is a BONUS!!

Are Green Potatoes Safe to Eat?

2008-10-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Why do potatoes turn green like part of this potato?
The potato tuber which contains nutrients like starches, proteins and minerals is meant to produce and grow next generation potatoes. As these tubers were uprooted for human consumption, they are exposed to light causing them to turn green; production of chlorophyll, a process called photosynthesis ~~ similar to leaves ~~ to make extra energy for the new plant.

Interestingly, the potato plant produces its own chemicals to protect from harmful insects, fungi and animals. These protective chemicals ~~ glycoalkaloids (usually solanine) ~~ are found in the leaves, sprouts and stems of the potato plant and usually at a very low levels in potato tubers. But with exposure to light, the level of glycoakaloids are elevated with the highest being in the emerging sprouts and the greenish part of the potato, usually under the skin where there is a cumulation of chlorophyll.

Solanine (one of the glycoalkaloids) will be at a high level on bruising, cutting, rotting, bacteria and fungi attack and exposure to light.

What are Glycoalkaloids?
As explained in Wikipedia, Glycoalkaloids are a family of poisons. Glycoalkaloids are alkaloids + sugars which are toxic in nature. A prototypical glycoalkaloid is sugar (solanose) + alkaloid (solanidin) = solanine which is found in potatoes. It has a bitter tasting sensation usually cause burning irritation in the back of mouth, tongue and intestinal tract.

The toxins, alkaloids called solanine and chaconine apparently interfere with the structure of all our cell membranes and with the processing of a nerve transmitter. May cause hallucinations and convulsions. Because colour change in potato parallels to accumulation of alkaloids, greeness in potato is a good indicator of toxicity.

Conclusions
It is not necessary that potato with traces of green will contain the level of glycoalkaloid to pose as a health threat. But it is sensible to cook your potatoes before greening, sprouting or with any physical damage.

Remove plastic wrappings from potatoes and store them in a cool dry place away from light. Better still to buy potatoes as and when you need to use them.

Alkaloids remain in the bloodstream for longer than 24 hours and for those who eat potatoes everyday, there may be a chance of gradually accumulating of toxins in the blood.

Food Science

2008-10-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of talk on what we can eat, how we can eat them, when to discard and how we should treat certain kind of food. It has come to a point where too much knowledge has become confusing and too little knowledge might put you in bad health.......

Likened to my post of "reboiled water", I am trying to research certain myths and the truth about each talk that I come across so as to be more well informed. Not just take what was told and panic!

Taking on the saying of "there no smoke without a fire", all rumours should be investigated to unearth the truth and my topics on "Food Science" will be based on this principle.

Read my next post on "Are Green Potatoes Safe to Eat?"

Tips to stay young and happy!

2008-10-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

Another one of those forwarded email......

1. Throw out nonessential numbers.
This includes age, weight, and height.
Let the doctors worry about them.. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down.
(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

3. Keep learning:
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.
Never let the brain get idle.
'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.'
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him or her!

6. The tears happen:
Endure, grieve, and move on.
The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself.
LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.
Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.
Take a trip to the mall, even to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

And if you don't send this to at least four people - who cares?
But do share this with someone.
That's what I am doing..... sharing with anyone who care to read my blog ~~~ lol

Headline Bloopers

2008-10-19T01:13:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed movie bloopers. Then there are those goofed snippets always aired at the end of a movie especially comedies or sitcom.... these are the laugh induce killers!!

So when I read this forwarded email on headline bloopers I can't help posting it here to share with those who missed this one... I know its a lazy way of simply "cut& paste" but I hope it will bring on some laughs ~~~ laughter produces endorphins ~~~

A note of thanks to the person who initiated this email...... enjoy and contribute if you have any....

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No, really?

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!
Miners Refuse to Work after Death

No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!
War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!!
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!
Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?!
Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge

He probably IS the battery charge
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

Weren't they fat enough?!
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

That's what he gets for eating those beans
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Do they taste like chicken?
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!

And the winner is ....

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Did I read that right?

Terracotta Army 兵马俑: bīngmǎ yǒng

2008-10-17T20:08:00.001-07:00

Xian city, Shaanxi Province ~~ civilisation at last. We had a good shower and scrub to wash off our tiredness and fear. Finally we could sleep at peace without fear of any negative element out in the open which could devour us and threaten our very existence.

Our experience on the way to Xian did remind us to appreciate the good and simple things in life. We are so blessed!!

When we arrived, Xian suddenly became "heaven" on earth where we could get our well-deserved cup of fresh hot brewing coffee ~~made us marvelled at the very convenience of modern day........

The highlight of our visit to Xian is to see The Terra Cotta Army, the 8th Wonder of the World!!

The old man in the picture is the only living person who first dug out this site.....

Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of Ch ina.

Cross Country Adventure

2008-10-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

After experiencing Huhhot's Mongolian influenced culture and sampling a varieties of dumplings for lunch, we continued our southward bound journey towards Shaanxi Province. To see Terra Cotta!! The self-proclaimed 8th Wonder of the World! "Bingma Yong".

Reaching a small town, Da Yong for a farmer's style home cooked dinner, we had an equally unpleasant "toilet" experience. If you think the bucket system of yesteryears was bad, this will make you think again. It was all the way ~~ hold your breath, do it quick and don't even bother to look down situation!! :( :(

We decided to continue on and we had packed eatables to sustain a battalion but we did not anticipate what awaits us on the road.

At about 1am we were suddenly enshrouded by a menacing thick white fog that seemingly appeared from nowhere. Nil visibility!!! We were ill prepared but were forced to continue for fear of the 2 evils....the fear of slaming into a front vehicle or being banged by some huge truck from behind. We chose to drive on guided only by the white lines dividing the 3 lanes.

Despite the poor visibility we had trucks, lorries, and other bigger vehicles zooming passed us. We were amazed and even tried to keep up by following their tail lights but were defeated and left the lone car by this foggy mess!!

The fog cleared by 4am and our poor driver was physically and mentally exhausted. We stopped by the ear of the highway for a quick "power nap" with the hazzard lights on... but ended being chased away by the highway police.

We managed to reach the next rest stop without much incident and got our deserved 2-hour undisturbed sleep in the cold autumn weather in the car.

We arrived at Xian, our destination with a great sense of relief and achievement. It was indeed a great adventure for us city folks!!

Donate to UNICEF

2008-10-14T03:05:00.000-07:00

On my flight back from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Airlines, I was given an envelope by the air hostess.

I usually did not give it my 2-cent thought because I used to have this mistrust attitude towards charitable organisation supported by big corporations. I felt that why can't the corporations themselves fork up a $ for each customer they get and give it to charity instead of asking the customers to do it.

But of late my attitude towards charity has changed. I now view charity as plain charity.... doing your bits for the less fortunate. Why bother to debate what the big corporations should or should not do since there is nothing you can do about it!

"Just give la" and thats what I did..... I gave; not much; just a little more than my loose change. I felt good about giving. Its a nice feeling that whatever you won't miss much will be giving some 20 kids ice cream they have been yearning for........

Inner Mongolia, Huhhot

2008-10-14T00:55:00.000-07:00

After some stressful planning months in advance, two of the Golden Girls finally arrived in Beijing on the night of 27 September 08 on a cool autumn weather......

Immediately early next morning we were whisked off in a 8-seater to the journey of a life time. We were on a 5-hour road trip to Inner Mongolia arriving at Huhhot at noon all ready and eager for our first onslaught of a chinese/mongolian meal of cold noodles.

The highlight of our visit at Huhhot was the all famous "Heaven Grassland". We had a hilarious time trying out the distant outdoor "toilet" facility which is way off our imagination. We laugh till we cry while contributing manure to the heavenly grassland.....lol

Horse riding was a first and literary "pain in the butt" experience for me. It gave me a painful blister that lasted a week at my tailend....lol but believe it, it may be a painful but it was indeed exhilarating for me.... It was the most enjoyable 1-hour of the trip!! :) :) :)

The Bucket List

2008-10-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

After watching this 2007 movie called The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, I was truly inspired to do my very own "bucket list".

For those who had not seen this movie; it was about 2 terminal ill men escaping from a cancer ward and heading off on a road trip with a list of to-dos before they die. Their to-do list dubbed "The Bucket List" contained the following:

Witness something truly majestic
Help a complete stranger for a common good
Laugh till I cry
Drive a Shelby Mustang
Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world
Get a tattoo
Skydiving
Visit Stonehenge
Spend a week at Louvre
See Rome
See the pyramids
Get back in touch (previously "Hunt the big cat")

Motivated by this movie, I was impelled to initiate my "bucket list" and I strongly felt that everyone, I mean every single living being on this earth, young or old, should all have your own "bucket list"!

Most people by nature will wait until its too late before doing things they would love to . We will often than not kept postponing things we love to do till later; till we have more time; till we have more money etc etc....... We normally ended up not doing anything except survive in this world.

So I urge you.... start right now and make that list; keeping it a living document where you can add or substract and strike off what you have already done.

Arrested for Laughing!

2008-10-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

I cannot resist posting this here ..... I am sure this story had been circulated around the world...

This is supposedly from an actual trial in the UK....

A young woman who was several months pregnant boarded a bus when she noticed a young man smiling at her. She began to feel humiliated on the fact of her condition. She changed her seat and he seemed more amused.

She moved again and then on her third move, he burst out laughing. She had him arrested.

The case then came before a court and the young man was asked why he acted in such a manner.

His reply was: When the lady boarded the bus I couldn't help noticing that she was pregnant. She then first sat under an advertisement, which read: "Coming Soon: The Gold Dust Twins".

I was even more amused when she sat under a shaving advertisement, which read: "William's Stick Did the Trick". Then I could not control myself any longer when on the third move she sat under an advertisement which read: "Dunlop Rubber would have prevented this accident".

The case was dismissed!!!

What is Melamine?

2008-09-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

So what is this thing called "Melamine"?, you may asked.

For the layman, this is a simplified explanation of what I researched:

Melamine is a nitrogen-based compound used in industrial and commercial plastics. This chemical can cause kidney damage. This toxic substance was found in pet food in May 2007 which was exported to the US and Canada from China.

Melamine, by far is the best candidate to give a product an artificial high protein content, because it is high in nitrogen (66% by weight), non volatile (does not explode) and dirt cheap. It is an adulterated low quality wheat gluten used to pass off as high protein.in an effort by unscrupulous manufacturers to market their products.

So there you are.... now you know I hope all of us will be more aware and be careful on what we buy to feed our family...

Melamine tainted food from China

2008-09-29T23:41:00.000-07:00

A lot of highlights have been given to the subject of melamine tainted foods from China for the past weeks. Also, a lot of time and efforts have been put in testing all products to ensure that those tainted are being removed from human consumption.

This has prompted me to think.... why does a human being or a group of people did what they did; by adding toxic into food just to elevate the protein content of their products. And to do that on milk powders, the stable foods for innocent infants and babies to that? Don't they ever feel guilty about their actions?

It really frustrates me that any fellow living human in this world could do this just for the sake of earning money. Don't they ever think about the consequences? About the poison they are feeding to the innocent? I am sure that they also have love ones around them. Would they like this to be done to their love ones.

"Do onto others what you would others do unto you" is one pillars of life everyone, especially in business should ponder when making a important decision like adding melamine to food.

I see my family and friends carrying a list of the tainted products whenever they go shopping for food and the list is never complete while more testings are being done. How do you know for sure that you are not feeding your family poisonous food. Its very tiring!! I for one will just eliminate all food imported from China.....just to be safe.

Until and unless they, the manufacturers do something about their integrity, I think we all should not do business with them; even as a consumer who might only buy one or two items once in a while.....

I rest my case!!!

Attitude of Keeping

2008-09-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

When we keep in store,

we consider the possibility
of wanting of penury

We believe that tomorrow it may lack,
and that we won't be able
to fufil those necessities

With that idea,
you are sending two messages
to your brain and to your life;

That you don't trust tomorrow
and you think that the new and the better
are not for you

For this reason you cheer yourself up
by storing old and useless stuff

Go on ... get rid of those junks and clutters that you are hoarding for years and not using them; get rid of the hurt feelings, get rid of your negativity and live..... live life by the principle of emptiness as advised by Joseph Newton, its good advice.

dance
as though no one is watching you
love
as though you have never been hurt before
sing
as though no one can hear you
live
as though heaven is on earth

Get rid of what had lost its colour and brightness..... Let the new enter your home... and yourself!!!

Principle of Emptiness

2008-09-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Principle of Emptiness

by Joseph Newton

Have you got the habit of hoarding useless objects,
thinking that one day, who knows when, you may need them?

Have you got the habit of accumulating money and not spending it
because you think that in the future you may be in want of it?

Have you got the habit of storing clothes, shoes, furniture, utensils
and other home supplies
that you haven't used already for sometime?

And inside you?
Have you got the habit to keep
reproaches, resentment,sadness, fears and more?

Don't do it!
You are going against your prosperity!

It is necessary to make room,
to leave an empty spacein order
to allow news things to arrive to your life.

It is necessary that you get rid of all the useless things
that are in you and in your life,
in order for prosperity to arrive.

The force of this emptiness is one
that will absorb and attract all that you wish.

As long as you are, materially or emotionally,
holding old and useless feelings,
you won't have room for new opportunities.

Good must circulate......
clean your drawers, the wardrobes, the workshop, the garage.

Give away what you don't use any longer.

The attitute of keeping a heap of useless stuff ties your life down.

It is not the objects you keep that stagnate you life....
but rather the attitude of keeping....

Yes, get rid of those you don't want, don't use, don't need; materally and emotionally! I have always advocate the giving away of things that you have not used for 2 years, chances of you using them will be very remote. Give them to people who needs them and who might enjoy, appreciate and treasure them.

Rule of thumb: Always have this concept of replacing things! Always throw out your old stuff before buying any new ones........

Live Life Colour Blind

2008-09-21T06:33:00.001-07:00

Nominated by the UN as the best poem of 2006 ~~ written by an African kid.

One of the pillars of life should be -- to live life colour blind!
It is so much peaceful if we can relate to everyone without seeing and identifying their colours....

Such a beautiful picture
it says a thousand words

When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray

And you calling me colored?

God's Pharmacy

2008-09-21T04:18:00.001-07:00

This information comes from one of those forward email and since they sounded so logical, I thought I share them with you......

It was said that the Creator of Earth separated salt water from fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all these before creating human. He even gave us clues as to what food helps which part of our body. Check this out and see how logical can it be....

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye, the pupil, the iris and the radiating lines. And now science shows that carrot enhance blood flow to and help function of the eyes.

The tomato is red and has 4 chambers just like the heart. Research showed that tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure blood food for the heart.

Grapes hang in clusters in the shape of a heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and research today shows that grapes are profound heart and blood vitalising food.

A walnut looks like a little brain; left and right hemisphere, celebrum, even the folds of the nut looks like the

neocortex. Walnuts help develop more than three dozen neuron-

transmitters in the brain.

Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like human kidneys.

Celery, bok choy, rhubarb look just like bones. These food specifically target bone strength. B ones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium as well. If you do not have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it out of your bones thus making them weak. These food replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, eggplants and pears target the function of the womb and cervix of the

female. Physically, they look just like these organs. Research showed that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances the hormone, shed unwanted post-birth weight and prevents cervical cancer. It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom and rippen fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents nutrition in each of these foods.

Figs are full of seed and hang in two when they grow. Figs increase the mobility

of the male sperm and increase the sperm count thereby overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glicemic index

of a diabetic.

Olive assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits look just like mammary glands of the female. It enhance the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions looks like the body cells. Research showed that onions help clear waste material from the body cells. They also produce tears when cut, which help clear the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Free Rice

2008-09-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

My niece introduced me to this site ~Free Rice~ and from what I gather it is a site where you can learn from the following topics and can trigger donors to donate rice to feed the hungry. Indirectly you are also contributing to charity while learning.

There are a few categories for your learning ~~ see below ~~.

Have fun......

Art: Famous Paintings
Chemistry: Chemical Symbols (Basic) & Chemical Symbols (Full List)
English: English Grammar & English Vocabulary
Geography: World Capitals
Language Learning: French, German, Italian, Spanish
Math: Multiplication Table

Water is Beautiful

2008-09-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Water is so beautiful and in such abundance ......

With global warming and the changing climate, we might be getting more water than we need and water can be a source of life also a source for the destruction of lives. So, we will have to give due respect to this thing called "water".

I read a report stating that the North Pole is now an island ... the rise in temperature has caused the ice to melt so much so that the geographical outline of North Pole is very much affected.

If the earth temperature continues to rise, it will cause a lot of havoc and chaos for the living beings on earth.... measures had to be taken to avoid such disasters.

Let us all do our bits .....every one of us!!

Water

2008-09-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Water

~~ a very essential natural resource !!

And a resource a lot of us take for granted, I can say...... If you are living in a country where you get clean water from the tap, if your country does not have to recycle water for household use and if you do not have to drink only from bottled water, then you are very lucky indeed.

Human is the chief source of polluting and wasting water and taking this natural resource for granted.

Take a moment, can you imagine a day with water? Delve on it and actually feel it!!

I for one will suffer greatly without water because I need to drink plain water all day long, other than coffee (which needs water as well), I avoid other forms of beverages.

So next time you leave the water running while brushing your teeth, do your washing (cars, garden etc.) with running water and watering your garden and plants excessively, think again, are you wasting water??

Treasure what nature is giving you while you enjoy them.........

GGC- New Recruits

2008-09-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here they are ~~ 2 new beautiful faces to add to our very small team of Golden Girls!! :) :)

As the group gets bigger, your focus gets diluted and you tend to get into small groups chatting away and outings dragged on longer than usual because there is always something else to tell, discuss and repeat.

We found another reason to go out for lunch last Thursday; recruiting new members as well to celebrate one of the group's birthday ........ again we had loads of fun and laughter.

Sexy shoes...........

This beautiful lobster is too good to be consumed...

The Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節

2008-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Mid-Autumn Festival {中秋節, zhōng qiū jié}; also known as Mooncake or Lantern Festival in Malaysia.

Reminiscing my younger days, how we (my siblings and I) had waited anxiously for my mother to say ... "lets go buy lantern!". Some lean years, we just had to invent our own designss using metal wires and coloured cellophane papers. Mine had always been the worst ~ totally shapeless :)

The chance to play with matches to light our candles for the lantern and the parading in our "kampungs" with drums were the highlight of this festival.

The drums beating and the racket we made were needed to call out the moon and eating of the mooncakes were secondary though its enjoyable as well.

But, sad to say, nowadays these traditions are getting very commercialised and producers of mooncakes are racking in millions of dollars especially in China, Mid-autumn festival is a big deal and big business.

Last night, my sister-in-law and I went looking for lantern for her 4-year old son and instead of the famous "animal" shape, we were shopping for famous "cartoon" characters instead. Imagine how tradition evolved....

My grandmother's version of the legendary beautiful goddess named Chang'e who drank the exilir herself to beat the evil husband, HouYi to the portion, so that he will not be immortal and so save the land from his planned eternal evil rule.

After drinking the exilir, she was lifted by mysterious hands in exile to the moon where she lives forever. In honour of her sacrifice, the people of her land started offering mooncakes to pray to the moon for putting an end to their miseries.

Eye Test for Chinese

2008-09-12T09:02:00.001-07:00

This is an "Eye Test" for Chinese people with slanted eyes. If you are not Chinese or even if you are Chinese but without the slanted eyes, try pulling up the outer corners of both your eyes...... it works!!

Have fun and a good laugh! Try laughing at yourself, its good for the soul.

It would be nice if someone with slanted eyes could verify whether this works without any help.

:) :) :)

Smile For You

2008-09-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Let's get the endorphins started ... I found this precious picture with a message reminding us to smile from one of those forwarded emails and was told to forward to as many as I can. So, here you are, I hope to touch as many people as those who wants to read my blog.

Yes, this is just the start of my posting categorised under "Laughter Releases Endorphins" and yes smiling is not enough but a smile is the prerequisite of a laugh. If you have nothing to smile about how can you ever laugh.

"Smile and the world will smile with you"
:) :) :)

Is Reboiling Water Bad?

2008-09-11T22:41:00.001-07:00

One of my sisters used to come to my humble abode every Sunday morning to go for a swim and as usual after an hour swim, we were hungry and ready for a hearty breakfast of toasts and coffee. Then, I noticed my sister always pouring away whatever water I have left in my electric kettle and refilling it afresh.

When I could not retain my curiosity any longer, I asked her why she did that. She looked me in my eyes and asked "Why? Don't you know, you should because you are so widely read?" Then she continued to chirp "Its bad to reboil boiled water". When I asked "Why?", her reply was just "It's bad la". I was always skeptical about statement without any logical explanation, so I left it at that and humoured her whenever she was around.

Then this email found its way into my mail box recently with this newspaper report in a Chinese daily. Hah, now that I do have something in black & white, its time to investigate.

I found no evidence of any detrimental issue on reboiling water except this article written in another personal blog on the 10 tips for a better cup of tea; also someone intrigued by this issue which states that:

"The more oxygen that is dissolved in water, the better it tastes. So, to make sure you use water with the maximum amount of oxygen, don't re-boil any leftover water in your kettle. Water that is boiled too much becomes poorly aerated because oxygen atoms escape in the form of steam. By always filling your kettle up afresh, you are ensured fully aerated and tasty water."

Frankly, I can't find anything else anywhere that has evidence of such a claim.....more like the boy who cried wolf or one of grandmother's tales.

Most grandmother's tales come without any supporting evidence or reason for their sayings or claims, however, it is notable that many of their claims are useful hints to live by and also very interesting to analyze in.

Shepherd's Pie - "the family all-time favourite"

2008-09-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

The GGC gathering on Saturday brunch was at my humble abode while I thrilled my friends w ith my simple cooking skills .... my family all-time favourite shepherd's pie with a touch of Asian taste. It is a complete meal by itself always enjoyed by the whole family and now I hoped that my friends had enjoyed this very special dish as well....
The ingredients shown on the first picture is good for 4 hearty eaters:=

Ingredients are
5 big potatoes (boiled and mashed, add butter n a pinch of salt)
5 big onions & 5 red chillies (diced)
500 gms meat (pork, chicken, beef or mutton)
(left over meat can also be used)

Method
1. Boiled meat till slightly cooked. Keep stock for cooking later. Dice cooked meat (or left over meat).
2. Fry onions in heated oil till fragrance, add chillies and fry till you can smell the chillies.
3. Add diced meat and fry till slightly brown, add pepper, salt and L&P sauce to taste.
4. Add the stock, stew till meat is tender and until mixture is dry.
5. Dish into a pyrex dish. Top with mashed potates and smooth over.
6. Brush with 2 egg yolks.
7. Bake in oven(normal temperature) till the top of pie is golden brown. Serve hot.

"Nasi Lemak" Bonanza

2008-09-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

Do you believe that we were at it again? ~~ this time around its lunch in a cool place built above the sea, its mud more like it probably because of low tide. Its no big deal because we enjoyed our meal tremendously......

Doesn't this looks delicious!!

And the company is even better. The Golden Girls strike again; doing the things they do best ~~ eating, chatting, laughing and improving on picture taking. This time around the pictures are more natural.

See, everyone is looking happy and smiling!!

We even met our beautiful friend, "Soo Mei" and I hate to think that someone is about to come along and pick her for their next meal....its a sad sad world :)

Look how beautiful she is on a close up picture, beat the Golden Girls flat!

Our next outing is already on the drawing board and this time around we are going to have new recruits and we can't wait to meet again in a few days time......

Golden Girls Club

2008-09-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

We are hooked! We did it again! We got together for brunch and had our laughing bouts one more time. The only negative side of this gathering for me is the eating; we have to be careful not to let that get out of hand; otherwise its all fun, fun and fun.

We unanimously agreed to form the Golden Girls Club and the positions of President=LO, Vice President=SK, Honorary Secretary=MT and Honorary Treasurer-AL have been filled. We even discussed on the next activity. How serious can we be?

Being golden girls we are a bit disorganized and distracted and although it has been discussed no date was fixed for the next event. No fear, we will touch on this during our morning walks.

Our main activities are eating, chatting and laughing but we have other activities like massage, yoga, breathing exercises, trying out clothes and card games thrown in.......all the fun things we can think of.

Hey girls.... we need more fun pictures.....

Nutrient Contents of Milk

2008-09-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

We all know that milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before their stomachs are strong enough to digest other foods. We also know that mother's milk is the best milk but do you know what you are drinking everyday especially adults who have lost their rights to mother's milk.... and you seek alternatives?

Here are some facts you might want to know:-

Nutrients contents of 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces of Milk

	Whole Milk	Reduced Fat	Low Fat	Non Fat (Skim)
Calories	150	120	100	80
Fat (g)	8.15	4.69	2.38	0.61
Saturated Fat (g)	5.07	2.92	1.48	0.40
Calcium (mg)	291.34	296.70	312.87	316.30
Magnesium (mg)	32.79	33.36	35.16	35.55
Phosphorus (mg)	227.90	232.04	244.76	254.80
Potassium (mg)	369.66	376.74	397.15	418.22
Selenium (mcg)	4.88	5.37	5.64	5.39
Vitamin C (mg)	2.29	2.32	2.45	2.47
Folate (mcg)	12.20	12.44	12.99	13.23
Vitamin A (IU)	307.44	500.20	499.80	499.80

Extracted from National Dairy Council (NDC), Illinois, USA

You may want to take note that milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. Cancer cells feed on mucus... info from John Hopkins Hospital.

"Eureka!! Eureka!!"

2008-09-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

I could still remember very clearly the "Eureka" story I heard years ago like as if I heard of it yesterday.

It was about this great Greek scholar named Archimedes who was requested by King Hiero II, the ruler of Syracuse to ascertain that his crown of solid gold was indeed fully solid gold and not alloy, with a mixture of silver, without destroying the beautiful crown.

At first Archimedes was perplexed as to how to fulfill the King's request.... Then one day while he was at the public bath, he noticed how the water level of the tub rose when he got in and went back down again when he got out. Instantly it dawned on him how to resolve the King's problem.

He was so excited that he ran home naked through the street of Syracuse shouting "Eureka!! Eureka!!" which in Greek means "I have found it".

This discovery is now the infamous "Archimedes' Principle".

Archimedes, born and bred in Syracuse, Sicily (287-212 BC) is considered one of the greatest inventors and mathematicians. He helped invent weapons and methods, like employing mirrors to set enemy ships ablaze, to defend Syracuse during the Romans' attack. After a 2-year siege where the Roman entered the city, Archimedes was killed in the battle that followed. His other famous inventions were the lever, the compound pulley and Archimedes' screw.

I am sharing this story to honour this great intelligent man who very much deserved to be remembered!

The Golden Girls

2008-09-05T00:15:00.000-07:00

Its time for us girls to go out, this time at night, to "paint the town red".......

We plot and plan; find and create excuses just to go out and have a good time. So we picked the nearest birthday and said we will celebrate in style. And since one of us is turning 55, it is indeed a good excuse to plan a whole nighter.

Our normal activities concentrated only on long breakfast hours after our morning walk and lots and lots of chit chatting and laughs and our outings only until after lunch, never on a night out. Most of us haven't a clue where to go and what to do and since in our midst there is one "party animal"=MT, we leave it to her to plan the night.

The dinner venue was decided and table booked a month ahead, and I stress over how we are going to behave and whether wearing what we wear everyday is appropriate. As time drew nearer to the date, I suddenly felt unsure and wished I had committed to a lunch instead of a dinner. For a moment it fully dawned on me that I am so out of touch and there is one for sure; LO who admitted that she felt the same...

But lo and behold, the night turned out to be a great success and we had so much fun just chatting over coffee. We talked and laughed till we cried, took pictures of each other trying very hard to look like 18s...... blaming the camera, the camera operator and anything else except ourselves for the bad look.....

We all can't wait for the next reason to go out ~~ at night ~~ girls you agree with me right? Chance for you all to get back at me.... comments... comments... lol

Brainwaves....

2008-09-02T02:48:00.000-07:00

I have always been intrigued by theories and principles. I marveled at the founders and inventors of olden days where technology is so backward and yet there were so many breakthroughs.....

Like how Archimedes could prove that a body plunged in a fluid becomes lighter by an amount equal in weight to the amount of fluid it displaces and how Newton by sitting under an apple tree can determine gravity ... etc etc. These people must have gone through some brainwaves of their time.

In fact the simple stories of Archimedes screaming "Eureka" and Newton watching apple falling towards earth have stuck with me since my younger days might have some indication of how we can tell interesting stories to allow learning to be fun and memorable.

I hope this will trigger some contributions from any person who stumbles upon this blog so we can share whatever knowledge for learning purposes.

Transference of kindness

2008-08-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

One of the many chores of a mother is to drive your children to school. It was pretty routine while I chauffeured my daughter until I started to notice a particular man walking by the side of the road with a walking stick; a blind man walking stick to that.

It became a morning conversation between my daughter and I ... we guessed he might be out looking (hypothetically) for breakfast or just out for a walk or even maybe just wondering around aimlessly.

Until one day we saw a motorist and a few cars stopped in front of us and the motorist stepping off his bike to take this blind man across the road.

We then consciously try to be on time to perform our act of kindness everyday but we were only lucky once in a while.

Then one day, upon spotting the blind man from afar, I applied on my breaks to stop while the person driving behind me was taken by surprise and started to honk at me. I just muttered to my daughter "Its alright, this person will understand when he sees the blind man."

Miraculously, the teacher in my daughter's class, Mr Bee announced that he had a confession to make.He told the class that he felt bad as he had honked at a car in front of him which stopped for a blind man. My daughter was very excited and wanted very much to scream out loud that that was her mother he had honked at but she did not want to embarrass the teacher further so she kept quiet. But she couldn't wait to get back to relate the story to me.

We were both very happy as we knew that the teacher will then be looking out for this blind man in the future to stop for him as well.

Kindness is actually contagious and you just might want to carry out an act of random kindness everyday and transfer your kind act along ... the world will be a better place through your kindness.

Gandhi once said ~~~~
"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

Chasoba

2008-08-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

If you feel like a change in taste and prefer to go Japanese, this is one light meal to consider.

Chasoba is Japanese Green Tea Noodles; usually served on ice cubes but I prefer it warm. You have a choice ~~ eat it warm in winter and cold in summer.

This is one of my cook4one meal and it quick to prepare. Can be one of your tv dinners if you are again eating alone and slurp your way to your stomach without a care in the world.
Boil the noodles in microwave for 7 or 8 minutes until soft, rinse with cold water. Drained and put cooked noodles into the prepared sauce; water, kikoman soyu and wasabi (according to taste). Serve noodles with Japanese mayonnaise laced with wasabi; again according to your prefered taste.

A place for everything, everything in its place

2008-08-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Are you one who spends endless waking hours looking for this and looking for that? And in the process gets very frustrated and annoyed with others and with yourself?

The rule of thumb is to first get organise. Have a specific place for everything, then make a conscious effort to put back the things you took in their special place immediately after use. Avoid the "I'll do it later" attitude. If you have to get up and walk 10 steps to do it... do it and do it in that moment. Believe me, it works.
"A place for everything, everything in its place" ~~~ if you get into the habit of practising this concept you will not only save yourself a lot of wasted time but also cut down your stress level especially when you are in a hurry and knows where you can put your hands on the things you need.

Ladies, if you have handbags with many compartments, this is one habit you want to practise. Save yourself a lots of stress rummaging into your handbag for your car keys and handphone when it rings.....

Cooking4One

2008-08-29T04:34:00.000-07:00

It is healthier and more economical to cook your own meal. It should also be tastier because it is cooked to your personal liking.

But ... when you live alone either in another country studying or working or even retired staying away from the family most part of the year, how do one cook for one?

Here is an experimented dish to just do that .... here goes.....

Dhall Curry Stew

50gms Dhall (soaked for 2 hours)
20 shallots (grinded)
2-3 Tbsp Baba Curry powder (add water to make into paste)
3 garlic (chopped)
1 potato & 1 Big Onion (diced)
Oil for frying
salt & pepper to taste

Method ~~ fry grinded shallots in oil until fragrance, then add curry paste to "tumis" until it smells good. Add dhall, potato and onion. Add pepper and salt to taste. Stew until dhall and potatoes are soft.

Serve hot. Can eat it alone or with bread, rice or capati.

"I believe in karma"

2008-08-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to buy a bottle of ointment but the lesson I learned when I walked into this particular pharmacy was invaluable.

I sighted the ointment I wanted right in a glass covered shelf in front of the cashier counter and sitting behind the counter was a young man.

So I asked for one bottle and he simply replied "Take it yourself, its not locked."

"Wow" I said "Not afraid your customer will take it away without paying?"

"Oh its okay, if my customer takes and walks out without paying, I will just let him go because I believe in karma."

Wow again! That was not the reaction we will normally get.

I am a Buddhist myself and I believe in karma too but I never applied it to my everyday life like this. Doesn't it take away a lot of unnecessary stress?

Karma in Sanskrit means act, action or performance and karma is the concept of "action" or "deed" in Indian religion understood as that which cause the entire cycle of cause and effect (the cycle called samsara).

The philosophical explanation of karma from Wikipedia, can differ slightly between traditions (in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist), but the general concept is basically the same. Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present, and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to him/her and others.

In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well....

Noah's Ark

2008-08-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

I watched this show "Evan Almighty" and found it to be interesting.

Noah's ark is the boat built by the Biblical character Noah and his family. At the command of God, according to the story Noah was to build a boat that could accommodate his extended family and a lot of animals, all in pairs. The boat had to be big and had to be constructed to endure the divinely planned universal flood aimed at destroying every other person and animal on earth.

I learned something from Morgan Freeman who played "GOD". He (God) said that when we prayed for patience, God cannot give us "patience" which is intangible so God gave us the opportunity for patience. If we asked for something we want, God will give us the opportunity to allow us to achieve that we want. How true indeed!! True to the old adage "God only helped those who helped themselves"

Here are 11 things we can learn from Noah's Ark story (from forwarded email):-
1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead - it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit - someone might ask you to do something really big when you are 60 years old
5. Don't listen to critics - just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high grounds.
7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't always an advantage - the snails got on board with the cheetahs.
9. When stressed, float awhile.
10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
11. Weather the storm because there is always a rainbow waiting.

Start Them Young

2008-08-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Charity begins at home" ~~ I heard this statement very often when I was young because wealth was scarce in the 70's and 80's, and I still hear it albeit not so often. I guessed people are more understanding about giving.

I had this wrong concept of waiting for the right time to do charity; wait when I have more time; wait till I get richer; wait, wait and wait.

I learned that we should not wait to be charitable and should educate our children to start them young.

One day, my family and I decided that we should bring cheers to some orphans and we just did it. We collected some money from everyone including children, bought some goodies, packed them up into bags and we visited The Agathians Shelters. My 3-year old nephew was given the great honour of distributing the goodies. The orphans were happy and we were even happier seeing the joy and appreciation in their expressions.

We were truly grateful for the orphans who were there for us to do some good. A simple act of kindness goes a long way......

The Sun

2008-08-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever ponder about the sun? Why does it religiously rises at dawn and sets at dusk? Everyday, 365 days a year without fail, although we know that scientifically, its the earth that rotates so as to give every country 12 hours of sunlight in our 24-hour day.

The Sun, the ever faithful sun, giving light without us having to pay for electricity, giving warm without us having to pay for heating, giving life to plants so that they can sustain life. Yet, we complained endlessly about it being too hot and unbearable.

Let us from now on, appreciate the great Sun, always giving, never asking for anything in return. Let us remind ourselves everyday that without the Sun, there will not be life.............

A Kind Act A Day!!

2008-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

"Carry out an act of kindness,
with no expectation of reward or punishment.
Safe in the knowledge that one day,
someone somewhere might do the same for you."Princess Diana

An act of random kindness is a selfless act performed by any person wishing to help any living being. With no vested interest and generally there is no other reason than to make an individual happier. It can be planned or spontaneous. One good example would be to put in coins to an expiring parking meter of a total stranger.

My Favourite Time of the DAY

2008-08-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

Its not dusk or dawn, nor is it noon, midnight or morning but it is now, when the sky is covered with dark, threatening rain clouds.

You can feel the huge rain clouds beckoning the smaller ones to join him as the pressure builds up while he floats around gathering more strength, working hard to gain momentum against the ever penetrating persistent sun rays.

The struggle is on between the two great powers; the sun and the rain clouds, fighting with each other to gain control. The end result is not always the same; sometimes the cloud takes over but at times the sun will remain in control. The winner takes it all.

If the clouds win, you can feel the pressure building up, with thunder and lightning, the atmosphere is tense and gloomy, the sky turns dark and when at its peak the cloud can hold on no more, the rain starts to fall..... sometimes just tiny drops but at times bigger and faster and the rain beats down like a thundering sheet of metal. You can feel the dry earth soaking up the water with great joy..... cooling down the earth naturally....

What is "Numbers" in your life?

2008-08-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Everything about us "earthlings" is connected to numbers. Had it ever crossed your mind? Think about it; isn't your age, your weight, your height, your address, your account number, the amount of money in your account, your ID cards; the list goes on...... all about NUMBERS?

Imagine your life without numbers, won't it be chaotic? There won't be any date or year, you won't have an address, you won't be able to deposit your money in the bank or maybe there is no money at all!!

There won't be 1, 2, 3 but will there be one, two, three? Think about it ..... isn't it unthinkable?

Everything about Anything

2008-08-18T06:12:00.001-07:00

I felt very lucky to have retired early at age 48. At least I can say I am luckier than most people. Having a global family, I now have too much time on my hands.

Brainstorm is about anything and everything that people discussed in the world and is about what goes through the mind of an ordinary person. I hope to entertain some who stumbled upon this site.

I was like just drifting from being lazy......having nothing much to do to contemplating getting into another job....

Having chosen to stay unemployed and enjoying my well deserved freedom, I was starting to get bored.