My Heartiest Condolences

I always believe in fate. But I'm not that kinda person who do nothing and leave everything to happen naturally. No, certainly not that way. What I meant was, I don't like to look back and grieve over the past, or worry about the future too much. I just do whatever that is best to my ability and then let nature takes its own course.

In other words, I'm more concerned about the present, I try to live it beautifully so that it will be worth remembering, and I appreciate whatever or whoever I have now. It has been my way of living, it still is, and will always be.

I always believe things happen for a reason. Good or bad, depends on how you choose to look at it. There will be road bumps along the journey, but we certainly do not stop there. Get over it and move forward. That's life.

But, things are always easier said than done, that's for sure. I've been in difficult situations many times before. Loved ones and close friends were never short of advices and support. But our troubled minds always choose to shut on those caring words at that period of time. More than often we choose to listen to ourselves and land ourselves into further grief. If only we could step out and look into the situation from outside of the circle, things would be much clearer. This way, we can think and act better.

My childhood friend, someone I always treat like a brother, has just lost his mum. I sincerely hope he's strong enough to go through this tough hurdle. My prayers go to his mum, someone I used to see quite often last time, for we stayed quite near to each other during schooling days. May she rest in peace. Deepest condolences to my friend and his family. God bless.

Great Weekend

Had a fairly entertaining weekend. Went back Melaka for my buddy's wedding as mentioned in my earlier post.

All of us were at his house on Friday night. It's the chinese tradition to hold a makan-makan/minum-minum ceremony at the groom's place on the night before the wedding.

It was a fun-filled evening together with the rest. We caught up with each other over satay and beers. Laughters filled the air for long period throughout that evening. Everyone just seemed to have some jokes to crack.

Slept at 3am and woke up at 7am. Time to attend Jacky's wedding ceremony. We bros were there as 'heng tai'. Jacky asked me to fetch the videographer and I had to zig-zag between the wedding car for him to be able to catch a good footage, from the house to the hotel and back. Dunno why Jacky asked me to fetch them, but I didn't complain, just helped out.

In the afternoon, we went for futsal!!! Can you believe it? I can hardly run, let alone kicking. But I reckoned it will be fun, it's been long since the bunch of us played football together. I joined as the goalkeeper. And you bet I was on the losing side. My fault for not keeping the ball out in numerous simple situations. *SIGH* Gimme another half a year or so, I will be back!!!

Wedding dinner was normal. Best thing was the company that I had. The best bunch of friends since my schooling days. We accompanied Jacky for the table-to-table yum seng. Most of us lost our voice after that. But it was great.

Check out some of the pics I've managed to take. Funny pics include Zac and Myke taking the opportunity to pose for the cameras while waiting for the bride and groom outside the hotel, Fabian 'pretending' to be drunk (or was he really GONE that night?), lying on the stage in the aftermath of some consecutive yumsengs, Damian and Mick on the stage testing the microphone...

The Dog

My very own version of 'The Dog'.

What do you think? Qualified not eh?

Tried so hard to get the 'big-head-small-body' shot...but Paris just won't sit tight...thought I was playing with her...

Paint The Town Red

It's that time of the year again!!!

Lots of couples are tying the knots during the last few months before the golden pig year comes to an end. People has been saying it's auspicious to get married or have kids during this year. How true is that?

Anyway, my ex-classmate is one of those. And so, close friends working in KL, Singapore and Perak will be making the journey back to Melaka either tomorrow night or early Saturday morning. We will be painting the town red!!!

Expecting lots of entertainment this weekend. You know when a bunch of us get together, there will be laughters and dramas. Can't wait for it to happen this time. And the most important thing of all, the toast with the man of the day, none other than my close buddy Mr Jacky Cham. Ooopppsss not Jacky Chan eh...hehehhe....

Alright, looks like I might have taken too much during dinner just now...stomach is bloated and I can't seem to burp...!!! Better go take a walk now...

Weather Worry

What's with the weather these days? It has been raining heavily for the past week, and I especially hate it when I have to wake up on a rainy morning. So 'demoralising'.

Feels like going back to bed whenever it rains. In addition, as a result, I'm always taking longer hot showers, quite reluctant to come out of it, knowing how cold it could be once I turn it off.

Guess I need not elaborate on the traffic in KL whenever it rains. Damn...sometimes I hope my car can fly during traffic jams...how childish...

So many cons...nevertheless we still can't live without rain...just wish that it rains in the afternoons, perhaps at night instead...so that we can have a good night's sleep, waking up to a bright shining sunlight the next morning....yay....and oh yes, doesn't apply for weekends though....hahahha...

Faulty CCDs In Canon Digicams

Just a quick one here.

Few months back, I found out that my Canon Digital IXUS 500 was behaving rather weirdly. When in shooting mode, no images were shown in the LCD. But I could play back the taken pics somehow.

Today, when I consulted my buddy regarding this, he mentioned there's this manufacturing defect in CCDs for some Canon digicams. Googled up and found the notice from Canon's website that this is true, indeed.

Good thing is, they will provide FOC repair. I will be sending mine to the Canon service center at Peremba Square, Saujana Resort during lunch later.

Anyone having the same problem with their Canon digicams?

First Meme

Aiyu sent me this rather interesting meme. This is what I have to do:

"You are supposed to recycle your very first post. Copy and paste the first post and then see how much you have improved, changed, turned lousy, etc."

Holy cow...just a minute...let me copy my first post and paste it right here...

OK here's my first post in blogger, dated 4th April 2006, titled "Life" :

When I hear someone sigh, "Life is hard", I'm always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" Just what exactly life means to us? I'm a firm believer that what you get out of life, depends on how you live it. That explains my blog's title.

More than often, we start to question the meaning of life when we've been unhappy and depressed a good bit, or when we feel useless and worthless, or when something awful just happened to you or someone you care about and you don't understand why bad things happen to good people.

Reality is in fact neither good nor bad, it can always be bent and twisted in many directions depending on your beliefs. Unfortunately, we often choose to see the negative side of things.

Happiness doesn't depend on anything that has or has not happened in the past, nor does it depend on your future prospects. The simple fact is, in order to be happy, you must decide to be happy!

Happy blogging!

Have I improved or has it worsen?? Hmm I really dunno. All I can say is, I used to spend time arranging my posts, alignment left, right, center etc...but nowadays no more...hehehe...writing wise, I guess it's pretty much the same...koyak wan...hahahaha...

Hmmm I remember that time, I actually registered with blogger much earlier, but I didn't know how to go about it and I was undecided on how my blog name should sound, let alone what to blog about. And so I delayed this first post. Until I came across this quote which I somehow thought, was very true and meaningful indeed. That's the name of my blog! And my very first post was to explain why I chose that quote as my blog's name.

Hmmm now, here comes the interesting part. I'd like to pass the meme to my fellow bloggers as below:

- Charsiu
- Mick
- Myke
- Jacky
- HJ
- Melissa
- SK
- Pak Yem
- Kok Wai
- Joanne
- NorSani
- MegMeg
- Cherlyn
- Winnie
- Jing Yee

with the message "You are TAGGED!!!"...come on do your part... hehehe

New Experiences...

It's been long since me and Jan went out and had a good time (pak tor laaa). Yesterday was a good outing, spent some quality time together, especially with a couple of new experiences.

Well, last week I was given some free vouchers and hotel stays from Palace of Golden Horses. One of those vouchers are for boat rides at the Mines' South Lake. If it weren't for the free tickets, we wouldn't even think about it. Anyway, the ride, it was OK.

Remember I mentioned my buddy blogged about Chef Onn's Guang Zhou Roasted Duck? We went to Damansara Uptown for the delicious Hokkien Mee, and to try out the much talked about roasted duck. Not going to elaborate much on it, you can find more here. I say "it's good, but I think it's normal". I have certainly tried better ones though.

And the final new experience of the day. Well for a 'suaku' fella like me, got to admit it was my first time catching a movie at Cineleisure!!! I say "nothing to shout about". We were supposed to go Ikea, but I complained of ankle pain, especially after a long day out. We detoured to Cineleisure instead...Bourne Ultimatum...

Cream Cheese Macaroni

*Sigh*...I have mixed feelings...

Today is the last day of the Raya break, and tomorrow marks my first day back to work, after a lengthy break, recovering from my ankle surgery. Hope things will be smooth for me...*pray pray*

I feel excited to be going back to office again. But at the same time, I'm worried I can't wake up early in the morning. Haizzz to be exact, I feel lazy...!!! Gosh...

Jan prepared cream cheese macaroni for lunch today. It's been long since she last cooked this. Hmmm got to admit it's still as nice. Unfortunately, as always, I can't take much of this, because of the cheese. I feel 'zai' after a while.

I'm not too sure what are the ingredients. But I saw macaroni (what do you expect??!!!), onion, burger meat, sliced sausages, shiitake mushrooms, cream and mixed herbs. Anyway I was just responsible to finish my meal. Hahahaha...and to wash the dishes after that :(

I say "SLURPS....!!!"

12th Oct 2007

Had our dinner at Putri Mart in Bdr Putri Puchong last nite. It's a huge eating outlet, and the latest multi stalls eating heaven. Lots of varieties, from our chinese Hokkien Mee to those mamak's maggi goreng.

But what really caught Jan's eyes was the 'siu lung pau'. Furthermore, it was also recommended by her colleagues. She ordered one of those as our side dish. True enuff, it tasted good. Once you put your teeth onto it, be ready for some juicy action!! ~~yummy~~

My second lily bud has blossomed today, ever so beautiful. I can spend long hours just watching those lively fishes swim in a pot of beautiful lilies. It's amazing what nature brings hor. And what's more, it's definitely good for the eyes, especially after spending HOURS on the computer.

The latest online craze, Facebook, has hit me once again, after a few good days off the hook. And now what??? PACMAN!!!! All thanks to Winnie. ~~*wink*~~ Of all the games, but this old fashioned, outdated 80's game!!?? Running thru the maze, gobbling all the dots and avoiding the ghosts!!! And I'm still chasing Winnie's and Eg's high scores...!!!

You know what I hate most in this game? I always like to delay eating those 'energizers' for as long as possible, thinking I'm good enough to fool those ghosts in the maze. Really can't help it. And you bet, I always end up frustrated with myself!!!

Lively!!

Now my water lily pot looks so lively!! I have just thrown in guppies and sword tail fishes. Love it so much...I enjoy watching fishes swim you know...it can be so relaxing...it's my hobby since young...

Altogether, I've got 8 male guppies, 3 male red sword and 1 female sword. Planning to get a couple of female guppies.

I have even taken a video of those lively fishes :p

Wok With Chris

Nevermind the pic above...I'm gonna share with you my proud moment of the day...

Ever since I was little, there was one dish from Ma that I always enjoy eating. Ma will always cook this whenever I'm back in Melaka, provided she has the time. I dunno what you call it, but in Hokkien, we say 'o-bak'. Direct translation = 'fried pork'.

Today, I tried cooking this with guidance from Ma. I chopped some garlic with a small knife (Kiwi brand), 'hantam' some pork with a bigger knife (Kiwi brand), mixed both together, threw in 3 kampung eggs, added some salt, pepper and dark soy sauce. Stirred and meshed them.

Remember to use Kiwi brand knives. Else it won't taste so yummy!!!

***Aiyoyo samy...just kidding laaa dey...hahaha***

If you use city eggs, 2 should suffice :D

I left it there for an hour or so. Went for a walk around my taman, to strengthen my ankle and prepare it for some tough time ahead --> driving to office in a massive jam!!!. My ankle tire easily nowadays, especially after standing there preparing those stuffs today. Therefore I reckoned it needed some due exercise.

Back from my walk...I started frying the marinated pork. All smelled and looked good.

Besides 'o-bak', I prepared another dish --> sambal ikan bilis. Fuhhhh nampak hebat macha ni...ok let me tell you, both the ikan bilis and sambal is from Ma as well...hehehe...you see, everything's ready...all I did was stir-fried them in the wok...but you need some kungfu also laa...you think easy meh...??? hahahaha

Looks good rite?? Sambal ikan bilis was superb...but the main dish...haizzzzz...tasted like my Ma's (jan agreed), but the texture was a bit weird...ish ish...must ask Ma to demo another time...need some fine tuning...hehehe

Dunno whether you perasan not, these 2 dishes are too dry to go with rice!!! Jan asked me, "so dry how to eat??" She offered to cook a simple soup, but I said "no need ler...so late liao..."

Arrrgghhhh!!! I totally forgotten about soup. It was not in my plan at all. In the end, we had to swallow and drink water...LOL

Surprise!!!

Woke up early this morning to check on my lilies. Unfortunately it HAS NOT bloomed!!! How sad... :(

But there was a pleasant surprise for us...the other floating plant that was given FOC by the nursery, has blossomed!! Flowers are delicate pale bluish to lilac. Jan said it's called 'keladi bunting'...

Googled for it and found out that the plant is actually called 'Water Hyacinth'. Apparently it's one of those floating oxygenator plants. Meaning it supplies oxygen to the water, I suppose. :) Figured out that this is just perfect for my fishes, as there will be plenty of oxygen in the water...

Meanwhile, I will be watching my lilies to see if there's any good news.

UPDATES!!!

As of 10.45am today, my lilies has finally bloomed!!! I just can't hide it, I'm ecstatic right now, this is pure satisfaction...shiok to the max man...fulamak ai...beautiful...!!

Notice the small bud sticking halfway out from the water?? In fact there are a couple of newly formed buds in the water...hmmmm I foresee more good news to come...hahaha

Water Lily - DIY

What would you love to do most, in a weather like this, just before the rain falls? Most will prefer to sleeeeeeep!!! Hmmm but I'm really tired of sitting and resting at home. Now that I'm on my feet again, I'd love to spend some time outdoors, GARDENING!!!

Gardening, yes, you heard me alright. Hehehe...we have been planning to get water lilies a while back. And this is what we got from a nearby nursery.

Let me go thru a few simple steps on how it is done - DIY:

First fill the bottom of the pot with garden soil.

Next, bring out the water lily from its existing pot, together with its clay soil. Let it sit on top of the garden soil in the new pot.

Can't escape the dirty work, as I don't have any gloves with me...but I'm loving it actually...the smell of the clay brought back some childhood memories...you know we used to catch fishes in shallow part of lakes with clay beneath...GET DIRTY!!! LOL....

Alright, now pour in the remaining garden soil until the pot is half full.

And finally fill up the pot with water.

This is how it looks like when the pot is finally placed on its stand. Water is a bit cloudy because of the soil. A few more rounds of water changing should make it clearer.

Simple isn't it. Now it's NOT considered done yet. I really dunno whether it will survive or not. Hahahhaa...lets wait till tomorrow. And the final piece of the jigsaw will be FISHES. Hmmmm we plan to add in some sword tail fishes and guppies. But first, lets worry about the water lily...hopefully it's alright...

***UPDATED***

I had to redo the whole thing just now!!! Jan suggested the idea of 'pot in a pot' concept. Basically it minimizes maintenance.

And so I had to dig out the lily and everything from the big pot. What a mess!!! Arrggghhh...managed to clean it up anyhow. Placed the lily into its original smaller pot. Filled it up with water, and then placed it into the bigger pot. Finally I filled up the big pot with running water. This is how it looks like now.

Have to agree with Jan, this way the water is cleaner and clearer, less soil. Thus it's easy to maintain and fishes are easily visible this way. Well, we haven't gotten the fishes yet. Will blog about it and you'll be able to see the whole new look as soon as we get them. Stay tuned k peeps.