Haha!

Moral of the story: just because you look like you can do it doesn't necessarily mean you can :)
.

Taking Time

I walk into the office this morning to find a post-it sticker at the air conditioner switches, on which was written: "Think of the Bangladeshis drowning due to global warming". :-)

Here's wishing a blessed new year to all.

Click on image for larger view

*STRETCH*

Perhaps it's time to start blogging again?



*stretchhhhh*

"I got a half tank of gas..."

"...and if we run all the lights, we'll slip across the border, on the wrong side of right..."

I've got that song stuck in my head at the moment, for some strange reason. Right Side of Wrong, by Bon Jovi.

Speaking of half tank of gas, thank God my car gives pretty good mileage. I sure darn hope the government rids itself of its infamous inefficiencies and that the $$$ saved from fuel subsidies will be invested properly to create wealth & benefits for the nation. I just wished that it could all have been done more progressively & systematically over a period of time, rather than one big bombshell at one go. Things have been very interesting on the political front, what with the motion of no-confidence against the PM, and the next couple of weeks will be quite crucial in the changing landscape of Malaysian politics.

Sabah is really pushing hard. I'm actually quite delighted about this, and the turn of events that had led to this, for reasons that I shall not disclose here. If you're curious, just ask me personally. But God's working. Yup, He's moving.

Busy time of year, hence the lack of updates on my blog. I had a great time in Sipadan. It's an underwater paradise. The island itself looks humble, but it's home to a myriad of bird species. As if that's not enough, the real treasure of Sipadan lies below the surface. About 20-25m of shallow waters, then it's a 600m drop into the deep deep blue. Amazing.

I've never seen such bustling marine life before (this in spite, I'm told, that it ain't as good as it used to be anymore). In some other places, to be able to see just one turtle would be the highlight of the whole trip. In Sipadan, you look left, there's a turtle. You look right, there's another one :) Turtles swimming in midwater, what an awesome sight. Amazing.

Barracudas! Hundreds of them! It just got me awe-struck. Sharks, giant trevallys, tunas...haha, Sipadan is like the Kuala Lumpur of the Malaysian underwater world :)

And I officially proposed on the first night we were there, as we were enjoying the night sea breeze and taking in the beauty of the millions of stars above. It came as a huge surprise for her, because she absolutely did not expect it under the circumstances we were in. It was a pleasant surprise for her, so I'm glad :)

Rafting at Sg Selangor last weekend was awesome! Bruising affair, given it's narrow, windy, elevated rapids and sharp rocks, but it was fun riding down the river, especially without the raft :)

We're progressing along. Final lap, so to speak, of rehearsals before production 16-20 July 2008. Tickets range from RM48-RM68, available at Axcess outlets, or Axcess hotline 603-7711 5000, or website http://www.axcess.com.my/. Production will be staged at Lambang Sari, Istana Budaya. For more information on the production, click on the poster above.

Work has been piling up. Taking it all in stride by God's grace. Had a really interesting training lately. It's a business simulation competition, where we're divided into teams and given a business to run. It was fun, although this is the first time I've attended trainings that go up to 8pm in the evening :P

After a long hiatus....I went karaoke last Tuesday :P Nice to just scream our lungs out without having to worry about whether we're singing properly or not :P Hahaha...

Looking forward to the weekend back in my hometown. It's always nice to catch up with parents, and get away from the city.

"And just like Butch and Sundance, we'll ride until the dawn, sipping whisky, singing cowboy songs, on the right side of wrong."

Secara Rawak

It's interesting the kind of things people say when ordering their Subway sandwiches.

"Don't want so much meat, please give me more veggies."

"You don't want olives, you don't want pickles, you don't want green pepper, then might as well don't eat."

"Do you have thousand island sauce?"

"No onions where got nice?!"

Thomas & Uber Cup is on! Bumped into the national team during their team-building camp at Port Dickson, at the exact same resort where we had our department retreat. Our ladies team did well to beat New Zealand yesterday, so did the men who had it easy with England. The real test for our men's team will be today, when they play the scarily unpredictable and strong South Korean team.

Iron Man was a good watch. I recommend it. All-round entertaining, great performance by the cast especially Robert Downey Jr, nothing corny about the romance that goes on, humorous, and really cool CGI...loved the part where Starks ran a test-check on his new prototype silver Iron Man suit. Slick, real slick.

I had to do something way out of my comfort zone yesterday evening. Way out. Hopefully, with more practice, it will become better. But, ugh, it's gonna be hard work for me. So unnatural. But yet, got to make it natural. Ugh. Things we need to do. Story of our lives.

Thank God for the upcoming Sipadan scuba trip. I think I really need the breather (no pun intended).

P/S - Guatz is having fun teasing me about doing out-of-comfort-zone stuff.

March marches on

It's Friday. Ironically, Bon Jovi's Someday I'll Be Saturday Night is playing on my iPod nano.

Parents are here in KL for the weekend. They should be at the MATTA Fair right this moment. Heading to Kota Kinabalu in two days time for work....one week there and one week in Kuching.

I haven't visited Ah Seng at Shepherd's Home (a halfway home) for quite a while now, and I'm glad I did yesterday. I was also introduced to a guy who just came in to the Home. Quiet, never kept eye contact....in fact he kept staring at the floor, both hands clenched over each other, sitting in a lean-forward manner....scars and bruises all over him, don't even wanna imagine where those came from....for some reason, that moment really struck me. Like a knife. Such are the effects of drugs. Such is the stark reality of sin in our world.

Sipadan dive trip in May is on! Woo hoo! But before that, reef check eco diver certification next month in Tioman and maybe another trip to Redang in early May? :)

Man I'm gonna find it hard to focus on work with all the distractions around me at Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

Hantar esok, sampai hari ini...

My car had to go into the hospital again a few days ago. Clutch problems, so gears could not be engaged. Poor car's been visiting the car doctor very frequently these past few months. Just a week before the clutch problems, it had to go in for change of front shock absorbers and mounting because the car was shaking violently at higher speeds.

I've noticed lots of election posters and banners at road junctions. They're road hazards because they're blocking the view of traffic.

This morning I was reminded of how prophesy foretold in ages past was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. God is faithful and holds on to His promises and covenant. On this Solid Rock, we can stand unwavered with 100% complete trust.

Been also pondering where to go for our honeymoon and thinking through some options.

And those of you who know Peter Ng, he's doing Swimathon 2008 in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care, swimming 2.5km on 19 April 2008. Do support as you're led to. For more info, check out his purpose-built BLOG.

Thank God that the timing of my upcoming work assignment in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu does not clash with many of my speaking commitments, etc and also my parents visit to KL next weekend (MATTA Fair time...hope my parents can get a good deal to go somewhere nice).

Hmmm, maybe I can climb Mt Kinabalu again if we're putting in a weekend in KK....or go dive with Ivan's uncle just off the KK coast....or go whitewater rafting...

*Continues pondering on a Friday*

Keadaan Tenat

Found a poor injured bird inside the sink of the male office toilet this morning. Its injury must be very critical, because the poor guy was breathing very heavily, very fast...and when I lifted it out of the sink, it didn't even struggle and could only manage a twitch here and there.

Phoned a nearby animal clinic, but they said they don't do birds, especially birds from the wild. They asked me to contact the zoo.

O_o

Poor guy...nothing much can be done now, except to make it more comfortable, with whatever I could find around the office...

(Apologies for the not-so-clear photos, they were taken with my mobile phone)

Its injury (circled in red in the photo below): big cut in its underbelly and its guts were spilling out. It could have knocked itself against something sharp, or injured from a fight with another bird, or...???



*sad*

Edit: It's about an hour and a half since I found the bird, and it's dead now.

Of Floods & Breakdowns

The flood in Mentakab has subsided. I should be able to spend Christmas back in my hometown. But many in Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor are still terribly affected by the floods.

My 6-year-old car finally broke down last night. All this while it has never broken down on me, but last night it finally did.

I was driving over to Guat's place after badminton, when I heard a snap from my engine, after which it just died. Thankfully I was in an inner road, and I managed to pull over to the side of the road with whatever momentum that was left. The engine couldn't start after that.

Lim, the tow trucker, by listening to the sound of the car engine trying to crank up, suspected that the timing belt has snapped. I can't say that was entirely unexpected, especially given the sounds it makes in the mornings when I start my cold car engine (something which I should have taken heed of). Interestingly though, it wasn't due for timing belt change yet. I changed it when the mileage (or kilometerage) hit 80,000km, and the next change was not due till 160,000km. My car's current mileage is almost 146,000km. Could be due to many factors...previous belt not fitted well, not-so-good parts were used, somebody sabatoged me...all sorts of possibilities. :P

Oh well, if it happens, it happens. I'm just thankful for God's kindness, that at least it happened in good circumstances: it broke down near Guat's place, my brother's in town so there's that extra car.

So this morning, I'll be heading off to the workshop soon, to assess the damage...and man, I'm sure it's gonna cost me :) The fact really hit home when I saw my car being lifted onto the tow truck, and being towed away helplessly...that's where my heart really kinda sank, seeing the noble steed reduced to a hapless piece :)

Part and parcel of owning a car :) Things like these reminds me that I'm blessed to have a vehicle to call my own. And my car is now in good hands at the workshop.

Time to go to the workshop... :)

Post-workshop update: The timing belt didn't snap, but the teeth/grooves has come off, so the timing belt ran out of its place...mechanic hasn't completed a full inspection yet, but so far, there's at least one piston arm that's broken. The car will be in the "hospital" for at least a couple of days.

Edit (21/12/2007): Car's fixed. Thank God it took only 2 days...bent and broken parts here and there but Raymond told me that damage was minimal because when the timing belt snapped, I was going at slow speed. Thank God for that too.