The Week That Was – Feb 22 – 28, 2010

It was a quiet week at the office work-wise. People were just coming back from their long Chinese New Year break and we mostly catching up with all their messages and action items for work. For us who started work the week before, it was just a normal week at the office.

Highlight of the week was the “Bernarda Alba” musical that I watched at klpac on their preview night. It was definitely not the type of musicals that I was accustomed to so it was really an eye opening experience for me to watch. I have actually heard the soundtrack of the original cast production but it never really registered in my head until I actually got to see a full production of the piece. I guess it just goes to show that while listening to the original soundtrack CD might be enjoyable, it is still a poor substitute to actually watching it on stage.

“Bernarda Alba” was quite dark and somber but it was not without moments of charm and frivolity. A character study in effects of repression and social control, it tells the story of a domineering mother how literally imprisons her 5 daughters after the death of her 2nd husband in an attempt to protect them from the outside world. The reactions and conflicts that arose from this decision drove the narration which was beautifully conveyed through the songs being sung on stage. I definitely enjoyed myself at the performance even with the minor technical details that bugged me a bit while watching.

The other highlight of the week was my board gaming overdose. We had planned to have a board game session at a friend’s house on Sunday but a few of us wanted to have another session on the Friday before because it was a public holiday and they were all in town. We ended up going to the Boston’s Café near my place and staked out our own little corner to play our board games. We played and played and played! By the time we stopped, we had actually played almost 12 hours of board games in one sitting! We had “Settlers of Catan”, “No Merci!”, “Wits & Wagers”, “Times Up: Title Recall” & “Pictionary” on the table that day. Other than the 1 hour that we had to spend virtually in the dark thanks to a power outage at the café, it was just games and good company for the whole evening.

I was afraid that the guys would be all boadgame-ed out when Sunday came along but I guess that the board game bug has hit my group hard. After lunch at a nearby kopitiam, we adjourned to a friend’s house for games. We decided to whip up a batch of double chocolate chip cookies for the afternoon and proceeded to play several board games till it was time for dinner. We ended having rounds of “Settlers of Catan” (a group favorite), “Tribond”, “Kill Doctor Lucky”, “Wits & Wagers” & “Who Am I” that afternoon. I still didn’t get a chance to introduce the group to “Small World” yet but I hope to do so next time we come together for games.

It was a great weekend of games and great friends.

The Two Weeks That Was – Feb 8 – 21, 2010

The first week was quite busy in the office with everyone trying to finish things off before they leave for their Chinese New Year break. Being the only one in the office who doesn’t need to rush back home for reunion dinners, I had the luxury of taking my company mandatory leave days ahead of everyone else which I did during the week before Chinese New Year. Most of those dates were spent with household chores and some repairs especially those involving the electrical supply.

I guess that it’s a fact of living in a place that when you’ve live there long enough, you’ll bound to have to deal will problems related to aging electrical wiring and the like. For months, I’ve been having power supply brown outs whenever I turn on one too many electrical appliances. Electrical sparks at the power distribution boards became more frequent and things got worse when I can’t even run my microwave without tripping the power supply. I finally had enough and called the electrician to replace the power distribution board before I accidently burn the house down. Good thing that my landlord agreed to have the repair bill deducted for the month’s rent.

Several friends came together to organized birthday dinner with another friend who is celebrating his birthday in the same month. We all went to a small, out of the way, Japanese restaurant called “NIHON KAI” off Jalan Kelang Lama. I have to say that it was a wonderful find for me as they had a really good spread of dishes to choose from and all of them were priced reasonably well. All of us were led into one of those tatami mat private dining rooms where we proceeded to party like drunk Japanese salary men the night through. I’m sure that we sounded like that as we enjoyed the great food, drinks and company.

Chinese New Year came and went without much to mark it for me. We did get 2 boardgame sessions in during the break. The first one was with a group of friends in Sentul which lasted for a few hours where we tested out Settlers of Catan, Wits & Wagers as well as Taboo. Our hosts made us a wonderful lunch in between the games and we ended the day with dinner at Pavilion. The second session of games was on the following day at a café near to my apartment. We ended up spending almost 7 hours there playing “Settlers of Catan”, “Wits & Wagers”, “Kill Doctor Lucky” and “Wasabi!” The funny thing was that everyone else at the café seemed to have the same idea as every table there that night had some type of game happening. I’m guessing that people were already quite bored staying at home during the long break and hence why it seems like everyone was out with games there.

Being at work during Chinese New Year week was a bit if a drag since the whole office was almost empty expect for a few of us. Fortunately, nothing major happen during the period and I was able to handle a few of the issues that cropped up during the period on my own. I ended up taking some time during the week to visit Toybox and get my own copy of the “SmallWorld” board game that I hope to give it a test drive some time soon.

I ended the week with good food and company at a friend’s place on Sunday to watch as many episodes of “Glee” that we could squeeze in. We all ended up only finishing half of the 13 episode season but it was still a great time. I even got to do some cooking since we wanted to make cookies to go with the show and made dinner once everyone got their fill of the TV show. Having a proper kitchen is one of the things that I missed most after moving out of my parents’ house to live on my own. I definitely want to get a proper kitchen in the next place that I move in.

The Week That Was – Feb 1 – 8, 2010

Few highlights of the week.

Went to watch “Women of Silk River” which was staged at TAS@Lot10 on their opening night. I noticed that the crowd who came that night was not the usual crowd that I see at klpac but I’m guessing that a lot of them were friends, family and supporters of the production team as well as the cast. Overall, I loved the story even though there were parts of it that could have benefitted with a firmer editorial hand. I have to say that it is always interesting to watch a staging of a performance based on a devised play. When all the separate contribution comes together properly, things flow seamlessly that makes the audience forget that several voices contributed into the story of the piece.

After the show finished, a few of us stay back to have supper at a friend’s newly open eatery at Lot10. “Alsree Treasures Kitchen”@Lot10 had just opened the day before but because we know the proprietress, we got her to extend the dinner menu until they closed for us. I finally got her famous Beef Macaroni Soup that I have been hearing about from her but never got to taste. After the supper, we all agreed that the place would definitely be out hangout place for a pre or post show meal when we come for shows at Lot10.

This past weekend was also the weekend when my old school mates came back together for our 20th year anniversary reunion. Having transferred to a boarding school after my Form 3 year, I actually have two 20th year reunions to attend this year. Good thing that the one for the school that I attended from Form 1 to Form 3 decided to hold theirs in the beginning of the year and the other one towards the end of the year.

I have not seen most of the people who came to the reunion that day for at least 23 years and to say that a lot has change would be a major understatement. There were people there who I remember being so small and scrawny back then who have now blossomed into a person twice my size and at least a foot taller from me. A lot of them were shorter than me when I was in the same class with them back then but I’m guessing had a growth spurt after I left. It was nice actually getting back in touch with them but I have to say that I could scarcely remember about 75% of the people there. They have already started planning for the next gathering later in the year so hopefully more memories of those years will get jogged back in my mind.

The other thing that happen was me turning 37 on Sunday. Scary to think actually, turning 37 when there was a time back in darker days that I wondered if I would live past 28. If only my younger self could see me now and know that things would turn out all right despite how hopeless the situation at the moment felt. Still I cherish the years that have passed as life lessons that have made me the person who I am today. Without them, I guess I would have been a different person altogether and whether it would be for the better or for the worse, well that’s just another of the what-ifs that goes unanswered in my life.

The guys threw a party for me and one other friend who celebrates his birthday just 2 days after mine. As usual, good food & good company are the best ways of celebrating getting to add another year to the age box. The presents were a nice surprise with a highlight of a boardgame that they got out of my recent boardgame want list. I would be definitely breaking it out for the next games night with them. Still it was having friends like that that makes all the difference in the world.

I would not trade it for anything in the world!

The Week That Was – Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2010

The first month of the year closed off on a quite note work wise. Not much, other than the usual day to day work, has been happening in the month. Most of the time was spent planning for the rest of the year which hopefully will help once the next few months roll around.

The biggest item that happened in the past week was me being reminded of my parents’ mortality. As children, we always think that our parents will be there for us forever but as we grow older those youthful ideas get jarred by sometimes harsh realities that they don’t.

My father had recently been having some health problems and had to go for a checkup at the hospital. He was the type that would previously refuse to do so despite being asked to so many times by the family so for him to finally relent to go for the check up signaled to us that he was really hurting this time. True enough, he came back with a whole list of aliments that he has been ignoring all these years and now have caught up on him.

We all immediately knew that this is a major health scare for him when the first thing that he did after coming back from the checkup was to throw away all his cigarettes. Being a smoker for as long as I can remember, we knew that he must have finally come to the realization of what all that smoking was doing to his lungs. I have not personally seen his chest x-rays but according to my mum who did see it, his lung was already in bad shape. To top it all off, my father finally accepted that he does have diabetic condition that he has been in denial for years even with the doctor’s diagnosis.

My father has always been a confident person but after the medical checkup it seems that his confidence has been deeply shaken by the news. The family had long known that he has been in denial about his health issues and now it was already too severe to be ignored even by him. He now has his off and on days, health wise, but it is taking a toll on his confidence and the family.

He is currently still strong, walking around on his own and able to manage himself but I can’t help that eventually his strength will fail him. I have experience death in the family before but as they say, death of a parent is something totally different. I may even have many years ahead before it happens. As my father would often remind us that the males in our family generally lived well into our 80’s and he still has at least 20 years to go. But what kind of life would that be if you spend the next 20 years in a vegetative state? I duly hope that scenario is something that would never come to pass.

Mortality is quite disturbing when confronted.

The Fortnight That Was – Jan 10 – 24, 2010

“Hopefully I could keep to a schedule of a minimum of 1 blog entry per week this year. “

Right!

That went out the door almost immediately after I said it :-p

Anyway … I promise myself that I will update the blog once a week so that I don’t get too rusty when it comes down to writing. Which by the way also applies to my stage play writing which I still have yet to start. I have all these stories running around in my head but have not found the drive to sit myself down and write them all out. This has always been a problem for me. Once I get started then I would usually sail through the process but to find the momentum to overcome the initial bump to start can be at times infuriating. This is why I am totally envious of some of the people I know who can just sit there and churn out full plays in just a few weeks.

Work continues on steadily. Not many surprises in the 2 weeks. I guess it’s the nature of the work that I only really into high gear when something breaks down. Other times, I have plenty of down time to plan for improvements and other things that I want to do during the day. The only exciting thing that came up was the news that our team will be going for a team building excursion at the end of Feb. I have never been on one so I guess that you can say that I’m looking forward to the experience.

Had a few gaming nights within the 2 weeks. The first was to play “Munchkin Quest” that I finally got a copy of after waiting for it for months. As exciting as it was to get it, I have to say that our session experience was less than exciting. I don’t fault the game or the people playing but I think that MQ is a bit difficult to introduce to non gamers especially those who have never played any of the Munchkin card games before.

We had better luck with playing “Castle Keep” and “Wasabi!” in the other sessions. Both are simple tile laying games that people can get into pretty fast and were high on the fun quotient. “Wasabi!” especially got a vote from the group for a return engagement the next time we meet up for some games. I’ve read about the game for some time from the BGG website and knew that it would go down well with them.

My birthday’s coming up in a few weeks. Will be turning 37 this year. Every year is a happy surprise for me since there was a dark time in my life that I thought that I would never make it beyond 30. Happily those clouds are behind me and I look forward to each day with as much gusto as I can muster.

No one can ask for more.

The Week That Was – Jan 3 – 8, 2010

Another year rolls by and a new entry for this oft-neglected blog :-p

Hopefully I could keep to a schedule of a minimum of 1 blog entry per week this year.

2010 rolled in for me with the company of great friends who we celebrated with in Melaka. I could have not asked for a better group to see the new decade in. It’s actually funny to see the digits “2010” roll in as growing up we have always seen this decade to be the one to look forward to for all the futuristic bits and bobs. Having finally reached the promised date, I could not help but feel a bit disappointed that the reality didn’t really turn out as fantastic as the promise. Of course we do have technology now that we would never dream of 30 years ago but we are definitely still far away from the vision that the sci-fi masters have put out in both literature and films. Guess we will have to wait for another 30 years before the Jetsons style personal jet packs solve the traffic problems in KL.

Work continues to be without any surprises this week. Most of the time, I spent tying up loose ends from what was left over from last year’s work load. I’m looking forward to start implementing a few new projects and changes that I’ve been planning to at work. Hopefully I would be able to contribute more improvement ideas for the team in the year ahead. I’m definitely sure that some of the items I have planned would help out but it would take some time to get it in.

2009 saw me put in 3 plays to be staged at klpac and I look forward to be able to pen more for consideration. KL has been chasing me to submit something for “IndicineLive!” but I find myself hesitating because I don’t know if I can actually write something funny. It’s one thing to have humor in the script as an unintentionally byproduct but it’s a whole other ball game of trying to write something that you hope people would get a laugh out off. Still it is an intriguing challenge and I still have one more week to figure out if I’m up to the task. I probably try to put pen to paper this coming weekend and explore if I do have a funny bone to tickle.

Board games have recently featured a lot in my social life of late and I’m thoroughly enjoying them. Just recently we played a round of “Kill Doctor Lucky” with a group of people who never played it before and everyone had a good time. I’ve also found really good small plastic containers from the chain of 100Yen stores in town that help made the games pieces I already own more organized. To top it all off, I’ve caved in an purchased the iPod version of the popular “Settlers of Catan” board game and have been enjoying it since then. I would definitely be adding the game in my board game want list so I can get it and introduce me gaming rookie friends to it.

On a sad note, I woke up today to the news of the torching of a church in Desa Melawati that people are might link to the recent controversy of the court ruling of allowing the usage of the word “Allah” by the Herald. I stand by the belief that if Heralds wants to use the term in their mass publication then they should use the full terms that are used by the Christian Arabs throughout the Middle East. Using the terms "Allah al-‘ab" (الله الأب) meaning God the father, "Allah al-ibn" (الله الابن) mean God the son, and "Allah al-rūh al-quds" (الله الروح القدس) meaning God the Holy Spirit instead of just “Allah” to refer to the aspects of the Catholic Trinty would clearly differentiate the usage of the terms.

Regardless, I personally condemn those who burn down/destroy/deface houses of worship as people who belittle the importance of religion for the people and have no right to claim themselves as being pious or religious. An eye for an eye will only leave us with a people who are blind physically, mentally and spiritually who would have no discourse to accept the first one eyed man as king.

Boo RapidKL!

The new RapidKL structured bus fare systems goes into effect today and it was as I expected it.

Badly executed!

Since sometime back in July, I have noticed the notices posted in the buses and LRT trains announcing the change in the bus fare system on 1st Sept. Of all the changes proposed, the one involving the “Utama” bus lines were the one that left me more than a bit perplexed as to how they will implement it. From its inception, the “Utama” bus line only had one fare point for a day pass ticket that can be used for as many bus trips within the same day of purchase. This made taking the bus very convenient and quite economical especially when one needs to transfer to multiple buses in a day.

Unfortunately, all that changed starting today with the implementation of a zonal fare structure. Instead pay a flat fare of RM2 to the driver, bus commuters would have to inform the driver which stop they would want to alight at and driver will tell them the new bus fare. Fares start at RM1, RM1.90, RM2.50 and a maximum of RM3 depending on the number of travel zones the commuter goes through to get to their stop. I guess eventually people who take the bus daily would eventually know how much they have to pay for their trip but until then the bus driver needs to tell the commuters how much to pay.

I’ve always paid RM2 for my bus trip to my office and with this new fare structure I should only need to pay RM1.90 since I only need to cross 2 zones. Nice on paper but dismal in execution! Instead of paying just RM2 for a day’s bus trip, I need to pay the RM1.90 tickets twice since in the new fare system, your bus ticket is a one way ticket instead of a day pass. Since RapidKL buses do not have bus conductors like their competitors, commuters don’t get change back when they pay for their bus fare. What is the use of charging RM1.90 instead of RM2 since no change is provided?

To throw more salt to the wound, they have disabled the Touch & Go card payment system on the buses due to technical implementation issues to adapt to the new bus fare structures. I can’t understand this reason since they would have more than sufficient time to look into the issue of using T&G cards on buses before implementing the new fare system. RapidKL do not need to look further than our neighbors in Singapore to see how they implement the EZ-Link payment card system in their buses. Bus commuters there use only their payment card instead of cash to pay for their bus fare. One only needs to touch the card on the reader when you board and touch it again on the exit reader to deduct the fare before getting off the bus. The same system should have been implemented by RapidKL as well if they wanted a structured fare system.

Inefficiencies due to poor planning will never be acceptable no matter what the economic reasons were behind the decision of pushing the plans through. For a company that prides itself as having the goal of having the “highest degree of operational excellence, engineering efficacy and service reliability” as one of its corporate missions, I must say that the implementation of this new bus fare structure has only left me with a bad impression of the planners. They could easily have avoided this dismal spectacle with better planning and execution that was more commuter friendly instead of just thinking about their coffers.

And for that I say … Boo, RapidKL!

Traffickers of Wistful Afternoons

“There are people who carry calm in the folds of their sweaters. People who
breathe deep while others drown. Margaret was one of those people and you knew
it right away. One day, I’d be asked to call her “Peg." All her friends do.

Standing in the farthest corner of my store, between Modern
Classics and A-Z, Margaret opened her heart. She told me about Aaron. How he
grew up in her living room. How her daughter worked two jobs and how her
son-in-law was hardly home, then not at all. It was hard, she said, but they
were happy together and made a family of it. She and Aaron did everything
together. They took long walks every day. She taught him difficult words and he
told her how he dreamed of flying.”

- excerpt from “Connections” by Jud Meyers, Columnist, ReTales, ComicBookResources.com

I read this well written article a few days back and I have to say that it really left an impression on me. It made me think of how I got into reading comic books all those years ago. While it was not as heart tugging as the one described in the article, my relationship with comic books started as a means to keep me occupied on long train journeys between where we lived and where my late grandmother lived in KL. I think it was a 4 or 5 hours journey back then so I usually get around 3 or 4 old comic books to read each way. Back then they used to sell old copies of overstock comic books at the railway station news vendor and my dad would get me some from there. I don’t think they cost that much since they were usually the second hand comic books resold to the news vendors in bulk. Looking back, I wished that I had kept the ones my father bought during this period as they might be quite pricy nowadays to obtain but like many things from my childhood, I had to pass them down to my younger siblings as I grew older.

For nearly half of the 25 years that I have been collecting comic books, I’ve always got my comics from the neighborhood news vendors. Direct store specializing on selling comic books was unheard of outside of KL. I remember walking to the news vendor opposite the bus station in Kota Bahru every week to check if they had any new comic books to buy. I would usually have saved up all of my allowance, which was not that much, and buy as many second hand comic books that I could afford. I didn’t really mind it that some of it were not in the best quality as long as I could get my 10 year old hands on it to read. Once in a while, I get myself a treat buy buying a new copy of a comic book. Those were rare occasions when I get extra money for either Hari Raya or my birthday. I tried to look for that old shop the last time I was in Kota Bahru but the town has changed so much since then that I could no longer recognize it.

After the family moved back to KL, I continued to get my comic books from news vendors. I remember going to the ones at Ampang Park and Central Market to look for new comic books. By that time, my weekly allowance was already increased to the point that I could afford buying new comic books instead of only the second hand ones. In spite of that, the best times that I remember back then was the afternoons that I spend in their comic book bargain bins looking for old copies of the series that I was reading at the time. By this time I was already a seasoned collector looking for better quality comic books to buy, read and add to my growing collection.

It was after The Mind Shop open a branch at KL Plaza when I first got a taste of the comic specialty shop. I remember reading about it opening in the Star newspaper and going to find the location a few weeks before it opened. It was my first trip to KL Plaza alone and I distinctly remembered seeing the half finished shelves and the promotional posters on the door of the unfinished shop when I got there. The Mind Shop already had a branch in PJ at the time but it was too out of the way for me to go to. I waited instead for the KL Plaza branch to open and I got my membership card to the store the moment I had money to go and shop for comics there. They changed their location several times before I left to continue my studies in the US but I stayed with them throughout those years.

While I was in the US, the main comic book shop that I went to was Capital City Comics at Monroe St in Madison. It was my first introduction to a more sophisticated comic book culture and an experience which was very much different from the one I had back home. Not only did I get to fill up gaps in my collection from their selection of back issues but I also got to connect with like minded collectors who were similarly passionate about their comic books. I remember walking to the store after class every week to check out the new shipment of comic books. Through rain, shine and snow, the trek up from my apartment several blocks away to Capital City Comics was always one of the highlight of my week that I look forward to most.

I’ve been back to The Mind Shop ever since I came back after I graduated. They are now operating at Damansara Centerpoint and you would invariably be able to find me there around the end of the month to pickup my monthly pull-list. After 20 years of going to them for my comics, I keep telling them that I should be entitled to a lifetime membership to their store by now. Not that it would make any difference since my yearly membership fees are practically free now for me considering I spend what most people would pay for a house installment monthly at the shop. I guess eventually I would stop going there, either because I lose interest in adding more to my comics collection or the shop goes out of business – which ever comes first, but till then I would can always look forward for my monthly trip to the shop to get my monthly sequential art fix.

Belated Ramadhan Entry

The past few days of Ramadhan has been quite hectic for me.

Thanks to the 3 day Merdeka weekend, I get to spend the 1st day of Ramadhan with the family. Of course that meant us coming together and hashing out our plans for the month as well as for Hari Raya at the end of the month. I actually like it when we can get our plans for the month sorted out in advance so we can arrange our own private schedule around the family appointments. Of course that means that I would not have any excuse for missing any family gatherings this fasting month.

Thanks to my last minute decision to make a new pair of Baju Melayu for this year, we all were rushing to get clothing material from our usual place and try to convince our family tailor to take our last minute order. Fortunate for us, he was willing to take them but could only promise us delivery on the eve of Hari Raya which would definitely be cutting it quite close. It seems that he has been taking orders for Baju Melayu for the past 2 months for Hari Raya which was good for him seems that business has been good for him lately. Just to be on the safe side, we paid in full so he has to deliver our Baju Melayu to us before Hari Raya.

I will be making the dodol again this year for the family. I already have that penciled in for the last weekend of the month. Haven’t really decided how much of it to make this year but since I’ll have the help of my brothers, I think we can manage somewhere around 5kgs of it. It may sound quite a bit but based on previous years experience, it goes fast once it’s divided up among family and friends.

Haven’t been to the gym yet this past week and I have a distinct feeling that everything that I have eaten in that time is going straight to my waist. I was just starting with my gym experience during the fasting month last year so I didn’t really push it back then. I’m heading out to the gym tonight to try and see if I can stick to my normal gym routine of 1 hr spinning class and ½ hr weight training for the fasting month which I hope I can. I’m already going to have to cut my Sunday afternoon workout session out due to the fasting month since they don’t have a spinning class in the weekend evenings at my gym.

Here’s to a good Ramadhan ahead, folks.

I Stand

I’ve been listening to Idina Menzel’s “I Stand” CD for sometime now and am definitely enjoying it tremendously. I actually bought my copy out of the iTunes store since I don’t know it is available in our local music stores. I guess that a lot of people in this part of the world, especially those who are not familiar with recent American stage musicals, wouldn’t really recognize her name much less buy her CD. Some of the songs on her latest CD really spoke to me in light of recent developments happening in and around me.

One song in particular is the title track which an acoustic version of the video I’m sharing here. I love the thematic content of the words and even more, the way that it forces me to think of where I stand on some of the things that affects me. I am by no way an activist. Always thought that activism was the purview of the privilege and the moneyed. What use is activism for someone who needs all the waking time he has to make sure that he makes enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month. But in the end, who will fight for you if it is not yourself. No use waiting for handouts from the government or empty promises of come-back kids hungry for their self serving limelight.

We make our own destinies and changes.

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference"

I Stand by Idina Menzel
© 2008 Warner Bros. Records Inc. for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.

"I Stand"

When you ask me, who I am:
What is my vision? And do I have a plan?
Where is my strength? Have I nothing to say?
I hear the words in my head, but I push them away.

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

And I don't know
What tomorrow brings
The road less traveled
Will it set us free?
Cause we are taking it slow,
These tiny legacies.
I don't try and change the world;
But what will you make of me?

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

With the slightest of breezes
We fall just like leaves
As the rain washes us from the ground
We forget who we are
We can't see in the dark
And we quickly get lost in the crowd

'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
'Cause I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.

Warning! Irreverent Posting – ABBA Attack

Just got an ABBA attack that I have to get out of my system today.

I am by no way an ABBA fan but I do love a lot of their songs. I grew up listening to them since my mum and her sisters were big fans of the group.

I am so watching “Mamma Mia” when the movie is shown here later this year.

(Thank You For The Music - ABBA)

(Take A Chance On Me - ABBA)

(Dancing Queen - ABBA)

Life Goes On ....

Looking For Shelter

Other than meeting up with friends and putting myself through a 3 hour grueling workout session on Sunday, I pretty much had a lot of time to clear by myself this past weekend. Decided to pop in one of the many unwatched DVDs that was sitting on my “to watch” pile and curl up under the covers to watch “Shelter”

(Official Trailer from "Shelter")

I love this movie! Kind of the type of romantic movies that people usually warn me against watching when I go into one of my moods but I never really listen to that advise anyway. Of course that meant that I’m now walking around felling a bit melancholic about almost everything. Hopefully that would pass soon with the help of all that gym sessions I have lined up for this week.

Still can’t get one of the songs from the movie out of my head.

(Shane Mack - "Lie To Me" from "Shelter" OST)

Mid Year Review of 2008 Goals

It feels like just yesterday when I sat down to write out my 2008 goals at the beginning of the year. With June ending in just a few hours, it felt that it was time for me to take a step back and look at how much progress I’ve made to date to achieve my goals. As those of you who are familiar with the goal setting process that they always preach about in those corporate trainings, no goal is of any use if it is not reviewed for any necessary adjustment required to accomplish it within the stipulated time. Apply the same process to your personal goals and you definitely would reap the same rewards and sense of accomplishments at the end of the year.

Travel to at least 2 different destinations

I’m already half way to completing this goal as I’ve already went on my Indonesia trip back in April. I’ve also already made plans to travel again in November to Cambodia to visit the Angkor Wat temples there. The plan would have me traveling with a group of people in a guided tour which would cover the highlights of what the country has to offer. I’ve mostly have been traveling by myself so it would definitely be a different experience to travel in a tour group. At least I would be going with at least one other person who I know so it would be all unfamiliar faces for me.

I still want to get in some beach or island time before the end of the year. Haven’t really had a chance to plan any local excursions yet. I have to say that I’m just itching to get back to Perhentians but with so many islands in Malaysia that I have not visited yet, why limit myself to only one. Definitely will be looking at possibly Tioman or Pangkor for an island excursion soon.

Update my wardrobe

I can safely tick this goal from my list as completed!

Part of my major clean up earlier this year was to pack up all the clothes that I have been hoarding for more than 2 years. It took me about 2 days of sorting out them out and I ended up with about 5 black garbage bags full of clothes that I no longer needed to donate to a local charity. Once that was done, I had an empty wardrobe to fill again with new clothes which of course I was excited about. For someone with not much fashion sense, I definitely have a mild obsession about going shopping to buy clothes even sometimes when I don’t really need it.

Thanks to the time I spent at the gym, I can now buy clothes that better fit me right off the racks at the stores. Not only do they fit better but I get to try out some clothing options that I would never dreamed of trying back when I was more overweight that I am now. There is a reason why they say that clothes makes the man and I am definitely relishing the freedom to be able to try them out now.

Be more physically active

I initially planned to include some time for hiking and futsal this year to complement the time I spend at the gym. While I did have a chance to do 1 hiking trip earlier this year, I have yet to get myself to a futsal game with my ex-schoolmates. With the amount of time I already spend at the gym, it’s hard to see the need to especially when I could only do them on my gym off days when I actually should be resting.

Still, it’s a goal that I currently think that is still worthy to be included in my plans for 2008. I guess I just have to seek out more opportunities to partake in outdoor activities rather than restrict myself at the gym.

Enhance my gym experience

If it has not been clear in my blog entries from the past months, most of my daily routine this year has been focused around gym and fitness. I’ve been called out as being obsessed by it and I admit at a certain level I guess I am. How else can I explain the unfailing need to arrange my social life around my gym hours and how I look forward to go to the gym more than I do to go to my day job. I fairly aware that I may be getting hooked on the endorphin rush that I get from working out since I’m always restless on the days that I don’t go. The gym has now become my prefered outlet for me to let go of my frustrations both from my personal and professional life.

The goal for 2008 was for me to join in one of the classes provided by the gym and to work out using more free weights. I happy to document that I have accomplished both of these goals. Once I got over the initial reluctance to work out in a group of strangers, I started to attend the spinning class that they have at my gym. I am now up to between 3-4 spinning classes a week depending if I was around in Sunway to go to the gym. The classes was surprisingly easy to get used to and the fact that I come out of it sweating buckets gave me a visible measure of accomplishment that I needed.

Since I always start my gym sessions with the hour long spinning class, I had only ½ hour left to do my weight training. Thanks to what I learned in my PT sessions, I am now able to cobble together a training plan using free weights that I’m currently on. I guess that eventually I would need to push myself more with the training plan but for the time being, it’s good that I could now work with more free weights.

Get my drivers license

Of all the goals that I’ve set for 2008, this is the one that is still the most elusive. I have no excuse for not doing anything to accomplish this goal in the past 6 months. I have no excuse to not put in the effort for the next 6 months to finally get my drivers license!

And that’s all, folks. Reviewed all of my 2008 goals and I think now I have a clearer picture of what I need to do for the rest of the year to accomplish those that I have not completed. You may want to do the same for your own goals if you have some that you set at the beginning of this year. It is always a nice thing to be able to feel a sense of accomplishment in what you have achieved to date.

Even The Stars Are Trying To Tell Me Something

I'll Bounce Back

Think Of Me - Phantom of the Opera

Think of me
think of me fondly, when
we've said goodbye
remember me
once in a while, please
promise me you'll try

When you find,
that once again you long
to take your heart back,
and be free
if you ever find a moment,
spare a thought for me

We never said
our love was evergreen
or as unchanging as the sea...
but if you can still remember,
stop and think of me

Think of all the things
we've shared and seen,
don't think about the things
which might have been

Think of me
think of me waking, silent
and resigned...
imagine me,
trying too hard to
put you from my mind...

Recall those days,
look back on all those times,
think of the things
we'll never do...
there will never be a day when
I won't think of you

We never said
our love was evergreen
or as unchanging as the sea...
but please promise me,
that sometimes
you will think of me

Sappy Thoughts

To Make You Feel My Love - Garth Brooks

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy, make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love

To Make You Feel My Love (video)

Measure of Happiness

What does it takes to make me happy?

Not much actually.

A gathering of friends that I regularly meet and those I’m meeting for the first time, sitting together exchanging stories with each other.

An unselfish act of sharing a birthday celebration party when by doing so means that the party will no longer be uniquely theirs anymore.

A selfless sacrifice to organize a such successful and memorable night without even a thought of himself.

Great food both store bought and home made to be savored and appreciated.

The sharing of stories both new and old that gives more insight into the love and lives of the people around you.

Jokes and laughter filling up the room with the sounds of happiness.

A warm hug to tell me how much I am appreciated.

Catching sight of a smile and a lingering look from across the room when no one was looking in hopes that the other person was thinking the same thing you were.

(pic courtesy of Crewcut's FB photo album)

Being able to experience only one of the above would sufficient to make me happy but to have it all in one occasion simply left me overwhelmed by it all. Trying so hard to take it all it, I found it next to impossible to try to convey how meaningful it was all for me that night. It was definitely a night that I will remember and cherish for a long,long time.

Thank you for sacrificing your time to organize the party. Thank you for those who were able to make it to the party, both near and far, and for the wishes for those that would not make it. Thank you for the great food both thoughtfully bought or lovingly made. Thank you for the great time and even better company. Thank you for including me into part of your lives even for just that night and sharing the bounty of joy with me.

Looking around from cloud nine where I’ve been stuck on since Saturday, it’s amazing how wonderful everything is.

Valentine’s Day ... Again

I swore to myself that this year I will not put on “Sleepless in Seattle” on the DVD player and watch it while eating a whole tub of ice cream again. I’ve done that for the past 12 years and it’s time that I change that.

So I plan to go to the gym tonight and go to my first spinning class instead. That would get my mind off Valentine’s Day. Hopefully the gym doesn’t do something corny like couples night or something just because it’s Valentines.

Still .. just to be sure that I don’t turn out to be a grouch about it, here’s a little something that has been stuck in my head for the better part of the week.

Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered – Celine Dion
CD: Mona Lisa Smile OST

I'm wild again, beguiled again,
A simpering, whimpering child again;
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I.

Couldn't sleep and wouldn't sleep,
When love came and told me I shouldn't sleep;
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I.

Lost my heart, but what of it?
He is cold, I agree.
He can laugh, but I love it,
Although the laugh's on me.

I'll sing to him, each spring to him,
And long for the day when I'll cling to him;
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I.

Newly Discovered Gem

Thanks to a friend, I recently discovered a new artist that I have never heard of before and boy am I smitten by her voice. Definitely will be looking out for more of her stuff.

I've Got A Crush On You - Stacey Kent

I've got a crush on you, Sweetie pie.
All the day and night-time, hear me sigh
I never had the least notion
That I could fall with so much emotion

Could you coo?
Could you care
For a cunning cottage we could share?
The world will pardon my mush
'Cause I have got a crush, my baby, on you

How glad the many millions
Of Timothys and Williams
Would be to capture me!
But you had such persistence,
You wore down my resistance
I fell, and it was swell

You're my big and brave and handsome Romeo
How I won you, I will never, never know
It's not that you're attractive
but, oh, my heart grew active
When you came into view.

I've got a crush on you, Sweetie pie.
All the day and night-time, hear me sigh
I never had the least notion
That I could fall with so much emotion

Could you coo?
Could you care
For a cunning cottage we could share?
The world will pardon my mush
'Cause I have got a crush, my baby, on you

Yes, I have got a crush, my baby, on you

Note : The YouTube video is audio only so nothing is wrong with your computer!