This has not been the best day of the year so far ... and it should coz it's my "ngau yat"or literally translated "cow's day" or the actual meaning Birthday! :p (Don't ask me why it's called "ngau yat" as my Chinese speaking friends have no idea either!)
Why has it been a bad day?
1. It took me blardy 30 minutes to get out of my condo this morning as the whole road turning into the LDP was stuck. Some idiots decided to ignore the red traffic light and the crossroad under the flyover was all messed up as cars were cutting in from every direction. Grrrrrr ...
2. Finally when I cleared that hurdle, I found that there was a massive jam going into town because some smart aleck decided to have a "raptai" for the city day parade which falls on 1st February. It took me blardy one and the half hours to reach office. Jam! Jam! Jam!
3. I am now having a blinding headache and all I want to do is go home and sleep.
4. I can't go home because I am supposed to be having my performance review today and my boss has yet to call me in.
5. I have a birthday dinner celebration at 8.30pm and I still have no idea if I can reach there on time due to point no. 4. If I don't get there on time, I might piss off my sister royally since she originally wanted to do it on 1st February but I insisted to have the dinner tonight. Sigh!
That's why it is not like any other day ... it's worse.
Now, on to happier thoughts. I am very touched and thankful to my friends and family.
Why?
1. I have been celebrating my "ngau yat" with friends and family since Saturday. There was the Saturday Shangri-la high-tea (thanks Mon), the Saturday Pangkor Fish house dinner (thanks L3), the Sunday Sunway condo joint dinner party (thanks siau gang and birthday boy Manny for doing the cooking) and the Monday The Ship dinner (thanks P1 & bro-in-law). And there's more to come in the next few days!!! :D
2. I have this funky new calendar on "365 Great Things About Getting Older", courtesy of the siau gang.
Today's great thing is: "There are only three ages for women in Hollywood - Babe, District Attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy. - Goldie Hawn"
Why is age always such a great bother for women? Why not men too? Bah!
3. A friend promised me a Balinese birthday massage at Puri Santhi. Yippee! (Thanks Val. Hehehe ...)
4. I received this really nice decorative candle from Tasmania. It's now in my display cabinet. (Thanks L3.) And a nice 5R photo frame for 3 pix in a row from IKEA. Just what I need to put up my Tanzania wild animal photos. (Thanks Mon.) And for all the other pressies that I have received and will be receiving soon (wink! wink! wink!), thanks folks, you're all so sweet. :D
5. I received many sms, email and messenger birthday wishes and also F2F (face to face) birthday wishes today. Thanks folks. I'm touched to be remembered. :)
Alrighty. Speech all done. Head feels better. But still no word from boss.
Back to work and the grindstone!
Cheerios!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
What messages are we conveying to the youths of today?
Bombarded by increasing commercialism and frivolity from the media and a progressively modern society that is more concern with the paper and $$$ chase, I have my fair share of concern over the younger/future generation. Witness blogs like Xiaxue, and reality shows like The Bachelor and The Swan. Note the popularity of Paris Hilton and her reality show, "The Simple Life". What messages are they leaving today's youths?
As if that's not enough, note the increasing number of slimming centres and plastic surgery clinics. Witness young girls who are stick thin and yet still go on diet. Listen to talks of plastic surgery for a nose or boob job as if that's an everyday occurance. It’s no wonder more and more kids grow up with a skewed view of the world.
I remember being approached by a college student in Sunway Pyramid more than a year back. She was doing a survey on what constitutes beauty and self confidence to a woman. As the survey progress, I realised that my answers to her questions were more personal than just a survey.
"Would you rather be pretty or smart?" "Is it easier to get ahead of life if you are pretty compared to being smart?" And so on and so forth.
I can't help but feel that she is trying to find her self worth. When the interview ended she commented, "Thank you. Just one last question and this has nothing to do with the survey. How do you get so confident and at ease with yourself?"
The sad thing is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. No, she is not gorgeous, but she is not ugly. She is neither stick thin, nor voluptuous. She is an average Jill who has a girl next door look. And she was struggling to find her self confidence and self worth amongst a society that is so preoccupied with external or physical beauty. It is tragic. What messages are we conveying to today's youths?
Perhaps Simple Plan sang it best in their song, "Crazy".
"Crazy"
Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look, I see
Young girls dying to be on TV
They won't stop till they've reached their dreams
Diet pills, surgery
Photoshopped pictures in magazines
Telling them how they should be
It doesn't make sense to me
(Is everybody going crazy?
Is anybody gonna save me?
Can anybody tell me what's going on?
Tell me what's going on?
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something is wrong) *
I guess things are not how they used to be
There's no more normal families
Parents act like enemies
Making kids feel like it's World War III
No one cares, no one's there
I guess we're all just too damn busy
And money's our first priority
It doesn't make sense to me
(Repeat * once)
Is everybody going crazy?
Is everybody going crazy?
Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look I see
Rich guys driving big SUVs
While kids are starving in the streets
No one cares
No one likes to share
I guess life's unfair
(Repeat * twice)
I don't envy growing up in today's world. The question is what can we do to help change that?
As if that's not enough, note the increasing number of slimming centres and plastic surgery clinics. Witness young girls who are stick thin and yet still go on diet. Listen to talks of plastic surgery for a nose or boob job as if that's an everyday occurance. It’s no wonder more and more kids grow up with a skewed view of the world.
I remember being approached by a college student in Sunway Pyramid more than a year back. She was doing a survey on what constitutes beauty and self confidence to a woman. As the survey progress, I realised that my answers to her questions were more personal than just a survey.
"Would you rather be pretty or smart?" "Is it easier to get ahead of life if you are pretty compared to being smart?" And so on and so forth.
I can't help but feel that she is trying to find her self worth. When the interview ended she commented, "Thank you. Just one last question and this has nothing to do with the survey. How do you get so confident and at ease with yourself?"
The sad thing is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. No, she is not gorgeous, but she is not ugly. She is neither stick thin, nor voluptuous. She is an average Jill who has a girl next door look. And she was struggling to find her self confidence and self worth amongst a society that is so preoccupied with external or physical beauty. It is tragic. What messages are we conveying to today's youths?
Perhaps Simple Plan sang it best in their song, "Crazy".
"Crazy"
Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look, I see
Young girls dying to be on TV
They won't stop till they've reached their dreams
Diet pills, surgery
Photoshopped pictures in magazines
Telling them how they should be
It doesn't make sense to me
(Is everybody going crazy?
Is anybody gonna save me?
Can anybody tell me what's going on?
Tell me what's going on?
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something is wrong) *
I guess things are not how they used to be
There's no more normal families
Parents act like enemies
Making kids feel like it's World War III
No one cares, no one's there
I guess we're all just too damn busy
And money's our first priority
It doesn't make sense to me
(Repeat * once)
Is everybody going crazy?
Is everybody going crazy?
Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look I see
Rich guys driving big SUVs
While kids are starving in the streets
No one cares
No one likes to share
I guess life's unfair
(Repeat * twice)
I don't envy growing up in today's world. The question is what can we do to help change that?
Cardio! Cardio! Cardio!
I believe I mentioned that the siau gang never do things half measure. Well, once again, I am proven right!
We have been told by the new Siau Club President, Alex (herein known as SCP) to bring along cash payment for en masse registration for the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon on 18th March 2007. Luckily, he did not put our names for the half marathon as per his earlier threat. Thank God for small mercies!
SCP will of course do the half marathon (as expected of every President although Ming escaped that during his tenure), while his cohort, Manny the “hill rabbit” ( :p ) will go for the full marathon. Having witness Manny’s speed and stamina during our Bukit Gasing treks (which he ran instead of trek) left me in no doubt that he would wing this one easily.
Now, the rest of the very fit men and ladies of the siau gang (who averagely work out at least three times a week) will have no sweat in completing the 10 km run in no time. Which leaves ME, the most unfit one who has not gone to a gym in eons (probably more than 3 months), to fend for myself. My only claim to exercise hall of fame is my weekly badminton game and my once in a blue moon weekend trek.
Dang! As 18th March is not that far off, I had to get back to the gym today. Despite being 15 minutes late for combat class, after 15 minutes of high impact cardio, I was out of breath. By the half hour mark, I can feel stitches at my side. Towards the end, after jumping and kicking around for only 45 minutes, I had muscle cramp on my foot. Gee wheeze! Talk about totally out of the fitness and stamina radar.
Nevertheless, the spirit was willing even though the flesh was weak! Really weak! I continued on at the treadmill and managed to run 2.6 km in 20 minutes! At this rate, I’d likely take an hour and a half (if lucky) to complete the 10 km run and I’ll be eating everyone’s dust. Oh boy! I certainly have a lot of work cut out for me.
My mantra for the next few weeks will be, “Think cardio. Think high impact cardio!”
Siau!
We have been told by the new Siau Club President, Alex (herein known as SCP) to bring along cash payment for en masse registration for the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon on 18th March 2007. Luckily, he did not put our names for the half marathon as per his earlier threat. Thank God for small mercies!
SCP will of course do the half marathon (as expected of every President although Ming escaped that during his tenure), while his cohort, Manny the “hill rabbit” ( :p ) will go for the full marathon. Having witness Manny’s speed and stamina during our Bukit Gasing treks (which he ran instead of trek) left me in no doubt that he would wing this one easily.
Now, the rest of the very fit men and ladies of the siau gang (who averagely work out at least three times a week) will have no sweat in completing the 10 km run in no time. Which leaves ME, the most unfit one who has not gone to a gym in eons (probably more than 3 months), to fend for myself. My only claim to exercise hall of fame is my weekly badminton game and my once in a blue moon weekend trek.
Dang! As 18th March is not that far off, I had to get back to the gym today. Despite being 15 minutes late for combat class, after 15 minutes of high impact cardio, I was out of breath. By the half hour mark, I can feel stitches at my side. Towards the end, after jumping and kicking around for only 45 minutes, I had muscle cramp on my foot. Gee wheeze! Talk about totally out of the fitness and stamina radar.
Nevertheless, the spirit was willing even though the flesh was weak! Really weak! I continued on at the treadmill and managed to run 2.6 km in 20 minutes! At this rate, I’d likely take an hour and a half (if lucky) to complete the 10 km run and I’ll be eating everyone’s dust. Oh boy! I certainly have a lot of work cut out for me.
My mantra for the next few weeks will be, “Think cardio. Think high impact cardio!”
Siau!
Friday, January 26, 2007
What is a Jew?
One of the things I miss most from varsity days is hanging out at the mamak and discussing/debating about anything under the sun. Curiously enough, I have rediscovered that with the badminton gang at our weekly Thursday night mamak session.
Random conversation.
Moi: "So what is a Jew? Is it a religion or a group of people?"
BK: "It refers to a group of people."
Moi: "Really? It's not a religion? You mean as a Chinese, I cannot become a Jew?"
BK: "I don't think so."
Moi: "So what religion are Jews? I mean is there a name to the religion?"
BK shrugged.
Moi: "Judaism perhaps?"
BK: "Isn't Judaism a religion for Judas followers?"
Moi: "Err .. I have no idea."
OK. So this converging of minds didn't really work out. But curiousity got the better of me and here are some facts.
According to Wikipedia:
Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים, Yehudim; Yiddish: ייִדן, Yidn) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish Nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and from converts who joined their religion. The term also includes those who have undergone an officially recognized formal process of religious conversion to Judaism.
Judaism shares some of the characteristics of a nation, an ethnicity, a religion, and a culture, making the definition of who is a Jew vary slightly depending on whether a religious or national approach to identity is used. For discussions of the religious views on who is a Jew and how these views differ from each other, please see Who is a Jew?.
Generally, in modern secular usage, Jews include three groups:
1. people who practice Judaism and have a Jewish ethnic background (sometimes including those who do not have strictly matrilineal descent),
2. people without Jewish parents who have converted to Judaism; and
3. those Jews who, while not practicing Judaism as a religion, still identify themselves as Jewish by virtue of their family's Jewish descent and their own cultural and historical identification with the Jewish people.
Thus from the above definition I infer that I can become a Jew if I embrace Judaism.
Right?
Random conversation.
Moi: "So what is a Jew? Is it a religion or a group of people?"
BK: "It refers to a group of people."
Moi: "Really? It's not a religion? You mean as a Chinese, I cannot become a Jew?"
BK: "I don't think so."
Moi: "So what religion are Jews? I mean is there a name to the religion?"
BK shrugged.
Moi: "Judaism perhaps?"
BK: "Isn't Judaism a religion for Judas followers?"
Moi: "Err .. I have no idea."
OK. So this converging of minds didn't really work out. But curiousity got the better of me and here are some facts.
According to Wikipedia:
Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים, Yehudim; Yiddish: ייִדן, Yidn) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish Nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and from converts who joined their religion. The term also includes those who have undergone an officially recognized formal process of religious conversion to Judaism.
Judaism shares some of the characteristics of a nation, an ethnicity, a religion, and a culture, making the definition of who is a Jew vary slightly depending on whether a religious or national approach to identity is used. For discussions of the religious views on who is a Jew and how these views differ from each other, please see Who is a Jew?.
Generally, in modern secular usage, Jews include three groups:
1. people who practice Judaism and have a Jewish ethnic background (sometimes including those who do not have strictly matrilineal descent),
2. people without Jewish parents who have converted to Judaism; and
3. those Jews who, while not practicing Judaism as a religion, still identify themselves as Jewish by virtue of their family's Jewish descent and their own cultural and historical identification with the Jewish people.
Thus from the above definition I infer that I can become a Jew if I embrace Judaism.
Right?
Monday, January 22, 2007
The Different faces of the Siau Gang
It was barely two years ago that this crazy group of gym goers got together and christianed ourselves "the siau gang". And like all friendships and relationships, we had our fair share of ups and downs. From 'impossible' cardio activities, juvenile antics, huge gastronomic get togethers, inappropriate conversational topics, ... to extreme disagreement and blow-ups, ... we have never really done things half measure. Frankly, I never expected the friendship to have such staying power. But thanks to a few folks in the group (you know who you are), the group prevailed in spite of our differences.
Recently a key member got hitched and everyone pitched in to "help". Whether we actually helped more than we confused the wedding couple was questionable ... and up to individual interpretation ... but we certainly had a jolly good time "helping out"! :) You can read the step by step naration of the events leading to the wedding from this site. But fair warning, whatever you read from the site is from the eyes and interpretation of the narator and may be exaggerated. :P
In any case, I finally got hold of the wedding photos tonight. While looking through some of the pictures taken during the wedding, I can't help but compare them to our previous pictures. Boy! We certainly look very different all decked up.
Thanks folks for all the fun and the craziness! Here's a walk down memory lane.
To Friendship!
Young, fresh and innocent-looking (taken at my place in early 2005)
The Gluttony (taken during potluck dinner at my place in 2005)
Coming of Age (taken during Alex's birthday in 2005)
Another round of gluttony (taken during New Year 2006 celebration)
All in the Siau Gang family (taken during Ming's "retrieve the bride" ceremony last week)
The Wedding Reception (taken during Ming's Wedding Dinner last week)
Siau Gang Chuen Kar Fook 14 Jan 2007
Recently a key member got hitched and everyone pitched in to "help". Whether we actually helped more than we confused the wedding couple was questionable ... and up to individual interpretation ... but we certainly had a jolly good time "helping out"! :) You can read the step by step naration of the events leading to the wedding from this site. But fair warning, whatever you read from the site is from the eyes and interpretation of the narator and may be exaggerated. :P
In any case, I finally got hold of the wedding photos tonight. While looking through some of the pictures taken during the wedding, I can't help but compare them to our previous pictures. Boy! We certainly look very different all decked up.
Thanks folks for all the fun and the craziness! Here's a walk down memory lane.
To Friendship!
Young, fresh and innocent-looking (taken at my place in early 2005)
The Gluttony (taken during potluck dinner at my place in 2005)
Coming of Age (taken during Alex's birthday in 2005)
Another round of gluttony (taken during New Year 2006 celebration)
All in the Siau Gang family (taken during Ming's "retrieve the bride" ceremony last week)
The Wedding Reception (taken during Ming's Wedding Dinner last week)
Siau Gang Chuen Kar Fook 14 Jan 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Looking for American Idol Bloggers
Talk about the power of the World Wide Web or perhaps the power of search engines!
I received the following email today, inviting me to join the American Idol Bloggers as they "supposedly" came across my site while searching for bloggers who blog about American Idol.
I couldn't recall ever posting such a blog. I had to "google" the following "Leanne's Say"+"American Idol" to get to the page on my blog that mentioned American Idol.
Guess what?! It was in the following post on ... OLD MAN'S CLUB
I only had the following two lines stating the words "American Idol" ...
"Getting sick of watching American Idol on national TV? Need a dose of a little more excitement? "
"I’d rather spend Friday night watching the hunks in the gym having a go at the weights or watching the gorgeous “Ace” belting away on American Idol."
Hahaha ... Guess it doesn't take much to qualify as an American Idol Blogger!!!
Anyone interested? :)
I received the following email today, inviting me to join the American Idol Bloggers as they "supposedly" came across my site while searching for bloggers who blog about American Idol.
I couldn't recall ever posting such a blog. I had to "google" the following "Leanne's Say"+"American Idol" to get to the page on my blog that mentioned American Idol.
Guess what?! It was in the following post on ... OLD MAN'S CLUB
I only had the following two lines stating the words "American Idol" ...
"Getting sick of watching American Idol on national TV? Need a dose of a little more excitement? "
"I’d rather spend Friday night watching the hunks in the gym having a go at the weights or watching the gorgeous “Ace” belting away on American Idol."
Hahaha ... Guess it doesn't take much to qualify as an American Idol Blogger!!!
Anyone interested? :)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Goodbye 2006, Hello 2007
A Happy Belated 2007 to all. Yes, it’s been a month since I last blogged. Busy at work, busy travelling, busy holidaying … yes to all that. At times, there was so much I wanted to express. At others, the mind was a veritable desert.
The change of calendar year came and went without much fanfare. I was in Surabaya with a friend but instead of celebrating the occasion (as we originally planned); we almost slept through the event (or non event) due to exhaustion. We were woken up by the sound of fireworks, rushed out of the backpackers in time to observe the final few seconds of 2006 slipping away.
I have not had much time to reflect on 2006 nor was I driven to make any new resolutions for 2007 since then. I realise that I should not view a change in calendar year to reflect upon what had occurred but to review events in my life by the blocks of time I have invested in them.
“Does the end justify the means? Is the ROI (Return on Investment) worthy of the time, effort and emotional sacrifice? Have I been so focussed on the results that I have forgotten to enjoy the journey? Have I been swayed to take the easier path instead of standing state fast in my beliefs? Have I played it safe for too many years?”
These are but a few thoughts that have been running through my head. More and more I wonder if the path of independence was the right one to take. If I do not lean on me, can I trust someone else (divine presence excluded) to lean on or to champion my cause? If I change that, am I changing the core of “who I am”?
Stephen Covey spoke of the three stages in life; when we first came into the world, we were dependent. Then when we grew to adulthood, we wanted independence. But along the path of life, we will recognise that we need to live interdependently. Perhaps it is time to let go of that independence, throw caution to the wind, and welcome interdependence into my life. It’s a big step for me, and I am not sure I am ready for that.
Well, goodbye 2006 and helloooo 2007.
The change of calendar year came and went without much fanfare. I was in Surabaya with a friend but instead of celebrating the occasion (as we originally planned); we almost slept through the event (or non event) due to exhaustion. We were woken up by the sound of fireworks, rushed out of the backpackers in time to observe the final few seconds of 2006 slipping away.
I have not had much time to reflect on 2006 nor was I driven to make any new resolutions for 2007 since then. I realise that I should not view a change in calendar year to reflect upon what had occurred but to review events in my life by the blocks of time I have invested in them.
“Does the end justify the means? Is the ROI (Return on Investment) worthy of the time, effort and emotional sacrifice? Have I been so focussed on the results that I have forgotten to enjoy the journey? Have I been swayed to take the easier path instead of standing state fast in my beliefs? Have I played it safe for too many years?”
These are but a few thoughts that have been running through my head. More and more I wonder if the path of independence was the right one to take. If I do not lean on me, can I trust someone else (divine presence excluded) to lean on or to champion my cause? If I change that, am I changing the core of “who I am”?
Stephen Covey spoke of the three stages in life; when we first came into the world, we were dependent. Then when we grew to adulthood, we wanted independence. But along the path of life, we will recognise that we need to live interdependently. Perhaps it is time to let go of that independence, throw caution to the wind, and welcome interdependence into my life. It’s a big step for me, and I am not sure I am ready for that.
Well, goodbye 2006 and helloooo 2007.
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