Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Advent!
Had the most delectable dinner on Sunday night courtesy of Uncle Fred and Vincent :) You definitely can't go wrong with lamb stew, lamb chop, baked potatoes with liberally grated morazella cheese, fried tom yam noodles, chocolate marshmallow and chocolate cheesecake. Of course, there was the vodka and gin to wash things down, followed by a hot cuppa java. Yummy!
Yesterday wasn't too bad, managed to make some headway into a boy's life. Hopefully being the handgun person that I am, I won't make him stumble along the way :P One thing I learnt though - do not take manggo lassi, Black & White combo, and a teh tarik! Retribution came in a trinity :P
This morning at 7.11am was a defining moment in my life. As I was descending to the Youth Park car park, this rotund kid gave way to me and wished, "Good morning, uncle!" It was spoken softly, but strangely I felt that the whole world had heard it. Uncle Kee signing out :(
Had the most delectable dinner on Sunday night courtesy of Uncle Fred and Vincent :) You definitely can't go wrong with lamb stew, lamb chop, baked potatoes with liberally grated morazella cheese, fried tom yam noodles, chocolate marshmallow and chocolate cheesecake. Of course, there was the vodka and gin to wash things down, followed by a hot cuppa java. Yummy!
Yesterday wasn't too bad, managed to make some headway into a boy's life. Hopefully being the handgun person that I am, I won't make him stumble along the way :P One thing I learnt though - do not take manggo lassi, Black & White combo, and a teh tarik! Retribution came in a trinity :P
This morning at 7.11am was a defining moment in my life. As I was descending to the Youth Park car park, this rotund kid gave way to me and wished, "Good morning, uncle!" It was spoken softly, but strangely I felt that the whole world had heard it. Uncle Kee signing out :(
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Brah-rah-rum
Honesty and single-mindedness, two of the traits I most admire and strive my best to attain. Have fallen short of both many a time, more so the latter. What a long journey it is going to be. I'm not quite sure where and when the train would stop but I'll be damned if I haven't learnt anything along the way.
A strong mind pierces the soul, as it laughs at any 'impossible' task set before it. It is just a numbers game, when the principles are correct, the next time I fail is just one step closer to perfection. No trying, just doing and being. Simple rules for living, and yet hard to grasp and difficult to master.
It is time to play Christmas carols already. 2004 is fast fading into the horizon, as the spectre of 2005 looms. Another year of melancholic underachievement, yet the knowledge gained was invaluable. Here's a big shout out to God, my mentors, and the foolish decisions that I've made in helping shape me into who I am today. I'm far from finished, I tell you!
December's going to be a busy month.
Honesty and single-mindedness, two of the traits I most admire and strive my best to attain. Have fallen short of both many a time, more so the latter. What a long journey it is going to be. I'm not quite sure where and when the train would stop but I'll be damned if I haven't learnt anything along the way.
A strong mind pierces the soul, as it laughs at any 'impossible' task set before it. It is just a numbers game, when the principles are correct, the next time I fail is just one step closer to perfection. No trying, just doing and being. Simple rules for living, and yet hard to grasp and difficult to master.
It is time to play Christmas carols already. 2004 is fast fading into the horizon, as the spectre of 2005 looms. Another year of melancholic underachievement, yet the knowledge gained was invaluable. Here's a big shout out to God, my mentors, and the foolish decisions that I've made in helping shape me into who I am today. I'm far from finished, I tell you!
December's going to be a busy month.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
The 1 year itch
Today's the first anniversary of me finding out my alcohol limit. It was supposed to be an exercise in counting the number of drinks I could knock back but my memory fails me...
The pounding headaches, sandpaper tongue, and an extremely dry pair of lips is not something that I want to repeat ever again.
Strange how a year passes by so quickly. The pitter patter of feet and the untold joy on the father's face evokes an emotion felt 3 times in the last 2 and a half decades.
Perhaps, just perhaps, my limit was table 49 out of 65. Time to find out at Gerald's wedding ;)
Today's the first anniversary of me finding out my alcohol limit. It was supposed to be an exercise in counting the number of drinks I could knock back but my memory fails me...
The pounding headaches, sandpaper tongue, and an extremely dry pair of lips is not something that I want to repeat ever again.
Strange how a year passes by so quickly. The pitter patter of feet and the untold joy on the father's face evokes an emotion felt 3 times in the last 2 and a half decades.
Perhaps, just perhaps, my limit was table 49 out of 65. Time to find out at Gerald's wedding ;)
Bite the Bullet
There is an almost bitter, tangerine taste in my mouth. The juice is squeezed out slowly, always in an imperceptible trickle at first. My tastebuds have been violated by the poisonous substance that has haunted me.
Accountability, responsibility, honesty, principles, fear, insecurities, self-esteem, issues. What do I stand on, and where do I go from here? I can go against immutable truths and principles that have been proven since time immemorial and break myself against them, or I can avoid the future pain by walking the path trod by those who have gone before me and learnt it the hard way.
Is it true that the very thing one fears the most will come to pass because of fulfilment of self-prophecy? In the darkness of it all, there is light, and a flicker of hope. That flicker is more than sufficient to see my days through until eternity. In the words of John Wesley just before he gave up his ghost, "The best of all is, God is with us."
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The Palestinian Struggle
What're your views on the Israel-Palestine issue? Why is there much hatred amongst both sides that peace cannot be achieved? If each Arab country can compromise and take some of their Arabian brothers back into their own land, then this bleeding wound can close. Unfortunately, bureaucracy has taken its toll on the process and nobody wants the poor, displaced Palestinians.
With Arafat nearing death (it is interesting to note, however, that he could be dying of AIDS due to his Anwarsque lifestyle), what happens next?
Could Bush be pushing for a coup? "I am become death, the shatterer of worlds."
What're your views on the Israel-Palestine issue? Why is there much hatred amongst both sides that peace cannot be achieved? If each Arab country can compromise and take some of their Arabian brothers back into their own land, then this bleeding wound can close. Unfortunately, bureaucracy has taken its toll on the process and nobody wants the poor, displaced Palestinians.
With Arafat nearing death (it is interesting to note, however, that he could be dying of AIDS due to his Anwarsque lifestyle), what happens next?
Could Bush be pushing for a coup? "I am become death, the shatterer of worlds."
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Damned if you do, damned if you don't!
Feelings can be so hard to control, and when one's emotions are roused the wrong way, words spoken rashly in a moment of madness will fill the cup of regret, and one will have to drink the bitter taste for days to come.
Humans are the biggest problem that ever existed on God's green earth. Ever.
But its ok, as there is always the placating smell of Sky Hotel's Char Siew and Siew Bak Combo® to think about. Ah, happy moments...
Feelings can be so hard to control, and when one's emotions are roused the wrong way, words spoken rashly in a moment of madness will fill the cup of regret, and one will have to drink the bitter taste for days to come.
Humans are the biggest problem that ever existed on God's green earth. Ever.
But its ok, as there is always the placating smell of Sky Hotel's Char Siew and Siew Bak Combo® to think about. Ah, happy moments...
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Dry
My Pastor asked me the other day, "How's work?"
"Enough to put food on the table", my melancholic self replied. Deciding to find out what's behind this amazing man's mind, I shot back. "What about you?"
"Enough to keep everyone quiet."
A wise reply always leaves me in stitches.
My Pastor asked me the other day, "How's work?"
"Enough to put food on the table", my melancholic self replied. Deciding to find out what's behind this amazing man's mind, I shot back. "What about you?"
"Enough to keep everyone quiet."
A wise reply always leaves me in stitches.
Undone
So the Thai PM has screwed up big time, and his actions don't add up with his talk. How can one remedy the situation that left 70 over people dead by just transferring the General in charge of the operations at that time? Its almost Malaysian in a way. Ministers who've boo-booed big time? Simple solution, really, we just reshuffle the Cabinet.
The chickens have come home to roost in the south of Thailand, and these Colonel Sanders candidates are putting up more than a cock fight, already a Buddhist leader has been beheaded by a group of fundamentalists.
Wait till the bombs reach Bangkok, then only will we see more action from Thaksin. If the insurgents are cunning, they could even target one of the many tourist hotspots in Thailand, especially Phuket, and that will send all kwailows helter skelter out from the region, from holiday honeymooners to business investors.
It is not as if this region has enough of its own problems already. It is minor compared to the complex Middle East situation, but our political system is straining under the weight of corruption (to a certain degree at least, every political system has corruption embedded inside), Indonesia's still trying to fend off nationwide poverty, and Thaksin's totally lost the plot. Singapore looks like the only sane one around South East Asia.
With political unrest comes unstability within the region, and that means foreign investors' rather dump their money elsewhere. We need more Jews around! God's blessings follow them wherever they go ;)
If my great-grandad had gone off to America to dig for gold during the Rush, instead of embarking on a journey to this part of the world, I might be running a 4th generation grocery store deep in the heart of Chinatown, giving my full support to John Kerry. Alas, it is not to be, we just have to pray that Pak Lah's opposers can see the big picture for the greater good of the country instead of filling up their own pockets which are brimming with maggots and flies.
How do these people sleep at night, I wonder?
So the Thai PM has screwed up big time, and his actions don't add up with his talk. How can one remedy the situation that left 70 over people dead by just transferring the General in charge of the operations at that time? Its almost Malaysian in a way. Ministers who've boo-booed big time? Simple solution, really, we just reshuffle the Cabinet.
The chickens have come home to roost in the south of Thailand, and these Colonel Sanders candidates are putting up more than a cock fight, already a Buddhist leader has been beheaded by a group of fundamentalists.
Wait till the bombs reach Bangkok, then only will we see more action from Thaksin. If the insurgents are cunning, they could even target one of the many tourist hotspots in Thailand, especially Phuket, and that will send all kwailows helter skelter out from the region, from holiday honeymooners to business investors.
It is not as if this region has enough of its own problems already. It is minor compared to the complex Middle East situation, but our political system is straining under the weight of corruption (to a certain degree at least, every political system has corruption embedded inside), Indonesia's still trying to fend off nationwide poverty, and Thaksin's totally lost the plot. Singapore looks like the only sane one around South East Asia.
With political unrest comes unstability within the region, and that means foreign investors' rather dump their money elsewhere. We need more Jews around! God's blessings follow them wherever they go ;)
If my great-grandad had gone off to America to dig for gold during the Rush, instead of embarking on a journey to this part of the world, I might be running a 4th generation grocery store deep in the heart of Chinatown, giving my full support to John Kerry. Alas, it is not to be, we just have to pray that Pak Lah's opposers can see the big picture for the greater good of the country instead of filling up their own pockets which are brimming with maggots and flies.
How do these people sleep at night, I wonder?
