My Dad

January'11 seems to be a tough one for me and my family. My dad has been hospitalized since last Tuesday due to Pneumonia. We pray so that his body will respond well with the treatment and so that he will recover soon. I never thought that he will ever have this illness because he seldom falling sick. It started with a normal flu, but he ignored it. His conditioned worsened and he started to have continuous fever and refused food. He became very weak and hardly talk or responds verbally. 

We decided to have him admitted to the hospital and thanks to God, his condition is improving but still need to undergo several tests and treatment since he still have fever. The doctor said that he need to change his antibiotic to specifically kill the bacteria which has infected his blood/lung. Our prayer be always with him and my family even though me and wife are not there due to distance and working commitment.

In the meantime, I am happy and grateful to God for answering my prayer, so that my dad will be baptized one day. Yesterday at 1pm, he was baptized and was given a christian name as Abel. May God bless all of us and protect us from any evil.

Proceed on: "My Dad"

My Ear

I still remember my first ear infection happened about 2 years ago when I was still working in KL. I went to SJMC to get it fixed by a mid-aged doctor, whom I think is a good one because he knew that I had a similar infection during my childhood. He explained properly what is wrong with my ear, about how abnormal my eardrum look like (slightly pushed down or retracted) and about a possible infection in future. (This cost me almost RM 300)

After that, I had a slight hearing loss due to flu. But after fully recovered, I still experienced slight block in my left ear. I went back to the same doctor, and he suggested me to perform audiology test. The test came out to be OK.. just a mild hearing loss. He checked my ear, and both was in a good condition. Of course my ear drum still stay the same lah (Retracted). (This cost me RM 200++)

Then the third infection happened when I was in Penang. My friend (Frankie) suggested me to go to Lam Wah Ee Hospital but I end up went to Pantai Hospital. (My reason was because I have no confident with with Lam Wah Ee). This is just my personal opinion though. If you asked me why I have no confidence, I will say it because of the webpage and the hospital name itself which is not appealing. So, I linked them to their expertise. haha... I know I made a poor judgement and unfair, but that is how I look at things at the first place. I hope nobody will come after to sue me. You can think which one is better for you... The choice is all yours.

Back to Pantai Hospital, the ENT consultant mentioned about my blocked ear was due to excessive wax. There was no infection at all. Just waxes. I asked her (even though I knew it) why such thing can happened? She said I had an abnormal ear drum. My ear will easily collecting dirt and the same problem might happen again in future. I told her that when I blow my nose, sometimes I can feel an air flow coming out of my ear. I think she laughed. So, I left and it feels better except the buzzing sound (Tinnitus) still continues. But it happened once in a while only. (This cost me around RM150)

Then the problem came up again right after the Penang Bridge Marathon last year. I guess the water had got into my ears and stuck in there as it was raining heavily during the marathon. It started to produce foul-smell and slight pain around my neck area and head. I thought that it must be due to excessive wax and infection. I almost sure. Then I went to see the ENT in Damai Specialist, KK.

The consultant was not friendly. He asked me to turn my chair left and right to get my ear checked. After that he asked me to lie down and use his 'table light' to check my ear (It looks like a reading light though so dont blame me). What the heck, I thought they should have their special chair to perform the procedures. What is the purpose of paying so damn expensive if they don't have the best equipment at hand? I told him my problematic ear is at the left side and could be due to excessive wax... He said, ohh well, ur right ear even worse!

I try to share with him my past experience with other ENTs and what the problem might be alike... and he was giving me a smile like "Oh really? dont bluff me u r not a doctor".... then straight away asking me to perform audiology check after he cleans up the waxes. I asked him whether any sign of infection or not, and he said no.... he was very sure of his own opinion and not asking me what had I feel about it? The pain and foul-smell was still there when I left the clinic. (This has cost me RM 140)

I went for the audiology test and as I expected, the result shows that I have a mild hearing lost. So, thank you for wasting my RM50 to do this test. So, I started to think that this ENT was wrong about me. So I wanted a second opinion. I went to the other ENT consultant at SMC a few days later.

This ENT seems good. He talked a lot, gave good information about what have went wrong. Checked and snap a photo to compare my ear drum with a normal one. Checked my Eustachian tube which he concluded to be ok. He advised me that I should do regular check up to prevent the problem from happening again. He said my condition now does not require operation. It's called Adhesive Otitis Media with retraction pocket and told me that this could lead to Cholesteatoma which will definitly need a surgery if not being taking care off well.

I told him that my ear is still painful and somehow have yellow discharge especially early in the morning. He said, "Oh it might be due to flu just continue the flu medication you are having right now. There was no discharge". I am relieved but still puzzled why my ear was still painful. But, I just wana live with it since these two ENTs already confirmed that nothing serious with my ear. I took my own effort to buy an antibiotic eardrop and put it inside my ear. Surprisingly, the foul-smelly thing has gone. (They charge me RM 220)

After arriving in Singapore, my flu has completely recovered. But then I still feel slight discomfort of my ear and the yellow discharge still continues especially every morning. So last Thursday I went to see my company doctor and he said there is a chronic infection in my ear and referred me to the ENT at Tan Tock Seng medical center and locked the appointment date on Thursday this week. 

Then the worst part came. While enjoying weekend drink with my wife, suddenly there was a sharp pain followed by blood discharge from my left ear. I was really shocked by this and wondered what exactly happened inside my ear. The pain continued until midnight until I can't bear it anymore, I went to the nearby clinic around 1245am. I asked the doctor to refer me to the A&E (Accident & Emergency) immediately but according to him the ENT will only available on Monday. So he released a memo to put my appointment ahead on Monday. Instead of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, I decided to go to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. (Dunno why the name is very confusing) since its nearer to the place I stayed. (This cost me SGD 112) + A&E registration of SGD80.

So today, I was at KTP hospital. I requested for a senior consultant but since I didnt make any appointment, they assigned me to any doctor available. I ended up having this young associate consultant which I have doubt whether he knows what he is doing or not. As usual, he asked if I got any drug allergy or not,bla bla bla... then he clean up the waxes and blood. But he never said anything where the blood come from. He just mentioned that it was just an infection and put some antibiotic inside my ear.. He didn't even mention about my abnormal ear drum. I am questioning myself again n again... did he really knows what he is doing? I paid another SDG 100++ for this and being asked to come back in 2 weeks time for follow up checking.

I am not sure how long this problem will continue, but I am tired of seeking ENT for the same problem over and over again.... see what happen in 2 weeks time.

Proceed on: "My Ear"

My Memorable Wedding & Year 2010

I think I will write about my wedding as my last post for Year 2010 rather than talking about a new resolution. FYI, I never achieve my 2 goals for 2010 which is to learn Japanese language and adobe photoshop :) hehe...

I just went back from another wedding reception at the Bride's side yesterday and it was actually fun and exciting. I believe it will be more fun if I don't have sore throat. Because of that, I cannot sing at all.. I enjoyed the dance as well though as the crowd were different compare to the other reception held at Le Meridien Hotel.

I am happy because everything went well. Thanks to God for the good weather, for making the preparation went smooth without rushing here and there. The wedding was simple. It was not the perfect one, but we did our best out of it. We enjoyed every moment of it from the pre-wedding photoshoot until the final reception. Some things happened out of our expectation, but it looked good in the end.

I am now a happy married guy. I will continue giving thanks to God for giving me more than what I asked. I think it is a good ending for year 2010. Not forgetting to all my family, relatives and friend who help to make this wedding a most memorable wedding for both of us. We love you all :)

As we are still in year 2010, me and my wife, Cecilia want to take this time to wish you all a Happy New Year 2011!

Proceed on: "My Memorable Wedding & Year 2010"

Mr Rayns' Updates

Sighhh! Its been a looongg longgg time since my last visit/update on my own blog. I hardly find any time to post update nor to visit others blog too. There is only one reason for this... which is my work. For the past 3 months, it has been very challenging and difficult for me to do my work in my new company. A lot of issues have to be settled and yet i still struggling to learn and at the same time solving the issues.

I found it very difficult to make progress here because expectation is high from everybody. Little guidance is provided (compare to the previous company I worked before) and the process is much more complicated as it is hidden inside the machine. Sometime I just feel exhausted and thinking  about giving up. But deep inside me, I know that this is the right choice for me regardless of the suffering I have to endure.

It's really tough.... I lost control of my life.... It was the lowest point of my life ever. I was lucky my fiancee is here so I can share things with her. So, it helps a lot to keep me on track. When things like this happened, I cannot help myself from thinking, why I left my previous company in KL? I had a very comfortable life there. Learning is never been that easy for me. But here? its a total opposite!

But that was 2-3 months back. At this time of writing, I am glad because I stayed. I started to pick things. Everything started to make sense for me. I started to gain control over my work, which mean a total control of my life as well. I foresee that things is very easy here, as long as you know what you are doing and you know how to do it right.

All in all, I am looking forward to work here. Some ppl might see me as a dumb person... well, I have to accept that before but not forever. Sometime you have to be dumb in order to survive.... just make sure you know  ur direction and intention....The say goes as "Difficult times never last, but tough ppl do". This is such an inspiration for me to be tough, because I believe that difficult times is just temporary. 

Cukuplah sia berfalsafah... my last word is..."Tunggu lah kamurang"... I meant it in a good way...  dont get me wrong.

Proceed on: "Mr Rayns' Updates"

The Training

Today is the most interesting day I ever have in my company.... Why? Because I attended one whole day training about Integrated Circuit and wafer fabrication processes. I love it because now everything seems to make sense for me. Before this, I was kinda confused about processes which they called as implant, diffusion, etching, litho bla bla bla... I don’t really know what is being discussed during the meeting as I failed to visualize the purpose of having these processes.

I went to the clean room for many times, and yet since it is a highly automated system over there, I can only see the ‘surface’ of it. The whole processes is confined into a big machine which made it almost impossible to see how the machine working on the wafers. The trainer is very experienced as she relates her explanation with things connected to daily life. So, it’s easy for us to understand.

Overall, it’s a very interesting topic, and now I know how to relate things like chip size and processing speed, which I have been wondering all this while. The same goes to terms like nano technology, duo core, Celeron etc and how exactly this very tiny chip is being developed from layer to layer until it becomes usable to their intended end product.

It’s very interesting!

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "The Training"

The Standard

I am a current customer for both Digi & Starhub. Being a customer for these two service provider, I tend to compare about which one is doing better. I definitely give my vote to Digi. In terms of customer service, Digi has been doing a very good and professional job - in terms of answering call, use of language; Digi is more friendly and lead the conversation towards solving the problem. Starhub on the other hand are lacking of these traits.

In terms of waiting time to get to talk to the customer service officer, Digi response is much faster compare to Starhub. In my experience, I can reach DG customer service in less than 2 minutes while it took around 8-23 minutes for Starhub to respond to their customer call. This is totally unacceptable! Digi has also been very flexible in terms of converting from postpaid to prepaid and vice versa, while that is not the case for the latter.

Needless to say more, I love DIGI.

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "The Standard"

My Iphone 4

Last week there was a promotion for iphone sign up with corporate price held at my company. I decided to sign up for it as I think it is quite affordable here. As for the corporate rate, I chose a plan which includes 300 minutes talk time and a 12 GB data plan. I signed up for 2 years contract and will have to pay SGD 45/month for the current plan I have chosen. 

I am quite happy with my new iphone as I can get connected to the internet anytime I wish to. No more boredom while waiting inside the MRT or bus. I can always chat, FB'ing and read news to kill time.

Proceed on: "My Iphone 4"

The Selfishness.

In Singapore, train is the main transportation other than bus and taxi. Anyhow due to the high-dense population, it is very rare to find an empty seat inside the train unless you board at the first station. It happened to me yesterday, after done my work out in Chevron House I was thinking about how to get a seat since it takes about 45 minutes for me to reach my destination. I just feel too tired and I don't think I want to stand along the way.

So, I decided to go to the last station, which is just one station away so I can grab my seat first. I am so relieved when everybody alighted at the last station. There were so many seats to be chosen and I was thinking which seat to be taken. Usually the first seat which is nearer to the exit/entrance is reserved for the needy (the elderly, pregnant women, adults with kids etc). I was thinking that if I choose those seats, I will have to give them up to these  peoples when they come in. 

So, I chose the middle one which is further from the exit/entrance because for what so ever reason, I don't want to give up my seat. Anyhow, It is still a norm for the people here to give their seat if the reserved one is fully occupied, especially to the elderly. Due to this, I closed my eyes and listen to my music because I don't want to see anyone who potentially needs the seat and have the guilt of not giving my seat to them.

As expected, the train is really packed along the way but I got to sit for the whole journey. Am I being selfish here? :).... I believed so. I feel bad.... and to make myself feel better I came up with my own reasoning;

" Everyone is well aware of the situation here and should expect the least to get any seat while boarding the train"

I believe everybody can understand why they have to stand in the train and it requires some extra effort to get a seat... as an example, go the the first station and the journey is all yours. :) hehehe

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "The Selfishness."

EP

I just got my employment pass yesterday after been waiting for abt 2 weeks. It's important to have this card because it serves as our ID. Everything requires that as a proof of identification. It makes thing easier too... there is no need to bring my passport around anymore...  :)

After collecting my card, my frens n I went to the gym. Since I have several free 1 month pass, so I gave it to them so they can work out with me. One of them is quite experienced  gym-er.  He acted as my personal trainer. And yes, it was working. I can feel the effect and this morning when I wake up, the pain is all over my body... Thought of taking MC tomorrow, but I am still new. So have to bear with it.

I just bought a return ticket to Penang for the PBIM. It cost me about 800++ for two person. Now I am looking for an accommodation. Hope to get a cheaper one. It's 930 now... I better prepare myself to go to church as I might want to walk around in the afternoon.....

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "EP"

16 September 2010

Today is Malaysia day. Today is the birth date of Malaysia. 31 August 1957 is the independence day for Malaya, but not for Sabah & Sarawak. These two states does not gained independence from Malaysia, but they join together to form Malaysia. Sabahan and Sarawakian must not cnfuse themself... there are a lot of news out there keep on mentioning that Sabah & Sarawak gained independence by joining Malaysia. I used to think like that for many years. And I was wrong.

When I look at my own state, I simply do not understand why my very own people have not change their mind. Why they do not look around them, what the are lacking of, what had been robbed from them by the federal government of Malaysia. Why they are too good until the extent of just accepting the fact and fate that they have enough.... They need no more... as long as they can feed themselves and their family...it is enough... what a complacent attitude.

Sabah and Sarawak are rich in resources, and yet their wealth is being taken and left to be among the most poorest states in Malaysia. Development in Sabah is among the slowest. I spent about 20 years of my life in Sabah and another 8 years in Peninsular. I do not need anybody to tell me what the difference between this two region. I experienced it myself.... about how fortunate those peoples living in the Peninsular... From infrastructure, transportation, job market etc.... they are far much better than us.... 

There are a lot of Sabahans and Sarawakians professional working in Peninsular because there were no jobs for them at their hometown. Most of the time, they have to choose between family and career. If they choose to be near with  family, they have to bear taking jobs with low salary and doing jobs that does not match their qualification. So many of they choose their career over family. It doesn't mean they ignore their family though. It's because they loved them, they decided to go and look for a better future.

Anyhow, I think we have not learn. Because the seeds of complacency is very much rooted in our life. Thats why, the BN government still happily and without  shame robbing us and raped our rights. We simply do not care. We are their fixed deposit maaaa..... 

What I am trying to say here is that we must tell them that we can choose and we will choose the best. We are not depending to any ruling party, but they depends on us. They must know what we want, and they must know the consequences if they do not give what is rightfully belong to us. And when I say "us" i mean the whole people of Sabah. Not for specific race as commonly practiced in the peninsular. That's why they need 1Malaysia. 

So remember...... we have the power to choose. Choose what is the best for our future. Give our children a better place to live :)

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "16 September 2010"

New Life in Singapore

It's been about 2 weeks since I arrived in Singapore. I just got my internet broadband yesterday, so I can start blogging again. After all life is not bad over here, at least for me.. I heard a lots of unpleasant things prior of leaving... i.e too strict, no freedom, cannot do this, cannot do that, cost of living very high etc....

I am not in exception, but as usual, I don't allow my judgment to be overshadowed by those remarks.... I used to think about the suffering I will have to endure  without my car, about have to get up early in the morning, about having to start over to build my network again and all those sort of "What If" questions which popping out of my mind most of the time.

It was not easy for me to make this decision, but as usual, I prayed. Thanks God, after about 2 weeks over here, everything seems to be alright.... work wise, well, ppl seems to be able to accept me even not all of them. You know, some people are mentally unstable, how good or friendly you trying to be, they just ignore you or pretend like you does not exist. But, that's just a small matter. Most important thing now is to find my footing.

Living cost? I would say it's cheaper compare to Malaysia if we compare dollar to dollar. In KL my average 1 day meal expenses like Breakfast -RM 2.5 (canteen food), Lunch - RM5-8(Including drinks) and dinner easily about RM6-8. So 1 day meals can reach up to RM16 - 18/day. But in Singapore, my breakfast is only $0.8 (Free tea and coffee).... my lunch and dinner hardly exceed $5 respectively (normal hawker shop).. so all in all its about $8-10.

What abt other things? I would say general items here are relatively cheaper. (Based on my experience) Energizer battery (2pcs) is $1.6 compare to RM 4, my favorite choclate is $4.5 compare to RM 8.3, KFC snake plate is $6.7 compare to RM9, shower cream is $4 compare to RM7 etc... There are lots more items which I found cheaper here..... Beer? believe me its only around $2.3/can (tiger  n carls)... Even with this price, they claimed it still expensive.

The only thing that I found quite expensive here is the accommodation. I am renting a common room at $700/mth for couple. Earlier I thought it was reasonable, anyhow many of  friends of mine told me otherwise. So, I am waiting until everything is stable first before making the next move. Some more, the environment is quite comfortable here. So will decide later on whether wana move out or not.

Transportation is very convenient and systematic. I thought I will feel isolated without my car ready at hand, but no... there are ample access to buses and trains as well. You can go almost everywhere as the transportation is well connected. You only need to know which bus to take. For MRT, its quite straight forward.

Lastly, I am getting my internet broadband at $27/month for 2.0Mbps speed. Do you know how much we have to pay for half of the speed in Malaysia? Its about 100 plusss.... The highest speed available here is 7.2 Mbps with monthly subscription of $41....cheap and affordable right?

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "New Life in Singapore"

Parasailing

Today my Fiancee and I went to Sutera Harbour Sea Quest for a Parasailing activity. Upon arrival, we were informed that we cannot do it because the weather was not good for such activity. We were a bit disappointing and just about to leave when the person in charge made an effort to ask his supervisor (I guess) whether they can accomodate one slot for us. Thank God, they were willing to give us a shot and we were good to go.

We boarded the boat, put our life jacket on, surrendered our watches, handphone and car key to be kept by the operators. The only thing that I didn't give is my wallet. I put it on my front pocket. Why? because I didnt remember how much money left inside.

I don't really know how to explain the feelings... it's better for you to go and try it yourself... I guess it's similar like flying by plane, only not surrounded by composite wall and with low speed... Those of you who interested to give it a try, hopefully the following info will help:

Watersport: Parasailing

Location: Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu - Look for Sea Quest at Marina Club

Price: RM 180 (We were told that doing this in an adjacent island is much cheaper)

Contact: 6088 248006

Besides parasailing, there are others water sport they have to offer like Jet Ski, Banana Rides, Wake Boarding, Water Skiing, Ocean Kayak etc... Cheers...

P/S: If anything valuable dropped into the sea, there is no way you can find it back. So, don't bring unnecessary things together. Be as simple as possible...

Proceed on: "Parasailing"

A day trip to SG

At 4am yesterday, we (my roomate and I) drove our way to Singapore. Reached JB check point around 8am, and drove along the causeway towards SG check point. After filling up the 'white card' we went to the VEP/Autopass counter for car registration and obtained the autopass card.

The registration was quite smooth, as it took less that 30mins for the whole process. After that, we continue our journey to this strange island. We have no idea where to go. Luckily I have my GPS with me. The traffic light system was confusing. But we managed to get through that even with so many illegal turning.

I made 5 appointments for the room viewing, but have shortlisted 2 of them as my top priority. At 10 am, we went to the first HDB unit. The HDB unit have 5 rooms in which 2 are empty.  The owner is a mid-aged lady whose husband is a Caucasian. She was nice and friendly. She did most of the talking, explaining about the background of the existing tenants, and everything about the whole units. I hardly ask questions.

She have 2 rooms available. One single room to be rented at SGD 500, and another much bigger room at the rate of SGD700. Both fully furnished, complete with aircon, 2 wardrobes, writing table and a TV set. The only thing that I have to provide on my own is  internet. 

The environment is quiet, as other tenants are not in the house most of the time.  Even though I like the bigger room and satisfied with the overall condition and environment, I decided to hold on first as I would like to see what other rooms look like. 

I proceeded to the second unit. This unit is a new HDB. The owner is a China Guy (PR). The room is new, fully furnished as well with writing table, a wardrobe and the bed set is impressive. Room size is a bit smaller compare to the first one. The living room was damn big. Its 3-4 times bigger compare to the latter. Anyhow, he is  renting out at SGD 800/mth. As I still wana view another units, I hold on and promise to get back

It would be very difficult for me to choose, if both room offered the same rent rate. Honestly, I would prefer the second unit in terms of design and style. Some more, it located closer to the MRT station. Anyhow in terms of overall convenience, I would prefer the first unit. 

I still have 3 units to go, but I was kinda tired and I feel that I already found what I really want. Soon after that, one of the agent called to inform me that his unit have already taken out. I checked on my list. Two more left; which is another agent and a guy living with his mother.

I decided to cancel my appointment with the agent to avoid paying the agent fee. Some more, he is not that attentive during the whole process. Maybe he got a lot more potential tenants who is willing to pay with higher rate. So I dropped him from my list. I got one to go. I tried to recall how this person suppose to be like. I tried to use my 'sixth sense' to get the overall picture of his unit and the environment as well :).... Then, I remembered the day before... during a phone call with him. I heard his mom shouting out of somewhere. Then he talked about ghost festival which made me uncomfortable.

So, I concluded, I should drop this option because:

1. It gonna be noisy. The mom must be very strict and there are many restrictions to follow

2. I might be not comfortable with some of the traditional practices.

Did I purposely creating this excuses? Well, I leave it to all readers to decide.

I returned to the first unit, told the mid-aged lady that I choose to rent her room. I paid the deposit immediately, get the receipt and closed the deal. I didn't expect it and a bit surprised when the owner told me to list out items that I would like them to buy for the room. It seems that everything is there... what more i need?

They said, I need to tell them what kind of mattress I would like to have? soft? with spring? firm type? In other words, they will provide everything new including the bed frame. They asked me to discuss with my fiancee about our preferences as they believe she will have more preferences than me. I was kinda surprised, they pay attention in such details. but, its a good thing by the way.

We managed to drive around the city after the viewings. Earlier we plan to stay overnight in a cheap hotel. But, we cannot find a parking... or probably there were parking but we did not know how to find it. We decided to go back to KL the very same day. This is my third time having a day return trip to Singapore... and the most tiring one.

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "A day trip to SG"

Men's Health 2010 Run Result (My result)

It was rainy evening. I woke up at 6.13 pm and rushed to shower. I did realized that I already late. Not to mentioned that I sent my running shirt to the laundry. After picked them up, we (Me n my roommate) left house around 7pm. Federal highway was slow moving. I took the emergency lane hoping that there were no police around. Some more it was raining.

Upon reaching the highway, I sped off up to 140km/hr (max). I am very proud of my kelisa .... its still doing a good job for me. Still young and kicking.. kekke ... So I arrived at Putrajaya around 740pm.... change everything inside the car and went straight to the starting point..... Luckily I managed to pee.

I felt good. Everything is nice as it wasn't raining in Putrajaya. As usual I put my music on... Once I passed the gantry point, I look at my watch... its 2-3 minutes pass 8pm.... So just assume I started at 8pm.... Route were smooth, sometimes a bit hilly... Scenery was great... I was astonished when I passed through the bridge. It was beautiful....

There were some point where I  felt tired, slight muscle cramp and pain di bawah perut. But thank God, it slowly disappear.  When I saw the distance marker (Another 3 km to go), I looked at my watch. It was 850pm. I remembered that it was what I trained myself for.... 20 minutes to complete 3km.. So, its a good estimate that in 20 minutes I will reach the finishing line. I try to run faster and faster....

Approximately 9.10 pm, I reached the finishing line. I got my cert without name printed on it. But, WHERE IS MY MEDAL??? I realized that even with 70 minutes to complete 12.3 Km, is not good enough to be on the Top 85. But never mind. This is my best time so far.... I am happy for it, even though I might not be able to maintain it in a long distance run.

THESE ARE WHAT I GOT

Pics are blur since my camera phone is not that good to capture picture during nite time.

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "Men's Health 2010 Run Result (My result)"

Mens Health Run 2010

Tomorrow I will be joining the Men's Health Run 2010 which will be held in Putrajaya. One of the main attraction of this event for me is this:

Every participant will receive a goodie bag* containing: • A Men’s Health bag • A Runner’s tee** from Reebok worth RM79 • Nature Valley® Crunchy Granola Bars • BIC® Easy Clic (Starter Kit) & BIC® 3 Shaver (pack of 2) worth RM10 • Johnson Fitness Sports Towel • 3 bottles of Clear Men 30ml Shampoo • 3 bottles of Clear Anti-Dandruff 30ml Shampoo • Naturale Choice Veggie Snackl • Juice Works Free Drink Voucher worth RM10 • Kenko 30mins Fish Spa Voucher worth RM38 • NT-Flam™ 5’s • Perskindol sachets & Guardian voucher worth RM5 off Perskindol range of products • TruDtox Tea Bag • 7-UP Revive 325ml • Bleu Mineral Water 600ml • True Fitness 14-Day Membership:

I got my runner's race pack yesterday. The T-shirt design by the way is kinda weird. I feel like a "Gaban" wearing that. Some more its thicker and heavier compare to PBIM Shirt. Luckily it's just 12.3 KM away. As relieving as it may sound, only the first 85 runners will receive qualifying medal.

So, the big question is... AM I GOING TO BE AMONG THE 85? Well, I don't know. But I set my target to complete in 70 minutes. Whether this 70 minutes/12.3 KM will qualify me for a medal, I don't know. I will try to push and maintained my speed at 11-12 km/hr. Even with this speed will takes me approximately an hour to the finishing line. 

Do you know at what speed I train myself on the treadmill? 10km/hr... and its not more that 20 minutes running as I want to spare some energy for weight lifting as well. Looking backwards, what makes me to start this kind of lifestyle? It's all due to my first ever blood test  result which shows my cholesterol level as high. 

I encourage you all my blog reader, to do everything in your power to keep yourself healthy. Prevention is better than cure and it's really true! It's far more important than money.... (Jangan sudah sakit baru telangap-langap mau cari pakar specialist)

-----THE END-----

Proceed on: "Mens Health Run 2010"

My Ongoing Dilemma

All this while, I thought I already decided that I am going to stay in SG while working there. But lately, the idea of staying in JB while working in SG crossed my mind as well. If I am to stay in SG, it will less hectic to move around especially in the morning and evening. Anyhow, the room rent is expensive. Don't talk about renting a whole house. What if I wana have kids? All these questions keep on lingering inside my mind.

If I am to stay in JB, of course I can rent a whole house on my own, which will be more convenient if I am to have  kid or kids... and of course I would like to have one or two or more depending on my financial capability. My future prediction is,  by September 2011, I will become a father already.. God willing :) (Jangan kamu ingat si Paul saja pandai menilik)....

One of the disadvantages that I have to endure is, I have to wake up very early every morning. Safety issues in JB as I read crime rate is high over there. But I guess, sometime things comes in package. You can't choose, but have to decide base on your priority.

What about my gym membership? I purposely upgrade my membership to VVIP so I can access every center around the world including SG. Currently there are about 6-8 centers available in SG but none in JB.

Due to this dilemma, I decided to observe, plan, and act... this is not a mere PDCA practiced by many companies as one of their improvement method... hehe... I think, I should go and stay in SG first.... maybe in 2-5 months? until i become fully familiarize and adapt with everything. After that only I decide whether staying in JB is more favorable or not.. I mean, in a big picture, for me, my wife and my anak anak.

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Moving again....

I finally tendered my resignation yesterday after weeks of thoughts and deep reflection and meditation.... haha... it was not that easy as much as it sound to be and it may not be pleasing and rationale to some ppl... but decision has to be made.

I will be going to Singapore by September as I received a job offer there. Now, I have started to look for a room somewhere nearby the company I am going to work to, and has shortlisted some of the potential owner. I will be going there somewhere in August to have a look and once finalized, I will be flying there right after returning from KK. 

It is a coincidence with my plan to go back to KK in August for I just realized that my passport is going to expire in Oct 2010. Renewal have to be done in KK if you want it immediately, otherwise you have to wait for weeks to do it here in Peninsular. I don't know what makes such difference, but that's what happening. I still remembered 5 years ago, when my company decided to send me to Japan for training, they have to send me back to KK just to get my passport done. Of course I am more than happy because I get a free ticket back to my lovely hometown.

All in all, I am looking forward for my new job, with a new company and environment. I don't know what to expect, but I want to be positive about everything :). We will know for sure in my next post 3-4 months from now.

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The Principle

  
I have number of principles. Principles that I believe I can hold onto. Principles that I talked with everyone especially with my friends and basically agreed on what it stand for or whatever reason it holds into. Anyhow, lately, I seem to walk away from one of it. It seems that I compromise on what I hold strong previously. I purposely loosening my grip on that matter, for some reasons that I see as an opportunity or chance of a lifetime that will make me regret if I don't take any appropriate action now.

So, between the principle of what is right for many people (and to some extent is right for me too), I decided to ignore anything about it, as I don't want any regret or guilt within myself to haunt me forever for not doing what is deemed to me as a right thing to do. Yes, I believe I should do what I think is the right thing to do, as I understand myself and my situation better than anyone else. So, I trust my own judgment, even if i did ask others' opinion along the way.

Making a big decision is not always an easy thing for me. Manoeuvring my own life sometime could be a mystery. It’s like going into a thick fog ahead as I do not know what will happen and what is in there.  Many question pop out of my mind. What if this happened... what if that happened and so on.... and I don’t really know the answer. The only reason that keeps me going is because I believe in God. I believe that things will never go wrong if I let him to take charge. And many times, it is not easy to simply put your faith like that. As a human, I still need some assurance; I still need to touch, to see, to get the result and etc...  to believe.

But if I don’t have faith, how do I want to keep moving?  I might just delayed things and leave myself strangled in confusion and hesitation.  In fact, I encountered this situation many times, especially when I reached the crossroads.

I know that my principle is right. It’s always right all the time, but it doesn’t mean that I have to stand by it all the time.  As a human, I think I should be more rational, and not to look things in 2 perspectives only. There are times in my life that either Yes or No is not gonna be an answer. There are times I should stay in the twilight area

I planned things out, but it doesn’t mean it will work that way.  I believe, God knows the best about it, and I believe that nobody is going to change my life for the better except me. So.... let’s rock and roll.... kekeekek

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Hey You

I don't understand why some people feels great in proving himself right by looking for others mistakes or weaknesses. Don't they have something better to be proud of? something which is genuinely from their own effort, talent, achievement, character etc??? hehe.. 

They might feel great about their own world, unfortunately they gain no respect from anybody. Hey you out there.... stop pretending to be smart. No matter how hard you try, you will only make yourself look ugly. Just be yourself, admit your own mistakes so you can improve.

Oh, some people even had gone too far. They wont let you to teach them and rather asking you to stop. Face your own fear, gringo :) The Fear of being defeated. Losers are much better that someone who fear to lose.

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Somehow, the grass is greener!

About 1.5 years back, when I were about to make a final decision about leaving my previous company in Shah Alam for a better opportunity, my ex-boss was the most skeptical and throwing lots of sarcastic words about my decision and what my future would be. One of his remarks was "Don't expect the grass to be greener the other side". The rest of it was trying to discourage me and to convince me that I was making a bad/unwise move in the midst of the economic downturn. (Refer here...)

Now, while many companies started to picking up, they offered VSS! So, the lesson is, trust yourself. Some ppl might look clever, sharing about sky-rocketing stuff pertaining economic, financial, recovery plan (Nike shape) etc.. bla bla, but to be able to predict what your future will be, is just ridiculous...... Just imagine what would happen to me if I blindly listened to the nonsense prediction? I am glad I didn't! 

P/S: It's ok. Ppl make mistake too :)

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