Vasco Is Missing :(

I got a call from Tasha when I was in Ipoh. She said Vasco ran away. I was shocked. She was in the hall of our house when she heard Caesar barking. When she came out, she saw knew something was wrong. She started calling his name, but no answer. So, she took Caesar and they drove around the entire neighbourhood of Lestari Perdana and the neighbouring tamans of Lestari Perdana, but they did not find him.

Upon returning back from Ipoh at 7pm, she picked me up from Pudu and we went around looking for Vasco till about 12mn, but we still did not find him. We asked around, some of our neighbours said they saw him walking around 1/2 an hour ago, some saw him crossing the road, but when we go back to the same place, we don't see him. We have left our numbers around, we just hope and pray our dear Vasco comes home.

This is my first post on our loss. I will be printing some posters and putting them around in Seri Kembangan. To all those who live in Seri Kenbangan, please keep us informed if you see him anywhere.

Our numbers are 016-6877547 & 016-3536107.

Thank you very much.=

Say NO To Mars!

I was on the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) site and I came across this shocking article. To all my fellow animals rights activists, please stop the purchase of Mars candybars.

Got a sweet tooth? Think twice before picking up a Mars candy bar! You should know that candymaker Mars, Inc.— creator of M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Dove, Three Musketeers, Starburst, Skittles, and other candies — funds deadly animal tests, even though there are more reliable human studies and not one of the tests is required by law.

Mars is currently funding a deadly experiment on rats to determine the effects of chocolate ingredients on their blood vessels. Experimenters force-feed the rats by shoving plastic tubes down their throats and then cut open the rats' legs to expose an artery, which is clamped shut to block blood flow. After the experiment, the animals are killed. Mars has also funded cruel experiments in which mice were fed a candy ingredient and forced to swim in a pool of a water mixed with white paint. The mice had to find a hidden platform to avoid drowning, only to be killed and dissected later on. In yet another experiment supported by Mars, rats were fed cocoa and anesthetized with carbon dioxide so that their blood could be collected by injecting a needle directly into their hearts, which can lead to internal bleeding and other deadly complications.

Click here to view the letters from PETA to Paul Michaels, the President of Mars.

Short Story....

Very very good!

Christmas....

I think this Christmas was one of the best we have ever had. We had Mark and Teenie over in Melaka. We left for Melaka on Sat and got back in the early hours of this morning - 4am to be exact. I will be posting all the pictures soon, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon.

I hope everyone got home safely after the Christmas holidays. For all those who are still away, please drive back safely.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year....

I would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. To all those who will be driving back to your respective hometowns, please drive safely, keep to the speed limits and WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS!

I will be posting an entry a couple of days before Christmas.

Till then, I shall leave you with some humour :)

Melaka & Singapore....

One word - 'tiring'. Damn! The entire weekend started when we left for Melaka in the early hours of Sat morning. We headed to Seremban to drop off the last of the pups. Before that we picked up Pravina from her apartment and headed to Seremban. Met up with Papa Bear at Jusco and passed the pup to him and then we drove straight to Melaka. By the way, Papa Bear will be naming the pup Margie, short for Margarita.

Upon arrival in Melaka, dropped Pravina at Tasha’s parents place and then headed straight home. Amma was waiting for us. Upon having a rest, we headed to the Christmas Dinner at the Christ Church Hall. Dinner was nice; we left early as we promised Aunt Rani that we will be seeing her. Changed, put both the boys (Caesar & Vasco) in the car and headed to Bukit Katil. We didn’t spend much time there as we had to leave at 4am tomorrow. Had a quick drink and came back home.

I didn’t want to sleep as there was risk of oversleeping. Tasha rested for a while. I stayed awake until we bathed, changed and left for Tasha’s parents place. The chartered bus was already there. Once everyone (all the family members) got there we boarded the bus and it was straight to Singapore. Stopped in Yong Peng for a while and then straight to the Tuas Highway. We arrived at the temple by 9.30am. The wedding was at 10am. Met up with Vicknesh and all the other family members who were already there and then the wedding started at sharp 10am. The wedding was a long and elaborate ceremony. I have never been to a Hindu wedding, so it was nice to see all the small ceremonies and rituals that were carried out.

Once the wedding was over, we had one of the best vegetarian banana leaf lunches I have ever eaten. Very nice. After lunch we went to Vicknesh’s house for a while and then headed straight back to Melaka. We only left Singapore at 7pm, got back to Melaka by 11pm. The bus dropped us off at Tasha’s parents’ again. We drove back to the Vicarage. I promised Uncle John & Aunt Rani that I will be going over to watch the Liverpool v Man Utd game there, so I packed some food and went there for dinner. Tasha was too sleepy to she stayed back.

After dinner, got home, changed and we headed back to KL. Yes, I drove back to KL on the same day. Very tiring. Pravs followed us back as well. As soon as we got back to Seri Kembangan, I just had a cold shower and knocked off, woke up only at 2pm the next day. On the whole it was a good trip. Please see the pics below of the engagement.

CONGRATULATIONS VICKNESH & YOGES!

Thank You....

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following hearts for adopting the 3 pups that survived. Sadly, 3 of the most adorable pups in world that were with me passed on. They were weak, could not eat properly and they missed their mum very much. Anyway, the following are the ones I hope and pray God will bless for having such good hearts:-

(1) Kristina Saloman & Xiao Wan

(2) Pravin (Papa Bear)

(3) Shaun

Tasha and I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for helping us with the adoption.

God bless!

Thank You Appa & Amma....

Appa and Amma came to KL this afternoon. Appa has always wanted to come by the new house. Appa blessed the house. We read a lesson from the Bible and we went around the entire house and Appa blessed it. Upon doing that, I drove them to KL as they were on the next bus back to Melaka.

I can't wait to go back to Melaka this weekend. I'll be attending a Christmas dinner at the Church Hall on Saturday and then we're leaving for Singapore on Sunday to attend Vicknesh's wedding.

I will be updating the blog with a lot of pics. Till then, have a great weekend everyone.

Graveyard Shift....

This article was sent to me by my fellow comrade, Mr. Damien Thanam Divean who like many others' works the graveyard shift as well. This is an eye opener. I do hope many of you who are working graveyard shifts will consider changing your shift to the normal day shift from now on. I have somewhat changed my working hours from the US hours to the UK hours. It is not too bad, but I know when the right opportunity comes, I will be the first to opt for the normal working hours. I mean, come on man, I'd rather live longer :)

A true eye opener:-

GRAVEYARD SHIFT LINKED TO CANCER
By Maria Cheng

Like UV rays and diesel exhaust fumes, working the graveyard shift will soon be listed as a "probable" cause of cancer. It is a surprising step validating a concept once considered wacky. And it is based on research that finds higher rates of breast and prostate cancer among women and men whose work day starts after dark.

Next month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, will add overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen. The American Cancer Society says it will likely follow. Up to now, the U.S. organization has considered the work-cancer link to be "uncertain, controversial or unproven."

The higher cancer rates don't prove working overnight can cause cancer. There may be other factors common among graveyard shift workers that raise their risk for cancer. However, scientists suspect that overnight work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock. The hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night. If the graveyard shift theory eventually proves correct, millions of people worldwide could be affected. Experts estimate that nearly 20 percent of the working population in developed countries work night shifts.

Among the first to spot the night shift-cancer connection was Richard Stevens, a cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. In 1987, Stevens published a paper suggesting a link between light at night and breast cancer. Back then, he was trying to figure out why breast cancer incidence suddenly shot up starting in the 1930s in industrialized societies, where nighttime work was considered a hallmark of progress. Most scientists were bewildered by his proposal. But in recent years, several studies have found that women working at night over many years were indeed more prone to breast cancer. Also, animals that have their light-dark schedules switched develop more cancerous tumors and die earlier. Some research also suggests that men working at night may have a higher rate of prostate cancer.

Because these studies mostly focused on nurses and airline crews, bigger studies in different populations are needed to confirm or disprove the findings. There are still plenty of skeptics. And to put the risk in perspective, the "probable carcinogen" tag means that the link between overnight work and cancer is merely plausible.

Among the long list of agents that are listed as "known" carcinogens are alcoholic beverages and birth control pills. Such lists say nothing about exposure amount or length of time or how likely they are to cause cancer. The American Cancer Society Web site notes that carcinogens do not cause cancer at all times. Still, many doubters of the night shift link may be won over by the IARC's analysis to be published in the December issue of the journal Lancet Oncology.

"The indications are positive," said Vincent Cogliano, who heads up the agency's carcinogen classifications unit. "There was enough of a pattern in people who do shift work to recognize that there's an increase in cancer, but we can't rule out the possibility of other factors." Scientists believe having lower melatonin levels can raise the risk of developing cancer. Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels.

Melatonin can be taken as a supplement, but experts don't recommend it long-term, since that could ruin the body's ability to produce it naturally. Sleep deprivation may be another factor in cancer risk. People who work at night are not usually able to completely reverse their day and night cycles.

"Night shift people tend to be day shift people who are trying to stay awake at night," said Mark Rea, director of the Light Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, who is not connected with the IARC analysis. Not getting enough sleep makes your immune system vulnerable to attack, and less able to fight off potentially cancerous cells.

Confusing your body's natural rhythm can also lead to a breakdown of other essential tasks. "Timing is very important, ," Rea said. Certain processes like cell division and DNA repair happen at regular times.

Even worse than working an overnight shift is flipping between daytime and overnight work.

"The problem is re-setting your body's clock," said Aaron Blair, of the United States' National Cancer Institute, who chaired IARC's recent meeting on shift work. "If you worked at night and stayed on it, that would be less disruptive than constantly changing shifts."

Anyone whose light and dark schedule is often disrupted — including frequent long-haul travelers or insomniacs — could theoretically face the same increased cancer risk, Stevens said.

He advises workers to sleep in a darkened room once they get off work. "The balance between light and dark is very important for your body. Just get a dark night's sleep." Meanwhile, scientists are trying to come up with ways to reduce night workers' cancer risk. And some companies are experimenting with different lighting, seeking a type that doesn't affect melatonin production.

So far, the color that seems to have the least effect on melatonin is one that few people would enjoy working under: red.

American Cancer Society's list of known and probable carcinogens from IARC, the National Toxicology Program: http://tinyurl.com/2kl5ab and International Agency for Research on Cancer: http://www.iarc.fr/

Pups For Adoption....

On Tuesday, I went to the Pet Family Store in Taman Megah to buy Caesar's & Vasco's food and supplies. At the entrance of the shop, I saw 6 cute lil' puppies lying down on the floor next to a kennel - there was a sign on the kennel that read: "Please Adopt Us. Someone Left Us Here". I asked the owner what had happened, he said when he came in to open the shop for business, the pups were already there in a box, getting wet in the rain. How could someone be so cruel? These pups did not do anything, they are so innocent.

Anyway, I told the owner that I will take all of them home. I quickly bought whatever I needed and left. The staffs at the shop helped me put all of them in a big box and I took them back. There were 5 females and 1 male. I had 6 pups in total, damn! I took them home not even knowing if I could find any homes for them, but I was confident that I could somehow find them homes.

As soon as we got back, gave all of them milk. I actually bought a milk bottle, and slowly fed all of them. They slept. But I realised that the male one was not looking too good. Tasha spent a lot of time with him. Putting him on ler lap, feeding him every now and then, playing with him and all. Then she left for work. When I came back from work, the 5 females were fine. But the male one, had died :(

I was so sad. I had tears in my eyes as we had spent so much of our time caring for him. We had a soft spot for him as he was the most loving among all 6 of them. Anyway, I cleaned the place he was in.

In the office I highlighted the plight to everyone I came into contact with. Kristina and Xiao Wan agreed to adopt one of them. They came to my place and took her, she was the white one with grey patches. I fed the others and slept. When I came downstairs to get ready to go to work, another female one had died :(

I tore me apart to see them dying one by one. But there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. The pups were taken away from their mum too early. From what I can see, they are hardly 2 months old. Possibly, just a month old. Tasha and I did everything possible to care, feed and shower them with love. One of Tasha's colleagues (Shaun) has agreed to adopt one of the pups. That leaves us with 2 more pups which are up for adoption.

We're looking for good homes for these lovely fur-kids. Please call us soon as we need to find them homes. Here are the pictures.

The 2 of them

Again the 2 of them

These are all 3 of them

Salute To Alcohol....

I've always wanted to write an article on alcohol. Sadly, I've never had the time to do it. I would like to personally thank Ms. Brenda James for her constant contribution towards the creativity of this blog. To all my fellow kudikarens & kudikarees....

Here's a couple of alcohol inspired nuggets for the road and the compulsory warning labels that come with them:

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink, I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself,

"It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." - Jack Handy -

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra and panties.

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as

they're going to feel all day. " - Frank Sinatra -

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." - Stephen Wright -

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin -

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."- Dave Barry -

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

"To some it's a six-pack. To me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can!" - Dave Howell -

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers…

One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went: "Well ya see, Nam , it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

WARNING:

The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not. And also, make your gay/lesbian tendencies more apparent. So drink up. It keeps the sober people entertained.

Dog Quotes....

The quotes below are dedicated to my lovely 2 fur-kids - Caesar Boy and Vasco The Rascal.

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ~ Martin Buber

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

"A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself." ~ Josh Billings

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." ~ Ben Williams

"To err is human, to forgive, canine" ~ Anonymous

"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" ~ Dave Barry

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

"Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one" ~ Anonymous

"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue." ~ Anonymous

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." ~ Andrew A. Rooney

"The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too." ~ Samuel Butler

"If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because you lap is warmer." ~ Alfred North Whitehead

Move....

Sweet Lord! This is the most tiring of all moves I have ever done. Since Appa has been moving around, due to the transfers within West Malaysia, I have had my fair share of moves. But this is rather tiring. I am moving from PJ to Equine Park. Firstly, the arrangement of the transportation (lorry), then it is the arrangement of the Astro, air-cond and water heater fixing in the new house and then it is the packing itself. We've been put through a lot over the past week. I've been really busy at work, yet, I've had to come home, rest for a bit and start packing.

Our official last day at the famous No. 18, Jalan 14/27, Section 14 is on the 29th of November 2007. We will have to move into our new house which is in Equine Park on the 30th. Having a lot of guys from the office living nearby will definitely be interesting. I have the likes of Veke (my new neighbour, who has promised me to walk Caesar and Vasco every evening), Vicky (who only lives 10 minutes away - who will be joining me for a lot of 'tanni sessions'), Vikhram (who also lives 10 minutes away) and the main organiser of all drinking sessions - Paul Michael. Now, Paul lives in Kajang, but Seri Kembangan is almost his second home. He spends most of his nights there. I can't wait for us to be settled in as soon as possible as we've promised the boys to have a House Warming Party sometime during the second or third week of December. I will keep all of you informed of the date once the details are confirmed.

I hope and pray we will manage the move without any problems. Please pray for us.

Thank you all very much.

The Evolution Of The Language....

A computer was something on TV
From a science fiction show of note
A window was something you hated to clean
And ram was the cousin of a goat.

Meg was the name of my girlfriend
And gig was a job for the nights
Now they all mean different things
And that really mega bites.

An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A curser used profanity
A keyboard was a piano.

Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account
And if you had a 3 inch floppy, you hoped nobody found out.

Compress was something you did to the garbage
Not something you did to a file.
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for awhile.

Log on was adding wood to the fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a back up happened to your commode.

Cut you did with a pocket knife
Paste you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu.

I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
But when it happens, they'll wish they were dead.

Does Hell Give Off Heat or Absorb Heat?

The following is SUPPOSEDLY an actual question given to a University of Washington chemistry mid term class. The answer by one student was so “profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet. Regardless, the truth of it, I think the rationale and how the argument is presented is logic at its best. Have a read.

Question:

Is Hell Exothermic (Gives off Heat) or Endothermic (Absorbs Heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law i.e. gas cools when it expands and heats when it is (compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:-

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

Firstly, if Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

And secondly, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.

The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

Insults That Have Class....

A dear friend of mine sent me an email sometime yesterday. She always sends me good stuff to read about. This happens to be one of them. Brilliant wits, check them out:-

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you willeither die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir", said Disraeli, "on whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."

- Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."

- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"

- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."

- Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."

- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."

- Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one."

-George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one."

- Winston Churchill, in response

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here."

- Stephen Bishop

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."

- Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."

- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."

- Paul Keating

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure."

- Jack E. Leonard

Coffee....

I was pleased to see that I received a lot of feedback from coffeeholics. I liked this particular reply. Since the feedback or comment feature only allows 300 characters, I thought I'd post this reply. And by the way, Ms. James, I only have 1 cup of tea a day - that is a fair amount :) I will still reiterate, please slow down on the coffee all you coffee lovers.

Check the reply out....

Dear Mr Batumalai,

I read with keen interest your account on the pitfalls of drinking coffee and I could not help but wonder, seeing that you have a strong preference for tea, is this then not a biased account against java lovers who have an deep seated passion for this elixir?

“Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.” That’s the recipe for coffee, according to the utterly French diplomat Talleyrand(1754-1838). In the meantime, may I induct you to the pure, adult, sexy, joy that comes from a steaming mocha macchiato or even better we’ll give you a decaf grande skimlatte (so that the non-coffee drinker can sleepfitfully and it's kind on the waistline as well).

P/s: Sir, may I add that most of the answers to the questionnaire you posed can be attributed to stress and not coffee. Excuse me now, I’m off to my favourite Ipoh Old Town Coffee Shop, I could do with a white coffee made the old fashioned way with condensed milk. Care to go for a walk on the wild non-tea side of life?

Brenda James

Congratulations Dr. Brian May....

As most of you'll know I am a huge, huge QUEEN fan. The 4 rock superstars who have actually given a whole new meaning to the genre of rock music. I am talking about Freddie Mercury (Faroukh Bulsara), Brian May (now Dr.), Roger Taylor and John Deacon.

Well, that was music accomplishment. But, Dr. Brian May as he is known as today, is different from any rock stars you will ever know. He put his thesis on astrophysics on hold, while he was touring with the band for 20 odd years. Finally when he found the time to do it, he earned his PhD - sometime in August 2007.

Today, he has been has been appointed Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. Dr. May will be installed as the university's figurehead leader early next year, it was announced Monday.

He is an honorary fellow of Liverpool John Moores University, which has a well-known astrophysics research institute.

Congratulations Dr. May!

Coffee....

Working the hours I work (4pm-1am), I see a lot of my colleagues downing cups and cups of coffee. The common excuse is that they need to stay awake throughout the day. But what it does to your body, not many people know. Well, at least they rather not know. I was going through some of my mails and one of them took me to a link. In that site, I was presented with the article below ‘Are You A Coffee Addict’? I’ve decided to take some pointers and write this article to warn all ‘coffeeholics’ as they call them, the dangers of that irresistible cuppa.

With long hours at the workplace being the in thing, coffee machines in the offices are no longer an exception. The cuppa apart from being a break-time favourite has, over the past few years, become a necessary accompaniment to official meetings and chat sessions. Many a times a quick sip not only helps you to crack the knottiest of audit jumbles but also gain confidence before facing the boss after an awful goof-up. True, but it is good only as long as it lasts. What happens later is cause enough for worry. While a cup of coffee apparently stimulates your senses, a regular intake of caffeine can leave you a complete wreck.

This is because coffee simply stimulates the central nervous system, increases the stress hormones in the blood streams, thus making a person feel unnaturally alert. Consequently induced alert state tends to subdue your body's natural instincts and prevent it from relaxing. This causes undue stress and leads to various kinds of disorders.

Daily caffeine intake induces a 24 hour cyclic disturbance in your body. While the morning cup of coffee or tea perks up your mood most people can't stop at that. Almost every office goer develops a craving for the next cup and subsequently, a heavy fatigue sets in by late afternoon. Even if endless cups revives you, at this time of the day, a total collapse is inevitable by evening. Irritability, fatigue and gloom along with an uncomfortable sensation are the usual symptom. What is worse is that finally when you try to sleep away your blues at night, you just can't. That's no the end. The next morning you get up tired, thirsting for a steaming cuppa to settle your mood.

Thus begins a coffeeholic's journey. At the end of which, apart from developing dark circles under the eyes, you also acquire acidity problems, irregular palpitations and more. So next time you take a sip remember you are sipping a host of health problems too.

A good read. To all my dear coffee addicts…… slow down you’all.

Are You A Coffee Addict?
Addiction to caffeine can begin as early as in school, or as the syllabus pressure gets the better of you in college or perhaps, when you land a job and have to course up the anxiety ridden path to office. The first sip happens when you battling stress and depression. If you're caffeine dependent answer the following questions and evaluate the addiction status:

· Do you consume more than two cups of coffee, tea or cola or chocolate in a day?
· Do you feel fatigued on and off during the day?
· Do you go through massive emotional mood swings during the day?
· Do you suffer from frequent headaches?
· Do you suffer from acidity or heartburn?
· Do you feel a generalized pain in the neck, shoulders and back region
· Do you suffer from a burning sensation, fatigue and heaviness in the eyes?
· If you are a woman do you suffer from premenstrual syndromes?
· Do you have difficulty in going to sleep?
· Do you wake up in the morning feeling dead tired?
· Are you easily irritable?
· Do you suffer from irregular or rapid heartbeats?
· Do you often feel dizzy?
· Do you have high blood pressure problems apart from anxiety problems?
· Do you have ulcers?
· Do you have problems concentrating without your regular cup of coffee?
· Do your hands tremor?
· Do you feel dehydrated?

If you have answered 5 to 6 of the questions with a 'yes' caffeine is part of your daily system, reduction or removal of products laced with caffeine from your diet will improve your health considerably.

If you have answered 7 to 8 of the questions in the affirmative, you are a caffeine addict, and need to reduce or eliminate caffeine from your diet. Before caffeine causes any nutritional imbalance or disorder try and be conscious about what you eat and drink.

If 10 to 12 of the questions have a positive answer, its time to sit up and listen to your body signals. Caffeine can cause serious damage to your health. Wean yourself of the habit slowly and steadily, preferably with the help of the dietician.

Melaka....

What a journey it was? The thing is the night before my trip back to Melaka, we had a small house party among my new office mates. It was a night (or rather morning) of eating, drinking and gambling (I have no clue whatsoever on how to gamble, but I did receive some pointers from Paul, Sherril & Vikhram). Anyway, the session started with slow drinking and bites. It eventually got heavy. Paul, started his regular 'down from the bottle' episodes. Since I was a 'newbie', I had to down 3 shots of whisky at one go (from the bottle). But everyone had to get a shot of it. Veke was really funny. I was the designated bartender for the night. So, I poured the same amount for everyone (well, Sherril only had 4 drops! No, seriously, ONLY 4 drops which were divided into 2 rounds). Veke kept saying, that I was over-pouring the whisky amount for him. Well, I must admit, initially, it was a lil' more, but later on it was the same amount. But all in all it was a very good morning. I would say, it was a good introduction to the 'oh so friendly' lot. Oh yes, I had to leave at 8.45am as I had a 10am bus to catch. Tasha came and picked me up - so she joined us for a while as well. Was she spared from the whisky shot? Obviously NOT. LOL! But she downed it like a champion and we left.

Reached PJ at approx 9.15am. Called a cab on my way back and left home at about 9.30am. We reached Pudu at 9.45 and boarded the bus immediately. It was an interesting trip back. Why? Well, I would normally dread the trip back, because I would be so tired by the time I get to Melaka and my back would be so screwed (to some of you'll who didn't know, I ruptured 2 of my discs on my backbone, and the road to recovery has been freakin' long). But this time, it was a joyous trip back. I was enjoying the sceneries and feeling so relaxed. It is a 2 hour ride, but it didn't feel like 2 hours.

Upon arriving in Melaka, Auntie Rani (Tasha's aunt) picked us up and sent us home. Upon arriving at the house, Amma was waiting with some lovely, lovely lunch. By the way, the menu was given to her 2 days ago. There was fish sambal, french beans with prawns, pappadams and lime pickles. Lovely! I had 3 helpings. After lunch, rested for a while and left for church. I was doing the P&W in the morning (this was a last minute thing - the girl who was supposed to do it fell ill, so I had to step in), so practised on my own. I was playing the piano and singing. My drummer (Martin) was only going to come back from KL at night, so I practised on my own.

After practice, got ready and left for Andy & Karen's wedding reception. Karen is Tasha's best friend. In fact that was the main reason we went back. It was held at Everly Resort Hotel (formerly known as Riviera Bay Resort). After dinner, we headed to Pure Bar our normal hang out in Melaka, well, this is our next preference compared to Ringos. After a few beers, I was so tired so we got home - if you realise, I have still not slept yet. So, got home at about 1am and and knocked off.

Woke up early Sun morning at 7.30am, walked to church. Had one final run of practice with Martin this time and service started. P&W was lovely. After church, got home, packed and got a lift to Melaka Sentral. Took the 2pm bus, got back to KL by 4.30pm. Mark was waiting to fetch us. Got home and rested. All I wanted to do was just watch tele, laze around the house and play with Caesar and Vasco. And that was exactly what I did.

A good trip, I must say.

:) and :(

Upon much deliberation, I have decided to part with Selma. Santana called me yesterday and informed me of an offer way too good to refuse. As you all know, the damage for the VW is approx RM2,500 - whether it is to change the engine or to overhaul. He has suggested to trade-in the VW for a Malaysian car. Which means, I would not have to repair the VW. I will basically be trading in the car without an engine. I guess the guys buying the VW must be a real lover of VWs :( Damn! I never knew it would come down to this.

In fact, I never knew I would ever buy a Malaysian car, ever. But at this point of time, I can't be too choosy. I have to be practical. The proceeds from the trade-in of the VW will be going into the downpayment of my new car. It is most likely going to be a Proton Waja. I am still contemplating on whether it is going to be the Persona or the Waja. But I somehow prefer the space Waja offers. I will not have to pay anything throughout the entire sale and purchase. I will be also transferring my number plate from the VW into the new car.

I am in the midst of compiling all the documents needed to arrange for the loan. If everything goes well, I will be getting the new car by next week. I just hope and pray everything goes well.

Selma....

Selma got hurt again :( Damn! This time it is rather serious. I was on my way to work last Fri and upon exiting the 2nd toll going into Cyberjaya, I saw the oil indicator coming on. Within 15 seconds of that happening, I heard a metal grinding sound from my engine. Drove her slowly to the Cyberjaya exit and right in front of the LimKokWing University she broke down. Opened the bonnet and it was smoking lightly. I somehow knew the damage was bad. Checked the oil level - it was at an all time low. How can that be? I am very careful about the engine oil. I always top it up. Called Paul (one of my TLs) who told me to take my time in sorting it out. It was very nice of him to allow me to get the car sorted. He sent Lionel, another colleague of mine who came almost immediately. We went and bought the engine oil from Petronas and came back to fill it. I filled it and left it for almost half an hour, but this time the level showed way above the maximum level. As far as I know the 1200 Beetle only take about 2 1/2 litres. How can that be? Then another fright striked me - the oil pump must have gone bust. The oil was not being pumped into the entire engine. Damn! AGAIN! Anyway, I slowly drive her to the front of my office and parked her in front of the guard house. Told the guard to take care of her until I managed to get my tow truck to come by. Only managed to sort my AAM on Sat as my registration had expired. Tow truck came on Sun, went to the office to meet the mechanic who towed her to Santana's (a close friend of mine who has ever so willingly helped me with all my repairs) house. Parked it there and went back home.

Santana called me a while ago and said the damage was approximately RM2,500/- (the entire engine has been damaged due to no lube - the excessive oil lost was due to the fact that there was a leak in the oil bucket) Yup! I know, that is exactly how I reacted. He gave me 2 options. First option was to change the engine to a 1600 F-Injection engine and the 2nd option was to do a complete overhaul on the existing engine. According to him it would be better to opt for the 2nd option as we do not know the condition of another engine. So, I am still in a dilemma. I am not sure what I should do. Believe it or not, one of the options I have considered is to sell her away. Do the overhaul and then sell her. It is getting a bit too much for me to bear. The cost is too exhorbitant for me. Especially knowing that I have been spending non stop on her ever since I brought her to KL. She was doing so fine in Melaka. Anyway, guys, please give me some suggestions. I am in dire need of advise.

:(

Vasco....

I'm so sorry about the delay in the uploading of his pics. I have been rather busy with work. Anyway, as I have mentioned Vasco is such a rascal. He eats more grass than a grazing cow (although dogs do eat a little grass from time to to for digestion - he practically makes it a meal), he has successfully torn down our shoe rack, he has chewed on his eating bowl (plastic) - it seems disfigured now, my futsal shoes is basically chewed off and .... sigh, non-stop of nonsense every now and then. I guess he is teething and that he is familiarising himself with the new surroundings. It is a pity because, I somehow feel he was neglected by his previous owner. Amidst all the nonsense he does, we are still showering him with love - of course making sure that Caesar does not mind. We play with Caesar more. We have to be more loving towards Caesar as he can be rather possessive. And further, Caesar is already an adult (3 years old), where as Vasco is only a pup (10 1/2 months old). Caesar will naturally feel it if less attention is given to him. So Tasha and I have begun showing Vasco that Caesar is still the dominant one.

It is nice to see the both of them playing, drinking water together after their walks and running around the house compound barking at all the cats in the neighbourhood. I hope Vasco will calm down a lil'. He is so hyper active. Beagles are generally active, but Vasco seems to be .... phew - a whole new level you'l!

Here he is - can you see the mischief in his eyes:-

Just look at him la, aiyoh, such an innocent face. But behind that.....

Vasco, trying to concentrate on some food that he was eyeing

Check out the way he sits down

Fooling around with Caesar

Caesar is just too tired from running around. Look at him, still in the mood to play

Win...Win...

What a game it was this morning. Man Utd 4 - Dynamo Kiev 0. A reasonable result. I expected United to get in at least 5 goals. But, 4 goals are good at this level of the competition. With this result, United have cemented their place in the last 16. Good goals from Pique (his first ever goal in the UEFA competition), Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo. If we continue to play at this pace and with this spirit, I have no doubt that Sir Alex will be presented with a very memorable 21st Anniversary present - by the end of the season. Isn't the man simply amazing. 21 years at the club - 21 trophies won. Congratulations Sir Alex and I hope you will stay at least for another 4 more years and win the treble on your 25th Anniversary.

Sir Alex took over the club and within the first 3 months as the Manager, he was almost sacked. The win that made him the most successful Manager in English football was the 1-0 win against Blackburn. It was do or die match. Assuming Man Utd lost that game, Sir Alex would have been sacked. That win against Blackburn, spurred United to go on in the League Cup tournament and win the Cup in the end. As they say, the rest is history.

It was a good win for Celtic as well. The Hoops were hosting Benfica at the Parkhead. Although it was close 1-0 win, it is good enough. But Group D is a tricky group. The Hoops are sharing the same points as Shakhtar Donetsk. There are 2 games remaining, so they need to win both to ensure a place in the last 16. With the likes of Scott McDonald, Aiden McGeady (who scored the winner against Benfica), Shunsuke Nakamura (who will be back from his injury soon) and the unpredictable Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, the Hoops have a great chance of going far in the competition. I do hope we can at least qualify to the last 16s.

Gordon Strachan has been an amazing force in the club. He has shown the world of football that Scottish football are a force to be reckoned with.

Come on Hoops, I know we can do it.

Man Utd....

We've got a tasty treat early in the morning. Man Utd vs Dynamo Kiev @ Old Trafford. It should be a good game. Although we are on the top of the group after 3 games, it is still hoped that we will play some interesting attacking football. After seeing Liverpool tear Besiktas apart yesterday, I do believe we have some strong competition in the knock-out phase of the Champions' League. It is still a 'waiting to see whether' Liverpool qualify to the knock-out stages of the competition. But in my books, all the teams in the top two positions in the group stages all have a chance to win the coveted UEFA Champions' Club Cup - considered the most prestigious club trophy in the sport.

So all the best to the my 2 favourite teams - Celtic FC (The Hoops) and Man Utd FC (Devils).

Man Utd....

What a game it was! Headed to Waikiki with some of the boys to have a few drinks and to watch the game. I must say the atmosphere was awesome. There were 2 large groups of fans from both sides of the camp. Upon kick-off, I had a strange feeling that we will take the lead in the game but somehow Arsenal may level it. Damn it! I hate those feelings. I was reminded of the game sometime early this year when we were leading 1-0 and Arsenal came back drew level and scored a last minute goal to beat us. But this time, it was very different. Man Utd played really well. In fact they played better in the 2nd half. We were leading 0-1 thanks to a deflected goal by Rooney and then of course there was this equaliser by Fabregas. But when Ronaldo scored in the 2nd half thanks to superb team play, I was convinced that we are no longer just any team. We are Manchester United - one of the best teams in the world. But looking at it from an open perspective, I believe we drew with not only the Premiership leaders, but with a team which is playing some of the most exciting football this season.

We played well, I do hope we will do justice against Blackburn on the 11th. I'm pretty sure we will do well against Kiev on the 7th at Old Trafford.

Keep up the spirit my dear Red Devils!

New Addition To The Family....

I have always wanted another fur-kid. It is just one of those things you know. Some people wished they had a PS2, some wished they had the latest & most sophisticated sound system fitted in their cars - but I have always wanted another doggie. I have always wanted to have a Beagle. Yeah, I have always wanted my own Snoopy. Well, by God's grace, one of Tasha's managers' told her that someone game him a Beagle pup. Now, since he already has a Beagle he wanted to give him away. So he asked Tasha if she wanted to have him - and by the way, Tasha has always wanted one as well. So, we spoke and decided that yes, of course man, come on. We picked him up from Sec. 14 (Tasha's manager's mum's place). Anyway, he is such a bundle of joy. Caesar came along with us as he was about to meet his new younger bro. The initial introduction wasn't as good as we thought it would be. But the boys are getting along pretty well now. They look very cute together.

Oh yes, before I forget, how can I forget. His name.... Vasco. Vasco is 10 1/2 months old. Yup! I have 'Julius Caesar' and now 'Vasco da Gama'. But I must say, Vasco is a riot. On his first day, he ate a tube of toothpaste, chewed on a couple of shoes, drank some cooking oil which was on the kitchen cabinet and he has successfully taken all the rags from inside the house into the garden - I don't know, I guess he must be making his own bed there. Oh yes, he is such a riot! But, we are getting to know him and so is he. Tasha has started training him. The boy is toilet trained as well, so he only does his business in the garden and when I take him for his walks. Tasha walks Caesar and I walk Vasco.

I hope he brings much joy to everyone who comes to our house as much as he gives us. I have taken a few pics of him. I will be uploading them by this weekend. So, look out everyone, we have the 2 most influential army generals at our home. In fact, they are not so much army trained, they are more welcoming committee ushers, but its all good!

Welcome to the Batumalais, Vasco!

Men....Women....

If you guys remember I had written an article about these two absolutely unique creatures on planet Earth about a couple of months ago. Well, this is the 2nd edition. A fellow bug lover sent me this observation. Pretty interesting I must say....

THE SILENT TREATMENT

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM " He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up." Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

WIFE vs HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep," the wife replied , "in-laws".

WOMEN'S REVENGE

"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. "So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked. "No," she replied, " but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN (A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)

I know I'm not going to understand women. I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax, pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root, and still be afraid of a spider.

WORDS

A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?

CREATION

A man said t o his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time. " The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

WHO DOES WHAT

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can't just wait for my coffee." Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee." Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me." So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"

God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece

Warm Water And The Prevention Of Heart Attacks....

For those who like to drink cold water, the article below is applicable to you. In fact, this is really applicable to me as it is always lovely to have a cold glass of ice water after a meal. Well, this is bad news people. Please read the article below.

What happens is, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal. A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Beware Of Garbage Trucks....

As usual I was going through some of the mails I had received, and I came across this interesting story. This was written by David J. Pollay. Now David is a well known speaker and a psychologist. He writes of how simple people on the streets can change our perception of situations that we face on a daily basis. A good read....

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly he/she can get back her focus on what's important. Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab.

Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did. So this was it: The 'Law of the Garbage Truck.'

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, 'I'm not going to do it anymore.' I began to see garbage trucks. I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on. One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Teachers and parents know that they have to be fully present and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.

What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. So, love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy... They just promised it would be worth it!

Samuel Anthony Jude a.k.a. Anto'

Anto' is my younger brother. Well, not biologically, but he has become a part of our family for the past 4 years or so. He has been such a blessing to our family, our Church (Christ Church Melaka) and to all our friends. In fact most of the guys at CSA know him quite well. Anto' is a student in STM (Seminary Theology Malaysia) - this is a college where students are trained to become priests'. He has always been eager to server the Lord. By God's grace he was admitted as a student last year. Upon completing his Dip in Theology, he has been accepted as a Diocesan candidate - which means the Diocese will be financing his studies. This also means that he will be posted to different churches as part of his training.

Having served in CCM for such a long time, I am proud to say that he has matured so much intellectually and spiritually. He will be posted to St. Luke's Church, Teluk Intan from November onwards. I know that I will miss him dearly and so will the rest. I pray that he will continue to be a blessing to everyone as much as he has to me and everyone at home.

Anto', God bless you and thank you for everything you have done for me. You will always be my younger brother

Here are some of the pics we took with him last Sun.

Tasha & Anto'

Myself, Amma, Appa, Anto' & Tasha