Ipoh....

It has been such a long time since I last went back to my hometown. Yeah, for those who didn't know I was born in Ipoh. In fact, went back to Ipoh to finish my upper secondary education before going to college in KL. Anyway, the purpose of the trip was to attend a friend's wedding. So, I used this opportunity to meet up with some old friends and at the same time to enjoy the delights of Ipoh. I have always enjoyed food in Ipoh.

Anyway, we left KL on Sat at about 10am. Reached Ipoh at 12, dropped Caesar & Vasco at my parents' place and then went to have the 'must have' - Ipoh Tauge Chicken. I had mine with kueh teow konloh. It was awesome. After lunch I bought the some bites for the guys at work - 2 types of biscuits and the famous Tambun puffs as well. I bought my favourite honey limes as well. If you've not tried that, well, you should. It is pretty addictive, so I've learnt to eat only once in a while. After that, came back home and rested. Woke up at night for the dinner and then got home and rested. Dinner was really good as well.

We slept early as we had to wake up early for church the next morning. Woke up at 8am and got ready. Attended the 9am service at St. John's Church. St. John's was where Appa was serving for about 9 years (1992-2001). Rev. Joshua Ong, the current Vicar was very welcoming. After service, we headed straight to Sathasivams. This is an Indian restaurant which serves the best appams in town. Sadly, upon getting there, all the appams were sold out. So, we had idlis and then got home. Took the boys out for their walk and we headed to Ipoh Parade and Kinta City to do some light shopping. After about 4 hours of walking and walking, I needed to rest, so we got home and rested as I had to be up at 7pm to attend yet another wedding dinner - one of our mutual friends. Anyway, dinner was at the ACC (Anglican Community Centre) in Buntong. The food was catered by Martin Food Caterers - Mr. Francis Martin the owner is a close family friend. The food was awesome. There was mutton perattel, chicken varuvel, briyani rice, dhalcha, mixed vegetables and fresh fruits. Very nice meal indeed.

After dinner, I was getting ready to head home and I remembered that Anto is in Ipoh. Well, he has been there for the past 2 months. I totally forgot about it. I called him, he was out, but he came within 5 mins. He bought himself a new ride - a nice mean bike. Good for him, although he is under strict instruction from me now to ride it beyond 90kms/h. Anyway, we headed back home to change and then went to Greentown for a night cap. It was good to talk about our old stories and catch up on all the current happenings. I had to send him back by 11pm as that was his curfew. He is a Diocesan Evangelist at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ipoh. I am happy for him as he is my younger brother. He will become a full fledged Minister of God one day. That is my prayer for him everyday. He is still undergoing both practical and theoretical training. All the best to you my dear brother, make us proud and become a Pastor one day, ok.

After that, I got home and I still felt hungry. There was something missing. I had not had my favourite Merdeka Garden curry mee. I went at 2am to have that. Uncle Tan (the owner of the business), recognised me. It was so nice that he did. We had a long chat. After curry mee, I came back and slept. Had to wake up the next morning to head back to KL.

Woke up the next morning at about 9am and headed straight to Ipoh Old Town - yup, you guessed it right, to have my all time favourite, butter and kaya toast and some soup noodles with yong tow foo which was washed down with a warm mug of Ipoh White Coffee. Damn! It was so god and I almost had another mug, then I decided, no - its ok. I've had enough. Came back, picked up the boys and then headed straight back to KL. Stopped on the way, in Bidor to buy some guavas. We left Ipoh at about 10am and got to Equine Park by 12noon.

All in all an excellent trip. I will be going back to Ipoh sometime in May. This time I will take some pictures.

Man Utd 3 - Liverpool 0

United took a firmer grip on top spot in the Premier League with the win on Sun against one of our traditional foes - Liverpool. I must admit, this was possibly one of the best games I missed this season. I was in Melaka for Easter and I was on my way back when the game was in play. We left Melaka at about 9pm - exactly when the game started. But I had Paul Michael and Sir (Surin) calling me and texting the updates as the game went by.

Among the scorers were Wes Brown, Ronaldo (yup, he never stops scoring) and Nani. Brown had scored his first goal of the season and only the third of his career to give United control at the break. Ronaldo and Nani netted inside the last 11 minutes. It was a wonder goal by Nani. Stopping the cross from Rooney in his stride and taking the ball to the centre of the D before slamming it home.

Nani and Evra celebrating after the beautiful goal scored by Nani, 9 minutes from time

United brought back goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and defender Rio Ferdinand after groin and back injuries respectively, while Paul Scholes and skipper Ryan Giggs also returned.

Liverpool were unchanged after seven straight victories - a run which was to end in the 150th league meeting between these clubs. What an end it was! Many of you all know I have a special love for Liverpool - I know it is very unlikely of a United fan. But I am a lover of football. Liverpool is one of the clubs which has produced some of the best football in the entire Premier League. Be it in the 80s or even the early 90s. It was a pity to see the club struggling the way they are right now. But, this is the Premier League and United has to win and from what I can see, they will continue to win every match in order to seal the title back-to-back.

Glory Glory Man Utd! - To the Pudlians, good luck in the remaining fixtures.

This Is Why Animals Are Amazing....Dogs In This Case

A close friend of mine sent me this email. I was almost drawn to tears when I read it and when I saw the pictures. The title of the mail was "Who Said Only Humans Know What Is Love" - I disagree totally with the title. Humans do not know what is love. I've been through a lot in my life and I have seen all that has to be seen, yet nothing tops this one. The title of this mail or this entry has to be: Humans....errrrr, Dogs - Love! There are many times I have encountered accidents or mishaps on the road - be it, while travelling back to Melaka to visit Appa and Amma or even while I take my weekend drives into KL to have dinner or watch a movie or whatever. Whenever I see it, I will always stop by, run out of the car and try to offer as much help as I can. But when I was involved in an accident, yup you guessed it right. F***ing no one stopped to help. I apologise for my French, but I mean honestly, isn't it annoying?

This story below is such a beautiful illustration of how love is just showered. As I said, I'd like to call it Humans - errrrr, Dogs - Love!

Animals are more deluded because of their capacity of their physical body, but occasionally some of them might be able show us the love that we have forgotten on our 'busy roads'. This was taken in China - on one of the busiest streets. It is so sad....

A dog was knocked down by a car and died in the middle of the road. Later, another dog is seen beside the corpse of the dog, he tried to wake his friend up using his leg.

"Hey, wake up! wake up! "

"Let's move to the safer side of the road...I will move you to the safer side!"

When his attempts to wake his friend failed, he tried to push his friend to the side of the road. But the weight of his friend was proven too heavy for him.

Though the traffic is busy and dangerous, he just will not go away from his friend. Just stand beside his friend howling and crying.

"Anyone help, tell me what to do"

Though the traffic is busy and dangerous, he just will not go away from his friend. Just stand beside his friend howling and crying.

Dogs.... amazing aren't they! Have a great weekend everyone and please take this message and pass it on. We have to look out for our friends and in fact to anyone else who needs our help.

Love All, Help All!

Futsal Shoes....

As most of you know, I used to play a lot of futsal - until I injured myself playing it, of course. Well, upon undergoing months and months of rehab and physio, I have started playing again. Yay! It took me a good 5 months to fully recover from my back injury. I still get a slight pain every now and then, but the exercises I am doing now is helping me overcome the discomfort on my back.

I had a good pair of adidas Adiprene Traxion - well, that was not until Vasco came into my life. On the very first day he came to the house, he bit of one of the shoes. And consequently over the next few days, he just took turns biting each shoes, one after the other. Eventually, both the shoes were almost eaten by him. Anyway, I have decided now to buy a new pair of futsal shoes.

I saw this pair on the Net, just a while ago while I was hunting for a good pair of shoes. I will not be buying a turf version for currently, the surface that we play on most of the time is on cement. So, this time it will be a hard surface version. Check it out. This is the adidas adiPURE IN II. It is priced about RM269/-. If you know a place where I can purchase it at a cheaper price, do tell.

Weird Ways We Deal With The Dead....

Dying is a fact of life, as is the disposal of a body after the fact. You know all about burial and cremation, but here are the other ways people, past and present, have dealt with the departed. It is very interesting to note, the various ways that are used to dispose of the dead. Well, I know it is not a nice way of saying, but how else could one define it? An interesting read - trust me it is.

Towers of Silence
Zoroastrians believe the body is impure and shouldn't pollute the earth after death through burial or cremation. Instead, the deceased are brought to a ceremonial "tower of silence", usually located on an elevated mountain plateau, and left exposed to the animals and elements. When the bones have been dried and bleached by the sun, they are gathered and dissolved in lime.

Tree Burials
Indigenous tribes in many parts of the world discovered that the best way of disposing the dead was to put them up high, rather than down below. Groups in Australia, British Columbia, the American southwest and Siberia were known to practice tree burial, which involved wrapping the body in a shroud or cloth and placing it in a crook to decompose.

Viking Ship Burials
Middle Age Vikings lived and literally died by the sea. After death, wealthier Vikings were placed in ships filled with food, jewels, weapons, food and even sometimes servants or animals for their comfort in the afterlife. The boats were interred in the ground, set alight or sent out to sea. The ultimate postmortem destination for Viking warriors was Valhalla, or "Odin's Hall", made famous in the Old Norse sagas.

Tibetan Sky Burial
Ever wanted to fly? In Tibet, you get to do just that, only after you're already dead. Instead of trying to bury bodies in the hard, rocky ground, some Tibetans send their loved ones to the top of a mountain and leave them to be eaten by the vultures. The disassembled corpses are even mixed with flour and milk for a tastier treat, to make sure every bit leaves the Earth for good.

Bog Bodies
Plenty of travelers perished accidentally crossing the murky bogs of northern Europe, but at least some individuals, especially in the Middle Ages, were buried there carefully and on purpose. Lucky for archaeologists, the chemical make-up of a bog preserves human flesh very well, allowing them to study the unlucky bog bodies closely.

Neanderthal Cave Burials
Before they began interring their dead in the ground proper around 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals routinely left the deceased deep inside the caves of Europe and the Middle East. To Neanderthals, the dark, mysterious recesses of a cave may have seemed like a good place to transfer over to the otherworld, some archaeologists have argued.

Plastination
Send your corpse on a tour of museums 'round the world with plastination, developed by German scientist Gunther von Hagens. His popular "Body Worlds" exhibits showcase the controversial preservation technique, which involves dissecting the body into bits, embalming it with a hardening fluid and reposing the body into various 'educational' positions.

Balinese Cremation
Contrary to the more somber western funerals, cremation ceremonies among the Hindus of Bali have an almost carnival-like atmosphere. Festive floats parade down local streets accompanying the body to a burning ground, where it is transferred into a ceremonial bull receptacle and set alight.

Cryonics
Who's never heard of Walt Disney's quest for immortality by having his body frozen? While that was an urban legend, cryonic science is a reality, currently only legal to perform on those who've been pronounced dead. Soon after dying, participants are stored in a liquid nitrogen solution to prevent decay until that time when death becomes a reversible phenomenon. Until then, the bodies remain on ice.

Mummification
The mummies of ancient Egypt are probably the world's most famous dead bodies. Reserved for members of the upper classes, mummification involved the removal of all organs including the brain, which was pulled through the nose by a hook. The body was then stuffed with dry materials like sawdust and wrapped in linens. The Egyptians believed that mummification preserved the soul for its journey into the afterlife.

The True Meaning Of Easter....

As a Bible-believing Christian, I stake my all upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without it I would be, as the apostle notes: "of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). I cannot understand why some make claim to Christianity, and yet deny the very cornerstone of the Christian faith; i.e., the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have undertaken a beautiful time of Lent, where I gave up red meat and any form of alcohol beverage. It did come as a surprise to many. I was very confident that I could do it. It has been a good 34 days thus far and to be honest, not one day did I ever feel tempted to indulge in my 2 most favourite obsessions – red meat (beef & mutton) and alcohol. I promised the Lord that I will give up these two obsessions for He has blessed me in such abundance. It went on so well. As we approach Easter (the day our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead), I hope and pray that we will be more patient and tolerant with our friends and family, we will not use profanity in our daily lives, we will not sin, when we know it is wrong and of course we will put the Lord first in our lives.

Thank you dear Lord for dying for all our sins and for giving us a beautiful life on this Earth.

"Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani"
by Keith Clayton, Jr. (1968 - 1998)

A cry uttered by Jesus Christ while dying on the cross,preserved in the original Aramaic:

"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

O Father,

I thank Thee

That through the tears that fell

From His eyes

And from Thine,

That my tears may be dried

And my eyes opened

To the Hope of my Salvation,

And the reassurance of myEternal worth

--In spite of myself--

That my meager lifeWas worth dying for

And He died

For me, and because of me,

That I might live for Him,

In all my days serving Him

As tool and ambassador

Of the love He had for us;

The love that gave purpose to His life

And life to His purpose.

Father, I acknowledge my

Hungering need

To bear and be borne by the

Unconditional Love of Christ,

Who unselfishly serves all those who but

Come unto Him.

As Counsellor, Advocate And Friend;

That neither I,

Nor any of us, need ever be alone. AMEN

Do You Know Your Heart?

You see, I know everyone will say that they know what their heart wants. Well, you know people have this saying, "my hearts content". But have we stopped and realised how much our heart does for us and the effect our heart has on many things.

I have been really busy with work, hence, I did not have the time to surf on my favourite site - http://www.livescience.com/ - well, I've managed to find some time to do it yesterday and I came across this really good article. Check it out. I present to you, the Top 10 Amazing Facts About Your Heart.

No.10

Sex Appeal

If you can't make it to the gym, try fooling around. Your heart might thank you. A study of 2,500 men aged 49 to 54 found that having an orgasm at least three times a week cut in half the likelihood of death from coronary heart disease. And barring underlying health issues and the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, sex can give you a workout. By some estimates, a vigorous sex session can double a person's heart rate and burn up about 200 calories, or the equivalent of a brisk 15-minute run. So staying in bed might be just what the doctor orders.

No.9

Female Heart

Girls rule in some matters of the heart, but when it comes to research into cardiovascular disease it's the guys who come into the spotlight. For decades, heart disease and heart attacks have been viewed as a man's illness. But this is far from the truth. Heart disease kills 500,000 American women each year, topping male numbers by 50,000. Another gender gap: Women don't tend to experience the Hollywood-standard heart attack in which gripping chest pain sends you keeling over. Instead, women have reported tightness, aching or pressure in the heart, plus other symptoms like nausea, back and jaw pain.

No.8

Heart Mend

A love-torn heart can be painful enough to make you wish you could get a new heart or at least a cardio repair kit. Both of the latter options could some day be realities. Scientists are studying the red-spotted newt to help them develop cell therapies for humans with physically damaged hearts. This amphibian can turn its cells back in time, as if they were stem cells, in order to build up new heart muscle. In another study, scientists engineered a beating heart from embryonic stem cells in the lab.

No.7

Heart-To-Heart

A seemingly sheepish look from Fido or that endearing brush-by from your cat can make you wonder if your pet could possibly communicate with you. A recent study adds equine friends to the list of emotionally-responsive animals. A scientist found that horse's heart rates mirror those of human subjects touching them. The horse emotion-detector could someday replace procedures used to measure a patient's stress hormones. Next, the researcher will study service dogs to better match them with humans.

No.6

Big Hearts

Some people really do have bigger hearts than others. Rather than a sign of affection, an enlarged heart can signal underlying heart disease. The most common type, called dilated cardiomyopathy, occurs when the heart's chambers stretch out and enlarge. The bulging saps the heart's pump power, depriving the body's organs of enough blood. If left untreated, a big heart can lead to heart failure.

No.5

LOL: It Is Good For You

A hearty laugh - the kind that sends a stream of tears from your eyes e does more than warm the soul. Research has shown the guffaw can cause the lining of blood vessel walls called endothelium to relax, increasing blood flow for up to 45 minutes after the laugh attack. Damage to the endothelium can lead to the narrowing of blood vessels and eventually cardiovascular diseases. That's no laughing matter...or maybe it is...

No.4

Drink To Your Heart

A glass of Merlot can go straight to the heart, and recent research shows that so too can the white variety. Scientists have attributed the heart benefits of reds to grape skins, which are chock full of certain antioxidants. Since the purple-hued skins get removed to make Chardonnays, many scientists had assumed white wine likely wouldn't do the heart any good. A lab experiment on rats showed that a grape's pulp conceals cardio-protective compounds that rival those found in reds. Red or white? Just follow your heart.

No.3

Powerful Pump

In under a minute, your heart can pump blood to every cell in your body. And over the course of a day, about 100,000 heart beats shuttle 2,000 gallons of oxygen-rich blood many times through about 60,000 miles of branching blood vessels that link together the cells of our organs and body parts. That's a hefty job for a fist-sized muscle.

No.2

Broken Heart

Alas, a broken heart can cause one to swoon. A breakup with a loved one or news of a family death literally can lead to broken hearts in the form of heightened risk for heart attack, studies have shown. Such trauma can also trigger the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream that temporarily "stun" the heart. The resulting symptoms mimic those of a heart attack - chest pain and shortness of breath - but this type of achy heart can bounce back in days with some TLC and rest.

No.1

Love Sign

Weighing in at 10 ounces, the blood-filled muscle called the heart has become the universal symbol of love. The Greeks believed the heart was the seat of the spirit, the Chinese associated it with the center for happiness and the Egyptians thought the emotions and intellect arose from the heart. No one is sure the exact origin of the love association, however. One idea is that the heart got its "love mark" in the ancient Greek city of Cyrene, now in modern-day Libya. The colony was known for a plant called Silphium, with heart-shaped seed pods. Silphium had medicinal properties, and possibly also was used as an herbal contraceptive.

Sunsets....

Hmmmm.... This is one of the sights that I truly enjoy. Nothing like sipping on a warm glass of whiskey, having a Cuban and just watching the sun go down. I can do that anywhere. I was on one of the best travel sites in the world - BudgetTravel.com and I came across some of the pictures that were posted by travellers around the world. I have put in mine as the 10th entry. Have a look.

COSTA RICA - This was taken from a plane

Louvre, FRANCE

Venice Beach, CA

Kota Kinabalu, SABAH

Marquette, MI

This was taken from a frozen lake

Santorini, GREECE

It would be nice to have a glass of wine and Greek salad with friends isn't

Kauai, HAWAII

Chobe National Park, BOTSWANA

Key West, FL
Don't have to say anymore....a clear definition where a picture is worth a thousand words

Miri, SARAWAK

Yeah, this was taken when Jam and myself went for the Miri International Jazz Festival last year, sometime in May.

Dog For Adoption....

Was with Santana and Rems over the weekend, well on Sat. Chilled at Santana's house. Bought some pizzas from Canadian 2-4-1 and mildly celebrated Becky's (Santana's dog) birthday as well. It was her 1st year. Santana, rescued her from a junk yard and now she is a healthy lil' doggie. Well, it was an occasion of 'killing 2 birds with a stone' - we celebrated Becky's birthday and watched the election updates on tele as well. It was a fun evening. Eating, checking out the shocking updates of the 12th GE and seeing how hyperactive Becky is.

Anyway, before we went to Santana's house, we had tea at Makbul Curry House in Subang and then we went to check out a Isuzu Citation being repaired at his workshop. At the workshop, I saw a cute lil' pup who was kept in a cage. According to Santana, it was rescued as well, but they (mechanics) at the shop wanted to find her a home as she deserved a nice home. I have undertaken the responsibility to find her a home.

If any of you'll are interested, kindly contact me as soon as possible as the poor pup will be surrendered to PAWS if no one comes forward.

Thank you all very much.

Sick....

Oh my, I had to go through my worst 2 days this year. I had somehow contracted a virus infection from someone at work and I was down with fever, flu, cough and sore throat. Damn! Yeah, the works baby, the works. Went to the doctors twice as the medication that was given to me the first time round were not strong enough. Anyway, that is the medication. I forgot that I had an audition today at 3pm. We're having our company Annual Dinner and Dance on the 26th of April at Sheraton Imperial, KL. I was asked to perform at the dinner. So, with my still flu'ed up chest, nose and throat, I had to sing just now. Since I was doing it alone (solo, this time as I don't have Jam in the same company), I used a minus one cd. Boy, that was a tough one. I pulled through, by God's grace.

I'm back in the office today, but I am still not a 100%. Throat is still irritating and still having a light fever. I hope to fully recover by this weekend as I need to really take care of my health. I can't afford to allow myself to get sick days before the performance as it will totally ruin my singing.

Hope to get well soon and of course to keep fit, well, at least until the performance.

Cheers!

Futsal & Melaka....

Futsal on Friday was awesome. It was such a good workout. We started playing at about 2am and we finished at 4am. It was a good 2 hours of running, kicking and more running. After not playing for such a long time, it felt good to sweat and move around with the ball. Anyway, after futsal, I went home, had a good bath and slept.

Woke up at about 8am on Sat, had a light breakfast, took the boys out for a walk and then left for Melaka at 3pm. Reached Melaka at 5, rested and then got ready for dinner. Oh yeah, I didn't say, one of the reasons we went back to Melaka was because Tasha just got promoted to the position of the Assistant Manager of Quality. So, she wanted to take everyone in Melaka out for dinner. Amma did the necessary bookings - among the guests who came were: Appa, Amma, Shobs, Balla, Aunt Lalitha, Geeta, Suhasini, Unc Johnson, Aunt Rani, Hans, Natasha, Unc Revee, Aunt Revee, Arwin and Sharween. Dinner was really good - Keng-Dom Restaurant in Melaka Raya. We had this really unique dish for dessert - Coconut Pudding, nice, very nice.

After dinner, we headed back home. Dropped Appa and Amma back and then we headed to Unc John's house to watch the Man Utd v Fulham game.

Oh yes, it was a good game. Man Utd coming out on top at Craven Cottage with 0-3. A beautiful opener by Hargreaves (free-kick) and then a header by Park and what more can I ask for - an own goal by Simon Davies (deflected from a cross by O'Shea). Now, with only 1 point behind the leaders Arsenal, we look good going into the last 10 games. We must not forget that we have Chelsea trailing with only 6 points but with 1 game in hand. But, if we continue to play the way we played on Sat, we have a strong chance of being the top side this season.

Keep it going boys!

Glory Glory Man Utd!