EASTER....

Easter is the most important annual religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Bible, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday by some.

The Resurrected Jesus appearing before Mary Magdelene

The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and AD 36. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Just the other day, Tasha and I were having dinner with Ben, Kamal, Vixx & Komathi. Ben & Kamal asked me a question: "So Devan aren't you observing Lent this year?" It was nice that they remembered. Every year, I give up something for Lent - normally something I cannot live without. For the past years it has been, alcohol, red meat, in fact in one of those years, it was meat altogether - but this year, I gave up coffee. Ever since I started here in CSC, I have been drinking at least 2 mugs of coffee every morning. So, this is something I have decided to give up. Honestly, it was tough initially, but eventually, I am alright. There is no longer a craving.

Tasha and I will be going back to Melaka on Thursday, right after work and we will be attending Good Friday service in Christ Church Melaka. Amma has promised to cook up a delicious vegetarian meal - yummy! I can't wait. To those of you who read the post last year, I'm sure you saw the spread - the works ya'll :) I have requested a menu from Amma - so, I am looking forward to it. Will post the pictures by Saturday, 3rd.

That's all for now, more after the Good Friday service.

Ode To My Dear 'Sons'

Every day when I return home from work, Caesar and Vasco are always there to greet me. Caesar will be running up and down the drive way with a soft toy in his mouth and Vasco will be whining in anticipation so that I will just pat him and give him a regular belly rub. It is amazing that the both of them are there to greet both Tasha and me every day without fail. There hasn't been a day go by, with them not greeting us the way they do. Cute fellers - I always look forward to going back home just to see them greet and welcome the both of us - very enthusiastically.

Caesar

Vasco

Love you both Caesar and Vasco

This posting is specially dedicated to the both of you - woof woof!

Below are some of the most famous animal quotes compiled from many people. Enjoy...

"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

"My little dog -- a heartbeat at my feet" ~ Edith Wharton

"Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier

"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

"Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to" ~ Joe Gores

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

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

"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 dog represents all that is best in man" ~ Etienne Charlet

"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

"I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it" ~ Abraham Lincoln

"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 your lap is warmer" ~ Alfred North Whitehead

"The best thing about animals is that they don't talk much" ~ Thornton Wilder

and the best of it all....

"...he will be our friend for always and always and always" ~ Rudyard Kipling

Family Trip

Tasha and I have been planning to have a family trip for a long time. We have been planning to have the trip since early September 09. Thankfully, everyone responded on time and kept the date free. The date was set be on the 2nd of Jan 2010. A one night trip to PD. We made the necessary arrangements to have a bungalow booked and pot luck was also organized. We wanted to have a barbeque so we had to ensure sufficient food was catered for the 23 people & 2 furkids that came:-

1. Devan, Tasha, Caesar & Vasco (2)
2. Uncle Krishnasamy, Auntie Lalitha, Pravina & Suhashini (4)
3. Thatha (1)
4. Uncle John, Auntie Rani, Hans & Natasha (4)
5. Uncle Revee, Auntie Chelva, Arwin & Sharwin (4)
6. Kumar, Pathma, Aniruth & Adhiti (4)
7. Vicknes & Yoges (2)
8. Alfred & Geeta (2)

By God’s grace everything went on well. We left KL at 12.50noon and we were in PD by 2.00pm. The entourage from Melaka arrived at about 2.30pm. We started off by having some deliciously made nasi lemak by mom-in-law (Aunt Lalitha). Once we were done with lunch, we left for the beach. It was just a 5 mins walk from the bungalow. We swam in the sea for about 3 hours and then got back to prepare for the barbeque.

Barbeque started at 8.00pm and by then, Alfred, Geeta and the Kumars had just arrived. Oh yes, how can I forget? We had problems finding the barbeque grill. We could buy it from KL because; we did not know the size of the barbeque pit in the bungalow. We spent a good 1 hour looking for it, and finally we found one shop that had it. As soon as we got it and all the other supplies, we headed straight to the bungalow. After we were done with eating and drinking, we had a short game of football – really fun. 2 teams of 5 aside were made and we played for a good 1 hour. Then, we stopped to rest. But after resting, no one wanted to continue, so all of us had our showers and we started card games. Some gambled, some of us played Citadel – a game introduced by Vicky & Yoges. Interesting, I must say. After that, the rest went to sleep, but some of us continued with Monopoly and more drinking. 3 of us (Arwin, Hans and me) only slept at 5.30am – after some supper.

Got up by 8.00am the next morning and yes you guessed it right, we headed to the beach again. Swam for about 3 hours, got home, bathed, got ready, some of us had light lunches and then we all headed back to KL.

All in all a very good trip – some of us came from KL, some from Melaka, some from Singapore and some even from India. I am very glad everyone had a good time. We are planning to make this an annual event – even bi-annual, of course only if the response is good.

Pictures of the trip can be viewed by clicking on the picture below:

Say 'No To Plastic Bags'

Greetings of the New Year everyone!

I came across a very good article in the NST this morning on the ‘No Plastic Bag’ campaign.

Every Saturday (from the 2nd of Jan onwards) in all Carrefour hypermarts nationwide, no plastic bags will be given to customers – if they would like to have one, they will have to purchase it.

This is a very good move. Tasha and I have always been wondering when people will ever stop using plastic bags. This is the beginning. We should encourage shoppers to use their own recyclable shopping bags. It is also good to know that other supermarkets and convenience stores have also decided to follow suit. In fact, Cold Storage had already declared Thursdays as a ‘no plastic bag day’. Now, they have also decided to take part in the campaign. Among the other stores who have decided to follow suit, 7-11 and Giant. I do hope other marts will do the same.

Please spread the message everyone. Please go into stores with your own reusable shopping bags. Let’s join hands in saving the environment. Let us start off the New Year by inculcating the habit of recycling.

Thank you and God bless you all this year!