Volkswagen 1973 [VW]

THE DEATH OF JESUS

2011-04-22T03:57:00.001+08:00

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to death.

At the time, crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified.

Yet, it was even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, rather than tied.

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe.

Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus, He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross.

Jesus could not support himself with His legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using his legs just to continue to breath.

Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.

A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds.

From common images, we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side. But do we remember the many wounds made to his body.

A hammer driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped and a nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.

And before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten.

The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body.

The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face.

The crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp.

Most men would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.

All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones. The cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, to which His hands were nailed.

Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you may have free access to God.

So that your sins can be "washed" away.

All of them, with no exception!

Jesus Christ died for you.

EASTER....

2010-03-29T14:48:00.005+08:00

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'

2010-01-07T15:47:00.004+08:00

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

2010-01-05T16:55:00.004+08:00

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'

2010-01-04T11:49:00.002+08:00

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!

Caesar & Vasco....

2009-09-14T22:11:00.005+08:00

It is such a joy to have Caesar and Vasco in our lives. I was just watching some tele after dinner and I realised that Caesar (for 5 years) and Vasco (for 3 years) have been with us throughout our entire lives together. I can still remember the day Tasha brought Caesar home. The memories of that day are still very fresh in my mind. He was a ball of fur. I have seen many pups growing up. I must say, Caesar was the best of them all. He was very well behaved. He is 5 years old (35 human years). Vasco will be 3 years old (21 human years) this October. It is sad to note that dogs do not live as long as humans do. I just hope and pray that both Caesar and Vasco will live their lives to the fullest. I pray that the both of them will remain healthy.

Here are some of their pictures taken recently:-

Caesar watching tv

Vasco eating (he is known as the 'sappadu raman of the house')

US Open....

2009-09-14T10:10:00.004+08:00

I was watching the semi finals of the women's singles match of the US Open. Well, not the one between Wozianicki & Wickmayer, but the one between Williams and Clijsters. Well, at least now you know what is it I am getting at. What a match it was? Kim was leading by 1 game to 0 (6-4). In the second set, when it was 40-15 to Clijsters, something really bizarre happened on the court. Serena was serving when she was given a service fault by the line judge. She went mad - as in completely mad. She went on a foul mouth tirade at the line judge.

The line judge was called by the umpire to explain the call and when she did, the Chief Judges of the tournament were called in.

Serena was given a point penalty, hence, Clijsters won the match.

A night full of drama at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Serena was given the point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. This was the first time I have seen such a player (Clijsters) get a place in a Grand Slam final for unsportsmanlike conduct of the opposition player (Williams). I hope this incident serves as a lesson to all sportsmen and women to be good role models on and off the court.

So stay cool on the field of play everyone :)

Pictures courtesy of www.USOpen.org

Caesar & Vasco....

2009-09-13T00:33:00.002+08:00

Every now and then, Caesar and Vasco have this wrestling sessions. It is so cute to see them going at each other. Tasha and I were watching tele this morning and playing with the boys. Suddenly Caesar got into a minor rage and started going at Vasco. He started his 'cari pasal' mode.

Do watch the video below:

Weekend....

2009-09-13T00:13:00.002+08:00

It is a strange feeling when you look forward to the weekend. But when the weekend comes, you're like thinking, damn, it is Monday in a day or two. Then you lose all focus of the weekend. Anyway, this weekend was rather quiet. Woke up early this morning, ran some errands, took Vasco to the vet and Caesar to the groomers. Then, got back. Tasha cooked lunch. Lovely lunch I must say - chicken curry, rice, carrots and cauliflowers. In fact, once I got back upon running my errands, I slept for a while. It has been like eternity since I ever had a good afternoon nap, and boy was it good. Woke up and 6.00pm and had lunch. Yup - lunch was at 6.00pm. Then, Xavier called me for a game of pool. We were supposed to go for a bowling session in Sunway Pyramid - but it didn't work out. We had vouchers for some games - but sadly, it didn't work out. Anyway, I headed to IOI Mall - Brewball to play some pool. I must say, Brewball has one of the best tables in town. Well maintained and excellence service by the staff. We played for a good 2 hours - 8 ball. We hope to be having another round of 9 ball soon. It was a well contested match: Devan - 10 vs Xavier - 8.

After the games, I got back, had another round of the rice and chicken curry. Bought some ice-cream back. Tasha and I have this love affair with the McDonald's Cornetto Sundae. Good stuff ya'll. Try it - chocolate though, not the strawberry one. After dinner, had ice-cream and then watched some tele. I wanted to catch the ManUtd v Spurs game, but I doubt I'll be able to stay awake. I need to be up in the morning tomorrow as Tasha and I are driving Appa and Amma to Slim River - one of my dad's episcopal visits. They're driving to the Petronas here in Sg.Besi and then, I'm driving them to S.River. It will be a nice trip for sure as it will be the first time Appa will be going back to his place of birth and his 'kampung' as a Bishop. After the service, I'll be driving them straight to Melaka. Shobs and Balla are in Melaka, so they'll be dropping us off at KL on their way back.

Once we get back, it will already be time to get ready for a new week ahead. Wish you all a pleasant weekend and more to come next week.

I hope to take some picture in Slim River and I'll post it once I get back.

God bless you all.

RACISM....

2009-09-11T22:12:00.004+08:00

I have had my run-ins with blatant racism. However, here in Malaysia, we are very careful in approaching the subject of racism. Why? Are we worried that mere questioning will result in a racial riot? I personally feel that if we see or experience racism, we should publicise it. People should be aware of how sickening some can be.

I was reading through the blog of one of my closest buddies (in fact he was also one of my best man) - Vixx. Vixx and I go a long way back. We've been very close - almost family, but only more genuine ;) He had written a post on racism - his unfortunate experiences. I think everyone here in Malaysia must read it. You need to know what is happening here in Malaysia - sadly.

To go to the article, please click on the 'No Racism' signage below:

US Open....

2009-09-03T10:43:00.003+08:00

Yes, it is this time of the year! I always look forward to the Grand Slams. Although my favourite is the Wimbledon, there is something about the US Open that keeps me glued to the tele every year. I suppose it is my love for the sport of tennis. It was sad to see my favourite women's player get knocked out of the tournament in the 2nd round, Ana Ivanovic. However, I'm glad Roger is still kicking it this year. I'm glad he is back at his best. Somehow, I still feel that the best of Federer is yet to come. It should be a a good match between himself and Hewitt in the 3rds. Most of the seeded players have all gone through to the next round (Nadal, Serena, Blake, etc.) - with the exception of Amelie Mauresmo who was knocked out by Alexandre Wozniak of Canada, 6-4, 6-0. Daamnnnn!

I was on the US Open site and I came across one of the most interesting pictures ever. The security officers at the tournament have their respective K9 officers as well. This fellow is so cute. He even had a security tag made for him. Interesting to see how detailed security is in such a major tournament.

Eating Healthy....

2009-09-01T12:27:00.007+08:00

I was reading an article on how to eat healthy. I have this problem. I want to eat healthy, but I never knew how to do so without giving up on my favourite desserts (well, some of them at least). Here is how. I have managed to compile the list below based on our own diet. I want to eat healthy - especially with my family having a long history of diabetes and high blood pressure. So here goes:-

Eat Enough Calories But Not Too Many

Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.

Eat A Wide Variety Of Foods

Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.

Keep Portions Moderate

Especially, high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

Eat Plenty Of Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, And Legumes

Foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce.

Drink More Water

Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Malaysians go through life dehydrated – and to make matters worse, we don’t even know it. So please drink plenty of water.

Limit Sugary Foods, Salt, & Refined-Grain Products

Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. In a year, just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can increase your weight by 16 pounds. See suggestions below for limiting salt and substituting whole grains for refined grains.

Don’t Be The Food Police

You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those French fries aren’t! I know of some friends who avoid ‘sin’ food at all cost. Well, that is not the way to do it. It is fine to have them once in a while.

Get Moving

A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better. Yup, hence, the re-launching of the tennis sessions (for me at least) and the futsal sessions (next week onwards). Yes, Xavier, I know, I will come for the tennis sessions from now on.

Good Weekend....

2009-08-31T00:24:00.002+08:00

What a weekend it was? The weekend started for me on Friday. Tasha picked me up from work, came back, did some shopping, packed up the boys and we left for Melaka. We were initially worried about the traffic (as Monday as a PH), but thankfully, the traffic was very smooth. We got to Melaka in an hour and 20 mins. Amma was waiting for us, had a warm shower and slept. Woke up the next morning, had breakfast, watched tele and just chilled at home. Appa and Amma went for a picnic with the Senior Citizens Club of CCM - so Tasha and I had lunch and pretty much just lazed at home. It was nice to just be at home. In the afternoon, we headed to Jln Bunga Raya for some cendol and rojak. This shop that we went to brings special memory to Tasha - when she was a kid, her grandma used to take her to this shop for rojak and cendol after their grocery shopping every other Saturday. To our suprise, the old uncle who is managing the shop is still there with his wife. According to Tasha, the taste has not changed - ever! So, it was good - I had longan with ice-cream - nice. Anyway, after that, we headed to buy some fruits and wash the car and then headed back home.

We visited Tasha's auntie (Uncle, Hans & Natasha) in Bukit Katil and then headed home after the 2nd half of the Man Utd v Arsenal game - were we lucky, I'm very sure we were. Although we did play well in the second half, but the way the goals came in for us, I have to thank God for his blessings :) Anyway, we retired right after the game as we were going to Kluang on Sunday. We woke up at 6.30am, got ready and headed to Kluang. Tasha and I slept at the back while Appa and Amma drove. We got to Kluang at 9am, dropped Appa at St. Luke's and then we (Amma, Tasha and I) headed to the Kluang town for some old school breakfast. Seriously very good. There is this chinese coffee shop in Kluang which serves the best baked bread with butter and kaya and coffee. After bfast, we went to church. Right after church service, we left - Appa was conducting the confirmation for some 10 candidates. I drove us back to Melaka - once we got back, we bought some lunch from Selvams.

After lunch, bathed the boys - Tasha bathed Caesar and I bathed Vasco. Fed them and then we slept for a while. Only woke up at about 8pm at night, got ready and left for KL. at about 9.30pm. It was a smooth drive back. Got in to KL by 11pm. Bought some burgers back and now I'm just resting. About to go and sleep in a bit. Tasha is already sleeping. In fact, I wanted to go and shoot some pool with Xav, but he isn't keeping too well, so we'll go tomorrow morning (I hope).

Very eventful weekend - Celtic won, Man Utd won and we had a very relaxed weekend in Melaka and Kluang.

Stray Dogs....

2009-08-27T23:18:00.003+08:00

Tasha & I were going back home after dinner sometime last week in Equine Park sometime last week and we were greeted by a very cute Lab looking black colour stray. She was blocking the road as were about the leave the restaurant. So, what we did was we drove back to where she came from and we were pleasantly greeted by 2 small pups and 2 other strays as well. They were all sitting together and keeping themselves warm. A very sad site for an animal lover - I tell you. Anyway, we headed to buy some dog biscuits for them and ever since we have been feeding them at the shop lots that they normally chill out in.

However, today was kinda strange. When we went to feed the fellers, we only saw one of them. He was just sitting there alone - looking sad and cold (it has been raining here for the past 2 weeks, especially at night). So, what I did was, the usual, trying to call all of them - no one came. I got a bit worried - then this feller was walking away as I was pouring out the food on the old newspapers which were already there (I guess there were others feeding them too). Then, he gave 2 loud barks. As soon as he barked, all the dogs whom I had been feeding all this while, came running - including the 2 small pups. It was so cute - all of them just ran around our car and up into the shop lot. In fact when Spots (the dog that was sitting there alone) called out to his homies to come and feast, one of the small pups was about to run across the road - an oncoming car was about to hit him - but he took a step back and avoided the car. Amazing aren't they - they are so smart isn't? I was truly touched by how Spots called out to all of them to come and eat. Poor fellers were so hungry.

This post is to tell everyone - dogs are precious beings. Do not abuse them, do not throw them out of your house once you get bored of them, do not give them up if you have a child at home and most importantly - PLEASE, for heavens sake, if you are not in a position to care for them, do not ever and I mean, ever take them into your homes in the first place. It is very cruel to care for them for a while and then just give them up later. To those who have pets of your own, please neuter or spay your dogs and cats. It is already depressing enough to see so many of them without loving homes.

To all my dear strays (dogs and cats) - this is my prayer for you - may you be kept very safe from all danger and may you be fed sufficiently.

Take care everyone and have a good weekend!

My BIG Day....

2009-08-18T13:35:00.008+08:00

This post is long overdue (a month and a week). I know, I know - but I have been very busy with work. I have finally ended my bachelor days and I am happy to have married the love of my life, Tasha better known to many as Tharsani. As most of you know, it was on the 11th of July 2009 (Saturday). The wedding was held in Christ Church, Melaka and the reception was by the poolside of Everly Resort Hotel, Melaka. There are so many people I would like to thank for all the hard work put in making the day a beautiful day for us. So here goes:-

First and foremost our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for all His blessings
Both our parents (Rt. Rev Datuk Dr S Batumalai & Datin Elizabeth and Mr. Krishnasamy & Mrs. Lalitha)
My dear sister Shobanam and my beloved brother in law Balla - for everything the both of them did. The entire wedding would not have been possible without the both of you.
My dear brother Antho - for arranging the PA system and for ensuring everything went on smoothly at the reception.
To both our dear cousins for ensuring everyone had a seat at the reception - Reena, Angela, Heric, Sharmini, Risberg, Joanne, Natasha, Suhasini, Pravina and Hans
The Bishop of West Malaysia, Rt. Rev. Ng Moon Hing and his lovely wife
Mr. Benjy Ong and Mrs. Grace Chung - for the Church decorations and for the ushering
Our dear aunties at CCM (Aunt Helen Siow, Aunt Rosemary Gill, Aunt Lisa Yeo & Aunt Dorothy Chia) - wonderful flower arrangements in the Church
Ms. Cindy & Ms. Sharon - beautiful decorations by the poolside. Yes everyone, it was all done by these 2 ladies and they were assisted by my dear friends Gopi & Kohilah below
Mr. Gopinath and Ms. Kohilah - thank you so much for all your help at the Hotel - I am sorry that because of all the work you guys were doing in the Hotel, you were not able to attend the wedding ceremony.
My dear bestmen - Remyjit (Pau, thank you so much for allowing us to use your car as the Groom's car - thank you very much. And thank you for all your support to me personally), Kamal, Vikhram and Vicknesharajan (What a stag! Nuff said!) And for organising the bar after the reception - well done fellers! Love you all very much
To Tasha's bridesmaids - Debbie, Patricia, Shobanam and Geeta
Our dear Matron of Honour - Mrs. Mary Dass (yes, I was the page boy at Mary Akka's wedding)
My dear Arwin and Hans for organising the signages
My dear comrades Navindran @ Naevien and Xavier Tee for ensuring the presentation slides went on well at the reception (I'm so sorry for not thanking you guys at the reception - I still feel bad about it)
My dear Jamhari - for the beautiful song you presented at the Church (It was truly special to the both of us Jam, I thank you so much - I know it wasn't easy)
My dear brother in law, Alfred for allowing us to use his car as the wedding car on such short notice - we thank you from the bottom of our hearts
My best friend, Goutham Ravi, affectionately known to me as G' - although you were unable to make it, I am glad you were with us in prayer. Hope to see you soon.

And not forgetting members of both of families and our dear friends (most of whom have come from out of town) to grace our special occasion and of course to help us out in one way or another.

To view the pictures, please click on our picture below:

INDIANS....

2009-08-17T14:12:00.003+08:00

An interesting observation....

Statistics have been compiled, research has been conducted, relatives have been consulted, the gossip aunties (their big hips clad in colourful and bright golden sarees) have actually, for ONCE agreed. We present to you the characteristics that classify the THREE major Indian groups that exist in Malaysia. The REGULARs, HIP-HOPPERs & MACHAs.

(1) REGULAR

Definition:
Comprises a mere 7-10 % of the total population of Indians in Malaysia. Found in well-developed parts of the cities spread throughout the peninsular. (None have been found in Sabah & Sarawak as yet)

Characteristics:
1. Speaks English as their 1st language.(No shame at all)
2. Do not know how to (or just don’t) speak their mother tongue.
3. Prefer to identify themselves by sub-group rather than the plain Indian (ie-Malayalee, Ceylonese, Telugu, Sikh, North Indian, etc)
4. Uses the internet more than the other 2 groups combined.
5. Swears off, criticises and ridicule those who watch tamil/hindi movies and/or dramas
6. Instead, watches the OC, MTV and other American sitcoms
7. Thinks that the REGULAR group is way larger than it actually is and constantly makes fun of the other groups, in particular the MACHA group. Why? Because it's fun.
8. Aspires to be a doctor. Those who do medicine will eventually do so at UK/Australia, but will normally end up taking more than the required six years to complete the degree due to excessive failure.

Recent studies have shown that there is a growing splinter group within the REGULARs knows as the IPWTTANI (Indian People Who Think They Are Not Indians). This growing sub-group is considered the elitist by some and is found to make the occasional statements like "I wish I were in the UK " and/or "This never happened when I was studying in Australia ". They often speak in unidentifiable accents. The women/men of this group also prefer to date white men/women from foreign countries with the excuse that local men/women "just don't understand me". Many secretly desire to be taken away to live in a Bollywood film with a happily-ever- after ending.

(2) THE HIP-HOPPERS

Definition:
The 2nd major group of Indians, the HIP-HOPPERS comprises about 20-30% of the population of Indians. Normally living in urban areas of cities, the HIP-HOPPERS, as their name suggests, can never be found where they actually come from, but rather in clubs, bars, pubs etc. Many secretly desire to be like the REGULARS but just don't make the cut.

Characteristics:
1. TRY to speak English as their 1st language.
2. Their actual 1st language is Tamil.
3. Openly desire to be blacks (waddap dawg?)
4. Hair not in original colour
5. Have unknown hand movements and slangs that are supposedly cool that supposedly go well together with their normal attire of FUBU jerseys and baggy jeans (that are more often than not bought in Petaling Street/ChowKit)
6. Are famously known to shorten their names to suit their lifestyles (ie. Sam, for Muthusamy and Amber for Ambikadevi)
7. Large quantities (almost all) found in Jalan Telawi of Bangsar (though, to be fair, many REGULAR groups are found here too) 8. Parents want them to be doctors. Many end up studying medicine in Russia/Ukraine because they refuse to go to India and cannot afford UK/Australia. Those who go to India may eventually switch camps to the MACHA group.

The HIP-HOPPERS major claim to fame is driving out all the REGULARs (Malay, Chinese & Indian) and the white expatriates from Bangsar by large quantities, so much so that they can now call Bangsar "home".

(3) MACHAs

Definition:
The last and largest group of Indians in the country comes from the MACHA group. Probably the most famous group, it is so well known that most Malaysians think ALL Indians are from the MACHA group. Comprising nearly 70% of the Indian population in M'sia, the MACHAS can be found in urban parts of the cities, and also in estates.

Characteristics:
1. Speaks Tamil as their 1st language
2. Sees Tamil Nadu/Madras (India) as the place to be.
3. Astro at home is hardwired to Astro Vaanavil.
4. Worship Bollywood films. The men openly desire to be like Vijayakanth or their favourite Indian star.
5. A night-out will have to include a stop at any Indian shop in Brickfields. The shopping haven will have to be Jalan Masjid India .
6. Know all the Tamil songs by heart and has never heard of Hitz.FM
7. For men, outfit is never complete without a gold chain. Women prefer to spend their life-savings on gold jewelry and gaudy sarees.8. Half of them aspire to be doctors; the other half, their parents want them to be doctors. The bright ones become the pride of all Indians in the country when they enter UM for medicine, the less fortunate go to AIMST. Many more attain paradise and have their dreams come true when allowed to go off to India (most of the time Manipal) to do medicine. Most just drop-out of school and contribute to social-problem areas in the country.

Which one are you?

DOGATHON IS BACK!

2009-08-11T22:21:00.004+08:00

Yes, Dogathon is back and this time celebrating its 13th anniversary. Tasha and I have never missed it. It is held in Bukit Ekspo in UPM every year. This event is organised by the vet students of UPM and jointly sponsored by many brands. It will be fun filled day for you and your fur kids. The details are below:-

Date: 16th August 2009 (Sunday)
Venue: Bukit Ekspo, UPM
Time: 6.30am - 2.00pm
Theme: Carnivale Canine

For more details click on the paw below:
See you all there!

Golden Words....

2009-05-25T15:17:00.002+08:00

The phrases below were sent to me in an email. It is very enlightening. Do read....

Love your job but don't love your Company because you may not know when your company stops loving you - Dr. ABDUL KALAM -

What is the Secret of SUCCESS? "RIGHT DECISIONS"
How do you make Right Decisions? "EXPERIENCE"
How do you get Experience? "WRONG DECISIONS
- Dr. ABDUL KALAM -

Without your involvement you can't succeed. With your involvement you can't fail.
- Dr. ABDUL KALAM -

You are not responsible for what people think about you. But you are responsible for what you give them to think about you - STANLEY FERRARD -

A man is lucky if he is the first love of a Woman. A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man - CHARLES DICKENS -

Write your Sad times in Sand, Write your Good times in Stone - GEORGE BERNARD SHAW -

Behind every successful man, there is an untold pain in his heart - BILL JACOBS -

It's better to lose your Ego to the one you Love, than to lose the one you LOVE because of EGO
- JOHN KEATS -

Car Keys....

2009-05-04T13:01:00.002+08:00

A friend of mine sent me this - it is worth sharing!

PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT. Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in yourhouse, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound untileither you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:

It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.

And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

Reflexology....

2009-04-25T22:10:00.004+08:00

Came back to Melaka for the weekend. We (Tasha & I) were sorting out some items for the Wedding. Came back to purchase the cloth materials for the page boys and the bridemaids. We have purchased the ones for the flower girls, though. Anyway, after some more shopping at Mahkota Parade, we walked over to Dataran Pahlawan (a new mall in Melaka Raya). Upon finishing all the shopping for the day, we were both so tired. We came across this Thai Traditional Massage place, but it was really crowded. However, as I was just about to walk away, I saw another parlour. We went in and the prices were really reasonable. We paid RM120 for the both of us - with the purchase of 2 medicated oils each. It was a shoulder, back, neck and reflexology massage. It was really painful - I mean excruciating - when the masseuse was massaging me, but after that I felt really good. They gave the both of us a nice hot cup of ginger extract once we were done with the massage.

Tasha and I have decided to go for this everytime we come back to Melaka - at least once a month. It is very refreshing. The both of us were feeling so stressed with work and the wedding plans - but after the massage, we felt so good.

I will be driving Appa to Kluang tomorrow for his episcopal visit. Tasha won't be coming, she will have to babysit Beema. Oh yes, I did not tell you guys about Beema. Beema is Jay's (Tasha's friend) pup. We're babysitting him since he had to go back to Penang - Beema is too young to travel that far. We have our food tasting at the Hotel tomorrow. Hope it goes well.

But honestly, people, try the reflexology massage. It is so good. In fact there are some in KL as well, but I have not been to any in KL, I think Tasha has. But if you're coming to Melaka for a holiday, do tell, I'll hook you'll up ok. From what I heard, the nerves of our entire body ends at our feet. So the reflexology is really good for our entire body.

Have a great weekend. God bless.

How To Flatten That Tummy....

2009-04-24T15:03:00.005+08:00

Damn! I've been trying all types of methods to reduce the beer belly that I have so successfully gained in the the past 4 years. I have been such a huge lover of beers that I never bothered about the consequences of this indulgence. However, I have realised that I need to lose that beer belly before my BIG day. So, I have decided to do the following:-

(1) Tuesdays - Futsal (1 hour)

(2) Wednesday - Futsal (2 hours)

(3) Thursday - Badminton / Tennis (2 hours)

Besides all the above that I am doing, I am also spending 30 minutes a day walking the boys - Caesar & Vasco. I have cut my carb intake and increased my protein intake. I have reduced my intake of excessive sugar (cakes, ice-creams, sweets) as well. I started this routine, some 2 weeks ago and I am already seeing results. I believe, if one puts his/her heart and mind to something, he/she can surely achieve it. It has been tough, but I am very determined to lose that belly before I go to my tailor and get my tux sewed. Well, if you want to look good, you have to sacrifice for a while. In fact, I have somehow got used to it that I do not crave for it anymore. I hope to continue this diet plan and the exercise routine I am currently doing.

I found the article below on the tips of losing that 'Bulging Stomach'. So here goes - for those who want to lose that extra inches of your waist, check this out:-

Walk/jog for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week to boost your metabolism in order to burn that fat.

Pick a sport [futsal, badminton, tennis or all three ;)] and spend at least 2 hours a week playing the sport.

Eat a small handful of almonds (at least 6) every morning. Almonds are one of the healthiest snacks you can eat and the protein is good for burning fat. - I didn't know this, will buy some almonds on my way back tonight.

Add fiber to your diet and cut down your intake of the bad carbs. Foods such as white bread, pastas, potatoes, and white rice should be limited. Eat brown rice and whole wheat bread instead. To get that needed fibre increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables (especially the leafy green ones).

Drink skim milk instead of whole milk. Keep your dairy intake at a minimum because these products often cause bloating and gas.

Perform proper crunches at least 3 times a week to train your abs. Avoid sit-ups because they really do very little to firm your stomach. Sit-ups work your hip flexors more than anything else.

Drink plenty of water. You should be drinking 6 to 8 glasses per day. Not only will it help fill you up so you eat less, but it aids in digestion.

Stop eating within 3 hours of bedtime. If you have to munch on something, eat a small portion of vegetables or fruit. Not eating late can make a huge difference.

Eat smaller meals more often instead of 2-3 big meals per day to keep from having that bloated look and feeling. Eating more meals actually kicks up your metabolism.

Take a break from healthy eating once and a while and treat yourself to your favorite dessert. If you completely deprive yourself of the foods you love you'll run the risk of going back to your bad eating habits. Moderation is the key.

Royal Malaysian Police Highway Patrol....

2009-04-19T17:38:00.009+08:00

A friend of mine, Dushies, sent me these pictures. To those of you who think you can run away from the chasing cops on the highway? Think again my dear friends - think again!

Man Utd vs Everton....

2009-04-19T17:03:00.003+08:00

It will be a cruncher - this one! However, it may not be the same line-up that humbled the Portuguese side in Porto days ago. I am very sure Sir Alex will rest most of the star players. Among those whom I see not making the squad tonight are: Ronaldo, Rooney, Carrick, Giggsy and most likely even Berbatov. It will be suprising to see Van der Sar between the posts. A lot of people, well, the traditionalists will be waiting to lash out at Sir Alex about this move. But, if you ask me, I think it is a very good move. With the likes of Park, Fletcher and Tevez, I'm sure we will be able to get the win we need against the Evertonians. I am not in any way underestimating Everton, it is just that - now, playing the way we are, I am confident we'll go through and meet the Blues in the finals. Did any of you'll watch the game (Arsenal vs Chelsea) last night? DD, I like to call him that, Drogba, was awesome. Assuming we qualify for the finals, we will have to watch DD very closely. Looking at what he did to the Gunners in the 84th minute was scary. Although he was an out of favour striker with Scolari, he has proven beyond doubt that he is still one of the best strikers in the world. Congratulations Blues, and see you in the finals.

I have been following the steady success Moyes with Everton. He has managed to do something really special with the team - especially with the limited funds that he has had. I do hope they will do well in the league. If I'm not mistakes, they're in 6th place and they are giving Villa a real run for their money. If I remember correctly, they have a game in hand and by winning it, they will move up into 5th. They are a really good team. My best wishes are with you Everton, but tonight, it will be tough - especially going against a team that has won it 11 times (the last being in 2004). But I am confident that it will be a good game.

I hope we will win tonight - more after the game ya'll.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

Lawyer vs Italian...

2009-04-18T12:17:00.005+08:00

A friend of mine sent me this joke - very witty. I love jokes about lawyers. As most of you'll know I have studied law - I have seen a lot of lawyers who always seem as if they know everything. It appears as if people are just waiting to pinpoint to a lawyer saying, "he/she does not know that" - so they (the lawyers) do not want to feel challenged in anyway, so they make it seem like they know everything.

This joke reminded me of how often we underestimate people. We always think we're indispensable and that no one can ever challenge us in anything, be it 'battle of the brains' , simple quizzes we so often play with our colleagues and everything else that has anything to do with proving a point. This joke below clearly shows that we should never ever underestimate anyone. Enjoy....

A lawyer and an Italian are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer is thinking that Italians are so dumb that he could get over on them easy. So the lawyer asks if the Italian would like to play a fun game.The Italian is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists, and says that the game is a lot of fun. I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5; you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500, he says. This catches the Italians attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game.

The lawyer asks the first question. 'What's the distance from The Earth to the Moon?' The Italian doesn't say a word, reaches in his pocket pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.

Now, it's the Italian's turn. He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?' The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he could find on the Net. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows, all to no avail. After one hour of searching he finally gives up. He wakes up the Italian and hands him $500. The Italian pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep.

The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the Italian up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?'

The Italian reaches in his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

2009-04-17T00:57:00.002+08:00

What a win it was at Porto? Sir Alex said, he is calling on the spirit of Turin that demolished the hopes of the Old Lady from advancing in the competition some 10 years ago when we won the unprecedented treble. Well, Sir Alex, what a time to call on the spirit of Turin. From the kick off of the 2nd leg of the quarters at Porto we were on course to the semi-finals against the Gunners. I will not deny that fact that the home team was hitting us on all cylinders, but I was truly amazed by the awesome display of the gutsy trio - Anderson, Ferdinand and Vidic. They were the very reason, the Porto forwards could hardly penetrate our defense. We did very well. I do hope we will continue this spirit in awesome fashion against the Gunners. I will not easily rule out the chances of Arsenal from qualifying to the finals. With the likes of Adebayor (back to his best) and Fabregas playing really well - especially in the game against Villareal - it will be tough. The semi-finals on the 5th of May at the Emirates will be a juicy affair - I know that much. It is an advantage espcially since the 2nd leg will be played at Old Trafford.

What a goal it was by Ronaldo in the 6th minute? I think it definitely deserves to be one of the best goals I have ever seen this season. 40 yards? Did you'll see the rocket shot from the No.7? He collected a lovely pass from Anderson, ran to the right and let it rip with a shot as brutally powerful as it was audacious in its intent. He should do more of this. Although by this time last season, he was already the leading scorer in all competitions, this goal could not have come at a better time than it did early last morning. Bravo Ronaldo! And please keep them coming.

It has been a while, since we won a game with a clean sheet. This is a good sign. I do hope we do well against Everton this Sunday at the FA Cup semis and the coming games against the Pompeys and Spurs (mid and end of next week). This is the very reason why, I never lose faith and never will I ever give up on my dear Red Devils. We have truly risen to the occasion. I had to put up with a lot of nonsense from the likes of the Pudlians and the ABU (Anything But United) fans - but let me tell you something my dear fans of football, who hardly know anything about Man Utd. Do not speak of the Devils until the season is over. The Pudlians were hard at proving a point when they beat us twice (with an aggregate of what, 5-1 or was it 6-1) - whatever the score - they're mission and objective in football is purely to beat Man Utd and not strive to achieve anything else. Sad, but true. As some of you may know, I am a very different Man Utd fan, I truly appreciate the beauty and the tradition of the LFC. In fact, in many occasions I have supported the Pudlians in their pursuit for glory (although none thus far). But they have continuously belittled my dear Devils. This ardent fan isn't shutting up any longer ;)

But to be fair, I do hope they win at least the Premier League this season - although it will be difficult, especially with Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal playing really well. But honestly, fellers, if Man Utd somehow slack in the upcoming games towards the closing of the season, I'd rather have Liverpool win it (the Premiership) than Chelsea or Arsenal. You guys have been playing really well throughout the season and you deserve that much - my opinion (my HONEST opinion). You can try for the UEFA Champions League next season ok, don't be disheartened.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

Do You Believe It?

2009-04-14T23:26:00.001+08:00

A friend of mine sent me the article below. It really got me thinking? It may do the same to you. Read it. Very interesting:-

A girl went to her friend’s house and she ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone.

She wasn't afraid because it was a small COMMUNITY and she lived only a few blocks away.

As she walked along under the bike trail Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a shortcut to her house, she decided to take it.

However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God's protection.

Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.

Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.

The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a line-up to see if she could identify him.

She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.

She asked if they would ask the man one question.

Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he answered, 'Because she wasn't alone.

She had two tall men walking on either side of her.

Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you're not alone. People will not stand up for God.

PS: God is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what:

'If you deny me in front of your friends, I shall deny you in front of my Father'

Weekend....

2009-04-13T00:12:00.002+08:00

What a weekend it was? Yes, it was Easter.

This is how the entire weekend went for me. I went back to Melaka on Fri. Reached Melaka at 10.30am, attended Good Friday service at 12.00noon with Tasha - Appa and Amma were already in church by 11.30am.

Appa at the Good Friday Service

Christ Church Melaka Altar - Good Friday

Service finished at about 2.30pm, got back home and we had one of the best vegetarian lunches I have ever had in my life. Amma prepared the best dishes in the world ya'll. Upon returning home, I went to the back of the house and cut some banana leaves. Tasha helped me wash em' and then we were all ready for lunch.

The menu for the day is as follows:-
(a) Par-boiled rice
(b) Dhal curry
(c) Fried spinach
(d) Spicy egg-plant (this is among the only 2 vegetables in the world that I don't eat)
(e) Potato sambal
(f) Pappadams
(g) Venthaya curry
(h) Pudina paste (my mum's recipe)
(i) Pudina pickles (the new one I bought from Balaji KL)

Yummy!

What a meal? After the meal, I just sat in front of the tele and chilled. After that Amma fried some yam for tea. After tea, Tasha headed to her Auntie's place to spend the night. I was at home, watching tele and then Shobs and Balla got home. I only slept at about 3am. Anyway, on Saturday, I promised Amma to help her with the laptop. Amma is learning to check her emails and to type and print reports. In fact, this is more of a refresher course. She knows all of this, but this is just a refresher, so that she is once again familiar with all of this. After that I headed to pick Tasha up from her Aunt's place, cos we had a photo shoot for our family picture at the Church at 5.30pm. Picked her up and then rushed home to bathe and got ready. And then we headed to the Church. After the photo shoot, we got home, had dinner, and then headed to Jonker Walk for a walk and some dessert.

Amma came along with us (Balla, Shobs, Tasha and me). We walked along Jonker and then made a pit stop at Ringo's. He was so glad to see us. It has been such a long time, since we last went to Ringo's. Anyway, we bought a bucket of Tiger (yup, it was already 12 by then). Having my first beer in 40 days was weird. It took me a good 2 hours to finish it. Shobs kept asking me, "why are you taking such a long time to finish it?" Anyway, after all of them had finished their drinks, we took a slow walk back home.

Upon getting back, we rested and then watched some tele. Amma slept as she had to wake up early the next morning. We woke up on Sunday and headed straight to Church. Upon getting to Church, Appa asked me if I was giving a special item - I had not planned to, so I told him no. But then while, I was sitting in the pew, I felt that I should give thanks to the Lord for all his blessings - and then I told Appa that I will be giving an item. I sang this song, 'From Heaven You Came Helpless Babe'. This song is a song which describes the true definition of Christ' life - born, lived and crucified for all of us. Wasn't very satisfied with it, but everyone else seemed to be happy about it - strange! Then again, I am a perfectionist - I am hardly satisfied with my performance all the time.

After Church, got back home and headed to the Hotel to sort the arrangements out. Anyway, spoke to the Maketing and Sales person and sorted out most of the details. There are some minor details that have to be dealt with - will be doing so when we go back on the 25th. But the place has been booked and 70% of the details have been confirmed. We have also confirmed the date of our food tasting. We hope everything will go on well. We hope and pray all plans hereafter will be by His grace and mercy. He has been with us all this while and I know He will continue to be with us.

After that got back home and had lunch. All the bridemaids were at home as the tailor auntie was home. She was measuring and designing their dresses. One of the page boys was also at home. I helped her design his outfit. I hope it will all turn out well. I rested, while Tasha sorted the outfits for the bridesmaids. Then, I woke up to some tele. After that I got ready to leave. Visited Tasha's parents (Unc Krishnasamy & Auntie Lalitha - not forgetting Geeta and Suhasini) and then visited her Aunt (Aunt Rani, Hans, Natasha & Thatha). After that we headed back to KL. Just got bac - it took me a good 1 hour and 15 mins to get back. It was raining for a while, but then it stopped after Nilai.

All in all a wonderful weekend. Now, back to work. I just hope work does not prove to be too much this week. In fact, even if it is, 'whats new?'

Cheers everyone. Have a great week ahead.

God bless.

Good Friday....

2009-04-09T23:57:00.005+08:00

I have to thank my dear sis, Shobs for the article below. She keeps sending me loads of good articles. In fact, she has been doing so, ever since Lent started for us some 37 days ago. By the way, for those of you who are not aware, I have decided to give up alcohol and red meat for the entire 40 days. I am so proud of myself that I have successfully done so. This is a special time of reflection and of course abstinence. I am glad to have fulfilled the entire month and more without the 2 most desirable things in my life. Anyway, it is Good Friday tomorrow. I can't wait to get home. Amma, will be cooking a spread of vegetarian food. I told her I want to have lunch on banana leaves. So, I can't wait for the awesome lunch that awaits me tomorrow after Good Friday service at Christ Church Melaka.

We will be leaving for Melaka at 7.30am. Then to service at 11.30am and then back home for the lunch. I will only break fast at 12 midnight on Easter Eve - Saturday. More when I return. Hope to take some nice pictures of the food and hopefully the service as well. More when I return.

To all those who will be driving back to your respective hometowns, be safe on the road. Wishing each and everyone of you a Blessed Easter.

God Bless.

I'll leave you with the wonderful reflection on Good Friday - once again, thanks Shobs. I'd better say it, if not she will be so pissed off. Huh E63..... - she knows why.

GOOD FRIDAY -
THIS SOMBRE DAY
WHEN CHRISTIANS MOURN
A 2,000 YEAR OLD DEATH.

HE DIED, SOME SAY,
TO APPEASE A VENGEFUL GOD,
DEMANDING A ONE-TIME
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
FOR HUMAN SIN,
BOTH PAST AND YET TO COME.
IT WAS, THEY INSIST,
THE ONLY WAY
WE COULD BE SAVED.

OTHERS ASK
IS THIS THE SAME GOD
WHO SAID "THOU SHALL NOT KILL"
NOW OFFERING HIS SON
AS A SACRIFICIAL LAMB
TO BE SLAIN
FOR OUR SALVATION?

YET OTHERS SAY
HE DIED BECAUSE
HE LOVED TOO MUCH -
LOVED THE OUTCAST,
THE SINNER, THE SICK,
THE POOR, THE OPPRESSED.

AS HE HUNG THERE
BLEEDING, DYING,
SOME HEARD HIM SAY:
"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM.
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO."
IS THIS WHAT MADE
THAT BAD DAY GOOD?

WHATEVER WE DO, HE HAD SAID,
WE DO TO HIM.
AND WE ARE CALLED
TO FOLLOW IN THIS WAY.
THUS, IF WE IGNORE ANOTHER'S PAIN
WE SURELY CRUCIFY HIM AGAIN.

IT WAS INDEED A BAD FRIDAY,
MADE GOOD BECAUSE
IT SHOWS THE WAY TO OUR SALVATION -
SALVATION AS LIBERATION.
LIBERATION
FROM OPPRESSION TO JUSTICE,
FROM WAR TO PEACE,
FROM HATE TO LOVE.
AND THIS
IS TRULY RESURRECTION.

A Draw....Now?

2009-04-08T22:03:00.002+08:00

A draw... and 2-2 at Old Trafford? Damn it! Now we have to go the Porto and win without allowing Porto to equalise. Seeing how well Porto played in the 1st half of the game early this morning, got me really worried. I can safely say, we were outplayed by Porto, well, at least until Rooney scored the equaliser. Then, I thought, yes, we have a strong chance of seeing them through - especially after Tevez scored in the 85th minute - I mean for an evening to go wrong, how wrong can it get? Well my friends, very wrong - a lack of focus just turned the entire game around and Porto equalised through Gonzalez in the 89th. How much more frustrating can it get? I do hope the weekend game against Black Cats will be a breezer. If it turns out to be otherwise, then we're in trouble. Yup, in serious trouble. So, till the game is over on Sat, lets keep our fingers and toes crossed. I mean come on, when you're leading 2-1 with 5 minutes left on the clock, you should see the game out. But no, we lose focus and allow them to score? No way, this cannot be the way we play. We should be able to win comfortable and when we're leading, we should not allow them to pass our defense that easily.

I do hope with the tie against Sunderland this weekend, we will gain our momentum to do better. I know I can't be hoping too much for the Mackems to falter. They will be playing the game of their lives, because any result, even a draw will be satisfactory for them. We have to win - nothing less than a win. I know a big win will strengthen us mentally. The young guns needs a win now, so that they will be further motivated to go all out against Porto on Wed.

So, to my dear Devils, don't worry. We will do well on Sat and on Wed.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

Man Utd....

2009-04-07T23:29:00.002+08:00

Phew.... What a relief it was when the boys won it at Old Trafford over the weekend. It was a cruncher - I know that much. What a game it was? But to the football faithful, this is why we watch football. It was a game a pure entertainment. Man Utd played the way, Man Utd normally plays. Well, at least, the way they were playing all this while (before the losses to the Pudlians and the Cottagers). It was very refreshing to see how they entire game was turned around right after Villa socred the 2nd goal. I do hope we continue this winning way. It does feel lighter - for the heart ;) I know all my dear Pudlian supporters will be beaming with smiles as they read this line - huh, Kamal & Vick (Bald).

We have a very tough road ahead, especially with Liverpool, Chelsea and in fact Arsenal as well, playing really well thus far. We have to continue this stride. I do hope we continue to play better than how we played against Villa. I know we are capable of more and much more. It will be a good game against Porto tonight. Although they are tough opponents, I am rather confident we will survive this with a comfortable aggregate. I know this will not be won just like that - but we will fight till the end. We have the first leg at Old Trafford later tonight and of course the juicy Sunderland to meet this Saturday - but with the likes of Rooney, Vidic and Scholsey back, we should be in good shape to get the result we need. I do hope Sir Alex starts with our tireless runner Park JS as well. He will be able to bring a lot of energy to the game. With the line-up that I hope Sir Alex will start with I'm sure we will win.

By the way, have you guys seen this new teenager that scored on his debut for the Senior Devils last weekend? - Federico Macheda. What a goal he scored in the dying minutes of the game? This 17 year old will be a huge sensation in years to come. The boy has the strength, the right mental attitude and of course enormous skills to be a superstar one day. What a steal from Lazio, Sir Alex? Talking about Lazio, they're still pissed off that he was swooped under their noses. He was doing very well in the Under-18 matches that Sir Alex decided to try him out - and what a choice to feature him in such a crucial match. Well, I do hope this boy carries on doing what he does best and not be swayed away by the popularity and wealth that will befall him.

So, do wish us luck as we continue this ever so refreshing season. We had to lose against Liverpool and Fulham - now we will see the true Man Utd at work. I kept telling the United faithful, "chill, we still have 8 games to go - the others only have 7 more to go. This will be going down to the wire. Perseverance and consistency will be key to the team that wins the lot. It will be over-ambitious to say that we will win the lot, but to hold on to the Premiership is a reasonable goal. That is my goal for my team.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

Weekend....

2009-04-05T17:19:00.005+08:00

Saturday, 4th April 2009

Damn, was it tiring yesterday. Well, yesterday was our photo shoot 'day'. Indeed, it was a whole day affair. I went for the thing hoping it would finish by evening, well I thought wrong. Some of the other people who went for this told me that it would finish in 5-6 hours. Hello...... it took an entire day for us. We had 2 indoor shots, then 1 outdoor shot, then 5 indoor shots, another outdoor shot and then 2 more indoor costume shots indoor. Yes, you will be pleased to know that we changed costumes for every shot. Yup, very tiring. But, when we think of it, Tasha and I enjoyed it thoroughly. We went for it feeling rather stressed and sleepy - but eventually, it turned out really well. Now, I just can't wait for the pictures to be printed out in those huge albums and the posters. We will be fixing an appointment with the people at the studio to choose our pictures. I hope to sort it out by this week, so that the pictures can be printed out soon.

Anyway, for all those of you who are planning to get married, please ask us for the contact. This place GTC in Jalan Ipoh is the best. The people are very warm, very helpful - no one is fussy. We were very choosy when it came to costume changes, when it came to Tasha's make up and hairdo - but they were very accomodative of our requests.

Yeah, talking about the photo shoot, it started at about 10.30am and we only finished at 10.15pm. Yup 12 long hours. I have to say, although it was really tiring, we enjoyed the experience going through the whole 9 yards.

Sunday, 5th April 2009

Today was a quiet day. Woke up at about 8am, went to buy breakfast, get a hair cut, wash the car and bought some groceries from Jusco. Upon coming back, had breakfast, chilled with Tasha. Watched tele, then bathed both Caesar and Vasco. Continued watching tele, then came up to have a bath. Strangely, I have not had lunch - oh yes, Tasha made red bean dessert. So I guess that will be tea and to a certain extent dinner as well. We are only planning to have some toast for dinner. Going to take the boys out for a walk later. Upon returning home, plan to have our dinner and then to watch the Man Utd game. This is a game we have to win. Anything lesser than a win, will just bid our title aspirations good bye - it is not so much a bid to win it - we've won it many many times. It is to keep the Championship with us for yet another season. We can win it and we shall.

More tomorrow, I hope. I hope to be able to write about our victory tomorrow.

God bless. Glory Glory Man Utd!

Finally....

2009-03-31T23:46:00.002+08:00

I have been wanting to finish up all my reports by today. I have finally completed all my reports. Thank God for VPN access. I came home and I have managed to complete all my reports whilst working from home. I am glad it is all finished, so that now, I can concentrate on the Soft Skill Training class which is on the 2nd of Apr and of course our daily ISO 27001 Awareness Briefing exercise which is going on from tomorrow till the 3rd of Apr 2009.

I will be conducting one of the briefings tomorrow - 2.30pm t0 4.30pm. I do hope, I will be able to make it as interesting as possible, but at the same time to ensure all staffs are well aware of the seriousness of the standard and how important it is for us to be very careful with ISMS within AO.

We were supposed to have futsal tonight, but sadly, it was cancelled. So, I just got home, took the boys out for a walk and then had dinner. After dinner, just watched tele for about half an hour and then started working on my reports. I am really glad to have been able to complete all my reports - including the PAR Weekly Report on time.

Oh yes, Amma is down. Shobs went to pick her up from Pudu. She is sorting out some of her pension matters. I spoke to her after dinner and I hope to meet her for a nice dinner tomorrow. Appa will be down on Thursday for a meeting and then they go back to Melaka together. It is so much nicer whenever they come down - we can take them around, chill out at Starbucks over a cuppa with Amma - I just can't wait to meet Amma tomorrow. It has almost been a month since I last saw her. Amma told me she brought some chappatis and some vendhaya curry. Now, let me tell you, this is the 'bomb' of all curries. I hope to have some tomorrow - I hope Shobs keeps some for me.

More tomorrow after meeting Amma.

Good night and God bless you all.

New Week....

2009-03-31T12:46:00.002+08:00

It has been a rather interesting start to the new week for me. I have been subject to a lot of work (what is new?) and of course some mind boggling and brainstorming efforts. I have to say that I truly enjoy finding ways and means to make a boring subject interesting. It is easy to merely present an item to a group of people - but it is very challenging to ensure that this group of people are constanly paying attention to your subject. I have found my calling in the endeavour above. I find it exciting to see different characters of people and - all of whom react way differently to each other in the grasping of information.

This is our first week of the ISO 27001 Awareness campaign. We (AO) are in the midst of acquiring the certification of ISMS - Information Security Mgt Systems. We are very fortunate to be the main distributors of this knowledge to the entire centre - particularly to Managed Serviced Desk. We have been undergoing the appropriate trainings and in fact we are still going to be undergoing more trainings to ensure that we are fully equipped with the knowledge needed to pass on this awareness briefings.

Today is Tuesday - Futsal Day 1 - with the IBMers. I can't wait for futsal later tonight. It has truly been a very hectic week and I am up for any rejuvenation. It should be a good 1 hour of futsal. After which I will be taking the boys out for a walk with Tasha and then it is dinner time. I might have to come back into the office later tonight to finish up some work - call & ticket monitorings.

More later tonight - I hope.

Talent Time....

2009-03-28T01:47:00.003+08:00

After the final day of training today, came home after doing some call and ticket monitoring, not forgetting some coaching - had dinner and headed to catch a movie. It has been a very long time since I managed to catch a movie on a week day. Ever since I have been doing this new hours (lovely hours of 9am-6pm) - I have never been able to find the time to do anything else. Although my hours are from 9-6, at times, I am bogged down with a lot of work, so I get home late. Anyway, today being a Friday and all, I just left the office at about 8pm. Managed to catch the 9.30pm show at Almanda Putrajaya.

To those of you who have not watched the Malaysian movie by Yasmin Ahmad entitled 'Talentime' - watch it. You will not regret it. I witnessed some very good songs. In fact all these songs were written by our Malaysian songwriters. I mean, really now, where are these people. These people should be writing more songs and selling like nobody's business. I do hope this movie gets a lot of good rating. It is a movie which tells the truth of everything that is going on around us - especially in this Malaysian context. I have to admit though that the ending was rather abrupt, but I truly enjoyed the story line, the dynamics of mixed marriages and the conflicts we face in our society.

I do hope Yasmin Ahmad will direct and produce more of such movies - I have been a huge fan of this amazing lady's works - Sepet and Gubra *well, the 2 I have watched). I missed Mukhsin and Muallaf - must try to find them. But honestly, loved it to bits - Talentime. I went to the cinema thinking of watching 12 Rounds - but when I saw the advert of this movie being a Yasmin Ahmad production, I did not think twice. She has never disappointed me.

So, do try to catch the movie if you can.

That's all for now. More tomorrow.

By the way, I have some very interesting story to tell you about Vasco - my dear Beagle. He had created some havoc in the house. Details on my next entry - with pictures.

Good night everyone.

Soft Skill Training....

2009-03-27T11:16:00.002+08:00

For the past 2 days, we (Devika & I) have been conducting Soft Skill Training for a bulk of the agents from the MSD. It has truly been a very good experience to both the trainees and the trainers. We have managed to learn from the experiences and issues faced by all the agents. We have managed to impart a lot of knowledge and skills that we have compiled based on our own experiences and research. I have to say that our 1st day of training was very good. We have managed to get a lot of good feedback from our attendees. It was very nice to know that everyone enjoyed the session we conducted yesterday. We do hope that it is the same today as well.

More later.

!@#$%^&*

2009-03-25T22:59:00.002+08:00

I've been bogged down with work at the office - Soft Skill Training, so I am catching up on my call and ticket monitorings. So, I wanted to do the monitorings when I get back home. The things is all the calls and scorecards are residing on the shared drive and I am able to access it from home. But the thing is now, I am unable to access the USD system from home. Darn it! There is always something that is wrong. I hope I can sort this out by tomorrow cos' this is driving me nuts. I have so much to do and I hope to be able to finish everything on time. I have to submit our Bi-weekly Report this Friday and all monitorings have to be done by then.

Have to get this sorted out with IT tomorrow.

Anyway, got back only at 8.30pm today - oh yes, I got to work at 8.30am. Yup, tell me about it. Good 12 hours at work. But, strangely enough, I am enjoying the challenge of delivery and the constant brain tickling that I have to endure in order to create, modify and review the many documents and reports for analytical and theoretical purposes. I have to admit, it is tiring (for the brains), but it rejuvenates me in a way that is unique.

We have the Soft Skill Training to conduct tomorrow. I will be doing it with my Manager, Devika. I do hope and pray that we will be able to deliver the best training and guidance to all the attendees. We have a big class tomorrow, 11 and 11 on Friday as well. So, I hope and pray everything goes well.

Good night everyone and sleep well.

Tuesday....

2009-03-25T00:16:00.002+08:00

It was a rather busy day at work today. We've managed to finalise the Soft Skill Module - it is to be rolled out by mid day tomorrow. Just some minor adjustments to be done on the cosmetics of the document and of course to add in some animations and some pictures as well. Once this is rolled out, it will be something really cool, because this was something that was purely worked on by the Quality Unit. It will be our 'baby'. I just hope and pray that this module manages to cover all the areas that are lacking in some of the Agents on our Managed Service Desk. Anyway, that was work today.

After work, Xav, Nav and I headed to the Cyberjaya Community Club for futsal. We play every Wednesdays with the IBM guys and gals. It is an hour of good exercise. Although, it is challenging when you play with girls, because we have to be very careful when we kick or contact. But I am enjoying the fact that for one to play well here, you have to be purely 'clean' as a player. No tackles or even body contacts are allowed - which is good. So any 'steals' made have to 100% on the ball. This is a good exercise of ensuring you do not even touch the opposition players. Anyway, that was futsal at CCC. After futsal, got back home, had my bath, had dinner and then Tasha and I drove into SK Old Town to buy some fruits. Had some durians and, oh yes, I almost forgot, I bought these 'cincau' jellies. I love them - I cut them into small cubes and make my drink every 2 days (purely so that I won't get bored of it). A very cooling and refreshing drink.

It will be a very tiring day tomorrow, cos' I need to get in at about 8.30am (in order for me to finish up all my work) so that I can leave the office at 7pm. I have futsal with the Subang boys at 8pm. So I hope to get in early. I've got some calls and tickets to monitor and of course, I need to finish up the presentation slides. I also need to ensure that the Weekly PAR Audits are completed and submitted to me.

That's all for now. More tomorrow.

Good night everyone.

1st Day Of The Week....

2009-03-23T23:56:00.004+08:00

Yup it is a Monday. Being a Monday, I expected the day to go really slowly, but in fact, it went rather fast. I guess it was because I was pre-occupied with the Soft Skill Presentation that I am preparing for the training this Thursday and Friday. Anyway, today upon coming back from work at 6.30pm, bought Caesar & Vasco's food, sent my clothes to the laundry and got back. Took the boys out for a walk, got back, had a quick shower and headed to Universiti Hospital in PJ to visit one of our close family friends who is admitted. Auntie Saro suffered a mild stroke sometime last week. Appa and Amma asked me to go and visit. So, I went and visited her and spent some time with her. Get well soon Auntie Saro.

Upon visiting her, went to Restaurant PJ Baru. This used to be my hangout when I was staying in Sec.14, PJ. I was here almost every weekend - having dinner and drinking the night away. But, ever since I moved to Equine Park, I have never found the time to go eat here. It was so nice and warm that the Auntie Ah So remembers me. She asked me, "what ah boy ah, so long no see leh?" It was such a nice gesture. Hardly do we have such warmth these days. So, we spoke and Auntie gave me a good discount on the dishes I had - very good food though. I have to promote it - very good food.

After that, went to PBB for a while as Tasha had to do some banking and then we returned back to Equine. Just finished some office work and I am off to bed now.

More tomorrow.

Good night.

Uncle Krishnan's 60th

2009-03-22T23:39:00.006+08:00

Happy Birthday Uncle Krishnan!

May God bless you with the best of health and many more years to come!

It was a pleasant evening with good food and great company. It was held at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Country Club. A very nice venue for the occasion.

Thank you Uncle Krishnan, Auntie, Devika Akka, Rohan Annan and Vikhram for the invitation. It was an honour to share this beautiful day with Uncle and all of you.

Weekend....

2009-03-22T17:26:00.003+08:00

This weekend was spent doing nothing, but just resting. Woke up at 9am, washed my car, washed the front porch of the house and did some cleaning in the hall and dining area, then had my coffee while I watched some tele. Called the caricature artist to confirm the collection details and then, went to the supermarket to buy some groceries - Tasha was cooking today. Had lunch - chicken fingers sambal, some 'kailan' and some fried fish cakes. I just love having Sunday lunches at home. The things is I am so tired of eating out - any opportunity to eat at home is good. After lunch, watched some tele and then came up to rest and of course to blog a lil'. Now, I am going to get ready to go to Unc Krishnan's birthday party.

More when I return ok. I might be meeting Shobs for supper.

We'll see how it goes. More later.

Manchester United....

2009-03-22T01:07:00.003+08:00

I have to somewhat agree with Dams when he sent me this message, right after the 2-0 defeat to the Cottagers, and I quote: "....This weekend might just turn out to be great, hehehe". Well, 'great' is an understatement. What the hell was going on in the entire first half of the game? Firstly, the starting line up was wrong - I have always believed that Tevez should have started with Rooney. The entire game would have been different. This is a very painful lesson for the Devils to endure. Losing 2 games in a row - and losing with the victors creating history in their respective successes. Damn this phase! I hate this part of the season - but this is something every team will have to endure. What is important is how a team, wakes up from a double beating that it had to endure within a period of freakin' 7 days. I have a lot of faith in this team - this Manchester United team. It reminds me so much of the team that won the unprecedented TREBLE in 1997. So, to the faithful Devils, do not fret. The best is yet to come. We are feeling the way we are feeling right now, simply because we are not used to losing ever before. Well, we have lost - but never have we lost 2 games running with an average of 2.5 goals to 0. Take it easy - we will bounce back.

In fact, this weekend was rather quiet. Woke up in the morning, spent some time with Vikhram as he was still awake from his mini going-away party last night. Then Tasha woke up and we chilled for a while in the hall watching tv. Surfed the Net for a while and then left to send a picture to a caricature artist to draw a potrait of Unc Krishnan (Vikhram's dad). Well, as most of you know, it is Unc Krishnan's 60th birthday tomorrow. So, this is one of the gifts that Devika and Vikhram are giving him. Upon sending it, went to Devika's house to sort out the presentation slide with Navin. Once that was done, I got back for dinner. Tasha cooked dhal curry, with spicy long beans, pappadums and some pickles. Yup, a good home cooked vegetarian meal. It was yummy - all of that was washed down with 2 big glasses of iced cincau. Yummy - very nice. It was sad that after such a sumptous meal, I had the honour of watching my dear team getting whipped in London. But, it was fine, as I said we will bounce back and bounce back with a vengeance we shall.

More tomorrow after the party. I really hope to post a few pictures as well.

Good night everyone.

Wedding....

2009-03-21T11:46:00.002+08:00

Preparations for our BIG day has begun!

In fact, it began approximately 3 months ago, but it has slowly started to fall into its right places. By the way our theme will be White and Light Turquoise. So all the items have to be bought in accordance with the theme colours as well - yup, it was very difficult to find stuff in the light turquoise family of colours. But we have managed somehow to find the closest to the exact colour that we both want.

Tasha and I have already finalised most of the arrangements. Among the things that we have finalised are:-

(a) The Church Service Order
(b) Reception venue and menu
(c) Wedding cars (thanks to Santana & Remy)
(d) Bestmen & Bridesmaids
(e) Matron of Honour
(f) Door gifts
(g) Wardrobe for the Bride (me' dear Tasha)
(h) Wardrobe for the Groom (except my tuxedo, the evening wear has been sorted)
(i) Rings (How can we forget the rings?)
(j) Sarees & punjabi suits for the ladies & girls in the family
(k) Materials for the Bridemaids gowns
(l) Guest Books
(m) Unity Candle

I think I have managed to list out all the main items that we have finalised thus far. However, we have not finalised the following:-

(a) Wedding invitation card
(b) Decorations for the Reception
(c) Decorations for the Church
(d) Suits for both our dads (well, a clerical collar for Appa)
(e) The 'thirumanggalyam' (I don't know why my mum is so adamant that we have this)
(f) Centre pieces for the tables at the Reception
(g) MC for the Reception (I hope my sister does this - huh Shobs!)
(h) And any other stuff that we need - this list goes on everytime we plan.

So, I do hope to finalise most of the items above by the Easter weekend. We will be going back to Melaka on the 11th of April, so I do hope we can finalise most of it by then.

Do keep us (Tasha & I) in your prayers. And by the way, if you have any ideas of doing anything in our wedding which will make it unique, do tell. Please post your comments accordingly. Your ideas and contacts will be much appreciated.

More to tell over the weekend. I will be attending Vikhram's dad's 60th on Sunday - hope to be able to post some pictures of the event on Sunday.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Blessings...Blessings...Blessings...

2009-03-20T22:00:00.008+08:00

It is not always that we don't look forward to weekends. To be honest, I wasn't. I still have so much of unfinished work that I will be carrying back over the weekend. Although, I wouldn't be able to finish up everything on time, but the mere thought of having so much to complete makes me wish that the weekend wasn't here yet. But, I have promised myself, no work over the weekend - I guess I'll have to make an exception this week.

Keep Climbing The Ladder Boys....

I have been hearing a lot of good news. Thank God for all the blessings he showers upon us every day. Today, my dear brother Remyjit Singh (Remy) called me to say that he has been promoted to the position of a Project Manager (Transition). Damn! Very happy for you Pau! I knew it was coming. I knew all along it was coming - but I just didn't know when. I also heard that Kamalakannan Veerapathran (Kamal) was also promoted to the position of a Project Manager (IM). Damn you two! I am so happy for the both of you. It is so nice that my dear brothers are doing well. Very proud of the both of you. May God continue to bless the both of you in your respective careers and your future undertakings. My prayers are always with the both of you.

Talking about promotions, I have not thanked God enough for His grace in promoting me in February 2009. I am currently attached to the Quality Unit of AO. This is a department which is very much one of the main support units of the Service Desk Operations Department. It is headed by Ms. Devika Rani (The General) our Manager and it hails 2 very important Majors (I'd like to call them that) - Sr. Navindran Karunakaran (Navin) and Sr. (to be) Xavier Tee Chin Tze (Xavier a.k.a. Puchi Fellers). The both of them have been very helpful in assisting me with a lot of training and adapting -thank you very much Navin Sare' and Xav Macha - I don't know what I would have done without the both of you. So, once again gentlemen, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!" I must not forget our dear Manager, Devika - without whom I would never have even been considered for this position. It is a very good position, because I am able to bring about changes in the Service Desk as far as Quality is concern. There are many areas that need a lot of improvement and I am just glad to be able to help - somewhat.

This entry goes out to everyone who has been blessed since the beginning of the year. I know everyone may have a story to tell. So, if you do, feel free to drop me a note. I will be glad to publish it. We are only giving thanks to God for all His blessings and what better way than to put it in a form which is readable by everyone. Please do not ever think that this is a form of showing off, but in fact a means to thank God. There are many ways of doing so - prayer, praising and testimony (THIS IS A TESTIMONY!).

God bless you all!

Have a blast of a weekend!

8 Ball Pool....

2009-03-19T21:18:00.004+08:00

I am huge fan of pool, not 8 Ball Pool though - I prefer 9 Ball. But a lot of people at the office prefer playing 8 Ball Pool, so I have no choice. This is a game which I think a lot of people underestimate. The game of 8 Ball Pool is actually not as simple as it may appear to be - especially when one watches another play. Until and unless he/she plays the game, will one understand the complexities of the game. To a certain extent, I feel although it can prove to be less technical if compared with 9 Ball Pool, it has its own twisted rules (I'd like to call it twisted). There have been a lot of arguments over the rules - i.e. which rules are correct, who is right and so on. Therefore, I have taken upon myself to research the updated World Standardised Rules of the Game of 8 Ball Pool.

So, here goes:-

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Eight-Ball is a call shot game played with a cue ball and 15 object balls, numbered 1 through 15. One player must pocket balls of the group numbered 1 through 7 (solid colors), while the other player has 9 through 15 (stripes). The player pocketing either group first, and then legally pocketing the 8-ball wins the game.

CALL SHOT

In Call Shot, obvious balls and pockets do not have to be indicated. It is the opponent’s right to ask which ball and pocket if he is unsure of the shot. Bank shots and combination shots are not considered obvious, and care should be taken in calling both the object ball and the intended pocket. When calling the shot, it is never necessary to indicate details such as the number of cushions, banks, kisses, caroms, etc. Any balls pocketed on a foul remain pocketed, regardless of whether they belong to the shooter or the opponent. The opening break is not a “called shot.” Any player performing a break shot in 8-Ball may continue to shoot so long as any object ball is legally pocketed on the break.

RACKING THE BALLS
The balls are racked in a triangle at the foot of the table with the 8-ball in the center of the
triangle, the first ball of the rack on the foot spot, a stripe ball in one corner of the rack and a solid ball in the other corner.

ORDER OF BREAK
Winner of the lag has the option to break. The winner of each game breaks in the next. The following are common options that may be designated by tournament officials in advance:
(a) Players alternate break.

(b) Loser breaks.

LEGAL BREAK SHOT
(Defined) To execute a legal break, the breaker (with the cue ball behind the head string) must either (1) pocket a ball, or (2) drive at least four numbered balls to the rail. When the breaker fails to make a legal break, it is a foul, and the incoming player has the option of (1) accepting the table in position and shooting, or (2) having the balls re-racked and having the option of shooting the opening break or allowing the offending player to re-break.

SCRATCH ON A LEGAL BREAK

If a player scratches on a legal break shot, (1) all balls pocketed remain pocketed (exception, the 8-ball: see rule 4.8), (2) it is a foul, (3) the table is open. Please Note: The incoming player has cue ball in hand behind the head string and may not shoot an object ball that is behind the head string, unless he first shoots the cue ball past the head string and causes the cue ball to come back behind the head string and hit the object ball.

OBJECT BALLS JUMPED OFF TABLE ON THE BREAK

If a player jumps an object ball off the table on the break shot, it is a foul and the incoming player has the option of (1) accepting the table in position and shooting, or (2) taking cue ball in hand behind the head string and shooting.

8-BALL POCKETED ON THE BREAK

If the 8-ball is pocketed on the break, breaker may ask for a re-rack or have the 8-ball spotted and continue shooting. If the breaker scratches while pocketing the 8-ball on the break, the incoming player has the option of a re-rack or having the 8-ball spotted and begin shooting with ball in hand behind the head string.

OPEN TABLE

(Defined) The table is "open" when the choice of groups (stripes or solids) has not yet been determined. When the table is open, it is legal to hit a solid first to make a stripe or vice-versa. Note: The table is always open immediately after the break shot. When the table is open, it is legal to hit any solid or stripe first in the process of pocketing the called stripe or solid. However, when the table is open and the 8-ball is the first ball contacted, it is a foul and no stripe or solid may be scored in favor of the shooter. The shooter loses his turn; the incoming player is awarded cue ball in hand; any balls pocketed remain pocketed; and the incoming player addresses the balls with the table still open. On an open table, all illegally pocketed balls remain pocketed.

CHOICE OF GROUP

The choice of stripes or solids is not determined on the break even if balls are made from only one or both groups, because the table is always open immediately after the break shot. The choice of group is determined only when a player legally pockets a called object ball after the break shot.If the groups have been determined and the player mistakenly shoots at and pockets a ball of the group, the opponent must call a foul on him before he takes his next shot. If he fails to do so, the player automatically takes over the group of balls (solids or stripes) at which he has been shooting during this inning.

LEGAL SHOT

(Defined) On all shots (except on the break and when the table is open), the shooter must hit one of his group of balls first and (1) pocket a numbered ball, or (2) cause the cue ball or any numbered ball to contact a rail. Please Note: It is permissible for the shooter to bank the cue ball off a rail before contacting the object ball; however, after contact with the object ball, an object ball must be pocketed, or the cue ball or any numbered ball must contact a rail. Failure to meet these requirements is a foul.

“SAFETY” SHOT

For tactical reasons, a player may choose to pocket an obvious object ball and also discontinue a turn at the table by declaring “safety” in advance. A safety shot is defined as a legal shot. If the shooting player intends to play safe by pocketing an obvious object ball, then prior to the shot, the shooter must declare a “safety” to the opponent. It is the shooter’s responsibility to make the opponent aware of the intended safety shot. If this is not done, and one of the shooter’s object balls is pocketed, the shooter will be required to shoot again. Any ball pocketed on a safety shot remains pocketed.

SCORING

A player is entitled to continue shooting until failing to legally pocket a ball of his group. After a player has legally pocketed all of his group of balls, he shoots to pocket the 8-ball.

FOUL PENALTY

Opposing player gets cue ball in hand. This means that the player can place the cue ball anywhere on the table (does not have to be behind the headstring except on opening break). This rule prevents a player from making intentional fouls which would put an opponent at a disadvantage. With “cue ball in hand,” the player may use a hand or any part of a cue (including the tip) to position the cue ball. When placing the cue ball in position, any forward stroke motion contacting the cue ball will be a foul, if not a legal shot. (Also see Rule 3.39.)

COMBINATION SHOTS

Combination shots are allowed; however, the 8-ball can’t be used as a first ball in the combination unless it is the shooter’s only remaining legal object ball on the table. Otherwise, should such contact occur on the 8-ball, it is a foul.

ILLEGALLY POCKETED BALLS

An object ball is considered to be illegally pocketed when (1) that object ball is pocketed on the same shot a foul is committed, or (2) the called ball did not go in the designated pocket, or (3) a safety is called prior to the shot. Illegally pocketed balls remain pocketed and are scored in favor of the shooter controlling that specific group of balls, solids or stripes.

OBJECT BALLS JUMPED OFF THE TABLE

If any object ball is jumped off the table, it is a foul and loss of turn, unless it is the 8-ball, which is a loss of game. Any jumped object balls are not re-spotted.

JUMP AND MASSÉ SHOT FOUL

While “cue ball fouls only” is the rule of play when a match is not presided over by a referee, a player should be aware that it will be considered a cue ball foul if during an attempt to jump, curve or massé the cue ball over or around an impeding numbered ball that is not a legal object ball, the impeding ball moves (regardless of whether it was moved by a hand, cue stick follow-through or bridge).

PLAYING THE 8-BALL

When the 8-ball is the legal object ball, a scratch or foul is not loss of game if the 8-ball is not pocketed or jumped from the table. Incoming player has cue ball in hand. Note: A combination shot can never be used to legally pocket the 8-ball, except when the 8-ball is the first ball contacted in the shot sequence.

LOSS OF GAME

A player loses the game by committing any of the following infractions:
1. Fouls when pocketing the 8-ball (exception: see 8-Ball Pocketed On The Break).

2. Pockets the 8-ball on the same stroke as the last of his group of balls.

3. Jumps the 8-ball off the table at any time.

4. Pockets the 8-ball in a pocket other than the one designated.

5. Pockets the 8-ball when it is not the legal object ball.

Note:

All infractions must be called before another shot is taken, or else it will be deemed that no infraction occurred.

STALEMATED GAME

If, after 3 consecutive turns at the table by each player (6 turns total), the referee judges that attempting to pocket or move an object ball will result in loss of game, the balls will be re-racked with the original breaker of the stalemated game breaking again. The stalemate rule may be applied regard-less of the number of balls on the table. Please Note: Three consecutive fouls by one player in 8-ball is not a loss of game.

So my dear gentlemen, as we prepare ourselves for the tournaments both within and outside the company, please do ensure that all rules set by the organisers are in accordance with the rules above. If they are not, then, why bother even participating in these competitions in the first place.

So, hope to see all of you in the pool houses soon. I don't know about you guys, but I am heading to Asia Cafe this weekend ;) - 2nd floor by the way.

Glossary:

WORLD STANDARDIZED RULES: 8-BALL

Exercise....

2009-03-19T01:42:00.003+08:00

Ever since I started this new job, I have been able to spend a good deal on exercise. This is something I was so passionate about, but sadly, I couldn't find the time to do so. With the new timing I'm on - Malaysian hours, thank God, I am now able to exercise. Lately, I have been playing futsal (twice a week) and tennis (once a week). To be honest with all of you, I have never felt better. As mentioned before, sports or being actively involved in sporting activities is something I simply could not live without. But due to work commitments, I was unable to participate in any. Although, somehow I did initiate some late night futsal sessions at Cyberjaya after work - i.e. 1.00am.

I have been playing futsal for the past month and I have to say that it has been so exciting. As I mentioned earlier, I play twice a week. Tuesdays in Cyberjaya, with the IBM guys and on Wednesdays in Subang with Nav's friends. I enjoy the sessions with both groups. Firstly, it is a very good workout and secondly, it is a good means of networking. I have met many new friends through this endeavour. On Thursdays, I play tennis with Nav and Nick (speaking of Nick, "when are you going to join us for tennis again ah?"). We (Xav and myself) have been playing tennis for the past 1 month. It has been years since I played, but it is nice to refresh. Although, I have never been a good tennis player, it is a good workout - running around the court and making Xav do the same ;) I have always been a futsal player - even that, I am still coming to terms with the 1 hour non stop sessions we have these days. I still remember, playing with my dear CSC boys for 2 hours - with only a 15 mins break in between. Those were the days la. But I will love to get back the stamina I had - not too long ago.

Just had futsal a while ago. It was a good session. Hope to be able to continue this very good workout routine - weekly. Damn....its getting late. So long everyone, I am going to retire for the day, more tomorrow. Damn, I have so much of work to finish tomorrow.

Wish me luck - I will be glad to leave at 9pm - if I am lucky (btw, I start at 9am). Sigh.

Good night people.

Back To Work....

2009-03-16T15:11:00.002+08:00

Everyone hates Mondays...

Who doesn't? It has been a slow day, but there is much to be completed. I hope the plans that have been laid out work out to complete the abovesaid tasks works to its respective completion. I have been struggling to keep up with all my deadlines as I have been very busily involved with trainings. The thing is if I have training sessions during the week days, I have a shorter time to complete my tasks. With the final training over for ISO 9001:2008, I can now concentrate on my work and focus on completing all the necessary.

Lunch today was different. Went with Xav to Jusco in SK to send his router for repair - so we decided to have lunch in Teppanyaki. For a change, it was good - instead of the normal Penang House or NewTown Cafe or Dengkil, etc. It was nice.

Will be blogging more tonight.

Cheers everyone... and have a great (second-half of a) day ahead!

Damn...Has It Been Long!

2009-03-15T23:12:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone... How is everyone doing? Well, I have been really busy. A lot has been happening and I was not able to find the time to blog. Well, somehow, everything has fallen into its right places, I am back on track and well, what do you know, I am just eager to blog. Who wouldn't after a beating of a lifetime we (the Manchester United faithful) had to endure over the weekend. It was indeed a very memorable weekend.

What happened to the squad on Saturday? Well, that is a question every United fan is eager to know. As many of you know, I am a very unique Man Utd fan. I somehow have a soft spot for Liverpool. I get into a lot of s**t from the United faithful because of this, but I have to admit that Liverpool is a very special team. I have always been following their games. So, to the Pudlians, well done.

Now, going back to the game over the weekend - the result of 1-4 to the visitors would be deemed to be a thrashing to some ignorant football fans. However, I beg to differ. The way United played on Saturday cannot be used as a point of argument. We were not in the game at all. I could see United losing the duel even before the penalty was awarded to Gerard. I can bravely say that we were only in control of the game before the 40th minute. After that..... it was purely a 'kaifan show'. Let us not ponder over what should have been or who should have started in the first 11, but let us learn from this ever so painful, yet memorable lesson.

I had spoken to some of my dear Pudlians before the game and I mentioned that I do hope, this game becomes a turning point for United. Why? Being 7 points ahead with 1 game in hand (before the game on Saturday) and winning the game against the Reds would have only won us the League. Come on Devils, do we need to win the league to easily. We have done better before. To those of you (United faithfuls) who are very upset about the loss - remember - this is a team which has come back from being 5th in the League to win the League with 12 points from our nearest rival. I am very confident that this loss has totally changed the perception and attitude of the entire team. We are going to bounce back and bounce back with a vengeance. We are 'only' 4 point ahead with 1 game in hand (against Fulham). So, do I believe United has what it takes to win the League even after the humiliating defeat to the Pudlians at Old Trafford? Hell yeah! We will bounce back. Its been a freakin' long time, since I knew what it felt like to lose a game - like the way we lost - at Old Trafford. Now I know, and I know this sentiment is felt by the entire squad, particularly Wayne Rooney (I'm sure all of you know why).

So, let us not fret, but let us look ahead. We have a lot more coming our way. We will win at least a double this season (not including the World Club Cup which we have already won). I am a realist - some have said we have the capabilities of winning the entire lot - but realistically, a double is easily within our reach. Would I love a treble, of course I would, but are we mentally and physically able to win a treble? This is to be answered by every United fan out there.

Still and always - Glory Glory Man Utd!

Vessel of Worship....

2008-11-05T17:27:00.002+08:00

Greetings all music lovers - Vessel of Worship (VoW) are back!

Yes, it has been a long time! By God's grace, VoW is slowly being recognised as a band. As some of you know, we took part in the Penang heats of the Global Battle of the Bands held on the 11th of October 2008. We won the Penang heats and we have qualified for the National Grand Finals which will be held at Planet Hollywood on the 13th of November 2008. According to the Organisers, the function starts at 9.30pm, but please be there early to get your tables as this is a national event. It is expected that a lot of music lovers all over the country will be present.

The band has been rejuvenated by the presence of a few new faces. Here are the band members:-

Devanandan Palmer Batumalai - Lead vocalist & Pianist

Rufus Aston Bexel - Lead guitarist & Back-Up Vocalist

Bernard Kam - Drummer & Back-Up Vocalist

Darmen Krisnan - Tabla & Mirrethengum Maestro

Winston Edward Palmer - Percussionist

Jeffrey Francis - Bassist & Back-Up Vocalist

Hari Kumar Mangaram - Rapper & Beatboxer

To know more about our performance in Penang, kindly view the articles below.

An article in the STAR on the 15th of November 2007 - Click Here

A posting by Joanne Brokaw on her blog - Click Here

We will be posting more updates on our next performances/gigs soon. But, everyone, please do come for the Global Battle of the Bands Finals in Planet Hollywood on the 13th of November 2008.

VoW

BOLT....

2008-09-23T18:47:00.004+08:00

Yup, the Fastest Man on Earth - Usain Bolt. As many of you know, I was at the Beijing Olympics last month and I was very blessed to have watched many heart stopping moments. One of which was Usain Bolt cracking the World and Olympic records for 100m and 200m - and of course being the 3rd runner of the 4x100m team which also won it in World Record time. He instantly became an icon as far as the Olympics and World Sports is concerned. I was the only one who kept telling everyone that this 22 year old will be the one to watch at the Games. No one really gave a s**t, cos' he was underrated. I watched him equal the World Record in the Reebok Grand Prix in New York and since then I have followed his progress to his amazing achievements at the Olympics.

I have reseached for some material on him below. Do read. I do hope to get more soon.

Usain Bolt (born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican sprinter. Bolt holds the Olympics and World Records for the 100 metres at 9.69 seconds, the 200 metres at 19.30 seconds and, along with his teammates, the 4x100 metres relay at 37.10 seconds, all set at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Bolt became the first man to win all three events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984, and the first man in history to set world records in all three at a single Olympics. His name and achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname "'Lightning' Bolt".Bolt distinguished himself with a 200 m gold medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships, making him the competition's youngest-ever gold medallist. In 2004, at the CARIFTA Games, Bolt became the first junior sprinter to run the 200 m in under 20 seconds with a time of 19.93 s, breaking Roy Martin's world junior record by two-tenths of a second. Bolt also set competition records at a number of other junior events.

Bolt turned professional in 2004 but missed most of his first two seasons due to injuries; he was eliminated in the first round of the 200 m heats at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2007, Bolt beat Don Quarrie's 200 m Jamaican national record with a run of 19.75 s. In May 2008, Bolt set his first 100 m world record with 9.72 s, improving upon his personal best of 9.76 s made earlier in the month.

Bolt was born in Trelawny, Jamaica, on 21 August 1986 and grew up with his parents, Jennifer and Wellesley Bolt, a brother, and his sister Sherine. His parents ran the local grocery store in the rural area and Bolt spent his time playing cricket and football in the street with his brother, later saying, "When I was young I didn’t really think about anything other than sports".As a child, he attended Waldensia Primary and All-age School and it was here where he first began to show his sprinting potential, running in the annual, national primary schools' meeting for his parish. By the age of twelve Bolt had become the school's fastest runner over the 100 metres distance.

Upon his entry to William Knibb Memorial High School, Bolt continued to focus on other sports, but his cricket coach noticed Bolt's speed on the pitch and urged him to try track and field events.^[8] Pablo McNeil, a former 100 metres Olympic athlete, and Dwayne Barrett coached Bolt, encouraging him to focus his energy on improving his athletic abilities. The school had a history of athletic success with past students, including sprinter Michael Green. Bolt won his first annual high school championships medal in 2001, taking the silver medal in the 200 metres with a time of 22.04 seconds. McNeil soon became his primary coach and the two enjoyed a positive partnership, though McNeil was occasionally frustrated by Bolt's lack of dedication to his training and predisposition to practical jokes.

Bolt announced that he would double-up with the 100 metres and 200 metres events at the Beijing Summer Olympics, and the new 100 m world-record holder was the favourite to win both. Michael Johnson, the 200 m and 400 m record holder, personally backed the sprinter, saying he did not believe that a lack of experience would work against him. Bolt qualified for the final with 9.92 and 9.85 s in the quarter-finals and semifinals respectively. In the Olympic 100 m final, Bolt broke new ground, winning in 9.69 s. This was an improvement upon his own world record, and he was well ahead of second-place finisher Richard Thompson, who finished in 9.89 s. Not only was the record set without a favourable wind (+0.0 m/s), but also he visibly slowed down to celebrate before he finished and his shoelace was untied. Bolt's coach reported that, based upon the speed of Bolt's opening 60 m, he could have finished with a time of 9.52 s. Following scientific analysis of Bolt's run by the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo, Hans Eriksen and his colleagues also predicted a sub 9.60 s time. Considering factors such as Bolt's position, acceleration and velocity in comparison to second placed Thompson, the team estimated that Bolt could have finished in 9.55 s had he not slowed to celebrate before the finishing line.

Bolt stated that setting a record was not a priority for him, and that his goal was just to win the gold medal, Jamaica's first of the 2008 Games. Olympic medallist Kriss Akabusi IOC president Jacques Rogge also condemned the Jamaican's actions as disrespectful. Bolt denied that this was the purpose of his celebration by saying "I wasn't bragging. When I saw I wasn't covered, I was just happy." Lamine Diack, president of the IAAF, supported Bolt and said his celebration was appropriate given the circumstances of his victory. Jamaican government minister Edmund Bartlett also defended Bolt's actions, stating, "We have to see it in the glory of their moment and give it to them. We have to allow the personality of youth to express itself." construed Bolt's chest slapping before the finish line as showboating, noting that the actions cost Bolt an even faster record time.

Thank You VofW....

2008-09-22T15:28:00.002+08:00

It was a fun filled weekend, I must say. Sat was spent resting, well, for the most part and then I went to meet my cousins. It was nice of the cousins to organise this reunion. It has been a long time since we last had something like this. It was a reunion - where only cousins meet. No bfs, gfs, husbands or wives - just the cousins. We managed to catch up on all that we've been up to, our recent endeavours (holidays / trips / activities). Ruf & I had a lot to talk about - they asked me to share about my Beijing trip, Ruf and I then spoke to them about how VofW is slowly moving forward. All this while, we have only been jamming and playing whenever we're invited for small functions. But of late, we have been taking it one step further.

The Attic has been a very platform for us to be heard. Here I must thank Ms. Brenda James and Mr. Llew Marsh for the opportunity to perform at the Attic. That is where we started. We would not have got anywhere without that oppurtunity. From there, it has been a steady journey of learning. Anyway, that was just a little of how far we have come.

We heard news that we could perform at Waikiki Bar in PJ yesterday. I got the call at approximately 5pm asking if we could perform later that night @ about 10.30pm. Immediately, I called the guys and we met up at our 12 Records Studio for an hour of jamming and then headed straight to Waikiki for the performance. It was such a humbling experience - why? We were in the midst of such talented musicians - Bala, Sherman & Vishnu, just to name a few. As far as the bar scene is concerned, these are heavyweights. To be able to perform alongside these guys, it was a true experience. I do hope to play there often. If everything goes well, we will be playing there on Sundays (during the jam sessions). But this is of course, subject to approval from the organisers. We did 3 songs - Black Horse & The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz and Gimme Hope Jo'anna by Eddy Grant. It was amazing, because the entire crowd was dancing the night away. We rocked the crowd @ Waikiki.

I have to specially thank all the boys of VofW who were with Ruf & me last night. We did not have the entire band as some were unable to make it. A special thanks to the following guys for making it last night:-

1. Hari - Beatboxer
2. Bernard - Drummer
3. Kenry - Step-in Percussionist
4. Jeffrey - Bassist
5. Mark & Mag - For the support
6. Jason Alistair - Sound-Man
7. Bald Vick - For the support

Thank you very much all of you. By the way, a lot of pictures were taken by the official photographer of Waikiki. If I get my hands on some of them, I'll post them on here as well.

With the love of music,
Devan & Ruf
(on behalf of Vessel of Worship)

GBOB Challenge 2008....

2008-09-19T22:42:00.002+08:00

This is something I am really looking forward to. In fact the entire band is looking forward to this. As most of you'll know the Attic's Got Talent competition has been postponed till further notice. I will keep all of you informed once the new date is confirmed. But we have got ourselves attached to a new gig.

This is the Global Battle of the Bands Challenge 2008 (referred to as GBOB hereafter). We have missed 2 of the heats - one in JB and the other in KL. There will be 2 more heats - 11th Oct 2008 in Penang and 25th Oct 2008 in KL. Vessel of Worship will be travelling up north. Yes, we will be up north from the 11-12th of Oct 2008. The heats are on the 11th. For further details do visit the site below.

We have also been featured as the Band/Artist at the competition. Do check us out @ the site below. I do understand that this is a major gig - international standard. But I believe this is a good platform to actually judge our own standard. I have always wanted to gauge ourselves in the eyes of professional musicians. I'm not saying that all this while, we have not been in the company of professional musicians, but it is just that at this event, we will be judged by music directors, international music celebrities and producers. If you're free during the abovesaid weekend, do come by to CityBayview Hotel Penang.

One of the most interesting parts of this competition is the fact that we are only allowed to perform our own songs. I like this idea. Although we are comfortable doing covers, we have decide a long time ago to start working on and producing our own stuff. I have written some stuff and I want to be able to perform them live. Some of you have heard our songs - so do come by to listen to more of them.

For further details do check out the sites below:-

The Main Page of the GBOB

Vessel of Worship's Page

Damn, Has It Been Long....

2008-09-18T15:36:00.002+08:00

Yes everyone, I know it has been very long since my last post. In fact, ever since I got back from Beijing, I have not had the time to write. I am glad to have found some time to write now. As most of you know, I love to write - so now I am going to write at every chance I get. Work has been good, the boys (Caesar & Vasco) have been well, VofW is progressing - we're preparing for our next major gig, the Global Battle of the Bands Challenge 2008 and of course the finals competition at the Attic (hopefully at the end of October).

A lot of people have been asking why I have not been writing, well, as I said, time had not permitted me to do so. But from now on, I will try my very best to write at least once a day.

Thank you for all your support everyone and do take care. Hope all of you have a wonderful week ahead!

21 August 2008....

2008-08-21T18:49:00.002+08:00

Today was no different from yday. Got up early, headed to the Coffee House for bfast and then left for the venue. I had to be here early today as it was out last day of events. I got in to the CAU Gym @ about 1030hrs, headed straight to the OVR room - had a lot of reports to sort out from yday's events. And then was working on the current day's events. Today among the competitions held were: 66kg, 74, 86, 92 and 120kgs of freestyle competition. Now, we're on the bronze medal match of the 120kgs competition. The night should end by approx. 2000hrs.

I was blessed to have met a lot of people today. Met friends from Poland, Russia, Armenia, HK and not forgetting all my China mates. Had a good session of meeting and greeting. We have taken down all our contacts - I do hope I can continue to keep in touch with all of them.

Some of the guys from AO in my hotel are planning to go out tonight. I have not been going out with them for the past 3 days as I was working out and I was working late as well - and of course I had to wake up early to work. But I am glad work is over for me after today. Thought of going to some interesting places soon.

Vicky and I have planned to visit the following places:-

(1) Beijing Zoo and Aquaria

(2) Olympic Games Domain Ground (Bird's Nest, Water Cube, etc) - tour

I was given tickets to go for the water polo match today @ 1700hrs, but it was pity I couldn't go cos' I was working. I have tickets for the Women's Basketball Bronze and Gold medal matches. That should be good - although I'd prefer to watch Men's Basketball Finals (an absolute cruncher, it would be) - but this is ok. The tickets are actually very expensive, so I can't complain. Hope to take a lot of pics @ the arena. Now, I have decided that it is getting very difficult to upload the pics from here, so I will be uploading all the pics when I return to Msia.

More updates tomorrow.

20th August 2008....

2008-08-20T15:09:00.002+08:00

Today is my second last day of work. I have been busy for the past 2 1/2 weeks. Events almost everyday. But these last 3 days will be hectic. All the final events for freestyle will be completed by tomorrow. In fact all women competitions have been concluded - just the men's freestyle ones left. I am @ the venue now - was here since 10.30am. Got up @ 8.30am, had bfast and then took the subway to the CAU Gym. Upon getting here, sorted out all that I had to do and then the events were under way. We have stopped for lunch from 1200 to 1600. Competition will commence after that - we have D.Schwab (USA) vs S.Kumar (IND) as the first bout and then a few more before the Gold & Bronze medal matches. Today's bouts should be good.

Anyway, I should be able to get back by 8pm today - after dinner. Thought of heading to the gym again today. After that possible meet up with the guys for a night cap and then sleep early as well. I have an early day tomorrow. I have to be @ the venue by 1000.

More tomorrow.

Beijing Re-Visited....

2008-08-19T13:43:00.005+08:00

Yes I know I have not been updating my blog or uploading any pictures. I have been having some issues with that. But trust me I will be uploading em' soon. I have been really busy for the past 5 days. As you can see below the last update on the blog was on the 14th of Aug 2008. I have been really busy with work. Got in today and I told myself that I have to update and report of what has been going on here.

15th August 2008

I was off today and guess what, I got tickets to go and watch the semi finals tennis matches. Only woke up @ 2pm and then headed straight to the Olympic Greens Domain in the Games Village. The first match which was between James Blake v Fernando Gonzales started @ 4pm - that was a treat, then we (Vicky & I) watched the women's semi finals between Jelena Jankovic vs Dinara Safina & then the finale' - which was an absolute treat: Rafael Nadal (World No. 2) vs Novak Djokovic (World No.3). It ended @ about 12ish mn and then we headed back to the hotel for dinner and then for a few drinks. Got home and slept.

16th August 2008

Did not do much. Called in to my Manager and informed her that I was not coming in to work. Rested @ the hotel. Worked out for quite a bit in the gym - oh yes, that reminds me I need to go in to the gym today. Had dinner with the guys and then went out with Alex Kofi (Germany), Alexandre (France), Tanja (Serbia), Marianne (Germany), Bernard (Austria), Priyanka (India) and Marcos (Brazil). It was a very nice night as we were all from different parts of the world - and what can I say, alcohol unites everyone. It was a cool night as we were all telling each other how differently we all drink in our own countries. We had supper and got back by 3am.

17th August 2008

Took the day off to go out for a bit. Had lunch and the took the train and visited the Tian'men Square and the Forbidden City. Then went into WangFuJing Street for a while, bought some souvenirs there and then headed back to the Silk Street Market - to get some more stuff. Then, Derrick met us and we got back to the hotel. Did not plan to go anywhere, so I headed to the gym, worked out, had dinner and very much just chilled in my room watching the Olympic highlights. The guys wanted to go out for a drink, but I decided to rest as I had to be up early the next morning by 6.30am. I had made reservations to go to the Great Wall of China. The tour included a visit to the Great Wall, Ming Tomb, Jade Factory, Dr.Tea Tea Shop and finally a foot massage by the Tibetan Herbal Doctors - which was very good. Anyway, got back and rested

18th August 2008

I was up by 6.15am, showered, got ready and headed to the Coffee House for bfast. Met Lukas & Anna (Poland) who were supposed to come with me. After bfast, the van was waiting for us. Got in and headed straight to the Great Wall (Bandaling route). The thing is there are many routes to the Great Wall, but this is the most scenic and most challenging route. We headed there and then by 8am we started 'hiking' the wall. It was tough. It was 3.5 steps in normal steps to 1 step on the Great Wall - what an experience. On my way down the wall, I got to a Certificate Shop and got a cert done for me - A Hero Card ( a card to prove that I have scaled the Wall). Trust me, it was not easy - it was a very complete cardio workout.

A brief history of the Great Wall:-

1. It took the Chinese 273 years to finish the entire wall

2. The entire wall is about 6,000kms long

3. The reason for the wall was to protect China from Mongolia

4. Every Emperor in China was an engineer in the continued construction of the Wall

After spending about 2 hours there, we got down and then headed to the Jade Factory - a very interesting experience for me. I have never known the value of jade. I saw how they carved, polished and created beautiful pieces of jade jewellery. Then we headed to the Ming Tomb. The for lunch and then to the Dr.Tea Tea Shop and then for a nice Foot Massage by the Tibetan Herbal Practitioners. By the time we got back from all of that it was 5pm. Just had a light dinner and then rested in the room. I was working the next day and I had to be @ the venue early and the bouts were starting as early as 9am in the morning. So, just rested. Did I want to go into the gym, of course I wanted - could I take the tiredness? Hell no! So, I'd thought I'd pass gym and just chill out in the room.

19th August 2008

Got in to the CAU Gym by 11am. Got all the results verified. Women's competition was over, but the Men's freestyle had just started. Went through all the documents to ensure there were no issues. Everything was going according to plan - by God's grace. Went for lunch, headed back to the OVR Room (On-Venue Results) and now we're waiting for the next rounds of competition to start again. It should begin by 4pm. Will tell you all about it tomorrow - or if possible by tonight.

Why Do Divers Shower?

2008-08-14T11:06:00.005+08:00

I have been watching a few sports in much detail. Some of which I really enjoy are: swimming, diving and athletics (15th Aug 2008). So till the 15th, the only sports I have been watching are swimming and diving. AND of course, the wrestling - I am working in the venue, remember. Do any of you'll know why do divers shower right after they finish a dive? In fact, they will only be able to see their results while in the shower. Have you ever wondered why?

The explanation below will explain it. The following excerpt is from Yahoo! Sports:-

After completing a dive, competitors swim to a ladder, climb out of the pool and head immediately to a bank of showers that sit adjacent to the diving boards. Then, in full view of the crowd and NBC cameras, they shower off. Divers keep their suits on, of course, usually appearing only to rinse off their hair and arms. Oftentimes, the divers will receive their scores while still showering off. What's the purpose of this?

Theories have ranged from 'to get the chlorine off' to 'they want to have fun' -- seriously, that last one is a direct quote from NBC's diving analyst, Cynthia Potter. Neither are the reason.

Divers shower in between each dive to keep their muscles warm after getting out of the pool. The temperature of the pool water and the air are usually different (the pool is usually around 80 degrees, with the air temperature between 68 and 72 degrees). This difference can cause muscle tightness. To combat this, divers warm up in either the showers or a hot tub.

So now we know!

13th August 2008....

2008-08-14T10:41:00.003+08:00

Well, today was very much like yday. Got up early (7.30am) headed to the Coffee House for bfast and then left for the subways with Simon and Vicky. We walked to the Agri. Exhibition Ctr station and took the subway to our venues. In fact they were off today and they were going visiting. They got off half way but I stayed in the train. Got off at Zhichunlu and then changed to another train to Wudaokao. From Wudaokao, took a walk to the bus station and then got a bus to my venue. Arrived here @ the CAU Gym @ 10.30am. The event for the day only started @ 12 noon. So I had some time to check my mails and to go around the venue and meet the officials to ensure everything was running smoothly.

Had lunch @ the cafeteria and then got back to work @ 1pm. The event started and from then on it was continuous events all the way until 8pm. After the final event, Greco-Roman 70kgs, which was won by a Georgian who beat the local hero from China, I headed home. Took a bus to my stop, walked to the subways and I was back @ the hotel by 9.30pm.

I was not going to head to the gym today, so I had my bath and wanted to chill & watch tv in my room. But the guys (Vicky, Simon, Derrick & Priyanka) called me out for a drink and a light walk. So, we took a walk to Solana Mall and had a drink at Starbucks. Chilled there till about 12mn and then took a slow walk back to the hotel.

As soon as I got back, just had a bath and the next thing I knew, I was knocked out.

12th August 2008....

2008-08-13T14:46:00.004+08:00

Today was the first day of the wrestling event. Woke up early headed to the Coffee House for bfast and then got to the venue by cab. I didn't want to be late. We were told whenever there were events, we had to be @ the venue 2 hours before it started. The usual setting up and ensuring nothing fails and so on. I had to meet the Venue Results Manager as well to confirm some minor details. My IDS Manager was also present, so we conducted all tests and everything went on fine.

All events went on very smoothly. Everyone now and then, whenever an interesting bout was going on in the Field of Play, I could just walk in to the arena and watch it. It was interesting. As I mentioned earlier, there are 2 types of events: Greco Roman (only Men) and Freestyle (Men & Women). Today we had completed 2 weight categories: GR 55kg and GR 60kg. Tomorrow we will be having the 66kg and 70kg. It should be more interesting when the freestyle event starts. It is more physical and a lot more tougher for the competitors. Anyway, had lunch at the venue itself and left the venue @ about 6.30 and headed back to the hotel. Took the subway back - I have got so familiarised with the subway that I am actually teaching people in my venue how to move around. I like learning new routes, so I was glad to have learnt all the ways to get from one place to another.

Upon arriving back to the hotel, I went to the receptionist and confirmed by booking for the Great Wall tour on the 18th. Vicky and I have decided to go to the Forbidden City and the Tia'Men Square on the 15th. Upon confirming it, I got changed and headed to the gym. Worked out for a good 1 hour and then had a bath and slept. I was supposed to have gone out for dinner, but I was too tired I guess.

More tomorrow.

11th August 2008....

2008-08-12T13:05:00.002+08:00

Well, I am off today. Today is the draw day at my venue - the wrestlers will come in for their medical check-up, doping exercise and the weigh in session. Upon doing so, they will be picking their draw for the competition. As there are not too many wrestlers, most of them got the 'bye' to the next round.

Anyway, since I am off, I decided to go around Sanlitun (Street Malls) and after that to the Silk Market. Had bfast @ the hotel and then left for Sanlitun with Simon (AO Msia), Priyanka (AO India) & Suzanne (AO Holland). We took a walk to Sanlitun, checked out the biggest adidas store and then walked around the malls. Upon doing so, we took a taxi to the Silk Market aread. Suzanne left as she had to go to work. So we arrived @ the Silk Market @ about 3pm, walked around, bought a lot of stuff and then stopped by Subway for a sandwich and a drink. We were waiting for Quiss and Vicky who wanted to come and join us as well. But, I was feeling tired so I headed back to the hotel. The guys continued shopping till about 7pm. Anyway, I got back and so did Priyanka - we met up for dinner with Alex (AO France). Oh yes, how can I forget, I found this Punjabi Restaurant in Beijing. So, I decided to take both Priyanka (she was very very pleased) and Alex to this restaurant. I made the discovery when I was just walking around town sometime last week. Very good food. Anyway, this time I had aloor prata, mutton vindaloo and some paneer curry thingy (very tasty). Had to have the kulfis for dessert and wash it all down with a cold mango lassi, YUMMY! It has been a while since I had good Indian food, so it was a very good dinner.

After dinner, we headed for a pub crawl. People these days call it pub hopping, but to me it was a crawl, because we stayed rather long in each club. The first one we went to was The Corona Bar. They have Corona parties every Sat - from what I heard they are really good. Should go for the one this weekend. This is a salsa club. Good live band playing salsa and latin music. Had a few beers there and then left for the China Doll Club. I have never seen a club so posh (not even in England or Sweden). Extremely nice decos and beautiful. Anyway, we found ourselves a place to sit and the ordered their cocktails. Very nice, I must say. On the other side, where the dance floor is, there were girls in extremely skimpy outfits dancing on raised platforms with a pole. Now, that was a sight.

We were there till it almost closed actually - almost 5am and then we headed back to the hotel. I had to wake up at 9am for bfast and then head to my venue as tomorrow is the first day of competition @ the wrestling arena (CAU Gymnasium).

So for all those watching the Olympics on tele, do look out for the arena. I will be in the Field of Play (the mat area) most of the time. From what I heard, the last event finishes @ 8pm tonight, so I guess by the time I get back it should be about 9pm. I will tell you'll more about it tomorrow once the event is over.

10th August 2008....

2008-08-10T18:24:00.006+08:00

Today was rather quiet. I woke up @ about 7ish and got ready and headed to the Coffee House in the hotel for bfast. I had to get to work by 10am. Upon having bfast, I was suprised to see a heavy downpour in Beijing. Nice. It has been terribly humid ever since I arrived here on the 3rd. The temperature has been an average 33 degrees. But today with the rain it was a manageable 28. Not too bad. I couldnt walk to the subway station because of the rain, so I took a cab to my venue - regretted doing that, it cost me whopping 50RMB (approx. RM25). Anyway, work was easy today. We were just testing all the systems to ensure that the production on the 12th is smooth flowing. Our first day of event is on the 12th. Tomorrow I will be off as it is weigh in and doping exercise day. The atheletes will be at the venue to weigh in, get their doping tests done and to pick their draws. The whole exercise starts at 9 and should be finished before lunch.

I'm back @ the hotel now. Got changed and visited the gym. I have been steadily working out as I have no other exercise besides the regular 20 mins walk to the subway station. Will be meeting up some guys and gals from Belgium and Holland for dinner later tonight.

Tomorrow I plan to re-visit the WangFuJing Street - where the street malls are. There is also a huge shop selling Olympic souvenirs. Hope to get some souvenirs there. Thought of also going to the Beijing Zoo before that and then possibly leave for WangFuJing @ lunch time. I have to see the pandas. From what I heard you can carry the baby pandas and take pics with them. Hope to do all of that tomorrow.

Will be updating it again tomorrow.

Opening Ceremony....

2008-08-09T12:37:00.003+08:00

I'm sure most of you watched it last night. Yes, it was a sight indeed. The amount of work that was put in is amazing. I am glad to have been able to watch it live here in Beijing. As the tickets for the Opening Ceremony were all sold out and no tickets were assigned to anyone of us @ AO, we were able to watch it live from the Olympic Green Common Domain - which is just outside the Bird's Nest Stadium. It was still awesome. We could see everything that the people in the stadium were seeing, but only standing or sitting on the greens. It was much more fun as the domain area was a party zone. Everyone was eating, drinking, dancing and shouting and cheering their countries.

I was off for 2 days (Thurs & Fri), so I took the opportunity to walk around town. Went to a number of places. Solana Mall, ZhongGuanChun (IT Malls), WangFuChing (Street Bazaar) and of course the bars around every corner of Beijing as well. It was quite an experience. Initially I was alone, but later on Vicky came by and joined me at the Solana Mall.

Came in to the venue (CAU Gymnasium) today as we had some testing exercises to ensure that all systems were running smoothly. Our first day of competition is on the 12th of Aug 2008 and it runs till the 21st of Aug 2008. ZhaoXin (my Manager) has given me some days off whenever the draws are done at the venue. So I will be off on the 11th, 15th and the 18th of Aug 2008. So I will be taking the opportunity to possibly visit the Great Wall on one day, the Beijing Zoo on another and the Tian'Men Square and the Forbidden City on the last day. I really wanted to visit the Tian'Men Square and the Forbidden City yesterday, but it closed as everyone was to watch the Opening Ceremony.

Anyway, after the ceremony had ended we got ourselves to the nearest McDonalds and I had to have the Hamburger. It was good actually. Then, we took a train to the Agricultural Exhibition Centre which is our stop for our hotel. From the station it is a 15 mins walk to Yong-An Hotel (where we live). Upon reaching the hotel, I was hungry again, so I dragged Vicky along with me to the Busan Restaurant (Southern part of China) - very spicy food. We ordered fish and potatos and vegetables. It was good. Then, walked back to the hotel, had a warm shower and slept.

Today, I was working, so I got ready as early as 8am, had bfast and then left for the venue. I am still @ the venue. I will be going with ZhaoXin after work this evening for high tea - I am looking forward to it as we're going to a Tibetan restaurant. Will tell you all about it on my next post.

Till then, more tomorrow.

Beijing 2008....

2008-08-05T15:30:00.001+08:00

I've finally settled in here in Beijing. Yup, arrived here on the 3rd of Aug @ approx 5pm. Oh by the way, for those of you who didn't know, I am here in Beijing for the Olympics. I was chosen to be a member of the IT team with Atos Origin (my current employers) @ the Olympics. Atos Origin is the Worldwide IT Partner of the Games - and they have been so since Barcelona 1992. The flight was good, I slept throughout the flight actually - so it was nice. Upon arrival, we had a driver pick us up and send us to the hotel. I am staying @ the Yong-An Hotel in Beijing. It was nice to have walked around and checked out some of the places around the hotel area. I will be here at Beijing for 3 weeks and 4 days. I leave back to Malaysia on the 26th of Aug. It is a very unique and learning experience.

I am in training now in the CAG Gymnasium. I only got in at 2pm today as the Manager was covering the morning shift of things. Oh yes, before I forget, I am based at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium - what do you think the sport is? Nope, not gymnastics - but Wrestling. There will be 2 types of wrestling events, namely: Greco-Roman (only Men) and Freestyle (Men & Women). My position here is Venue IDS Manager Assistant, so I work very closely with the Manager - Zhao Xin, who is really sweet. She is very helpful and she has been guiding me with all that I need to know. I will be the Back-up Manager in the event she is unable to attend work. Work is fun, as it is sports oriented and it involves sporting terminologies. I am thoroughly enjoying my stay here in Beijing. I will be updating my blog, if possible on a daily basis. I would like to update some pictures as well.

That's all for now, more tomorrow. I will be into work @ 9am tomorrow. There is a lot to do tomorrow. The wrestling event only starts on the 12th, but before that there a lot of testings and other issues that we need to look at. It will be interesting and I will keep all of you updated.

Friendship....

2008-07-30T00:57:00.002+08:00

One of my friends in Ashford (England) sent me a home made video of how beautiful a thing friendship is. I have taken the message embedded in the video and put it in words for everyone to read and enjoy the true meaning of friendship.

This post is dedicated to all my friends around the world. I am so grateful to God for giving me a lot of beautiful and very special friends. In my life, I have met a lot of people - some became friends others best friends. This post is to all my friends. Thank you Nicole for the video.

Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.

Friendship is one mind in two bodies

If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t jump with them, I would be at the bottom to catch them

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart

Promise you won’t forget me, because if I thought you would, I’d never leave

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad

My personal favourite is....
If you should die before me, ask if you can bring a friend

Damn It!

2008-07-29T21:15:00.002+08:00

I hate the way I feel right now. It has been approximately 2 months and I have been feeling the same. Work is not as good as it used to be. My creativity has diminished for my music - I have always been the creative and adventurous one in the band. I almost lost many friends - and these are good friends by the way. I am leaving for Beijing for the Olympics in 4 days time and I am not even slightly excited about it.

I have been keeping myself busy with whatever I can think of doing, but honestly, I feel like shit. I don't know why? I don't know what is the reason, but I know there are so many contributing factors to this feeling. I have never felt this way before.

I do hope I come out of this.

@#$%^&*!

Showcase Performance @ The Attic....

2008-07-28T16:53:00.012+08:00

I know... I know it has been a while since I posted about Vessel of Worship ;) - so here goes!

We (V of W) were invited by the Organising Committee of the Attic's Got Talent competition to perform on the 23rd of July 2008 (Tue). It was a unique experience because we were given a 45 mins slot for the night. Now, V of W have never done any show for 45mins - anywhere. To make matters worse, we did not even have the time to practise. But we took everything in a stride. I suggested that we'd do an acoustic performance. Since we did not have the full band with us (Mark is away on work and Dharmin is away on performances), we invited 2 other musicians to session with us. Edwin (leads) and Jeff (bass). Unfortunately, Jeff could not make it for the night and I only knew about it on the night before the show. Anyway, by God's grace we made do with whatever we had. I got Ruf to play the rhythm, Risberg to play the bass and Winston to play the congas. Edwin did the lead work for the songs and I sang - but I played the piano for a song as well.

We (all the patrons @ the Attic) were blessed to have Nick Davies perform a line-up of his own songs for us. He had his violinist back him up. He has got a very soulful voice - I'd like to call him the new generation of India Arie / Corrs. He gives every song a Corrs feel to it. Very nice. Anyway, it was very nice of him to invite me to jam alongside him on his last song. It was a freestyle number, but we jammed and we got the mood started for the night - thank you Nick.

Anyway, there was a 30 mins break and then Vessel of Worship got ourselves ready and started performing. We did a good set of 45mins. If I remember correctly, we did take a break in between the entire set - but that was the band. While they took a break, I sang 'Chariot' and played the piano. And then we came back for our final 20 mins of the entire set. During the last 20 mins of the set, I invited Hari (beatboxer cum sangeetham specialist) to come up and join us in our rendition of Psalm 23. It was a song I wrote with Rufus sometime last year. I still feel that was still our best song that night.

I am very grateful to all the people below who made the performance at the Attic on the 23rd of July 2008, very special to us (V of W):-

1. Juliet, Ann and Luna (Attic)
2. Vikhram & Aylia (who rushed right after work)
3. Vick (who came for the entire performance and then rushed to work)
4. Gopi & Kogilah (who have never missed any of our performances)
5. Sherril Louisa Jeanne' Netto (a dear friend)
6. Sheila, Noel, Rajan, Antho & Serene for the support and cheering :)
7. Edwin for helping the band with the leads at the last minute of asking
8. Sir Surin and Ms. Brenda for their never ending support
9. Last but not least, all those who came and supported us..

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!

We do not know when our next performance will be. But I will keep everyone updated on fb and on the blog as well. Tentatively, the finals for the Attic's Got Talent competition is on the 30th of Sept 2008 - however, I will let you all know if there are any changes.

Here are some of the pictures that were taken that night:-

MISTAKE....

2008-07-22T16:40:00.004+08:00

More often than not, for some of us, we make mistakes. Now, whether or not the mistakes made turn out to be absolute moments of brilliance or otherwise - it is very truly conceived as a mistake nonetheless. I have made many mistakes in life - some of which I am proud of and of course some of which ... well, lets not get there shall we. I honestly believe that whenever we make a mistake and we accept the mistake and learn from it, we are better human beings. I know, it is very crude to say something like that, but lets ponder that for a moment.

For example, I used to be a smoker. I consider that a mistake I had made when I was much younger. Unfortunately, I got addicted to it for a while, but I am glad that I am totally out of it now. It is not only the fact that I realised my mistake, but the fact that I know how much more I can reap by correcting myself.

I got in to work today and met up with Devika (hereafter referred to as Akka) for lunch. Upon doing so, I had to rush in to work as it was getting late for me. Akka sent me an email which was rather brilliant. Well, I consider it a creation by someone who is very articulate. The title of the email was Mistakes. So, enjoy:-

If a barber makes a mistake,

It is a NEW STYLE

If a driver makes a mistake,

It is a NEW PATH

If a engineer makes a mistake,

It is a NEW VENTURE

If parents makes a mistake,

It is a NEW GENERATION

If a politician makes a mistake,

It is a NEW LAW

If a scientist makes a mistake,

It is a NEW INVENTION

If a tailor makes a mistake,

It is a NEW FASHION

If a teacher makes a mistake,

It is a NEW THEORY

If our boss makes a mistake,

It is a NEW IDEA

If an employee makes a mistake,

It is a MISTAKE!

WHY! WHY! WHY! (My humble contribution to the article)

Vessel of Worship....

2008-07-18T20:18:00.003+08:00

V of W will be performing again. Yup! We have been invited to perform at a Charity Carnival at SeGi College in Kota Damansara. We've never done anything like this before, so I jumped at the very idea of performing for a good cause. However, we will not be having all the guys with us on Saturday, but the basic 3 will be there. Ruf Ruf on the guitars & back-up vocals, Risberg on the drums & congas and Winston on the percussions. We hope to be able to find a bassist by today as our bassist (Mark) is away in England on work assignment. For all those reading this, please pray for us. We're short of practices and we want to put on our best show.

We hope with the final practice today, we will be able to finalise 2 solid songs for the evening. The details of the event is seen below:-

Event: Charity Carnival
Venue: SeGi College, Kota Damansara
Date: 18th July 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 12.00noon - 5.00pm

Hope to see all of you there!

God bless.

TAMIL-ians....

2008-07-17T16:06:00.003+08:00

I am huge fan of Russell Peters (The Stand-Up Comedian). For those of you, who have not heard of him, where have you been all this while? He is one of the most respected comedians of our time. I rank him along the names of Eddie Murphy, Cedric The Entertainer, DL Hughley and Kat Williams. Watching him for the 40th time (Russell Peters Live In LA), and then reading an email that Rohan Annan sent me, made me write this post. It is about TAMILIANS - well, I would bravely say, every Indian in Malaysia, India, Singapore, England and in any part of the world will concur in the habit and attitudes below. Enjoy:

You arrive one hour late to a party and findout you are the first one to arrive

You think it's perfectly normal to call someone who's 30 years younger than you 'Annan' just because he's behind a counter

You wear a suit to a wedding... and you are only 3 years old

The wedding takes an hour and the group pictures take five hours

Your mom and sister together own more jewellery than a Chinese jewellery store

Your parents' idea of a vacation is to go down to the temples in India

You talk for an hour at the front door when leaving someone's house

The second your guests leave the house, your parents start talking about them

You rent a cassette from the grocery store, it's been dubbed 6 times... & you return it 3 months later

You go to a Tamil Cultural program only to find one barathanatyam and six hip hop shows

You are somehow related to every new friend you meet

Your remote control is still in its plastic packet

You get a 95% on a test and your parents ask, ‘what happened to the other 5%?!'

You stare at Tamil people when they walk by

You see married couples kissing on TV but have never seen your Mom & Dad get within 3 feet of each another

Your parents never address each other by name

When you get your first part-time job, your parents expect you to give them half

Your mother has a minor dispute with her sister-in law and doesn't talk to her for 10 years

Your parents say Swiss instead of Switzerland, Germany is German and England is London

You go to a party and your aunt comments on how your skin color has changed

You watch a Tamil wedding tape and all the songs from Roja are dubbed in it

When the teacher took attendance and there was a sudden pause, you put your hand up and said 'here'

You shortened your name to make it sound Anglo

You have dinner at 10pm

It's normal for all the relatives to bathe the groom on his wedding day

You KNOW that your promiscuous second cousin on your father's side is pregnant even before she does

Your aunties tease you about a particularly eligible cousin... & you like it!!!

You serve all your guests tea with milk and 5 spoons of sugar

You only stop putting more rice on your guest's dinner plate 7 times after they tell you to stop

Anytime you speak back to your parents, you get: 'I toiled my life for you, and this is how you repay me?!' - 'Naanga eppadi khasta pattathukku nee ithuvum solluvae ithukku melayumsolluvae!'

If you are a girl, you are expected to come home before dark - however if it's a son, 'OK rasa, jaakirathaa poitu vaa...'

Halfway through your shower you realize that your Head & Shoulders shampoo is gone and has been replaced by Siyakkai shampoo

You walk in to another Tamil family's house and they have the same furniture and dining set as yours

Well Known Phrases & Practices....

2008-07-16T19:59:00.006+08:00

It has been a while since I checked my mails. Ever since I got back from Kuching I have been really busy - catching up on all my pending mails and tickets. Sigh. Anyway, after wrestling with it (work) for the past 2 days, I have somehow managed to resolve all my pending mails. So, today, I had the time pleasure of going through some of my mails. While I was at it, I came across an article or rather, an observation of interesting phrases and practices which were apparent ever since the 14th century. So do, enjoy the read:

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "The Rule of Thumb"

Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden"... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone

Coca-Cola was originally green

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400

The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
- Their birthplace

Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
- Obsession

What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
- All were invented by women

What is the only food that doesn't spoil? - Honey

Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
- Father's Day

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon

Customer Service....

2008-07-16T15:09:00.002+08:00

Working in an IT support environment, at times I do come across some really difficult users. However, we are contracted to be as nice and courteous as possible. One of my colleagues sent me the article below. I just wished I could use some of the sarcasm in the story below to deal with some of the users I face. Interesting - check it out:-

For all who work with rude customers, shame we can't actually do this! An award should go to the Virgin Airlines desk attendant in Sydney some months ago for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.

A crowded Virgin flight was canceled after Virgin's 767s had been withdrawn from service. A single attendant was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, 'I HAVE to be on this flight and it HAS to be FIRST CLASS'. The attendant replied, 'I'm sorry, sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out.' The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, 'DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?'

Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address microphone: 'May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please,' she began - her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. 'We have a passenger here at Desk 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Desk 14.' With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the Virgin attendant, gritted his teeth and said, 'F... You!' Without flinching, she smiled and said....

(I love this bit)

'I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to get in line for that too.'

Rainforest Music Festival....

2008-07-09T14:38:00.002+08:00

Rainforest Music Festival - Kuching, SARAWAK

I have been planning to do this for a while now. I missed the last few years due to work commitments, studies and other functions. But I did not want to miss it this time. Last year Jam & I went for the Miri International Jazz Festival - which was so awesome. This time for the RMF, I will be going with Vick (a long time friend). Of course Jam will be there too, he leaves today with 3 of his other friends.

I will be leaving for Kuching on the 10th (Thurs) and I will be back on the 14th (Mon). The event is from the 11th till the 13th of July. I will be updating the blog with all the pictures and stories once I get back. There will be so much to do in Kuching. I thought of getting my 2nd tatt as well. we'll see how it goes - reason being the artists in Borneo are way more artistic and talented compared to the ones you find here. They are natural artists' - I hope to get my 2nd one there.

Will update soon. Take care and wish you all a blessed week ahead.

Pics Taken @ The Attic - SemiFinals....

2008-06-20T17:42:00.019+08:00

Me' (V of Worship)

Rufus (V of Worship)

Darmin (V of Worship)

Daniel (V of Worship)

Hari (V of Worship)

Nick Davis

Anna Anthonia

Arjuna

Suzie

Wei Lin

Fraddy

Winners of the Semi-Finals - Vessel of Worship & Nick Davis

Winners of the Semi-Finals - Vessel of Worship & Nick Davis

Nick Davis, Arjuna & Me' (Vessel of Worship)

Eddy, Savvy & Nick Davis, Juliet, Arjuna, Me' & Llew

Vessel of Worship

We're In The Finals....

2008-06-19T22:52:00.005+08:00

We (Vessel of Worship) went into the semi finals at the Attic's Got Talent on Tuesday very confident of ourselves. However, we did not know what to expect from the other contestants. I was glad we went prepared. It was a fun evening. The boys were there by 7pm for the sound check. I was glad we did that. All the equaliser records were written and kept for our performance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Llew Marsh for all the help and support he gave us throughout the night - sound check, setting up before each performance and for introducing us to the crowd very specially. "Thank you very much Llew". We (V of W) are also very blessed to have a Manager in Ms. Brenda James. We thank you very much Ms. Brenda for all your support, encouragement and your constant words of wisdom which always gives us that extra boost to do better everytime we perform.

The competition started at approximately 9.30pm. The line up was as follows:-

1. FRADDY - solo

2. SUZIE ELANIE - solo

3. WEI LIN - solo

4. NICK DAVIS - duet

5. VESSEL OF WORSHIP - band

6. ARJUNA - solo

7. ANNA SIGAMONEY - solo

It was a well mixed group of people. I enjoyed the company of all the contestants. We (V of W) were glad to have won the semi finals. The songs we performed at the semi-finals were Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall and Gimme Hope Jo'anna by Eddy Grant. The second song was an absolute cracker as all those present were dancing away. It was nice to see people enjoying the songs we played.

The finalists were:-

Vessel of Worship

Nick Davis

Arjuna

All the practices, the hours and hours of ensuring the sound was perfect, the keys were in tune and the singing was in the right pitch - all paid off.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who came and supported throughout the night:-

My dear fiancee, Tharsani Krishnasamy

All our friends from:-

CSA (Kamal)

HELP (Faeizal & Ram)

Atos Origin (Vikhram, Aylia, Liyana & Paul Michael)

HSBC (Bald Vick, Gauri and Rufus', Mark's and Hari's work mates)

VATS (Peter Michael, Calvin & friends)

Rohan Annan & his lovely wife Devika Akka

....and all friends from near and far.

We've made it to the finals and the gratitude goes to everyone above, but most importantly the boys of Vessel of Worship....

Rufus Aston Bexel - Rhythm, lead guitars & back up vocals

Risberg Dass Bexel - Drummer

Winston Palmer - Percussionist

Mark Pravind Daniel - Bassist

HariKumar - Beatboxer & Rapper

Darmin - Mirethenggum Maestro

....and me, Devanandan Palmer Batumalai - Lead vocals & pianist.

We've come this far boys, lets go all the way!

'LETS CONTINUE TO MAKE MUSIC & GLORIFY HIS NAME'

Vessel of Worship....

2008-06-12T17:49:00.004+08:00

As most of you know Vessel of Worship (hereafter referred to as VW) will be performing at the Attic in Bangsar on the 17th of June 2008 (Tue). This is the second time we will be playing in a competition. In fact, the first was when we actually qualified for the semi finals which will be held this Tuesday. The name of the competition is 'The Attic's Got Talent'.

It is interesting how we managed to get into the competition. We were at the Attic on the 20th of April celebrating my birthday and while we were there, we played a few songs. Ruf on the guitars and back up vocals, Mark on the congas and me on the piano and vocals. Llew the owner of the Attic came by and told us that we should be participating in the Attic's Got Talent show. So, we registered and now we are in the semis. The road to the semis was not a smooth one. We had a lot of complications as we did not know what songs to sing; how to sing them; if the genre we chose was good enough and a lot of other confusion. I am thankful to the entire band, namely: Rufus, Risberg, Hari, Winston and Mark (and now Thanen & Jam) for all the support and encouragement in getting us this far.

We were also very blessed to have a very good Manager in Ms. Brenda James who kept pushing us to greater ambitions. We only started off as a Christian band (in fact, it was just Ruf, Ris and myself). Eventually, we got Mark, then Hari, then Winston, then Jam and now Thanen. We were only playing in church functions and weddings (whenever we were invited to play). I never knew we would ever play at a joint as exclusive as the Attic. It is all blessings from above. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Maestro Llew Marsh, Nazluna (The Best Bartendress in the World), Ms. Juliet Thor (our No.1 fan) and everyone at the Attic for all the support you gave us throughout the journey.

We hope to keep up the quality of the show and we hope and pray we qualify for the finals.

Laughter The Best Medicine....

2008-06-06T17:28:00.001+08:00

A good friend of mine sent me these jokes below. Based on a study it is found that laughter cures most illnesses. So, cry less and laugh more.

Losing All Your Friends
Man comes home and finds his wife with his friend in bed. He shoots his friend and kills him. Wife says 'If you behave like this, you will lose ALL your friends.'

Brother Wanted
A small boy wrote to Santa Claus,'send me a brother'....Santa wrote back, 'SEND ME YOUR MOTHER'....

Meaning of WIFE
Husband asks, 'Do you know the meaning of WIFE? It means 'Without Information Fighting Everytime!’ Wife replies, 'No, it means 'With Idiot For Ever'!!!'

Importance Of A Period
Teacher: 'Do you know the importance of a period?'
Kid: 'Yeah, once my sister said she has missed one, my mom fainted, dad got a heart attack & our driver ran away.'

Confident vs Confidential
A young boy asks his Dad, 'What is the difference between confident and confidential?' Dad says, 'You are my son, I'm confident about that. Your friend over there, is also my son, that's confidential! '

Anger Management
Husband: 'When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger?'
Wife: 'I clean the toilet.'
Husband: 'How does that help?'
Wife: 'I use your toothbrush'

Have a great week ahead!

RACISM Is Alive & Kicking....

2008-06-05T21:23:00.004+08:00

A dear friend of mine sent me this article with the hope that I will post it. Hell yeah, I would! I read this article with disgust and sadness. I never knew racism still existed the way it does today. You will not understand what I meant above, unless you read the article below. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Brenda James for the article (based on her own experience today) and my sincere sympathies for what you had to go through.

I AM MORE THAN MY COLOUR. AREN'T YOU?

Thursday, June 5, 2008 - A regular day. Work, errands and in my context both of this revolve around the Bangsar locale, which has been my meeting and playground for the last decade. So what makes this day different.

My sister and I were together. We caught up with our meet-and-greets and errands and headed back to Bangsar Village where the car was parked. As we walked to the car, I was having a long conversation with a senior editor from a prominent English daily (who by the way heard the whole exchange take place).

Belinda paid at the autopay machine and as she was driving to the exit boomgate, a very nice BMW started making its way out of its bay and very fast too (by the way, that’s the only place where the word nice will appear in this piece).

Belinda horns at the car and the BMW doesn’t stop; Belinda blared her horns again and the driver reacts in the best way possible – drives out of the bay even faster and then flips us the bird. So that’s what a middle finger looks like, cause it was up in the air long enough for us to have a really good look, lest we missed it eh.

Then, when the driver was certain we didn’t have the right of way, the driver winds down the window and yells these words at us, “F***-off black bitch”. Belinda naturally reacts with a rude gesture of her own but then just as quickly stops when she spots a smaller figure in the back seat. It was a little girl in her kindergarten uniform.

By the way, the person hurling those choice, racist, obscenities at us was the little girl’s mummy.
And the fun doesn’t stop there folks, when Mrs. Foul Mouth reaches the boomgate, we were parallel to her at this point at the other exit post, she yells again, “F*** you black skin(ned) bitch” while gesturing to us by pinching the skin on her forearms and dramatically reenacted how looking at us made her want to puke(trust me she would have made a very bad mime). If anyone had a bad taste in their mouths at that point it was us. She then sped away, with her bewildered child in tow, leaving the scene so fast that by the time we exited (which was just a few seconds later) she was gone.

So to the owner of the black, BMW 5 Series, bearing registration number W** 69, tell me lady, do you kiss your child with that same filthy mouth and will you teach your little girl those words too? Mummy sure is a role model and exemplary one too.

P/s: By the way, to those of you who are wondering what was that lady’s race – don’t wonder. Knowing what race she is doesn’t make a difference. The fact is, in this day and age, racism is alive and kicking.

Brenda James

Men....Men....Men....

2008-05-27T20:24:00.006+08:00

The story below came in an email to me this morning. A good friend of mine @ work sent it to me. Upon reading it, I started questioning myself: "How well do I listen to my better half?" Or in fact to make things clearer, do I actually listen? Check it out....

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday. "I'd like to be six again", she replied, still looking in the mirror;

On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big Bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags themepark. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster and everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down.He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, "Well Dear, what was it like being six again?" Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.

She said, 'I meant my dress size, you dumb ass'

The Moral of the Story: Even when a man is listening, he still gets it wrong!

Singaporeans....Good One!

2008-05-21T17:05:00.002+08:00

One of my close friends sent me this. I used to work for a Singaporean MNC and I saw some of the very interesting traits displayed by my fellow colleagues. Some of which I would not like to speak about, but of course some of which I would just love to propagand. Check this out. By the way, thanks Rohan Annan, a good one indeed. The some of you'll may have read this one, for those who have not read it, enjoy!

Barber In NY

There was once a very good barber in NEW YORK, who gave Free Haircuts to everybody who came into his shop to have their haircuts.

One day a florist went to him for a haircut. After the cut, he wanted to pay the barber, but the barber replied: 'It's alright, I cannot accept money from you. I am doing community service.' The Florist was happy and left the shop.The next morning when the barber went to open his shop, there was athank you card and a dozen roses waiting at his door .

A policeman went for a haircut and he also wanted to pay the barberafter the cut.But the barber replied: 'I cannot accept money from you. I am doing community service.' The cop was happy and left the shop.The next morning when the barber went to open his shop, there was athank you card and a dozen donuts waiting at his door.

A Singaporean software engineer went for a haircut and he also wanted topay the barber after the cut.But the barber replied: 'I cannot accept money from you. I am doing community service.' The Singaporean software engineer was very happy and left. The next morning when the barber went to open his shop, guess what he found there............

Can you guess?

Come on, think like a Singaporean....

Have you got the answer ........... ?????

Come on ............. guess

Guess

Guess...........

A dozen Singaporeans waiting for freehaircuts!

Biographies....

2008-05-16T15:46:00.008+08:00

One of my favourite Presidents of the United States of America is President Bill Clinton and the other is none other than the great President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (hereafter referred to as JFK). I have done quite a bit of research on the man. I have included some of the sites [at the bottom of the article] from which one can read and know more about the 35th President of the United States of America, who sadly only served 3 years of his 5 year term. This is almost a full biography of JFK - but I'd like to call it a summarised yet comprehensive version.

35th President of the United States of America

Presidential Term: 1961-1963
Born: May 29, 1917 in Brookline, MA
Died: Nov 22, 1963. Killed by an assassin's bullet in Dallas, TX

Alma Mater(s):

London School of Economics, Harvard College & Stanford Graduate School of Business

Religion: Roman Catholic
Spouse: Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy

Children:

Caroline (only surviving member of the Kennedy family), John Jr. (died in a plan crash in 1999), Arabella (died a stillborn in 1956) and Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (died after 2 days being born in 1963)

Kennedy was born at 83 Beals Street in Brookeline, Massachusetts on Tuesday, May 29th, 1917 at 3:00 p.m., the second son of Joseph P Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald; Rose, in turn, was the eldest child of John ‘Honey’ Fitzgerald Kennedy, a prominent Boston political figure who was the city's mayor and a three-term member of Congress. Kennedy, who was to be the first U.S. president born in the twentieth century, lived in Brookline for his first ten years of life. He attended Brookline's public Edward Devotion School from kindergarten through the beginning of 3rd grade, then Noble and Greenough Lower School and its successor, the Dexter School, a private school for boys, through 4th grade. In September 1927, Kennedy moved with his family to a rented 20-room mansion in Riverdale, Bronx, New York City, then two years later moved five miles (8 km) northeast to a 21-room mansion on a six-acre estate in Bronxville, New York, purchased in May 1929.

He graduated from Choate in June 1935. Kennedy's superlative in his yearbook was "Most likely to become President". In September 1935, he sailed on the SS Normandie on his first trip abroad with his parents and his sister Kathleen to London with the intent of studying for a year with Professor Harold Laski at the London School of Economics (LSE) as his older brother Joe had done, but after a brief hospitalization with jaundice after less than a week at LSE, he sailed back to America only three weeks after he had arrived. In October 1935, Kennedy enrolled late and spent six weeks at Princeton University, but was then hospitalized for two months observation for possible leukemia at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston in January and February 1936. He recuperated at the Kennedy winter home in Palm Beach in March and April, spent May and June working as a ranch hand on a 40,000 acre (160 km²) cattle ranch outside Benson, Arizona, then July and August racing sailboats at the Kennedy summer home in Hyannisport.

In September 1936 he enrolled as a freshman at Harvard College, residing in Winthrop House during his sophomore through senior years, again following two years behind his older brother Joe. In early July 1937, Kennedy took his convertible, sailed on the SS Washington to France, and spent ten weeks driving with a friend through France, Italy, Germany, Holland and England. In late June 1938, Kennedy sailed with his father and his brother Joe on the SS Normandie to spend July working with his father, recently appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James by President Roosevelt, at the American embassy in London, and August with his family at a villa near Cannes.

In 1940, Kennedy completed his thesis, "Appeasement in Munich," about British participation in the Munich Agreement. He initially intended his thesis to be private, but his father encouraged him to publish it as a book. He graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in international affairs in June 1940, and his thesis was published in July 1940 as a book entitled Why England Slept, and became a bestseller.

From September to December 1940, Kennedy was enrolled and audited classes at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In early 1941, he helped his father complete the writing of a memoir of his three years as an American ambassador.

After World War II, Kennedy had considered the option of becoming a journalist before deciding to run for political office.

Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on September 12, 1953. He underwent several spinal operations over the following two years, nearly dying (in all he received the Catholic Church's "last rites" four times during his life), and was often absent from the Senate.

Kennedy ran for the seat, beating his Republican opponent by a large margin. He was a congressman for six years but had a mixed voting record, often diverging from President Harry S. Truman and the rest of the Democratic Party. In 1952, he defeated incumbent Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. for the U.S. Senate.

On January 2, 1960, Kennedy officially declared his intent to run for President of the United States.

In September and October, Kennedy debated Republican candidate and Vice President Richard Nixon in the first televised U.S. presidential debates in U.S. history. During these programs, Nixon, nursing an injured leg and sporting "five o'clock shadow", looked tense and uncomfortable, while Kennedy appeared relaxed, leading the huge television audience to deem Kennedy the winner. Radio listeners, however, either thought Nixon had won or that the debates were a draw. Nixon did not wear make-up during the initial debate, unlike Kennedy.

JFK at the White House

John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President at noon on January 20, 1961. In his inaugural address he spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens, famously saying, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." He also asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the "common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself." In closing, he expanded on his desire for greater internationalism: "Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you

On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on November 22, 1963, while on a political trip to Texas. He was shot twice in the neck and head, and was pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested at a movie theater at about 1:50 p.m. He denied shooting anyone, claiming he was a patsy, and was killed by Jack Ruby on November 24, before he could be indicted or tried.

This picture was taken minutes before he was assasinated

On March 14, 1967, Kennedy's body was moved to a permanent burial place and memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a right he earned by serving as an officer in the United States Navy. The funeral was said by John J Cavanaugh. Kennedy is buried with his wife and their deceased minor children, and his brother, the late Senator Robert Kennedy is also buried nearby. His grave is lit with an "Eternal Flame," a last minute request of Jackie Kennedy that was powered by propane during the funeral service but has since been attached by several hundred feet of underground pipe to a natural gas main. In the film The Fog of War, then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara claims that he picked the location in the cemetery — a location which Jackie agreed was suitable. Kennedy and William Howard Taft are the only two U.S. Presidents buried at Arlington.

Kennedy came in third (behind Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa) in a Gallup list of the most admired people of the twentieth century.

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country"
– John F Kennedy

Bibliography:-

http://www.jfklibrary.org/

http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/33jfk/33jfk.htm

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jk35.html

Pictures Courtesy Of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy

We've Got The 17th....And We're Not Far Off!

2008-05-12T20:55:00.006+08:00

What a cruncher it was @ the JJB! I was watching the game @ Bulldogs with my mates - to see how the Devils persevered and stuck by their game plan in such a crucial match of the season was awesome. The squad of Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Park JS (substituted with Giggs), Carrick, Scholes (later substituted with Hargreaves), Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney showed what differentiates the MEN from the boys.

Ronaldo penalty in the 33rd

A penalty scored by Ronaldo in the 33rd and a beautifully placed shot by Giggs in the 80th sealed the 17th title for the Devils. It is the 10th title under the eyes and leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson and the 17th for the Manchester United Football Club. Giggsy marked his record-equalling 758th appearance for the Devils in style by taking the throughball from Rooney on his stride before slotting it home.

It was a cruncher I say, because throughout the game, the home team controlled possession for long periods and enjoyed the majority of chances. Heskey, Koumas and M. Bent all failed to convert the half chances they had. It was huge relief when Ronaldo converted the penalty when Rooney was brought down in the box. However, it was a something else when Giggsy did it in the 80th. I was practically jumping and screaming in Bulldog. Of course, we had a legion of fans present - Kash, Surin Sir, Ross (who will be in Moscow to watch the Devils take on the Blues in the UEFA Final) and of course our dear Alison.

No one else deserves to lift it up more than the MAN himself - Superb play Giggsy

Congratulations my dear Red Devils and lets keep the flag flying high as we approach the UEFA Champions League Final match in Moscow against the Blues.

I will end this post with a few messages that were sent before and after the game. Some of which are totally original and brilliant:-

No.1

Time Received: 11th May, 9.25pm (Before The Game)

Author: Surin Murugiah

To: All Man Utd fans

Message:

To ALL Devils - for 90 minutes tonight we shall hold our breath, knowing greatness beckons. For 90 minutes, lets give Fergie's boys the support they need. may we take the first of two tonight, and put celebrations on hold till we crush the other in Moscow in ten days. Be UNITED, be REAL DEVILS tonight.

No. 2

Time Sent: 12th May, 12.23am (After The Game)

Author: Devanandan Batumalai

To: All Chelsea Fans

Message:

It was a hard fought season. The Champions won but the Pretenders drew

No.3

Time Sent: 12th May, 12.12am (After The Game)

Author: Devanandan Batumalai

To: All Liverpool Fans (Btw, Liverpool have won the league 18th times)

Message:

We've got the 17th and we're not far away

With that, ladies and gentlemen - GLORY GLORY MAN UTD!

Biographies....

2008-05-07T17:21:00.006+08:00

One of the people that I have been reading about of late is Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria - who is better known as Pablo Escobar. I do not only read about people who have contributed positively towards society, but in fact I read about almost all people. It is a unique experience to understand and see things from another person's point of view. This week, the article is about the 'World's Most Famous Drug Dealer'. Enjoy the read:-

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, a.k.a. El Patrón or El Doctor

Born: December 1, 1949, Rionegro, Antioquia
Died: December 2, 1993 (aged 44), Medellín
Alias(es): El Patrón, El Doctor
Charge(s): Drug trafficking and smuggling, racketeering, money laundering, murder
Status: Deceased
Occupation: Head of the Medellín Cartel
Spouse: Maria Victoria Henao de Escobar
Children: Juan Pablo and Manuela Escobar

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, a.k.a. El Patrón or El Doctor (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. Escobar became so wealthy from the drug trade that in 1989 Forbes magazine listed him as the seventh richest man in the world. He was widely considered to be one of the most ambitious and powerful drug dealers in history. His brutal ruthlessness was also legendary: he would kill anyone who stood in his way and was responsible for the killing of 30 judges, 457 policemen, and other deaths at a rate of 20 each day for two months.

Pablo Escobar began his criminal life while he was still in school by stealing tombstones and selling them to smugglers from Panama. When he was a teenager he began to steal cars from the streets of Medellín. He became involved in other rackets which led him to become a powerful figure in his area. He also allegedly stole headstones from graveyards and sold them in other villages of the department of Antioquia (this allegation has never been proven). He eventually moved into the cocaine business and began building an enormous drug empire during the 1970s, which eventually became known as the Medellín Cartel.

His reputation grew after a well known Medellín drug dealer named Fabio Restrepo was murdered in 1975, reportedly by Escobar, from whom he had purchased 14 kilograms of cocaine, after which all of Restrepo's men were informed that they were to work for Escobar. In May 1976, Escobar and several of his men were arrested after returning from a drug run to Ecuador. As the case against Escobar was being made, he tried to bribe the judge but was unsuccessful. After many months of legal wrangling, Escobar had the two arresting officers killed and the case was dropped. Here began his pattern of dealing with the authorities by either bribing them or killing them.

In 1989, at the height of his empire's power, Forbes magazine estimated Escobar to be the seventh-richest man in the world; the Medellín cartel was taking in up to $30 billion annually and controlled 80 percent of the global cocaine market.

While seen as an enemy of the United States and Colombian governments, Escobar was a hero to many in Medellín (especially people from the slums); he was a natural at public relations and he worked to create goodwill among Colombia's poor. A lifelong sports fan, he was credited with building football fields and multi-sports courts, sponsoring also little league football (soccer) teams as well as Atletico Nacional. Pablo Escobar was also responsible for the construction of many churches in Medellín, which gained him popularity inside the local Roman Catholic Church. He worked hard to cultivate his Robin Hood image and frequently distributed money to the poor. He would also build houses for the poor, gaining followers on his way. The population of Medellín often helped Escobar by serving as lookouts, hiding information from the authorities, or doing whatever else they could do to protect him.

In March 1976 at the age of 27, Escobar married Maria Victoria when she was 15 years old. Together they had two children: Juan Pablo and Manuela. Escobar was known to have affairs, and as time went on he increasingly preferred teen and underage girls. Pablo Escobar created and lived in a luxurious estate called Hacienda Napoles (Spanish for Naples Ranch) and had planned to construct a Greek-style citadel near it. Construction of the citadel was started but was never finished. The ranch, the zoo and the citadel were expropriated by the government and given to low-income families in the 1990s under a law called extinción de dominio (domain extinction).

One of Escobar's surviving relatives is his cousin José Obdulio Gaviria. Former member of the political movement Firmes, which supported the 1982 presidential aspiration of leftwing politician Gerardo Molina, José Obdulio Gaviria became politically close to Álvaro Uribe, within the Colombian Liberal Party in Antioquia. Two of Gaviria's brothers were detained in the U.S. during 1983 on drug-related charges. After Uribe's election in 2002, Gaviria became one of his presidential advisors and has been said to be his "ideologue", often defending Uribe's government before the media. According to La Otra Verdad journalist Julio César García Vásquez, Escobar's and Uribe's families are genealogically related, sharing a distant ancestor.

The war against Escobar ended on December 2, 1993, as he tried to elude the Search Bloc one more time. Using radio triangulation technology provided as part of the United States efforts, a Colombian electronic surveillance team found him hiding in a middle-class barrio in Medellín.

The shootout between Escobar and the Search Bloc personnel ensued after the house was located. How Escobar was killed during the confrontation has been debated but it is known that he was cornered on the rooftops of Medellín and after a prolonged gunfight, suffered gunshots to the leg, torso, and the fatal one in his ear. It has never been proven who actually fired the final shot into Escobar's head, whether this shot was made during the gunfight or as part of possible execution, and there is wide speculation about the subject.

Columbian policemen posing by Pablo's dead body

After Escobar's death, the Medellín Cartel fragmented and the cocaine market soon became dominated by the rival Cali Cartel, until the mid-1990s when its leaders, too, were either killed or captured by the government.

The Robin Hood image that he had cultivated continued to have lasting influence in Medellín, as many there, especially many of the city's poor that had been aided by him while he was alive, lamented his death.

On October 28, 2006, Escobar's body was exhumed by request of his nephew Nicolás Escobar, two days after the death of mother Hermilda Gaviria (who opposed exhumation) to verify that the body in the tomb was in fact that of Escobar and also to collect DNA for a paternity test claim. According to the report by the El Tiempo newspaper, Escobar's ex-wife Maria Victoria was present recording the exhumation with a video camera. Some of the family members believe that Escobar could have committed suicide.

This article is courtesy of research from the sites below:-

www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542497

www.cocaine.org/colombia/pablo-escobar.html

www.britannica.com/eb/topic-192377/Pablo-Escobar

www.imdb.com/character/ch0046708/

New Housemate....

2008-05-06T21:49:00.003+08:00

The tenants of house No.36 have a new housemate. Yup, Mr. Vikhram Krishnan (hereafter referred to as 'd'playa, oops, sorry machi, I think I'll call him VK), has joined us. He was staying around here, but his tenancy agreement has expired and he did not wish to extend his stay in the old place he was staying in, so he moved in with us.

It was one of the happiest moments for Tasha and myself (not forgetting Jam), because all this while it was just the 3 of us. Now, with VK around, we have almost a nice cute family. We have the missing link already. In Jam's words, we have now, the Musician (me'self), the Snoozer (Jam), the Chef (Tasha) and thankfully now, the Bar Tender (who else but VK). He is the best person one should have in organising a party. He gets the booze and the women organised. So for all those who want to have your stags, call me, I'll sort you'll out. Of course there will be a introduction fee from me, LOL.

It was also very nice to have met VK's parents at home in Kepong. They are a very nice couple. Hope to have them over for our house warming barbeque party soon. I will keep the other informed of the date once it is confirmed. Tentatively, it should be on the last week of May, but once we confirm it, I'll keep all of you informed.

To our new family member - Welcome To Our Home VK!

Golden Retrievers....Caesar Boy

2008-05-02T21:59:00.006+08:00

Having had Caesar for more than 3 years (Damn! I can't believe Caesar will be turning 4 this 31st August. Yup, as most of you know Caesar is a Merdeka Baby) I have never written about the breed he hails from. I have always loved dogs (in fact all animals), but the Golden Retrievers (GRs hereafter) have always had a special place in my heart. So, Caesar Boy, this is for you! "Caesar, bark?" "Woof woof!"

Here are some of the attributes of a GR:

Life Span: 10-13 years.
Litter Size:8
Group: Sporting
Recognized By: CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, ANKC

Color:
The coat color of a GR can range from a light cream color, into the yellows, or even into darker golden or copper shades.

Hair Length: Long
Size: Large
Shedding: Moderate Shed
Male Height:23-24 inches
Male Weight:65-75 pounds
Female Height:21.5-22.5 inches
Female Weight:55-65 pounds

Living Area:
The GR does well in different living situations as long as their family takes the time to make sure they are well exercised. While a large fenced yard or a secure area that provides room to run and play is ideal, a GR can also thrive in an apartment environment. In this situation, it is important to check with local parks and public areas to determine what their rules are in regards to dogs and other pets, and see what would be most suitable for taking your dog to for play and exercise time.

Before I go into the description of GRs, let me give you a slight history about them. This highly intelligent and social dog has a history that traces back to the late 1800's, where written records indicate that Lord Tweedmouth of developed them. His desire was to produce a dog that was skillful in hunting and tracking, as well as retrieving waterfowl. In addition, he wanted a hunting partner that was beautiful to watch work. It is believed that the breed began by crossing a yellow dog with the now-extinct water spaniel, and through the years, the breed has evolved into a dog with popularity that has stood the test of time. GRs are not believed to have been brought to until the 1890's, and they were not presented in dog shows until the 1920's.

Are There Only One Type Of GRs?

Well, the GR is divided into two groups, primarily based on their appearance. The first group is the English, and they are shorter, bigger-boned, and tend to have longer coats that are lighter in color. The American group tends to be lanky with longer limbs, and have characteristics that are more similar to the origins of their breed.Their broad heads are connected to wide muzzles. They have brown expressive eyes and a black nose, and as they mature, their chests become broad and their bodies become muscular, and their tails are always wagging. Generally, a GR is filled with confidence and that comes through by the way they carry themselves. They appear strong and athletic, and their body is symmetrical. Their peaceful attitude and affectionate personalities are apparent in their posture and in the way they interact with their humans.

I have always wondered if Caesar only has one layer of fur coat. But I am come to realise that all GRs have double coats. The outer coat is soft, feathery, and can be straight or wavy. The undercoat allows the Golden to repel water and stay warm in extreme cold, and then will shed throughout the year, but more in the spring. This gives the GRs coat a versatile quality, since the coat allows for the Golden to be comfortable in virtually any season of the year. Shedding can be managed by putting some time aside throughout the week to keep up on grooming, and if your dog is likely to spend the majority of it's time indoors, it may be a good idea to invest in a good vacuum cleaner to clean up any hair missed in your grooming routine.

Looking at how huge Caesar is, everyone has asked me if he bites. Caesar, bites? No way! We wrestle all the time and most often, I win. LOL! Well, I presume it is just because he gets fed-up and just moves away.

What Is The Temperament Of GRs?

Outgoing and social, the Golden Retriever makes a loyal family pet. Their sweet dispositions make them patient and gentle with children and they are generally tolerant of other pets. It is important to remember that they are excitable as pups, and can accidentally knock children over while playing. Aggressiveness in well-bred GRs is not common, but improper breeding can raise the chances of aggression issues. Instead, these dogs are people lovers who prefer to have as much human contact as possible, and can tend to get themselves into trouble if they are frequently left alone. Being forced from their family members for long periods can result in a very unhappy GRs that could suffer from separation anxiety. GRs do not make the best of guard dogs. They will bark at strangers, but seem to be more interested in meeting and making friends with them than they are defending their family against them. They are affectionate, loving and loyal, and try hard to please their people.

GRs have a high energy level. These fun loving dogs enjoy nothing more than to play fetch or retrieve a stick during play, and their love for water makes for not only interesting play, but also plays a part in their strong hunting skills.Their high level of intelligence enables them to excel in obedience training. They are often trained and used as service dogs to the blind and disabled. Their friendly and affectionate personalities also make them ideal visitors for retirement homes and allow them to be effective therapy dogs. GRs are also very good with children. I remember, when I used to stay in Sec.14, PJ, there used to be this young mum who used to take her baby girl on walks around the housing area. They would always stop by at our house and the cute lil' girl will just put her hand through the gate. Caesar, will sit at the gate and continuously lick the girl's fingers. But if any other adults come by the house, he will bark initially. But of course, if he gets used to you, then he is your best friend.

Was Caesar Easy To Train?

Of course he was. GRs are known for being an easy breed to train. They are excited to learn, eager to please, and their high intelligence allows them to learn behaviors and tricks quickly. Most dogs from this size benefit from obedience training, and a good program that allows them to socialize with other dogs is an added bonus. GRs are easy to train to do jobs. GRs have been trained to work with Police to locate drugs, excel in agility training and enjoy learning how to perform tricks. GRs are popular candidates for training to become aid dogs. Their quick minds make them ideal for guiding the blind, and the training for this job begins when they are puppies. They are also trained to do other wonderful things for people such as uplifting the sick, and entertaining the aging. It is important to begin teaching basic commands such as sit, come, stay and heel. The sooner these basic commands are mastered, the easier it will be to manage your dog as it grows and as you are training progresses.

Is It Easy To Maintain A GR?

Caesar loves to bathe - in fact most GRs love the water. Whenever, I take him to the back tap of the house, he knows he going to have his bath. He will be jumping and spinning round and round.

The GR's double coat is important to brush on a daily basis. Many GR owners complain about how much their dogs shed, particularly in the spring months. A strong brush will be your most prized tool when combating dog hair on your furniture, clothes and carpeting. Trimming can be done on occasion.

Their nails should be trimmed on a regular basis. Long nails can be very uncomfortable for the dog, and painful if your dog happens to jump on someone. In addition, regular nail care can prevent uncomfortable issues with the shape of their feet. Sometimes a dog owner is lucky and has a dog with clear nails, making it easy to determine where the quick is. The quick helps you know how short the nail should be cut. If you are one of the many pet owners that have dogs with dark nails, the rule of thumb is to cut the nail even with the pad of the foot, and it is never a bad idea to make sure you have styptic in your first aid kit, just in case there is bleeding. If you are intimidated by nail trimming, make sure you ask your vet to do it for you.

GRs have floppy ears that fold over. This as well as the activity level of the dog can allow it to be susceptible to yeast and bacterial ear infections. Because of this, it is important to be on the watch for any signs indicating an infection, such as head shaking or scratching, and know how to clean their ears carefully. Be prepared to visit your vet for a diagnosis when an infection is suspected as this can be an uncomfortable condition that, if untreated, could cause long term issues with the ears or the hearing.

Shampooing with a mild shampoo is a great way to combat "doggy" odor. If you have a GR with sensitive skin or allergies, chances are, your vet can recommend a shampoo that can clean effectively yet prevent your dog's skin from being irritated. In fact, it is possible that there are shampoos available that can improve allergy discomfort!

What Are The Common Health Problems Found In GRs?

1. Hip Dysplasia

2. Cataracts

3. Elbow Dysplasia

Hip Dysplasia is a skeletal issue that leads to extreme discomfort, swelling, arthritis and even lameness. The high demand for this breed has often led to poor and unhealthy

Recent studies and surveys have indicated that cancer is rapidly becoming the most common cause of death for GRs, the most common types being hemangiosarcoma and Lymphosarcoma. While genetic factors also play a role in cancer illnesses in GRs, environmental causes are also a big cause of different cancers.It is imperative that you find a trustworthy vet in your area and be active in the health care of your dog. Keep up on the immunizations that are recommended, as well as any shots that are required by your community. Establish a strong relationship with your vet and good communication skills, and talk about changes that you can make in regards to care, lifestyle and diet that can help your dog live a long and happy life. Be informed as to warning signs of illness, as well as what steps you should take in case of an emergency with your GR.

Ratings Of A GR:

Energy Level: * * *
Exercise Needs: * * *
Playfulness: * * * * *
Affection: * * * * *
Training: * * * * *
Watchdog: * * *
Protection: * *
Grooming: * * *
Other Dogs: * * * * *
Cold Weather: * * *
Hot Weather: * * *

I have described in detail all that one needs to know if he/she plans to have a GR. Take it from me, you need a lot of time in your hands to be a 'parent'. During the early years, I did not realise it, but as Caesar grew older, I realised that he needs more love, more attention and more play. So, please think carefully before you even think of having a GR, in fact a pet for that matter. I'd rather have the pet go to a nice and loving home instead of going to a home where people merely buy pets for the sake of buying them - for showing off. When they grow older, they realise that they can't handle them anymore and then give them poor dogs up for adoption or worst send them to the pounds. In my eyes, these people should be stoned. The poor dogs get so attached to the family and then you just get rid of them. Remember, they are lives as well.

God bless you both Caesar and Vasco!

Talent @ The Attic....

2008-05-01T15:45:00.012+08:00

We (Vessel of Worship) were invited by Llew Marsh the owner of the Attic to participate in the Talent competition. This is a competition which is held every 2 weeks over a period of 6 months. This competition attracts all musicians - soloist, duo, group or even a band. So, Vessel of Worship (VW hereafter) took upon itself the challenge of doing this. Let me briefly tell you the composition of our band:-

Devan (me'self) - Lead Vocals & Piano

Rufus - Lead Guitar & Back-up Vocals

Risberg - Drums

Vincent - Percussions

Mark - Bass

As - Rhythm

Hari - D'Walkman (Beatbox)

We have never took part in a competition before. It has always been one gig after the other, impromptu performances and playing in the Church most of the time, for we are a Christian pop rock & funk outfit.

Anyway, we were very focused in getting through the heats (Heat #3) which was held on Tuesday, 29th of April 2008. There were 6 acts who took part in the heat. There were 3 soloists and 3 bands. The competition was divided into 2 sets. For each set a group is to sing one song. VW did Psalm 23 (our own song) and for the second set we did Long Train Running by the Doobie Brothers - this was a killer. In fact, even the boys had a blast performing it.

We were very happy when we were declared winners of the heat. In fact, this was the first time in the history of the competition the winners were tied. We were tied with Suzie (the soloist who plays the piano and sings - very good I must say). We have qualified for the semi finals which will be on the 17th of June 2008 (Tuesday). Please come and watch us for we have a nice line up for the night.

For all those who would like to sing and be heard, check out Attic's Got Talent. We would love to have you join us as we make sweet sweet music.

Here are some of the pictures taken that night:-

Me, chillin' as the band sets up and tunes up

I started off the 1st set with a piano solo

Rufus, interacting with the crowd

Psalm 23, ya'll

Hari & Rufus doing their thing

Vincent Palmer (another Palmer from the family) on percussions and Risberg on drums

As and me'self getting ready before our 2nd set

Vessel of Worship jamming away

More action from VW

Introducing the band

All the contestants (only 5 were there, the other outfit left the scene)

The WINNERS of Heat #3, Suzie & Vessel of Worship

Moscow Here We Come....

2008-04-30T23:51:00.003+08:00

The headlines of the top article in TEAMtalk.com tells a story - Ferguson: Tactics Were Spot On.

Sir Alex Ferguson: Tactics justified

It was a cruncher, damn it! Damn, it was a cruncher! The victory over the Catalans was purely from the counter-attacking tactics that Man Utd deployed in kicking the 2006 Champions out of the competition all together.

Yeah baby: MANCHESTER UNITED 1 - BARCELONA 0

It was an awesome game. I somehow missed almost the entire game as I was really tired. The night before was a big night for me too. Vessel of Worship (VW hereafter) took part in the Talent @ The Attic competition. We were victorious as well. We were the winners of the heat and we've qualified for the semi-finals on the 17th of June 2008 (Tue).

Going back to the game, Man Utd were always criticised for playing defensive football. This was a clear showing especially at the Nou Camp when we played away against the Catalans. But in Old Trafford it was different. Although we played some what defensively, the counter attacking tactics were priceless. We have a complete squad right now. With the valuable experience of the old timers and of course the speed and agility of the young guns. We have proven to the entire football world that we are a force to be reckoned with. People should not take us lightly. We are the finalist of the UEFA Champions League. We are also on course to be the Premiership champions for th 12th freakin' time. So people....REALISE!

Glory Glory Man Utd!