love transcends all

now that the dreaded ghost month is over, expect a lot of happy occasions, like marriages, house-warming, etc to take place.

2 nurses are tying the knot soon. theirs & the grooms' families seemed happy.

a friend's daughter will also be getting hitched but the parents aren't too pleased because this one needs to transcend racial & religious boundaries. it's never happened in the family before so it came as a shock when we found out about it.

but the girl is a matured adult, trained in a top UK university & holding a decent corporate job, so presumably she's well aware of the implications of her decision.

circumstances like this often remind me of Samson who chose to marry a Philistine girl, even after his parents questioned his choice.

sometimes life just don't turn out the way we envisioned but that doesn't mean it's all bad. make lemonade, we're urged. make do with what we already have & build on that.

after all, we're also told, of faith, hope & love - the greatest is still love.

happy wedded bliss, everyone!

playing for God

being able to play music is a gift.

from God, no less.

if kids can be encouraged to play for God, then i think they may just appreciate this gift. so everytime care group is held at my place, we get the kids to play when we worship.

we look forward to their playing for the church when they are older.

holding hands

kids hold each other's hands in friendship。

kids hold their parents' hands for guidance。

couples hold each other's hands in love。

protesters hold each other's hands for solidarity.

so, can i say a patient would hold the doctor's hand for comfort?

bali

t hat's where we'll be spending our annual family vacation this year end.

but we have absolutely no idea where to stay & what to visit, so any tips/pointers would be very much appreciated.

TQ.

safety on the highway

Q: what do you do when you are involved in a minor accident on the highway?

A : once the car is "safely" parked on the hard shoulder, get everyone out & stay clear of the car!!

this guy had a minor accident on the NSE, & as he was trying to retrieve something from the boot of the car, a van hit him.

he's very fortunate to be still alive, except for a disfigured face & badly broken leg.

total duration of surgery =  5 hours

future procedure = at least one more surgery, on the foot

time before he can walk unaided =  3 months +

estimated hospital bill = currently RM20K+

good thing he has insurance cover!

PS. i personally don't think the hard shoulder is a safe place to park. if i had a puncture on the highway, my safest option is to get the PLUS guys to change tyres for me.

slip-shod puncture repair?

it was a nail with a large flat head embedded in the tyre. what's odd was that the tyre wasn't flat even though i hadn't driven the car for almost 24 hours & it was by chance that i noticed it, because of the large prominent head.

the neighbourhood tyre shop was closed today, so i drove to the next one that was open. i was rather surprised that the guy didn't even removed the tyre from the rim. he just pulled out the nail, pushed in a black tarry plug & inflated the tyre to check for leaks.

this is the 1st time i've seen it done this way. previously, at the other shops, the guy would remove the tyre from the rim, pull the nail out, insert the tarry plug thru the puncture, then paint the inner surface of the tyre with some glue. even at the last puncture, the guy offered me either the "standard" repair like what i just described, or a "superior" repair. in the superior repair, the repair plug is shaped like an umbrella, in contrast to being just tubular...

the flat part being positioned flush against the inner tyre wall, thereby improving the seal. this costs RM12, in contrast to the RM5 standard repair. i read somewhere that if the guy doesn't inspect the inner wall of the tyre, he has not ascertain the true extent of damage to the tyre. in a way like a doctor who prescribes cough medicine without at least listening to the chest with a stethoscope.

based on what i saw today, like an unsatisfied patient, i'll be going back to my regular tyre shop for a 2nd opinion.

a new world order

the miss universe pageants are more often than not won by fair maidens from the americas or europe. this year, miss angola (where?) won it.

the world no.1 in men's tennis has been traditionally an american, swede, german, spaniard or swiss. this year, it's a serbian. (where?)

the men's sprint king(s) are usually americans. this year, the jamaicans are the stars.

the F1 has been dominated previously by ferrari, mclaren or mercedes but not anymore. red bull is actually a drink.

the world, encompassing sports & politics, is evolving. people from lesser known countries are gaining prominence. is it in the genes, diet, upbringing, training methods, political systems or climate that determines winners?

the only malaysian sports personality that has consistently gain international attention (for the right reasons, mind you!) is nicole david, & to a certain extent, lee chong wei. after millions poured into sports by the govt plus mega-bucks private sponsors, what has our sportsmen/women achieved on the global arena?

doubles pair koo kien keat-tan boon heong says it all. after 5 years, they have chosen to part company with coach rexy manaiky. when you have an illustrious ex-world champion as coach, & you chose to train under an unknown to revive your flagging careers, you know you're done & toasted. (read here) better hang up your rackets and/or have your heads examined than embarass the country.

perhaps i wrote in haste. after all, who would have thought miss angola could be miss universe & a serb could be triple grand slam winner?

and, america never had a afro-american as president until recently. in the same vein, is it possible USA can win the rugby world cup currently playing in auckland? after all, how much different is american football?

well, let's see if koo-tan could be part of a new world order.

Awesome

that seems to be the buzz word amongst teens these days. don't know how it came about but it's definitely here to stay. it's suppose to imply something commendable, like clever, helpful, hardworking, witty, resolute or even compassionate. so, perhaps instead of conveying the actual virtue, youths just use "awesome" to cover all bases.

my daughter's class is no different. when they had to design their class t-shirt this year, they came up with this....

i just rolled up my eyes & shook my head.

she is in Sec 4I, hence the play on "Four I." her schoolmates in Sec 4S, though also lacking in originality, at least are slightly more creative. their T-shirt reads: " May the Four(S) be with you." force, get it?

anyway, she's just gone back to school after a week's break. she has expressed some regret leaving home to study in s'pore, when her ex-classmates back here are having a relatively easier time. i guess she missed the camaraderie of old.

occasionally, i do emphatise with her - living with room-mates, each with their whims & fancies, taking bus to school, eating boarding school food & restricted by hostel rules & regulations, for someone who has, before this, only known the comfort of home. 

but then, how else do we test our resolve & determination in facing life ahead?

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Pet 1:7

& how else shall i describe her, having to go thru the trials & bearing up with them?

perhaps this is why the word "awesome" exists.

universal studios - how to cut costs

we are malaysians. when we travel to a country like s'pore, we behave like cheapskates become cost-conscious & try to reduce expenditure because of the unfavourable exchange rate. this was what we did when we visited universal studios during the raya break：

1) save on accomodation : be thick-skinned & stay with a friend/relative. no point having friends & relatives if you can't impose! however, soften the burden for them by buying them at least a meal during the stay.

2) save on tickets : go on non-peak days where each ticket is SGD4 cheaper for both adults & children. better still book online, so you don't need to queue to buy tickets. these tickets are valid for 180 days from the date of intended visit. get 20% off if you use your mastercard to purchase.

3) save on food/drinks : although you are allowed to bring in only drinking water, don't fret. there are plenty of drinking fountains within the park where you can replenish. since the ticket allows you multiple entry on the same day, check out the two 7-11 stores just outside the entry/exit gates. you can get a good variety of sandwiches/ puffs & drinks. really, you're not thinking of having a full meal, right? unless you want to throw up during one of those rollercoaster rides.

4) save on souvenirs : they're all the same wherever you go, right? made in china but you pay for the franchise name. choose well, because they're most likely to be chucked one side when you get home.

5) there's a VIP express ticket you can buy for an additional SGD30 (on top of your regular ticket price). this allows you to go to the front of the queue for any ride. so, if you're planning to buy a 2-day ticket on account of the long queues, this is a cheaper option if you can only spend one day at the park.

so, despite the crowd, despite having to queue for up to an hour for certain rides....

the boy thoroughly enjoyed himself. me? i'm just glad to give him this opportunity to relate to his friends who have been here before.

he even had the chance to participate in the intro of the waterworld show...

these people who helmed the show are obviously pros & the dangerous stunts were well-choreographed.....

finally, one last stand before departure - holding up his sole souvenir, a unique drinking bottle shaped like an elongated hour-glass..

PS. we went on a s'pore school day, the tickets were purchased with mastercard, we had a light lunch at 7-11 & we stayed at my brother's in yishun. check out their website when planning your trip.