Icebox-ed...

One day I borrowed an icebox from someone for my boy. After that, I returned it but she didn't want it back. Apparently she has no place to store in her big house. I too didn't want it but being lazy to argue with this really insistent fler, I relented and let it sit in my hall. She said she was giving it to me as she didn't want to clutter up her house. Later, she said to let my girl have it since she was using it as her play table. But I finally turned it into my 'shoe rack'. I wanted to give it away to the church, but she deemed it too new and too nice to donate it. Guess it's always hard to give the best fruits to God....

So I let it sit there, waiting for another opportune moment to convince this fler to donate her unwanted but 'new' Icebox, since she has always said how good people at the church had been to her and all that. Maybe that's a little hogwash too? At the back of my mind, I guess I knew she wanted a place to store her Icebox so that she can have it back when she needed it. But I allowed myself to be manipulated to keep that silly Icebox. Silly me! Well, she finally asked it back.... LOL! And at the end of it, I was made to feel as though I had been done a great favour by being allowed to 'keep' it. Anyway, of course she can have her unwanted Icebox back! So much for sincerity. And if I go cakap some more, denials will come like crazy... good thing Other Half heard all those "I don't want it, I give you".... siao. But I guess the fault is not hers cos I've always known that she's manipulative and I allowed it cos it was too much of a hassle to pick up an argument over such trivial issues...

Anyway, maybe the threshold level has gone down somewhat, I have to remind myself to let my yes be yes and no be no in future.... lebih senang my own hidup and also to steer clear of such characters.....

I think all of us come across our share of such characters or we are also such characters at one point or the other. I hope that is one beast I will not unleash.... cos the feeling of being manipulated sucks!

There's another story of cans of paint which I didn't want but ended up in my house cos it was forcibly thrusted into my car...... but that rambling I'll leave for another day. LOL!

Duh... icebox gone cold......... beep-beep, beep-beep, beep......, beep............______*getting fainter*

Tuition

Was driving home at around 10.00 p.m. one night and noticed that many cars had school-going kids inside. And one word came to mind... I made a passing remark to Other Half about how much petrol can be saved if kids don't go for tuitions. There will be a significant amount of reduction in the emission of gasses in Malaysia at least. It's end of the year, and right now even some of the post UPSR students are still attending tuition - to prepare for next year! Whatever happened to free time?

Imagine also the time available to be spent at home as a family. Right now, I think many families exist without really much time together... though these days the general consensus seems to be the emphasis on quality time. Guess quality now refers to the little time that's left. I think young people today are left to their own devices quite a lot.

Parents seem to think of tuitions as a gain. I think it's a loss. It has caused the kids to lose opportunities to dream, learn new skills, pick up games... basically pick up life's other skills and values from play. These days everything is rigidly learned. So, when you throw them into a situation, it's kinda difficult for them to cope.

And that's life for them... being ferried to school and back, then ferried out again for tuitions. Parents' lives evolve around that. Everything is rushed... and you even have meals in the car to save time. I've seen many parents doing that, these meals-on-the-go (on the wheels).

So, from the time these kids enter Std 1 (some even younger) they lose their time and begin an adult-like schedule. School followed by tuition and more tuitions sometimes. And this goes on until the end of their schooling days... 11-13 years!

Look at the state of sports and games in most schools today. We hardly get exceptional athletes from non-sports schools. Many kids are too busy chasing time for tuitions. In the rural schools, where once teachers used to make a difference, the new breed of teachers are hardly able to mentor the students cos the teachers themselves are products of the same mill. Kids today are generally 'soft'.. for many the main game they play is computer game.

Part of the fault lies with the teachers. The general perception is teachers don't teach. I think that is only part of the problem. The other part lies with the parents. Some teachers give the excuse of not teaching in class because the students take tuition. Add that to the fact that kids who go for tuitions generally do not pay attention in class because they feel that their tuition is adequate, you have a vicious cycle in the making. Parents send their kids for tuitions because they want their kids to have an extra edge. In the end the parents and their kids lose out as they have to fork out more resources for the tuition thingy. And their quality of life also takes a beating.

Another problem is the quality of teachers that we churn out these days. I see many half baked teachers these days. Half baked teachers are teachers who don't seem to know their subject matter very well. And many of them come 'highly-qualified'. You have teachers with a Masters but who do not teach very well... you have language teachers who ask students to copy essays because they say students can't write. You have Maths teachers who cannot seem to solve problems and Physics teachers who don't seem to have a good grasp of concepts. I have come across trainee teachers who sleep on the job... and you wonder how such people are accepted into the teaching profession. So it's back to the drawing board again - and the solution called tuition!

A Page From The Past...

The wonder called technology and good old human resourcefulness have enabled me to reconnect with friends I used to hang out with in uni. Been almost 20 years and each of us have charted our own lives. But recently after an old friend tracked me down yet once again, it started a mini avalanche of old friends entering my present. Truly a page from the past.

It's great to be in touch with this bunch of friends whom I used to hang out at the Dataran at the UM Arts Faculty, shared some crazy (and very sane) moments, ... Sharon, Tammy, Suan See, Siew Mun and Mei Chin.

20 years is a long time... I've caught a glimpse of Africa from the one with the sense of adventure. But somehow am not surprised by the work that she's doing now, helping to feed the poor. My good old roommate is where I'd expect her to be also, looking good and successful. Another one who has always been a staunch supporter of women's issues - and she is right in that too. Have always appreciated and enjoyed her sensibility. One more is in the MOE, doing what she does best. Another one, lecturing also...

Funny how friends are our mirrors to a certain extent... they provided a glimpse into the possibilities in our future. As I looked at these friends I hung out with during my young adulthood, I see a pattern of similarity too... birds of the same feather do flock together. And even though the colour of the feather may not be the same, they are still the same type of birds. LOL!

Say what you mean...

.... mean what you say. They may sound almost the same but hold different meanings. Cos the former says what is in the heart. The latter may just be words you say for reasons known to you but still after they have been uttered, you have to try to honour them.

Saying what you mean is probably easier on the conscience cos it doesn't create conflict for yourself per se. Meaning what you say is more complicated as what you say is not actually what you believe in but you say it for various reasons. It's not actually what you hold on to.

That's probably one thing that all of us come face to face everyday with people around us. And I am reminded by this verse from Matthew 5:27; Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

The first and second parts are easy to understand... it's the third part (anything beyond this comes from the evil one) that has finally sunken into my head. Saying what you mean, on many issues might land you into squirmy situations; so we dwell on the vague but that also land us into squirmy situations, albeit the ones on the opposite end.

'Yes' and 'No' are simple words. But the execution of them is sometimes very difficult because we inherently want to please people and ourselves. So, sometimes we mouths lots of untruths to cover one half-truth for another. The cycle repeats itself until lo and behold, suddenly you have a hill of half-lies, full-lies (a lie is a lie actually). It becomes its own vicious cycle. Some people call it compromise.

The battles take place in your mind; each time we don't say what we mean or mean what we say.... anything beyond the yes and no; they come from the evil one.

So, simple as this may sound, this one sentence sums up another one of life's priceless lessons for me, of how we can avoid a lot of problems in our lives by just living up to the Yes and No. But to live up to it... it's certainly a tall order, cos we're not just up against those two 3-letter words. In them, contain all the desires and moral absolutes and each time we utter any one of these 2 words, a tug-of-war begins in our minds.

I've always more or less know this but it sort of became clearer lately. My ramblings for the day.

Restoran Berputar Menara Alor Setar

This is one of Alor Setar's famous landmarks - The Telekom Tower. We've had base jumps from this tower a couple of times. But right almost at the top is a restaurant - Restoran Seri Angkasa Menara Alor Setar.

This was last Thursday. We had our year-end annual makan and it was held here. The place is nice enough... how not to be? You get to dine with a view of the whole city! 360 degrees!

When my friend and I got there, the fountains were working. Yay! I've not been to this place for a long, long time. I pass by quite often but don't stop. It was nice to hear the sound of water. 8)

The layout of the food area looked okay from afar. But when you move nearer, the cups looked as though they've not been used for some time. There were stuff 'pasted' to the side of many cups.

Soon it was time to eat. But the taste was nothing spectacular. In fact I think the kuih from Jln Tun Razak, sold by the old pakcik beside the fire station is far better.... and probably cheaper. We had Nasi Goreng Cina which was really bland. Also there were some crab balls which were nothing to shout about, chicken which I didn't take and popiah which were rubbery. I made the mistake of taking two. I was made to understand that they charged us at RM30 per head. I think RM300 per table can get us way better food in a sit down meal. Pizza Hut would have been more satisfying or Rasa Mas for that matter.

The men beat us to the food... no chilvary here. LOL! We fight for gender equality now... so I guess there's nothing to complain. Oh yes! There was laksa but it was a little bland also. Not enough stuff inside... quite obvious. Food tastes only as good as the stuff you put in.

The restaurant was very warm. The only comfortable place was at the lift area. You actually sweat as you eat. The restaurant was supposed to revolve but it didn't... in the end someone asked whether we'd like to have it move... most said no. In the heat, I think to have it revolve probably would make many of us pusing kepala also.

This should be a very nice dining place cos of the bird's view that one gets over Alor Setar but service and food leave much to be desired. If not for being 'forced' to go there, I don't think I'd want to go back there again. I think if they want more people to go there, they'd have to improve on what is important for a restaurant - food and service! Thumbs down to this Restoran Seri Angkasa. This is the first time, I think a makan place is really a waste of money to go for a meal there!

Looking Good...

You know, almost every someone I know has a daughter or son studying medicine. Medicine seems to be the choice vocation for many now. And parents scrooge and save to send their kids for this really expensive course! And lately I am hearing of so many people going for lifts... eye, breast, nip and tuck kinda thing. The quest for eternal youth. So, if you want your kids to earn loads of $$$, tell them to take up plastic surgery.

Ever wonder why we don't see so many grandfathers and grandmothers out with their grandkids now? Most of grandparents look very young these days. They don't look like grandparents. LOL! Of course some are blessed with naturally youthful genes. But for many of us, it takes real effort.... and lately pain too, going under the knife and bearing with the discomfort and pain sometimes for days.

Nip and tuck, botox, wonder creams, tattoos, hair colouring, waxing, chemical peels, body wrap, lip plumping... I guess growing old gracefully is kinda archaic now. People will just suddenly look very old... or not at all. I guess most of us is into looking good all the way to the little casket which will be our final home for our earthly body.

So who makes all the money, and we are talking amounts running into hundreds of thousands here for some individuals? Beauticians, hair dressers and the plastic surgeons who practise lifestyle medicine and not reconstructive surgery.... so if you want your kids to earn tonnes of $$$ this is where they should head. Of course you are more likely to be sued as well but that's still quite a distant away where Malaysia is concerned. Our malpractice laws still tak berapa ada...

So, looking good... life's process has now taken an articial twist... you don't grow old (well, at least you don't look your age). You just drop dead 'looking young'. How's that for a pseudo presentation of youth, huh? Since we can't find the elixir of youth, the chemicals and 'knife' of youth also will do-lah! 8) Temporary halt! LOL!

And looking good... I've friends telling me they don't swim now cos the chlorine in the pool will wreck their hair and skin, playing games will expose their body to the harsh sun and freckles will appear. Exercise has taken a more elegant twist too... it's gone indoor for all these people. There's another lady who says she doesn't go out once the sun is high. If she needs to, big umbrellas, hats will be her companions. The quest for eternal youth... I wonder whether I'll go that path...

How's This For A Saturday?

Had a really packed Saturday.... got early in the morn and the first thing I did was to send my car to the workshop. The workshop has been one of my more frequented place the past week... both cars underwent major jobs.

Anyway, after breakfast we decided to make a quick trip to Switch in Seberang Prai to dress up Other Half's Ipod. It was the quickest shopping trip... Oh ya! And the Snow Leopard cometh to my MacBook from this trip. Gone is the old Leopard. And it is as good as the reviews. But the best part of this short excursion was a trip within the trip to get a swimsuit from Parkson. 8)

Rushed home with time for lunch to spare before heading for the Church Medical Outreach Talk. This is the 3rd edition for this year and it's on The Prevention of Osteoporosis... too lazy to write to much about that again as I've just updated my church blog on it. I got my bone scan done too... Yay! My bone density is still within normal range.

Then it was back home... and I rushed to update the church blog before our next assignment. Yesterday night was also the Chinese Service's first anniversary celebration. Other Half played for the Chinese Service and took some pics. I tagged along and kaypoh-ed as photographer - plus also to help them finish the food. Chinese Service has fellowship over food after every service! Must make it a point to drop by more often. LOL! But the sermon was good - the speaker talked about the different stages of life; the happiness that stems from them. Childhood, adulthood (married & family life), old age and eternity.

1. Happiness during childhood is almost automatic - free of cares and worries and nestled safely in our parents' loving care.
2. Adulthood - happiness from the family life, to be able to love and be loved in return
3. Old age - happiness from being loved by our children and their offsprings....
   
4. Eternity - this one that is unsurpassable. Happiness in eternity as a result of being children of God, being saved.

Sometimes we have all the first 3 but sometimes not. But the 4th is something that we should be mindful of.

It was a really packed day. In between, while I updated the blog in the evening, Other Half still managed Lil One for a swim... she came home really happy that she got her dose of water at the pool. LOL! Anyway, I'm looking forward to the week to come, away from the cares of work. For once, work is going to be fun!