Selfish Pig

Selfish pig cartoons by Andy Riley. I find it an interesting depiction of everyday human's behaviour u may come across, esp in office environment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is my favourite:

What great spurt of wisdom!!! LOL..

Encounter pigple like this before? How you deal with them? :D

Kongey-Street view+Transport+People

One thing i didnt expect in the city centre is the lack of traffic jams, surprisingly. Unlike KL we are stuck in jam even when we are already on the "highway", and still gotta pay for the toll...what nonsense!

I think it has got to do with their transportation system, which is far more convenient, than in KL. They have buses, MRTs, Tramlines, taxis plying the road and ferrying passengers at REGULAR intervals and in TIMELY fashion. The buses are slightly more advanced than KL' ones. MRTs announce the next destination in a clear tone of voice, unlike KL LRT's blurting of nonsensical English. Sometimes when ur lucky, u dont hear anything at all LOL

 

Inside a bus. Notice the clean seats with two TVs and a center LCD console showing the next destination, which changes automatically on each stop.

 

Heck even the double decker buses has a special compartment to put all your heavy luggages. How come i never see this on local buses?

Its a good idea to buy an octopus if ur using public transport in HK. Its available from the airport terminal and most MRT stations. Its really convenient cos u can just smack the octopus on the buses, MRTs, Trams for your commuting. And when u shop at malls, u can even pay your purchases with octopus too! Nifty!

 

 The Octopus Card, equivalent to Touch n Go here. Only more useful..

The streets of HK are a blend of old and new. Old monuments exist alongside super chic buildings. There are quite a few streets famous for their night market and stuff. Their shoplots are very organized in the sense that similar retails are grouped along the same street. So u can see a street with shops selling clothes on one side then the next junction u see another street full of shops selling fishes and tanks. We also went to the famous Miu Kai (Temple street) and Lady street just to have a look. My friend got the honour of kena marah by a lady peddler LOL...

He was looking at some wares at the Temple Street. As we were leaving, the lady peddler was cursing at him and the other Caucasian tourist : 你不買就某害斗搞搞震！！ (Don't touch my things if u not going to buy them!!). I think our local pasar malam peddlers are much more civilised at least....LOL. On the other hand, there are a handful of immigrants from China who work in HK with their fluent Cantonese, whom i feel are more friendlier.

I noticed that the elderly people of HK tend to be more protective of themselves, being realistic and sometimes really rude to others. No offense to anyone but this is just my observation. Perhaps years of living in this concrete jungle shaped their behaviour to be such in order to survive. HK is totally NOT a good place to retire... 

Even the younger generation also behave in a "cold" way...Not in a heartless way but just seem indifferent. Now only i know why foreigners tend to say Malaysians are warm people :D  Of course im just saying in per se.

I guess ur considered lucky if u have a high-density apartment like this to stay after ur retired in HK. The less lucky ones will have bridges covering their heads or staying in those infamous "cage lodging"

I feel that HK is a nice place to visit but not really a good place to call home. Too hectic too expensive and far too crowded to my liking :-)

Where would u like to stay after your retirement?

Kongey walk-food galore

Blow....blow....blow....before your mind drifted off somewhere, Im actually blowing away the dust collecting in this blog, its growing mold like Ant said. Last week just not in the mood to write anything. Blame it on my period if u will..LOL

Finally finished editing the HK trip photos. My first ever trip to the metropolis. Though im kinda familiar with the environment there from watching TVB shows but being there myself is another experience in itself.

Food we sampled during our short tour (click to enlarge)

We stayed in Cityview hotel in Mongkok district. Its really a convenient place cos everything is within walking distance. The food, shopping retails, MRT etc etc. But downside is we really have to walk a LOT. I think i lost my tummy while i was there LOL.

Didnt really go hunting for expensive restaurants or specific food. We just stop by where ever we were, and talk whatever we see fit. Haha..so much for spontaneity :D

From the La-Zha Meen (literally translated as Dirty Noodle) to Che-Zhai Meen (Carwheel noodle) to Dim Sum to Yau Char Koay to foodcourt meals. Somehow the dimsum places we went doesnt seem to break my expectation...in fact it pales to Ipoh dimsum.. maybe we just didnt know where to look :P

The first thing I noticed about the food here is the PRICE. Its so so much expensive!! A typical meal at the tiny little eateries will easily set u back HK20-30 which is around RM10-20. (My typical meal here only costs RM3-5). Yeah...im really really poor...can only afford cheap food LOL. In fact for soya drinks if u would like to add on the ice, u have to add HK2 for each cup!! What a rip off!! RM1 for couple of icecubes??! I had the most expensive chicken rice in Food republic, Time Square HK. Its a freaking HKD 48 meal... !

Another thing i notice is the prevalence of meal sets in eateries here. Everything comes in set. A typical set consist of the main course (rice/noodle) with a drink and a soup. Its usually fullfilling enough fortunately. Quite different from local here where u can just pick anything u want without worrying about the price :)

To be continued...

Short and simple

SELAMAT PAGI CIKGU!

Cara Malaysian berbahasa Inggeris agak terlalu mudah, pendek, tepat, tetapi efektif. Dia bandingkan dengan cara orang Briton berbahasa seperti dalam contoh-contoh yang diberi berikut:

WHEN GIVING A CUSTOMER BAD NEWS
Britons: I'm sorry, Sir, but we don't seem to have the sweater you want in your size, but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.
Malaysians: No Stock.

RETURNING A CALL
Britons: Hello, this is John Smith. Did anyone page for me a few moments ago
Malaysians: Hello, who page?

ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE WAY
Britons: Excuse me, I'd like to get by. Would you please make way?
Malaysians: S-kew me

WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO PAY
Britons: Hey, put your wallet away, this drink is on me.
Malaysians: No-need, lah.

WHEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Britons: Excuse me, but do you think it would be possible for me to enter
through this door?
Malaysians: (pointing the door) Can ah?

WHEN ENTERTAINING
Britons: Please make yourself right at home.
Malaysians: Don't be shy, lah!

WHEN DOUBTING SOMEONE
Britons: I don't recall you giving me the money.
Malaysians: Where got?

WHEN DECLINING AN OFFER
Britons: I'd prefer not to do that, if you don't mind.
Malaysians: Don't want la ...

IN DISAGREEING ON A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Britons: Err. Tom, I have to stop you there. I understand where you're coming from, but I really have to disagree with what you said about the issue.
Malaysians: You mad, ah?

WHEN ASKING SOMEONE TO LOWER THEIR VOICE.
Britons: Excuse me, but could you please ! lower your voice, I'm trying to concentrate over here.
Malaysians: Shut up lah!

WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF HE/SHE KNOWS YOU.
Britons: Excuse me, but I noticed you staring at me for some time. Do I know you?
Malaysians: See what, see what?

WHEN ASSESSING A TIGHT SITUATION.
Britons: We seem to be in a bit of a predicament at the moment.
Malaysians: Die-lah!!/ Shit-lah!!

WHEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
Britons: Will someone tell me what has just happened?
Malaysians: Wat happen Why like that ...?

WHEN SOME ONE DID SOMETHING WRONG
Britons: This isn't the way to do it here let me show you,
Malaysians: like that also don't know how to do!!!!

WHEN SOMEONE EXPRESSES DISPLEASURE
Britons: I wouldn't do that if i were you..
Malaysians: U want to die issit..?

WHEN SOMEONE LEARN SOMETHING
Britons: Oh I see...so this is the correct way of doing it. Thanks.
Malaysians: Oh like this izzit?? Cakap awal awal lah...

WHEN SOMEONE DROP A COIN/MONEY
Briton: Excuse me, sir, U just dropped some money on the road just now...
Malaysians: S-kew, I see this on the road first so this is mine, ok...?

WHEN ONE'S CAR WAS BLOCKED
Briton: Damn! Someone blocked my car!
Malaysians: Fu*ker!! (while scratching the others car with car key)

WHEN ASKING FOR DISCOUNT
Briton: Would u consider lower the price, please?
Malaysians: Give cheaper-lah!!!

WHEN ONE IS ANGRY 
Britons: Would you mind not disturbing me?
Malaysians: Celaka u

TERIMA KASIH CIKGU!

(got this from realestate malaysia forum site)(+my own)

Enjoy your coming weekend everyone! though im still working tomorrow...

The Scent of Summer

Burberry Summer 2009

 This limited edition presented in 2009 and created by Emilie Coppermann, opens with fresh and pleasant aromas of green apple, mint, lime and yuzu. A heart incorporates cumin and driftwood, while a base hides cedar, amber and white musk. The nose behind this fragrance is Emilie (Bevierre) Coppermann. 

In the car, he slipped his hand to the passenger seat and handed over a white-blue rectangular package to his beau. "Happy Birthday". The beau seem unfazed by what was presented to him, just scanning the package with much detail, didn't say a thing. He felt slightly disappointed. Not that he was expecting a thankyou, but a warm smile in return wouldn't have hurt. He drove his beau back home nevertheless, keeping mum about his unsettling feeling. "Bye.."

On the way back, a thousand thoughts were running through his mind. What could this mean? Too excited until speechless? Not interested at all? The gift was not good enough? Suddenly a familiar tune was playing. A SMS came in.

"I never expected you will give me that as a present. I thought you would have treated me to a dinner...Don't splurge on these in the future... Not your style, you have always been a thrifty person....... I love the fragrance"

"It's not so much about the price of the item but the idea that i remember what you told me. You said you would very much like to have one for yourself, right? Now THAT is really PRICELESS :)  I thought you didnt like it..." He replied his beau.

"I LOVE IT. Bring you to a nice dinner place tomorrow..."

He shakes off his negative thoughts earlier on and lie sprawling on the bed. Knowing that he would probably get a sweet dream tonight...

Facebook 面書

So many of my friends are using facebook day in and day out.

But facebook actually can give you hell of a problem :)

Take a case of someone I know. Lets call her M. M is in the process of changing job, to another company because she is very fed up with her superior. One day, she wrote something on her facebook wall. Its says :"I cant take it anymore! Enough..u big bully!!" Then subsequently she got a reply :" 飲水要思源“ The chinese proverb means one should be grateful for whoever has helped them along the path. Guess who wrote the message? Yup, her superior.

Lesson of the day. Never, ever, ever ever ever ever add your colleague or boss in your facebook profile. Never, ever, ever ever ever blast them in your facebook wall. Its as good as farting right in front of them. Unless of cos, thats your intention and ready to bear the consequences.

I know of so many people indulging in Facebook games at work and after work. Its addictive i guess (i never played). But think about how unproductive this is. Instead, do something productive. Read a good book, watch a nice movie, go makan, rob a bank, have sex. Whatever...

Facebook is a wealth of personal information. Or should i say the net is. Just give me your username, or email etc and I can probably find 10 things about you within a matter of minutes. Your fullname, address, your friends, your favourites, your hobby, your likings, your last sexpedition....

Mother: Have you been reading lately, son?
Son: Yes, mum.
Mother: Goodboy. And what have u been reading, dear?
Son: Its a book. Face-book.
Mother: .....

OK...Time to see my friends' updates... Ciao! :P

No frills

I wonder if Airasia will degrade to this one day later?

Whats next? No-frills-condom with 1mm pores for no-frills-fun? LOL..

What I gotta do...

Used to reschedule work roster just to meet you,

Unable to shake off the feeling of uncertainty and disappointment when contents of my letters were ignored,

Afraid to tell you my inner struggle when new faces appear in your social circle, on the assumption of being friends,

Feeling incompetent when im not there beside you in your unhappy moments,

Pretending not to hear anything when you reminisce your old theme song, though it hurts, it hurts…

What I gotta do to make you love me…

What I gotta do to make you care…

What do I do when lightning strikes me…

Everywhere I find, and you’re not there…

What I gotta do to make you want me…

What I gotta do to be heard…

What do I say when its all over…

 

A short trip that flew by..

Finally reached home last night after rows of sitting in MRTs, plane, bus and car until my bum become flat already. Legs are still aching from all the non-stop walking for the last 5 days. Time to unpack and settle bills and prepare for work once more!

Visit to Orang Asli settlement (con't)

This post is continuation from here.

So after we finally break free from the muddy seashore, our boat finally able to get close to the land. There was no proper jetty or anything so we just Hop, Hop and Away! LOL.

On land 2 pajeros (or is it Landcruiser?) were waiting for us. So we after loaded up the things, we started our journey into the interior via land. The roads were really narrow and bumpy and muddy, with alot of trough (longkangs) here and there. Nothing unexpected of jungle roads. The vehicle was trudging through, our bodies were swaying left and right like coconut trees... We smelled some petrol odour at one point, and the driver gone down to inspect his goods. Apparently he put the petrol containers on the top of car and the petrol leaks out due to the heavy "swaying" just now. Gosh! Luckily the car didnt went up in flames LOL

 So after about half an hour of swaying, we finally reached our destination. There is a sign that says "Perkampungan Orang Asli RPS Kemar". These are quarters for staffs who work here, including the aborigines welfare department and us.

Granted that i didnt expect 5 star hotels here, but the quarters here are in pretty wretched. There were 2 tiny houses side-by-side. One for men, the other for ladies. Silly me went into the wrong house LOL. I think the ladies house manage to "seduce" me because it looks more livable than the men's house. Ahem...i mean the house definitely looks cleaner and more neat. Haih....no luck.

So this the how the inside looks like. Pretty bare, kind of dirty looking (yiaks!), kind of untidy with things littered around. Lucikly i didnt find any cockcroaches or other crawlies!
There were around 10 men living inside this small house so its pretty crowded. Stuffed with men's stench to the max! These are not the culture-refined metrosexual men we are talking about here, its your average middle age men clad in sarongs! OMG!!! Since I'm the only chinese around, i definitely feel like any alien there... The electricity was sourced from an indoor generator, the type u often see in pasar malam. So imagine how noisy the house is. I didn't sleep AT ALL the entire night! Poor me.... The water supply is from some nearby river i think...the water is brownish colour but no funny smell luckily. Good thing i brought my own water supply. I even have to use mineral water to brush teeth! Looking at the dirty water makes me lose my appetite LOL

This is how an average orang asli (aborigines) settlement looks like. High-stilt wooden house here and there in the middle of jungle. These are the more "advanced" orang asli i guess because they wear shirts and don't live on treetops. Though i do see some old orang asli ladies baring their chest while happily chatting away with their neighbours (but clothed when they see foreigners of course!).

The environment is very serene and peaceful. Sound of chicken mooing, dogs meowing can be heard here and there. But sometimes i smelled the odour of human excreta... most likely because they don't have Indah water there LOL. Or is it because im standing too close to their lavatory? Hmm... 
A bamboo house to the right.

The more populated villages have some simple drainage system like these small drains. Not too bad...

Notice the gas containers in this pic? Apparently not all orang asli nowadays use dry wood planks or coal to cook, they have gas stoves!

This is the actual work we did there. We loaded the trucks with whatever necessary medical equipments and go from village to village providing medical service. This journey we were more concentrating on investigating the gastroenteritis outbreak there. But it seems the situation was not too bad with none needed referral to hospital. According to the mobile team who frequently visits these villages, apparently the medicines or whatever food we were supplying sometimes does not serve its intended purpose. This is because the food does not go to the malnourished infant, it goes into the tummy of the parents instead! And the medicines? They just take it for storing in the house. For what purpose im not sure...as good luck charm? mojo? Haih... We did told them how to use the supplies and its purpose. But if they themselves do not use it wisely it serves no purpose. But then again, certain things are beyond our control... Just like when we were touring around, i saw alot of "Astro Totem poles" in front of their houses (Astro is a satellite broadcast provider). Yes! They even have Astro in their house! Even my house doesn't have it! See... im poorer than these orang asli ... sob..sob..

IMHO, it all boils down to the question of PRIORITY. They can afford satellite TV service but cannot afford to feed their malnourished babies?? Does it make sense to u?  To the city dwellers, a typical family average has 1 or 2 children only. The parents put alot of emphasis on children wellbeing and education. Where as for the orang asli, their family size is much bigger  and thus, their children might not be their foremost priority. Although it does not make their children any less precious!

A hazy early morning there...

p.s. Apparently they still havent found replacement for the office-in-charge of the mobile team, thus me and another guy have to take rotation go to this place again!! My next rotation is next month!! This time its 4 days 3 nights! OMG!OMG!OMG ! Im gonna die there :(

Looking forward to my HK vacation in two days time. Wanna enjoy it to the fullest before coming back to dreadful working life!

Are u cut?

It says after cut, u can do it faster and more syiok ....I already cut 1 year ago when the craze began. But no syiok also...still so slow and and lack fun! How come so unfair?? I cut first one de leh...should be more syiok right? First come first serve mah!

What's your cut experience? ^_^

visit to orang asli settlement

Last month I got a call from the district office asking me to follow a mobile team into the interiors of Banding Island in Perak to investigate some outbreak of acute gastroenteritis there. I was like "huh? ur kidding me?". Cos seriously i never get this kind of request before. Well, apparently the officer in-charged has been transferred elsewhere and with no replacement whatever, they simply have to find some Tai Sei Guai （替死鬼） somewhere to Sek sei mau （吃死錨） (meaning to look for replacement to do something nobody wants to do). So im their next target in the rotation until the new replacement officer comes (which could be next year or next millenium).

It was supposed to be a 3 day 2 nights stay in some orang asli (aborigines) settlement so remote that we can ony reach there via speed boat and 4WD Pajero. And stupid me I thought this kind of place only exists in Sabah or Sarawak. But luckily the trip was cut short to 2 days 1 night. Reallly lucky cos i dun think i will come out as a normal human if it was prolonged any longer. I might have mutated into a zombie for all u know. Will explain why later LOL

So we reached the Banding jetty after about an hour drive. Here:

The overhead bridge connects to the eastern part of peninsular Malaysia.

The Royal Belum Forest of Perak lies just 1 km from here. No time for sight seeing though. Hmm....i wonder if there is anything worth visiting there. Should appeal to those botanist, geologist or biologists i guess. Maybe got some unexplored old civilization or dinosaur fossils, who knows?

There is even a small little Marine post located in a cosy corner. When there is no emergency around, probably the officers will have plenty of time fishing or simply cruising on the speedboat on government enpenses. So nice eh?

The boat ride lasted a glorious 1+ hour. The strong wind makes my hair indented to one side after the boat stopped. LOL. There were some waves in the water so whenever the boat goes through the waves, the boat will literally jump up and down, together with the 10 of us on the boat. Luckily no one fell into the open sea. Some say there are crocs in the water. Gosh! How come they never tell me before i take the boat ride?? I don't have insurance, u know?

Then when we were about to reach the shore, something happen. Our boat was stuck in the muddy water! And we were still about 100m away from the shoreline.In my mind i was actually laughing cos i thought since the boat cannot dock, then the trip would be cancelled. But unfortunately, the navigator managed to get us out from the mud. He was using the oar cucuk here cucuk there in the water. God knows how many unlucky fishes died in the process. Its too late.... My dream of patah balik was dashed...completely :(

Farewell to the civilised world...There was no mobile phone coverage. TO be continued.......

Change of heart

If only change of heart or heart transplant is so simple..






Having flu today, making wanton with my nose secretions the whole morning....no mood to work :(

p.s. Anyone want some wanton?

sleep while working...work while sleeping...

This weekend finally back to hometown after 2 weeks of imprisonment in the "jungle". Just wanna slowly enjoy my hard-earned weekend off.

Lately hasn't been sleeping well, wonder why. I was dreaming. But it wasn't a pleasant dream. It wasn't a nightmare either. In the dream, i was actually sitting in my office working! It felt so surreal...its cold because of the aircon, i was scribbling something on a sheet of paper, doing my routines....Then I wake up surprised to find myself still sprawling on the bed. It was still dawn. The sky outside is still in deep blue hue. I thought i had finish my work for the day! Then lazily I have to move my ass to begin "another day" of work!! LOL... Is this not depressing or what?

Im definitely not a workaholic but why is this happening? Is it stress? Is this cue from the higher order that i should take a break from work? After all, its been more than 2 years since i really had a vacation. Last month was the first time I taken one day off for MC after working for 2 straight years... I want my break! :P

Nobody but you

I love their performance to bits! Awesome ladies! Wondergirls-all girls group from Korea.

Nobody original MV:



Live performance:



This song is so popular there are so many imitators out there.. :D







Rainy  Tuesday here... I wanna nap...LOL

40 things You May Not Know

1. Money isn't made out of paper; it's made out of cotton.

2. The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottle represents the varieties of pickle the company once had.

3. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks - otherwise it will digest itself .

4. The Declaration of Independence (United States of America) was written on hemp paper.

5. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a "tittle".

6. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

7. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

8. A duck's quack doesn't echo ... no one knows why.

9. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

10 Every person has a unique tongue print (no licking at the scene of a crime!).

11. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

12. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was albino.

13. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

14. During the chariot scene in 'Ben Hur' a small red car can be seen in the distance.

15. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.

16. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.

17. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

18. Most lipstick contains fish scales (eeww)..

19. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants!

20. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.

21. Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because at the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

22. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

23. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

24. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

25. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan, there was never a recorded Wendy before!

26. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!

27. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

28. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

29. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was a Captain Kirk mask painted white.

30. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19.. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

31. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.

32. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

33. American Airlines saved $40,000 in '87 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.

34. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

35. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!

36. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!

37. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

38. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

39. Back in the mid to late 80's, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator game. 

40. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages them!

Its Monday again...Happy working! :D 

Can u bring me home?

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia. It is NOT a part of normal aging, but a disease involving the progressive loss of brain nerve cells. Since these nerve cells are essential for normal thought, memory and other brain functions, people with Alzheimer's Disease suffer a decline of mental functions which eventually interferes with the patient's normal daily activities.

Over time, Alzheimer's Disease patients lose their ability to perform even the most basic activities of daily living like brushing one's teeth, putting on clothes, bathing, etc. In the end, the ability to walk and talk may be lost as well.

Known as the disease of "The Long Goodbye", the illness often stretches over 10 and even 20 years. Despite intensive research in recent years, the disease is still not yet fully understood, and there is still no known cure.

Those most at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease are the elderly, and the risk increases with age. According to statistics worldwide, one in 20 of those aged 65 and above have Alzheimer's Disease. However, amongst those aged 80 and above, one in five have Alzheimer's Disease. There is also a smaller group of people who may develop what is called Early Onset Alzheimer's from as young as their 40s or even late 30s.

Other major risk factors include genetic predisposition such as having certain genes or chromosomes, and a family history of Parkinson's Disease and/or Down's Syndrome. Minor risk factors include belonging to the female gender, and head injury.

At present, 18m people worldwide have the disease. By 2020, 34m. In Malaysia, it is estimated that there are currently about 50,000 people with the disease. However, most of them are not diagnosed. This is because relatives think that the symptoms displayed are a normal part of growing old and thus do not seek medical advice on it.

Alzheimer's Disease affects not only the patients themselves, but also profoundly changes the lives of family members and close friends. Someone they love and care for gradually disintegrates as a person. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease is sometimes referred to as a "36-hour-a-day" task. However, proper understanding of the disease and management of the patient can reduce the burden considerably and greatly improve the quality of life for patients, their caregivers and families.

visit Alzheimer's disease Foundation of Malaysia website for more info..

Meaning of Life

Last night i was chatting with an old friend of mine on the msn. Then suddenly he popped up the question "what do u think is the meaning of life?" He is into Buddhism teachings when we were back in uni, while im more or less an atheist. He has been wondering what is the real meaning of life for some time now. According to Buddhism, life itself is suffering. And in order to break this cycle, we should do more good and up our karma so that we achieve the state of Nirvana, in which we do not need to be reborn to undergo another life cycle of suffering. Or something like that...correct me if im wrong :P

I want to believe that life is beyond mere routines of working and sleeping. He says, we as human being has average life span of 80 to 90 years (provided ur healthy la), but our life cycle is pretty much predictable. I guess what he means is we are doing exactly what OTHERS SEEM to be doing, whether its the right thing or not is another matter. The life cycle we were talking about is "born-study/graduate-work-married-parenting-die". Well of cos there are some variations eg some of us chose to remain single all his/her life...

We all live in a capitalist and materialistic world, fortunately or unfortunately. Since we were born into this world, we are already bonded to the society norm. Society norm of "born-study/graduate-work-married-parenting-die". We want to be conforming to the norm because we actually have the tendency to be just ORDINARY. We dont want to be stigmatized to be someone abnormal...Its certainly not an easy task to overrule old thinkings or traditions, eventhough they might be wrong. But how many of us actually have the courage to be the one perceived "extraordinary/abnormal"?

He says, we should learn to free ourselves from suffering. Which basically means to have a happy life. When everyone live in this capitalism society, kindness is rare and thus less happiness. Everyone is chasing paper qualifications, higher ranks in jobs, higher status in society, higher level in condo and maybe even a grander place of burial after we die LOL. But what about higher level of happiness?

Then he urged me to "live the actual moment, dont think too much of the past nor the future"....something i have been trying to do for the past half a year actually. And its true that i really feel more liberating when i dont have these different thoughts about the past and future boggling my mind.

"Maybe the very last moment of my life, will it be hurt?" This is his deepest fear in life, the fear of death, which is why he thinks religion is important to him. I was never a philosophical kinda guy. I replied him: "I haven't give much thought about death though. I'm worry more about how i live, rather than how i die.." LOL

But seriously though, i think its true because how u live your life would definitely have some bearing on how u end up later, no?

That was pretty much our short little ranting lolz. Today is my 2nd day of MC actually. Been having fever and generalized joint pain and headache since 2 days ago. Gotten treatment in hospital. Most probably some viral fever or chikugunya fever. The joint pain was pretty bad initially but now much more bearable after taking some stronger painkiller. Why need MC leh? Because im supposed to be working this Raya holiday...Yeah..Life itself is definitely suffering!!......Time to rest more ^^

scary mama

imagine if every mom knows this song, this world would probably be a better place? LOL



p.s. Have u been a bad bad boy? Bad boy deserves a good spanking! :P

 

Selamat Hari Raya everyone! Though im still working and stuck in this middle of nowhere...

Mind over Civic

Yesterday went to Red Island Cafe @ Greentown iTown for dinner with my friend Anne. Just about to reach the place, noticed my wallet is thin like paper LOL. Then quickly go nearby ATM to extract some cash. So Anne, now u know why lah? Haha..

After finish the transaction, as i was walking out of the door, a KL-registered Vios parked right in front of the bank entrance. A middle-aged Chinese guy probably in his early 30s, wearing office wear, crawled out from his car. Suddenly i heard "Grrrogh...pui...t!" He actually has the nerve to spit right in front of me and the thingy landed just few steps away from me!

Eww...so terrible! Horrible! Vegetable!! I was staring at him and he just pretended like nothing happened. Inside the car was a lady, presumably his gf, wearing a high class ball gown....I was really baffled. Whats wrong with these people?! Never gone to school before?? In chinese we refer as 斯文敗類。If he is an old man i probably would just forget it. Speaking about old man, there was once i rode a bus in KL and in front of me was sitted an old man. Guess what he did? Not only did he spitted onto the bus floor, he actually try to eliminate the secretion by rubbing the flooring with his sandals!!

Somemore stories...Last sat went Kinta City with sis and saw these in the washroom cubicles...(click on the pics to enlarge them)

Why Chinese joystick no good meh??

  

 Cerdik dan handsome?? If u are, then u wouldn't be so LOW right??

  

  

Why highlight the 6 1/2 inch?? 6 1/2 inch is NOTHING ok?? LOL

 

Self-explanatory...

If u are female visitor please pardon me :D but im wondering if female toilets also has these art displays? :P

Anyway, what im trying to say is, we definitely need more civic-minded people. If not for the sake of hygiene, at least for your own image....

p.s. If u are calling these phone numbers, I shall not bear any responsibility from your actions, k? Haha...

The pitfall of Non-verbal communications

What i mean here is communications via msn, emails and sms messages. Basically any form of indirect communications. No doubt they are cheap, easy to use and save time sometimes. But are they are effective form of communication?

Lately i experienced the displeasure of being tangled up in a whorl of misunderstanding (or maybe not) as a result this. Why is it that misunderstanding  so easy to be invoked from msn or sms?

One reason is we cannot see the facial expression or gesture of the opposite party. Facial expression and gestures tell a lot about a particular person, whether he is in a happy or unhappy mood, angry or joking mode...Secondly, its even harder to detect whether the person is lying to u...because u cannot even see him/her. Thirdly, sms and msn with someone with poor english background can be disastrous, for the obvious reason.

Usually what happens to me is...the person make some distasteful remarks via msn or sms. Maybe he is just joking. But I may never know. After i read the sms i will be very pissed off and retaliates with a defensive reply or counterattack so to say. And things start to get ugly from there. Obviously when both sides are on the heat of the argument, calling the opposite is not an option. U are so near to me, just a call distance. But the same time u are so far away from me......

I have lost one or two friendships due to this very reason. Do i regret it? I frankly have no idea....It could really be a misunderstanding, but it could also mean that we are not really that compatible with each other.....

I treasure the time we have spent together....Though we may be no longer friends but i wish u all the best.....

Girlfriend from Hell

This video was pretty widely circulated across the web especially in Singapore. In the clip, the woman was seen tormenting her prey/boyfriend by using her shoes to slap his face and poke his private part REPETITIVELY. The boyfriend is apparently a top successful real estate agent based in SG.

What would u have done if u are the guy in the video? I can only say women these days (or maybe a portion of them) are not like women years ago. So pls dun gimme excuses like gender equality when ur just obviously taking advantage of men. I would look down on u :)

Jalan Jalan cari Makan

Last weekend went Penang island for cari makan. It was damn jammed in the island as seen from the pic. Then only i realise that its 14 July in Chinese calendar (the day the chinese would throng Kek Lok Si for remembering the deceased or something)...So me and HS were stuck in the road all the way to Kek Lok Si Temple. Poor me who have to drive 400km that day..

 

We went to KLS first while it was still cloudy weather so that not so hot. The temple itself, the leading stairway etc doesn't seem to have change a bit from few years ago. The stairway was as usual lined by stores selling antiques, shoes, clothing, souvenir etc. Even the wares on sale looks pretty much the same LOL. 

View of the temple

 

I like this picture very much cos its like there is a spiritual aura surrounding the temple, protecting it from the dark clouds :D

The temple gate overlooking the backdrop of Penang island. Nice view

Finally come down from the temple, all sweaty. HS brought me to this famous Laksa noodle stall just opposite the temple entry. He said this is the most famous Laksa in all of Penang. True or not im not sure la. But judging from the crowd, it might be true afterall. There were just about 10 tables in all. People were standing and LOOKING at the patrons who are sitting to indicate that they are WAITING for the table. Its like "what the hell takes so long for u to finish the small bowl of laksa? Its not shit, u know?" LOL.

Anyway, we waited and finally get ourselves a table and enjoy the meal. IMHO the laksa was not very spectacular though. The soup is too thin to my liking. The noodle is too soft, not sprongy. The hygiene is definitely throw out of the window though. The hawkers was "washing" the bowls by just dipping the bowls into a small little pail with water...and voila! There u go..your clean bowl !  Luckily we didnt down with diarrhoea ^^

 

It was late noon already when we finish the laksa. So we went window shopping at Gurney and eat again. The Gurney as pic above. Oops. Focus on the wrong subject accidentally :P

 

HS ordered this as snack. I never eaten it in this form before. Its actually fried chicken skin! Its cripsy and nice, but definitely fattening. Left most of it to HS since he doesnt seem to mind the calories hehe...

That basically sums up the day trip. Didnt have much time visit other places though. Already 8pm when back home. I was so exhausted that i collapsed straight away once i lie on my comfy bed :)