In Remembrance

Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu

There is not much that I can add to what has already been printed about the passing, life history and contributions of Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu.

Suffice to say that Penangites everywhere owe him a debt.

And that I hope that those who are too young to have known Penang before the likes of National Semiconductor, HP, Intel, Dell and their ilk established their bases in Penang, will realize, remember and value the contributions of Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu to the state.

RIP, Tun Dr. Lim !

photo from Bernama

the Age of the Poseur

She's at an age when photos like this -

are uncommon.

Instead, when asked to stay still for a photo, we are more likely to get the following shots :

A totally random series of photos ...

I emptied the photos on my phone yesterday and this is what turned up.

the leaves have been dropping off trees around here.

one day I might compile a series of photos that I took like this

- only with all sorts of different leaves

Steam from a plate of prawns being cooked in wine

we were at a light shop the other day.

this is light shop #1.

this is light shop #2.

For a long time I've been noticing the effect that clouds can have on a photo. Consequently I'm frequently on the alert just in case I can marry a beautiful scene with dramatic clouds. It hasn't worked out yet so the following photos are like incomplete paintings.

And this is what happens when it does work out. I took this at Mount Kinabalu.

The trouble with people is that they don't recognize potential ...

I guess even when I'm bamboozled by Sir Alex Ferguson's purchases, his track record for buying young players makes me pause before I start criticizing the buy.

GBP 7 million for Bebe who ? When Mesut Ozil was available and Rafael Van Der Vaart could be bought for GBP 8 million ? So no, the criticism is not for the purchase of Bebe as much as it is for not buying Mesut Ozil when he had the opportunity and, as SAF keeps reminding us, the funds.

So while not every purchase of a young player works out, some do. And in Cristiano Ronaldo's case, it worked out spectacularly. As SAF says, the trick is in recognizing potential. And the Man United coaching system is one of the best at bringing through young players with potential. The gestation period can be long, but the likes of Ronaldo and Nani have proven that the wait can be worthwhile.

And yes, Bebe has potential :

Spoiled

Ever since I first heard Paul Young belt out "Wherever I lay my hat (That's my home)", I had been hooked on white British singers singing black music. Young's version remains a favourite. In fact, I prefer it over the Marvin Gaye version here.

As far as I was concerned, race didn't come into it. It was just another genre of music which I liked. To wit, blue-eyed soul. So spin the turntable with Simply Red, Paul Young, Wet Wet Wet, Lisa Stansfield, Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone ........ and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

illegal parking and it's consequences...

The only professions that screw people as part of their job are prostitutes and politicians. For the rest of us, screwing around during working hours is generally a no-no and is a violation of work place rules which is usually punishable with a dismissal.

So would you sack the big fella here ?

The GOLD of future is FOOD

Interesting article about The Coming Famine - The World Food Crisis.

Some of the highlights of the article:

Global demand for food will more than double over the coming half-century as we add another 4.7 billion people.

This challenge facing the coming generation of farmers is to double the global food supply:

• using half the water
• on far less land and with increasingly depleted soils,
• without fossil fuels,
• with increasingly scarce and costly fertiliser and chemicals
• under the hammer of climate change

Just some examples why it is so.

By 2050, 7-8 billion people will inhabit the world’s cities. They will use about 2800 cubic kilometres of fresh water – more than the whole of irrigation agriculture uses worldwide today.

Today almost a quarter of the world’s farm land is affected by serious degradation (FAO 2008), up from 15% two decades ago.

In 1900 every human had 8 hectares of land to sustain them – today the number is 1.63 and falling. Put another way, between 1990 and 2005, world demand for food grew 15 times faster than the area of land being farmed.

Lying in wait for us is a marine timebomb. 29 per cent of world fisheries are in a state of collapse according to Canadian scientist Boris Worm and colleagues (2007). The majority could be gone by the 2040s they warn. Plagues of jellyfish in the world’s oceans signal the impact of overfishing and nutrient pollution, while carbon emissions are turning them acidic, imperilling the entire marine food chain.

Farmers not only grow food. Our 1.8 billion farmers – mostly women – also manage half the world’s land, three quarters of its fresh water and a third of its atmosphere. They need our help to do so. And they need fair prices for their produce to do so sustainably.

Farmers, and the scientists who serve them, are today the most important human beings alive.

The world has forgotten this.

It needs to be reminded.

So, time to go back to agriculture. Anyone?

How to repair a leaking washing machine

So my Samsung washing machine had been leaking drain water for almost 2 years and finally I had decided to fix it. I called the service center and the technician told me it could be just the hose is detached and it will cost me RM55 to "repair" it. So I guess is worth to repair the old washing machine (8.5 years old) for under RM100 but what if the problem is more than that. So I decided to ask them to service my air-con instead and at the same time help me to check my washing machine. I told them before hand if the service fee is too high, I won't be consider fixing it at all. The new washing machine with same specification cost only RM699.

The technician told me one of the part is spoiled (the problem is more than detached hose) and 3 days later he called me to ask for RM140 for the original spare part. So I was reluctant to spend so much for an old washing machine. After much discussion, finally the technician told me I could have fix the hose with ordinary extension washing machine drain hose from DIY shop which cost less than RM20. And he offered to fix and service for me at the cost of RM130. =:=" Do I look like 3 years old??!!

Anyway I had decided to give it a try by myself and here is the result.

This is a washing machine extension drain hose. There are two type of hose, 1) with one end of L-shape and 2) with one end of cone shape. Buy the one with cone shape so that you can cut according to your washing machine pipe size. Sorry, this is not the real photo, I forgot to take one before fixing it.


Try to fix it on the pipe of washing machine and adjust the connection until it is tight enough by cutting the bigger drain hose ring off. Do it one ring at a time just to make sure you don't over cut it.

The fix drain hose will look like this.

The other end of the hose can be connected direct to the drain pipe and save the hassle of having another drain hose. I threw mine. Screwed back the cover and you have a perfectly working washing machine. It was common to have the drain hose wore off after sometimes, the recommendation is to change the drain hose every 5 years. So, if your washing machine is having the same problem, have a check. You might just save yourself some money by DIY.

The wonder of Recuva: file recovery program

What should you do if you accidentally deleted the files (any files) which you still need? What if your hardware, SD card or memory stick corrupted? Or worse your whole PC crashed? Is there any way that you can trace back the files? The answer is yes, and introducing an amazing freeware Recuva. Yes, it is FREE.

you can download the program @ http://www.piriform.com/recuva.

It doesn't matter whether the disk/card is corrupted or reformatted, this program can trace back the files within minutes. This included any files including photos, video, MP3, Words and etc....

Which also means, any files which you deleted is not really "deleted"! You can even reformatted the disk, but it is still there until you rewrite the space with something else. Guess now we know how Edison Chen's infamous photos leaked out.

the Buena Vista Social Club

I never knew about the Buena Vista Social Club when they first started making headlines in the music world. And if you were to ask me now when I first heard them, I wouldn't be able to tell you. But I can tell you that I like their music and feel that it's a waste that their music got circulated outside Cuba so late in their careers.

Of course, the Buena Vista Social Club is just an umbrella term for a number of Cuban artistes. You can read their wiki here. Of the lot, these two songs by Ibrahim Ferrer have become a staple on my late night playing list :

Pink Martini's "La Soledad"

It starts off with Chopin for the first 90 seconds .... and then it pauses ..... at 1:34 the first strains of the next stanza drift in, and I immediately shout "Wong Kar Wai !"

This song would absolutely fit into the musical soundscape that Wong Kar Wai used for his loose trilogy of films : "Days of Being Wild", "In the Mood for Love" and "2046".

And yes, the song is gorgeous !

There's a little mouse in the corner eating food ....

It started off as an exercise to avoid the 'Princess' complex. There were no princesses, no Barbie dolls - we used animals instead - in stories, as toys, etc.

And as time went by .........

Sometimes it feels like there isn't a little girl in the house. There is a zoo.

mmmm......

Squeak !

Squeak !!!!!

She's doing this every day now.

Bolehland

Inland Revenue Board Of Malaysia has set up a website at https://elejar.hasil.gov.my/ for Malaysians public to check on the status of tax payment and also PCB reductions for year 2009 and 2010. It was announced in the newspaper today and the original login page supposed to look like this.

After less than 24 hours, the login page has become like this!! Less than 50,000 people has visited the website and this is what happen. Memang bolehland! 5 Billions anyone?

So you think you are man enough???

Read this interesting article about being a real man. So you think you are man enough?

The 5 Pillars of Manhood (how man should love respect woman)…
1. Lead - A man must be a leader in a relationship, in a marriage, in a family. There are no excuses. A woman doesn’t want to make the decisions for her man, she wants her man to lead in the relationship. A man must take initiative. A man of God is leader, not a follower, a servant, not a slave, a hero not a coward. A man of God knows God and therefore knows himself. He should be the leader spiritually first, emotionally, mentally and physically he should set the standard for others to follow.

2. Protect - A real man of God will protect his partner. That means he is willing to lay down his very own life, needs and wants for the protection of the one he loves. Every decision he makes when it comes to a relationship has her protection in mind. A woman needs to feel secure, that she is protected and safe with her man. She doesn’t need to second guess, wonder if she will be okay, or have her heart and mind played with.

A real man of God will not only protect his woman physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He always has the highest good in his mind for her safety, well being and wholeness. This is for the Christian guys out there, don’t emotionally rape a sister, play with her heart and tell her you are just her brother or friend. That is BS. Man up. You either pursue a woman of God because she is God’s precious creation, or you don’t try touching it at all, or play with their hearts emotionally, unless you are willing to be up front and clear with your intentions and the direction of the relationship from the start. Emotional rape is as painful to a woman as physical rape. Women are emotional beings and their hearts are not to be played with. Protect your sisters heart.

3. Provide – A real man of God will do whatever it takes to provide for his significant other. That means monetarily in finances, in basic needs and as well as what she desires. When a man asks a father for his daughter in marriage, the father will not ask, “How are you doing spiritually first?” No, the first thing the father will ask is, “How will you provide for my daughter?” Because part of being and becoming a man is providing for others, especially your wife and children. If a man can’t provide, he isn’t a man. God gave us hands and we must put our hands to work, no excuses to be lazy, God made us to rule the earth. Women are not be treated as toys, trophies or a luxury item, women are God’s highest creation, the very image of God.

I tell men all the time, “Treat your woman like a queen and you will live like a king.” Don’t be cheap brothers, you need to go all out when it comes to pursuing a woman. This is not a one time thing, but a continual practice. Women were created for beauty. They were created beautiful, to feel beautiful to be treated beautiful. You don’t handle a rose without care, it is the same with a woman of God, you treat her with the utmost care, honor and respect. Practically, that means you don’t take a woman to Denny’s on a first date, you take her to a place that hurts your wallet, but it’s worth it because she is worthy.

Also, men must also provide for women emotionally. When a women asks you, “How are you doing?” She is really asking, “How are you being?” Meaning, what are you feeling, thinking, seeing, being about at the moment. To love a women we must provide at every level – basic needs all the way to providing for them mentally, emotionally and spiritually, if not their hearts will die. Be a man, provide for your women.

4. Integrity – A true man of God is a man of his word. Too many men in our culture break promises, play with women’s hearts, date girls as if it was a game, and have no respect for women at all. This is disgusting. In old times, when a man said “You have my word!” that word was bond, it was as if an actual contract had been written, because your word was your reputation. How many men do we know today who say one thing, but do another? Men who do not keep their word, their promise or follow through with their verbal commitments. In our culture we don’t take words seriously, but in God’s world words are everything. Blessings and curses come out of the same mouth. What comes out of our mouths determines what is truly in our hearts.

What a woman wants is a man of integrity. Someone who says what he does and does what he says. Someone they can trust at their word. So as a man you must come through. Words means nothing if they are not backed up with action. Don’t say sorry unless you mean it. Don’t say sorry unless you are able to back up your apologies with doing the right thing. Integrity is doing what is right, whether people are watching or not. Integrity is what you do when no one is looking. Does your woman trust you completely? If not, it is a question of integrity. Don’t tell a women you love her unless your love shows, words carry weight. They either carry false weight or real weight, a woman knows when a man means what he says.

So live by your words, live by action, be a living proof of your values, convictions and commitments. Don’t get involved in a relationship unless you are sure this what you want and what God is leading you both to do. I’ve had my share of mistakes in the past, where I got into a relationship without thinking about the consequences, protecting my sisters heart and the fear of the Lord from the get go, I’ve had to make amends and face the results of my sin and foolishness. Trust me brothers, don’t do what I’ve done in the past, don’t play games, don’t feed your fleshly desires, rather seek God, seek the best interest of the one you are pursuing, be honest, forthright from the start about your commitment and your vision for the relationship and stick to your word. Be a man of integrity.

If you pursue a women, it should be with the intentions of marriage. If not, stop playing yourself and her. It’s not about finding the right woman, it’s about being the right man. That starts with first knowing God in order to know yourself, then you will know how to love and respect a woman.

5) Courage - You are not a man until you climb the great wall of China! This is what it says at the actual great wall. Well, I have climbed the Great Wall of China so I guess I must be more of a man than others, just kidding. What is the greater underlying message here? It is a message of courage. It is a message of adventure. A man of God is a manof courage, a man of adventure, a man who is willing to take risks and do the impossible. Men were born to live a life of great adventure. Men were created to fight battles. Men were created to rescue beauties. Men were created to live.

Sadly, most men are not living. Most men are cowards, fearful and afraid of failure. Imprisoned by their own thinking and what others think about them. Many men are just boys waiting for their mother’s approval, or the approval of others in society. Most men I know are people pleasers, not God pleasers. They are more afraid of how others may reject them or not accept them if they choose to take the road less traveled.
All men die, few men truly live.

Women don’t want nice guys or good boys, women want men on a mission, men on adventure, men who are dangerous. This is why many women are drawn to bad boys because bad boys live with a sense of risk, danger, mystery and unknown. Men were created to live fearless and to live by faith. But if you walk into a church today what you find are a bunch of boys playing with their toys, working at predictable jobs — not their true callings, and living boring lives. It’s sad, but most guys get their sense of adventure from playing video games or watching TV, what happened to our men?

A man of faith will sweep a woman of God off of her feet. He will challenge her to go the distance in God, in their relationship and in life. A man of courage is someone who in the face of fear still chooses to move forward with trust in God, setting out to obey God’s voice at whatever the cost, because that is what matters the most. We need men who have hearts fully alive, hearts full of passion and are on a mission to change the world. There is a high cost to being a man of courage, there is a price to pay if we want to be a real hero, it means we are willing to go against the grain, follow God against all odds and live a life of honor, courage and righteousness.
When a woman finds a man of courage, it will encourage her to be all that God has created her to be. As a man, your goal is not how your woman can serve you, but how can you serve your woman? As a man, your goal is not how a woman can serve your destiny, but how can you do all that you possibly can to release the fullness of God’s glory and destiny in her.

Men take the lead, protect at all costs, provide in every way, live by your word and live a life of adventure with the Holy Spirit — obey God, not man and you will be the man of God you were created to be — and your woman will love you for it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Original article @ http://jaesonma.com/365-days-of-love-day-284-the-5-pillars-of-manhood-how-men-should-love-respect-women/