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The New Year is just around the corner and I am sure 2008 has been a rather hectic and memorable year as many things had happened globally. A lot had surely happened for me and I am back home for good after spending many years overseas. Now here is my wish list and I am sure you too have a wish list or a new year resolution. Here goes nothing: 1. To look for a new job. 2. To reduce my weight and hence my tummy. 3. To take a vacation with my family this year. 4. To do up my house. 5. To stay cool with my staff at office. 6. To drink plenty of water. 7. To stay away from fried food. 8. To smoke less. 9. To drink less. 10. To unwind and de stress quickly. I have picked only 10 items that I want to work on and they may seem trivial but I guess I have to start somewhere. So would you care to share your New Years resolution with me.

Since change is inevitable, it makes more sense to embrace it than to offer resistance, says Narayani Ganesh     The year 2009 is being designated as the year of change. In Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, Seihan Mori, chief monk at Kiyomizu temple, declared “change” to be the country’s character or “kanji” in the coming year, on the basis of a popular vote. Admitting that the choice was probably inspired by US president-elect Barack Obama’s campaign theme, the monk said that it is also an expression of the people’s wishes to see change in different spheres on the basis of a popular vote.      However, has any year been free of change? Could a future year be changeless? Unlikely so. If the universe and everything in it is in motion, and planet earth throbs with life, it’s because there is constant change. If the political process is surviving well or doing badly, the economy is growing or shrinking, markets are thriving or plunging, scientists are discovering new species or adding to ...

This video is taken from http://www.mycen.com.my/video/malaysian_christmas_hd.html

These houses look lovely right and that was the reason why I couldn't find time to blog as I was busy with work in getting them ready for handing over to the purchasers. I guess it was worth the effort and I am looking forward in the handing over of the keys soon. And before I can relax, it is Christmas holidays and I get to take off only on that day (unlike in some other places). Ha-ha...we are giving away this houses to the rightful owners.... as Christmas gifts....(it's not free you know). I have a Christmas mass to attend to on 24th midnight and take it easy on 25th December 2008. This is one Christmas that I am at home in Malaysia after a long time, usually I fly in for the Christmas but now I am here and I did enjoy the shopping with my famly. So I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New New Year.

Kuala Lumpur, 18th December 2008: The World's Tallest Christmas Tree. The shadow of the conical Petronas Twin Tower casts itself on the wall of a nearby building. It appeared only for a fleeting moment when sun, photographer and buildings align. Merry Christmas! This is copied from the net.

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."  --Carl Jung "Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love."  --Rumi "A lie has speed, but truth has endurance."  --Edgar J. Mohn

Yes it's been awhile since I had updated my blog and I have to say that it has been my fault as for the past week I was so busy with my work. My wife came back from her holidays from India and she flew out from Chennai and I as usual miscalculated her arrival, thinking that the flight would land as per schedule but the Malaysian Airlines landed 15 minutes ahead of schedule and also she cleared the immigration and customs very fast and I was 15 minutes late. By the way the flight landed at 5.15 a.m. instead of 5.30 a.m. and I was at the airport at 6.10 a.m. So am I to be blamed? Well since she is back, the home front seems to be in order now but my work front is crazy. I was promoted minus the pay increment and now I have double the work load. Oh...God how I wish the last interview that I had gone to should materialize and I then I can kiss goodbye to this present company. Everyday I am runnng in circles trying to get things done and I don't have the right people nor the "p...

Been seeing what was happening in Mumbai on CNN-IBN my heart really bleeds for all the innocent victims. Why and how did this happen. What was the intelligence doing? Each time the terrorist introduce a new way of terrorising, it really takes the Indian Government by surprise and why can't they be better prepared and not take action after the damage has been done. My neighbours called me up late last night to inquire about my wife who is in India at the moment but I told them that she is in Chennai and not to worry. Everyone panics and I am wondering who knows even the South some day may not be spared and the terrrosist would look at new ways and means to terrorise. When are the Intellengence or security in India going to wake up to reality and at least prevent such dastardly acts? Look at US after 9/11 things and the publics mindset has changed but in India even after all the attacks, nothing really has changed. And next the opposition would start the blame game instead of being u...

Time seems to have lost it's meaning and I was busy with lots of things that is happening to me. First I got the news that I am finally approved as a Director for not only one subsidiary but two and also there was an increment as Directors fee and they are changing my Pajero to Nissan X-Trail but the only thing is that I didn't have the time to collect the car. I also attended my second round of interview this morning with the CEO of the future company that I intend to join, possible posting at Sarawak (East Malaysia) or Abu Dhabi, just keeping my fingers crossed. This is the first company that I had gone for interview after I returned from Hyderabad India. And with my present company, we are looking at re-structuring it and I have to play a major role in it and also I am hoping to get the other job soon. So I am waiting as either way it is a win-win situation. I have been coming back home late due to the extra workload and also I have to make sure I am back by 9 p.m. as my so...

"Life simply is. It follows its course. Give yourself to the moment. Let life reveal itself to you." --Jerry Brown "There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live." --James Truslow Adams "Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values." --Martin Luther King, Jr. Click here to email these quotes to a friend | More Inspirational Quotes

This weekend seemed to be different from the others as my wife had left for India on Saturday for 10 days and I had to be with son who is 16 years old. We had a quiet day on Saturday night, I had bought dinner outside and it was a simple "Char Keow Teow" and I bought 2 DVDs for the weekend. We watched "Taken" a movie about a kidnap by some Eastern Europe mobsters and trade them as prostitutes by making them become a junkie. This is the only time that I can watch my movie with the surround system volume louder that normal (as my wife doesn't approve it when she is here). And I was watching it with Jack Daniels(again another disapproval) for company and the movie was about the father(parent) who would do anything for his daughter whom he loved so much. The hero was Liam Neeson and I would recommend this movie if you are a thriller buff. Well Sunday was a quiet day too, got up and I had my breakfast of 2 slices of bread and later I got some "nasi lemak...

By Julie Melillo With the recent collapse of two Wall Street giants, speculation of doom seems to hang in the air especially here in New York City. Between gas prices, politics and financial crisis, it's amazing anyone seems to be able to get on with their day. And my clients are definitely feeling the strain, with the situation affecting their careers and pocketbooks. In spite of all of this, I want to point out something. Tragedy can be a time of great growth. Our lives, dreams and families don't have to be demolished -- they can instead take flight. That might sound crazy, and yes, you're right that Wall Street does affect Main Street -- all of our Main Streets. And yes, the economy is all linked together, etc, and it may trickle down. But that does not mean your life is ruined. It could even mean the opposite. Times of tragedy are times of change. There is nothing inherently wrong with change, but bringing in something new does always mean letting go of something. We ...

"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire." --William Butler Yeats "To be independent of public opinion is the first formal condition of achieving anything great." --G. W. F. Hegel "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

I guess it is an apt title on what I am going to say. Time flies and I have actually lost track of it ever since I came back from Hyderabad and I have been as busy as a bee. I know I had a tough week after coming back from Hyderabad as when I was away, the evil gossip mongers had started their trade and the worst thing that I hate is when it happens within your organisation. I know we had a new contractor taking over our scope of work as directed by the Ministry of Housing but when the new contractor came in and I had made all arrangements for a smooth transition but there are those who would like to find faults in everything that has been done. I received a nasty email from my HR on telling me what and how do things but I had send my reply back to the HR Department telling them not to interfere with the operations part of the work. You see the HR Department was acting on gossip that was spinned from my site and what I was pissed of was, why can't the HR Department call me even tho...

Yes I am back to work after a hectic week in Hyderabad and all I can say now is "Thank God" I am back home. Now why do I say that is very simple, I have closed down my office, gave up my residence and sold the company car as all these items were bothering me for the past few months. But now I have completed my transition from Hyderabad and it's back to work. I had a lot of things to sort out in Hyderabad and the biggest headache was the office files, but I have somehow managed to pack up all my files, 15 big boxes and placed them at my accountants office. I know I still have to go to Hyderabad but this time I would stay in a hotel and don't have to worry about such mundane things like my breakfast and what not. Anyway I hope the need doesn't arise for me to leave for Hyderabad in the next couple of months. Back to work and it's like a hell hole here with a lot of uncertainties and I am really pissed out with the global meltdown, it has affected all of us and I...

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (below) Well it was a hectic week for me as I left for Hyderabad last Sunday and reached their Shamshabad International Airport by mid-night. I was feeling rather sleepy as I had quite a few pegs of whisky. I took the cab from outside the airport as my neighbour told me, it is cheaper that way but it was foolish of me to do that in order to save a few bucks for the company. I remember the cab driver was taking me a long route and I was so dead tired that I dozed off in the cab. I don't even have the drivers name or the cab number, but I just dozed off. They woke me up as they got closer to the place that I stayed for direction, I only realised what a fool I was to doze off in the cab, what if those guys had driven me somewhere and robbed me of everything and after that just dump me on the roadside, but I guess there is still some goodness left in Hyderabad. The picture on my right is taken from the Shamshabad International Airpotrt and I waited ...

I would be leaving for Hyderabad tonight for about 5 days and I guess I am going to be in isolation from the rest of the world during these gruesome days. Not that Hyderabad doesn't have any internet connection but I am going to be staying in my old house and since I wasn't around for three months, most of my accounts has been disconnected or suspended for: 1. Tatasky (Satellite TV) 2. Airtel post paid mobile number 3. Tata USB Modem 4. My company car Insurance & quarterly road tax. Sounds bad huh! It's like I will be transported back to the stone ages. The positive thing that I have is my laptop and DVD player with lots of my old collection of DVD. Anyway I still can access to the internet at my accountants office, if I am there. With regards to my mobile phone, I am using my Malaysian number which is roaming but would cost me a bomb to call anyone in Hyderabad as I know how the guys in Hyderabad would like to yak, yak and yak. As for my transport during my stay, I am...

Which side are you on? The robber or the victim? Isn't this happening to us all over the corporate world today? We are bailing out someone's bad business judgement by using our hard earned cash as a tax payer.

Martin Luther King, Jr In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed our commu nity must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realise that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realise that their free dom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And... even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream t...

Congratulations Mr. President...elect.....Obama...need I say more? Embedded video from CNN Video

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out the...

Everyday seems to be the same old day but with a different date on it for me. I am drifting into a state of oblivion and God only knows where all this is going to end up. This morning I was quite eager to get moving at work but by mid-day, I realized it was just like any other day and it sucks. My meeting with the purchasers last Saturday went on well for me but then the purchasers were disappointed with us on our lack of commitment in really getting the work started. I know that I can't move forward as there are a lot legal tangle that we have got ourself into with the old management not letting go of things that easily. I did call up the last company that I had gone for an interview and it sounded positive as he told me to call him on Wednesday. I know I am running out of options and I am beginning to feel that I am stuck in this rut that was created by my old management and all of us are sinking slowly with it. My trip to Hyderabad is on Sunday but the present financial conditi...

This tiny looking banana was taken from my house and it is a tiny banana tree. The story behind this banana tree is that it came along with the turf. We had actually got a contractor to do the little bit of turfing at my house and to our surprise the tiny banana tree was growing along with the turf. So we decided not to chop it off and again to our surprise the banana flower was there followed by the tiny bananas. I have to wait until the bananas start to ripe to see how it taste.

I would like to share this video with you for a wonderful Sunday and God Bless you.....

This was posted on Natasha's World blog site and I found the video "real" funny ...what do you say? See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Do you ever get stage fright? I have a meeting today and I have to chair the meeting between the  purchasers and developer. Well I represent the developer against maybe a bunch of angry purchasers. A lot of things is actually going around in my head: What are they going to ask?  What would their reaction be?   What if their demand is unreasonable? How would I handle angry purchasers? I know the situation is explosive as we as developers had failed to deliver their houses for the past 3 years and it could be attributed to bad management by our former management and the new management that I represent is quite sincere in getting on with the job but the only crunch is that we have a very bad cash flow situation. And hence we have to appeal to the good senses of the purchasers in working with us as a team on a win-win formula. We have identified a contractor willing to re-start the project again but now we have to get the "angry" purchasers to agree on some terms and conditions...

I like Paulo Coelho's writings...and I am sure you would enjoy this blog. read more | digg story

A nice place to park after a few drinks. So bottoms up and cheers.

Seems like I am stuck on what to write and where is my tea to perk me up? I am sitting in my cabin at my office and wondering what I should write. So far nothing interesting happened to me as it has been work, work and work. I was appointed as a Director for one of our subsidiary as a corporate nominee from my company. But the catch is, I am appointed as a Director with all the liabilities minus the extra cash. Am I being foolish? I leave that as it is and now I have to unblock my writer's block. Come on ideas, flow. Looks like it is dried up and maybe I should meditate and something might creep in while I am in bliss meditating. But then again, meditating in my cabin is not a good idea as it would construe that I am sleeping on my job or they might think that I have turned into a zombie. Yeah, I got my trip to Hyderabad on 09.11.2008 approved by the Directors and I am going to be there to wind up my residence and office, I would be there for a week (aha...paid vacation). Well that...

Memristor circuits lead to ultrasmall PCs. Intel and AMD unleash massively multicore CPUs. Samsung TVs respond to your every gesture. These and other developing technologies will fundamentally change the way you think about--and use--technology. read more | digg story

Guess by now I would have collected one of those and it's like getting closer to "home" that is if you get my drift. Woke up pretty early in the morning and my son from Moscow wished me "Happy Birthday" on MSN chat and it was about 1.30 a.m. there (God knows what he is doing up so late). My wife just wished me ...... It's a sad day for me as I know I am getting older and nearer too....(should I say grave....) Here are some quotes that I spotted on the net and would like to share them with you, to at least cheer me up..... Emily Dickinson We turn not older with years but newer every day. Bill Clinton When our memories outweigh our dreams, we have grown old. Cherokee Expression When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. Paul H. Duhn You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your des...

Have you ever got up in the morning feeling all drained out of energy? What do you reach out to rejuvenate yourself? For me I guess it is a strong cup of tea brewed by myself as I like it no other way. Now after the strong cup of tea I am ready to face the morning and I have also started on my multi vitamin and mineral supplements too as I feel it has helped me to feel alert. And what sort of breakfast do you have? I prefer my two slice of wholemeal bread with a thin spread of margarine. Would listening to music perks you up? It does sometimes for me depending on my mood and right now I am listening to REO Speedwagon " I can't fight this feeling" and I know it is helping me fight this day. So tell me what gets you going?

CHENNAI: It’s Deepavali in Tamil Nadu on Monday and Diwali in the rest of the states on Tuesday. Intriguing? While the festival basically celebrates the triumph of good over evil, there is a difference on what the day signifies for people of the State and for those in the rest of the country. In Tamil Nadu, the day is observed as ‘Naraka Chaturdasi’ — the killing of demon king Narakasura by Lord Krishna’s wife Sathyabama,— which falls on October 28 this year. For others, Diwali marks the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after 14 years of vanavas. For north Indians, the day after Diwali is Annakut — New Year Day. So,merchants open new account books on Diwali. The Tamil New Year begins at a different time of the year and is in no way linked to Deepavali. So is the case in Kerala (Vishu) and in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka (Ugadi). However, Diwali commemorates Rama vanquishing Ravana. Hence, the festival has come to symbolise the triumph of good over evil also. The people of Ayodhya placed ...

"Mastery is not perfection, it is journey, and the true master must be willing to try and fail and try again." --George Leonard "I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It's seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It's seeing what other people don't see and pursuing that vision." --Howard Schultz "Entrepreneurship is a state of mind, a can-do attitude, a capacity to focus on a vision and work toward it." --Barry Rogstad

These pictures were taken from the Star newspaper Kuala Lumpur and Diwali is celebrated today in Malaysia and I guess it is slotted for tomorrow in India. So here's wishing everyone a very "Happy Diwali"

Paulo Coelho I MET Mick Brown at Frankfurt airport. A journalist with the London Daily Telegraph, he was sent to interview me at a stop-over between two flights. He is such an interesting person that when the interview was over he began to tell me some quite fascinating stories. Once he received a pamphlet saying that a guru called Mahaguru Yogi Arka would be giving a series of lectures in England. He discovered that he was staying in London, and set out to visit him for his report. He rang the doorbell, a young woman with oriental features opened the door for him, and made a sign for him to follow her into a sitting room. Arka was sitting there, his legs crossed and his eyes closed, apparently deep in meditation. Mike did not know quite what to do, and then the master opened his eyes and made a sign for him to come over and sit in front of him. “Do you have any questions?” He had several, but they all seemed to have slipped from his thoughts. The only one that came to m...

Well it's that time of the year that all the Hindu's get to celebrate Diwali and here in Malaysia it is celebrated in a very grand manner too. I remember how I used to get up very early and help my parents with the decoration and all my new clothes would be lined up in the prayer room so that they can bless them and after that I get to wear my new clothes. Usually the prayers would start after our oil bath. We would have open house and my friends would start coming over to visit us from late morning until late in the night. My mum would be busy with the preparation of food and usually it would be Briyani, Kurma and lots of other stuff. Well that was many years back and this Diwali I would be in my sisters house for lunch and later at night with my parents. It's been awhile since I was at home in Malaysia for Diwali but on this special day I sure would feel nostalgic as I enjoyed this festival during my childhood with all the "ang-pow" that I would receive from my ...

I was just pondering on the subject of guardian angels and do you believe in them? I can relate a bad accident that I had a couple of years back, I was working almost every night until mid-night as I was involved in the foundation and basement work of Hotel Mandarin Oriental which is adjacent to the Petronas Twin Towers. Our earthworks for the four level of basement involved the excavation of massive amount of earth which can only be carted out from 7.00 p.m. until 7.00 a.m. every day (I stayed back until 10.00 or 11.00 p.m.) and coordinating these works really took a lot from me physically as in the mornings I was in charge of the foundation works. So I was pretty tired on the fateful Friday somewhere in 1997. I was driving a red 4wd Vitara Suzuki and after work which was about 10.30 p.m. I left my site. I was driving back on the Federal Highway and I was feeling rather unusually tired. I know I was exhausted but never have I felt like dozing off. And I was pretty close to my house an...

I would like to share this collection that I had come across the net and I find it amusing the way the kids completed the proverbs. A first grade teacher collected well known proverbs. She gave each child in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. Their insight may surprise you. Better to be safe than....................Punch a 5th grader Strike while the .........................Bug is close It's always darkest before............... Daylight Savings Time Never underestimate the power of..........Termites You can lead a horse to water but........how? Don't bite the hand that................. looks dirty No news is................................impossible A miss is as good as a...................Mr. You can't teach an old dog new............math If you lie down with dogs, you'll.........stink in the morning Love all, trust..........................me The pen is mightier than the........

Saw this cartoon on Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad Edition dated 22.10.2008. It sure did remind me of my stay in Hyderabad. I stayed in a bungalow in Banjara Hills where I had my office in the Ground Floor and my residence on the 1st Floor. I actually didn't have water supplied by the utility company as my landlord didn't pay for the water bill and I had to call the tankers almost every 4 days for my water supply. The coordination was done by my servant and I would have this fear of waking one morning without water but things went on smoothly except when on one occasion the tanker drivers were on strike. I really had to ration water and it came to a stage where I had to use my 20 litres drinking water supplied in huge cannisters to have my bath (expensive bath though). I remember after I shifted from Banjara Hills to Sainikpuri and I had water, plenty of it and all I have to do was switch on the pump for the well water. And the water was hard and I know how the feeling would be whe...

Yes I had my 2nd round of interview yesterday afternoon with the Managing Director of the company that I intend to join and I spend about 1.5 hours with him. He went through my resume and we chatted about old friends in the industry and it so happens that one of the person that he had in mind was my ex-Boss. Half way through the interview he had called him and after he had spoken to him he had passed the phone to me and it was nearly 10 years since I had spoken to my ex-Boss and he still recognised me. Now I am wondering whether this was part of the interview where he was checking or verifying what I had told him on the people that I knew. Anyway I had a small discussion with the Director too and he had some problem that his Engineer had posed and he wanted me to have a look at it. So there I was looking at the problem and joining in the discussion. It looks like they want me on-board but they have not confirmed on anything yet. The Managing Director had informed me that he would let m...

"The guidance within evolves the world towards a heaven that's already here. To know this is to know our destiny." --from The Celestine Prophecy "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." --Steve Jobs "How very important it is to bring about in the human mind the radical revolution. The crisis is a crisis in consciousness, a crisis that cannot anymore accept the old norms, the old patterns, the ancient traditions. Considering what the world is now with all the misery, conflict, destructive brutality, aggression and so on – man is still as he was, is still brutal, violent, aggressive, acquisitive, competitive and has built a society along these lines." --Krisnamurti

Guess you must be wondering how Monday could be cheerful, what happened to the Monday morning blues? It was raining very heavily last night and the weather is cool this morning and I had to wipe out the dew from my side mirrors on my car which I had parked outside as my wife parks her car in the porch. But somehow I woke up today with a nice feeling as I know it is a special day for me. I have my second round of interview at 2.30 p.m. with the Managing Director which I guess is a formality. So you see that's why I can't wait for the morning to fly past until lunch time and after that I can leave for the interview and hopefully get the deal signed off by today. There are so many things that is going on my head, like when I should leave my present employment and I am eager to start 2009 with a new company as I know things are not very pleasant here with the corporate war that is going on and we are being dragged in. What better way to start my morning then by listening to Baby Fa...

Patna Shabnam was stunned when her husband’s friends told her that she would be handed over to them In a story akin to the Pandavas’ tale in the epic Mahabharata, a Muslim man allegedly staked his wife in gambling after he had lost his money and possessions to some people, police said on Sunday. Mohd. Mokhtar, in his 40s, of Shekhpura town, about 150 km from here, gambled his wife Shabnam, 35, to four of his friends Friday. Ms Shabnam was stunned when her husband’s friends told her that she would be handed over to them. “They told me that Mokhtar had lost me in gambling. It frightened me,” she told the police. The men assaulted and abused her when she refused to go with them.She, along with her two minor sons, met sub-divisional police officer Rajesh Kumar and sought help. Mr Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Came across this article on Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad Edition and I just couldn't believe it. How could you gamble away your wife or an...