Monster Toshiba TV set

Finally, after 3 days of searching for spare parts the defective volume control of the TV set was finally replaced and the damaged electronics fixed. Cost of the repair RM130.00. Still cheaper than buying a new set. The ancient Toshiba unit is so bulky and heavy that it took 2 men to carry it into the living room and to reinstate it on the cabinet.

A few years ago I sprained my back after carrying this monster of a TV by myself to the TV repair shop. It took about a month for the back injury to heal.

Impatient caller

You can tell from the way people ask you questions whether they are serious or not in wanting to learn anything.

Impatient Caller: Is there a dojo in Bangsar area?
Me: No. We don't have a dojo in Bangsar.
Impatient Caller: You have dojos in Cheras and Brickfield areas right? (he already knew and self-answered his own question faster than I could open my mouth)
Me: Yes. Our nearest dojo to Bangsar is in Brickfields (trying to be helpful by providing factual information)
Impatient Caller:I'm a beginner and I want to learn Aikido
Me: OK. Fine . You are welcomed.
Impatient Caller:As a beginner how fast can I do bokken work?

Impatient Caller represents the typical me generation. Always want quick fixes and instant gratifications instead of investing the time and effort needed in seeking knowledge.

Catching the morning Air Asia flight to Macau from KL LCCT

Thur 5.30am. KL LCCT international departure lounge. Sending my son and his girlfriend off for their holidays in Macau. Even at such an early hour the airport was a hive of human and commercial activities.

Air Asia is actively promoting self check-in as evident by the presence of so many self-check signage and kiosks around the terminal with a corresponding reduction in the number of manual check-in counters. I saw many weary travelers sleeping on the benches. Some even slept on the floor beside their luggage.

Ahhh choo!

The company doctor gave me a sick chit for the day off from work. I am recuperating at home from a bout of flu which got worse after I was soaked with rainwater this morning.

The medicines for flu upset my stomach. The cleansing kicked in after one hour of swallowing the medicines. However, I felt much better and energised after emptying my bowels of toxins. At 1.30pm I was well enough to eat porridge for my lunch. By 5.00pm I felt that I was about 90% recovered.

Giant clam shell in the sky

Ihear the incessant buzz of a roaring engine overhead. Curious I look skywards. In the distance I see a suited man in his motorised para-glider flying about above the roof line in the sky. Superimposed against a blue and white background the bright orange-yellow coloured chute looks like a giant clam shell in the clear sky.

Good weather, clear sky, breezy, lots of fresh air, little white clouds floating in the sky. It's a great day to fly.

Martin Yan's " True Passion" an Asian cooking show now on air at Astro AFC channel. Haven't seen Martin Yan's show since "Yan Can Cook" aired in 1982. Although he looks aged and a bit rounder at the waist he has not lost his trademark subtle humour and wisecracks of his old "Yan Can Cook" show. Still as passionate as ever about Chinese cooking and cuisine.

Coklat

Coklat..

This brown and white beauty is the most friendly street dog that I have ever encountered. He seems to like to be around humans and have absolutely no fear of them or even malice toward humans. I have seen him hanging out with children and even allows them to pat him on his brown and white furry body.

Whenever he sees me he would just come over wagging his tails, playfully running around me in circles as if to say Hi! I have never heard him barked at me even once before, and because of that I sometimes wonder if he is speech-impaired.

This morning when I went to collect my car he came over as usual and even stood motionless in a cooperative posture to pose for pictures. In the picture below you can see that he was actually peering into the lens of my camera phone.

I don't know where he came from but I noticed him hanging around the street where I live since two months ago. He doesn't appear to have a master but I see him sleeping in one of the corner houses rented by an Indian family. I don't know if he has a name. Since he has a elegantly slim body like a sausage and neat and tidy brown and white fur I will name him "Coklat" or brown colour in Bahasa Malaysia.

Hi "Coklat" I'm very pleased to meet you.

Last night in the dimly lit street and under a slight drizzle together with your other doggy pals I was overjoyed to hear you barked for the first time. That means you are not speech-impaired as what I had assumed.

Have a nice day moving around with your other doggy pals "Coklat."

A sore thumb...

I used to think that "a sore thumb" is just a figure of speech. Now I know that there is such a physical ailment called sore thumb. Due to unknown causes my inflamed left thumb has become swollen and it's quite painful. I'm hoping that after the finger pressure massage with traditional Chinese herbal ointment and a good night's sleep the swelling will be gone by tomorrow morning.

Superfood sweet potatoes

Steamed sweet potatoes...
My wife steamed some Japanese potatoes which she bought from the store last night for a mid-day snack. Due to its high fibre content I already felt full after taking only two small portions. The plain looking sweet potato is a root vegetable that is considered a super health food because:
*it is rich in carotenes, and an excellent source of vitamins C, B2, B6, E and biotin (B7).
*a good source of potassium, manganese, folate (folic acid), copper and iron.
*it is rich in dietary fibre and anti-oxidant properties
*acts as a agent for regulating blood sugar level
*it's high foliate content is good for fetal cell and tissue development
*it strengthens the body's immune system & develops resistance to infection
*it's high potassium content helps to prevent heart disease and stroke and also muscular cramps
*due to its high fibre content helps to promote a healthy digestive track, relief constipation and helps to prevent colon cancer.

I hear stories from the elders that during the difficult war years of the Japanese occupation of the then Malaya when food was scare and strictly rationed people in the rural area ate the humble sweet potatoes that they plant for subsistence.

The morning after

What I binged on and stuffed myself full with rich food last night at a Japanese buffet restaurant:sushi, sashimi, tempura, soba, tepanyaki, dim sum, and an assortment of local and western style cuisines, all loaded with artery-clogging fats and and calories.

My breakfast this morning : a cup of coffee, some cream crackers and a half-boiled egg. Plain food that is light on the digestive system is my everyday preferred eating style, that is in synch with a simple and unassuming lifestyle

Shogun, a Japanese buffet restaurant in 1-U.
Dining with family members. The menu and the range of food are not much different from the first time I ate here with some fiends in 2010. I saw many senior citizens eating with their family members. Senior citizens get 50% discount off from the regular price.

Icouldn't detect any rotten potatoes in the pile. The whole stock of sweet potatoes looks fresh and edible to me. However my wife still insisted on hand picking the tubers to her most exacting specification.

Is observing Qing Ming just putting on a show?

Listening to a radio talk show.

One listener who questioned the purpose of Qing Ming claimed that most people who pray to their deceased parents on Qing Ming day were just putting on a show of filial piety to make up for their mistreatment of their parents when they were alive.

On the other hand I feel that the majority of the people who observe the annual Qing Ming festival do treat their parents well when they were alive and remembering them on Qing Ming day are their way of showing deep respect and gratitude to the unconditional love and guidance that they had received from their parents through the years.

Every time when I visit my deceased parents' tomb on Qing Ming day I have this sense that I am reconnecting with them in spirit though they are no longer in this world.

Qing Ming Festival in Ipoh

The weather is fine, no showers. The windy breeze provides some relief from the morning sun. Family members swept, cleaned and offered prayers to remember and honour our ancestors at my grand parents and parents' tombs.

The fading inscriptions in the tombstones proclaim that my ancestors originated from a county-level city known as Sihui in Guangdong Province China.

I still remember when I was a kid my grandmother who was still alive at that time told me that the first generation came to the then Malaya by junk to settle in Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai, Pulau Pinang. To this day I believe my first generation great grand parents' tombs are still in Nibong Tebal.