Nothing to do with me

The meeting between the developer and the various building sub-contractors this morning was to track and resolve out-standing building defects matters prior to handing over the units to the house buyers and has nothing to do with structural
engineering matters. My presence was not required and even the people there wondered why I had bothered to come. Scratching my head I also wonder why my boss had asked me to attend the meeting.

Cameron Highlands Holiday

Brinchang, Cameron Highlands. 4/8/2012 to 6/8/2012

Spent three wonderful days and two nights with relatives in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands. Altogether there were 9 persons in the group. Including myself the others were my wife, daughter, Nicholas, Chin, Mei, Tuck Man and his wife and daughter.

We stayed in an apartment building located on a hill in Brinchang called Parkland Apartment. From the balcony of our room we could enjoy the beautiful view of the surrounding buildings and landscape. The views in the morning at sunrise and in the evening at sunset were spectacular.

On Sat we went up the hill resort via the old Tapah road and came down on Sun by way of the Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands highway.

The most memorable vist was to the Boh plantation at Sungai Palas. From the Tea Centre at the top of the hill we could see acres and acres of rolling hills covered with tea shrubs as far as the eye can see. To get to the Tea Centre we had to drive through a narrow and winding track with many sharp hairpin bends constructed along the hill sides. At certain sections the track was so narrow that it can only accommodate one vehicle.

Over steamboat dinner on Sat we also had the opportunity to watch on a giant TV screen the exciting match between DLCW and Lin Dan for the badminton Olympic gold medal being played in London.

Monday was the last day of our stay. Before departing the hill resort we spent the morning taking pictures at the Smokehouse and later buying strawberries and vegetables at the Kea Farm farmers' market.

Winner takes all

The Olympics is upon us. In competition the winner takes all. Someone wins but many more people have to lose. That is the one thing i don't like about sports competition.

Half empty or half full?

People see only what they are prepared to see. However if we are prepared to see bad things in life it might open our eyes to good things we weren't paying attention to before.

Windows Defender alert: this might take hours!

This might take a few hours: Windows Defender alert.

This is not a joke. After running Windows Defender to detect malicious spyware on my pc for more than an hour, the spyware scanner has not even completed 50% of the full scan. Looks like I have to wait patiently for another hour if I want to view the scan results.

Fear factor

One writer wrote "The best way of dealing with fear is to admit it, and then to go ahead regardless."

During a trip to the Berkelah waterfalls near Kuantan a few years ago I literally jumped off a cliff. With climbing rope, safety harness, gloves, red helmet, rubber shoes and foolhardy bravado I rappelled down the side of a rock cliff. From the top the steep drop to the pool in the gushing water of the mountain stream below was about 12m. The scariest moment was when I was suspended and spinning in the air, hanging on precariously to dear life, with only the rope as my lifeline.

Eyes No See

SSome people have eyes that don't see or see only what they choose to see. And worse still even though they may be looking at objects their brains don't register and connect with their vision at all.

On checking the drawings I found the cause of the cracks appearing in the beam. The cracks are due to insufficient shear reinforcement in the beam. In my design calculation sheet I specified clearly with the aid of a sketch R10 links spaced at 250 mm c/c. However in the beam construction drawing the draftsman detailed R6 links spaced at 250 mm c/c. For the same spacing the difference in steel areas between R6 and R10 links is a whopping 64% deficit! I suspect the mistake is due to the common practice of draftsmen mindlessly cutting and pasting CAD drawing objects from one part of a drawing to another.

Since the building work has been completed I am now scratching my head on how to rectify the defect without demolishing and then rebuilding the beam.

Sin foods

Satay, grilled chicken wings, fried hokkien mee, iced sugar cane juice. My bloated stomach is already groaning and straining from eating so much of these hot, greasy, spicy and sweet foods. Am expecting to bear with the effects of detoxification for a few days as my stomach starts to expel the toxic payload from the digestive system.

Unsatisfactory footing construction.

The six excavations in the ground are for the construction for the footings. However though the number of footings and their depths below the surface are correct the dimension of each is different from what I had designed. I could not remember the dimension of each individual footing but looking at the size of the excavations I was sure that some of them were undersized.

Either the workers didn't read the construction drawings properly or they didn't understand the details. Maybe they didn't care at all other than just dug a hole in the ground.

I asked Chan to bring out the sketches so that I could explain to him in detail what I wanted. He said he didn't have the sketches with him as they were with his sub-contractor who was on leave.

I was thoroughly disappointed with Chan's lack of professionalism. What can you expect from a China-man type of contractor other than to keep on monitoring his performance.

"Meet me at the site tomorrow morning at 11.00am so that i can explain in detail with the sketches what is required to be done ", I told Chan matter-of-factly.

I hope that I have a spare copy of the sketches with me in my bag, otherwise I will have to ask him to meet me on Mon.

13 th Malaysia Aikido Seminar

Seeing the student struggling to remember and shape the forms of the no #2 aiki ken set as he was trying to recollect the entire set of movements in one go I asked him to copy my movements counting slowly and audibly after me and to pause briefly after each count before continuing with the next movement. 

One, two, three, four, five, six and seven! After some time when he succeeded in remembering each small incremental step from the first to the seventh count he was able to string the separate movements to complete the whole set of the seven step movements of the no #2 aiki ken. 

It also help to boost his confidence further when I asked him to copy my movements firstly as the Uketachi and secondly as the Uchitachi, also counting verbally and audibly with a brief pause in between counts before proceeding with the succeeding movement.

Broken glass pitcher

Crash!!! Disturbed by the jarring sound of glass shattering coming from the kitchen. The glass pitcher accidentally fell off the ledge and dropped down to the floor as the missus opened the cabinet door. Among the broken glass the only part that can be salvaged is the plastic cover.

Happiness

Regardless of our status and station in life everybody is entitled to happiness.

"Whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, whatever our nationality, color, social status, or ideology may be, the purpose of our lives is to be happy." - Dalai Lama

Water break

Fri 13/7/2012 13th Malaysia Aikido Seminar

A short water break after the first session ended before stepping on to the mats with our bokkens for the second session.

The cluttered mind

When the mind is cluttered and clinging to objects, clarity flies out of the window. Despite focusing intensely on the work in hand I kept making mistakes in my calculations that I had to undo repeatedly. Perhaps it is when we stop desperately wanting something that the solution arrives, often times in the briefest moment of a pause.

Cha time

My wife and I chanced upon this particular Chatime outlet located just outside the Mid Valley Convention Centre where we went to redeem Maybank treatpoints for a PLUS SMART TAG unit and other articles.

Wondering what the hype about Chatime's bubble teas that are so addictive to so many is all about I bought one large cup of tea for the two of us, just for the experience. I ordered Chatime Roasted Milk Tea with no sugar and minimum ice. 

The Chatime beverage doesn't taste a lot different from the bubble teas that you can get from other similar product establishments. One feature of this product that I like is that you can customise the sugar, ice, and pearl content of your drink to suit your personal preference when you place your order. Not sure if other bubble tea franchise give their customers such flexibility.

Moving on

"Pua chu?" (moving house in Hokkien dialect) Uncle said softly tapping my shoulders after my wife told him that the family will be moving out of Kajang to Puncak Jalil, Seri Kembangan next year. 

Did I detect a tinge of melancholy in his wizened face? 

After more than 20 years of patronising his family business almost weekly in the wet market my wife and I had become more than just a regular customer to this vegetable vendor who in his 70s is still hale and healthy though a bit hunched back.

Chukai Waterfront and stuffed crabs

Chukai Waterfront, Kemaman, Trengganu.

I first visited this place about 12 years ago on a Sunday when a contractor brought me to this picturesque town by the Kemaman river after a visit to the Pewaja Steel mill in Kemaman. It was also the first time that I visited Trengganu and ate stuffed crabs. Sitting inside the Chinese restaurant I was captivated by the idyllic and scenic view of the Kemaman river estuary on the opposite side of the road from where we were eating stuffed crabs.

The majestic view of this riverine scene was so indelibly etched in my mind that I revisited Chukai twice in 2009, the first time in April when I drove my daughter home after her last day of her uni study in UTM Kuala Trengganu, and the second time in July to attend her university convocation also in Kuala Trengganu. 
 

Father's Day celebration

On a hot Sunday afternoon five daddys decided to dine out with their family members to celebrate Father's Day

Frozen Nage

During the 5th kyu grading at MAA HQ Dojo on 10/6/2012

"Katate dori ikkyo omote!" I called out the first technique. Astonishingly while all the 5th kyu graders got into action right away one pair just stood still, unmoving. The nage had frozen in position, unable to respond to the command and he was looking at his partner with a blank stare as if his mind was somewhere far away other than in the present. Because the nage was unresponsive, the uke who was gripping nage's outstretched hand found himself locked up with nage and unable to advance.

"Katate dori ikkyo omote!" I repeated the command, this time saying more slowly and deliberately. Nothing happened. The nage remained frozen, his mind unable to connect mentally with my command, and uke was going no where.

Resisting my own impatience to shout out the command the third time and to show by action how to do the technique, I nudged the nage's shoulder sleeve gently, moved in close to his face and whispered quietly so other people couldn't hear into his ear "look at what your neighbours are doing and copy their movements ."

Nage turned left to look at the other pair, returned his sight to his own partner, paused, blinked and then as if something in his stalled mind had finally snapped stepped back with his front foot.

I was certain that the nage knows his technique but probably due to the stress of performing the test in front of so many people for the first time had temporarily lost his concentration and mental faculty. After the recovery nage was able to complete all the techniques with no more disruptions.

I imagine the pair was locked in position, remaining stationary for at least 1 minute, as if frozen stiff like ice cubes in a freezer even though the hot mid-day temperature outside the building was hovering around 35 degree C.

Anyway all the candidates have passed their kyu examinations. Congratulations and have a nice weekend. Penang candidates please have a safe journey back to your home state.

RapidKL Ampang line broke down during the evening rush hour. So had to leave my car over night in the parking lot. Then with no other option available took the KTM commuter train from KL Sentral to Kajang and from the station there called a cab. 

This is the second time in two months that the LRT has broken down during peak hours. The last time that it happened I was forced to take the KTM commuter back home. The high frequency of disruptions points to the fact that the time has come to replace the aging trains and to review the whole antiquated rail system.

Supreme happiness

After a hectic day happiness is leisurely sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying its aromatic fragrance. However for me the brew must be black, steaming hot, no sugar and cream, or nothing. It matters not whether the coffee is prepared from roasted arabica, robusta, or whatever beans.

In fact I'm partial to local coffee called kopi-o that is prepared by roasting liberical beans with a mix of margarine and sugar. Many people consider kopi-o as a poor man's drink because the liberical beans used are considered to be inferior to the arabica and robusta varieties.

The two sides of a coin

Generally we are wired to resist unpleasantness and to embrace pleasure, both the mental and the physical kinds. What is the stronger? Avoidance of pain or the pursuit of pleasure? Herein lies the human predicament. My take is that they are essentially the same thing, just different flavours, like the two sides of a coin.

TThinking out of the box

Just last Fri I felt like butting my head against a stone wall. The architectural design of the 3-level penthouse that is sitting pretty on top of a 12 storey luxury condo is so fanciful, weird and unconventional that I had no idea how to engineer, organise and arrange the structural columns and in a gesture of despair just threw my hands up in the air. Then yesterday and today after trying all sorts of structural arrangements using paper, pencil, ball pen, eraser, correction fluid, and a high-lighter I managed to develop an engineering model capable of complementing the architectural design and yet makes sense structurally. I don't know how I did it. I can only attribute it to one thing: in the not-knowing, there arises the freedom to respond appropriately to whatever the situation requires. Some people call it thinking out of the box, or whatever.

Langkawi holiday

My company sports club is organising a 3D/2N tour of Langkawi in June and a form is being passed around for those who are interest to sign up. After returning from Phuket, Thailand just 2 days ago I'm in no mood to go on another holiday so soon after.

Sound of chants, gongs and cymbals

Aware of the sound of chants, gongs and cymbals permeating the air. Taoist priests are conducting funeral rites for a family living three houses down the road from mine who had lost the head of the family due to illness. May the deceased RIP.

"Jaws" T-shirt

Donned this silly but funny "Jaws" cartoon T-shirt that I bought for some laughs just to remember my family vacation in Phuket

Phuket tour

Wed 9/5/2012. Last sip of hot cappuccino at KL LCCT before boarding the Air Asia plane to Phuket,Thailand with my family. What followed after this drink was an extraordinary adventure (eating, hiking, boating, shopping, sightseeing and walking) that awaited us upon checking in at the hotel in this Andaman Sea Thai island territory.

Happy Wesak Day 2012

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared - The Buddha

Tomorrow is Wesak Day
Happy Wesak Day to all my Buddhist friends and those who celebrate this occasion.

May all beings be happy and be free from sufferings

Bersih 3.0 428, the yellow tide

Kajang KTM station. Big crowd of people already
waiting for the train to arrive

28/4/2012. 10.30am. Kajang KTM Station. That was where I embarked on my solo journey to KL. Earlier I had parked my car beside some shops and from there walked the 1/2 km to the railway station. By the time I stepped into the station I noticed a large crowd of Bersih supporters had already gathered on Platform 2 waiting for the train to arrive from Seremban. Most of them were wearing the bright yellow colour Bersih T-shirts.

KL Sentral. People taking the escalator to Level 1

12.00pm. After 1-1/2 hours the train finally arrived at KL Sentral after leaving the Kajang Station. The train took so long because at each halt it had to wait longer than the scheduled time for the commuters to get on board. It took on more and more people as it stopped at each station. Packed like sardines with only standing space available I was glad that the train's air-cond system was working. After exiting from the coach I joined the hundreds of commuters to ride the escalators to level 1. After exiting from the KTM station I then rode up another flight of escalator to level 2 where the Kelana RapidKL LRT was to take me to my final destination- Pasar Seni Station.

The crowd at the entrance to the Pasar Seni
LRT Station

12.45pm. Pasar Seni Station. I saw a small group of people gathered around a circle clapping hands, cheering and busy snapping pictures. Moving closer I saw a frail and tired-looking looking old man standing on the floor flanked by two policemen, one on each side. With his flowing white hair and beard I immediately recognised the man as the national laureate Datuk A Samad Said and Bersih co-chairman. Even though it was the first time that I saw him in person he came across as a distinguished intellectual of great dignity and integrity. Then as I descended the escalator to the ground floor I was immediately overwhelmed by the sight of huge crowds of people, young and old, very multi-racial already gathered on the terrace. It was like a culture shock to me because for a very time I had not seen so many Malays, Chinese, Indians and other Malaysian interacting so easy going and harmoniously in one place with one another.

Carnival time. People enjoying each other's
company and just happy to be together

In the distance I saw some yellow balloons floating in the air and people singing Bersih and other patriotic songs and also clapping hands in an air of festivity. I liked what I saw and started to walk slowly and leisurely in the direction of Central Market. While walking I took in the colourful sights and signs of all the activities happening around me. People were every where, and seemed to occupy every nook and corner, eg on the road pavement, five-foot ways, under the shade of trees, shop fronts, planter boxes, etc. I saw all shades of people, young men and women, mothers and fathers, kids, aunties and uncles, pak cik and mak cik, as if the whole cross section of Malaysia was present on this day.

I saw Aunty Bersih from a distance but due to the crowd around her entourage busy shaking her hands and snapping pictures, I was enable to get near enough for a closer look of the this spirited senior citizen.

I saw a line of policemen standing in the middle of the roads linking hands as if to form a human chain. Nobody seemed to pay them any attention as the people just moved around them. I also didn't see nor hear anyone provoking them in abusive languages and gestures.

Street vendors especially those selling snacks and drinks were doing roaring business. Fast food outlets like McDonalds and Buger King and mamak shops were also filled with people having their meals. People were queuing up and paying for their purchases and I didn't see any sort of public disorder.

My impression was that there were more people going out to rally in Bersih 3.0 than Bersih 2.0. The place was so packed with people that I could not see from one end of the street to to other. And compared to Bersih 2.0 the Bersih 3.0 crowd was definitely more multi-racial in character.

In this atmosphere of open friendliness complete strangers warmed up with each other, each with an interesting story to tell. An Indian man from Brickfields who sat next to me while I was resting shared with me his story of how his family narrowly escaped death during May 13. A pak cik who had traveled by bus from Trengganu the night before came over to shake my hands. In his thick Trengganu Malay dialect he greeted me "Selamat Bersih!" Then there was this Chinese guy, a Christian pastor and a Bersih 2.0 veteran who kept on talking about God to me and at the same time repeatedly sang the Bersih song and Negara Ku. I saw so much goodwill all round that cuts across racial lines and although I was attending the rally alone I felt like I was part of the family of Malaysians.

Starting to march towards Dataran Merdeka

2.00pm. Somebody gave the green light to march. All the marchers then started to walk towards the direction of Dataran Merdeka. The pace was exceeding slow as the people ahead blocked those behind from moving forward and the marchers had to break their march with short periods of rests. However even in the scorching sun nobody was complaining, as there were high spirits all round.

In the meantime people started to chant "Bersih!, Hidup Rakyat!" etc and sang Bersih songs and Negara Ku. Some people waved banners and the state and national flags. As if on cue and without much probing the Malay, Chinese, Indian and other Malaysian marchers sang and clapped together in unison. Generally the atmosphere was more like a carnival rather than a rally for clean and fair election.

Duduk bantah

2.30pm. Sitting down to protest near the HSBC building in Lebuh Ampang. That was as far as I could go. There were just so many people ahead that blocked the marchers' path that it was impossible to go any further. So we all then sat down on the road pavement to start the peaceful protest. By that time I was exhausted from standing too long and the effect of the scorching sun, thirsty and hungry. I managed to find a tiny spot along a side lane under the shade of a tall building to sit down.

After resting and replenishing my strength with water and biscuit cream crackers, I then got up to walk towards the direction of Masjid Jamek Station. I went as far as Burger King beside the LRT station at Masjid Jamek.. Unable to go anymore because of the huge crowd ahead I decided Burger King was as far as I could go.

3.00pm. Masjid Jamek Station. I decided that it was time that I should go back to Kajang. Then just as I was about to retrace my step back to the Pasar Seni Station, I heard a great commotion. I saw a few people brought in a young Chinese girl who was in great pain with her two legs badly cut. I saw some PAS unit amal and Bersih volunteers applying bandages to temporary brace her bloodied legs and heard them calling out for volunteers to send her to hospital. I heard her friend telling the people that somebody stepped on her in a stampede after the police had started to fire tear gas on the rally protesters.

Terrified children crying after inhaling the tear gas

3.30pm. I saw a thick cloud of smoke hovering above the Masjid Jamek Station and people shouting and running helter skelter everywhere. I knew the tear gas attack had started and I was already experiencing some pain and tears started to flow out of my eyes. It was time to leave and together with other folks started to walk calmly away from the station towards the direction of Pasar Seni Station.

When I was walking along Jalan Benteng I heard a series of loud clak-clak sound. From my position I saw that the FRU who had occupied the bridge along Lebur Pasar Besar had  started to fire tear gas and water cannons at the protestors. Together with other people I began to run towards the direction of Jalan Sultan. By this time I was already coughing and rubbing my eyes due to the tear gas. Then on my right flank I saw that the FRU troops were closing in and coming towards my direction.

"Jangan panik! Tenang! Tiada bahaya!" Out of no where a Malay youth appeared  on the street and gestured with his hands for us to follow him. He took us through some side lanes until we reached the safety of Jalan Sultan.

Why fleeing the tear gas assault I witnessed many random acts of courage and kindness. Some people passed out salt to the tear gas victims and also water to wash their faces. The boss of a  restaurant that was still operating allowed the fleeing people to use its sink and running water to wash their eyes. Some people stopped to help a Malay mother to calm and comfort her two terrified and crying children with water and also offered them salt.

4.30pm. Arrived at Pasar Seni LRT Station. Many people had already gathered there waiting to get into the boarding platform. Luckily the management did not shut down the train service though the shutters were rolled down leaving only a small passageway for people to access.

6.00 pm. KTM station Kajang. Tired and walking with a limp from the station to the car. My right heel was aching from all the stress of walking and standing for hours on the hard road pavement. Wearing the black and soft kung fu shoes with thin soles for comfort it was almost like walking bare foot all day long. 

Although exhausted from the ordeal I was glad to be home and felt my spirits invigorated because on that day I witnessed and experienced in the easy mingling of people, the random acts of kindness and courage shown by rally participants and people from all the various ethnic groups of the nation marching shoulder to shoulder in solidarity the real 1 Malaysia. 


Hidup Rakyat
Hidup Bersih

Unstoppable sea of yellow. Hidup Rakyat. Hidup Bersih

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.