Paying more for Branded Goods

This guy is realising the folly. Clicky

The graph shows how much more people pay for branded goods compared with unbranded goods that is of the same usage and quality. We are being fooled by prestige of brands.

Eat Well and Eat Right!

Health is important and nutrition plays a very crucial part. Well read this article lah.

Chance Meeting?

Did not know Bill was in town. It was the right time for me. This snatched meeting confirms something. Nothing happens by chance! Thank God for that.
















Now I can run with more confidence. Now I know I heard correctly.

Eat and Grow Slim!

This article suggests you can do it! Just accept your body shape, eat when hungry, stop when you feel full. See it is easy. Why all the agony of severe diet?

erm looks like I have blog on this title before but on a diiferent research.

The Rich and Powerful

There is no difference from the poor and ordinary folks. The rich and the powerful also suffers from fatal illness. Money and power cannot bring health nor prevent diseases. One might think that they have the means and access to the best medical prevention and cure, but apparently not! They too are overcame by incurable disease at a relatively young age. Makes me thankful for health.

However, my condolence to the bereaved though they do not know me from Adam.

Better to talk?

Or stew in anger over sensitive issues?

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/26/nation/14951573&sec=nation

Our wise leader decide it is better to stew... I am not sure. If we don't talk, emotions might explode. Better to express and find ways forward now than to explode out of control later.

Silly Question

Once I was shitting my guts out loudly ... prbbbbtttthhhh in the toilet.
My wife asked,"is that you dear?"

What was I to answer in my pain?

"Yes honey" or "No, it is my oesophagus!"

Ah common sense

It is ok to carry photocopy of IC now. That is common sense. Hope the news is correct.

What's new?

Nothing really! Nothing new under the sun with political intrigues, football or lack of it (world cup was a non event). Now ieth wars & rumours of war, earthquakes and strange weathers. What on earth is going on? Clueless unless one believe that history is His Story with a beginning and an end.

It's Over

Er, the football world cup. I hardly watched more than a few live games. So Italy won when I slept. Zidane ended his career with ared, when the red mist descended. Penalty shoot out! Anything else? hmmmmmm

It is the Pitch!

A poor carpenter blames the tools.
What does a poor football team blame?

First it is the heat....
(as if the heat does not affect the other team!)

Now it is... wait for it, the pitch
(as if the other team plays on a different pitch!)

Next? The ball? The Stadium? The Country? The Air? The Food?

Why not themselves or the coach?

EGGsxackerley!

I love eggs.



Sunny side up.


Anyhow you do it. I love it. Always have been.



Plain ommellete.


But they say it is unhealthy! Hambug.


Now that hogwash it is proven wrong.

Good news indeed.

For moi. :D












Soldiers and half-boiled.


Now for an EGGstra helping or two!

Blame the heat

If England is a hot favourite, they have melted in the heat. What a boring 1-0 win, no heart, no tactics and no clue. They blame their lethargy on the heat! If is that hot, how come Paraguay plays better in the second half with so much more energy than England!

The hype is beginning to hound them. If England was tipped to win this cup, then there is hope for all the lesser teams!

Football Fever

So Germany won 4-2. They used to be so efficiently boring. Now under their former striking legend as a coach, they are more attacking minded. Should be good to watch. But I fell asleep before half time. Germany not my team. Thats why.

All the tiredness due to construction in progress? Check it out.

Another Come-Back Miracle!

Liverpool won the FA Cup final from another heart-stopping comeback and penalty shoot-out. Have mercy! How long will the old ticker tahan? :D

What a game of 3-3, and what a fantastic 2 goals from Gerrard, the skipper. YNWA!

See photos

Construction Update

for more photos go here

Election by the majority will not benefit the majority?

Do you believe in what politicians are really saying or do they think we are really stupid? Go figure!

This politician said that election will only be good if it benefits the majority!

What the heck! If a democratic election is held, only the majority decision is the decision that the majority hopes will beneift them! Or do politicians think that the people cannot elect the right person to represent them?

Just cannot believe in what I read!

Good Food, Good Sex and Good Marriage?

Er, just in case you label me as a male chuavinist pig, that is not my opinion it is an opinion of a woman, not any ordinary woman but a top politician.

If that is the basis of a marriage, why would a male bother to keep the relationship going? For good food and good sex? If that is the case, once the food and sex runs sour, what is there to stop a man from running to another who can provide the same, or worse what is there to stop the man from going to a restaurant and than a prostitute, if that is all that will satisfy a man.

I find this degrading for woman. And insulting for man.

I believe the basis for a good marriage is a strong relationship based on mutual love and respect, sacrificial care and giving by both parties, and commitment to God and to each other. Once this is in place, whether the food and sex is good or not, the relationship will continue to flourish. But then once it is flourishing, the food will be good one way or another, and definitely the sex will become great. That is my experience.

This is what the good book say about marriage:

Eph 5:33 But every husband must love his wife as he loves himself, and wives should respect their husbands.

Another World Record For Malaysia

Malaysia has a fondness for breaking world record in the mundane stuff, like the largest flag, tallest flag pole, and tallest building (until last year that is).

This must be the new world record in a telephone bill! 800 trillion ringgit! I cannot work out how much is a billion, let alone a trillion. 800 trillion must be worth at least 8,000 years of our GNP (Gross national products).

Lets work out the sum, I think our GNP is about 100 billion ringgit per year. Now 1 trillion is 1000 billion, so 800 trillion must be 800,000 billion ringgit that works out to be 8,000 years worth of our GNP!

The US economy GNP is only 60 trillion US$ and that comes to less than 240 trillion ringgit. How can a telephone bill come out to be more than 3 times the US economy?

This bill is definitely a world record, for a telephone bill or even if it is a mistake, it is a world record mistake! Be proud Malaysians :) be very proud about this latest achievement. :D

Sunnis and Shias

Daily now we read of human bombs in the Middle East. It is however Sunni Muslim human bombers targeting against the Shia Muslims. What is going on? I am a bit confused and more than a bit concerned over what human can do to human.

I have a little read about the affairs of things.

This article put the history of the enmity between two groups.


I hesitate to call it religious violence because I do not know enough. If it is, how can one group of believers of the same faith murder another group from the same faith? The same can be said about the Northern Ireland violence. It is called sectarian violence. But is it as simple as that? I am not sure.

I think human beings are by nature sinful. We cannot help ourselves. Religious deeds cannot save us from ourselves. Our emotions are too volatile. We carry too much historical baggage with cultural differnce in human realtionship. Any of this can spark a fire that will burn out the human tinder wood of history.

That is why I believe we need a Saviour to save us from ourselves. That is why I believe in Jesus. He did not create an empire, an army or an institution. He did the opposite and sacrificed himself for our sins.
What a man, what a Saviour!

Laugh or Cry?

You tell me. I dunno.

Judas the Hero?

News and more news are reporting that there is a fourth century manuscript purported copied from an even earlier manuscript that is written by Judas, suggesting that Judas did not betray Jesus but was only acting on Jesus' instruction, thereby fulfilling Old Testament prophecies of crucifixion and resurrection.

Is this plausible and how would it affect our faith? Well this is a background of this document from a non-Christian source. Here is more.

Since the document is based on an earlier manuscripts described as Gnostic, an early sect that was proclaimed as heretical by early Christian leaders, the surfacing of this document will have no impact on the Christian faith whatsoever because the battle had been waged as early as 180 AD. The letters of John deals with Gnosticism. Read it and get a feel of what the Gnostics believe in. Ask the questions in why did Apostle John write the 3 letters to get a feel of the battle for our faith which has stood for 20 centuries.

Piggy backing on the popularity of the Da Vinci Code infamy, the Gospel of Judas will only bring us to examine our faith and see that it is based on unshakeable historical facts. The fact that millions of dollars have exchanged hands in obtaining this document further indicates that publicity is now being generated to garner as much income as possible from this controversy.

Here are some reactions: here, here, here, here, here, here

I find this good: link

tag: Christianity

Icy Logic

Some people just want a scientific explanation for everything.

Try explaining Jesus walking on water? This guy says he was walking on ice!

Incredible, but would not accepting that it was a miracle easier? What is the chance of ice forming at precisely the moment Jesus walked on that particular patch of water? Not forgetting that Peter and gang were on a boat and Peter did tried to walk on the same batch of water as well but sank!

This proved for me, that Jesus was in control of the elements and weather.

tag: Jesus

Soul for Sale

It is not April Fool but apparently a Chinese tried to auction off his soul. This news item comes from a reliable and internationally renown source.

How much is your soul? For me it is so valuable that Jesus Christ died in order to redeem it for us. It is the most valuable thing in the universe that money cannot buy!

Spas Germinates Bacteria?

Spas are found to encourage infectious disease bearing bacteria!

Just when we need a long relaxing soothing bath to calm our jangled nerves! So will the power shower be next?

Throw away your bi-focals!

This prototype makes bi-focals or even multi/vari-focals redundant. But the fashion moguls need to work at it before it will be received with any enthusiasim by the consumers, unless you want to look nerdy and be a geek!

more here and here

Zocor Going Generic

This is good news for those who suffers from high cholesterol. The world's No. 2 cholesterol-lowering medicine, loses its patent protection in June, opening the door for inexpensive generic copies that could ultimately save consumers billions of dollars.

Generic medicine is every bit as good and effective as the branded ones. For example, paracetamol is the generic form of Panadol. Equally effective but at one tenth of the price!

"A generic drug (pl. generic drugs, short: generics) is a drug which is bioequivalent to a brand name drug with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, but is normally sold for a lower price. Generic medicines must contain the same active ingredient at the same strength as the "innovator" brand, be bioequivalent, and are required to meet the same pharmacopoeial requirements for the preparation. By extension, therefore, generics are identical in dose, strength, route of administration, safety, efficacy, and intended use." wikipedia.

So for all you cholesterol watchers, it is good news. Whatever you are paying for Zocor or Lipidor, you will save money if you go for the generic one when it hits the market in June.

Da Vinci Code Controversy

So the divine Jesus and infallible Word emerged out of a fourth-century power-play (duing the time of Constantine)?

That is the core of all the hoo-hahs in 'The Da Vinci code' book. Dan Brown claimed that he based his book on history, but the so called history is extremely thin on facts and doubly thick on imaginations. Dan Brown's book is fiction that is based on dubious theories. So just treat it as a good conspiracy fiction, not a historical based treaty on church history.

The followings are various sites that discuss the issues, from scholarly to common sense. Within the pages are further links for more studies. Go and Click here, here, here, here and here. Not enough? Go do your own research.

Know the truth and the truth will set you free. Free from fear and fictions that intends to destroy truth.

more site: here

Prayer Heals?

No! I agree with the results of this findings.

Prayers do not heal, only Jesus heals. There is a difference in prayers with faith and prayers without faith. Faith of those who pray and those who receive prayers.

Faith in itself does not heal. It is Jesus who heals.

So we look to Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. He healed, is healing and will continue to heal.

Fee for Petrol Subsidy?

RM20 may be charged on Singaporean and Thai cars entering Malaysia. Will this help on subsidy cost or will it stop tourist coming from our neighbours? What is the net income or loss?

Fee?

Over the Top?

Now everyone's sensitivities and feelings are being hurt!
What is the solution?











HOW RIDICULOUS!

What an insult!

It is an insult to our intelligience and common sense.

Some cartoons (if you are easily offended, please don't go surf the net for it) created calamity, confusion and casualties! It also caused deaths!

The West is not consistent in its free speech and being responsible while part of the Islamic world has gone over the top in reactions.

Where will it lead us?

--- addendum

aisehman.org presents a malaysian muslim viewpoint and found this cartoon reasonable...

it has very fine reasoning but...will hotheads from both side agree?
it does not matter how fine the reasoning when blinkered and violent people does not reason... and yet, i still beileve, that the pen is mightier than the sword, in the long haul.

Hotel California?

'Relax' said the nightman, We are programed to recieve.
You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave

---

Does this not remind you of what is happening to those who chose to convert for whatever reason into Islam? I pity those who did not convert but is born into it. They can never leave!

Construction Site

I have created a construction site for those who are interested in the progress of our new home. Go there, as more pictures can be posted.

This blog will continue to exist for the occasional ramblings on matters that interest me and when time permits. Cheers

Called Off

No leh, not the construction on the house
but the vigil regarding the funeral that caused so much anxiety.

Read this for some further thoughts.

2nd Day

2nd Day sees the lower level platform earth work being prepared and quite a few old trees have to give way for the piling and construction work to be carried out. Don,t worry, there are plenty more on the land below.


The view from the bottom in June 05

Now with some of the trees making way.

Just one day

This was in the morning when the earth was still about 3 feet above road level

Within a day the top level has been cleared!

When it moves, it moves.

Now the lower level earth platform need to be set up so that the surveyors can mark the piling points. Should be completed next week and piling done before Chinese New Year, hopefully!

Starting At Last!

I started this blog way back in June 05 to let some friends know about our new house being built on our land. That was six months ago.






Now at long last earthwork on the land has begun. Haiya (sigh)... blame the delay on the engineers, contractors and rain over the period.





Nevermind at last it has started.










Watch this space for updates! :D

Funeral for the living

Funerals are for the living not the dead. The dead is just a body, it knows nothing, feels nothing and sees nothing. The dead is but a memory in the hearts and minds of the living and funerals are for the sake of the living to help them grieve properly.

Whether you are an atheist or a believer that we are more than a physical being, that fact remains.

For an atheist, it does not matter two hoots what we do with the body when one draws the last breath. A life becomes dust and nothing!

For a believer in the judeo-christian-islamic strand, there is the soul which will not die . The Eastern beliefs with roots in Hinduism, Buddhism and Chinese traditional beliefs, too has a belief of a soul.

What happens to the soul depends on what you believe in.

So why is there such a big hoohah about one funeral that caused so much anxieties in Malaysia? Legally it caused so much contention because the living has no right to a dead body and has no recourse to a rule of law, whether it is flawed or not! Will justice be served under such a system?

The authorities might now have the right to the body under the much debated constitution vs syariah system, but did it have the right for the soul?

The payment of RM100,000 and posthumous promotion for the deceased might be 10 silver coins to salve the conscience of the authorities but it is no recompense to the agony of the widow who was not allowed to grieve in a proper manner.

Afterall, funerals are for the living.

Look here, here, and here for a wider context, debates and background information.

addendum
more links : this one discuss conversions with further links regarding issues on conversion in and out of islam.

This article talks about the state of mind of the deceased.

Latest
from christain perspective

Magnetic Cures?

I have a thing about much hyped cures, not that I totally trust western medicine either but when multi-leveled, complementary therapy and medicines are pushed into your face, I tend to react.... so there, check this out when some one pushes magnets and claimed that it will cure ailments from arthritis to cancer.

Too good to be true right?

Detox?

Do you try to detox after all the excess of the season?

Don't bother!


It is a waste of time and money! So says this BBC report : click

School reopens

Back to the routine...
tearful first time children to school,




early morning traffic jams,













and anxious parents over all things about their children's schooling!











How do we as parents cope with this annual event?

Argggggghhhhhhhh

It is amazing how God gave us the patience and ability to overcome them and we are more than conquerors! Yeah










Rom 8:35 What will separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or violent death separate us from his love?
Rom 8:36 As Scripture says: "We are being killed all day long because of you. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered."
Rom 8:37 The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties.
Rom 8:38 I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can't be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces
Rom 8:39 or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation.

New Year - New Look

Yup, look unto God!

from an email:

"Look unto Me." Isa 45 : 22A

NEW YEAR'S morning opens upon us, and we are still exposed to sorrow, Satan, and disappointment; sin lives in us; and athousand things are ready to distress us; but our God says,"LOOK UNTO ME."Look unto Me as the source of happiness, the giver of grace, and your Friend. Look unto Me in every trial, for all you want, and in every place.

Look unto Me TODAY, I have blessings to bestow.I am waiting to be gracious. I am your Father in Jesus.Believe that I am deeply interested in your present and eternal welfare; that all I have promised, I will perform; that I am withyou, purposely to bless you. I cannot be unconcerned about anything that affects you; and I pledge Myself to make all thingswork together for your good.

You have looked to self, to others,in times past; but you have only met with trouble and disappointment; now look unto Me ALONE, to Me FOR ALL.

Lift up the eye and the heart to Me today, and every day throughout the year; and walk before Me in peace and holiness.Prove Me hereby, if I will not thus make you holy, useful, and happy; try Me, and find My word of promise true; true to the very letter.

Look to Him, till His mighty love
Thy every thought control;
Its vast, constraining influence prove,
O'er body, spirit, soul.

Peter Crouch - An Unlikely Football Player

Liverpool Football Club's recent decent run in the EPL is due to great team work and Peter Crouch's fine link work has contributed to some scoring. But he is 6' 7" of a bean pole, an unlikely footballer as one can imagine! He has been given plenty of sticks in his short career. Click the link and see, its hilarious! :p

Look at him, scrawnily thin and awkward in appearance! A kick might just break him into two!

But he has been good so LFC need to urgently put him on a beefing up regime, diet and gym work should do the trick no? Just imagine him like this....














Frightening prospect to the opponents isn't it? :D

How can?

This must be on of the the biggest con in Corporate Malaysia! Check this out!

Proton sold investment Euro 70 mil for only Euro 1 (yes 1, satu, yit) after only one year! Who was the consultant who advised the investment? Where was the due diligence? I know the CEO was sacked, but is he liable.

I am not an investor in this company but through the Government's share, I am indirectly interested. Will shareholders sue?

Christmas/Boxing Day

All the gifts have been unwrapped and all the food (whatever we managed to eat) has been eaten. It has been ages since I update as busy has been my middle name, what with a few travels overseas in the last 2 months!

Anyway, have a Blessed Christmas (hey there are suppose to be 12 days of it) and a New Year full of hope!

Baby Escapes Train Death

Saw this news in the BBC. I thought sub-way trains have sensors when doors are not closed and the train cannot move! It was scary!

Sorry cannot link direct to the video,
look for the video story at the page,
hopefully it will not be displaced. It is sobering....

---

latest edit... the link no longer show the video...
too bad, it was frighthening to watch a woman
trying to push a baby pram into the subway train
as it was closing and the pram was stuck with baby
and woman outside. The train began to move!
Baby still in chair, woman frantically tried to get baby out,
another woman came and help and managed to release baby
who was thrown onto floor
but mother was stuck with pram and train continue to move....
with woman trapped and being pushed on the platform
apparently to her death but the train stopped just in time!
Phew...

Half Century at the Great Wall

Just celebrated my 50th birthday
at the Great Wall of China
and survived!
My lover
(Beijingers call their wives Ai-Ren)
and I chose an adventurous 10 km hike
at the not so touristy part
of the Great wall.
It is not the easy sight-seeing option,
but it was simply fantastic.




The reward
for the
challenging
5-hour hike
was a Beijing Duck dinner in Beijing
at the end
of the day!










50 years comes only once in a lifetime, afterall ... :D

Overall Beijing is a nice place for a visit. Food is good,
price is reasonable and affordable for Malaysians,
and shopping can be a bargain if you know how.

For more detail click wife's blog

Laughter means less medical insurance premium cost

It's official! A private health insurance firm has named the top ten comedy programmes that will prevent viewers from having to use its policies.

But this list of comedies are for old folks! Young people have no idea what those programmes are! Check it out!

Another Disaster

Suddenly the number of disasters seem to have increased. Tsunami, typhoon and now an 7.8 scale tremor earthquake.

4 millions made homeless and death estimated from 20,000 to 40,000 ! Can we get immuned to sufferings and get sympathy fatigue from too much TV and news report?

Pray not! Help in whatever way we can be it a prayer or make a donation to red cross or worldvision. or christian-aid.

Death of a Comedian

Ronnie Barker died yesterday in the UK . More reports here, here and here : He gave us such Laugh lines....


* 'The toilets at a local police station have been stolen. Police say they have nothing to go on'

* PISMRONUNCIATION: 'So you see how dickyfelt it is. But help is at hand. A new society has been formed by our mumblers to help each other in times of excream ices. It is balled Pismronouncers Unanimous, and anyone can ball them up on the smellyphone any time of the day or note, twenty four flowers a spray, seven stays a creek, and they will come round and get drunk with you'

RIP Ronnie

Sub-$US 100 laptop?

Is a US$100 laptop too good to be true? What's more, it does not need batteries!

Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs, has been outlining designs for a sub-$100 PC. Here is the news.

This is indeed good news for many 3rd world countries (Malaysia included) as most people are still outside the information revolution due to lack of access to computers and the internet.

Prohibitive cost is the main reason for many Malaysians not to be able to tap in. At aroun RM380, it may still be outside the affordability of many still, especially those in the lower income group and in the rural districts.

Lets hope this breakthrough will be soon.

120 Mile Traffic Jam!

Only panic could cause that ! And fear....

With the hind sight of Katrina, Rita is causing immense anxiety.

Imagine the cost in terms of time lost and real cost of petrol, which is also going up and down because of Rita .

New Orleans was low lying and below sea level but is Houston geographically similar so much so that it warrant the call for evacuation?

Pain

We all experience physical pain.

My foot and my wife's chest.

We cannot ignore pain. It screams at us.

We need to learn how to handle pain wisely.

What is the pain telling us?

Jesus also suffered the agony of pain.

"No pain, no palm;

no thorns, no throne;

no gall, no glory;

no cross, no crown."

~ William Penn (1644-1718) English Quaker & political activist

Eat and Grow Slim!

This is the latest findings!

Don't now go and rush out to indulge, it is not this type of break fast!

But this kind!

Before you get your hopes too high, a word of caution!

The research is funded by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) funded the study, with support from General Mills, the cereal manufacturer.

A bout of gout?

For the whole of last week, my right heel/ankle gave me a sharp pain each time I walk. It was a sudden onset. I did not see a doctor and there were quite a few possible reasons. Gout was the top reason offered.

But my pain does not fit the symptoms completely as it was only painful at certain angle. Nor was there any swelling! So I doubt it was gout!

So I became like Quasimodo, hobbling about! No not quite as ugly but hobbled I did! Nor did I develop a hump back!

A reminder from God that we cannot simply rush about doing things 100% all out without adequate rest? So it was enforced slowing down for the week and now I have more or less recovered 80%. Less pain lah as I walk, and able to walk a bit faster, albeit hobbling a bit still.

Vulnerable

Sometimes we delude ourselves. People who lives in a first world infrastructure like USA often forget they are just as vulnerable as the rest of us. What is worse is that there is a false sense of security in technology. The false expectations that with everything that money can buy, any disaster can be averted or even when hit will be overcame quickly.

The rest of the world thought so too. That's why so little help is offered and whatever help initially offered was 'politely' turned down by President Bush. I think he would have laughed at the pittance of international offer to almighty USA. Little did he know the extent of devastation.

The lesson of Katrina is that we cannot take anything for granted. We are all equally vulnerable.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Matthew 5:44-46 (English Standard Version)

Equality

Rich first world country or Poor third world country
when natural disaster strikes, there is no difference.

Disaster does not differentiate between the rich, the poor,
the white, yellow, brown or black.

Here is equality.

Hurricane, Tsunami, Eartquake, Firestorm
Modernity cannot prevent it from happening

"And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish."(New Living Translation, Luke 13: 4,5)