Nama Berita?

Passed my Western Australia License!

2012-01-23T23:58:00.001+08:00

Another good start to the year 2012. After delaying and somewhat procrastinating in my attempt to get a Western Australia drivers license, I finally decided it was time to give it a ago. Given that I got my Australian Permanent Residency a while back, there was no more excuses to not get one. I had to else I would be an illegal on the road!

After hearing so many horror stories about people failing, once, twice, three even five times before successfully getting their licenses here, of course the pressure was on me to get it right on my first try. Like everyone else, I had low expectations on myself to ace it on the first try but nonetheless it is the luck of the draw as well. Having passed my theory tests last week, I booked myself for a practical assessment. The only licensing centre which had a vacant spot was smack in the middle of the city at City West, Perth. Not the most ideal of locations to sit for a practical given its close proximity to the city and the numerous challenges in getting through city traffic especially during peak hours. But what to do, it was either the city or some obscure place far away which was going to be a pain in the ass to get to during work hours. So City West it was.

To give myself the best possible chance of passing, I decided to enroll myself for an intensive 1-2 hour lesson in Australian driving. Googled the web using two key words; friendly instructor and high pass rate! Got one hit and decided to give the number a call. It was a lady instructor and we set up a time to practice about 2 hours before the practical assessment which was schedule for 2:50pm.

During the practice session, I specifically requested for repeated mock assessments (with honest feedback) to ensure that I was aware of what I did wrong. As expected, I “failed” from the get go. Even a small thing such as being on the wrong side of the road in a parking area would have failed me instantly. Or things like failing to indicate your signal in a timely fashion or reverse parking using the wrong technique would have sent me home early. However, after 2 hours ( 1 hour was not enough as I kept on making mistakes) of repeated nagging by the instructor, practice till perfect around the Northbridge and Leederville area, it all finally sunk in just in the nick of time. During the final mock assessment, I passed and the instructor this time was convinced that I would pass. We said our goodbyes thereafter and I was left to wait for my turn to be assessed for real this time.

At 2:50pm sharp, an elderly instructor by the name of Tom came out and called my name. He seemed like a friendly chap. Kinda reminded me of Stan Lee creator of the comic book superheroes. He immediately started to create conversation with me telling me he used to visit Malaysia before and that would love to come to Sarawak at some point in his life. During the assessment, I tried my best to keep the conversation to a minimum. At the end of the day, didn’t matter if we came out as best friends at the end of the assessment, if I made a driving mistake, he would still fail me. We proceeded to head to both Northbridge and Leederville. A combination of the two spots and performed the necessary maneuvers. I managed to stay cool, kept focused and more importantly did not panic when something out of the ordinary occurred such as being caught in a jam at the intersection. The last bit was to do a reverse parking at the centre. He chose a spot which was narrow and tight but thankfully I applied the right technique and managed to back the car in one move. After straightening the wheel, putting the car in park and pulling the handbrake, I knew straight away I passed… and I did!! Only minor mistake I did was to signal too early at a roundabout. Other than that, I scored well. I thank my assessor Tom and left with a big smile on his face. Not so much because I passed but because I was his last examinee for the day and he can now head home. Probably was a blessing too.

It was a proud moment. Despite having driven since 1994, it was still nerve wracking to sit through the exam again. I almost had to “unlearn” all the bad habits and drive the Aussie way. No one can say now that my Malaysian license was a kopi-o license even though I know it was probably the case. Back then, with the right instructor, you could pass even whilst driving blindfold. At least now internationally, I can drive anywhere!

Keeping track

2011-10-26T23:08:00.002+08:00

I can't even remember the last time I made a posting on this blog. Or even the last time I wanted to post something but never did. Of course as the days go by, I just seem to forget what I intended to write. Another week passes and another week starts. Almost feels the same day in day out. Week in week out. Not saying nothing interesting happened. In fact, plenty of drama everyday. Mostly in the office though. Sometimes I wished i had the discipline to note down all the goss and events of the day. Unfortunately just not possible nowadays. Don't even have time to say hello to old friends even though they are just a click away on email. Such is life sometimes.

I often wonder what is the best way to keep track of time and events. Maybe typing a few lines perhaps on my office computer. Hmm.. a bit dangerous I should say. Never know who would be watching. Probably dangerous to write it down in a diary as well. Never know who could be reading it. I guess I could blog it but again, a blog is like an open forum. Totally out there for the WHOLE world to see! Leaving out the fine details would make it too generic and boring. Putting in too much details, well... we all know the dangers of that.

Still when I read back some of my written letters during university or college, it certainly brings back fond and detailed memories. Stuff that I forgotten comes back in a flash. Almost like it was always there somewhere in my mind, only locked somewhere in a safe.... to be extracted at a later time. Now I am sounding like the movie Inception!

Oh well... I might just be rambling to myself now. Perhaps 3 months from now, reading back this posting, it'll all make sense.

Negotiations 101 revisited

2011-10-05T23:12:00.000+08:00

After some intense negotiation, I finally got my promotion and the right pay that comes with it. Certainly was a big challenge not to mention some fine usage of skills learnt from the past. I remembered back in early 2007 I attended my first real negotiation 101 training. This was in Beijing China. One of my memorable trips there. As they say, you always get what you negotiate. In many ways this statement is very true. In any situation, whether it is buying groceries, dealing with family members, work colleagues or higher level situations in business, what you end up with at the end of the day is a result of setting some high and low expectations and finally meeting in the middle. The same can be said about my promotion some what. The long and short of it is, my company wanted me to do a role that would no doubt be more challenging (also read as more stressful) but they initial offering of pay was not to my expectations. Now there are many schools of thought on this. Some say, I should accept it first and worry about it later. Some say I should even reject the offer outright (more like, a shove it up yours type approach). I guess both choices are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. What is hard is to find the middle ground. For me, what was important is to determine if I was in a position of strength or weakness. It almost became a cat and mouse game of guessing who had the upper hand. In most cases, I was usually on top but it certainly was hard trying to convince myself that I was on the right track and that i could potentially loose it all if I made one wrong move. Or if I became impatient and caved in. Thankfully, I didn't. I held out as long as I could until a decision had to be made and with the options getting lesser by the day, I finally got what I wanted. It was a 100% but it was a win win situation in the long run both financially and also from a career perspective.

Amazing how sometimes things work out for the best without us realizing it...

When the shit hits the fan... duck!

2011-09-06T23:21:00.001+08:00

I think I probably created the subject heading in about 0.1 sec after up this new post. Right now, right here, I feel I am in the midst of a storm. With shit flying left right and centre, I almost feel I am no longer in control of my environment, people or otherwise. Without trying to elaborate of give away too much, lets just say I seem to be facing problems on all fronts to an extend it hard for the mind to process everything and come up with a plan. Instead, I have decided to choose a different path. The path of total ignorance for now. Just relax and let things play out for a change and see how it goes. One day at a time was probably too long. Now I am aiming for an hour at a time. Maybe it's all about letting go.... who knows... till my next rant then...

Househunting

2011-08-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

We went house hunting today. Unlike previous house hunts this time it was not finding a place to rent. Instead it was about finding a place to call our own. Only problem is, anything within a 10km radius from the Perth CBD is so bloody expensive. From units, townhouses, brick houses, weatherboard house etc, it was all the same. You were basically paying the premium on the land. The house built on it is extra and it had just been renovated, extra to pay more as well. Makes me wonder how people could actually afford these houses! Where did they find the money or is everyone in debt?? Hmmmmm

35 today!

2011-08-03T16:14:00.000+08:00

You only realize how fast time flies when suddenly it's your birthday again and it feels as if it was only yesterday when you last celebrated it. But this year there is more to celebrate. Last year was a rough birthday, I was in the midst of finding a house as our lease was about to expire, had to organize the move, move all our stuff and finally settle in. Tired and stressed, I was in no mood to celebrate. Family was also in KL at the time so it was a birthday home alone. Nonetheless, friends here did try to make the best out of it by organizing a surprise dinner.

This year though there is much more reason to celebrate. Just a few weeks ago, we received some great news that our permanent residency was finally approved. Earlier in July, Samuel finally decides to take his first steps after 1-1/2 years. Historical indeed especially since most kids take their first step in just over a year. I guess he just decided to take his sweet time and keep everyone in suspense. Work wise could also turn for the better with a possible role change coming up so things are looking bright.

The day started off like any other. Wake up, had my breakfast and went to work. The only difference this time was I didn’t have to feed the lil guy. It was all taken cared by the lovely wife. Probably the highlight of the day was my birthday present, the IPAD2 complete with a protective case and Bluetooth keyboard. Awesome present! Loved it. Survived the day at work and returned home.

Overall, the day was pretty uneventful. A normal day in a normal life. I guess gone are the days when you could pull friends and family at a moment’s noticed to a restaurant or pub. Now it’s just the 3 of us living a simple life in a simple city. What the rest of the year brings? Who knows. It has been a really bumpy ride and sometimes I wonder if the road travelled is the right one. But I guess we all just need a bit of faith. 35 today and loving it.

PR at last

2011-07-18T23:25:00.000+08:00

It sure came in as a surprised but I (or we) got our permanent residency in Australia on this day 18-Jul-11. Almost a record fast 2 weeks after it was submitted :-)

HBF Freeway Bike Ride for Asthma

2011-03-20T23:10:00.000+08:00

This was the one cycling event that I somehow managed to miss out in the last 2 years. Could have been 3 years in a row if it wasn't for the fact I miraculously recovered from 2 weeks of bad flu. This was thanks to some super strong / effective anti biotics.

The HBF Freeway Bike Ride for Asthma is another cycling cum charity event. By its namesake, all donations will go in support of any asthmas initiatives. The 60km ride (which I signed up for 4 days before the event) starts in Kwinana and ends in the city of Joondalup. What is normally reserved for cars and any heavy vehicles, the Kwinana and Mitchell freeway south bound section will be closed for 1/2 a day just for cyclists!

I've never experience riding my bike on a super highway before so this was in some ways a chance of a lifetime (or maybe the first of many in Perth)

I started my morning at 5am. After some light breakfast, I headed to the Esplanade station where the trains will take all cylist to Kwinana Station (start place) which is about 30km from the city. I often wondered how they could cramp thousands of riders into the trains. My question was immediately answered by the sardine style line up of the bikes inside the carriages. Basically all riders had to hold up their bikes on one wheel (front wheel in air) and sit with bikes in a cris cross fasion. All in all, I counted, you could easily fit about 30 40 bikes in a single carriage. Amazing!

Once I got to Kwinana Station, met up with some colleagues and we started off the ride in the "fast group" )(avg 35+km/hr) The first 20km was relatively easy. By riding in a peloton, you could easily achieve 40-50km/hr average. Eash peloton size was about 50 sometimes. With the flat road and tail win, this was smooth. In fact, I clocked 55km / hr at one point. That's almost as fast as my car on an normal work day.

However as the roads slowly began to get slightly steeper, it was getting harder to maintaine cadence and as a result, I dropped off the peloton. Certainly being at the tail end of the group was hard and it didn't take long for me to end up riding on my own (or with a small group of 2 or 3). We were just waiting for the next big group to arrive and hopefully latch on to them.

As we passed the 30km distance (which is at the Perth CBD itself), it was pretty awesome just being able to go on some of the flyovers, enjoy the scene and cruise on the down slope.

Hit the 2nd power gel at the 40km mark. At this point, I was still averaging around 35km/hr which was fairly good considering my level of fitness after 2 weeks of flu. Not to mention the fact that I was out of action from the saddle for almost 3 months. Butt was also starting to get sore. You could tell, the muscles werent used to so much action in one day. Even my warm up ride the day before was too easy compared to today. I was really pushing it for once.

Two big pelotons swallowed us up. I managed to latch on for a couple of km but lost steam. Wasn't the lack of power, just lack of stamina to maintain the high pace. These folks were pushing at around 45km/hr on highest gear.

Finally, I reached the turn off from the highway which leads to the finish line in Joondalup. It was a steep hill and this one was a killer. After almost 1-1/2 hours on straight road, my legs were certainly not ready for a climb. Makes you wonder how these folks on the tour de france do it!

I eventually reached the finish line with a time of 1 hour 37 minutes 40 secs. Average speed of 35km/hr and max speed of 54km/hr. Considering that this was my first attempt with 75% fitness, it was a pretty good result.

Some key lesson's learnt;

1. extra power gel would help.

2. more group rides to build stamina and ride with large peloton

3. don't push too hard at the start

Back to KL again

2011-01-15T10:39:00.000+08:00

Flew back to KL again today on Air Asia. They seem to be making a lot of business from me this year. All in all, including Mal, we've accumulated at least 8-9 trips from Perth to KL. But for once, I'll be flying back using MAS on my return trip back to Perth on 31st Jan.

As with all trips home, there is always that feeling of weirdness. Not sure why but maybe its because its home but its not home. Same type of feeling I get when I go back home in Kuching. Although Kuching feels a lot more like home given that I lived there throughout most of my childhood.

Finally arrived in my parents house and first thing (apart from giving the customary hugs to parents) is to see Saaaamuel. He's grown taller now and is extremely energetic. In just 1/2 a day of watching him play, some key milestones observed

1. Able to use both his feet together to pick things up

2. Running around in his walker... not sure where he gets the energy from

3. Likes cartoons.. actually watches it now and not just observing the colours.

4. Making ugly faces

5. Crawl

6. Crawl, steadies himself and sits up straight.

7. Crawl, goes to a post (table, chair) and picks himself up and stands straight whilst holding on to table / chair of course. Funny to see the grit and determination as he pulls himself up. Showing the ugly face at the same time.

8. Very determined.. does not give up.

9. Stands on cot whenever he wakes up.

10. Can't stand still. Just wants to do stuff

That's only the first day. So much has changed since I last saw him in December. I wonder what he will do today!

Fitness resolution on track so far

2011-01-09T08:04:00.000+08:00

It's only the 1st week of the new year and I believe my fitness resolution is on track so far. In the last 6 days, I managed to put in close to 40km of running and yesterday 50km of cycling. Needless to say I was dead tired through out most of yesterday but I feel its important to keep the momentum going for as long as possible. Today hopefully I can put in a 12km run from South Perth to the CBD and back. We'll see how that one goes. 70kg in 3 months is my target. With the current exercise regime, I believe it is achievable.

6 more days for a second re-union

2011-01-08T11:04:00.032+08:00

6 more days from today (Saturday), I'll be flying home to KL again to see Samuel and also attend my sis in law's wedding. My last trip home was almost a month ago. Again amazing how time flies. Equally amazing is how much things change in that 1 month for Samuel. He's getting naughtier, more mischievous and more of a handful to managed as well. It's all good of course, a natural cycle of life. Learn new things, explore new things, get excited about it. Wish the same can be said about my life now. Sometimes I feel its a drag with the same old shit, different day, different month and now different year. Problem is, I am not sure how to fix it. Of course people say well with children etc, life is never boring. I agree. It's never boring. It is hard work though and the hours are always filled with stuff to do. Most of the time, there is not enough hours in a day to do everything and you just delay the less important stuff to another day only for it to come back to haunt you later. I guess more importantly for myself, I need some personal goals that I can easily achieved. Goals which require no cost if possible as the more money required to achieve these goals, the less desirable the goals become and the more frustrating. More importantly, these goals need to have meaning. Be it meaningful conversations with people. Meaningful purpose, meaningful accomplishments.. meaningful whatever. I know there are people out there who will say, if you do things for God it will be meaningful. Problem is, I don't think I have achieved that level of spiritual enlightenment. So trying to pretend I am doing things for God's purpose would make me a hypocrite of the highest order. Maybe I just need to sit and reflect a bit more...

Of backstabbers and double headed snakes

2011-01-05T08:15:00.044+08:00

I recently heard that some people I used to know and despise have now become big guns in their careers and have achieved what they had set out to achieve very likely at the expense of others and leaving a trail of blood thanks to the multiple back stab wounds inflicted on his victims. These people seem to have a singular focus on ambition and in some ways, I admire them for that. But at the same time, I despise such people because being a victim of that type of individual before, I know first hand how it feels to be kicked in the teeth when you are not watching. I guess the question that needs to be asked is, why do I give a damn? Why do I still allow such stories to effect me even though its way down in my past and I have learnt to be a more "learned" person as a result of it? The truth is I guess is people like that deserve to suffer. If such individuals were a snake on the road, I would drive my car straight at it, knock it down, put the car in reverse and flatten the son of the bitch until it is flatter than a tosai.

Problem is I guess is there are people like that everywhere and rising. Due to the competitive nature of this new world, everyone has become selfish. Family demands have become increasingly high and it is no wonder that men would do ANYTHING to ensure their rice bowl is protected. Such is the same I guess for a lot of politicians back home in Malaysia.

Anyways, back to my original rant. What should I do about it? The answer is probably nothing. The less you think about it, the less likely it is to effect you. All you can do is hope that there is some divine justice out there that people like that have their own form of suffering and that by the rule of karma, what goes around hopefully will come around one day.

Pemberton-Manjinup-Nannup-Perth

2011-01-02T16:21:00.048+08:00

After a full on day of driving yesterday, today promised to be yet another day of more driving. However there will be multiple stops along the way at various local sites.

The day began with breakfast at Pemberton. It was the usual big breakfast and coffee. Can't go wrong with that really. This was then followed by a 30+km drive to Manjinup to visit a The Wine and Truffle company. Along the way, we dropped by the Salitage winery (and bought a bottle of red and white) Then we stopped by another forest where the 51m Diamond Tree (3rd tallest) sits. I decided to sit out on this one whilst Mal wanted to have a go to test the innner monkey in her. She made it 3/4 of the way before going in reverse. Metal rods were near vertical at this point and there was no point trying to get to the top if you're not 100% confident. Nonetheless, it was good enough height to experience the adrenaline rush.

After climbing the big tree, we arrived at the Truffle farm. Since the both of us have no real knowledge of truffles, we decided to take the $10 tour around the farm/vineyard. Our guide was a lazy name Suzanne and her truffle sniff dog Bella. She explained during the 30 min tour how truffles are harvested and how the dogs play in the search for truffles. Like drug sniffing or fake DVD sniffing dogs, these dogs are trained since young to sniff out truffles. Now a truffle may sound like a french dessert but its really some kind of a mushroom. A symbiotic type of organism that feeds provides valuable nutrients to its host (usually oak trees) and its host in return provides it with water. From what we were told, 100g of this stuff can fetch around $500 in the market. You can call it black gold I guess since it does not take much of it to provide an instant unique flavor and aroma to any dish.

After the tour we sat at the cafe to taste some recipes with truffle it in. We decided to go for the beef shiraz pie with truffle sprinkled vege. For the entree, we had scallops with sliced truffle. The scallops were simply awesome especially with the flavors of the truffle infused into it. Though we had to wait close to 1-1/2 hours for our food, it was worth the wait.

After Manjinup, it was a 1 hr drive to Nannup going West. We could have gone straight up to Balingup but choose to go through Nannup as we wanted to pop by the Cambray Sheep Cheese factory which was situation on the Vasse Highway heading to Busselton. Once there, we tried a variety of Sheep Cheeses. Mostly were soft cheese and were surprisingly mild and not overpowering. We also had a glimpse of the sheep being milked as well in the back yard. After a quick pressed coffee, fruit cake and more cheese, we headed back to Perth.

Instead of going through Busselton, we took a lil short cut (though some inland road again) which eventually took us to the Bussel Highway towards Bunbury. Once in Bunbury we took the new Bunbury expressway which cut our traveling time by at least 30 mins. All in all we arrived in Perth safe and sound around 730pm. In total close to 950km driven in 3 days.

It was a great impromptu getaway. It was just nice to get out on the free road and reflect back on the year that passed by and plan ahead for the year to come. Hopefully we can plan something similar when the boss (Samuel) comes back.

2011 resolution

2011-01-01T22:30:00.005+08:00

I know I won't have time to come up with new sh** when I am busy so I'm just gonna list down whatever comes to my mind as my new year's resolution for 2011. Here it goes

1. Go to Kuching at least once in 2011
2. Do a 1/2 marathon and get the finishers t-shirt! (Perth City to Surf)
3. Visit 5 new places (domestic or abroad)
4. Earn more money to feed family and self
5. Apply for PR
6. Buy a house
7. Start my biography. Will call it Nama Berita?
8. Improve on my personal best in sports
9. Climb Mt Taranaki in New Plymouth
10. Camping with family
11. .... will think of more

200km in a day, climbed a tree and a good walk on the beach

2011-01-01T22:05:00.000+08:00

It's been a day of driving and more driving. This time after checking out from our lil cottage in Nannup, we headed 70km down south to Pemberton, a small logging town famous for its tall and big karri trees.

After checking into our Motel, we proceeded to a small forest just 10 minutes away where the famous Gloucester tree stands. This tree used to be a lookout point for spotters to check forest fires. 61cm tall and close to 2m in diameter at base, you can actually climb it using the steel rods pierced in a circular fashion around the tree. The rods then form a vertical ladder as you get closer to the top. I thought I'd give it a try. Judging by the height I wasn't sure if I could get pass the 20m mark but I certainly did not want to be seen as a quitter but both my wife and son. though he wasn't there I don't want tales of his father's failure to scale a tree reach him. I would rather he hear that his dad gave it a shot and would have died trying!!

The only thing I really need to overcome is the fear of falling which is probable given that there is no safety net and each rod is approx 1 ft apart. So you could easily fall through if you miss a step. The first 20 steps were the hardest as the mind really starts to play all kinds of tricks on you. However as I made my way to the top, one step at a time and at a constant rythm (i.e. left hand, right hand, left leg, right leg), it became easier. It also brings new meaning to the words "don't look down" but again, as I got higher, the perceived distance to the bottom became less intimidating. Eventually I got to the top (153 steps later) It was indeed a personal accomplishment given that I am somewhat afraid of heights. So I certainly exorcised some of my demons here. After a few photo shots at the top and a chance to breathe some fresh air. It was time to get back to the bottom. I certainly was not looking forward to it given that you have to look down in order not to miss a step. But again, it was mind over matter and using the same technique going up, I took it one step at a time going down. Instead of looking down, I looked at each steep bar with a razor focus and its amazing how the mind or the eyes is able to blur out the surrounding environment. Within no time, I was back down with a great sense of accomplishment. I now know that if you really put your mind to it with a razor focus, you can indeed overcome your fears whatever it may be.

Our next stop was the town of Northcliff just 20km south of Pemberton. Unfortunately when we got there, there is nothing really much to see or do. Being new years day, it was kinda of expected. So we decided to head. Northcliff is only about 30km to the nearest beach so we decided to head to Salmon Beach which was an additional 30km south. Salmon beach is a secluded beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. The surf was strong and it was not recommended to swim there. So we just did a leisurely stroll. The wind did pick up at late afternoon and soon the dry sand started to become more of an annoyance. Like a mini sandstorm, the sand was starting to sting.

It was time to go back to our accommodation so it was back in the car and a 50km drive up north to Pemberton. All in all, 200+km today and 500km in total since yesterday. Can't wait for some sleep...

2010 in reflection

2011-01-01T08:00:00.062+08:00

It's either time flies really fast or I am missing out on so much sh** in life that 2010 went by like a comet. I am not sure where the time went but I do know I was kept busy pretty much from the get go of 1st January 2010. The arrival of kids certainly plays a part in that especially in the first 6 months, the days were simply filled with feedings, vomit and diaper changes. Then after 6 months, comes a whole new range of other challenges. Samuel was indeed a blessing and I would not have it any other way. It's just great knowing that every day spent with him is a form of bonding you can never get with anyone else in this world. But all baby time and no time for yourself (or for other people) can make life taxing but I certainly believe I achieved a fair amount of success in both work and play. Work wise, I made 3 business trips to Singapore (one of my favorite cities to visit but not life in) and passed my LEAN certification course in the process. I also made the occasional trips to KL during my stay in Singapore. This gave me the opportunity to reconnect with both friends and family.

I also achieved considerable success in sports by participating in a few runs (HBF, City to Surf) and cycling events (Australia Day Duathlon, Ocean Ride, Great Bike Ride). Breaking some personal best records in the process. I have also contributed more articles to my blog and I hope to keep this going in 2011. Unfortunately as with all new years resolution, you achieve some, you lose (or shall I say achieve f*** all) in some. We can only improve going forward with a little more discipline and focus. My goals to get <70kg weight wise was thrown out the window. I am still stuck at 73/74 kg depending on how much water I consumed that day. My aim to get started on my memoirs or a biography never quite materialize either. Neither was my goal to develop more patience when it comes to dealing with stupid sh** that really isn't worth my time of day. Nonetheless, a list is just a list. It becomes more than a list when you action it. That's certainly my goal for 2011. To come to action. I'll think of what I would like to achieve in 2011 in the next few days. Will post them in this blog soon...

The impromptu getaway...

2010-12-31T12:40:00.000+08:00

It was new years eve day, I was in office for the last day of 2010. Just trying to get month end stuff out of the way so that I won't be greeted with a mountain of crap come Jan 3 2010. As I packed my stuff just after 12 noon, received a call from Mal asking if I would like to spend the new year out of the 40 deg heat of Perth in Nannup, about 280km south of Perth. Then followed by a stay on Saturday at Pemberton which is another 76km South of Nannup. Making the total journey around 750+/- back and forth. I thought about for 1 mili second and decide, why not! After all, its been almost 2 years since our last proper outing and with lil Samuel not around, this would be our only chance in a while. Mal then proceeded to book accommodation (surprisingly there were still some vacancies)

So we headed straight back, packed up whatever we could find into the car, filled er up with Petrol and away we went. We took the new Bunbury highway and proceeded towards Donnybrook and Balingup before taking the 40km inland small Nannup road to our final destination.

Our lil shack was called Snogginghill which is part of a the Hulburry Cottages about 2 minutes from the heart of Nannup. Nannup is one of those inland towns, quite deep in the heart of WA. Hiding in the midst of the forrest. The Snogginghill shack looks like a tin shed from the outside (constructed totally out of wood and zinc. The inside however is cosy, clean and has all the amenities of the modern world. With our Optus wireless, we even have internet! The shack faces some hills and red dirt track road. The back faces a lil forest making it a true getaway. There is a lil patio in the front for you to sit down and have a coffee or favorite beverage whilst you ponder on life's wonder.

The new year's eve dinner was held in a lil restaurant, probably the only one open in town. After a beautiful 3 course meal, a glass of merlot and port to compliment it was straight back to the shack for a movie (DVD) Watched Shutter Island, another DiCaprio special and at the end of the show, it was midnight. It was finally time to say goodbye to 2010 and usher in the new year 2011.

2010.... what a roller coaster year it was but it was all good. Can't wait to see what 2011 holds.

My vuvuzela

2010-12-31T12:00:00.001+08:00

Got an interesting Christmas present this year from one of my colleagues who hails from South Africa. During this year’s world cup, one of the unique things that emerged was the constant buzz in the stadiums coming from the vuvuzelas, a local variety of a horn / trumpet. I’ve never heard let alone seen one of these contraptions before so I told my colleague to get one for me if she ever headed back home or if someone from home was coming here. Now that I have it, I have to learn how to use it. It’s not a case of just blowing through it. You’ve got to wet your lips and blow like you would for a trumpet. No luck yet… will practice more to usher in the new year 2011.

Samuel's 1st Birthday

2010-12-07T08:30:00.023+08:00

Exactly 1 year ago, Samuel J B came out from his mother's womb and breathe air for the first time. It was a pretty rough start for the guy given that he had to come out 2 months pre-mature and under extraordinary circumstances. Nonetheless, 12 months have passed and here is now. Healthy and strong though a bit underweight still but that's secondary!

From a parent looking in, all I can say is, what a miracle he is. Miracle that from a tiny cell conceived 19 months ago to the naughty mischievous lil boy he is today. Miracle in the fact that he was born at the right time and at the right place. There is no telling how he would have fared if he was born elsewhere or if I still had money in the bank if had I paid for his enormous hospital bill. But such is life. Sometimes we need to look beyond the obvious and see things for what they really are; miracles of God. And we should be thankful for it every single day.

We will be planning a lil pool side party for him on the 11th of December. Will blog more on that soon.

Friends

2010-12-05T12:03:00.001+08:00

Apart from sinking my teeth into kolo mee and laksa in Kuching, part of the pilgrimage tour is to catch up with old friends. Weddings are always the best form of organizing a reunion without having to organize! This was a chance to catch up with people I haven’t seen in ages (apart from the occasional facebook poke) I managed to meet up with some old mates and it was refreshing to see where we were all at after more than 16 years since we left secondary school. All if not most have turned out ok. Even the screwed up ones somehow managed to find a place in society and are doing well. The definition of doing well of course is subjective. I used to think going overseas to study, graduating with good results and nailing a job with a big company was a measure of success. Nowadays I think differently. A measure of success is how happy you are with your life irrespective of what you are doing. Whether or not you are meeting your own objectives in life as oppose to trying to comfort to the expectations of others. I also see people who seem to have the perfect life but the reality is quite the opposite if you dig deep enough. I also see people who risk everything to do their dream job. Of course these are calculated risks but again I admire these people who actually give it a try instead of playing it safe. Something which I need to do more. But as always the clutches of reality will always try to reel me in.

It does seem that everyone I that I ever knew here is not longer in Kuching only choosing to visit because of family. Makes me wonder when that older generation cease whether people will ever come back at all. Sad really. Kuching a city so full of potential …..not fulfilled. Thanks to our short sighted politicians.

Coming "home"

2010-12-05T12:02:00.003+08:00

It’s always good to be home even though home is where you make it. In the last 10 years, I have had several. Kuching, Bintulu, KL and now Perth. Still though, Kuching holds a special place in my heart and it doesn’t matter how long I have been away, I always feel a sense of belonging to this small town/city. Its very true that you can take a boy out of Kuching but you can never take Kuching away from the boy. Buildings have changed, people have changed, roads of changed but my house in Batu Kawa seem to not move with the times. I could still find pieces of paper from my school books of the 80s, shirts I wore during PE in form 4, artifacts from my hey days of adventure. A quick visit to my old house brought immense sadness to me this time. Not so much because the house was empty and pretty much left to rot but because once upon a time, the place was buzzing in life, clean and grand like the two pillars at the front of the house. Now it’s just a blurred reflection of its former glory. My mum was the life of the house and it was her idea that the house be made grand so that it can be a centre for any family homecomings. Sadly when she died, that dream died with her. As I left the front gates, I promise that I would come back in 2011 (at least once) to clean up the place and restore / preserve some of the memories of the place. That would be one of my resolutions for the new year.

Flying to KL

2010-12-03T12:00:00.002+08:00

It’s been almost a month since Samuel left Perth for KL. Finally the day came for me to fly back to KL to celebrate his 1^st Birthday. Gonna be just a week long trip but one that would be full of non stop action (I predict). That’s the thing with fatherhood and kids. No sleep for the weary, days filled to the brim. Will be in Kuching for a couple of days to attend a good friend’s wedding then only fly to KL thereafter.

The Perth Great Bike Ride 2010

2010-11-21T08:32:00.000+08:00

Probably one of my most favorite events of the year; The Perth Great Bike Ride 2010. This year's event promised to be a real test for me. With all the stresses of life behind me for now, it was my one opportunity to really focus on training and get a respectable result. In addition eventhough I was using the same bike as last year, I had invested in some additional upgrades which include the zipps and carbon crank. Both should give me an extra advantage in terms of weight and power. But again, it all comes down to the day itself. The bike aside, I will not make the mistake of having not enough water and power gel. This year, I made sure I had at least 2 packs in my back pocket for that extra kick in energy (when needed the most) This year as well, Halliburton decided to sponsor a team so I get to wear the team jersey for once. Not bad looking actually, red with flames on the sides.

Arrived in Langley Park at 700 hrs. meet up with the rest of the Halliburton team mates (5 in total) for a quick photo shoot. Then it was straight to the tarmac for the start. We made sure we started up front with the "elite" group eventhough in reality we should really be slightly further back. The front group is reserved for the 35km/hr and above. Important thing is, we wanted to be the first wave of riders off so that we can arrived early as well.

At the release of the peloton, everyone went full steam ahead. The group was easily pulling 40-45km/hr along Mounts Bay Rd. Pretty amazing considering it's hard to get beyond 35km/hr if going solo. Certainly proves that riding in a group improves efficiency. The "energy" from the peloton also motivates you to spin that wheel faster just to keep up. Slowly but surely, the group started to elongate into a single file train. It was getting hard to keep up and staying behind the wheel of the guy in front was getting difficult. By 12km mark, hills start emerging and soon, the group started to split. I managed to stay with the fast group until the big hill at Mosmon park. From past experience, that hill is a beast with a 18-20% gradient. It was important that you get in the right gear. I switch to the smaller front chain ring early but for some reason it did not budge. So I shifted the back gears instead hoping that it would instigate the front to move (which it did ) but unfortunately it moved a wee bit too much causing the chain to drop. Ouch! Thankfully I unclipped immediately (else face the embarrassment of a fall whist stationary) Got off the bike and put back in the chain just at the foot of the hill. Got back on the bike and pedaled away. All in all about 20 secs lost which aint so bad.

Arrived in Fremantle with relative ease by sticking to the main pack though at times, I was on my own. Well not really on my own as a precautionary glance to the back revealed that I was indeed pulling a long train. So I immediately slowed down to allow others to pass / lead.

Had my second powergel at mid point which was somewhere near Point Walker. Could immediately feel the rush in energy but avoided trying to pedal harder. Eventually we came to the Kwinana freeway which promises to be a difficult section due to the head wind / cross wind. The aerobars really helped here to keep me in a relatively aero position. The peloton was fairly spread out at this point and I tried my best to latch on to a big rider for protection. We finally arrived at Mill Point Rd off Como which is close to my neighborhood. It was fun riding in this part of the course this year given that I drive pass this way every day now. Never really done so on a bike till today. By the time we got to Canning Highway, my clock showed 1 hr 28 minutes. Only 2 more minutes to make up 5km to the finish line. Once on the causeway, it was the home stretch; a flat road leading to the finish. At this point, I have it 200% and pushed hard clocking a minimum 40km/hr, passing slower riders in the process. The clock was ticking but I was confident of reaching my target of 1 hr 30 mins. Passed by Mal who was on the side of the road cheering, gave a customary wave and finally the finish line. Time on my watch was 1 hour 33 mins. I made it! Only 3 minutes pass my target which aint bad at all. The official time was 1 hr 34 minutes as an extra minute was spend walking to the machine that would terminate the timing chip. The rest of the Halliburton team had arrived as well. Fastest member of the team clocked 1 hr 25 mins and we all finished within 5 mins of each other which was great.

All in all, a great result this year. That's another tick on my to do list done and a personal accomplishment achieved! Next event, the freeway bike ride for Asthma in March 2011.

Melbourne

2010-11-05T06:50:00.051+08:00

I got a last minute call up to head down to Melbourne for a customer tender clarification meeting. This would be my first "business trip" outside Perth lasting less than 2 days. Usually it's at least a week so be interesting to see how much work can be crammed in such as short space of time. The trip began on Wednesday evening on Virgin Blue at 5pm Weds 4th Nov. Virgin Blue is equivalent to your typical budget airlines, small hard leather seats, you want you pay type services. Unfortunately this flight had no TV sets so i struggled to pre-occupy myself. Read 2 chapters of a book before getting bored, listened to 10 tracks on my IPOD and before finally opening up my laptop to do some work. Something which I tried to avoid since the person in front had his seat inclined, making it difficult for me to place the laptop on the tray table.

Finally arrived at 1145 pm which is in reality 9pm Perth time. (again thanks to WA's no day light saving) It was off to bed immediately as I had to be up at 6am which is an unGodly 3pm Perth time. Needless to say, I was jetlagged as hell in the morning and needed a couple of shots of coffee to wake me up.

After being cooped up in a conference room for about 12 hours, I finally got a chance to see the city in the evening. Thankfully it was still bright at 8pm so there was opportunity to see the sights. Not that there was really much to see as most shops had closed by then. But the food stalls and pubs were opened. My first impression of Melbourne, it's waaaay bigger than Perth. Definitely has a city feel to it. Tall buildings, people buzzing around, spaghetti highways, a proper night life.. etc. However, I doubt these people live in the city. they probably live in the outskirts which is about 20-30km away. In Perth, you could practically live 3-5km away as I am currently. I also managed to meet up with one of my Aunt at 930pm for dinner and we hung out at Starbucks till 11pm after that. . Something unheard of in Perth.

Finally the big presentation day for the customer the next day. Again, feeling jet lagged was not the most ideal condition for such an important meeting but that's just the way it is. It went well and as soon as it was over, we headed straight for the airport for another painful 4+ hour flight back to Perth. (longer due to the head wind going west) This time round there was TV sets on the seats so I managed to at least kill off 2 hours even thought it costs me AUS10! Next time i need to fully charge my laptop and have a few movies as backup!!

Got back to Perth at 4pm. An hour after I left Melbourne (local time of course) but with even more jet lag. Was the trip worth it? Absolutely. Maybe next time, I'll stay a couple of days extra ... :-)

The flies are back

2010-11-02T07:04:00.000+08:00

As the temperature starts to soar, so does the arrival of the most annoying flies in the world. The Ozzie flies. They are loud, big and aggressive but sluggish (which make killing them a rather easy feat) Unlike other flies from the rest of the world, these ones love to sit on your face. In particular the eyes, nose and mouth as they are attracted to moisture.

It is reported this year could see the highest number of flies in a while. God help us this summer!!!

Battle of the bulge

2010-11-01T06:59:00.000+08:00

Looking back at some old photos, I amaze how thin I was back in Uni before age (and hence low metabolism) started to show its ugly head. As with all men, the older you get, the harder it is to shed weight unless you stick to a regular exercise regime and watch your food. Plus, the older you get, the less time and motivation you have to go out and exercise. This despite paying a monthly fee for gym membership. Lately, I get real sick and tired of people telling me "aha! perut buncit sudah" or "what is that thing in your stomach" or "where are the Jacob abs". In case you're wondering who Jacob is, he's that warewolf from Twilight who walks around 80% of the time in the movie without his shirt on for obvious reasons. No, its not to impress Bella but to remind every man out there that this is the type of body you can get if and only IF, you work out!

Anyway, my goal is to not to get a six pack. Never had and probably never will. But to get down to 65kg which is my ideal weight and also trim down the fat in the mid section. I would also like to be able to wear lycra without the embarrassment of muffin top spill overs at the waist instead of the classic V shape. Not an impossible task but certainly won't be easy. However with Samuel not around for the next 3 months, no excuse really. The only thing stopping me from progress is myself.

With WA's no to daylight saving, it's bright by 530am. Hence I'm usually awake by then. I think I will start by doing a daily jog to start off the day. That and also running home from work. Weekends will be a 50km ride on the bike. My gym membership will expire end of month so need to get at least a couple of swim sessions as well. All in all, lots of opportunities to shed weight. Just need that motivation!

So that is what I will do. Have a time table and also blog my progress! That's my promise to myself.

Ocean Ride for MS

2010-10-31T22:40:00.001+08:00

It was my first proper cycling event in a while. So far its been mostly running so I was looking forward to this ride. Like many events held this year, it was an inaugural event so no real idea of how things will pan out. But a 50km ocean ride from Fremantle to Hillarys Boat Harbour (i.e. alongside the Perth sea coast) was something quite unique.

The day began with the alarm ringing at 0430 am. I had to leave the house by 0500 am and cycle into town to catch the 530am "special service" to Fremantle. . It was a free train service to shuttle cyclist to Fremantle which was the starting point for the event. Thanks to WA's say "no" to day light savings, it was already super bright by 0530am. It was a chilly 12 degC so had to wear a old shirt which I plan to dispose of later The crowds started to swell at the starting point near the Shed Markets in Fremantle and by 0645 am, most participants were there. All in all, about 900-1000 cyclist attended the event.

I decided to wear my King of the Mountains (KOM) Jersey for this event. Apart from the fact, its easy to spot, chances are, I would be the only one wearing such an outfit which makes me feel somewhat special during the day. Only I hope I can do justice to previous / current holders of the KOM in the Tour De France.

At 0700 am sharp, the event commence with the "fast group" leading out th pack. The fast group was expected to finish the 30km event in <1 hr and the 50km event in under 1-1/2 hrs. Myself and my fellow team rider David opted for a realistic finish time of 1-1/2 hrs (or thereabouts) This with an average of 30 km/hr.

We started off slow with the peloton lead out by a motorbike crew for the 1st 2 km before releasing the Bgroup to race to the finish. However unlike the Perth Great Bike ride, this event was more like a group ride. In other words, the roads were not fully closed and we still had to share the roads with the cars etc.

There was a strong North-West headwind which made the ride rather challenging. Nonetheless, we managed to keep a 30-33km/hr pace. I had my aerobars installed and they definitely helped to keep me streamline especially downhill. The Zipp 404s did its job well cutting the wind as it should though on some occasions, I felt a slight jolt whenever a cross wind gushes by.

The 25km mid point mark was uneventful. We managed to pass quite a number of cyclist in our attempts to catch up with the fast group. Then disaster struck when David had a bad cramp on his right calf. He had to stop for a 5-8 minute stretch. Naturally I had to stop too as it was a team event. I took this opportunity to down a power gel and catch up with some fluid intake. After quick rest, we got on our bikes and proceeded north. Soon, we reached the Hillarys Boat Harbour junction where the 30km event stopped. For us, we had to continue another 10km up north to Burns Beach Road at Ocean Parade before making a U-turn back to Hillarys Boat Harbour. Since the ride north had a head wind, I was hoping the ride south this time would have a tail wind which would make the last 10km easier. Made no difference though as the wind was still strong going back! At the end of the day, I guess that's just the way it is when you're cycling along the coast. The last 10km felt like forever and although I was enjoying the ride, I was also getting a bit tired.

Finally we reach Hillarys Boat Harbour and turned into Whitfords Nodes Park where the finish line was located. Medals were given out as a memento to the event. Our time was 1 hr 40 minutes but you could knock off about 5-8 minutes from it (from the injury stop) So 1 hr 35/38 is actually quite a good time. Our average speed was a consistent 29km/hr. Just 1 km/hr shy of 30. Again, a good result. As usual, the park was alive with a carnival type atmosphere. Unfortunately our supporters Mal and Brenda were not around as they were probably parked at the Boat Harbour area and were not aware (as I was) about the location of the finish line. We finally caught up with them at a restaurant at Sorento Quay for breakfast.

Overall it was a good first time event. Still can't beat the size and grandeur of the Perth Great Bike ride or the Freeway Ride for Asthma (which I have yet to try) Nonetheless it was a good warm up event. I guess the sad end to what was an awesome day was when our car got issued a ticket for being parked at an illegal spot. (parked at a boat trailer park!) Just missed the officer by about a minute as she had just completed the ticket. A few minutes earlier she would have let us go. Anyway, she said we could appeal so we hope to get a reduced sentence!

3 more weeks to the Great Bike Ride. Time to get fit!!!!

Time to let go for a while

2010-10-29T16:00:00.013+08:00

It was a sad day today as we say goodbye to Samuel. He'll be heading home to stay with his Nana and meet his other grandparents as well for the next 3 months. After being with him 24/7 for quite some time (especially Mal) it was heartbreaking to see him go. But with day care still uncertain and both of us working full time now, it was the best solution for now.

As he heads off to the departure lounge, we bid farewell. He was oblivious to what was happening. Seemed more excited than the rest of us. Hopefully he stays that way and not miss us too much.

This will be our first lesson in letting go. Strange it had to come so early in our lives. Others wait till their kids go to college. This will be our first real test. God Bless the lil guy. May he have a safe trip and I will be seeing him in 4 weeks time!

Staying healthy both mind and spirit...

2010-10-20T22:20:00.000+08:00

I've got a couple of events lined up this month and next month. The 50km port to port time trial event on 31st Oct and next month 53km Perth Great Bike Ride on 21st Nov. Was actually thinking of signing up for a sprint triathlon on 28th Nov just to "commit" myself to it but I felt maybe I was pushing it a bit too far. Just trying to stay fit for these two events is already a mountain of a challenge in itself. Training has been sporadic and the motivation is probably at its lowest point right now. Nonetheless, I am trying my best to stay both mentally and physically fit. What thing I have noticed is staying mentally fit requires even more energy than to stay physically fit. Unlike the short burst of exercise to keep the body in shape, the brain on the other hand is constantly working and stressing. The mind has never really been at ease with the constant worry of whatever. Trying to clear the mind and calm the soul is one thing I have yet to master. I have always admired people who can have a singular focus. The ability to blank out everything and focus on one thing and one thing only. Whether it's something short term or long term, it becomes their mission in life. Of course other aspects of their lives will suffer as a result but the rewards or spoils are great (assuming of course if you can achieve it) But its hard in this day and age of juggling 10 things at once. The era of multitasking has really spoilt us in some ways... probably less is more after all :-)

In search for a hobby... build a bike?

2010-10-18T22:44:00.029+08:00

I have been bored lately. Trying to find a hobby that could help keep my mind away from the daily stresses of life. To break away from the moronic cycle of work and no play. I thought of a few things such as writing or reading but that's just so not me. (at least not yet) Whilst others spend their time and money with expensive gadgets for their cars, miniature helicopters, new handphones, playstation 3 etc, I still struggle to find my niche. I thought about playing guitar again but I am not sure whether its something I could sustain. The guitar era was a time when having a guitar was cool. And that being able to play was even cooler. If you are able to play in front of an audience, you are a God. Of course such opportunities will never arise (at least not for me now) so I better stick to something real.

One thing that came to mind though is building my own bike. Buy 2nd hand parts off ebay bit by bit and building my own custom bike. I remembered how fun it was when I was in secondary school, dismantling, re-spraying and reassembling my then 100% iron le-run mountain bike. I gained so much joy in just getting my hands dirty. I guess things were just so different then. When you never really needed much to feel satisfied. Now we're spoilt for choice.

Maybe I'll start with a cheap frame. Ebay here I come!!!

My fitness sucks...

2010-10-16T22:21:00.038+08:00

After weeks of inactivity due to poor weather, travel and the lack of motivation, I finally got on the bike again for a Saturday afternoon ride. I needed too. I just could not stand seeing my bike sitting in the store doing nothing. It's like having a ferrari idle in the garage. The last few months has seen me gain more weight instead of loosing weight. Though the change is not apparent, the tightening of the pants and the slight bulge of the tummy is evident. I hate myself for that. Gone are the days when being skinny was easy. Now a few off days with no exercise would see an double chin developing. No thanks of course to the kind of work lifestyle that we have. i.e. sitting in front of the computer hours on end working on bloody spreadsheets and answering emails. Anyway, back to my first ride after a long absence. I decided to test the climbing legs again. First by climbing the steep hill on Mount Street near Kings Park. It had a good 200m of 15-18 gradient slope which was great. First attempt was easy but the second round was a killer. I had to stop 3/4 of the way up. Not good! Then this was followed by a 10km ride to Reabold Hill in Perry Lakes. Again, a nice gradual climb up the hill. Wasn't difficult but I wasn't pushing myself again. But the time I reach the top, I was exhausted. Again, not good! My fitness is crap and I am certainly not proud of it. It's so frustrating because I know I can do better. If only I had the time! Of course, the usual bullsh** answer to that is you have to make time. In my case it would be at 530am in the morning if I really wanted to be hardcore. May sounds like a great idea at night but try waking up at 530am in the morning. You can almost guarantee staying in bed will win hands down. Oh well, just keep on pushing I guess. Anyway, reaching the top of the hill had its perks. I finally took a picture of my Pinarello next to some pretty cool artwork that provided some interesting shadow work in the evening sunlight. Now that's creative.

New direction....

2010-10-14T22:19:00.000+08:00

Almost 3/4 of 2010 is complete, Samuel is coming to 1 years old come 7th Dec, Mal back to work after close to 10 months of leave, 2+ years now in Perth... man this year went by like a flash. At times, it feels as if I've been here forever but at times, I just wonder where did the time all go. More importantly the age of question of what have I achieved for myself to date comes to mind. Although I can certainly say I have achieved a lot especially with Samuel now in our lives and joy of seeing him grow, personally, I wished I could do more for myself. More self discovery instead of the constant fire fighting both at work and at home.

With the end of the year coming up, again its time for reflection. But before that, I need to try and achieve something meaningful. Still trying to figure it out...

The gawd damn flu ... again!

2010-10-01T22:26:00.010+08:00

I can't remember how many times I fell sick this year but this would be the first time I had back to back flu / colds. First, I got it, probably from some sick colleague at work. Suffered for about a week then passed it on to Samuel unfortunately who had a runny nose for a good 3-4 days. I recovered only to catch the flu again but this time from Samuel who caught it from either the day care or one of the guest at our house recently.

Ah well... I guess this is to be expected from kids. Get sick, get immune and pass em on to their parents! :-)

The breakthrough!

2010-09-30T22:20:00.008+08:00

Let it be remembered than on this day 30th September 2010, Samuel J Blawan finally opened his mouth willingly to accept solids!!!! This occurred at breakfast time when his mummy tried to feed him his oat cereal. Instead of the usual screams and turning of head to avoid the spoon, lil Samuel opened his mouth not once, but twice. Mal seeing this as a "turning point" in her life immediately screamed in delight and called for both his nana and papa to witness the miracle. He was a bit shy at first with the grand audience but later opened his mouth again when the commotion subsided.

Finished his oat meal cereal for breakfast and ate 5 spoons of chicken porridge for lunch....

Allelujah!!!! Heeeeee's back!

Drowning in the sea of work and bullshit

2010-09-28T22:21:00.000+08:00

I have found it increasingly hard to concentrate lately. Usually happens when you have too much of something but a lack of everything as well. Like the ying and yang. Too much cos I seem to be going backwards with the workload rather than going forward. The endless emails in the inbox, the every more increasing workload outside the scope of my "formal" duties, the ever more demands on family life yet as I get busier, I find I am finding myself seriously lacking in direction resource, money, time etc.... As a result, my mind constantly is in a state of drift, desperately trying to cling on to something that would give me a moment of clarity.

Probably its the lack of sleep, the mundane every tasks, the unhealthy lifestyle of all work and less play... who knows. But whatever it is, its not good!

I need to find time to restructure my mind. To get rid of the crap that lingers inside which blurs rather than clears. I need some clear focus and more importantly, the will power to focus. Like the words of the Jackie Chan in the karate kid II, "your focus needs more focus"!

Maybe I need to subdivide my thoughts to just 3 simple columns. Work, family and self. And within these 3 columns, I shall narrow down the key objectives that need to be addressed immediately.... will try that first thing tomorrow morning!!

Focus boy... focus!!!!

It's solids time!!!

2010-09-27T16:09:00.019+08:00

After a visit to the dietician last week, we were advised to start training lil Samuel on solids. This means weaning him off milk and onto food which can provide more substance and energy for his growth / development. Obviously it was a challenge from the get go given that the lil guy hates feeding period! Been a challenge even to get him to drink milk at one point with his reflux which thankfully has gone. Now that he is enjoying drinking, it's time for a change in menu again. So far we have introduced him to a variety of food in the hope that he will like at least a few. No luck yet. He does like feeding himself but this can be a super messy affair. More like experimenting rather than eating. Need to keep a close watch as well to make sure he does not choke on his food.

As with all babies they learn by mimicking others or by association. So I try to be a good influence and teach him how to eat. Hopefully one day and I hope that day will come soon, he will start eating on his own.

Keeping a diary for the lil Samuel

2010-09-26T22:21:00.000+08:00

Come 7th December, lil Samuel will be exactly 1 year old. Well, 10 months corrected age to be exact minus his pre-mature entrance into the world. That's only 2 months away. But its amazing how in the past year, he has grown and changed both physically (although still underweight) and personality wise. Sometimes when I look back at certain episodes of the year's drama, I find it difficult to capture the intricate moments, only barely remembering the "overview" of the days that went by. Hence I have kick started again Samuel lil diary. I bought a red moleskin diary to keep track of his development from the start of the year. It was going well for the first 5 months before going quiet when Mal and him went back to Malaysia for a holiday. But now, seeing the various milestones he has achieved to date such as the disappearance of his reflux (Allejujah! Praise be to God!), his day surgery in August, solids taking etc, it's time again to start writing the story of his life again. I have done this by placing his lil diary at my home office table and plan to write something each day no matter how mundane the days event might be.

Who knows, this might all feed back into my personal memoirs down the road...:-)

Ocean Ride 50km for Charity

2010-09-24T13:54:00.003+08:00

The 2010-2011 multisport and triathlon calender is out and it starts with the Ocean Ride for Multiple Sclerosis on 31 October. It has been a while since my last race so after much persuasion from my cycling buddy David, we decided to join in a team time trial event. There were 2 categories to choose from, the 30 km event from Fremantle to Hillarys or the 50km event from Frenmantle to Burns Beach and Hillarys. We opted for the longer route to give us a bit of a challenge. In a team time trial, only one person wears the timing chip so the goal is to finish as a group.

The event also gives us a chance to raise some money for charity as well. All proceeds go the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Now I have not much knowledge on MS but the name itself sounds like a disease you don't want to have!

Training starts now!!!

2010 City 2 Surf

2010-08-29T16:13:00.003+08:00

This year's 2010 Perth City 2 Surf (12km) was probably my most ill prepared event. With the challenges of managing Samuel during his "reflux" days, stresses with work, travels to Malaysia, house hunting followed by house moving, I was simply ready to participate but not expect any personal bests this year. With 1 week to the event, I managed a 40km ride and 2 x 10km walks. From a fitness standpoint, I should be able to run at a 6-7 km/hr pace.

Finally the day arrived. It was a rather warm morning compared to last year. Signs of spring arriving. This time round, there was no family to send or meet me at the finish line. With Samuel still recovering from minor surgery, it was best for him to stay home for now. Maybe in the next event, he'll be there to greet his papa.

I was going to rely fully on Perth's public transportation which is free for participants. All we need to do is flash our numbers. I got on my regular bus which swelled with participants as it made its way to the city centre.

After a brief warm up and thanking of sponsors, the 12km event kicked off at 930am sharp. The marathon and half marathon events had started earlier. I walked to the start line this time instead of running. Last year I made the mistake of running which was a total waste of effort as the transponder only really starts when you step on the start line. Nonetheless I finally got there and started my run. As with last years event, I had my ipod with me to keep me company. I could have gone without it just like the HBF run for reason but I was going to take it easy this time so might as well enjoy some music as well.

I managed to run the first 4km without any problems. By the 5th km, the legs were starting to tire. Signs of lack of training starting to rear its ugly head. So I stopped for a bit and walked. But got back to running as soon as I caught my breath. I tried my best to keep going to avoid loosing momentum but at times it was hard. There were a few monster hills and I managed to overcome these and gained my breath on the decent.

Finally after the 10km mark, things were getting easier much to my surprise. The road was flat and the end was also near. Finally I took the last corner into Ocean Drive and the finish line was in sight. Crossed it to the chears of people left and right of me. Checked my watch and ipod, it was 1 hr 23 minutes. 1 minute slower than last's years time.

Overall, I was pretty happy with myself. It was indeed an improvement somewhat given I had no training this time round and still could meet my personal best from last year. Makes me wonder if I had pushed myself a little more, I could have done a wee bit better. Of course its always easy looking back.

Next year, I'm going to try the 21km half marathon. Done with the 12km's. Time to give it a notch and aim higher. Plus, I want a half / full marathon finisher's t-shirt too and a different colour medal!!

Pinarello... TRANSFORM!

2010-08-23T16:31:00.003+08:00

It’s a long time coming but finally my FP3 is near completion with the addition of the Zipp 404 wheels which I managed to get off ebay for my 34^th birthday. The only thing left to upgrade really is the compact crank. I whack myself in the head on why I didn’t switch to a standard crank before when I first bought the bike. I made the swap with the original MOST wheels First impression on bike, looks bloody awesome! On Sunday took it for a test ride on the roads and hills in Perth. My verdict, these zipps are fast! Pretty quiet too with no squeaks, squeals. On a straight road with no wind, you could easily go the extra 5km/hr above average…. The only thing stopping me from going faster was my “un-aero” position. It is definitely stiffer from the normal rims and is more “responsive” to climbing too. I also enjoyed watching heads turn when other cyclist rode passed. On the whole, pretty happy with my investment. Now to upgrade my legs and stamina. Current level of fitness does no justice to Pinarello or Zipp!!

A shot in the arm

2010-07-27T23:12:00.002+08:00

Time is running out. Exactly 10 more days before the lil prince and his mum returns. In those 10 days, I would need to single handedly transport all our belongings from my current place in Mount Lawley to my new place wherever it may be. Of course, I would need to secure a place first.

But today was a good shot in the arm and a breath of life. After close to 2 weeks of house hunting, a few near misses and many disappointments, I finally saw a place that ticks at least 90% of the boxes. By now, I would have discovered that no house is perfect (unless you built it yourself) and no house is as nice as the current place I am living despite the fact that the current place too has had its fair share of pain (burst pipe, bad TV reception, garage robbery) But I guess given time, any place can be made a home. The same goes with the new home as well.

I should know by tomorrow if I am successful. I do know that the agent has made her rounds calling up my references. It's a question of whether the owners would approve. Finger's cross they would else it would back to the drawing board again and more added stress.

The end of the mad season

2010-07-26T23:31:00.002+08:00

It's been a whole 2 months of football (world cup in June) and the tour de france in July which has kept me up every night. The world cup ended with Spain winning it and the tour de france finished with another Spaniard (Contador) winning it. Looks like it's Spain's year in 2010. Oh I also forgot Raphael Nadal of Spain winning the French and Wimbledon too.

For me, it's a sad end to some of the most enjoyable moments in sports. The suspense, anxiety and joy watching athletes doing what they do best and a good dose of inspiration. I am always amazed by the will power of these teams and individuals to strive to be the top in their sports.

I need that in my life right now. Some clear personal goals that I would like to achieve. Its a mess right now with chaos being the order of the day. Living one day at a time plugging holes and putting out fires (both at work and home) ... hopefully things will stabilize soon.

Tour De France 2010

2010-07-25T14:33:00.008+08:00

I managed to watch nearly 75% of the tour de france this year which includes all the mountain stages of the Alps and the Pyranees. And sadly the 3 week race ended last Sunday in Paris with Mark Cavendish torpedoing his way to the finish line for a 5th stage victory of this years tour. Last year he won 6. But the main headlines this year was really about Alberto Contador and Andy Shleck.

This years two best riders of equal strength and calibre in the mountains. Unfortunately for Andy Shleck, strength alone could not win him this year's coveted yellow jersey. A bit of inexperience which cause him to slip his chain during an attack in the Pyranees and the inability to maintain his momentum in the final invidual time trial cost him valuable seconds. Alberto Contador again shows why is a 5 time grand tour champion. This year it was all about the cycling and not about Lance Armstrong. Gone was the infighting in Astana. This time there was a solid squad behind a lead rider. Contador matched Shleck's every move in the moutains and Schleck was never able to shake him off. The climb up the Col Du Tourmalet (the highest mountain in the Pyranees) was one to remember. With the submit shrouded in mist, it was almost a magical climb with the two best riders leaving everybody else in their dust. It was an awesome sight and a show of pure individual will and strength. Its even more amazing that these guys had already suffered daily rides / punishments totally thousands of km both in the flats and slopes. Waking up every day for more punishment until the final ride into Paris. Though Shleck won the stage, it was good to see that both riders showed respect towards one another and it was evident by the warm embrace at the finish line.

At the end of the day, the stronger rider won the tour. Contador had to dig deep in the last time trial indicating he had to give it 200% to finally defeat Shleck in the race against the clock. His face at the end of the stage was that of pure exhaustion.

So what's left in cycling in 2010? Only one more grand tour left; the Tour of Spain or Vuelta Espana. Doubt the big names will be in it after this years difficult Tour de France. Most top riders taking a long break to recover but it would be one to watch for sure regardless.

Still though ...damn, I wish I could have one of their bikes!! The Specialized

Shiv time trial bike are simply awesome

(Photos taken by Bettini Photos)

House hunting

2010-07-15T15:16:00.003+08:00

This has to be shittiest period of my life this year where things just seems to get harder and harder. Unexpected lease expiring, house hunting, house packing, house moving and house cleanup all to be done in a space of 3 weeks alone. This all to be in addition having to work from 8 to 5pm. Then its the return of the family and all kinds of other stresses that comes with that.

So far I have searched and seen one house too many. So full of promise in the brochure but so full of shit in reality. Either that, or just too damn expensive or “questionable” standards. So much money spent on stupid carparks in the city ($25 daily on average) so that I won't waste time with travel for viewings. Then there is the time away from office and multiple requests to be excused. I wonder what the boss is thinking...

Life just pisses me off right now…

A quick end to a very short trip

2010-07-07T13:42:00.002+08:00

I am sitting here at the LCCT for what is to be a very long day of travelling. Will be flying off to Singapore first with Air Asia followed by a 6 hr flight down south to Perth with Singapore Airlines. Looking forward to the travel but certainly not looking forward to the arrival. For what awaits will be a series of to do list that will keep me extremely busy for the next 4 weeks. Basically, finding a new house, move out from the old house. Clean up new house and clean up old house. Sort out all the necessary details associated with a house move. All to be done in 4 weeks or less. No pressure really. After all, how hard can it be? Compared to some of the other challenges I have experienced to date. This is probably nothing by comparison. But then again, there is work... gheeze. Be interesting how it all fits in. Enough whinging... just do it I guess...

I passed!!

2010-06-29T23:16:00.000+08:00

After months of preparation (mediocre at best) but thankfully a good ramp up in the days near the exam, I finally completed and passed my Lean Bronze certification exam. 172 questions answered in 180 minutes (3 hrs) and I scored 80%. The passing mark was 75%. Overall, the exam was tough. The initial 50 questions were relatively straighforward and easy but the next 50-70 questions really killed my brain cells. The last 20 questions were again easy but by then, 2-1/2 hrs of pure focus was already starting to take its toll. I was having to read the questions twice just be sure I read them correctly. There were a few "oh sh**" moments but thankfully these were rectified in time. Calculation questions took quite a bit of my time and I had to resort to the eenie meanie minie mo technique on some as the resolve were somehow not forthcoming. As with all exams, I wished I had more time.

When 180 minutes were up, the screen froze and upon clicking the OK button, the results immediately flashed before my very eyes. Passed! I didn't care whether it was 100% or 75.1%. I was so glad to have made it given the amount of preparation I had with baby challenges, life challenges in the background. Phew... saves me alot of explaining to do it the results were otherwise. Unfortunately, 4 guys did not make it in this group. They will have to somohow resit the exam in the next few months. There is a 30 day "cooling off" period before you are allow to take the exam again.

It was an end to 18 days of training. But now the real challenge begins; educating and promoting LEAN thinking in my organization. I will also have to start planning for my first Kaizen event as well.

In the meantime, it will be a chillax rest of the day for me. I think I'll go for a foot massage. Tomorrow, its course wrap up followed by a flight to KL to see lil Samuel.

Last day before the big one

2010-06-28T22:42:00.003+08:00

Today is the last day of study before the big 170 question exam for my LEAN certification. We had a practice exam this morning and I managed to score 32/38. 6 questions wrong, 3 of which I believe was due to poor reading of the question. Amazing how the answers suddenly become "apparent" after you discovered you got it wrong! Such is the power of hind sight. Anyway, I was exhausted after that. So I decided to take it easy in the afternoon. Rather than try to prison myself in the room for another 4-5 hours, I took to the gym to clear my head. Had a good jog followed by a swim. Then some reading by the poolside. It's amazing how well the brain is able to absorb information when the conditions are not rigid (i.e. in the confine space of a room). After dinner, it was again, some further 'last minute reading'. At this point, I realize it's really a question of whether you know it or not. If not, you just need to know where to find the info (fast) given that its an open book exam.

Anyway, hopefully I'll get a good night's sleep. No amount of prepartion is enough if you don't get enough rest. Like a marathon, months of training can go to waste if the sleep was crap the day before.

I wish myself luck for tomorrow. Hopefully I will come out smiling. I just need to score 75% to pass!!!

England 1: Germany 4

2010-06-27T23:48:00.000+08:00

After a full day of studying, I was looking forward to watching the second round (last 16) match between England and Germany. I went down to the hotel launge as the hotel did not subscribe to the world cup channel on normal TV! Buggers!! The force you to go down and order drinks instead. It was going to be one of those classic games. Between the two, England had the more experience players (with self declared golden generation squad) whereas Germany had the youth and flair. Certainly on paper England looked like the favourites.

Sadly England was 2:1 down after half time. An equalizer by Frank Lampard not counted when the referee failed to see his shot bounced off inside the line and back into play. Germany seized the situation later by scoring 2 counterattack goals. Both which left England's back 4 in total chaos.

At teh end of the day, it was 4:1 to Germany and I have to say, dodgy refereeing aside, England was just not good enough which is sad given the amount of talent in the team. But I guess talent alone won't get you far. In a sport like football, it's all about the team and whether the team can perform on the night itself.

It was back to the hotel room after that. Sad but then again, it's just foot ball. Now I'm gonna support either Spain or Argentina...

The most boring book ever

2010-06-26T18:35:00.003+08:00

As part of my LEAN training, I am reading this book called LEAN thinking (by J. Womack and D. Jones) which is one of the most important reference material for LEAN. If there was a book that would put you off reading for the rest of your life, this would be it. To sum it up, it is almost as painful as reading my Thermodynamics text book back in uni. It has a collection of case studies and I suspect the goal is for the reader to understand what is going on and pick out the key lessons' in each case study. Hard when you are constantly dozing off. Nonetheless, if you can follow the storyline, it does make for a good reference. However, it has no structure in content. For someone like myself who is anal on structure, it is certainly annoying as it is revolting.

This is a book that would put you to sleep in seconds. So far, it has happened twice to me already. In a cosy enough environment, I have so far fallen asleep within 10 minutes of reading this book. However, I have woken up feeling alot more fresh and energized to continue reading after the quick nap. Although the exam will probably only pick out 50% of the book's content, I felt the need to finish this book as it would give a psychological advantage of knowing that I have finished the most difficult read and everything else would be simple by comparison. Whether or not I would remember every single line or text is irrelevant. It's about knowing that I have completed the book. Still got 5 more chapters to go, 100 pages to read... Gawd..

Survived my 2nd interim LEAN exam

2010-05-24T19:52:00.003+08:00

I just went through a sprint exam on LEAN in preparation for our BIG mother of all exams in June. This one was done via "webinar" (i.e. online with interaction but no audio). After having done yesterday's 14km run, waking up with sore legs, I was not in the most ideal situation (mentally and physically) to sit for an exam. There were about 8 of us in this session. Another session will be held tomorrow. It was an open book exam but with 38 question to be answered in 45 mins, I had limited chances to go and look for answers. The questions on the whole were very tricky. Most were really trying to gauge your understanding of the principals. This meant lots of which ones are NOT, which ones is TRUE and NONE of the ABOVE or ALL of the ABOVE type questions which are a real pain in the backside Especially when you manage to narrow it down to just 2 answers and there is still that 50/50 chance of getting it right or wrong.

The exam went well. At 7 pm on a Monday morning, my brain was in survival mode but I think my 4pm coffee still had some effect. Thank God for that. There was even a little countdown clock on each questions to "remind" us/me of how much time is left.

Anyway, having only read 75% of the required reading material, I scored 32 / 32 which is 84%. Pass! No bosses will be hounding my ass just yet. It's 8 pm now and it's time to go home....

14km HBF Run for Reason

2010-05-23T14:10:00.031+08:00

The day had finally arrived. The 14km HBF run for reason. I woke up this morning at 5am wondering if I had fully prepared myself for this run. The question was not whether I could finish (I know I can!) but whether I could achieve my set target of time of 1 hr 30 mins. To date my training has been patchy, hence the reason why I doubted my own personal fitness. The weather too was predicted to be cloudy with a high chance of rain! Not the most ideal situation for a run. But I had already put in some amount of investment into this race. Time aside, I got a a pair of skins compression long tights, 2XU bib belt and a long sleeve Nike sports shirt.Nonetheless, as with many other things in life, we just need to get on with the show.

Arrived at the WACA, which is the WA cricket ground located in East Perth. This will be the start and end point for the run. After having some coffee and a slight warm up, proceeded to the start point. The crowds started to build up slowly. There was 2 different races,; 14km and 4.5km which takes 2 different routes. Temperature was a chilling 15 degrees. The black clouds were prominent and I decided to keep my windbreaker on just in case. The last thing I needed was to get sick from cold and rain.

The race started promptly at 8am. As usual, it takes a while for the crowd to get going. I reckon at least 10 minutes was wasted just trying to get into 1st gear. The 1st 2km took us to Langley park towards the convention centre. Thereafter at around the 3km mark, the roads started to climb uphill towards the Mitchell freeway. At this point the legs were starting to get tired, but I kept going but at a slower pace. At this point too, I felt heavy with the windbreaker and its was also getting a bit "hot". Still, better to be warm than to be cold. Things started to get interesting at the 6km mark when we turned into the Northbridge Tunnel. I took my first powergel here and this gave me the extra kick to get through the 2km underground stretch. It was the first time running through a tunnel. I missed out on the SMART tunnel run in KL any years back when it first opened. Obviously with it's high usage now for both vehicles and flood mitigation, I doubt there will ever be another run. There is a weird feeling running inside a tunnel. Firstly there is a feeling of claustrophobia and a lack of air (even though there is plenty of it). There is also this feeling of "waiting forever to see the light" but when it did come, I felt the need to push on even more, telling myself, the end is near. When finally outside again, there was a

quick gush of fresh win. It was refreshing. There was also a time check here at 7.5km. My watch showed 45 mins exact. If I continued this pace, I should get to the finish line in another 45 mins or less. We then proceeded to run along the Graham Farmer Freeway, cross the bridge into Belmont and into the narrow lanes of the Belmont Park Gold Course. I felt a slight cramp on the right shin. It was a stinging sensations and I thought "this was it" for me. Surprisingly, the pain went away as soon as I started running again. So that was the quick fix. Just keep on going. It was about 10km at this point, you could already see the 4 tower lights of the WACA. The end was near and I just needed to maintain pace. It became extremely windy at this point with some slight drizzle. We were running along the river front so this was to be expected. At some point, withe the wind chill, it certainly felt like 10 degrees. Thank God for the windbreaker.

At the 11km mark, I swallowed another powergel. Finally, we got to the causeway which connects Victoria Park to East Perth. After passing the 13km mark, time check showed 1 hr 20 mins. Nearly there, and with the 2nd powergel in the system, I felt my legs were a lot stronger! The last km felt like forever. After passing the 14km mark, we still had to navigate around the WACA and enter the stadium. I felt like giving it all at this point but resisted just in case the finish line is further than expected. Finally, around 500m later, I could see the entrance, at this point, I ran as fast as I could. Passing people left and right like a man high on drugs till finally I got to the finish line. Time check, 1 hr 35 mins! 5 mins over my target but still, it felt good. I wasn't tired and I certainly felt I could go for more.

I finally did it. My first 14km and I think on the whole I did better than my 12km City 2 Surf last year (when I clocked 1 hr 20 mins) This time round, I did not stop running. Keep on going only with lil breaks at the water station. My pace was around 8-9.5 km/hr which is a personal best. As with all highs, its back to reality after this. Back home to tend to the family. Unfortunately this year, lil Samuel is a bit too young to be in the crowds. Plus, I don't think him (and his mum) would appreciate the cold. Next year, I'm sure he'll be there to cheer his papa on!

When life throws you just one challenge to many...

2010-05-21T18:09:00.002+08:00

I just found out today that our lease at our current place will expire in September. Though we had the option to extend for another 12 more months, the owner has decided to return back due to a death in the family and is unable to renew the lease. This makes it the 3rd move in 3 years. The last one almost killed me with the stress of finding a house coupled with the actual move itself, cleaning etc. That was without having lil Samuel in the family. Now we have the little guy, the stress will be even greater. Sometimes I wonder why we are put in these situations for no bloody reason! When you think you had enough challenges, here comes another one just to spice things up a bit... damn!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T07:22:00.002+08:00

It's one of those days which we seldom celebrate because we just don't know what day of the year Mother's day falls on. Same thing goes for Father's day as well. Unlike Valentine's day which is sometimes more important than your own birthday! This year, I got reminded of Mother's day through the constant barrage of Mother's day advertisements / announcements on TV, malls newspapers etc.

So what do I know about Mother's day? Not much to be honest, but its a day we should celebrate. Unlike Valentine's day which is a total waste of time and money, Mother's day is a true celebration of love. Being a new father and seeing first hand how difficult it is to be a full time mum, we certainly need to learn to appreciate the very things we often take for granted. The suffering parents had to endure in order to give us the best. For that is what they want, the best for us though many times we feel we don't need the best. Still its in their nature to do so.

On this day, for the first time ever, I or shall I say we (Samuel and I) celebrate Mal's first year as a mum! Indeed it has been a real LABOUR of love trying to raise this lil child Samuel since December. It has never been a boring moment but there have certainly been very trying moments, ones that would test the very essence of you as a person. Sometimes what you are made of is not what you project to others but what you project to yourself every time you look into the mirror. In its true form sometimes, I feel motherhood or fatherhood is about feeling the pain so that your child does not have to. And that's difficult. We wake up at 2am in the morning to feed the lil one so that he does not feel hungry. We endure cleaning dirty diapers so that he does not have to sit in a pile of sh**. We spend hours in a day trying to burp the lil guy so that he won't feel uncomfortable (and also not vomit and cause a pile of mess to clean) We sacrifice our personal pleasures to spend quality time with the lil one although the word quality is at times very subjective. But the key word here is sacrifice. It's a difficult word to comprehend until you have to do it yourself. Sacrifice does not come easy for people with high egos. Sacrifice does not come easy for people who have never shared. Sacrifice does not come easy for people who puts their personal needs first.

And that's why I think we celebrate mother's day. We celebrate it because we acknowledge the sacrifice of our mothers. I wish my mum was here to celebrate mother's day. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if she was still alive. What she would do in the presence of lil Samuel. I guess somethings we will just never know.

Happy Mother's day mummy! I know you are listening up there in heaven. And to my very own darling Mal, Happy Mother's day to you too! Now lets clean up Samuel's vomit...

Studying and working

2010-05-01T07:45:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since I tried studying. In fact, I have somewhat forgotten how to effectively do it. With my LEAN certification course coming up in June, I am now in panic mode. One of my most re-occurring nightmares is turning up for an exam not prepared. And sitting through the ordeal not knowing how to answer a single question and figuring out how to explain to my parents why I failed! Horrible.. horrible feeling. The second most re-occurring nightmare is having to hold up a huge ball / sphere in the air. Not sure of the significance, but it's probably a direct reflection of the burdens of life and how we have no option but to endure.

Despite the LEAN exam being an open book exam, I am still scared sh** less. I hate exams. One of those things I was never good at but somehow passed. One thing I realized is that I have a really bad short term memory. Memorizing has never been my strong point. Understanding is. Which therefore lies the problem. In order for you to understand, you need to "read" and not just memorize. With 4 books to read as part of this certification course, 2 of which are ones which would put you to sleep in seconds, I am in panic mode. For the examination will be based on these 2 books and how well you understand them. Its like reading the bible. Reading it is easy. Trying to "understand" what the bible is trying to tell you is hard.

Anyway, we have a "webinar" coming up. Yes, its a web seminar (new language thanks to the www) This webinar would be like a pretest for a pretest. Best form of practice.

But I wonder what has changed since uni days? Why is it so difficult to study. Certainly some reasons come to mind. Having to juggle too many things at a time and being constantly distracted is one of them. Working 9 hours a day, coming home and working another 3-4 hours on my "second job" or "real job" depending on how you see it. Then weekends come and again, it's doing the household chores etc. I almost feel the only time of day you can study is at night. Even so, when do you get to sleep?

Life is tough and is going to get tougher. But I have come to the realization now that it's just the way it is. Can't think too far ahead, can't worry about tomorrow. You just have to focus on the now and managed it, one minute at a time.

Exams... Gawd I just hate it...

Day 3 Papa and son home alone

2010-04-26T23:03:00.004+08:00

Can't believe 2 days have passed. Yesterday was a nightmare. Hardly had time to do anything apart from feeding and cuddling lil Samuel. The lil boss REFUSES to be left alone and was in constant need of attention. I too was in constant vomit alert. Always making sure I am there when the vomit signs are in sight... i.e. hiccups and when he starts to make weird sounds with his lips. The procedure is to IMMEDIATELY pick him up and put him over my shoulder... then pray. If I could distract him enough, he would forget about the need to vomit. Sometimes, I just that bit too late and I end up with a shirt covered in slimy goo... . Most of the time, things go right and teh picture above is the look of a 150ml satisfied baby. Sleeping soundly whilst the feed is being digested and the residue gas / burp slowly being released.

Day 3 for me started at 5 am in the morning when the cries for " I am hungry and I need a diaper change" was heard. I was surprised! Usually he would wake up around 2-3 am but it seems like he managed to stretch it for another 2 more hours. Upon checking his diaper, it was like a litre of wee was in it. Heavy as hell. But gawd daem, this heavy duty diaper works! I guess that's why he never felt any discomfort that night. Better use this diaper more often. Hopefully his mummy bought some during her trip back home.

This day, I felt a bit braver. My target was 150ml every feed especially after last night's "success". But just to be on the safe side, I'd go with 120ml to start of with. He took it all in like a champion. It was straight to bed after that for both of us. Then at 10am, it was time for his brunch. 150ml with 3 burps every 50ml. It was a resounding success. Again, during his 230pm feed, another 150ml followed by a solid 3 hour sleep. The longest siesta so far but it was not without its moments. A few close calls with "unresolved" burps trying to surface, threatening to soil my shirts and Samuel's clothes too. But thankfully I came in JIT (just in time) During his 3 hours nap, I took the opportunity to clean up the garden, do the laundry, clean up the kitchen, change out the bedsheets, fold the clothes and take an early shower. In addition, took a shower and did some work on the computer. Never realized how precious time is when you cut it down to minutes. You'll never when he would wake up and then it's all about him. Drop everything else! In fact at the time of this blog, I have yet to eat dinner! No time to cook let alone eat!

Anyways, Samuel's 7pm feed was full of drama. Firstly, he refused to drink unless the TV was on and he was facing it. So I thought I might as well watch a DVD. Selected a boys movie, GI Joe. He watched it whilst he had his feed. All 150 ml of it. Then came the hard part. His final burp was never came out. And we all know what happens to unresolve burps. I was terrified to put him down for fear my 2 hours work would all spill to the floor. So I kept patting him, putting him in various positions, including a back massage to get that gas but to no avail. I finally gave up at 9pm and put him down. Maybe there was no gas but still, you never know. Once on his bed, he was sticking his fingers in his mouth. Possibly indicating that he is still hungry. So I made another 30ml. Unsure if this would solve the problem or make it worst but if he's hungry, feed him. Again, he took that 30ml in like a champ. And this time, a large loud burp came out. Thank God. He can finally go to bed and I can finally chill.

Took him upstairs but he was wide awake. Could this be a sign that there is more gas in him? Hopefully not. But I picked him up nonetheless and he let out a big one, almost cough like, this time with a small reflux. I was just glad he now felt better. He was still wide awake though which is a concern and was constantly rubbing his face. I wrapped him up nicely, close all the lights and hope he would go to bed. After a few cries, he eventually did. Though he did managed to free both his hands in the process. I guess he just didn't like being tied up. (but it was for his own good especially after the big itch mark that went bad a few weeks back)

For a good 30 minutes or so, he was quiet but still I had the compelling urge to go check on him. Funny, worried when he is awake and worried when he is quiet too. But it was all good. He was asleep and finally I can do some blogging and work before his next feed at 1 am. It's going to be a rough night. 1 am feed followed by a 5 am wake up to go to the airport and pick up his mummy. Then a full day of work (office work) ahead. Not looking forward to that but then again, its a break from taking care of the lil one. It's hard when you have a boss as demanding as Encik Samuel on right!

Vomit proofing the house

2010-04-26T22:40:00.003+08:00

If there is one thing I have gotten used to is cleaning up after Samuel's spills / vomits. Usually happens during burping or a few hours later when the "unreleased gas" decides to come out. It's not too bad if the contents end up on my shirt or towel but it is a pain in the ass if it ends up on the furniture. Hence, vomit proofing! Child proofing will come later. For now, everything is about doing less laundry!

On average, I go through at least 3 t-shirts and 2 shorts in a day. Samuel on the other hand goes through at least 4. Sometimes, it's just the a mix of saliva and milk that comes up from an unreleased burp. Though most of the time, it's just milk! I just hope the lil guy grows out of it fast! Can't imagine what it would be like when he takes in solids! It's gonna get messy!!!

The feed table

2010-04-26T14:51:00.001+08:00

If there is one thing more important than changing diapers, it's making sure the lil one gets his nutricient. Like an pro athlete who has a strict diet, lil Samuel needs to get his daily feed. Based on his weight, he needs to get at least 600-650 ml per day. To make sure I don't lose track of his feeds (and you can easily do so especially when his eating habits can vary), I came up with a feeding chart. Time vs amount fed, vomitted, nett volume and cummulative volume.

The first day was a rough start and he was below the required daily feed. Probably cos he misses his mummy and he was not used to his dad feeding him. But on the second day, I think papa and son had now reached a formal understanding that there is no one else is around that would feed him so tough luck lil guy! This time he increased his feed and with that, more time in between feeds.

On the third day, he was already doing 150mls consecutively which is a first for me. I guess its a learning experience for both of us. Both feeling alot more relaxed and hence, lil Samuel is willing to take a bit more after some coaxing. "Good " burps every 50ml as well... Finally I am making progress!

Day 2 Papa and son home alone

2010-04-25T22:00:00.003+08:00

Day 2 started at 2 am in the morning when the son, Mr Samuel demanded his feed. As usual, I gingerly got up and headed to the other room and prepared his milk. Was going for 90ml given that he's usually very sleepy and generally uninterested to drink after his 1st burp. Anyway, 1 hour later, he took it all in and soon he was back in bed. I was too within 2 secs of putting him down.

The 6am feed was probably the most difficult wake up call ever. Especially when only 2 hours ago, he had just had his 90ml. Maybe its because the smaller volume, it gets digested faster, hence he wakes up faster. Well, again, I painfully got up, washed my face and headed over to the other room to prepare his breakfast. This time, it took almost 2 hours to downhis 90ml. 20 minutes to drink but almost 1 hr + to burp. This is probably the most frustrating part about feeding. So much time is wasted just sitting down, patting his back, moving him around to get that one lil / big bubble out of his system. Failing which, there will be more laundry to clean! It was sunrise by the time we finished and there was no point in me going back to bed. Worst still, Samuel was wide awake.

The rest of the day was a nightmare. I think lil Samuel was now aware his mummy was not around and was in constant need of attention. He wanted me to be by his side all the time, either being cuddled or within sight. Needless to say, I couldn't do sh**. I did though, managed to do some laundry (the most important thing) during his 1 hr cat nap. Other than that, I was either holding him trying to coax him to go to bed or feeding the guy. This time however, I tried with a higher amount (120 ml). This should translater to more sleeping time. This didn't work today though. Apart from the usual spills (bout 10ml) conviniently on his shirt and mine, he was constantly awake and constantly crying when left alone.

I did a quick frozen food heatup. This was to be my dinner today. (never had frozen food in a while) but I didn't have time to fix myself anything (maggie included) The lil one was screaming in the background wanting my attention.

By 7 pm that night, I was exhausted. His next feed was 9 am but I was already ready for bed. Anyways, 9 am came and I decided this time to go for 150ml. It would be my personal recorded. Thankfully, he took it all in! Allelujah!

I secured him with a heavy duty diaper (supposedly it should last 6 hours) Let's see if I can get some decent sleep tonight....

Day 1 Papa and son home alone

2010-04-24T16:46:00.004+08:00

Mal left this morning for a quick long weekend getaway to Malaysia for some well deserved R&R. Motherhood is tiring and like any other occupation, sometimes we just need to take "annual leave". Woke up at 4am in the morning to freshen up. Samuel had just been fed about an hour earlier on. Unfortunately when it was time to change into some warmer clothes, Samuel decided to release a goodbye vomit! Probably about 30 ml came out from the last feed. Perhaps what was more painful was having to clean up the mess and clean him up before leaving.

Drove Mal to the airport and said our good byes. This would be Mal's first solid time away from the lil guy. It would be interesting to see how they both deal with it.

During the drive home, it started to dawn on me that I'm now officially home alone with the lil chap. He was sitting very quietly in the back seat. Trying his best to catch some sleep. As he had just vomited prior to leaving the house I needed to make sure he gets his milk.

Prepared a little "feeding table" and stuck it on one of the walls to keep track of how much is being fed. The goal is to have 600ml minimum in 24 hrs (i.e. 120ml every 5 hrs) Prepared his milk (90ml) and proceeded to feed the lil guy. He took in 80 with 2 burps in between. However his final burp released about 10ml of milk on my shirt. I guess it was bound to happen.

Anyway, I realized that he did not want to 120ml at one time so it was best to spread out the feed into smaller portions and it seemed to work. 60ml to 90ml at a time would just about make him sleepy. In the afternoon, had some tummy time but he was too lazy to do anything. Simply lying there flat waiting to be picked up. Also had some seating time on his favorite blue chair. Last but not least, some time under his jungle play mat as well. I have noticed one thing though, he seems alot more manja today. Refusing to be left alone an wants company and cuddles. Since his mummy is not here, I'll oblige. Even when cuddled, he keeps one small eye partially open to make sure I give him all my attention.

So it has been 12 hours since his mummy left! So far so good. Managed to do some laundry, watch a lil TV and did some internet. Need to cook something for dinner now. Will eat last night's left overs. Then feed the guy again at 7pm and again at 11pm. Not looking forward to the 3-4 am feed. I just hope I can wake up... when he starts screaming then.

Day 1 Papa and son home alone coming to an end soon...

My 14K training

2010-04-16T17:21:00.003+08:00

Finding time to train for my HBF run for a reason is even more challenging than the 14k run itself. Other than that is being able to muster enough energy to go out and run after having only 2-3 hours sleep during the night. So in order to be able to get enough milage per week and still be able to finish the race within a respectable time, I have decided to run home from work as many times as possible during the week. So far it has been about twice a week which is really not enough. Each run a distance of 4.5 km. Far short of my needed 10-20km a week requirement.

Challenges and more challenges! Such is life! Can't seem to get the basics right... damn

Dead Tired

2010-04-16T17:15:00.004+08:00

I'm just feeling so dead tired nowadays. Mentally exhausted from work and physically exhausted from home. To top that up, I have to study for my LEAN certification exam in June. 4 books to read, 2 of which will put you to sleep within seconds. Not the kind of books you want to read prior to going to bed as you will fall into a deep sleep immediately.

Then there is the issue of finding day care for lil Samuel. Unlike back home in Malaysia, finding care is probably slightly easier, less hassle and cheaper. Here in Perth, it is a pain in the ass with day care centres requiring bookings in advance. Some with waiting lists stretching a year. Some with fees so expensive you wonder whether its worth having kids at all. Perhaps I am in the wrong line of work.

So much responsibility, so little time and not enough money. The dilemmas of a married middle income earner living in one of the most expensive places on earth.

Dream Machines

2010-04-15T16:56:00.000+08:00

Unlike people who fancies expensive fast cars and motorcycles, I'm just into push bikes. But even these bikes can cost an arm and a leg depending what you want to get out of it (or on it)

Been looking at the web during my free time and searching for cool bikes. One that really caught my eye is the new Specialized Shiv. The latest and probably illegal by design bikes for time trialing / triathlon. It just looks so sleek and fast. Must be really uncomfortable to ride.

Coming a close 2nd is the Specialized Transition. Another sleek and awesome looking bike with all the right curves to give it that mean aero look.

Nonetheless, probably something within my "budget" would be the Cervelo P3. Especially the grey/black 2009 model. A used one if I could ever find one on ebay. I guess before that, I still need to put in enough milage for my Pinarello and sell off my mountain bike. (still on my to do list)

Sigh, so many bikes, not enough money....(and time)

38.6 degrees!

2010-04-14T16:42:00.003+08:00

Samuel had his 4 months immunisation today. According to Mal, he was a very well behaved boy, only screaming when the needle punchured his left and right thigh. Other than that, it was back to business of smiling and kicking about.

It was a different story at night though. After having his 8pm feed (and downing all his 130ml of NAN milk - a record to date), he was restless. Constantly moving about and "talking to himself". By 9 pm, he was asleep and so was his mum. By 10 pm, he was up and again, constantly making noise with his gu gu ga ga (not lady gaga). Mal insisted I pick him up and give him a cuddle to put him to sleep which I did. Took him downstairs and watch a little TV. However after 30 mins, I felt my left arm "burning". His head was warmer than usual. Then the cries started. I took him up, changed his diaper but his screams were getting louder and louder. Finally, I decided to take his temperature. 38.6 degrees! Holy crap, this was serious. First course of action was to take off some of his clothes (he was dressed for the cold), then immediately put a cold towel over his head. Mal and I scrambled for the immunisation paperwork to see if there are any more advice on how to treat fevers resulting from immunisation shots. Found something and at the bottom of the pamphlet was also a "HELPLINE". Called them up and explained to them the situation. The respondant on the other side was very helpful. Thankfully his temperature had not shot up to 40.5 degrees which is an immediate trip to the hospital. The reaction Samuel was facing was normal as his body was trying to fight the "disease" so to speak. Main thing now is to monitor his temperature and give him infant panadol to ease the pain. Miraculously, it came down to 37.6 degrees within an hour. So its all thrending in the right direction.

Needless to say, yet another day of sleepless nights. But his appetite has improved since then. Win some lose some I guess!

The wonderful world of Samuel

2010-04-05T15:39:00.007+08:00

Samuel is almost 4 months now. 2 month if using the "corrected age". My assessment? Never a boring moment. Though there are periods when I wished I could fast forward time... especially when Samuel is having a really bad day feeding. And no feed means, no grow. Hence the stress! All in all, lil Samuel has been a good boy but at times he can be the little devil himself. Not his fault though, sometimes I pity that we don't speak the same language though I know in time, he will learn our language fast and will never stop talking. But for now, its a case of trying to second guess his "eh ohs and ahemmmm" (Hence we call him Mr Eh Oh now) and also his different types of cries / screams.

They say a baby's mind is a like a sponge in the first few years. I sometimes wonder how he responds to his new surroundings. Most recently I bought a little jungle themed playmat with all kinds of little animal toys hanging on the overhead beams. Samuel thoroughly enjoys the experience. Seeing him inside the playmat reminds me of the thrills of getting a new toy. When all the worries in the world are second to your lil moment of happiness! One new experience at a time!

Who says we can't learn from babies!

Aahhhh.. Autumn is finally here!

2010-04-03T16:27:00.000+08:00

It's starting to get chilly at nights and slightly cooler during the days. Officially Autumn started in March but the temperature has been relatively unstable until today when it finally hit below the 25deg line mid noon. No need for the aircondition or fan anymore. Just a slight opening of the window to allow the cool breeze to come in. This is my kind of weather! Not too hot, not too cold either. Great for the outdoors. And a reason to sit out in the yard and do some work without the feeling of being cooked! Just too bad the days are starting to get shorter. Sunrise is now at 630am and night starts at 630pm. Which means a later start for bike rides and a earlier start for dinner! Also means less time to do any excercise after work! Not good!!!

Going home! (Perth that is...)

2010-03-27T15:15:00.000+08:00

Finally after 2 long weeks, I’m heading back home to the family. It’s amazing how much you miss them especially when you have a little one growing right before your very eyes. I would be interested to see how much he has changed in the last 2 weeks. One thing for sure, he certainly smiles a lot more. Went to Toys r us to look for some baby toys. Nowadays, there is so much to choose from and super expensive too. Makes you wonder if its worth buying considering that Samuel will grow out of it pretty fast and will soon be demanding for more stimulating toys. I can’t wait to get him some legos. That kept me occupied for a good number of years!

Suitcase is full. Hopefully the weight won’t exceed 25kg!

Freakist Hail Storm in Perth

2010-03-22T18:36:00.005+08:00

At approximately 4pm today, there was an apparent hail storm that struck Perth with hail the size of golf balls (and as big as tennis balls) Extensive damage was reported to many homes, power lines, cars etc. Thankfully Mal and lil Samuel were OK. The little guy was probably totally oblivious to what was happening. Strange weather of late. Super hot one minute, super cold the next. Climate change gone beserk? Maybe! End of the world, hopefully not yet!

Flying visit to KL

2010-03-21T23:39:00.001+08:00

Since I was in Singapore for 2 weeks with a weekend in between, I thought I'd do a quick trip up north to see the family, get some supplies and meet up with friends if possible. I had a list of things to do (and buy) but as with any trip home, all bets are off and sure enough you get sidetracked. Started Saturday morning with coffee with dad followed by a visit to my old house in Putra Heights to sort out some house alarm issues. It felt weird going back "home" and seeing someone else occupying the house. Still, better someone in there than no one at all. Next it was back to my parents house to sort out the "trash" from my old house. The place had somewhat became a temporary storage facility. Going through the stuff, I wonder sometimes why I bother to keep them given that they have remained in box for the last 5 years! Maybe its time to let go. The afternoon was spent catching up with the cycling gang, Asun, JY and Choong. I wish I could meet more but too big a crowd would mean less quality time and talk.

The next day was all about family. Lunch with parents and in-laws at PJ. Nothing beats eating authentic Malaysian Chinese food. After some last minute shopping at 1-Utama (including a 1 hour drive and parking), it was straight home again to do some last minute packing. After a quick meal, it was straight to the airport again! Soon, I was on board the air asia flight back to Singapore. Another full house despite the fact it was the last flight out for the day. What a cash cow route! By midnight, I was back again in my hotel room. Reflecting back on the weekend gone by. Amazing how much or little you can achieve when time is a premium. Now its time to recover!!

HBF Run for a Reason 23 May 2010

2010-03-18T22:53:00.004+08:00

It was one of those impromptu things but I decided to register for the HBF Run for a Reason 14km revent on 23rd May 2010. Other than charity, my real reason is to loose some weight which seemed to be next to impossible of late. Certainly in life, we need goals and push factors. This is certainly one of them. Too bad I decided to cut loose my gym for a while. Looks like I have to train on the roads. Probably not such a bad thing really. After all, it's the best simulation of the real event! May the training begin!!!

Leaving the lil guy behind..

2010-03-14T23:26:00.001+08:00

Am leaving for Singapore for a 2 week long course on LEAN. Will explain more about LEAN in further blogs. I used to love travelling before but this time round, I leave Perth with a heavy heart. Firstly, this will be the first time Mal will be on her own without the usual support group (i.e. family etc) Secondly, lil Samuel gave me his first "real" smile on the day I left. Awww... henchem lil guy he....

Now for the next painful part of the journey. The 6 hour long flight with Quantas!

The climb that made the difference

2010-03-11T23:44:00.007+08:00

Haven't been watching much sports lately (thanks to lil Samuel) In fact, haven't had much chance to watch TV period! Nonetheless, if there is one sport I try to follow, its cycling. Have pretty much lost touch with football and even F1 nowadays. The Paris - Nice race is currently on Europe as a warm up for the upcoming Giro d'italia and Tour de France. Team Astana is one of my favourites and this was one race to see how Alberto Contador would fair with a somewhat understrength squad given most of his team mates from last year had decided to bail out and join Lance Armstrong in Team RadioShag!

Needless to say, I am not a big fan of this new US centric squad which was formed with the sole intent of bringing Lance his 8th grand tour. Seems cancer awareness is taking a back seat for now.

I personally don't see it happening after seeing Contador climb on Stage 4. This guy is unbeatable in the mountains! (He eventually held on to the yellow jersey till the final stage in Nice - updated 15th Mar)

Picture taken from http://www.ispaphoto.com/

Samuel is coming out!

2009-12-07T12:57:00.002+08:00

I began this day like any other typical Monday. At work! Mal was in at the King Edward Memorial Hospital for observation since Friday afternoon. A routine checkup revealed a suspected case of preeclampsia but to be confirmed. The only cure would be to deliver. The big question was when. End of the week, next week, who knows. All I knew was within the next 2 weeks, we would officially become parents. Scary indeed but one which was expected. Suddenly at around 830 am, I received a phone call from Mal saying the doctors would want to deliver TODAY. In fact the she is being prep’ed and the baby could be out by this afternoon.

Within seconds a zillion things went through my mind but all I could think at that moment was to head straight to the hospital. Calls and SMS’s were coming in like a frenzy but I had no time to answer. As soon as I got there, there she was. Still in the room. No news yet of when the theatre will be ready. We had no time to worry. It was going to happen soon. I could not believe that we were going through this alone. No family in sight, just us. Not the most ideal kind of situation but at the same time, it didn’t matter. We had each other for support. Imagine those who had to do it on their own. I stepped out to get some water, saw two men dressed in surgeon clothes asking for Mal. This was it, it’s time! I rushed back to the room. Adrenaline pumping through my veins. I cannot imagine what it was like for Mal. I was certainly excited but fearful at the same time. The two men rolled her out. I followed. We were then given a briefing on what was going to happen by the mid wives. Later they took mal to another room to be given local anesthetics (epidural) whilst I was placed in the waiting lounge to be called when the operating theatre was ready. At this point, a sterile daddy’s surgeon green coverall was given to me to be worn over my own clothes. It was like the movies.

I sat there waiting. Images of what could be flashed through my mind. The many what ifs was finally going to be answered. Until now I could only wait. There was another lady in the operating theatre currently going through the procedure. Mal will just have to wait until she is done. Never realized how busy operating theatres are. Almost like a conveyor belt of surgeries. Finally after waiting for almost 30 -40 mins, it was time. A nurse called me in and said, you’re up next!! I got up and walked with him to the operating theatre. Upon entering, there she (Mal) was, lying flat with the bottom part of her body covered for the C section operation. I was there now so let the show begin! Whilst saying a little prayer, we could already hear a buzz saw sound cutting flesh. It was happening, though Mal could not feel anything. Then there was a sudden tug and pull. Again Mal felt nothing but there was certainly some action going on. Within seconds, we heard a small cry! Little Samuel was out at exactly 1257 hrs. There was no time to waste. Cord was immediate severed (although it’s usually done by the dad) and he was placed into some kind of machine to put on the respirator ASAP. His small and fragile little body was also wrapped in some kind of sterile plastic as well. Just looking from afar, he was tiny. Barely 30cm or so in length and weighing 1.170 kg. It was my first glimpse of a premmie baby! No gundu chubby body, this was was lean without an ounce of fat! Certainly had good muscle tone for one so small. You were allowed cameras in the theatre so I begin snapping away whilst the surgeons closed Mal up. She was doing very well. Soon after it was time for lil Samuel to head down to the nursery. The new mummy finally saw her new baby for the first time. It was an amazing almost magical moment.

I accompanied lil Samuel to the nursery downstairs. As we walked down the corridors, I started to reflect back on the last few hours. Certainly it went by in a flash. So many things happening in a micro second. I could only wish I could slow thing down to actually observed the event in more detail. But I was glad it was over. It was the starting of a new chapter indeed. Once we 2, now we are 3. Lil Samuel is finally out! God Bless you lil lad! Welcome to the Blawan clan.

The Great Bike Ride 2009

2009-11-22T13:45:00.003+08:00

I was all set. Bike – Checked, Attire – Checked, Registration – Checked, No – Checked! Stamina – Errrr. Yep. That was the only checklist not marked and I wasn’t sure if I had what it took this year to finish better than last year even with a new bike (a more expensive one too!)

2008 Results
1:43:11
Overall Pos: 813
Gender Pos: 758
Pace: 30.5km/hr

The goal was to improve from last year’s time by at least 5-10 minutes.

I woke as on race day at 5am to make sure I had sufficient time to digest my breakfast. Pre-planning this year was lax and I didn’t managed to get any powergel (which turned out to be a very bad decision in the end) I also decided to go with a smaller water bottle since last year I didn’t drink much (second biggest mistake). I decided this year to wear my full Rabobank jersey so that I can be easily seen at the finish line for the photo shot ! Got the bike disassembled and together with Mal by my side again this year (with an extra fan in her tummy) we headed straight for Langley Park.

It was a bright sunny day compared to last year. There also seemed to be less participants. Certainly less corporate teams as a result of the financial crisis. Parked Mal under a tree and I raced off in the 30-35km/hr category start.

The first 20 km to Freemantle was relatively easy thought I was not too comfortable seeing guys zooming past me. For some reason, I found it difficult to latch on to any group and hide behind their draft. The next 15-20km from Freemantle to the Kwinana freeway started to feel difficult. The wind this time round was extremely strong. This coupled with the heat from the sun made me drink a lot more than last year. By the time we got on the freeway, I was already feeling the effects of dehydration. And once again, those with time trial bikes were zooming past at 40-50 km/hr and I could not catch up. At this point, some powergel would help but again, thanks to my poor planning, I had non available. Big mistake indeed. The last 10 km to the finish line was shear hell. I was tired, exhausted and thirsty. All I could do was just hang on. I was also doing 20-25km/hr which was far from ideal. Clock was ticking too and soon, I was already over my 2008 results. To think that I told Mal this year with the new bike, I will try and do it in 1 hr 30 min! She must be pissed waiting in the hot sun.

Finally, we crossed the bridge into the city centre and the end was in sight. I didn’t want to finish in a pack so I let the fast fells pass. Soon, I was on my own with the chase group a distant 5 secs behind. I was ready for my photo finish even though I knew my time this year would be sh**. I cross the finish line, hands in the air. Mal saw me this time and got a picture. Even the professional photographer got one too. All was not lost.

Got the results of the race a week later.

2009 Results
1:51:32
Overall: 917
Gender: 847
Pace: 28.5km/hr

Not so great result compare to last year but at least there were lesson’s learnt. Drink more fluids and pack powergel! Oh and cycle more too!! Till the next race in 2010!!

Halo Pinarello

2009-11-12T11:34:00.004+08:00

The search for a new bike begins. It was time to get over the lost from the burglary and move on. With the Perth Great Bike Ride 2009 just around the corner, I had to find something to sit my ass on soon. The big question, a regular road bike or a time trial bike. I was planning to get a time trial bike to compliment the road bike in hand but that plan went out the window. It was either or now instead of “and”. One thing for sure, it was going to be full carbon and an upgrade from the Ultegra or at least a SRAM RED equivalent. Now the question is, what bike! Another TREK would be good but there just wasn’t many in supply especially in Perth. Cervelo would be top of my list but it would cost a bomb. (brand new that is). Bianchi, the house brand of the nearby shop Elite Racing Cycles was also an option but with a full carbon c/w campagnolo record setup costing nothing less than AUS 8K, that got thrown out the window. After visiting a few reputable shops, I finally ended up in Glen Parker cycles which stocks pretty decent bikes. Almost immediately a Pinarello FP3 model caught my eye. There were two, a black red and a white / red carbon finish. Both looking equally stunning. The white / red reminded me of the Pinarello Prince though the Prince frame alone would cost at least AUS 5K which was way out of my league. Unfortunately, there was none my size for the white / red model so I focused my attention on the black / red one. Funnily enough, the longer I looked at it, the more I liked it. It was different. A unique colour not seen in many other bikes before. Plus it came with the new Campagnolo Athena 11s which is the latest mid range groupset from Campy in the 11s category. Certainly was a first for me! I decided to take it for a spin around the neighbourhood. My first impression was, gawd how light it was. Second impression was, the shifting was awesome! Slick almost flawless especially with the front derailleur which was always a problem with previous groupsets. I was hooked. After a bit of negotiation on my part, a speedometer here, LOOK pedals there and gloves, I bought the bike! Total damage is left to the imagination but I got a good deal :-)

Goodbye TREK, halo Pinarello!!! Budget permits, maybe a Cervelo next time!

Campy Athena 11s

Classic Pinarello A-Symmetric Frame

The complete package!

Goodbye TREK 1.9 ..you have been a great ride!

2009-11-07T09:19:00.005+08:00

I woke up today at 6:05 am. The time set on my alarm clock. Not because the alarm clock was ringing in my ear like any other working day but because the sun was up and it was shining straight into my eyes. Normally, I would turn my head away and go back to sleep. Today however, I could not. It was a beautiful morning and only just last week, I summoned the courage to join the Elite Cycles Racing bike shop for the weekly 40km group ride. A relatively high intensity, high paced ride around the Perth. It was a great ride last week. Got to meet new people but more importantly, be part again of a exclusive group who just want to ride because its fun. It was also an opportunity to test out my bike with the recently installed SRAM RED components bought off my good friend JY in Malaysia. Needless to say, the gear shifting and awesome and I really felt then, there was nothing else I could upgrade apart from the wheels!

The bike was bought during a period of self discovery. A time when I was struggling to fill my time in the mist of job hunting for my next career move. It started off as a humble TREK with a mix of FSA, 105 and ultegra components. In the last year, I have slowly upgraded the front derailuer, brake calipers and crank to ultegra making it a more ultegra groupset bike. But it was only till recently, September to be precise when the opportunity came for me to go straight to the higher end range of groupset; the SRAM RED. Ironically it was made available when JY decided to upgrade his groupset to the Campagnolo Super Record 11. To save delivery costs, the parts were brought in by Asun, another mate who happened to be flying into Perth. Items arrived in good shape and I proceeded to spend my time replacing the old and installing the "new" on the bike. The last piece of the jigsaw was the tuning and for this, I had to get the experts. Being more of a shimano person, I was a bit unfamiliar with the way the SRAM double tap shifters work not to mention the calibration of the whole lot. The shop mechanic did his part and the ride was all set to go. I first took it for a spin on the big hill in King's park. I just love climbing and shifting the gears for fun. Did about 3-4 hill repeats before calling it a day. Satisfied in knowing that the money was well spent.

After the 7 am ride with the ERC group on Saturday, I parked the bike in the garage. Did my usual quick clean up of any dirt and grime. Left it as that. Little did I know I will never see it again come Monday

Looking back, I feel both angry and sad. Sad that I never got the chance to ride it more often. Angry because it was taken away from me in such fashion. It would have been different if I had left in the side of a busy street. I can at least blame myself. But to be take away due to a bloody defect in the garage door (thanks to shoddy workmanship on the part of the builder) really strikes a nerve. At the end of the day, we cannot re-write the past. We can only move on into the future. And with this, it's now time for a reset and an upgrade! TREK 1.9... you have been a great ride! As I had mentioned in my previous writings, may a million curses fall upon the thieves who too you away.

Thieves - may you sloooowly rot in hell. Starting with the hands..

2009-11-02T17:30:00.002+08:00

It was a sad day today. Sad because after all the various issues we had with our new house, we were hit with the "icing on the cake", the "final nail in coffin" and the "save the best for last" scenario. Our house or specifically our garage got burgled. Prior to this, we had a host of issues since we moved in. Starting with poor TV reception due to dodgy house cabling, a burst pipe in the kitchen which turned half the house into a swimming pool, leaking air condition in the room, clogged sewage... the list went on. Being the resilient people we are, every challenged was resolved one by one. Then when you think it's all over, bang! Here's another one just to see if you're still awake!

Mal and I came back home to see our garage door semi open. The first thing that I noticed was "wrong" was the fact that my bicycle stand was ... without a bicycle! Deep down inside, I felt the heat of hell's fire. I swore, if I were a superhero, I would have turned into the hulk or a skeleton of flames a.k.a Ghost Rider and kill those buggers who stole my property. But instead, I was subdued. Not because I was a wimp but because the incident had reached a point of "what da f***!" Don't we have enough challenges as it is? Going through the rubble, we noticed even more items missing, our complete scuba gear set, shoes, tool box, vases, camera dry box and a host of misc items still unaccounted for. But probably the 2nd most valuable thing to me i that garage was my black electro acoustic guitar. It was one I bought in London during my university days almost 12 years ago. One I had used to jam with my mates, played hymms for the church, played my first eric clapton blues and most importantly, serenade ladies I was trying to impress. All that gone...

But loosing the bike was probably the most heartbreaking. And I will dedicate a tribute to it in another written piece. Police were obviously informed and a forensics person came by to investigate. I am now 100% convince Heratio from CSI Miami is just full of sh** as it is almost impossible to get a full fingerprint from a dusty covered garage door let alone a bullet from an assassin's gun. Needless to say, the forensics "expert" failed to get anything of any use for his further investigation. The only one thing obtained was a large footprint just outside the garage door which came from a boot 50% of the population of WA has.

Anyways it was a lesson's learnt. No place is safe in this world. We always hear about crimes happening to other people and the general thought is "too bad but hopefully it doesn't happen to me". Unfortunately sometimes bad things do happen to good people and the power of God alone cannot stop a thief from coming into the house. But it does make you realize safety is really in your own hands and by leaving it to chance, you risk exposing yourself.

From this point forth, our house will be as secure as the ISA prison in Malaysia. But like everything else, life goes on. The thieves might have their day in this life but hopefully not in the next. We can only hope karma will have something beautiful in store for them soon. Amen!

Death of an Icon. MJ may you RIP

2009-06-26T16:51:00.002+08:00

Like any other weekday, I would wake up, take a shower, get dressed and turn on the telly to catch my normal daily dose of CNN. The main headlines in recent days was about the Iran elections and the ensuing turmoil thereafter. Today however it was a bit different. The headlines were "Michael Jackson dies". It didn't quite hit me immediately as there was always a fine line between fact and fiction when it comes to MJ. Was all another drama or was this for real. Sadly, it was real and it was only later in the day when the barrage of MJ tributes started pouring in . Old music videos were being played and of course debates on the other side of his life were beginning to surface.

The more I dwell into the stories showing up on TV, the more sad I felt. Sad for the lost of an icon, sad for the loss of an individual who could never get to grips with the world around him but more so sad that a piece of my own childhood also died with him. Like many other people on this planet who was grew up in the late 80's and early 90's, MJ was there entertaining us with his music and his moves. I was awestruck firstly by his music which during that period seemed to be a mix of everything we liked; pop, rock, soul. Then of course was his showmanship and dance which again was something only MJ could pull off. My first MJ tape that I bought with my own money was the album Bad and I remembered putting it through countless rounds on the player until I could remember the lyrics by heart. His next album Dangerous was equally good album with plenty of great songs. One of my favorites was Black or White which deal with race relations and perceptions. Something that I could relate too especially since I fall under the category of mixed race / coloured category. Like any other artist in that era, failure to re-invent yourself would be your downfall. Some could do it, like Kylie, Madonna, Mariah Carey. In the case of MJ, this did not happen. New songs seem to sound the same, even the moonwalk was no longer in fashion and slowly he drifted into oblivion. Nonetheless, people still loved him for his timeless music and showmanship. Even if he were to perform this very day at age 50, people would still want him to move as he did when he was age 25. They wanted to be brought back to that era and MJ was that kind of person who could do that . Sadly, we will never get to see his final show. I for one will regret not attending his concert both in Malaysia and in London. I would have been a part of history then.

I am sure the next few days will be an overdose of MJ on TV. A lot will be revealed; some good and some bad but I am sure everyone will remember him for his music first and foremost. He is an artist of my time and possibly of all time. May you rest in peace o'gloved one....

Needing a holiday after a holiday

2009-06-07T10:32:00.003+08:00

We finally landed back in Perth after a grueling 6 hrs torturous Air Asia journey back from home. Nothing wrong with Air Asia but I can now fully appreciate the fact that cheap usually equates discomfort especially when having to travel long haul. A 2 hr Air Asia trip is bearable but 6 hrs on stone hard chairs can be a real pain.

Now it's time for a good rest before the start of work on Monday. Looking back at our trip home, it was an amazing 2 weeks. We went home with two and came back with three (with the lil fella in Mal's tummy). Saw a lot, did a lot, ate a lot, travelled a lot but it will be the time spent with family and friends which we will cherish for a long time. One thing I didn't miss was the heat! After sweating bucket loads back home, it was time to get adjusted to the cold winter. I could already feel my throat tingling which is a sign that a cold will be coming my way shortly.

Ironically, people go on holidays to relax and come back refreshed. I find myself today tired and totally exhausted from the trip back home. Though I miss the food and everything else that you would associate home with in Malaysia, I can't help feel that Perth now is my home. A place when I feel settled for now and where normal life may resume. It's good to be back!

14.6mm

2009-06-05T22:19:00.003+08:00

It's confirmed. The lil one is there! All 14.6mm of him/her. That was revealed today in our first ever tummy scan at the Damansara Specialist Centre. Truly amazing if you asked me. How life is born and after approximately 5 weeks, the lil one is about the size of a 10 sen coin. Imagine how he/she would be in a month, 2 or 3 months from now. Exciting times ahead.

Of course with the confirmation of the lil fella, it's time to embrace the pregnancy. The next 3 to 4 months will be critical and I know it will be a challenging period for Mal and I. Being totally new to this and being away from home, I can almost understand how my own parents felt when they were having me. They were living in a rural district of Sibu far away from town with even less amenities that what we are accustom to today. I came out and turned out OK so hopefully all goes well on this end too. Pregnancy brings with it all kinds of anxieties and stress but it is ever more important to be positive and stay focused.

Our next appointment will be in Perth. Hopefully all will be smooth then.

Fatherhood

2009-05-30T11:45:00.003+08:00

Today was the day I officially found out, I was going to be a daddy. Of course the actual day itself was probably a weeks back but today was the day that would change things forever. It's funny how two words can have such an impact on your life i.e. "I'm pregnant"!

What was my first feeling? It would have to be a mix of surprise, happiness, blessed, anxiety, lost all in one. I must say the initial response from Mal was shock and denial but that almost immediately turned into acceptance and joy. I can't say I didn't see it coming as we were taking a very relaxed approached in family planning since arriving in Perth. It was like if it happens, great. It it doesn't, no worries, keep on trying. Of course when it finally did happen, it sends everyone into somewhat of a frenzy. I am sure even Mal wasn't expecting it even though deep down inside, having a child was definitely on the agenda in the upcoming years. I guess for me, I felt a little strange. Suddenly you realize your life (and that of your wife too) will never be the same and you have to take the quantum step in life whether you like it or not. At the same time, plans for the year will have to be deferred (not cancelled) and that patience will be virtue which will be severely tested in months to come. Being called a father too was a little strange. (something once reserved for people like my dad) But in the wise words of Barack Obama, anyone can be a father. Being a parent is something else. And that's probably what it's really all about - responsibility.

But more than anything else, I feel blessed. Blessed that God has given us the opportunity to be more than we are today. He wouldn't have given us this gift if we didn't deserve it. Obviously the time was right and now we can only pray for a good pregnancy and that the lil one will come out healthy and strong. The new generation of the Blawan clan has now begun!

Going home

2009-05-23T22:50:00.003+08:00

Finally the day has come. We're heading back home for a short holiday! 2 weeks to be precise. 1 week in KL followed by 4 days in Kuching (2 days in Kampung for Gawai) Got my shopping list ready. Got my to do and people to meet list ready as well. It's gonna be fast and furious. My boss said I deserved a break and to come back refreshed. Break?? Absolutely. Refreshed??? hmm.. we'll see when I get back. Now time for some shut eye before waking up at 4 am for our ride to the airport.... Malaysia truly Asia, here we come.

Positive vs negative re-enforcement...

2009-03-13T22:18:00.006+08:00

Dogs were always part of my family. The first dog we ever had was named "Noi". Along the way , we had several others but my favorite of all time was Rufus. A German Sheppard local mix which my dad grabbed during a school sale. Reason why I liked this fella is because he seemed "exceptionally smart" compared to previous dogs. Now my mum has never been a fan of dogs before and she always used the fear tactics to control the beast. Threats of using the rotan or slipper on Rufus would prevent him for entering the house or messing the lawn. My dad on the other hand preferred to use positive re-enforcement by rewarding Rufus for good behavior or giving him pats of love whenever he was out in the yard. Needless to say who Rufus preferred to run to for attention.

Putting things in perspective, dogs are no different from humans. Positive re-enforcement can only bring positive results even in the most bleakest of times. Negative re-enforcement or fear tactics on the other hand bring a sense of insecurity and the feeling of doing something because you "have to" as opposed to "wanting to". Surely forcing yourself to do something just makes it all the more miserable.

I see that a lot happening around us nowadays. Back home in Malaysia, government uses fear tactics to stay in power. In the office, fear tactics are use to keep us on our toes and to ensure we stay focussed in "keeping our jobs". World economy wise, there is more talk of worst things to come and that we need to brace of even harder times ahead. With all this negative energy around, no wonder train wrecks are happening everywhere. Wouldn't it be nice if there was more positive vibs instead.....?

Is ignorance bliss?

2009-03-11T21:20:00.002+08:00

Sometimes I wonder if being ignorant is bliss. Perhaps so as the less you know, the less stressed you become and the less likely you'll spend time worrying about things you cannot control. In a world where there is always something to worry about, perhaps we just need to shut ourselves off once in a while and be "in the zone". Focus on nothing else around us apart from thoughts of bliss. Be able to focus on one's self and loose one's self at the same time. Be everything and nothing. Inner peace at last...

Interfaith Discussion

2009-03-08T21:14:00.004+08:00

Today was not going to be a typical routine Sunday. As usual, we would wake up around 830am, freshen up and head straight for Church. Only this time Church had a special guest in the form of a "singing monk". The monk would not only deliver the sermon today but he will also sing a few songs on his acoustic guitar and talk in the evening's "interfaith discussion". I think what made it special bout this chap was the fusion of cultures in his music and it was a delight to listen to his composition which had influences of folk, celtic and even Hinduism. Needless to say, his musical compositions were available on CD which we gladly purchased at the end of the service.

So the tone was set for the evening. Mal and I was keen to attend this as we had NEVER experience such an event in Malaysia. Quite sad really as Malaysia would be an ideal place for such discussion given the various religious make in the country. The evening started off with a song from the singing monk again. A beautiful number again focussing on how different faiths all preach the message of good will. After that, a local Buddhist monk, a muslim Imam were invited on stage together with the singing monk and it was time to have some serious interfaith discussions. Questions from the audiences were also taken to ensure everyone was engaged in the discussion. As far as my bad short term memory could recall, the following topics were discussed:-

- how each religion defines God and self

- how each religion views violence given the present state of world affairs

- women's rights and participation in religion

- how each religion present the message of hope

- war; just or unjust

- significance of dressing / clothing

- religion and politics

One question I was hoping to ask (but time was not on my side) was why most religions tend to focus too much on the glories of the past or preparations for the after life. It was obvious by the attendees that there was again a lack of youth participation which brings the question, what has/can each religion do to make it more relevant to the present day and get more youths to participate in God's word? I guess my question would have to be answered another time.

The session was closed with yet another beautiful number by the singing monk. As I leave the church, I look back at my own country, Malaysia. With race relations going pear shape and religious tolerance heading south, I wonder will ever see a Malay Imam, a Chinese Buddhist monk, an Indian Hindu priest and an Iban Christian Rev. under one roof discussion the common ground issues relating to the various races and faiths in the country. I do know that several of such events have attempted to be organized in the past only be hijacked by religious muppets hell bent on keeping their religion exclusive. I guess we will have to wait until the day the people of Malaysia can be religiously and politically mature enough to discuss real issues without getting overly emotional. My hope is it will be in my lifetime...

Can this ever happen in Malaysia? An Imam, Monk and Priest all under a roof of a church?

Keeping life fresh, dream a new dream...

2009-03-07T21:53:00.000+08:00

I just happen to stumble upon a program on FOXTEL in the wee hours of Sunday morning and Joel Osteen was on TV. For those of you who have never heard of Joel Osteen, he is one of America's most famous pastor, televangelist, life coach and author. First time I heard about him was when he showed up on Larry King talking about his new book called "Becoming a better you - 7 keys to improving your life everyday".

Anyways, after listening for about 1 minute, I felt glued to the TV. Given that it was in the wee hours of the morning, there was an inclination to just jump straight to bed and call it a day. However there was a message to be heard on this particular show. The topic was about keeping life fresh. How can we make our lives interesting when it feels like a drag trying to get ourselves out from bed everyday to face the daily grind and look forward for the coming weekend.... only to have to do it again the very next week. How do we find purpose in our mundane activities? How do get get out of our self impose jail cells? What ever happened to the fire that use to exist? These were the questions that were being answered in this show and ironically these were also the very same questions I have been asking myself over the last few months. How do I find a reason to wake up everyday and feel enthusiastic? The answer is knowing that you have been given that chance by the fact that you are alive and well. The alternative would be death which means that's the end of any chance you have of finishing whatever you had started or intended to start. For every setbacks in our life, there will be other opportunities knocking and it is really about seizing the moment. I know for a fact this is all nothing new. In fact, I have heard different versions of this message pretty much over and over again though sometimes it maybe in the form of scolding which brought rather a negative response as opposed to a positive.

In many ways, I can see why this guy Joel Osteen is so popular. He seems to have a gift in the art of positive reinforcement and deliverance of the message of hope. I can also understand why life coaching is now a multi-million dollar industry. Never before have you ever heard of the word life coach. How come our parents never had any life coaching? How come we never really had any formal education of life coaching either from our parents or otherwise? Maybe its because life has become so complicated. Where goals are ever changing and one can never be satisfied or complacent for fear of being left behind. Where letting go of any material ambitions means living a life less ordinary. How is it possible when something is so right actually feel so wrong. These are the questions that we, the new generation have to face nowadays. Not being able to live with one's self can only spell disaster for those around us.

The long and short of the lessons I picked up in the 40 min tele-sermon was, I need to dream a new dream. Keep my life fresh, wake up every morning with a clear purpose to achieve something or at least work towards something. Let go of the past (no matter how short ago it was) and keep on moving forward. I wonder what this week will bring me...

Cirque Du Soleil

2009-03-06T15:13:00.003+08:00

The Cirque Du Soleil in French is known as the "Circus of the Sun". Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world with its own central theme and storyline. Unlike other circus' there are no animals doing fancy tricks. Instead they focus on actual performances through live music and performing artists.

The "Dralion" series which is a fusion of eastern and western acrobats were in Perth. In fact the show has been going on in Perth since late January and was going to be in town until end of March. One my colleague happens to be a member of the Cirque Du Soleil club and was entitled for a discount. What would normally cost $100+ for normal tickets could be bought for $50! So instead of watching spending the weekend nights watching re-runs, we might as well go to the circus!!

The show started at 8pm sharp and began with a some comic relief, french style. A bunch of clowns running around the stage, doing stuff that would make us laugh. Well the kids did, I didn't quite connect with the humor. Then the serious stuff. It started off with a chinese girl that could balance herself on a beam with one hand whilst doing all kinds of near impossible movements with her body whilst still in balance. I best one for me was being able to put both feet on her shoulders (her back facing the audience mind you) with one hand on the beam. Amazing if you ask me. The next was a french dude who could juggle 1,2,3,4... up to 10 objects at a time which again was a spectacle. You almost wanted him to drop something just to show that he was not perfect but he was! Kept everything in the air without missing a step.

So it was performance after performance accompanied by live music. It was truly quite a spectacle and something that I have not experienced before. The well choreographed and colourful set almost made it comparable with the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics... on a smaller scale of course.

Overall it s was a night to remember. My first circus show in over... 20 years! Last one I ever attended was the Royal London Circus in Kuching when I was in primary school. Can't wait for the next one!!!

FOXTEL at last!

2009-03-06T12:09:00.003+08:00

After having CNN and English premier league on my TV for the last.... 9 YEARS, it was extremely hard to revert back to "local" TV. Though Aussie TV was way better than RTM1,2 or TV3 in Malaysia, not having CNN was like not having my daily shot of coffee every morning. It was the first time too, I did not follow the progress of my favorite club Liverpool for over 6 months! More importantly, I missed out on the big celebrations in the US when they elected their first black president!

The urge to get back that sense of home with ASTRO started months ago. The local version of ASTRO here is FOXTE and it took us 4 attempts before finally getting the damn thing installed. The first time, the contractor came, climbed up the roof only to be told by our neighbors that permission from the STRATA management is required before anything "foreign" can be installed in the premises. This usually applies to townhouses (which we live in), flats, apartments, closed compounds, anything other than individual plots. So that was the first hurdle. Getting the STRATA management to approve our application for the dish to be installed. So I had to write in to request permission, allow the management group to discuss with the rest of the tenants and wait for the reply. When the news finally arrived, I was no longer in the mood for FOXTEL especially when it took 2 months for feedback. This couple by the fact that we had to move out in October didn't quite justify the need to have it installed for the remaining 6 months of our stay here.

However as fate would have it, Mal received a call from FOXTEL asking again if we wanted it. This time they even offered free installation for our next home. I guess it was worth a shot so we went for it. The day of installation was scheduled for a Saturday morning about 3 weeks ago. They guy came only to tell that it was too difficult for one man to do as it required some work on the roof top. So he recommended re-scheduling the installation so that he could bring an assistant. This obviously got us fuming mad and even less interested by now to get the damn thing installed. To make things worst, two men job could only be done on weekdays which meant either Mal or I would have to take 2 -3 hours off from work to supervise the installation. So it was planned for Wednesday, 1-1/2 weeks ago. As luck would have it, it rained on that day! So guess what, no FOXTEL! By this time, I had seriously given up.

Then Mal received an emailed asking if we could reschedule it again. So it was set for today, Friday. The time for installation was between 12 and 5pm! If there is one thing I hate about contractors here is the fact that we have to work around their bloody schedule! They would call 30 mins before arrival and they would expect us to be there to welcome them. It was 12pm and no call. So I decided to go and get something to eat with the Mrs. Just as I was about to dig into my hot lunch, a call was received stating that he would be there in 30 mins. We tried to asked if they could give us an extra 10 mins but the contractor would not have it. So like it or not, I had to pack up my food and head back home. Pissed and ready to give sh** if the installation falls through again. I swore that I would forget about getting FOXTEL if the contractor were to say it was too difficult a job or if he could not bring his fat arse up the roof to get the dish installed.

I got home and there were 2 guys waiting. Before they begun, I had to expressed my disappointments with past contractors and this time was a do or die. They assured me that they will get it done. Surprisingly still, the guy said it was actually a very simple job so he really didn't need a second man so he sent the other fella home. This brings me to the conclusion that the other guy before was just plain lazy to do the job! The baasssta***d!

So finally, worked begun and the contractor managed to get run the FOXTEL cables through the same cavities which housed the TV cable before so there was no need for any fresh holes to be drilled. The FOXTEL dish was installed on one end of the roof. 2 hours later, the FOXTEL box was installed and waaaaa laaa! We have CNN!!! Immediately the house felt like home! It was so great to actually have options now on TV. The paperwork was signed off and I headed back to the office.

Needless to say, the whole night was about playing catchup with the TV. Mal was on a marathon run with Sex and the City. I on the other hand was just happy to finally have it installed... after 6 months of waiting, I guess it was better late than never!!!

Positive thoughts

2009-02-15T21:11:00.004+08:00

Every now and again we moan about what we don't have, what we could have etc. Sometimes I fall into that trap especially on shitty days when you feel the world is one f****d up place and you just want to escape into our own personal caves. I plan to start listing down 10 things I should be thankful for every week / fortnight with each list different from the next. Hopefully that would set a positive trend of thoughts in my head.

I am happy today for

1. Being alive

2. Having good health

3. Having a loving wife

4. Having a job

5. Having a decent pay

6. Having a nice roof under my head (despite the high rent!)

7. Having a car (even though technically its not mine)

8. Living in Australia (could be in some other sh*t hole)

9. Being able to eat good food

10. Having a family that loves me back home

PR or not to PR... (not referring to Pakatan Rakyat!)

2009-02-15T20:03:00.006+08:00

Today we spent the afternoon with a "Registered Migration Agent" who also happened to come from Sarawak. He was introduced to us by Uncle Anum who may or may not have gone through the same person during his application for PR here.

Getting a PR was always something in the works for myself and Mal. More so now that we are physically in Australia as opposed to working on it from a distance. The whole PR issue really was triggered by the fact that we will loose out big time in terms of local benefits (when on a 457 visa) such as housing and medical.

Anyways today's discussion was really about getting started and establishing who among the two of us was more "qualified" or have better chance of getting the PR. The aim was to meet the 120 point criteria. The categories are as follows:-

Skilled Qualification

Age

English Proficiency

Australian Education / Qualification

Specific Occupation

Work in Demand

Spouse Skills

Australian Employment.

Each of the category above has a certain number of points allocated to it. Happy to say that I managed to get in excess of 120 points. The next step really is to get things moving and sit for the relevant exams such as the IELTS (English) which I think is bloody ridiculous seeing that I have spoken English all my life and that there are other applicants who can't even string a sentence together yet still get to qualify! But ah well, that's the rule of the law so I guess we have to play by it. The timing of the exam became something of a debate between myself and the mrs. Seeing that I am already up to my head with work, I will have to somehow fit in this exam in my schedule. The sacrifices we all have to make in life.... Once again, as I sit down to contemplate all this, I wonder why I am doing this and how my own country has failed me in this aspect. I once thought that my own kids could grow up in my likeness, brought up in mission schools followed by a quality education in University. I guess the good times are long gone. I was one of the lucky few... I can only hope to provide the same if not better for my next generation....

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T20:37:00.002+08:00

I know for a fact that Valentine's day is probably the most hated day by men but most loved by women all over the world. Reason is simple, during this day, everything goes up in price from the food in the restaurant to the roses on display. If you are single, you hate this day because you are alone and are pissed off that everyone else seems to have a partner except you. For the taken, you hate this day because you know you are "obligated" to spend shit loads of money on your partner because it's the "right" thing to do.

Personally, I believe Valentine's day should be celebrated every day in our lives. Show love to our partners every day and not just on the one day where everything is more expensive than the norm just to be part of the mainstream.

My two cents on this day where my wallet became lighter and the holes in my pocket bigger...

Weekend at Albany Feb 8-9

2009-02-10T18:21:00.000+08:00

The weekend of Feb 7-8 was one to remember. Mal and I decided to head down to Albany which is in the southern part of Western Australia. This was of course after much persuasion from my cousin Kirsteen or more affectionately known as "K" from now on. She was there on a work placement staying alone in a 2 bedroom house and the trip was really ours to loose if we choose too. Free accommodation, free tour guide, what did we have to loose really.

I decided to leave early from the office at 4pm on Friday 6th Feb. Simply told my colleague that I had personal things to attend to. Well, it was the truth some what; a personal trip to Albany! Met up with the Mrs and we were on our way. The GPS was set and the estimated time of arrival was initially 945pm! Getting out of Perth city was relatively smooth but we encountered some traffic along the mitchell and kwinana freeway going south. Traffic was a slow 20km per hour. Once we turned off into Armadale, the drive was relatively smooth. Had a quick bite at the golden arches before getting on the Albany highway which will lead us straight to Albany town. Thank God for us, our mode of transport the ever faithful Smith Company Car Ford Falcon had cruise control. The speed was set at 110km/hr and away we went. Making full use of the day light savings, we plan to use the remaining day light on the road and hopefully get to Albany just before it gets completely dark.

The scenery went from forest to outback bush and finally countryside ranches along the Albany highway. Passing town after town and driving pretty much at a constant speed of 110km/hr, the estimated time of arrival got closer. The GPS this time forecast the ETA at 9:17pm! And guess what, that's exactly the time we arrived at Kirsteen's house. +/- 3 minutes. It was straight to the sack after a nice welcome meal cooked by our lovely host.

The next day started off with a visit to the Farmer's Market where you can buy veges and meats straight from the farmers. Nothing compared to the Sunday Bazaar of Kuching where jungle produce is literally sold on the sidewalk. This one was a bit more civilized so to speak.

After that, it was a visit to the Albany beaches. First up was the Albany wind farm. First time I ever saw the gigantic fans was in Holland last year. But this would be the first time seeing it up close. It's both scary and majestic looking at the awesome power generated by the wind. Just down the wind arm is the Albany coastline. Again a beautiful sea of turquoise and blue. There was a wooden footpath that stretched for miles along the beach. Too bad we didn't have much time else it would have been worth the stroll. After a dozen snaps on my SLR, we proceeded to the next place.

The Gap and Natural Bridge was our next destination. This place was way different from the wind farm. It features as coastline made out of solid red rock and formation carved from the shear power of the sea. Years and perhaps centuries of daily pounding by the waves had created an awesome rock structure. The Gap basically is what it is; A Gap! But seeing how the waves pound the walls of the Gap is an beautiful spectacle. The natural bridge is exactly what it is too. A bridge formed by natural solid rock.

I don't want to go into too much detail but we covered a whole lot of beaches that day. (Blowhole, Salmon Hole, Goode Beach, Emu Beach, Misery Beach etc) I only wish we had time sit in the sand and soak up all the scenes. My personal favorite was Salmon hole. A nice lagoon type beach where the salmon apparently settle. Hence the name.

The plan the next day was a trip to Denmark, a renown place for good wines. The main difference between the wineries here and the ones in Swan Valley is the fact that the crowds are less and wine tasting has a more personal touch. I guess the most memorable one was in a winery / restaurant called Forest Hill where our wine connoisseur was touched to know that I was an Iban from Sarawak. She had actually gone to a long house somewhere in Kuching a couple years back and the experience was extremely memorable. It's funny how other people seems to appreciate the very culture that we take for granted.

By 3pm, we were all "wined out" and it was time to head home. After dropping off "K" at her place, we bid our farewells and it was back on the road again for the long drive home. Looking back a week later, I have to say, I really enjoyed myself. It was just great being able to get away from the madness of daily life and go rural for a change where life is much more simpler. More importantly, it was an experienced that was shared so we can talk about it for years to come.

Got me wrong...

2009-02-05T17:18:00.000+08:00

It's funny how there are some songs that seem to re-cycle themselves in our lifetime. They just seem to sounds good at the time of listening, you get sick of it after a while and gets stored away in the CD storage folder. Back in the late 90's, I was really into the unplugged series, a tone down raw version of what usually sounds like electric guitars gone berserk. Grunge was my angry music at the time of college and it very much pulled me through some of the more turbulent years or my life when I was trying to make sense of everything around me. Grunge "Unplugged" was even better and it was always great to hear the music stripped down to its very essence. The popular ones were the legendary Nirvana Unplugged but my personal favorite was Alice in Chains Unplugged. Its kinda ironic that lead singers for both groups died well before their time. Maybe that is why the songs are timeless. Nobody else could sing them they way they did. One may ask why I'm bring this all up when really everyone is talking about Beyonce, Britney Spears, Coldplay etc. Reason is, certain songs of the 90's were songs for that era. And you will never forget the music that got you through a certain period in your life. I believe I am going through a bizarre phase in my life at the moment where everything seems to happen way to fast for my liking. A time when the expectations of the rest of the world exceeds your own expectations. The song that comes into mind is "Got Me Wrong" by Alice In Chains. I never quite listened the lyrics back in college but somehow it gave new meaning listening to it now. The chorus particularly strikes a nerve.

"As of now I bet you got me wrong

So unsure we reach for something strong

I haven't felt like this in so long

Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love

Strong, I haven't felt like this in so long

Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love

That don't last forever

Something's gotta turn out right"

What it means to me is that in our time of confusion, we feel lost, and we feel nobody understands us. So we reach for something to give us strength, for some its God, for some its drugs, for some its their work, but at the same time, it detaches us from the very people that depends on us. Blurring what is right and what is wrong but at the end of the day, it will work out somehow...

My 2009 Resolution

2009-02-04T21:31:00.004+08:00

This really should have been done on 1st Jan 2009 but better late than never I guess. The main aim to list these goals down now and see if they were fulfilled come 2010. More than likely the actual vs theoretical would differ greatly. Amongst some of the unplanned things that happened in 2008, these were the ones that stood out.

- Getting married! (though this was really planned)

- Honeymoon in Maldives (this too was planned)

Now the unplanned stuff!

- Deciding to leave the job from HELL with company M and taking a 6 month career break

- Got my advance PADI license

- Took up cycling again and made new life long friends in the process

- Cycled up Genting Highlands!

- Started blogging (not a flash in the pan - still going strong)

- Finding God somewhat (through small group events etc and quiet times by myself)

- Got to watch nearly all the big major sporting events on late night TV without worrying about waking up late the next day

- Went to Holland (The Hague / Amsterdam) for an interview

- Getting a job with the big RED company again in Perth

- Taking up a role which I never thought I would do but it turns out to be the right role in the end.

- Re-locating to Perth! Experiencing the whole re-locating exercise for the very first time as a new family

- Joined the great bike race of Perth

I guess it goes to show that nothing ever goes as planned.

Now my wish list for 2009 in no particular order... (more like whatever comes to mind)

- Read at least 5 books

- Make at least 5 new friends in Perth

- Clock at least 1000 km on my Bike

- Get back to 65-67 kg!!

- Run at least 100km

- Get a Cervelo P2

- Get fit enough to join a group rides again

- Join a bike race / duathlon or mini triathlon in 2009 or train for 2010

- Work on getting a PR

- Start actively doing at least 3 sports - Tennis, Cycling, Swimming, Football??

- Join the gym

-Get 200 hits on my blog

- Start a family

- Move in to a 3 bedroom house by year end ( or buy one if can afford)

- Do 1 memorable thing that I can be proud of each month

- Have at least 20% of a potential house buy in cash.

- Organize at least 5 BBQs!

- Bring a family member over to Perth (either side)

- Convince at least 1-2 good friends to come over to Perth for a visit

- Go on at least 1 camping trip

- Get a Toyota RAV4

- Go back to Malaysia at least once

- Visit 2 countries other than Aus and Malaysia

- Really learn to let go of any worries and live one day at a time...

- Do a collection of photos for 2009!

- Learn a totally new skill!

I'll probably add more to this list as we go along but its a start!!! Now I just need to make it happen!

Malaysia in turmoil...

2009-02-04T20:50:00.005+08:00

It is confirmed today that my home country is run by clowns. Politicians who have absolutely no integrity and no shame. Whilst other countries are struggling to figure out how to save jobs, re-stimulate the economy and prevent their countries from going into recession, our Malaysian politicians are more concerned with saving their own political careers and making political maneuvers to ensure financial securities. All this of course by screwing the rakyat. As I watch from a distance, I feel sad that my country is heading in the total opposite direction of national building and unity. To think that 10-20 years ago, I would not dare think of any other place on earth as home. But with race relations in Malaysia at an all time low, I have to seriously as the question whether I or even my future generation will have a place back home.... At the same time, I wonder too how I can help as a Malaysian to save my country. Or is it beyond salvation? Does it really need to die a natural death, a complete wipe out before we can start a fresh again? ....

Crazy or just plain stupid...

2009-02-03T22:15:00.004+08:00

By tomorrow, I will complete my LRSO course and in the process take on more responsibilities in areas pertaining to radiation safety for my department. Just more work to add on to my plate. It's one of those jobs that is not that visible but is an essential part of those administrative tasks to keep the company machinery going. It is also one of those jobs that when the shit hits the fan, it spreads all round... smell and all...

They say that in these hard times, we should take on more work, make ourselves more "valuable", an essential / indispensable part of the group. Justify our jobs so to speak. But what does it all mean at the end? Does taking on more jobs crazy or just plain stupid? More time for company, less time for ones self? More stress in office, even more stress at home? On the other hand, no job equals no money... no money equals even more stress.... guess you can't win.

Another bloody hot day!

2009-02-02T21:33:00.006+08:00

Today the temperatures hit another all time high of 36 degrees. It was also the first day of my LRSO course. LRSO meaning Local Radiation Safety Officer. The course covers the responsibilities of the said role. More importantly, I believe the whole point of it is to make someone accountable for anything to do with radiation for the individual company departments. After all, as someone in the class bluntly put it, you always need a head for the noose. My initial reluctance to attend this course superseded the fact that I had to do 10 online learning modules which took almost 10 hours in total. Even longer if you failed any tests and had to "re-sit". Nonetheless, since the role came with the job by default, I really had no choice but to attend.

The course was held in Canning Vale South of Perth far away from the hustle of the city. The big surprise of the day was the fact that no lunch was provided in view of cost cutting (or the word in town nowadays is cost management) measures in place. So we all had to walk across the street in the blazing sun to the nearest lunch bar and feed ourselves. I guess hard times calls for desperate measures....

Today's sermon

2009-02-01T23:13:00.003+08:00

Every now and again, we hear God speaking to us through people. I would like to believe it's usually through the priest on the weekly Sunday mass as he has at least a foot or half his body in heaven and a direct line to God himself.

The lesson this week was about finding freedom within. The long and short of it is, one can never be free until he/she has forgiven the people who have wrong them. In other words love your enemy as you love yourself. I know I have heard this a thousand times and I have to admit, it is easier said than done. But the fact the lesson seems to crop up every now and again ponders me to believe that maybe I have yet to forgive those who have done wrong to me. That the wounds on my back (for those who stabbed me when I was defenseless) or the blows to my face (for those who to hurt me through their spoken / unspoken words) have yet to heal. For the world to me has become a cynical place where you really cannot trust anyone. That betrayal is just a normal part of life. That as life goes one, it gets harder and the heart in turns gets harder too...

But maybe life is not meant to be that way, maybe the world isn't such a f**ked up place after all. Who knows.... Nonetheless, once again, I think God spoke to me today. All I can say is, I am trying to forgive those to have done me wrong. Maybe I have yet to forgive myself.... and the truth is... maybe I don't know how...

Cervelo P2

2009-01-26T21:54:00.003+08:00

2009 Cervelo P2

I have been thinking about my next bike lately. Not that I am thinking of getting one in the immediate future but I know somewhere down the line, it would be a nice to have. Something to reward myself for busting my ass every day at work in order to survive in expensive Perth. Yes, we all need to reward ourselves every now and again. I remember long time ago, I envisioned rewarding myself with a villa by the beach and a BMW 3 series on my 33rd birthday Obviously, my own expectations have somewhat downgraded since then. Being married has set the financial priorities in different directions. Having to live in Perth too has changed my mode of transport from my beautiful Honda Accord 2.0 (for the last 5 years in KL) to bus #21 / 22 / 67 / 68 / 69 in Australia. Sometimes it would be the midland train. Hence I think being able to dream of a better bicycle is not asking for much. I know some people out there actually laugh at the idea of bicycles at an age where people are comparing the size of their car engines and rims.

Anyways, I have 1 great road bike already and another mountain bike which I am not sure how to dispose of just yet. Might just keep it for sentimental value. But my choice for a new bike would be the Cervelo P2. A full carbon time trial bike with ultegra / dura-ace components. Add a bit more and you'll get Easton wheelsets too. Looks and rides like a bat out of hell... The mere sights ooozes speed and aerodynamics.

One might ask why don't I just get it if I have the money? Well I think its because I don't feel I deserve it yet. Personally, I would like to set a 500 km milage on my present bike (in perth!) and also bust my ass hard enough at work to really feel that I deserve a nice present. Nothing beats rewarding yourself for a good days work instead of the spontaneous desire to have it which usually ends up in regret! I probably got this trait from my own up bringing where luxuries as a kid was minimal. Everything was about hard work and reward. I guess now at age 32, old habits still sticks.

That day will come when I will ride the streets of perth with my hands tucked in, hair blazing in the wind and the people on the side walk smellin my dust.... one day....

Polar CS300

2009-01-24T21:40:00.006+08:00

So how do you keep track of how fit you are and how much you can push yourself? Well I have seen quite a few heart rate monitors out there by Polar and I was just waiting for the right one to come along. As these watches are quite specialized, they tend to be quite pricey. But I managed to find a shop that was having a discount sale so I seized the moment. The CS300 is a cycle and cardio fitness monitor. Comes with a watch of course, heart rate monitor, distance sensor and an additional (optional) cadence sensor. Got it all sensors fitted onto my TREK, tested the wireless comms and it's now ready to rock and role. Can't wait to try it all out....

President Obama

2009-01-20T22:39:00.002+08:00

At last the day finally comes when the US can again be seen a respectable country who will lead this world into the new century. Ironically leader this time round comes from a man who is as American (and worldly) as you can get which an exotic mix of race and experience. I guess this is indeed the right time and the right place for a guy like Barack Obama to come in. A man seen by all to represent what America is today and man who has the right qualities to provide hope for a better future. As they say, no leader is perfect but a leader who can at least inspire hope is a leader worth following. Malaysia is no different. It is a melting pot of all things good and we just need the right chef to mix all the goodies to form a splendid dish. Unfortunately we are still waiting that person. A person who can say he is Malaysian first and foremost, not Malay, Indian, Chinese, Iban, Muslim, Christian or whatever.... For the man who will be taking over the reigns come March 09... sorry mate, you aint that person our country needs at this critical moment in time.