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I love you. My Meditations.

A collection of memoirs, musings and lessons as I go through life. A compilation of notes to self, a dossier documenting experiences in this...

Monday, August 14, 2006

Gone Too Soon?


What can you say about a sixteen year old who loved the Beatles,the Boys Scouts movement, chicken rice, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, girls, Liverpool, life, U2, people and his mother,...who left us behind?
That he was Purposeful. Intuitive. A Realist. A Hopeless romantic? Or just gone too soon...







Like a comet
Blazing 'cross the evening sky
Gone too soon

Like a rainbow
Fading in the twinkling of an eye
Gone too soon

Shiny and sparkly
And splendidly bright
Here one day
Gone one night

Like the loss of sunlight
On a cloudy afternoon
Gone too soon

Like a castle
Built upon a sandy beach
Gone too soon

Like a perfect flower
That is just beyond your reach
Gone too soon

Born to amuse
To inspire to delight
Here one day
Gone one night

Like a sunset
Dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon
Gone too soon

-Michael Jackson


Jonathan Gan drew his last breath on earth Wednesday night at 10.40 pm. 9 August 2006 lying in my arms.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

How many days have you lived?


Want to know;
What the moon looked like the night you were born?
What is your life path number?
What is your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar? Egyptian calendar?
The date you were conceived?

My age is 6.90567514677104 years old if I were a dog. Still can chase cats!
But then again you know that it's not how long you live but how well.


Click here to go there



  • Birthday Calendar 

  • #birthdaycalendar #birthday #calendar 
  • Monday, July 24, 2006

    Have you heard of Long Tail marketing?


    It's a relatively new, recently uncovered marketing model that was driving the greatest website on the planet- amazon.com and iTunes and the rest of the media and entertainment industry. The number of non hits can really outnumber the hits and blockbusters. People are wandering further down the beaten path and discovering that they actually are unique individuals with unique, individual taste that may not be 'POPular' choice or driven by HITS. So they buy what they like and the market presents itself into thousands of little niches that translate to hundreds of thousands in sales.
    Read more here;
  • Long Tail
  • Wednesday, July 19, 2006

    India Blackout Blogspot

    In a surprise move, Indian authorities have blacked out blogs especially blogspot. ISPs are being instructed to control access to blogspot. It seems that some blogs are being used by terrorists to communicate. No shit. This is India. IT supremo.
    Heck it's like saying shut down the phone lines, the terrorists talk to each other through phones.
    Thanks Azhar Chougle for the heads up.

    Faith


    AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION (God, Faith and Science. Think about it) 



    An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his class on the problem Science has with God, The Almighty.
    He asks one of his new students to stand and.....
    Prof: So you believe in God?
    Student: Absolutely, sir.
    Prof: Is God good?
    Student: Sure.
    Prof: Is God all-powerful?
    Student: Yes.
    Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal
    him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God
    didn't.
    How is this God good then? Hmm?
    (Student is silent.)
    Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is
    God good?
    Student: Yes.
    Prof: Is Satan good?
    Student: No.
    Prof: Where does Satan come from?
    Student: From...God...
    Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
    Student: Yes.
    Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything.
    Correct?
    Student: Yes.
    Prof: So who created evil?
    Student does not answer.
    Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these
    terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
    Student: Yes, sir.
    Prof: So, who created them?
    Student has no answer.
    Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe
    the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
    Student: No, sir.
    Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
    Student: No, sir.
    Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
    Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
    Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
    Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
    Student: Yes.
    Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
    science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
    Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
    Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.
    Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
    Prof: Yes.
    Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
    Prof: Yes.
    Student: No sir. There isn't.
    (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)
    Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat,
    mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
    Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the
    absence of it.
    (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)
    Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as
    darkness?
    Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
    Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of
    something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
    flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have
    nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness
    isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker,
    wouldn't you?
    Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
    Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
    Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
    Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
    To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
    Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
    Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
    Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
    (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize
    where the argument is going.)
    Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
    (The class is in uproar.)
    Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the
    Professor's brain?
    (The class breaks out into laughter.)
    Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's
    brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so.
    So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,
    demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.
    With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
    (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)
    Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
    Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

    Sunday, July 16, 2006

    Brand ZIZOU



    If you, like me, watched the World Cup finals last Sunday and saw the head butt incident and like me, questioned the sanctity of Zidane throwing away his last match of an illustrious career spanning 18 years or worse you also heaped curses on the man calling him stupid, senile, mad or lost it. But after the dust has settled I ponder the events again and perhaps clarity set in.

  • Continue reading Brand Zizou
  • Saturday, July 15, 2006

    IF

    Recently, long time friend and finance maestro Steven de Souza sent me this Kipling poem accompanied by his story which I felt magnified the beauty of the poem. It was timely and it comforted me . 
    I reproduce it here verbatim.

    I was given this poem before I went away to NZ. Can't remember who gave it to me but it probably gave me strength to get over the hours and days in a strange new environment.  I was 19, never ever travelled by plane. I had arrived late afternoon in Auckland with no one to meet me. I was quite prepared to sleep the night at the airport lounge as I had NZ 100 cash and knowing I could not affort to look for temp accomodation and a meal. This poem 'saved the day'. I know some of you will want to share this with a son or daughter or loved one who might be in need of morale boosting. Steve      


    [IF] by Rudyard Kipling


    If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, 

    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting too, 

    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: 

    If you can dream--and not make dreams your master, If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; 

    If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: 

    If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; 

    If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!" 

    If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch, 

    If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; 

    If all men count with you, but none too much, 

    If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, 

    Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, 

    And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son! --Rudyard Kipling

    Tuesday, July 04, 2006

    Hua Hin



    Spent a year in Huahin one weekend. A quaint little royal seaside town where Thailand's first golf course was opened by King Rama VII back in 19th Century. The place we stayed in was nice, very lux.Yeah so lux that it even comes with a jacuzzi on the balcony. The SpringField Village Golf and Spa Resort. It has a 27- hole Jack Nicklaus designed course. Making this the third Nicklaus course I've played so far.
    Vince and I were on assignment for Nike Golf's Spring 07 Trade launch. Vince covered the media briefings, events while I covered media plus dealers events which included golf, dinner, drinks, meetings, etc.
    Highlight of my trip must most certainly be the 12-seater single engine Cessna flight that flew us from Bangkok to Hua Hin 45 mins away. Apart from the spectacular views of the meandering Chao Phraya and the mosaic-like salt flats at the estuary, the flight sensation itself was very close to flying our own plane. We felt all the bobbling and dipping and air pockets to the max! Ahhhh... that flying sensation was felt right to the metal twisting, crude rattling of the tyres on the runway at landing. Wheee.......

    Thursday, June 01, 2006

    American Idol




    Didn't care much for the soapy AI but watched it with the family all the same. But what was a true American ICON to me, this remarkable Jewish American pianist and composer born May 28, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri. They aptly paid tribute to him (by having him play his compositions on stage) and his songs. One by one the medley of hits swept over me like a balm to my soul. Burt Bacharach, he and lyricists Hal David teamed up to write several hits of the 70's & 80's.
    From (to name a few);
    "What's New Pussycat?" (Tom Jones, 1965, from the movie of the same name), Make it Easy on Yourself, "(They Long To Be) Close To You" "Anyone Who Had a Heart" "Walk On By" "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" "The Look of Love" "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and my favourite optimist song- "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (B.J. Thomas, US no. 1, 1969, from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
    This song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1969.Bacharach also won the Academy Award and Grammy for Original Score for the movie. Grammy nominee Song of the Year. Yup 1969. Woodstock and Vietnam War.

    Sigh....... they don't write songs like these anymore.
    Thanks for the memories Burt, you are one true American Idol.

    Monday, May 22, 2006

    Did I say "snug as a bug....?


    Yup. Starting with Eleanor she's snug as a bug in a rug........as are all of us actually. And actually not missing all that space we gave up at all. Except maybe Eleanor. But then....nothing beats liveable space!

    Sunday, May 14, 2006

    Live -rpool



    Liverpool took the FA cup on Saturday after a hard fought 4-3 victory over West Ham United in penalties. The score was tied at 3-3 after extra time and silver goals.Thus, the game went into penalties to decide the winner.

    it was a great game filled with goals and controversies and one man,man -of-the match Steven Gerrard showed what a great player he was by scoring two priceless goals when Liverpool were down.


    Guest blogger Jon

    Mother's Day



    Mother's Day
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Mother's Day was originally conceived by social activist Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War with a call to unite women against war. She wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation. The day now simply celebrates motherhood and thanking mothers. Mothers often receive gifts on this day.(?)
    Back home, in our old 'new' home, we had a very sumptuous mother's day eve pot-luck dinner with all mothers of the immediate family accounted for.
    Happy Mother's Day to Jamie's, Daniel's, Euvern's and Chyenne's mother, Justin's and Sean's mother, Theresa's,Maria's, Rose's, Agnes', Mike's, Julie's, Bernie's, Joey's, Jeffrey's mother, Jon's, Zane's, Summer's mother,and last but not least Owen's mother. Let's unite against war shall we?.

    Saturday, May 13, 2006

    Like otter to water





    He woke up feeling very tired this morning but Jon still went for water therapy, working out for almost an hour with hydro therapist Praba. Jon's frolics and sheer determination in the water has won him many fans down at the Bandaraya, Pantai Hillpark pool. For his hard work he was treated to nasi beriani at Mahboob for lunch.

    Wednesday, May 10, 2006

    Jumbo Strays?


    What a sight! A pair of Malaysian elephants, mother and calf took a stroll along the East-West Highway near Banding, Kelantan. I'm familiar with this stretch having ridden my bike along this tarmac highway carved through lush and lovely ancient rainforest.
    I am instantly moved by this story front paged by The Star on Monday. It must be said that we, humans are the strays here. It is their habitat we've encroached upon.

    http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/5/8/nation/14177929&sec=nation

    Sunday, April 30, 2006

    April Showers

    The month of April was a non-event for this blog of mine largely due to service interruptions on our internet connection and our wireless router giving up on us by refusing to route wirelessly. 

    Then of course the pains of upheaval. Preparing to move house,thinking of packing, actually packing, repacking, moving, moving, moving, what seems to be loads after loads of furniture and boxes we're finally moved in, "snug as a bug in a rug". 

    The entire episode seems to me like the picture I featured here, an uphill climb but any way you look at it, it's beautiful. 

    Our old new home turned out quite beautiful. More on that later. 

    Beautiful indeed, this picture of Mt. Kinabalu was taken by M'sian photographer, Louis Pang who reckons this is his best landscape shot of 2006. It is the best shot ever of Mt. Kinabalu I've seen. Up close or in pictures.

    Sunday, March 26, 2006

    Harry Kewell, The Pride of Merseyside


    Harry Kewell was the toast of Anfield yesterday after his second-half stunner sealed a hard fought 3-1 victory over Everton in a game which saw the European champions play without their talismanic captain,Steven Gerrard for over 70 minutes.
    The game was a relative bore until Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard was sent off for a second bookable offence.
    What followed was a game controlled by Everton until an own-goal by Phil Neville in the first-half of stoppage time handed Liverpool the lead. The second-half started in brilliant fashion for the Reds as Luis Garcia scored a gem of a goal to give Liverpool an unexpected 2-0 lead two minutes from the restart. Tim Cahill pulled one back on the hour mark after a superb header past Reina to give the blues a lifeline. In a game filled with ill tempers and gruesome tackles, Everton's Dutch substitute Andy Van Der Meyde was sent off in the 72nd minute for elbowing Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. The reds dug deep for the rest of the game and almost went close to scoring a winner after man-of-the match Xabi Alonso's freekick struck the crossbar.The Reds's persistence finally paid off in the 80th minute when Harry Kewell let fly a 30-yard stunner to end the 203rd merseyside derby in favour of the Red half of merseyside.

    report by,
    Jon Gan(guest blogger)

    Friday, March 24, 2006

    7th heaven - A post by a special guest blogger.


    Liverpool made it through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in scintillating fashion after demolishing a woeful Birmingham city side 7-0 at St Andrews.It was a night when everything seemed to go right for the boys in red.
    Sami Hyypia got the ball rolling in the 1st minute when he headed home a superb cross by Steven Gerrard. Peter Crouch made it 2-0 a minute later and added another before the break to end the game as a contest by half-time. Just when you'd expect Liverpool to sit back and defend their three goal advantage, the reds ran riot in the second half when previously goal-shy Fernando Morientes made it 4-0 on the hour mark.
    John Arne Riise made it 5-0, 20 minutes from time with a 30-yard screamer that left St.Andrews standing in ovation. Birmingham's miseries were further compounded when substitute defender Olivier Tebily put the ball into his own net to make it 6-0 for Liverpool.
    Djibril Cisse wrapped up a night to remember for the reds after his long-range strike squirmed under Maik Taylor's arms to end a night of misery for Steve Bruce's side.

    report by,
    Jon Gun(guest blogger)

    Thursday, March 23, 2006

    Magnificent 7


    Liverpool hits 7 past Birmingham in a goal frenzy last Tuesday at St. Andrews. What a routing! What a great margin.
    Live Liverpool. Details? Check out my guest blogger up there!!

    Fresh graduates bogged down by self-pity



    My long standing view has been the Education system or lack of, in this country has done our youth a great disservice.

    Pretty good pov by the daughter of a government servant made good.


    I refer to the letter Harsh realities facing fresh graduates .

    I am the daughter of a simple government servant, who instilled in us the need to work hard and to keep on learning and growing intellectually. There are no prominent politicians, highly-connected families with power or money in my background. Yet today I hold a managerial position in a multinational. I, too, can speak from my heart about the reality of the so-called working world.

    I recently had the opportunity to work with some fresh graduates on one of my projects. The majority of these students graduated in the areas of computer science, economics and science. Yet out of the almost 125 that I had under me from all over Malaysia, I can safely say that maybe only 10 of them could string a full sentence in English, let alone carry a conversation in one. Those that could were mostly from Sabah and Sarawak.

    And before I am accused of being pro-Western, let me just say that when these students were given a free hand to converse in their familiar Bahasa Malaysia, their entire conversation was centred around who was their favorite person from Akademi Fantasia, what was Mawi's favourite food, how come Felix was given bad choices for songs, etc. Ask them about what they think government could do to help more graduates secure jobs and they stare at you blankly. Yet they are the ones that complain the loudest about the lack of jobs for them.


    Go here > https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/48727 to read about our country's woes. 


    Friday, March 10, 2006

    Bombay



    Mumbai is the second largest city in the world. (Tokyo is the largest, by population density). It also has the most number of homeless squatters in India. Just gaze out your window on landing or take off, you will see the plastic sheet roofs and cardboard box-like shanties line the airport perimeter fences and they spread outward like a sprawling mound of dark brown boxes with equally brown zinc rooftops stacked very closely together, the occassional clothesline slash the box landscape. Vagrant children with yellow sand peppered hair rush to give unwanted assistance with your baggage and in the end they always complain about the meagerness of your tip. I suspect it is a well rehearsed ploy.

    Our hotels carry grand names; Park Plaza, The Oberoi, The Taj President and the Taj Mahal- this grand architectural masterpiece that stands alongside the Gateway of India landmark is a proud testimony to British rule. One cannot be blamed for equating Mumbai as a dustier, older, mustier version of London. It does look that way. The old and new Mumbai are actually locked in an eternal embrace for the world to see. And see they are, as corporations rush in to see what opportunities this city, the financial hub of India, await them.

    Thursday, March 09, 2006

    Travelling



    "..travelling is like flirting with life. It's saying, I love you but I can't stay.....this is my station" quote from our inflight magazine on Jet AirLines.
    There is a certain romance in travel so they say except it is so kosher. I travel to Chennai en route to Mumbai this week. Travelling always excites me and this time India is especially exciting and daunting. Now that I've landed in Chennai, I realise you never know what to expect with fast changing India. The domestic airport is buzzing with human traffic and infrastructure development is frantic in its grounds. But the quaint cream coloured taxis still give Chennai its charm.