Today I want to share on something that has been bothering me on and off again for the past few months.

There are just some around me who have hated me so much that they refuse to talk to me or even acknowledge me. There are those who will give me the evil eye or even openly appear hostile or irritable to me.

All this was due to me being in a different ‘camp’ somewhere, one time or another.

Do you face the same situation too? Do people ‘ban’ or ostracize you? Do they gang up to exclude you socially? Do they try to make you feel sad, lonely or worthless? Do they influence others against you?

If you do then I hope my post will help you somehow.

I feel the time is right for me to explore this issue because my sister is facing the same thing at her workplace.

If you were to ask me how I felt when this kind of thing happened to me a few years ago, I would tell you that I felt devastated. I could not stand being disliked, unpopular or even hated. That’s from the peaceful phlegmatic side of my personality.

Now? It doesn’t affect me that much any more. Obviously it still annoys me enough for me to write about it in my blog, but I won’t lose any sleep over these kinds of things.

What have I learned?

Here’s how I learned to deal with haters:

1. There will always be haters.

You can’t get everyone to love you. Everyone has different types of personalities, beliefs and backgrounds. There is bound to be conflict in your social interactions.

As you advance in life or in career, there will be more opponents, and more critics once you are in charge of making more decisions. There will be those who will be jealous of you.

2. Realize your self worth

Realize that your personal value is not dictated by others. Don’t ever fall into the trap of hating yourself, feeling miserable or even feeling guilty when given the cold shoulder.

If you know that you are a good person inside, what others say to you (or about you) will not hurt you so much.

Your self value and self-worth builds a strong shield against the things that haters may do to you.

3. It’s not you, it’s them

Sometimes it isn’t even your fault to begin with. Someone wakes up one morning and decides that you are to blame for all the crap they are going through, and starts to hate you.

Maybe you’ve said or done something that was misinterpreted or misunderstood and things turned sour from there. Some people can either be too close minded or even proud to accept opinions that do not reflect their own.

Sometimes you happen to be friends with someone they hate, or maybe you accidentally offended them.

4. Look at big picture

Will any of this matter in five year’s time? In ten year’s time? Will it matter as you lay on your death bed? Do you really want to spend your entire life feeling hated or hating in return?

It is just not worth wasting too much time worrying about your haters. Why not invest more energy into those who love you?

5. Take the high road

Why stoop down to their level and get involved in their games? I always tell myself, “ignore, don’t care la”. If I were to return an eye for an eye, it will make me as bad (or worse) than them.

The people around you do notice how you deal with these things. It may be your family, your children and even your bosses. Learning to handle such situations well makes you a more mature person.

What can we do?

1. Continue being nice. Make the first move to smile at them or wave hello.
2. Make apologies and amends if it is really your fault.
3. If you are religious, pray for them.
4. Talk to someone about your feelings and frustration.
5. If things get to the point where it’s interfering with your work, get management and HR involved.
6. If they threaten or physically harm you, make a police report. Do not retaliate!
7. If they continue to behave like this towards you, you will just have to move on.
8. Make new friends, and this time choose wisely.

To my haters out there:

1. Go on and hate me more. I really don’t care.
2. If you can treat me like this now, then you have been a fake friend all along.
3. Go on playing your little games. I only pity your shallow thinking.
4. Continue living in your little ‘kingdom’ you have built. Slowly you will find it growing smaller and smaller.

Conclusion

I hope that none of you feel that I am talking specifically to you. I’m not writing this with anyone in mind, just about my experiences in the past.

If you do feel that I’m writing this about you… then “you’re so vain… you probably think this post is about you… you’re so vain”.  Hehe. Or maybe those who ate the chili feel the heat.

What about you dear readers? How have you dealt with haters? Are you in this situation now? Please share your thoughts with me in the comments.

Photo: Sue R B

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It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post regarding my opinions. I don’t think any of my dear readers can recall the last time I wrote a really ’serious’ blog post.

There is a very simple reason for this. And I think those of you who are new to blogging should pay attention.

The reason I am hesitant to state my stand on the different issues (be it politics, current events or religious subjects) is I am fearful of the comments that I may receive.

Too many times in the past I have received comments that really made me wish I had never started blogging in the first place. Debating and arguments are not my forte, so to have someone disagree or misunderstand my intentions, and not being able to defend my opinion properly makes me feel terrible.

I really admire how legally trained bloggers like Pablo, Josh and Haris Ibrahim write and respond to comments.

I have to admit that I have made mistakes in the past, and each of these unpleasant encounters with angry readers have taught me valuable blogging lessons.

It hurts too.

Some of the lessons I learned from personal experience and from other bloggers are:

1. Write based on facts.
2. Re-read your sentences and paragraphs to see if they leave room for wrong interpretation or assumptions.
3. Be careful of personal bias or prejudice. What you, your family or your friends believe in may not be fair to others.
4. There will always be someone smarter than you. Don’t force them to make you look dumb.
5. Don’t spend too much effort arguing with people who disagree with you. Just state your stand, and accept that they have a right to their view point.
6. If you blog under your own name, be careful about revealing personal details like the place you live or work.
7. Admit when you are wrong.
8. Don’t publish when you’re angry. Cool down and review your post.
9. Don’t write statements that could get you in trouble with the law. Be familiar with terms such as slander or sedition.
10. Get both sides of the story. It is easy to lean too far to the left or too far to the right on any issue if we only read from one source or sources who think the same way.

Well, I’d like to believe that I’m turning into a responsible blogger. I feel sorry for some of the things I’ve written in anger. The bad thing is I find that I am trying to stay clear from taking risks and playing it safe.

How I wish I could just say what is on my mind. I suppose I could do that if I started an anonymous blog (which I have tried, but no time to maintain so many blogs).

The fact is that bloggers are answerable to their readers and to the authorities of their country.

Perhaps I will write an ‘opinion’ post tomorrow.

What about you readers? Have you had any bad experiences? What did you do? Did it deter you from writing this type of posts? Got any advice to share?

Photo: Colin Adamson

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P/S: Windows 7 is looking really promising!

Video: collegehumor.com.

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Good morning daddy. Why did you wake up so late? I’m hungry!

What are you doing with that camera? I’m just doing some morning exercises

Okay, I think daddy isn’t looking. Time for breakfast!

MUNCH! Yummy, delicious! So juicy and salty.

Oh, daddy… hi! I’m uhh… doing some morning stretches. hehe…

My foot is a harmonica. See? I’m playing it like Taylor Hicks!

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The story goes like this…

Way back in 2005, my friends and I started a Christian band. We felt that we needed another instrument to make us sound fuller and to give us more options. Leon introduced us to a girl called Poey Chin.

Now, Poey Chin has always been in the picture. I do hear of her name a lot but I’ve never had the chance to meet her before. She was Leon’s classmate from Sedaya. It seems that the few chances we could have met, we missed each other due to various circumstances.

And so Poey Chin joined our band, and the major event for that year was CWC (Children’s Workers Conference) in Penang. After months of rehearsals we were finally ready and made our way to Penang.

The ushers during the first day of the conference.

At this stage, we were still getting to know each other. I was (and still am) very shy. We were there not only to lead worship but had to work as helpers too.

I was assigned to Jireh room. I walk in and find that I have been partnered with Poey Chin to handle the sound system.

Jireh means Provider.

During the course of our duties we started talking. I was very shy and Poey Chin did most of the talking.

We talked about our families. I showed her pictures of Sushi my girl-bait Shih Tzu. Turns out that she doesn’t really like dogs. Oh well. She told me about her nephew Keith and her big brothers.

I remember her eyes. I remember the way she loves Keith. I remember her sweet gentle spirit.

This was THE spot. I very good boy, didn’t sit too near ok? 

We talked so much that for several times we didn’t hear the speakers asking us to lower the volume or raise the volume or play some music.

On the last day of the conference we went out to have Korean BBQ. Sigh, Leon was so blur blur and took the seat next to Poey Chin. I remember Poey Chin helped to fry some meat. I was watching and evaluating her cooking skills (she’s a great cook).

After the conference it took me a few weeks to work up the courage to SMS her. Apparently by this time several of her friends already know something before I did.

After that we called each other. I made an appointment to visit her music school to look around, and after that go for a meal together.

Of course, at that time we were careful not to go any further because we wanted to be sure we know each other better first.

We told each other everything about our past. Everything that we didn’t want to wait for each other to find out ten years down the road. We started with transparency and accountability. It was hard to talk about some things, but it was better to accept and move on, or not accept and end it right there.

The rest is history. We found that our values aligned, and our pasts have molded us to become the right person for the other.

I can say that I have found the perfect woman for me. Now those beautiful eyes of hers have been cloned to our baby Rachel, and I’m doubly blessed.

Happy anniversary darling.

P/S: At that stage of my life I wasn’t actively looking to find a partner, but my heart does cry out in loneliness. One of my friends is going through the same feelings of loneliness and I do believe that God hears you like he heard me.

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Daddy, are you taking my photo again?

At this stage Rachel loves to be on the floor rather than on the mattress. Maybe it’s cooler there. She has knocked her head the few times she flipped around too quickly. 

Rachel making a funny face that somehow reminds me of my dad.

She loves chewing on her fingers. Sometimes we catch her secretly chewing away under her blanket. Teeth should be coming out soon. 

She’s like a cobra when she raises her head and moves around. Maybe I should try to do some snake charm music later hehe

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I was a drop out. A kindergarten drop out, that is.

I remember my first day attending kindergarten at some place called Grace Kindergarten and I cried until my parents came to take me home. I never went back there.

Then my parents enrolled me in Chim Kindergarten, or Tadika Chim. I don’t know what it was, but I was quite comfortable at Chim Kindergarden. I attended the on in Section 14 PJ, but I think they have 3 other branches now.

Why am I suddenly writing about this? Well as I woke up this morning there was some sort of party or ceremony going on in the stadium near my condo. I hear a lot of cheery children song. During the speech, I suddenly caught the words ‘Chim Kindergarten’.

And the memories came flooding back. The memories about my days in Chim Pre School are fragmented, but let me share a few things I remember.

*cue that flash back sound effect from Lost*

1. I remember art classes. Teacher would give us paper with squares printed on them and we would have to follow the patterns she drew on the board.
2. I also remember outdoor art classes. We actually had easels to draw on. I think I was too busy trying to mix paint properly.
3. I remember during craft classes, the cook lady downstairs would come to class and give each student some glue from a pot. Once I saw the lady give a large spoonful of stuff to teacher and she started eating it. And so I ate my glue too. Now that I think of it, maybe the lady gave teacher porridge instead of glue.
4. I remember being part of a choir singing “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”. I was kneeling on the floor, singing half heartedly and looking at my knees.
5. I used to sit beside a girl named Emily. She wouldn’t lend me her colour pencils, and she had such a nice set of err.. colour pencils (you know, the 48 colour sets). Our class was upstairs, and we had to climb this dim staircase to get to class. One day she came running down the stairs and kissed me on the cheek.
6. I remember our graduation party. We had to bring our own cups, and because I forgot to tell my parents we had to make do with a glass cup. Teacher told me not to break it. I broke it.
7. I remember our principal had Marge Simpson hair.
8. I remember posing for the graduation photograph and wondering what in the world was happening and what a ‘graduation’ was.
9. I don’t remember mixing around at all, an anti-social habit that I continue to have even today.

Did any of you attend the same kindergarten? What about your memories from kindergarten?

Photo: lovu4ever (lovu4ever.fotopages.com)

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Today I will share with you a series of photos titled the Mini Play Gym. There is a play mat, and there’s a musical toy.

I love my soft cuddly play mat, and daddy forgot to button me up again.

Rachel loves to reach up to grab the little bee. The musical toy will light up and play some music each time it is touched. 

A wider view of the musical toy that was a gift from Rachel’s kai ma (god mother) Sook Fong

She’s listening to the music, I imagine she’s trying to ‘play the instrument’, looking at the lights. And yes, she’s wearing another dress!

She gets bored after a while and quick as lightning, starts to turn over.

I’m the happiest baby in the world!

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I feel cheated.

Last night I stayed up to watch the final race of this year’s Formula One season in Brazil. What a boring race it was. Except for the last five minutes.

It was supposed to be THE race to watch, because Lewis Hamilton was starting the race with a 7 point advantage in the contention for the drivers title. It was set to be a nail-biting race especially after Massa qualified in pole position and Hamilton in fourth.

However the track seems to be quite boring with few overtaking opportunities.

Watching the cars go round and round the track and that droning V8 engine sound really makes me sleepy. I was falling asleep toward the middle of the race.

The most interesting part happened in the last 3 laps, when Vettel overtook Hamilton relegating him to sixth position.

I sat up and paid close attention. Could it be? Could a Ferrari driver take the driver’s title again?

It was not meant to be. Timo Glock had problems with tyre grip and lost ground to both Vettel and Hamilton (it started to rain but Glock was still on slicks).

Oh, Felipe Massa. I feel so bad for him. So close yet so far. I guess this is racing (and sports). Someone has to win and someone has to lose. But it turns out that he is a very good sportsman, based on his post race comments.

This year’s Formula One season was certainly one of the most interesting compared to the past few years. I hope that next season will build on this one and get even better!

Did you enjoy this season as much as I did?

P/S: Apparently I have my own energy company. It has a very nice website too. I wonder if they produce energon cubes.

Photo: Kiel Latham

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You may be surprised to see a person who has never had yoghurt before.Well I have tried a bit of yoghurt before (when it first became available so many years ago) but I didn’t like it.

I don’t drink milk. I’m not lactose intolerant, because I don’t get any bad reactions after taking milk. I just feel like throwing up if I get too much of a milky taste in my mouth.

Sometimes when I’m washing baby’s milk bottles I feel like throwing up. I’m so afraid of baby Rachel throwing up on me that I face her the other way when I burp her.

Strangely I’m okay with milk in my coffee, tea or other drinks. I’m even okay with dairy products like butter, cream and even ice kacang. I don’t mind eating condensed milk in it’s undiluted form.

I’ve only had yoghurt once before. It was about twelve years ago. We were in Australia then and we had a breakfast of fruit flavoured yoghurt. I think at that time, fruit flavoured yoghurt wasn’t available in Malaysia yet.

Even then I could barely keep it down with some coffee and toast.

So I got myself a packet of Dutch Lady yoghurt at RM1.79. You can see the delicious breakfast Poey Chin prepared for me ‘just in case’. I like the little folding spoon that came with it.

After I opened the lid, it smelled strange, like a vat of moldy milk. It looked like dogs vomit.

With steady hands and a trembling heart I took a spoonful of yoghurt, telling myself that it was just melted ice cream, it was just melted ice cream…

I put it in my mouth.

And waited (melted ice cream, melted ice cream)…

And waited some more (enjoying the delectable mango bits)…

And I liked it!

Now that I look closely at the photo, it does seem like someone is pointing a gun to my head. But trust me, Dutch Lady yoghurt (and I assume other brands of yoghurt) does taste quite nice.

However, I could only take half of it (the other half is still in my fridge!).

After a while my melted ice cream mantra didn’t work any more. The milky taste became too overpowering and I gave up.

Would I get another one? Sure, but I think I’d have to share with someone. I just don’t think I will be able to finish that huge carton of yoghurt by myself. It’s like a Fear Factor challenge for me!

My suggestion for yoghurt manufacturers is to include something crunchier (like chocolate chips or chopped almond nuts) so that the texture becomes a bit more bearable.

How about you? Do you like yoghurt? Which is your favourite flavour?

P/S: Sorry to scare you with my ‘fresh out of bed’ look

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The photos shown here were taken earlier this month, when Rachel was just 5 months old.

I call this series of photos hands and feet, because baby Rachel is getting more control over her hands and feet.

As usual, photo captions are below the photo itself.

Rachel is already able to flip over quite professionally. She does it in a blink of an eye. She also learned how to rotate her body 360 degrees when she’s on her tummy. In this photo, you can see how she turned all the way around in her baby crib.

A closeup of her fingers. She can grab things with her hands now. Sometimes when I carry her on my lap at the computer, she wants to type on the keyboard. The other day she grabbed my bowl of pan mee at the restaurant.

She has started to recognize her toys like her bedtime bear bear, her doggy and her daddy.

She has this habit of hooking her feet together like that. This is something that Poey Chin does all the time.

She can raise her head even higher than last month. Now she can peek over her crib to see what daddy and mama are doing.

Hello uncles, aunties, ko kos and jie jies!

Her usual spot at the mattress in our living room. Enjoy the next few photos of her smiling.

I can’t wait to come home from work each day to hug her and kiss her!

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Yahoo! Yippee! Hooray!
It’s time for another holiday!
*clap clap*
No need to work on Monday,
I can’t think of something else that ends with ‘ay’!

(Imagine singing above chorus to one of those High School Musical songs. Honestly they all sound alike to me. If you don’t believe me, sing it over and over again… and then modulate up one key and add some cheering sound effects. Anyone else thinks the lead actress Gabriella Montez looks like Gillian Chung?)

Where was I? Oh yes, another holiday weekend is in store for us Malaysians! Next Monday will be a public holiday to allow our Hindu brothers and sisters to celebrate Deepavali (or Diwali), the festival of lights.

One of the best feelings in life has got to be the Friday night before a long holiday weekend.

Unless you’re a chicken. Before Chinese New Year. Because you know… we eat a lot of chickens during Chinese New Year.

I don’t have any plans for this holiday, other than a trip to a shopping mall to get some new clothes for baby Rachel.

Maybe we will make another trip to my parent’s home to visit Sushi.

Maybe it’s time for me to dust off my swimming gear and pay a visit to my swimming pool.

So many possibilities… so much promise of free time.

What about you? What will you be doing this weekend?

Photo: MarkoFRA

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*sob sob*

Last weekend we were at my parents home for dinner again, and this time Rachel was awake to see Sushi my tame Shih Tzu being all excited to see everyone.

(Not an actual photo from last week)

We placed Rachel on a mattress, and Sushi was barred away from the living room with a fence.

Rachel and Sushi could see each other at eye level, but could not go near each other.

Everything was going well at first.

Sushi was his usual excited self wagging his tail off. He was running around in circles and pacing left and right.

Rachel watched him go left, and watched him go right, and watched him turn around as I held her.

Then I put her down, and she started to cry.

(Not an actual photo from last week) 

Sigh… Rachel and Sushi do not seem to have any chemistry at all.

I brought Sushi to the back and sat there with him, talking to him and stroking him. I don’t want him to feel that we are banishing him away for the sake of baby. That could cause his little heart to be jealous, and possibly cause aggression towards baby.

Poey Chin tells me baby’s crying because she was not used to my parent’s home, not because of Sushi. At this age babies tend to be cranky in new environments.

I hope so.

Actually I think maybe baby Rachel is just afraid of some little creature being so active and moving so fast.

I don’t plan to allow baby and Sushi to be with each other yet, but I hope baby will get used to Sushi being around. After all, he’s part of the family too.

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Last Friday something really embarrassing happened to me. I hope nobody noticed. Well, some people did, but I hope not that many people noticed.

It was the end of a long day, and I was rushing to complete all my tasks so that I could go home. I looked at the clock in my PC and it was already 6:30.

“Wow, time sure has passed quickly today”

I rushed and rushed and managed to pack up my laptop at 7:15pm.

Or so I thought.

On my way out, my colleagues were looking at me real funny. “Wow, ” I thought. “Everyone is working overtime today.”

I’m sure my intelligent readers can guess where this story is going.

My team leader called me into her room and asked me, “why are you leaving so early?”

“Isn’t it 7:15?” I asked.

“No, it’s only 6:15″

So shy la! I was speechless trying to think of a way to explain myself, but all I could think of was telling the truth.

I think my PC clock must have applied daylight savings or something, moving my clock forward by one hour.

In my defense, the sky was quite dark that day.

My team leader was very understanding and we had a good laugh about it.

I returned to my desk, where I spent the next 15 minutes trying to look like I planned this all along. I tidied up my drawers, flipped through my calendar in a businesslike manner and re-arranged some papers on my desk.

Have you ever done something like this before? Share your embarrassing moments (so I won’t feel so alone)

P/S: My apologies to readers visiting my blog over the weekend. The web host server was down due to a DDoS attack.

P/P/S: My apologies to readers visiting my blog now. It seems like Nuffnang is causing the page to load too slowly. But over the past weekend, Streamyx seems to be having issues too. Sigh…

Photo: Scott Liddell

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Today I woke up wondering where my life is heading.

Where am I going with my career?

What is my career anyway? Is it just going day to day, solving problems? Will all the ‘objectives’ and targets we are trying so hard to meet even matter at all in 1 year’s time? In 6 months time?

What will happen tomorrow? Other objectives, other targets? Other problems? Definitely.

Why then am I doing all this? Well, for one thing I’m very good at what I do. For another thing I’m getting paid for it.

But that thought has really given me the perspective that work shouldn’t be everything. The next question to ask is, how do we find that balance between personal life and work?

Now some would say that I have a Gen-Y mindset. The older generations would work hard, work weekends and long hours just to get work done. Maybe some would even say that I can think like this because I can afford to.

I wake up and there is baby Rachel peeking over the side of her crib.

All I see are her eyes and her hair. She smiles at me and her eyes become like mine when I smile.

And then I remember that she is one of the things that truly matter.

I look at my wife who’s already busy preparing milk for baby, and I remember that our marriage is something that truly matters.

I think of the time I waste on various other things like TV, Facebook and even blogging.

Why have I been spending so much time on things that don’t matter? Is this the legacy I want to leave behind?

Who cares about how many mobsters I have, or how much money I make in Mob Wars? Am I a greater man because my blog has a certain number of hit counts?

After I’m dead and gone, will my children think back to that Formula One race or that season of NBA basketball?

I’m going to start spending more time on the things that truly matter, and less time on the things that don’t.

How about you? Do you find yourself spending a lot of time on things that don’t matter?

Photo: Benjamin Turner

P/S: I’m quitting Mob Wars now.

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Congrats to Leon and my wife for getting most of the answers correct, though it doesn’t really matter how many you got right. Most of the answers were pretty weird (and lame) anyway.

I’m sure you’ve learned some things about me. Hopefully you had a laugh or two.

Today I will reveal the answers to the test.

What Is My Favourite Colour?

My favourite colour is blue.

What Is My Favourite Animal?

I love dogs.

Who Is My Favourite Spice Girl?

Posh Spice. She’s the least talented singer but the best looking.

Who Was My Favourite Female Singer?

Cecilia Cheung. She’s not a very talented singer but the best looking (and she’s a good actress too!) Notice the word ‘was’. This clause is to prevent sleeping on the sofa tonight.

Which of the following will NOT compile?

The answer is C. This is the kind of thing I stare at every day.

What Is My Quirky Habit?

All of the above, which is touching my nose, sudden nose honking and loud nose blowing.

What Is The *censored*?

If you were really honest you would have said you don’t know. I don’t know either.

When Is Baby Rachel’s Birthday?

May 9th.

Which Is Heavier? A ton of feathers or a ton of rocks?

Hehe.

Who Is My Favourite Movie Villain? 

Dr Evil, from one of my favourite movies Austin Powers.

What’s My Favourite Fast Food Restaurant?

Another bonus point… it’s KFC!

En garde! Touché!

If you’ve played Monkey Island you will know how to answer this!

What Car Do I Drive?

I’ve blogged about this before too!

Which Am I Afraid Of?

The A&W bear. Or anything in costumes really.

What Is My Dream Job?

Bestselling author. I love to write, and I would love it even more if I got paid millions for doing it.

What Would I Want to Name My 2nd Daughter?

Cecilia. Guess why? But Poey Chin objects.  I’m gonna put it in the birth cert secretly and not tell her.

Poey Chin: “What is the meaning of THIS?”

Adino: *pretend to be shocked* “Oh? Must have been a mistake. Never mind la dear…”

Poey Chin: “I don’t want!”

Adino: “Okay what about Leia?”

Poey Chin: “Sob sob…”

My Favourite Reality TV Show?

Hell’s Kitchen

Favourite Doctor at Seattle Grace

Izzie of course!

What Is On My Wish List Now?

I just blogged about this last week!

What Sport Do I Like to Play?

Basketball.

Thank you everyone! Now you know a little bit more about me.

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Please take a few moments of your time to do this test to see how well you know me. Most of the answers can be found on my blog.

Ladies and gentlemen, babies and puppies, I present you Adino’s Rendang Udang Undang Test. If you pass, you get to sit for Mario Kart driving test. (Was I intoxicated when I wrote that last sentence?)

You can retake this test over and over again, but please don’t do that. I will know.

The score doesn’t matter anyway… it’s just the fun of taking the test!

Note: You will need to sign up for free at their website to take the test.

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Remember I told you that I was sick during the Raya holidays? Well, one of the problems that I was having was ulcers in my mouth and pimples in my nose.

And so yesterday I was washing my face and started thinking about the pimples in my nose. They hurt a lot (on both nostrils) and it was causing me a lot of discomfort because it hurts each time I touch my nose.

Now, this won’t be such a bad thing except for the fact that I have this habit of touching my nose quite frequently. I don’t know where I got this from, or when it started. But I will touch my nose as a sort of exclamation point.

If I win a level in a video game. *touch nose*

Finish writing a sentence. *touch nose*

LeBron James does a slam dunk on TV *touch nose*

I’m sitting here trying to analyze my weird nose touching habit and it starts with a tingle on the side of my nose whenever I accomplish something. See, right now it’s starting to itch, and I’m trying… not… to… touch… my…

*touch nose*

Where was I?

Touching my nose frequently, and also the habit of clearing my nose suddenly would be some of my most quirky habits.

So with the pimples I’ve been having inside my nose, I had the brilliant idea of washing the inside of my nose with my facial cleanser.

I had these visions of the facial cleanser cleaning off all the oil and pimples (you know, like how they show it in the advertisements). There would be the cleanser stripping off all the dirt, oil, and the skin would be smooth and pimple free.

So I did that, and immediately my nose told me it was a bad idea.

I don’t know if it was too soapy or if my nose didn’t agree with the avocado scent, but a sharp pain went up my nose.

I washed off as much soap as I could. Then I started sneezing. Non stop. For a few minutes.

After that I sneezed so much I scared poor baby Rachel. The sneezing and running nose only stopped after I fell asleep.

So there you go boys and girls, babies and puppies. Don’t wash the inside of your nose with facial cleanser.

*touch nose*

Photo: Heather Sorenson

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I’ve signed up for an expensive stylo milo overseas web host, so I hope it will be more reliable than my previous web host.

Please let me know if anything is not working ok? Any features not working, any downtime, any problems accessing, just let me know.

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I’m back, and I’ve had the most satisfying holiday!

I feel so refreshed and all charged up, ready to resume life with energy and vigor.

What did I do this holiday?

1. Spent a lot of time playing with baby Rachel. She’s getting really playful nowadays.
2. Spent time with Poey Chin, bringing her for a special lunch.
3. Spring cleaning.
4. Had some nice meals with my family.
5. Full moon celebration for my nephew William.
6. Read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
7. Watched the Greys Anatomy Season 5 season premier and 27 Dresses.
8. Facebook. Lots of Facebook gaming.
9. Lots of eating and sleeping.
10. Got sick. Didn’t drink enough water.

I did not get to do the following things I planned:

1. Exercise.
2. Drive to KL city centre in 15 minutes.
3. Reorganize the pile of CDs in my bookshelf.
4. Migrate my blog to a new web host.

What did you do during the holidays?

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