Yoghurt Making..

I know some of my pals like yoghurt.
Then I learnt that one of them like it so much that he (B) started making yoghurt himself. That's how serious he is.

Making yoghurt. Erm...

I further learnt that making yoghurt is so simple. No kidding : Right here you get it! There are many other reliable sources also, of course.

An interesting point to note would be : technically speaking, once we kick-start it, we could have endless supply of yoghurt.

Then I read about the goodness of yoghurt or rather the goodness of Lactobacillus Acidophilus, since this is the thing that makes yoghurt so good. :o)

Hey.. I didn't just read about it, I put it into actions.
I try to make yoghurt myself. It works!
Now I have free-flow of yoghurt. Haha..
It's free as long as you can get free milk. :P

But erm.. The unflavoured yoghurt is just a little too sour for me. Adding honey and finely-cut fresh fruits is always a good idea, but I am still far from mastering the art of flavouring.

- - - - -

There are primarily two reasons why I decided to give it (yoghurt making) a try.

(1) I once had a pretty bad experience of stomach flu, due to attack by unfriendly bacteria. I suffered quite a bad appetite lost and a constant bloated feeling in my stomach. The doctor actually administered friendly bacteria for me. Ha.. Now I know I don’t have to pay and can administer those friendly bacteria myself. :P

(2) B’s uncle had actually suffered digestive problems for years. Many consultations with doctors only made his wallet thinner, but his suffering prevailed. He even consulted doctors in the field of TCM, still nothing worked. Things changed when he turned to eating simple stuff like yoghurt.

肠胃问题不再有
觉得好舒畅 … :o)

- - - - - -



有一位圣者这么说：

道德完成的良窳，完全操之在我们的手中。

路是人走出来的，
在道德上，用言语说是没有用的，只有实地去做，才能成功。

事前之夸炫，固不能壮其声势，亦无补于事；
事后之自疚，已经不能挽回既成的实事。

所以，
沉默而有效的行动，
比千言万语更具震撼力以及影响力。

I Made Them “Younger”.

I would believe I am never far from wrong if I were to assume that everyone hopes to look young(er). But how is that going to be possible with years passing by each and every one of us?

In reality, don’t ever dream about it.

In the virtual world, on well.. let’s see.

Today, I have just (finally, after years of procrastination) managed to explore the basics of healing, blurring, smudging, cloning, … blah blah blah about Photoshop. I mean I really only know the very basics of these functions. Nevertheless, I shall try to apply my limited skills.

Before :

After :

How do you feel? Somehow it works right? Haha.. Realised the man is now almost wrinkle-free? Noticed that even his hair now appears darker? Even the lines under the eyes of the little girl vanishes. I think the picture can be further improved of course, but… I am just too lazy to spend too much time on it lah.

I begin to imagine :
If I were to show the healed pictures to that ah pek, I think he will smile so much (and so hard), resulting in more deep set wrinkles in real life? :P

Kind of glad I picked up a little skill today (but certainly needs further polishing) .

You wanna look younger? Maybe I can experiment and help out a little bit and make you younger virtually. Haha..

你怕老吗？
怕也得老、不怕也得老。
哈哈…
不如来个老得自在、老得自然。
再来个老得更潇洒、更有智慧。

所以，有的人就是越老越「美」。
我们呢？

Witnessing My First Marathon.

Oh I’m talking about the SCSM 2007 held this morning. I was there witnessing the full marathon. Haha.. That means I was there only to look-look-see-see and I was not a participant of the full marathon lah. But I participated in their lowest category. Not kid-dash hor, but the 10 km run.

I shall try to recollect some interesting moments or the things that struck me most (not in any particular order) :


(1) Very well-organized.

Thus far, this is the run with the most participants. Still, there is no bottle-neck effect everywhere. From baggage deposit, forming up at the starting point, get-set-ready-go, on-the-move, collection of medals at end the point, baggage collection, drink station, banana station, toilet facilities… just everything : almost negligible waiting time.

Thank you very much to all organizers, volunteers and helpers! Without them, it will not be possible at all.


(2) Babies clocking better time than their fathers.

I saw two male participants (at different locations) running with a pram in front of them. Heh.. Not empty pram hor! Ha.. The babies were seated comfortably in the prams while their daddies pushed on and jogged at the same time.

In one case, I actually saw that the baby was sleeping soundly within the pram. In another case, the baby was observing excitedly at the runners around him and maybe also enjoying the unusually high speed that the pram was moving.

So technically speaking, the babies eventually crossed the finishing line before their daddies. Haha..


(3) I was faster than an eagle.

A guy wrote a message and pinned at his back.

The message was :
Watch me soar on wings, like an eagle.

But I passed him effortlessly. :P

Erm… So I was only faster than a particular eagle. Haha..


(4) I can laugh during the run.

Two gals wrote the same message and pinned the message at their back. They were running side by side.

The message was :
To lose 10 kg.

I know I was a little “evil” to have laughed.
Hey.. Come on. I wasn’t really laughing at them. But I was simply amazed at their courage to admit they really have spare 10kg to lose.

Anyway, if I’m not wrong, these two ladies actually covered 21.1 km. Admirable, indeed. Don’t play play.


(5) Full marathon runners are all winners in my eyes.

We have some solid fellows covering the entire 42.195km and coming in well within 2h 15min. I really don’t know what to say man. Oh, it seems that KENYA and ETHIOPIA produce solid runners.

Anyway, some of my pals joined the full marathon and came in within 4h, 5h plus a little, around 5h 30min, 6h plus a little, around 6h 45min,…

Well past 7 hours after the official starting time, we still saw many full marathoners making their way to the finishing line. That was solid determination, I must say. To me, they are all simply amazing. I cannot imagining myself going through such punishing journey.

Full marathoners can also get an extra black t-shirt after they finished their conquest. For any reason, if they were to be disqualified, that t-shirt will not be given to them. In other words, those people wearing that t-shirt suggests a certain kind of status. While I was talking to myself whether will I ever have a chance to clinch that trophy (that black t-shirt), this WK suggested that I could just try ebay.com or Yahoo Auction. Argg… So encouraging lor. Haha... But I think he is so right. :o)

I just learnt that the prize money for the first runner (Men's Open and Women’s Open) is USD25000. Wow! Have I just given you a reason to pick up running? Haha.. If you think it’s already too late for you, go train up you kids!
跑吧孩子! :P


(6) I am part-time massager.

I mentioned before a good calf-massage after a run is good. I mean I experienced that during the Real Run. The relief of the calf muscle was almost immediate (when the massage was done properly lah).

This time round, the rub-down service was only available for full marathoners. It’s okay.

But while resting, WK’s right leg got a sudden attack. 是抽筋啦. That was when I came in as a substitute-leg-massager. I tried to recall what was done to me (on my legs) the previous time and I mimicked. It worked, I tell you (I think). Haha..


(7) Nice Atmosphere.

Running at Shenton Way or just the CBD area can be an interesting experience. The roads are wide, the buildings are tall. So when we were running on the roads there, the shadows of the buildings provide a good cooling shade. In other times, these roads will be congested with vehicles, but during such runs, we rulez.

I also quite like the music pumped up during the last stretch of the run. There were many supporters also. We (any runners in general) must be tired, but I felt that we were actually moving much faster.

I think atmosphere makes a difference (to me at least). In other words, I don’t think I can make it alone.


(8) Feeling fortunate.

After the experience, we were pretty tired, yet we were fortunate enough to be driven around comfortably by W, for lunch, and even for a relaxing journey home. Wow! What a feeling. Haha..


If given more time, I think the list could go on. But I think I stop at (8) : an auspicious number. Haha..

- - - - - - -


~ Quite A Cool Millionaire Winner ~

Slip of tongue? … Funny.

I shall try to write something light and funny.
I need to do a bit of recollection.

Okay, tale 1 :

Not too long ago…

Many of us were talking. One of us was commenting that the movie <不能说的秘密> is really nice. Another one was suggesting to sing the leading song of the movie on a certain occasion.

A : 不然的话，就唱《不能说的秘密》的主题曲咯。很好听哦。
B : 怎么唱？都没有音乐伴奏。
C : 是咯。这首歌那么新，音乐伴奏应该很难找吧。
D on the far side heard our conversation, being very helpful, he shouted over.
D : 我有！我有！我有《不可告人的秘密》。

Haha ..
We laughed so hard. He only noticed the slip after a while.

If we are ready, let’s go to tale 2 :

I don’t remember the particular context of our conversation very well now. But I’m sure we were talking about some packaging or some covers that must be needed to make something more secured.

A : 我们需要一个袋子来把它装好。
B : 这个可以吗？
C : 这个不行啦，不够安全，不够保险。不知道有谁会有比较像样的？
D on the far side heard our conversation, being very helpful, he shouted over.
D : 我有！我有！我有《保险套》。

Haha..
There was an awkward complete silence for a few seconds. Nay.. We weren’t shy about the topic, but we just couldn’t figure out how he would continue. Again, we laughed so hard.

Just another one to close the day.
Tale 3 :

We were talking about some wedding preparation of a friend. G was tasked to 「挡酒」. He was excited of the role and he is so sure he will be able to do it well as he often talks about his 「千杯不醉」. Mm…

Still, he is quite new to the entire flow of events of the day.
So, he tried to clarify.

G : 我什么时候才需要出来「挡酒」？
Someone answered him…

G : 我是帮新郎「挡酒」，还是帮新娘「挡酒」呢？
Someone replied him…

G : 新郎新娘喝「交杯酒」的时候，我需要去「挡」吗？
No one replied him.
We stared at each other in disbelief..
Haha…

In my mind, I pictured the funny scene during the wedding.
Emcee : 请新郎新娘喝「交杯酒」。
While many are waiting for the solemn ceremonial magical moment, G stood up and he said...
G : 等一下，我来帮你们「挡酒」。

I always think a good laugh is a good way to start the day, to end the day.

Cheers! :o)

Behind every success…

Just visited MMM yesterday. Frankly, I quite enjoyed the learning journey and I really like the culture of the company.

I don’t think it is by mere chance a company can survive more than a century and still be that iconic (almost magical), where creativity and innovation are concerned.

Talking about creativity and innovation, I think of APPLE who have clinched awards after awards in the field of creativity/innovation. But.. mm.. we know who first came out with the idea of storing hundreds and thousands of songs in a highly portable harddisk and make listening to music so convenient. That’s certainly creativity and innovation. But it wasn’t the same who that had brought the product into the world arena in gusto and class. Alright, there are many other reasons behind.

In all, I find that behind every success, there are some reasons. We can/should learn from them , learn from them what ticks and what not. Nope, I’m not dreaming of being that successful. Ha.. I just hope to know enough not to get myself into trouble. :P

~ ~ Successfully Conquered the North Pole ~ ~

Aiya.. We can always define successful the way we like it, anyway, and feeling being successful always. Haha..

Coincidentally, today “3M” has a slightly different significance to me, in the line of a tiny luck. :P

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有一位圣者这么说：

善念虽小，其心可喜，其行可嘉。
恶念虽小，其心可诛，其行可怕。

莫因善小而不为，莫因恶小而为之。
善恶在一念之间，天堂地狱也在一念之间。

「转台」

I have noted in recent years I have changed from listening to FM93.3 to FM97.2 to FM95.8. I think I had mentioned this before quite a long time ago.

Lately, for some unknown reasons, I find myself switching again. But this time round I am toggling between the English channels most of the time instead. Heh..

I must have changed, I think.

A close pal actually appeared in my dream some days ago and he said : Nanzi, you have changed.
And then he disappeared.
I woke up feeling a little strange also.

说真的，我知道我自己变了。
外在的(你们看得到的)就不用提了，
内在的(你们看不到的)确实也变了很多。
Mm…
很多事情我不再理会、
很多人、事、务我加倍在乎、
很多实情我难以启齿、
很多得失我看淡许多、等等…

我明白唯一的定数就是变数。
也就是说你也在「变」。
乐观一点，
我只希望我们大家都能「变」得更好。

~ ~ Winds of Change is Blowing ~ ~

Allow me to just quote :
If you can see change not as an enemy, but as a welcome friend, you will secure the most valuable prize of all - The Future.

- - - - - - - -



有一位圣者这么说：

吾心信其可行，则移山填海之难，终有成功之日；
吾心信其不可行，则反掌折枝之易，亦无可成之期。

心愿是成就事功的原动力，
小自个人的改脾气、去毛病、变化气质；
大则净化人心、普渡众生、扭转乾坤，
都从一个愿心充扩而成。

只要人人有愿有爱，人间终究成天堂。

Bonding..

I was about to wheel down a slope. I noticed a big fat man (not meant to be insulting, but I’m merely describing) riding a bicycle and he was riding towards my direction and he was about to engage the same slope. What I witnessed later made me smile, somehow.

Just before the man (riding the bicycle) engaged the slope, he shouted, “Let’s go!” That was how he caught my attention, anyway. I was wondering whether he was talking to me, but really a little out of context lor, what “let’s go!” ??!! I don’t know him leh.

He rode hard and fast. But not too long later, he was panting really heavily. With his mouth wide open huffing and puffing, it was .. mm.. quite a sight. But he was not near giving up, he just went on.

Since I was wheeling down and he was riding up, we got nearer and nearer. When we were quite near, I heard something. I heard a very young and tender voice. That voice can’t be his. Wa.. I glanced over and noticed that a boy was seated at the back of the bicycle. But because of the man’s big size, the boy was completed hidden from view at first. So the man was shouting "Let's go!" to that young fellow behind him. Never mind, this is not the interesting part. What warmed me a little was a short conversation of theirs when they were near me.

Young Boy : Daddy, let’s take a break.

Boy’s Daddy : It’s okay. We are reaching the top soon.

- - - - - -

It was a very simple encounter. Actually it was a very brief one too. It all happened well within 5 seconds, I supposed.

But, I think I can sense the bonding between them.
The son hoping the father can take a break and not to stress himself too much…
The father demonstrating to his son the going-all-out spirit for his son…

- - - - - -

I believe, naturally there are bonding between parents and children. However, the way I see it, the bonding may not come as naturally. I mean, sad to say, we often observe strong bonding between parent and young child, but as the child grows older, the bond is somehow weakened or even strained. Mm..

I am just thinking, the way they demonstrate their care and concern for each other (between a parent and a child) may be very varied. In other words, our parents love us, but the way they do so may not be the way we can appreciate it, sometimes. (Still, we must not forget their unconditional deliverance.) In the same way, we may say we love our parents, but are we sure the way we demonstrate so is the way they can accept? (I always think we should reflect on this more.)

在意见分歧的时候，
我们是否真的有智慧看穿这一切只是「做法」的不同，
但「心意」却是一致的？
我们是否会先软化自己，来圆融一切？

真正明理的人，总是要跨出第一步。
如果一味的要等到对方改变，自己才改变，那么… 咳。
我们自己认为结局会是如何？
不要说就是因为尝试了，我们才会那么失望。
尝试了而又没有效果，难道我们就没有怀疑是我们自己的方法有误吗？

说到来也离不开一个「缘」字。
「缘」好，那当然好。
「缘」若是不好，我们也要懂得「修缘」的功夫。:o)

今天，话也多了些。。
好,停笔…
bye bye…

“Watchful” Week..

I know the week has yet to end, but I can already conclude this is a “watchful” week. I mean I’d already “watched” a little too much :

- Caught two movies in cinemas.
- Sat down and listened (and watched) 2-days’ worth of live presentations.
- Re-visited some movies/serial-episodes in avi/rmvb format.
- Catching an old Taiwan serial borrowed from a pal some time ago.
- Caught up with some animes.
- ++

I think I need a rest. I think my eyes need a rest too.

「眼睛」可看尽世间百态。
我们是看到世间百态的「表层」，
还是领悟到世间百态的「内幕」？

有时候，我也想好好儿看看我自己。
不是观察我的「外貌」，
而是反观我的「内心」。

我该学习的，
真的还有太多太多了…

- - - - - - -

Since I wrote a little about watching movies here, maybe I can also share a little joke about one of my silly experiences.

Quite some time back, a *little-pal (D) called me up and suggested to catch a movie together. Oh well, his suggestion fitted nicely into my schedule. I volunteered to get the tickets, for I have some legal means to get at a discounted rate.

It was last minute kind of planning and I decided to go earlier to buy the tickets rather than securing the tickets online.

When I was there, I asked for two tickets. The lady at a sales-counter showed me the screen to select my seats. There were so many crosses (suggesting that the seats were taken up). Or rather, there were crosses everywhere. I had problem looking for seats not marked with a cross. I was actually a little panic that I may not be able to get the tickets. Scanning through the screen quickly, I noticed a pair of seats together at a corner and they were coloured differently with no cross marked on them. I thought the different colour used was meant to indicate seats-not-taken-up. Without questioning, without clarification, without hesitation, I said I wanted the two seats. I was actually quite happy for being able to secure the two tickets. At least, our plan to catch the movie was not spoilt mah.

So D appeared and we went in together.

When we approach the seats, I noticed something different. I asked…

Me : How come no divider in between the two seats one huh?

D : Ooi Mr Nanzi, this is couple seat leh.

Me : Err.. Just seat lah.

I got to admit, I was a little embarrassed. I was that su-arh-gu for not knowing got such thing as couple-seat. Mm..

Putting the label aside, seats are just seats. Haha...
I don't mind one lah. :P

- - - - - - - - - -

Would you have problem translating this?

A Dull Sound : < Tart >

A shroud of sadness enveloped me when I heard the dull sound “tart”.
I sensed a life was about to be taken away.
Indeed I saw the struggle before the last breadth was drawn. Haiz..

I was driving pretty slowly (at most only 60 km/h) along a road in a neighbourhood. I noticed a bird was pecking away (on some seeds) in the middle of the road. That was a normal sight, I believe you would agree. In normal context, the bird would mind its would business (pecking on some seeds) while we would mind our own business (driving). Besides, the bird should be street-smart enough to fly away timely when a car approaches it, unless…

Haiz..

For my case, today. A bird (myna) was also pecking on some seeds in the middle of a two lane road.
When I drove nearer… when I was less than 5 metres away from it..
That bird would be so safe if it were to just stay there and continue to peck. I think even you will be quite safe it you were to stand in the middle of a two-lane road when I only travel on the left most lane.

Instead, it decided to attempt to fly.
And you guess what? It flew not away from my car, but it chose to fly in such a way cutting across my route of advancement. It flew steadily, gracefully and slowly some more. That was suicidal lor!

I panicked but I can’t possibly stop in time.

I heard a dull “tart” sound. A shroud of sadness enveloped me immediately. I sensed a life was about to be taken away. From the rear-mirror I saw the black myna flapping its winds and struggling. I drove on for a while, feeling I had just executed a hit-and-run.

My mind was in a swirl, but I finally decided to drive back to take a look. I didn’t know what I was expecting to see. I was sure I hoped not to see the bird. I mean I hope its injury was only minor and it actually flew away to recuperate.

But I was greeted by a lifeless bird as I drove past that very spot in the opposite direction. I froze a little. I stopped at a nearby carpark, pondering what should be my next course of action. I didn’t/don’t feel good.

I stepped out of my car.
Walked to the lifeless bird.
With my shivering hands, armed with plastic bags, I actually picked it up.
There were blood and exposed organs, but no warmth. I was… erm…
Yes, I admit I was scared. But I can’t bear to let it rest there. I know, you know, if I were to delay more, it would be flattened by some cars sooner or later.

I carried it back to my car.
I drove on with the body of the bird in my car, near me.
I drove on not knowing exactly where to go.
But what I had in mind was to find a place to bury the bird.
I could have just thrown it in the nearby bin.
But.. mm.. Although that bird was suicidal by action, it made me feel like a killer.

I was only thinking, the least I could do was to show a bit more respect to its body.

It was finally buried.
I am feeling emotionally exhausted.
Feeling headache, thinking about it. Haiz..

I am “pregnant”

I look into the mirror and I think I look “pregnant”.

Tell me how not to, when I have consumed

Heavy Dinner₁ + Normal Breakfast₂+ Heavy Lunch₃ + Heavy Dinner₄

consecutive meals, all within 24 hours (approximately) ??!!

Heavy Dinner₁ was blend, but still very heavy with quite many dishes.
I thought it was blend because I was too nervous (yes, I’m still dead nervous about stage appearances). But later, as we were all making our way back, I learnt that the food was bad enough for some to consider cooking instant noodle themselves when they get back home.

Normal Breakfast₂ was tasty. I actually thought of skipping breakfast altogether at first. But I was involved in a pal’s wedding preparation, and my pal’s mum was just too generous and insisted I took a bowl of her fried noodles. It wasn’t just a usual bowl of fried noodles, it was a bowl heaped with plenty of 料. Wa…

As I was planning of skipping lunch, there came Heavy Lunch₃. It was a buffet spread of more than 10 enticing dishes. You think I can resist? Haha.. Anyhow whack first lah. It was very tasty indeed. But I was already feeling more than full. I was rather bloated. Silly me simply just got zero discipline when tempted with (delicious) food. :P

I knew I cannot escape Heavy Dinner₄. It was a wedding dinner with very tasty food. I was at a table meant for 10, but there were only 8 people. And what was the make-up of those 8 people?
Mm..
3 weight-caution ladies,
2 figure-cautious mothers,
1 less-than-10-year-old boy,
1 young-man-who also had to help his weight-caution girlfriend to finish her food, plus myself.

I can’t bear to waste food, and so.. I .. erm.. tried quite hard to clear the food as much as possible.

我知道能吃是福。
可是这种胀胀的感觉好像不怎么 …
哈哈 …
没有关系啦，来日不要吃那么多就是了。=)

我好累了…

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An interesting direction board in China