Triskaidekaphobia

"Today is Friday the 13th".

That's scary, because when someone mentions that, you sometimes have the feeling things will go wrong on this day.

I guess if you try to find the downside in everything, nature has a strange way of rewarding you for your efforts, and proving you right.

Today is Saturday the 14th, but I just felt somewhat tempted, to write about the vague recollection of emotional roller-coaster I went through yesterday. I think by now you would have realised that I do have a fear, though not chronic, of the number 13. They call this fear, or phobia, 'Triskaidekaphobia'.

Strange eh? Yup, I know, but I am definitely not alone.

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

As I am sitting in my chair and typing away furiously at my laptop, I am still reeling from the shocking news of a good friend’s passing. Nancy had led a good life, and she has touched the lives of many.

On the 16th of June this year, I posted my status on the Facebook wall as follows; “I need a mentor..”. Nancy was quick to come to my rescue, knowing full well I was feeling depressed and in need of direction. We do need a bit of cheering up once in a while, and there was Nancy when I needed her. She posted a video link that truly touched my heart.

 

I wish to thank her, for even in her passing, she has touched hearts, and will continue to do so. God must truly love her.

 

===END===

Direction and Destination, Conflicts

The events that unfolded during the night’s meeting came to pass quickly, albeit, not without some friction. In my years of mediating meetings and discussions, I seldom have had a group meeting that didn’t involve some form of conflict, but from the very beginning, it is imperative that this conflict is handled in as professionally as possible.

But I am digressing.

I apologize if I my explanation above is misleading to you. First and foremost, in every meeting, it is simply inevitable that conflicts, whether trivial or serious, are very likely to happen. If this is starting to make me sound like a conflict-monger, then the necessity to explain what a conflict is,  arises. A quick search on Google reveals the many meanings of the word ‘conflict’:

an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); "the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"--Thomas Paine; "police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs"

opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; "he was immobilized by conflict and indecision"

battle: a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; "Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"; "he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"

a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests; "his conflict of interest made him ineligible for the post"; "a conflict of loyalties"

an incompatibility of dates or events; "he noticed a conflict in the dates of the two meetings"

be in conflict; "The two proposals conflict!"

opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot); "this form of conflict is essential to Mann's writing"

go against, as of rules and laws; "He ran afoul of the law"; "This behavior conflicts with our rules"

dispute: a disagreement or argument about something important; "he had a dispute with his wife"; "there were irreconcilable differences"; "the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats"

 

Without getting carried away, a conflict is what often results in the necessity of having a meeting or discussion, and is often a by-product of it as well. So we now have a catch-22 situation; a classic example of the chicken and the egg.

If during the meeting I have been branded as controlling and whatnot, I need to explain that ideas and opinions brought forth during a meeting are all meant to be challenged. And if my ideas are, in the opinion of those who attended the meeting just now, inappropriate, it is the prerogative of the members to voice out, by explaining why my ideas are less than acceptable, backed by the appropriate reasoning. If the reasoning is sound, then all is well and good. After all, it’s for the collective good of the group, nothing more. However, I don’t recall any reasoning other than that I was occupying too much ‘airtime’

My primary concern however, was not about ‘controlling’ or ‘monopolizing', but rather, it was about the direction of the meeting, and the lack of a proper agenda. It is not about any position of ‘prestige’, or the perks that follow. As I reiterate, it’s for the common good. And if I decide to get serious about it, I will get serious about it.

However, if the meeting was intended to be a casual meet up, then we must remember that we had a guest, Steven, who was, obviously, not quite comfortable with how to fit in as he was new, necessitating some control in the ‘traffic’. I hope I have made my point clear.

The bottom-line is this; conflicts invariably happen. It’s how we deal with them that makes the difference.

 

===END===

The Japanese are Funny

Strange no? Just have a look at the picture below, which I found from a good site, loaded to the brim with funny stuff. Kind of reminds me of Ultraman, haha. Have a good laugh :)

 

==END==

When the Lifeline is Broken

It never occurred to me, for even a moment, that I could ever be so addicted to the internet. True to the maxim that you only appreciate something once it is gone, that was exactly how I felt the moment Telekom pulled the plug on me; because I was upgrading to a faster speed, but one that required a change of billing name.

For one thing, Telekom is pretty efficient; but for odd and awkward reasons. Only an hour after the line-termination form was submitted, my umbilical cord was suddenly cut, and so was my connection with the rest of the world (and from my pals on Facebook, urrghhh).

Of Curses and Praises

What became 'fairly tolerable' for a few hours eventually turned into a 'nail-biting hysteria' after just 3 days of abstinence. So apparently the only solace I found was in the fact that I could still check up on my pals on Facebook Mobile, and so that was the only sliver of light left at the end of this musty tunnel.

Thankfully, thanks to a very efficient sub-contractor, the whole issue was resolved without much of a hiccup, save for the fact that Telekom's 'boleh' server was down the day before, thanks to the embodiment of the 'boleh' spirit that echoes throughout of Malaysia's largest telco. Malaysia indeed 'boleh'.

The day before, the contractor broke to me the possibility that the maximum possible speed that could be supported was 2Mbps. The fact that I subscribed to a 4Mbps package meant that there would be more delays to be expected, if this was indeed true. The nail-biting continued.

Thank goodness, it was a problem with one of the 'boleh' servers, and it was resolved the following morning. Speeds were great (in Malaysia, you just don't expect to much, do you?), and at 4Mbps, I suddenly became good pals with Youtube. I hope the speed stays that way, at least until I decide to upgrade in the future. Praise be to Telekom!

Google Yer Matties! Arrr...

Google is, without the faintest shadow of any doubt, the most amazing thing that has ever happened to the internet. Despite their prominence, Google is also a company that appreciates a little humor. Just visit Google's 'Language Tools' page and see for yourself. Just scroll to the bottom (get ready!) and take note of the following 'language' choices:

• Bork, bork, bork!
• Elmer Fudd
• Hacker
• Pirate

These are just four funny ones I stumbled into, can you find more?

Little Litterbugs

"Keep Malaysia Clean"
"Think before you throw"

There is a never-ending barrage of the above channeled to us through our government sponsored television adverts and campaign posters about 'keeping Malaysia spick and span', yet it seems that the efficacy of the abovementioned remains somewhat of a mixed bag.

What I find more disturbing is the sight of school-going children dumping their garbage around their school yard and around the bus-stops.

I sometimes wonder what they ever learn in school, or more mind-boggling, what kind of values their parents have been instilling in their kids.

Unfortunately, it's not just the little ones guilty of this, but even educated adults as well. I was once told of a lawyer who even declared that is his 'right to dump his rubbish wherever he pleases' as we pay taxes to have the council clean up our streets. I don't see this as doing justice to our road sweepers.

While Kuching can certainly claim the spot for being one of the cleanest cities in the country, this habit is becoming entrenched. All too often, I see drivers who wind down their car window and dump their rubbish onto the streets, with a carload of kids. So much for homegrown values.

Trip to Bako National Park

Having been jungle trekking in the past and scaling some of the not-so-tall hills and mountains of Sarawak, I had been thirsting for a similar adventure so I asked myself, “Why not go to Bako?”

 

We had been planning this trip for a long time, way too long, and before we knew it, all the hostels and lodging were all snapped up for the weekend, so we went for a day trip instead.

For those who don’t know much about Bako National Park, the national park is the oldest in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak and is located some 29 to 30 kilometers from Kuching (see picture below), the capital of Sarawak. My pals gathered at my place on early Saturday morning at around 6.30am before meeting up at Thompson Corner for a hearty breakfast of kolo mee to keep our energy levels high for the trip ahead. I had been gaining some weight for some time (extra 15 kilos the last time I checked, may be higher now) so this is the perfect moment to get in shape.

Bako National Park is one of the nearest national parks to Kuching, and getting there by car or bus should be a no-brainer. The second phase of the journey however requires visitors to travel by boat.

It is possible to charter a motorboat at the national park terminal at Kampung Bako and it costs RM 47.00 per boat per way, for 5 persons.

The boat trip was quite scenic as we were greeted by views of the kampungs and fishing boats of the fishing village along the way for the first 5 minutes of the boat journey, followed by several stretches of mangrove swamps.

The boat trip was a lot shorter than I had initially thought. As we were nearing the park’s jetty, we spotted some of Bako’s top attractions; walls of sandstone and limestone, crafted by wind and water over thousands of years.

This is of course, not without getting a spectacular view of Mount Santubong, which is said to resemble the profile of Rajah Brooke lying down. The photo below was taken from Teluk Assam, near the jetty. Legend has it that there was once a princess named Santubong, who was cursed and turned into a mountain.

It is not difficult to get around the park as most areas are accessible via trails which are properly maintained. The elevated plank walk shown below allows visitors to have a good view of the mangrove swamps.

*To be continued in Part 2

After Four on One

Sorry, I couldn’t resist writing such an apparently misleading title, but I like how the numbers ‘four’ and ‘one’ come together.

The first day of the year had a rather unusual opening.

I woke up at 11.45pm, just in time for lunch.

It was also the day Leonard, my twin, was due to fly back to Penang after a week long holiday back here in Kuching. Was I sad that he had to leave so soon? Not at all, he’ll be back for Chinese New Year.

To kick off with the celebration, we had lunch at this new joint called ‘After Four’, a place known for its cozy atmosphere, good food (huge variety, they claim to have ‘more than a hundred’), free wireless internet, and of course, its distinctive orange-coloured theme, making After Four really stand out of the crowd.

Speaking about variety, you’ll be spoilt for choice the moment you flip through the menu. Unlike other food joints here in Kuching, which are either ‘too cheap or too expensive’, you’ll always get something here that is ‘just right’.

I had a bowl of Cantonese Noodles, which, for only RM 5.50, is indeed deserving of praise, due to it’s generous serving.

Cantonese Noodles

The picture above doesn’t do justice to the actual size of the bowl. Aaron, on the other hand, had the Cantonese Rice in Basket (shown below).

The Four ‘No’s

In church, we are often reminded of the Ten Commandments, but at After Four, you will see the ‘Four No’s’ prominently displayed on the outside. That comes as no surprise, as After Four has obviously set their sights on the Muslim market.

Huh? What’s this?

Haha, maybe they should have added a ‘No Cats and Dogs’ to their list of ‘no’s.

===END===

Welcoming the year of the Tiger

The time now is exactly 12:02 am, 1st January 2010. As I am sitting here writing this article, I am overwhelmed by the very thought that time has passed so quickly. Only less than five minutes ago, my computer’s clock read ‘11.57pm, 31st December 2009’. That was the last time I would ever see the ‘2009’ in the date column of the date-time display.

Last year was the most eventful year in my life, as it marked an important milestone in my life as I emerge from academia, and enter into the world as a working adult. 2009 was perhaps a year of many oddities; a year than began with a rough ride, from the moment I was ‘struggling’ with my thesis, till the joyful and unforgettable family moments during the Christmas season of 2009.

As I gaze with bleary eyes at my computer screen, working tirelessly to complete this brief article, amidst the thunderous claps of fireworks seen illuminating the sky, I am consumed by one stark reality; the year of the tiger has come. My year, so it spells a certain significance to a tiger like me, but not so much as an excuse to excel only once every twelve years!

The year of the tiger holds many mysteries, uncertainties and to those who are willing to work hard for a better future, the year does hold many promises. My resolutions, my life, my future. Perhaps, in another 12 years, when the next tiger comes by, I will have a word to say about the tiger of today.

 

===END===