Can't eat this

I'm on a strict diet! Altho the doc told me that Western medicine says that i can eat anything i want to, i still am adhering to Chinese beliefs that there are certain kinds of food which i must avoid for at least 3 months since i just had a major surgery!!!

I'm a staunch believer of Western medicine - but i cannot say for sure that the Chinese beliefs are not true. So i've been avoiding these following foods and will do so until sometime in April!!! (Click on the pics if u want a larger view).

1. Prawns/Shrimps!!!!! My favourite!!!

This meant i had to avoid stuffs like dim sum with prawns (har gao, salad prawns, etc), sambal nasi lemak, pasta with prawns, noodles fried with prawns, har mee, Jap food with prawns etc.

2. Duck!!!!

No duck confit, no herbal soup duck noodles, no duck rice, no duck noodles, etc.

3. Eggs!!!

All eggs - fried eggs, half-boiled eggs, boiled eggs, omelette, sunny-side up, noodles made of eggs, noodles cooked with eggs, noodles fried with eggs, raw eggs... . Strange that i'm allowed to eat hen meat but not the eggs it lays!

4. Peanuts!!!

I had to avoid yee sang during Chinese New Year, chocs with peanuts in them, peanut cookies, peanut butter, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, etc.

5. Beef!!!!

No beef noodles, no Pho Bo, no beef burgers, no steaks etc. The strange thing is that i'm allowed to eat dairy products!

6. Crabs!!!!

Yup, all kinds - stuffed crabs, chilly crabs, soft-shelled crabs, steamed crabs, all styles.

7. Squid/Calamari!!!!

Deep fried squid, squid cooked with rice or noodles, squid with egg pancakes...

At least one month has passed. So 2 more months left. And during the first month, the list was even longer - and more complicated. Some say to avoid male chicken meat and fish with scales. How was i supposed to know? So i basically had to avoid all chicken and fish outside!!!!

Why having really short hair is good!!!

I dun like my hair!!! It is way too short. I like having long hair. But still, i must admit that there are advantages to having it so short!

1. The hair dries faster after washing it.

2. I save money by using less shampoo. I oso dun need to use gel - but i've stopped using it for a long time anyway.

3. I save time as there is no need to comb my hair anymore!

4. I dun have worry of having a 'bad hair day' - the hair looks the same all the time!

5. The fringe do not get into my eyes nor does it obstruct my vision.

6. I can have strong winds blowing my hair and it won't get messed up!

7. In a fight, my opponent will find it hard to pull my hair (seems only to apply to catfights among girls, tho!!!).

8. The fringe does not stain my specs anymore. (What fringe???)

9. It'll prolly take a long long time b4 i need to get a haircut again!

10. Girls and women think i look better!!!! :-P

But i've made up my mind - unless i have to have a surgery above the hairline again, i'll never cut my hair this short ever again.

'First times' in 2009

2009 has passed by almost a month. But i will remember it - esp for the number of things which i did for the very first time in my life! Here are some notable ones.

1. Did the New Year's countdown in London across the Thames from the London Eye.

2. Met up face to face with the lecturers at the University of Reading, many of whom i have known only thru e-mails. It was a great time and they were truly wonderful people!

3. Visited Reading town and Uni. Really liked the place. The Uni has wide grounds with fields and lakes.

4. Went to a Communist country - Vietnam! and going there 3 times in a year!

5. Shot from a rifle! AK-47! Exhilarating experience but ear-drums popping!

6. Wore a skirt in public!!! I was acting as a Roman Centurion and we were filming the scene at a public park.

7. Been to Taiwan and Hong Kong. Went to places like Taiwan 101 and HK Disneyland!

8. Saw the Red Arrows perform here in M'sia. first time seeing F-16s in action. Moved me to tears!!!!

Near death experiences

It was a short break and when i returned to our practice room, they were chatting about near death experiences. I had actually thought about this before - and thought about blogging about it. altho, i really do not have that many experiences to talk about. Only 3:-

1. In the interiors of Sabah

After my first climb up Mount Kinabalu, we decided to visit some of the churches in the interior of Sabah. We all packed into a van and a local drove us. Soon, we were away from the towns and tarred roads. Our journey took us on a narrow rocky steep road. On the right was the cliff wall face. On the left was a sheer drop - to what i guess would have been certain death.

I wasn't really paying much attention - just enjoying the bumpy ride and wonderful scenery outside. Our van stalled. The driver tried to restart it but after a few times, it just wouldn't sputter to life. The problem is that the hand brake was not functioning.

After a while, as the engibe was dead, the brake gave way. We were then rolling backwards down the very steep narrow rocky road!!! I still did not know the danger i was in until i saw the look of terror on the driver's face as he turned back to navigate - and the look of urgency on me mates' faces.

The next i knew, i was thrown backwards and landed among our luggage and stuffs. We crashed into the wall face on the right. if we had rolled off on the left... Well, no Holly's Lists, that's for sure!

Our driver saved our lives by making sure the van will not roll off the road - and by crashing it to the wall face on the right. Unfortunately, we never had the chance to thank him. He was so embarrassed about the whole incident and he felt really bad about it. It was after all, the church van he was driving - it was his responsibility and he crashed it.

The experience did not end there tho. The locals soon saw us and it wasn't long before a 'rescue' party came to help us. They put us up for the night and made sure our needs were taken care off. Once help arrived, our driver ran away quietly. We did tell our fren who was a full time worker to pass our gratitude to him.

2. The main road dividing USJ 2 and 3

I was driving pass the road when i saw a cat stuck in the middle of the road!!!! Sure to be made into roadkill! being the cat lover i am, i stopped the car by the side of the road and ran towards it to save it. As i ran onto the road towards it, it saw me - and guess wat? It got scared and started running away from me!!!!

I couldn't bear the thought of it beign run over thanks to me!!! So i just kept me eyes on it and ran towards it!!!!! I could feel the cars flying pass by in front and behind me. I hear the honks. I only had eyes on the stupid cat!!!!

Eventually, it reached the other side safely. And so did i! Mission accomplished. Cat saved! I had something to blog about!

3. Outside Picadally Circus tube station on New Year's Day!

If you thought that it was crazy that i almost died because of a cat, this incident takes the cake!!! As i stood there, feeling the crush and thinking that i'll be just a statistic and a New Year revelry casualty, i thought of how i got meself into that situation - i wanted to get a plate of duck rice!!!! To die for a plate of duck rice!!!! but mind you, it's a really nice big plate!

It was after the New Year countdown near the London Eye. I walked really really far away just to get to Southwark tube station as all the tube stations nearby were jammed packed.

It was freezing cold and i had been standing for a really really long time. I suddenly felt hungry and the thought of a nice huge plate of roast duck on steaming hot rice overtook my senses. Without thinking much, i jumped into the train which was heading back to the city centre instead of taking me home away from it!!!!

I got off at Leicester Square and made me way to Chinatown. But the queues outside the restaurants were all so long!!!

Back to Leicester Square - but wait a minute. I just came from there and the line to get into the station was pretty long too. So i made me way to Picadaly Circus Station. The queue was just as bad but i din care. I was cold, hungry and tired and if it means i had to line up for an hour just to get home, i would.

The coppers were there to ensure people entered the station orderly. They din do a good job. They allowed commuters in batch by batch. And the drunk revellers were not in a mood to queue up politely. They were pushing and shoving - and i was caught in it!!!

Images of the football fans being crushed at Hillsborough came to mind!!! Well, at least if i had to die, it'd happen in Central London! :-)

But i survived - and went back to have instant noodles instead. Happy New Year! :-)

"Don't"s during road runs

I got a little unhappy at these 2 girls during the run today. They were walking a lot - but so was i. The thing is that they had to walk on the far right of the running path!!!! Yes, i'm talking about runners F3 and F7 (hope they stumble on this and read this).

Even when the later racers came sprinting pass us, these 2 kept on the right side, walking. the runners had to avoid them.

So as i was on the race, i decided to mentally draft this blog post!!!

1. Don't walk/run slowly on the right side of the running path! Do keep to the left side!

2. Don't stand at the refreshment table and slowly sip yr drink there - there are people behind coming up behind you who wanna grab a cup and move on. Do take yr drink and move quickly away to the side to sip it if you want to!

3. Don't be dressed wrongly!!! Altho i do have fun seeing the funny things people wear. Some wear flowery shorts, some wear shorts which extend to below their knees, and a lot of people wear a cotton t-shirt under their running vests!!!! That so defeats the purpose of the running vest!!!! The running vest is designed to help absorb the sweat and dissipate it quickly!!!

4. Don't make any kind of body contact with other runners. I hate it when someone's sweaty arm rubs against my equally sweaty arm! Ugh.

5. Don't push and shove when going for the drinks after the race. People would not queue up and force their way. At the Ipoh run, i got so mad that i told off a few young boys and told them to go queue up. they immediately queued up - directly behind me!!! Today, an uncle directly behind me was scolding some people for not queuing up. As we approach the drinks table, he forced his way pass me to grab the drinks. Such a hypocrite!

Things to bring along when going to the MACC for questioning

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was recently reported to have kept a witness under questioning till past 3 am!!! And that witness ended up being thrown/pushed/made to jump out of their 14th floor office.

So here's my packing list if the MACC ever calls me up to be a witness:-

5. My toothbrush
4. Food (to help me last thru the long hours)
3. A sleeping bag!
2. Pyjamas
1. A parachute!

Why i'm glad i'm a fan of Liverpool and not of Newcastle

1. Liverpool will be playing in this league:-



Newcastle will be playing in this league:-



2. This is Liverpool's new away jersey:-



This is Newcastle's new away jersey:-



3. Liverpool's manager has guided them to win many trophies including the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, the Supercup, the FA Cup, the League Cup etc.



Newcastle's manager(s) has(ve) guided to relegation



4. This is Newcastle's striker:-



This is Liverpool's striker!

Memorable events in 2008

Things/events in 2008 which i cherish (in no particular order)

1. Running

I've always liked running. 2008 marked the start of my serious running affair.

I took part in 3 10 km runs - the KL International Marathon, the Nike 'Human Race' @ Singapore, and the Mizuno Wave Run. I also took part in the 25 km Penang Bridge Marathon. Oh, i did a 5 km fun run organised by some society at TUC.

KLIM

Human Race

Running is really addictive - and i hope to take part in more competitive runs this year. If i am pushed to set a goal, i think i would want to complete a full marathon by 2010.

2. East Malaysia Trip

I really enjoyed my trip to Sabah and Sarawak last summer. I went to Sandakan for the first time. I caught up with old frens at KK and Kuching. I met many new people too. And took loads of photos! :-)

3. Mount Kinabalu

Yes, this is connected with the previous event but i think it warrants to be considered as an event on its own. This was my 3rd attempt. It was really tough - maybe tt's wat made it so memorable. And tt's wat make me cherish the achievement so much.

I'm going again this year! *Gulp*

4. YAF Camp

I enjoyed the camp. It was really short - but jammed packed with so much fun and good reminders from God's word. The activities were great - the crazy fun we had during the ice-breakers which left us rolling on the floor laughing, the water games at the pool, the picture treasure hunt under the scorching sun, the hike thru real jungle to the light house. On top of that, i really liked my group members and the time of sharing we had. It was open, it was personal, it was real, it was so encouraging!

My group

5. SMV Concert

WOW!!!! The concert just blew me away! Brilliant! :-)

6. Playing drums for Sunday Worship

What made this especially special was that we never expected it to take place so soon. In fact, to be honest, i expected this to take place only after this generation of leaders has passed on.

In any event, i enjoy playing the drums, i enjoy playing in a band. And i'm glad to hear only positive feedback regarding the bands on Sunday mornings - praise God!

7. Mooting

This took up a GREAT chunk of me life in 2008. There was the Jessup Moot (National Round) at IIUM, the internal moots for year 1 which became compulsory, and the Lawasia Moot - the National and International Round.

I had a great time with the students, coaching and helping them - there were ample opportunities to have fun. It was a valuable learning experience for me too and i got to know quite a number of people thru these moots.

8. UK holiday

My end of the year winter holiday did not turn up as wonderful as i had hoped it to be. But wat was really important for me was the time spent catching up with me mates and students at London, Cambridge and Colchester. I also finally met Debbie - and held her for a while! :-)

Debbie - Hana's girl

Hyde Park

Planet Hollywood on Christmas Eve

9. 8 March 2008

Polling day! As a family, we just walked down the road, did our duty and walked back. A simple act - but it went a long long way!

Too bad some of it has been undone very recently by some greedy self-seeking people. Oh well...

10. JFPC's wedding

To be honest, their wedding was more memorable than another wedding of a much closer fren - i guess its cuz i had a part to play in it. I was one of the photographers and it was great fun!

The dinner was enjoyable too and it was capped off with coffee at McDonald's across the street till late.

11. Pulpit ministry

After a lapse of .... many many years, i was finally back on the pulpit preaching again. Or shall i say, i was finally allowed back on the pulpit! Well, it was only one occasion and altho it was rather short notice and i was performing with the choir at Cheras that same night, i jumped at the chance.

I thought it went pretty well - i certainly managed to keep their attention. Well, it was the visual aids which caught their attention. It was definitely way much better than the one i gave last month. :-(

12. Human Rights Day @ TUC

Being the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, i thought it would be good if we did something as human rights students. It wasn't anything spectacular but it was short, simple, fun and meaningful.

13. OA Sharing @ Girls' Camp

This was a wonderful opportunity and i despite being pretty stressed out with it, i had a really good time there and was very encouraged by the work done among the girls. Jes Min was there to assist me and we adjourned later for a nice supper and a good time of catching up.

14. Choir

It's always nice to go for choir practices, hanging out with mates, and brothers and sisters with the same interests. Last year saw a major change for me as i was switched to the tenors.

Choir also means dinners and suppers and we have had good food all the way to even Kajang once!

15. Hanging out wif students

Being involved in the moot competitions gave me many opportunities to hang out wif the mooters. We had pretty good meals - Japanese, pasta, buffet, pizza. The international Lawasia competition also gave us a chance to hang out in KL late at nites, whether be it at the mamak across the road or eating barbequed chicken wings at Jalan Alor.

There were the bowling session cuz farewell for Dinesh and Yun Ling. Then there were the couple of occasions when we were at Leena's place - for the bbq (which made 'crop circles' on part of her garden) and the Deepavali party.

16 and 17. Two Major Sporting events

2 unforgettable events took place in 2008 - the Euro 2008 which was absolutely brilliant where Spain won it, and of course the impressive big budget Beijing Olympics (altho the Men's singles finals for badminton was a real let down).

18. Monet's work

As a footnote, i also went to Copenhagen for a weekend away. It's added as a footnote cuz it din really blow me away. But seeing some of previously never seen before Monet's works at one of the museums there (the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek) by itself alone made the trip worth it!

19. Performing for the Law School Dinner

It was simple and almost impromptu - but it always feels good to be on a stage, playing an instrument! :-)

20. Hanging out wif Andrew and Adelyn

Been really busy so it was pretty nice one day to be able to take me nephew and me niece to the playground and hang out wif them for a little while.

Unforgettable concerts

In no particular order, these are the best concerts i have had the privilege to go to:-

1. Sam Hui



The only Chinese concert - and the biggest! I think the build up was better than the concert itself. We were all so hyped up for it, listening to his songs over and over again, trying to learn the lyrics by heart so that we can sing along!

You can read about it here.

2. Sting



My first pop concert that i went alone! i was supposed to go with Mikes but unfortunately, he met with an accident on the way there so i ended up watching it alone. Sting was good. Such a veteran! You can read about it here.

3. Debbie Gibson



My first ever pop concert! What an unforgettable experience! Such a performer! And it was almost like a variety show! With dances and all. The musicians were brilliant too. We left the concert half deaf and i had a ringing in me ears for days after that! Well, worth it! :-)

4. SMV



3 legendary basses on stage. A wonderful venue - good view, excellent sound!

To understand how i enjoyed this, lemme tell you that me mates and i love the bass. Whenever we go for a concert one of the main highlights is the bass solo - that is usually a few minutes in one entire concert.

But here, the entire concert was like a bass solo!!!! they took turns, they played with each other, the jammed like crazy!

5. Jewel



This has to be the best concert ever! But then again, it's Jewel!

It started off slow, tho. We were all made to sit down and there were some stern looking security guards standing around. Even Jewel was perplexed at the seemingly restrained response from us.

Finally, she called those who were seated in the back rows to come up to the front, right in front of the stage. We din need to be told twice. We were all on our feet and crowding next to the stage, dancing and singing, partying! Excellent!

And she really connected with us. It was so fun and it felt warm. Seh wasn't up there performing - she was just having a good time with us!