Living Tots

Read the stories below:

1) At 6.00 am on my first day of attending a primary school when I was 7 yrs old, I cried and reluctant to board the school bus despite my mum`s continuous persuasion. In the end my mum decided to board the bus together with me and we head to school together. At school, I was afraid to enter the classroom knowing that I will have to see all the new faces and sit next to a person i don’t even know who he is. My mum then told me “Don’t be afraid, make new friends, they are all good boys and girls. I will be waiting for you outside if you are scared. If there`s anything you just call me.” My school started at 7.15 am and ended at 12.30 pm. During this period, my mum sat outside my classroom patiently and waited to make sure i can see her so that i`m not scared and I won’t cry anymore. She did the same routine tirelessly for 5 days in a row until i`m used to the new environment around me.

2) At secondary school, I was transferred to a school in PJ (roughly 14km away from where I stay). My transportation to the school then requires me to wake up at 5am every morning so that i`m ready to board the school bus on time at 6am. Adjusting herself to my crazy timing, she wakes up at 4 am every morning to prepare some hot milo and breakfast for me to bring to school. She would then accompany me to the bus stop a few hundred meters away from our house. She did this for 3 years in a row during my secondary school years.

3) When I was in university, my mum gives me RM 50 every week for my expenditure when i`m out in the university. I remembered asking her for more money for expenses because RM 50 was not enough for my spending (karaoke, cyber cafes, mamak sessions, sports etc with friends), giving excuses that living in KL/PJ isn`t easy without money etc. Sometimes she would give me extra RM 20 for the week if she could. Still, I would keep complaining about the same matter over and over throughout my 3 years in university, as if my mum has all the money in the world to spend on me.

My mum works as a babysitter and by taking care of 3-4 kids at home, she earns about RM 2k (estimated) every month. Lets do a rough calculation:

All figures below are just estimation

- House mortgage installment (with dad) – RM 900

- Groceries (per month) – RM 350

- Utility bills (with dad) – RM 150

- My university monthly expenses – RM 200 (sometimes RM 280)

Balance = 1,500 – 900 – 350 – 150 – 280 = RM 320

Assuming she gives me RM 70 every week, she only has RM 320 for her own expenses every month. Who can survive on only RM 320 every month when you have to take care of the household? And the figures above are just my estimation. The real amount might be higher.

4) When it comes to meal, she would prepare good lunch and dinner every day for us. When its time for lunch, she would prepare me a big plate of noodles with a cup of hot milo everytime. As for herself, she always prepare a cup of hot milo and drink it together with a slice of gardenia bread. When I offer to eat the noodle together with her, she would say “I`m slimming down and trying to be healthy, don’t want to eat too much oily food”.

When its dinner, she would always ask us to start eating first without waiting for her. Whenever we ask her to eat with us, she would say “I`m tired, need a rest first etc”. Once we finish our meal, it`ll be her turn to eat her dinner.

Her true intention? To make sure her beloved children and husband has more than enough good food to eat. For her, she can simply survive by eating a slice of bread or finishing what`s left on the table every night.

Above are just some of the sacrifices my mum made during my course of growing up in this society. For many reasons, I regretted the way I treated my mum when i was younger without realizing the sacrifices she made for me and our family. I will not forget how she wakes up at 4 am in the morning everyday just to boil some hot water in order to prepare warm drinks for all of us before we head to work. I will not forget how she accompanied me during my first week of primary school classes. I will not forget how hardworking she is in order to make sure her family is healthy and happy.

Its my turn to take care of her and my dad now. I`m not sure if i can be the son they wanted me to be, but I swear I`m going to do my best to make sure they are happy and they would transfer all the burdens they`ve been carrying for the past 27 years to me.

I HAVE A PERFECT MUMMY! THANK YOU MUM FOR EVERYTHING!

Written and signed by: Alan Wong

Sometimes I realize these YouTube singers really can provide a very good cover for some of the most popular songs around. First was Janice and Sonia, then Boyce Avenue and now Alyssa Bernal.

Below is an acoustic cover of Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory song by Alyssa Bernal. Oh damn she’s pretty, has good voice and she’s sweet!

Enjoy the song and HAPPY FRIDAY YO!

I know, I know, my blog might get hacked for posting this video. Rebecca Black still holds the record as the only artist who`d received more thumbs down than thumbs up on all her videos. I don’t know whats the grudge against her, but I kind of liked her “It`s Friday” song, especially when I listen to it towards the end of the week.

She just released a new music video called “The Moment”. The song isn’t that nice in my opinion but she looks cute and adorable in the video. Don’t get me wrong. I`m not one of her hardcore fans or hardcore haters but I do appreciate an artist`s hardwork regardless of his/her reputation. Enjoy the video…

Sometimes I wonder, what is the real meaning of “work-life balance”? I`ve asked some people about this topic since few years back when I started working and all i`ve collected was different definitions for both “work balance” and “life balance” . The definition i got from Wikipedia though, was:

Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between “work” (career and ambition) on the one hand and “life” (Health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other. Related, though broader, terms include “lifestyle balance” and “life balance”

In theory, the quote above seems pretty straight forward and easy to understand but honestly, how many of us really achieved a work life balance status?

Examples of answers i got from people around me was:

1) Of course. I`m having a good life. I`m working hard everyday and I`m earning very good money. Once a year I get to spend my hard earned money with my spouse/family overseas (vacations etc.)

2) Yes. I always make sure i finish my work sharp at 5.30pm everyday and be back home for dinner with family and also spend some quality time with them.

3) Yeaps. I get to do things I like on weekends such as photography, sports, movies etc. I`ll make sure i don’t touch my work during weekends.

4) Work-life balance doesn’t mean you have to go home sharp at 5.30pm everyday. Despite my long working hours, I always make sure I spent an hour or two at home after work to do things I like before I head to bed.

5) I`m not worried about work-life balance. I own a business now. 10 years down the road I can retire from my business and do all the thing I love till I die.

Above are some of the replies I received from people around me. All of them sounded logical and it matches every word of the definition I stated above. Surprisingly, when I started asking another question related to the importance of work-life balance to them (by adding in some factors such as money, time, commitment etc. ), the response was:

1) My financial status is the priority. If i’m out of cash, how do i enjoy my personal life?

2) I choose not to find a bf/gf. Their existence will take away the very little personal time I`ve allocated for myself.

3) Time is not enough. Tell me in Malaysia, how many jobs really offer a 9-5 working hours with hefty pay? Out of 10 jobs I worked for, all 10 of them requires me to work extra hours and worse, I don’t get paid! I don’t want to talk about life balance when I can’t even find a job that allows me to do so.

4) Saying the word “work-life balance” is easy but when stress plays a part in our life, it overshadows everything.

etc etc etc..

Are these conflicting answers an excuse given by people who are trying to avoid the fact that they failed in achieving work-life balance?

In my case, I found a good job that enables me to leave my office sharp at 5.30pm most of the time. I get to reach home early to be with my family throughout the rest of the day. I get to hang out with my friends too whenever they are available (rare case) and i get to do things I like during my personal time (watch movie, play games, surf the net etc). Once or twice a year, I`ll go on a week`s vacation with my family/friends too. A lot of people would think (hey, you have a very good work-life balance!) . Strangely, thats not what I think about my life.

When words such as “stress” and “cash” are injected to my mind, “balance” would disappear into the shadow. I would end up spending the rest of my free time thinking about work again with a calculator on my hand. I`ll start getting worried and end up forgetting that “Hey! I need to have a life!”.

I admit there`s still plenty to learn when it comes to balancing my work and life. Different individuals rate their own life differently. Some are happy about their work-life balance and most do not know what they should do to make their life better. What about you?

Attached a simple video :

ITS FRIDAY! There isn’t a better song to describe our mood today, non other than Rebecca Black’s. But I dont really like her. So I’ve replaced her song with a Glee cover. HAPPY FRIDAY!

You know, being obese sucks! Yes I mean it. I was born heavy and i`ve been a fat guy all my 28 yrs living on this planet BUT do you believe that I was a very active chubby sportsman all my life? (except for the past 3 years of course). I was a very hardcore badminton player when i was 10 yrs old. i`ve even represented my school for inter-school competitions when i was 12. You can imagine how most of the students would look at me when we were lining up behind a typical Monday school assembly, getting ready to board our bus. I bet those students must be wondering (WHAT? a fat guy is representing our school?). You must be wondering if we`ve won the competition in the end. The answer is NO but I was sure we did our best!

Other than badminton I was addicted to table tennis too during my primary years (particularly when I was in Standard 5). I still remember my after school sessions with my best primary mates then, Peter Ganesh and Tan Tat Wai. We would set up the tables everyday whenever we have time and we would play against each other for few hours. Basically, I spent all my time on badminton and table tennis throughout my primary years and trust me, I played quite well that time .

A year later in Standard 6, me and my best childhood friend Michael Lim got ourselves hooked to basketball after watching how Michael Jordan shot his way to Chicago Bulls` four championship title in a row. I bet my best friend chose Michael as his English name was because of Michael Jordan . We started playing basketball since I was 12 for 3 years. Yes, a hardcore 3 years. How hardcore? We would spend the whole afternoon practising our shots and skills, even when we were under extreme hot sun or thunderstorms. We would start playing at 2 pm when we are free and the session would last for at least 4 hours. You have no idea how many glasses I broke in those 3 years. I was a very good shooter then (try guessing whats my record 3 point shooting in a row ), but a not-so-good dribbler. Nevertheless, it was a very good and enjoyable 3 years for me with my best friends on the basketball court. Now, who says a fat guy don’t play good basketball?

Now to football, I started playing at 15 yrs old after watching World Cup 98 with my best friends (you know who ), we would play some matches at a field nearby my place every Friday together with some of my primary friends, Peter Ganesh, Melvin etc. On other weekdays, me and 2 of my best friends would go to the field and practice our passes and shots, again even under hot sun or thunderstorms.

Despite my size, I was quite fit during my secondary years (I weighed 70++ KG when I was 16?). A few years later, we switched to futsal. Me and my best friends would make a team and we traveled around challenging teams that wanted to compete with us, From the futsal centre near our place to all other centres in PJ, we would travel around and play as a family. I really missed those days! . Besides that, I also played tennis, snooker, swimming, tennis, bowling etc during my uni years. Who says fat guy can’ play sports?

After graduating from university, my futsal pace started slowing down and eventually I stopped playing any sports due to my work commitment and super busy schedule. My friends were busy with their work too, hence its hard to get a group going around playing with ppl. I have to admit, I put on a huge amount of weight during my 4 years of career progression.

Recently, I started playing futsal again on every Thursday with my The Star good friends. I struggled at first due to lack of stamina that i`ve accumulated for the past 5 years. I was very unlucky too. On my third week after restarting my futsal routine, I dislocated my finger for blocking the ball wrongly when i was a GK. I took a 2 weeks break from futsal and the week after, I hurt my left ankle accidentally and another week after, I accidentally hurt my right heel. Up till today, I still couldn’t walk/run properly when im in a futsal game. Nevertheless, I`m glad that I`m getting back my teenage years, when I was active in sports. A HUGE THANKS TO MY STAR FRIENDS FOR ORGANIZING THESE SESSIONS! KEEP IT GOING!

OK! Enough crapping. What benefits does playing sports give me and how it affects my life?

Me without any sports for the past 5 years:

1 ) Working 9-5.30pm everyday, go home, dinner time, surf the web, sleep. (SUCKY ROUTINE!)

2 ) I`m fatter and I lost all my confidence.

3 ) Bad social life. I had no excuse to ask my friends out.

4 ) I felt unhealthy and I felt very tired easily.

5 ) I can’t get to know/understand my friends better.

6 ) I became a very passive guy and seldom join my friends for outings etc.

7 ) Boring life!

8 ) There isn’t a medium for me to release my stress (I almost had a meltdown sometimes).

Me after some sports.

1) I felt healthier! (hopefully I can slim down too as time goes)

2) I felt happier after some good sweat out sessions (linked to point 3).

3) A good stress releasing session.

4) I`m closer to my friends now and I know I can trust them. (I hope you do too ).

5) My life gets better now. I started engaging myself with various social activities with my friends etc. I don’t have to stay at home everyday anymore!

6) My colleagues are my friends now and that`ll affect the way I work in the company! Yes. colleagues and friends are 2 different classes.

Phew what a long post. These are some of the points that I could think of for now.

To all chubby/obese ppl out there, do not be afraid if someone ask you out for a swimming session / gym session etc. I know most of the time you will say NO to these offers due to your lack of confidence in your appearances etc, but do go for 1 or 2 sessions with them and get your confidence back. You`ll LOVE it after and starts asking them out for more sessions! Yes some people will stare at you and say some nasty stuff but do you have to care? I don’t . I just enjoy doing something that I love with my friends. Remember this word - CBF! (ask around (or me) if you don’t know what it means.

IF YOU THINK YOU CAN,YOU CAN! Attached a cool video Cheers!

Seriously, I would never expect a Lady Gaga Fun Pack song to be performed in a country`s national day. The scenery was nice, stage was well decorated and a very clear sky too but a song spoils everything.  Its just a rehearsal though.  Hopefully they would remove this song during the actual day cos it sucks!

Lyrics:
By: Haresh Sharma

Oh o o o o o o o o
Time for the fun pack song
Oh o o o o o o o o
We like the fun pack song

Let’s start with the bag
That’s righ, grab your bag
It’s the fun pack bag
Attack the fun pack

Let’s start with the bag
That’s right, grab your bag
It’s the fun pack bag
Attack the fun pack

Hold up your flag, don’t you forget
You can wave it, if you feel like it.
Let’s wave the flag……

I`ve been wondering since I was young if studying does make me smarter or otherwise. I was raised in a family that constantly reminds me how important education is and how it will prepare me when i venture out alone into the community. When I was 10 yrs old, my mum told me, “son study hard, get good results, go university, obtain a good degree and you will be able to get a good job and earn very good money!. If you get bad results in school you can’t get into a good university and you can’t earn good money in future!”. As a kid that time, I didn’t really bother to listen to her advice. All I thought about was various strategies I should use to kill my enemies in a Nintendo game called Romance of the Three Kingdom. Throughout the years my mum & dad would repeat the same advice in an attempt to  imprint these words into my head. They were successful.

I’m 28 this year and I have to admit, studying does make a person smarter in “something” but not “everything“. Learning is infinite in our life. The question now is, does studying makes you a dumber person too? In my personal opinion, it does. When you are too focused into learning  / studying something, you tend to neglect other not-so-important things around you. Thus, when these not-so-important things shot up to the top of your priority list, you wouldn’t be calling yourself a smart person anymore. In fact, you`ll feel yourself a lot dumber than a lot of people when it comes to dealing these matters.

A clear example would be a new article that I read earlier today in a news website, as below:

Chinese Married Couple Clueless About Sex

“A HIGHLY educated couple, in their 30s from Hubei, China, thought that the wife would get pregnant by sleeping on the same bed, Sin Chew Daily reported.

Prior to their marriage, the couple did not dare hold hands and kiss as they thought the woman would get pregnant by doing so, reported a China newspaper Chu Tian Jin Bao.

However, the couple decided to seek medical advice after the wife, who holds a masters degree, could not conceive.

They have been married for three years.

The doctor was shocked to learn about their “sex life”.

The husband, who has a doctoral degree, said they were too focused on their studies.”

Source link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/6/nation/9039136&sec=nation

Most of my colleagues LOLed after reading the above article.

So does studying makes you smarter? or not?. I`ll leave this question to you to decide.

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