2009's just round the corner, and this is the time to whip up a new resolution, before i forget it a few weeks later, like what happened for 2008 haha...
so, here goes :
1.Be more patient. (thanks to suggestion by senior ! ;-) )
2.Be less hs (cut down on xxx sites...hehe... :p)
3.Be more hardworking (much more, and reduce playing mindless games :D)
hope everyone achieved most, if not all of their 2008 goals. And wish everyone all the best in 2009 ! :D
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Ip Man
Watched the kung fu movie “Ip Man” starring Donnie Yen.
All in, a nice movie, with lots of actions and fighting, suitable for kung fu fans like me :D
was hoping for a more detailed story on the legendary master Yip Man, but then again, too much story telling will mean less time for actions...so...there it is.
Heard there's a sequel, and am waiting for it :D hopefully it'll tell more about the master's adventures in Hong Kong, where he first taught to Restaurant Worker's Association, and how he adapted his teachings to suit various individuals, which developed into different branches of Wing Chun today.
However, Grandmaster Yip Man always maintained that there is no different “branches”, but just various style of interpretation of the One True Way. No one branch is completely wrong, or right. It all depends on which style will help you progress more. It's not easy to get a good master, and its even more difficult to get a good student ( who will practice consistently and diligently :) ).
so, there it is, a must watch for the kung fu fans, else, just skip it :)
All in, a nice movie, with lots of actions and fighting, suitable for kung fu fans like me :D
was hoping for a more detailed story on the legendary master Yip Man, but then again, too much story telling will mean less time for actions...so...there it is.
Heard there's a sequel, and am waiting for it :D hopefully it'll tell more about the master's adventures in Hong Kong, where he first taught to Restaurant Worker's Association, and how he adapted his teachings to suit various individuals, which developed into different branches of Wing Chun today.
However, Grandmaster Yip Man always maintained that there is no different “branches”, but just various style of interpretation of the One True Way. No one branch is completely wrong, or right. It all depends on which style will help you progress more. It's not easy to get a good master, and its even more difficult to get a good student ( who will practice consistently and diligently :) ).
so, there it is, a must watch for the kung fu fans, else, just skip it :)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
fren's wedding
Attended a uni fren's wedding dinner, and happy to meet other frens there :) and surprised to learn a coursemate fren already got 3 kids ! How time flies ! And his eldest doter looked a bit like tomato, and no, i didnt have any pervert tots :)
can still remember the conversation i had with my uni fren, shortly after her breakup :
me : so, when you gonna pakto again?
She : not ever, cos if guys can be trusted, pigs can climb trees (男人信得过，母猪会上树)...
few months later, i saw her holding hands with a guy (her present husband), and called her :
me : hi, i saw a pig climbing tree the other day...
she : hahaha.....
her housemates(which includes my coursemates) were at the same table, and we reminicended on old times, where we used to have all nite drinking, smoking and dancing parties. Once we were so drunk we guys even took of shirts, and i still have some photos, but those are strictly for private viewing though, hehe.. :P
on the way back, heard this song on the radio, “Dream a Little dream of me” :
Stars shining bright above you;
Night breezes seem to whisper …– love you?
Birds singing in the sycamore tree.
Dream a little dream of me.
Say nighty-night and kiss me;
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me.
While I'm alone, blue as can be,
Dream a little dream of me.
Stars fading but I linger on, dear---
Still craving your kiss.
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear,
Just saying this...
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you---
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
But in your dreams, whatever they be,
Dream a little dream of me.
Nite and sweet dreams to all :D
can still remember the conversation i had with my uni fren, shortly after her breakup :
me : so, when you gonna pakto again?
She : not ever, cos if guys can be trusted, pigs can climb trees (男人信得过，母猪会上树)...
few months later, i saw her holding hands with a guy (her present husband), and called her :
me : hi, i saw a pig climbing tree the other day...
she : hahaha.....
her housemates(which includes my coursemates) were at the same table, and we reminicended on old times, where we used to have all nite drinking, smoking and dancing parties. Once we were so drunk we guys even took of shirts, and i still have some photos, but those are strictly for private viewing though, hehe.. :P
on the way back, heard this song on the radio, “Dream a Little dream of me” :
Stars shining bright above you;
Night breezes seem to whisper …– love you?
Birds singing in the sycamore tree.
Dream a little dream of me.
Say nighty-night and kiss me;
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me.
While I'm alone, blue as can be,
Dream a little dream of me.
Stars fading but I linger on, dear---
Still craving your kiss.
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear,
Just saying this...
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you---
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
But in your dreams, whatever they be,
Dream a little dream of me.
Nite and sweet dreams to all :D
Saturday, November 22, 2008
jap movie - love & honor
Saw the Jap movie “Love & Honor” by Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉 ), its about a samurai, who works as a poison taster for the daimyo(lord),and he hates his boring and routine job, and complains to his wife, and said that he planned to resign, and start a school teaching kendo to kids.
He plans to teach differently, emphaiszing on the kids individual physique and character,so that the kids will each have their own unique style. (i like this idea :) )
his wife and his conversations went something like :
wife : i tot u shud be honored, as you get to taste the food in front of the lord, b4 the lord does !
him : haha....stupid woman ! i only get to taste the food at a dark corner, b4 the food gets delivered to
his lordship....
wife : you ask me not to ask about your job, and when i do ask, you said i'm stupid
him : (hugging wife and whispering into her ears) stupid (slaps wife on the butt, and goes off to work)
though set in the medieval japan, we can still relate to it in modern times. Employer stuck in a routine day job...boring, with low pay....and wife doesnt understands what he does, and vice versa (reminds me of not understanding Liliane job & senior's job :P).
one day, he got poisoned while tasting food, and his lordship immediately ordered the castle gates to be locked, with no one coming in and going out. After investigations, it is found that the food poisoning is caused by using a fish which is out of season. If the fish is taken in summer, it is safe. But in winter, the fish will be a bit poisonous. The lord decided that the cook are innocent, but the chief steward had to be responsible for choosing the wrong fish as the menu. And by being responsible, it meant the chief steward had to commit harakiri(suicide) ! Man, such culture !
Back to our main actor...he got blinded by the incident, and his colleagues came to disturb his wife, and he finally cannot tahan and faced his molesting colleague in a sword duel, and cut off the hand of the hamsap guy. As the guy felt ashamed by being defeated by a blind guy, he too, committed harakiri.
Quite a nice story :)
He plans to teach differently, emphaiszing on the kids individual physique and character,so that the kids will each have their own unique style. (i like this idea :) )
his wife and his conversations went something like :
wife : i tot u shud be honored, as you get to taste the food in front of the lord, b4 the lord does !
him : haha....stupid woman ! i only get to taste the food at a dark corner, b4 the food gets delivered to
his lordship....
wife : you ask me not to ask about your job, and when i do ask, you said i'm stupid
him : (hugging wife and whispering into her ears) stupid (slaps wife on the butt, and goes off to work)
though set in the medieval japan, we can still relate to it in modern times. Employer stuck in a routine day job...boring, with low pay....and wife doesnt understands what he does, and vice versa (reminds me of not understanding Liliane job & senior's job :P).
one day, he got poisoned while tasting food, and his lordship immediately ordered the castle gates to be locked, with no one coming in and going out. After investigations, it is found that the food poisoning is caused by using a fish which is out of season. If the fish is taken in summer, it is safe. But in winter, the fish will be a bit poisonous. The lord decided that the cook are innocent, but the chief steward had to be responsible for choosing the wrong fish as the menu. And by being responsible, it meant the chief steward had to commit harakiri(suicide) ! Man, such culture !
Back to our main actor...he got blinded by the incident, and his colleagues came to disturb his wife, and he finally cannot tahan and faced his molesting colleague in a sword duel, and cut off the hand of the hamsap guy. As the guy felt ashamed by being defeated by a blind guy, he too, committed harakiri.
Quite a nice story :)
badminton netplay
played with frens today, and fren (chee onn) taught me net play. the technique is to slice the shuttle, and make it cross over the net. if we hit too hard, the shuttle will fly too high, and suceptible to smash by opponent. i also notice that if i bring my hand in a wider arc, the shuttle can float further to the side.
happy net play ! :D
happy net play ! :D
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
badminton footwork
Continued my badminton lessons today, and learnt about footwork.
To move in front to the left or right, step out with left foot first, followed by a lunge/big step with right foot. I guess this is the style for right handers.
To move behind, step out with right foot first, then left, and finally right if the shuttle is sent to the base line. Smash and shift your right foot forward and left foot backward at the same time. Apparently this is to give us greater smashing power, and faster response time after smashing.
Hope it is of use to your game :)
To move in front to the left or right, step out with left foot first, followed by a lunge/big step with right foot. I guess this is the style for right handers.
To move behind, step out with right foot first, then left, and finally right if the shuttle is sent to the base line. Smash and shift your right foot forward and left foot backward at the same time. Apparently this is to give us greater smashing power, and faster response time after smashing.
Hope it is of use to your game :)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
case 3 part 7 (end)
Part 7 – Conclusion
I woke up, and was dazed for a few moments, before recalling that i fell asleep on the sofa last night. Sitting up, i stretched my joints. “craaack, craack..” the neck joints, shoulders, and knees cried out. After doing a round of sun salutation(too lazy for more) half heartedly, i sat down to meditate on the case. It wasnt long before the solution floated to me.
Picking up my phone, i dialed up James.
“Yawn...wassup?” he answered sleepily.
“Bro, get the 3 suspects to meet us below Block B, and ask your men to do this, and this...” i said as i gave out instructions, before jumping into my car and sped towards Tri Towers.
Everyone was there, and i checked on Jame's men to give them some final fine tunings. I cleared my throat before launching my findings.
“Each and everyone of the suspect has a motive to kill Mr. Kan. Faye Lou, for Kan robbing his girlfriend, Kathy. Kathy, for Kan cheating her feelings and money. And finally Rachel, for the will Kan left behind in her name.” i summarized the motives.
“The question now left is : whodunnit? Which led us to the next question – how did Kan died?” i asked aloud.
“One thing that puzzles me, is the cape he's wearing. What is the function of the cape? Seems like nobody knows, or wants, to give me the truth. And i have to find it out myself.” i sweeped my glance over them as i spoke.
“What i will do next, is to get the police to tie a cape to a dummy, and threw them down from the respective rooms of the 3 suspects. The dummies are labelled A, B and C, to denote the apartments of Faye, Kathy and Rachel respectively. ( Note : this plot is plagiarised from Conan the detective comic series.)” i explained my experiment.
With a signal from me, and the strong easternly wind blowing, the policemen threw down the dummies.
Plop, plop, plop.
The 3 dummies with cape dropped down.
“We'll see what is the label on the dummy below Block B. And that person is the murderer.” i continued.
Only a dummy with cape was below block B. One is below Block C, the other beyond Block C, blew by the strong eastern wind.
Walking over to the dummy, i turned over the label.
It read : A.
I looked at Faye Lou, as 2 policemen seized him. He just hung his head down in defeat, mumbling “How come? Why?” over and over again.
At the coffee shop in the police station later, i explained the reason to them.
“Its about geography. Faye made use of the recent change in weather to frame Kathy. As the Tri Towers is facing North, and there's a strong easternly wind blowing these few days, it would be easy for him to “divert” the body of Kan Asai from Block A to Block B. That is why he need to put on a cape for the body of Kan.” i dissected.
“And Faye was able to mask this, making use of the fact that its a kinky hobby of Kan to wear cape for his “activities”. Nice try, but not smart enough.” i concluded, and drank up my cup of coffee.
That night, i was playing online texas hold em poker, when my phone rang. Muttering a curse, i answered it.
“Wai? You cari siapa?” i spoke roughly.
“Congratulazioni, Sticky. Glad that you cleared us from the case.” the cold steely voice said. “Till next time, buona notte.” “Click”
Man, why cant i have some peace after each case?
Note : Congratulazioni = congratulations (in Italian)
Buona notte = good night (in Italian)
coming up next : case #4 – Kidnapped...
I woke up, and was dazed for a few moments, before recalling that i fell asleep on the sofa last night. Sitting up, i stretched my joints. “craaack, craack..” the neck joints, shoulders, and knees cried out. After doing a round of sun salutation(too lazy for more) half heartedly, i sat down to meditate on the case. It wasnt long before the solution floated to me.
Picking up my phone, i dialed up James.
“Yawn...wassup?” he answered sleepily.
“Bro, get the 3 suspects to meet us below Block B, and ask your men to do this, and this...” i said as i gave out instructions, before jumping into my car and sped towards Tri Towers.
Everyone was there, and i checked on Jame's men to give them some final fine tunings. I cleared my throat before launching my findings.
“Each and everyone of the suspect has a motive to kill Mr. Kan. Faye Lou, for Kan robbing his girlfriend, Kathy. Kathy, for Kan cheating her feelings and money. And finally Rachel, for the will Kan left behind in her name.” i summarized the motives.
“The question now left is : whodunnit? Which led us to the next question – how did Kan died?” i asked aloud.
“One thing that puzzles me, is the cape he's wearing. What is the function of the cape? Seems like nobody knows, or wants, to give me the truth. And i have to find it out myself.” i sweeped my glance over them as i spoke.
“What i will do next, is to get the police to tie a cape to a dummy, and threw them down from the respective rooms of the 3 suspects. The dummies are labelled A, B and C, to denote the apartments of Faye, Kathy and Rachel respectively. ( Note : this plot is plagiarised from Conan the detective comic series.)” i explained my experiment.
With a signal from me, and the strong easternly wind blowing, the policemen threw down the dummies.
Plop, plop, plop.
The 3 dummies with cape dropped down.
“We'll see what is the label on the dummy below Block B. And that person is the murderer.” i continued.
Only a dummy with cape was below block B. One is below Block C, the other beyond Block C, blew by the strong eastern wind.
Walking over to the dummy, i turned over the label.
It read : A.
I looked at Faye Lou, as 2 policemen seized him. He just hung his head down in defeat, mumbling “How come? Why?” over and over again.
At the coffee shop in the police station later, i explained the reason to them.
“Its about geography. Faye made use of the recent change in weather to frame Kathy. As the Tri Towers is facing North, and there's a strong easternly wind blowing these few days, it would be easy for him to “divert” the body of Kan Asai from Block A to Block B. That is why he need to put on a cape for the body of Kan.” i dissected.
“And Faye was able to mask this, making use of the fact that its a kinky hobby of Kan to wear cape for his “activities”. Nice try, but not smart enough.” i concluded, and drank up my cup of coffee.
That night, i was playing online texas hold em poker, when my phone rang. Muttering a curse, i answered it.
“Wai? You cari siapa?” i spoke roughly.
“Congratulazioni, Sticky. Glad that you cleared us from the case.” the cold steely voice said. “Till next time, buona notte.” “Click”
Man, why cant i have some peace after each case?
Note : Congratulazioni = congratulations (in Italian)
Buona notte = good night (in Italian)
coming up next : case #4 – Kidnapped...
case 3 part 6
Part 6 – Rachel
A teary, red-eyed girl opened the door for me. “Big Dog” James told me she's 19, and she sure looks like one. Why did bad people always have sweet young girls as girlfriends? And old and balding (censored) such as me have to play online games everynight to pass the time? Anyway, back to the case at hand.
I managed to walk in decently, while trying to look at where i was seating, and prying my eyes from her lithe body in sleeveless T and knee length jeans with some difficulty.
“Rachel, i know this is difficult, but i'm here to help.” i soothed her down.
“Mmm...ya, i k-know...but...its so sudden.....sob..sob...”i wanted to lend her my shoulders, but figured it'll be too bony for her, and remain seated.
“Relax, you gotta calm down, and try to think if there's any info you can give me, so that i can find the murderer...”i calmed her again.
“Hmm...ya...sniff..sniff...” she collected herself. “I only remembered softie telling me that Kathy was ex-girlfriend of Faye Lou, and Faye was mad when Kathy broke up with him to be with softie...”
“Wait..who's softie?” i asked.
“Oh....its a nick i used for Asai...”she started to cry again.
“Ok, Noted. 1 last question, what do you know about the cape of Mr. Kan?” i prodded.
“ W-what?...T-t-that, i, i know no-nothing about it...” she stared at me wide eyed.
“Ok, that's all for now. Let me know if there are any further thing you can recall. Take care.”
Lying on the sofa after take away dinner, i sorted my notes, and listened to some sentimental songs on the radio before dozing off with the weather report in the background...
“Weather forecast : Typhoon Susah closing in, Strong easternly winds to continue for the next few days, sunny weather over ang mo kio, cloudy in birmingham, thunderstorm in melb, heavy rain expected in teluk pulai,......”
ZZZZzzzz.......zzzzz......zzz...
to be continued....
A teary, red-eyed girl opened the door for me. “Big Dog” James told me she's 19, and she sure looks like one. Why did bad people always have sweet young girls as girlfriends? And old and balding (censored) such as me have to play online games everynight to pass the time? Anyway, back to the case at hand.
I managed to walk in decently, while trying to look at where i was seating, and prying my eyes from her lithe body in sleeveless T and knee length jeans with some difficulty.
“Rachel, i know this is difficult, but i'm here to help.” i soothed her down.
“Mmm...ya, i k-know...but...its so sudden.....sob..sob...”i wanted to lend her my shoulders, but figured it'll be too bony for her, and remain seated.
“Relax, you gotta calm down, and try to think if there's any info you can give me, so that i can find the murderer...”i calmed her again.
“Hmm...ya...sniff..sniff...” she collected herself. “I only remembered softie telling me that Kathy was ex-girlfriend of Faye Lou, and Faye was mad when Kathy broke up with him to be with softie...”
“Wait..who's softie?” i asked.
“Oh....its a nick i used for Asai...”she started to cry again.
“Ok, Noted. 1 last question, what do you know about the cape of Mr. Kan?” i prodded.
“ W-what?...T-t-that, i, i know no-nothing about it...” she stared at me wide eyed.
“Ok, that's all for now. Let me know if there are any further thing you can recall. Take care.”
Lying on the sofa after take away dinner, i sorted my notes, and listened to some sentimental songs on the radio before dozing off with the weather report in the background...
“Weather forecast : Typhoon Susah closing in, Strong easternly winds to continue for the next few days, sunny weather over ang mo kio, cloudy in birmingham, thunderstorm in melb, heavy rain expected in teluk pulai,......”
ZZZZzzzz.......zzzzz......zzz...
to be continued....
case 3 part 5
Part 5 – Kathy
Kathy’s room is a big difference from that of Faye. The flowers are growing nicely in the pots, and the background music of saxophone was soothing the the mind and soul.
I sat down at the plush cushion, and tried to concentrate as I looked at the ponytailed woman in her t-shirt and shorts.
“Miss Kathy, did you kill Mr. Kan? Is it possible that you pushed him over the balcony from your room, as he is directly below your block?” i started off bluntly.
“ (looong siiiigh..), ya, i would want to see him dead, given that he cheated my feelings and my money, that lousy s#nofab$%^xh...” she pushed her glasses on her nose ridge before continuing again. “But no, i didnt do it, some one beat me to it.”
“ What clue can you provide me on his death?”
“Well, that (censored) did left his will to Rachel.” she pondered before replying.
“And what can you tell me about the cape he's wearing on him?” i shot the question.
“Oh..err...that was...that's nothing to do with the case at all....now if you'll excuse me, i have an appointment....” she blushed at murmured.
“Very well, do give me a ring should you have further clues.” i gave her my card and left.
Next stop, rachel's apartment, block C.
to be continued....
Kathy’s room is a big difference from that of Faye. The flowers are growing nicely in the pots, and the background music of saxophone was soothing the the mind and soul.
I sat down at the plush cushion, and tried to concentrate as I looked at the ponytailed woman in her t-shirt and shorts.
“Miss Kathy, did you kill Mr. Kan? Is it possible that you pushed him over the balcony from your room, as he is directly below your block?” i started off bluntly.
“ (looong siiiigh..), ya, i would want to see him dead, given that he cheated my feelings and my money, that lousy s#nofab$%^xh...” she pushed her glasses on her nose ridge before continuing again. “But no, i didnt do it, some one beat me to it.”
“ What clue can you provide me on his death?”
“Well, that (censored) did left his will to Rachel.” she pondered before replying.
“And what can you tell me about the cape he's wearing on him?” i shot the question.
“Oh..err...that was...that's nothing to do with the case at all....now if you'll excuse me, i have an appointment....” she blushed at murmured.
“Very well, do give me a ring should you have further clues.” i gave her my card and left.
Next stop, rachel's apartment, block C.
to be continued....
case 3 part 4
Part 4 – Faye Lou
After lunch, I knocked on the door of Mr. Faye Lou. A burly sized man in singlet opened the door.
“Yes?” he said gruffly with his grizzled face.
“I’m Sticky, its regarding Mr Kan’s death.” I said while holding my breath from his body odour.
“Oh, yeah, the cop told me about you, come on in.” and he opened the door to his den.
The place was in a mess, much worst than my place. Empty beer cans lay strewn everywhere, and the carpet is stained with cigarette burnt marks. Seems like an opium den to me, but everyone got their freedom to choose their style of living, I guess.
Brushing aside porn magazines and vcd’s on his sofa, he cleared a place for me to sit. Accepting his offer of cold beer and peanuts, I started my questioning.
“How long have you known Mr. Kan?”
“Since childhood, and he even offered me a job as a driver for White Don, but I was not interested in doing vice.”
“Anyone you know who would want him dead?” I pressed.
“Not me, cos the bugger still owed me ten grand, and now where am I supposed to get it from? Maybe Rachel, his girl, would want him dead, as he, uh..has peculiar “tastes”.” He paused.
“What “peculiar” tastes? Can you please elaborate?”
“Well, he loves to dress up in his cape for some kinky “actions”, that’s the old boy I knew alright…” he chuckled.
I got the main points in my notebook before heading towards Kathy’s block.
To be continued….
After lunch, I knocked on the door of Mr. Faye Lou. A burly sized man in singlet opened the door.
“Yes?” he said gruffly with his grizzled face.
“I’m Sticky, its regarding Mr Kan’s death.” I said while holding my breath from his body odour.
“Oh, yeah, the cop told me about you, come on in.” and he opened the door to his den.
The place was in a mess, much worst than my place. Empty beer cans lay strewn everywhere, and the carpet is stained with cigarette burnt marks. Seems like an opium den to me, but everyone got their freedom to choose their style of living, I guess.
Brushing aside porn magazines and vcd’s on his sofa, he cleared a place for me to sit. Accepting his offer of cold beer and peanuts, I started my questioning.
“How long have you known Mr. Kan?”
“Since childhood, and he even offered me a job as a driver for White Don, but I was not interested in doing vice.”
“Anyone you know who would want him dead?” I pressed.
“Not me, cos the bugger still owed me ten grand, and now where am I supposed to get it from? Maybe Rachel, his girl, would want him dead, as he, uh..has peculiar “tastes”.” He paused.
“What “peculiar” tastes? Can you please elaborate?”
“Well, he loves to dress up in his cape for some kinky “actions”, that’s the old boy I knew alright…” he chuckled.
I got the main points in my notebook before heading towards Kathy’s block.
To be continued….
case 3 part 3
My fav part, with nice setting, and characters, dialogue, and the swirling fan....man, i can be so shameless...haha... :P
this part is specially dedicated to Liliane ;-)
Part 3 – White Glove Don
The Medallion club coffee shop is long established, and patrons flocked from far and near to try out its fabled hand grounded coffee. For more exotic taste, mustang seed coffee is also available.
The pre-world war facade still stands, and makes it stand out from the other shops nearby. The ground floor is filled with customers of all sorts, crying babies, naughty kids, busy parents, and grandparents sipping coffee. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread hot from the oven invaded my nostrils. Ah, this brings back fond memories of my childhood days with my grandfather, dipping cream crackers in coffee before eating them. I snapped back to reality when i remembered White Don is waiting for me upstairs.
Walking up the wooden staircase, I reached first floor. The place was void of customers, save for a table. A far cry from the bustling scene downstairs. A fan swirled lazily above. I made a mental note to bring Lilliane here next time for coffee while watching sunset.
At the table sat a balding fat man, with sunken eyes and a hawk nose. The White Don looked like an ordinary grandfather, save for his eyes which seemed to bored thru you. He’s flanked by Left Right Protectors (Zhuo3 You4 Hu4 Fa3, 左右护法), namely Agon and Noga. All of them wore white gloves, apparently not to leave any fingerprints. But I think they must be having a hard time trying to keep the gloves white, with all their dirty jobs.
“Buongiorno, Don Nico, “ I nodded.
“Ah, if it isn’t Sticky himself, Si? Come, come, take a seat.” Don Nico offered.
“Cut the crap, don, I don’t have the whole day.”I shot back.
“Haha….playing hero, are we?” he winked. Changing his tone, “Ok, briefly, I heard you’re on the case of the death of my secretary, Kana….i mean Kan Asai. I don’t want my “club” to be linked in anyway to this. Si? Or else…” He threatened.
“Else what? I cant promise you anything…”I dared.
“Else your brains will be served on a platter.” He sure knew how to make an offer I cannot refuse.
“We’ll see how it goes.” I answered as brave I could.
“The choice is in your hands. Ciao.” With a wave of his hand, they left, leaving me staring at their backs, shouting mental Italian curses, with the creaking fan still swirling.
To be continued…
note : Buongiorno = good morning (in italian)
Si = yes (in italian)
this part is specially dedicated to Liliane ;-)
Part 3 – White Glove Don
The Medallion club coffee shop is long established, and patrons flocked from far and near to try out its fabled hand grounded coffee. For more exotic taste, mustang seed coffee is also available.
The pre-world war facade still stands, and makes it stand out from the other shops nearby. The ground floor is filled with customers of all sorts, crying babies, naughty kids, busy parents, and grandparents sipping coffee. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread hot from the oven invaded my nostrils. Ah, this brings back fond memories of my childhood days with my grandfather, dipping cream crackers in coffee before eating them. I snapped back to reality when i remembered White Don is waiting for me upstairs.
Walking up the wooden staircase, I reached first floor. The place was void of customers, save for a table. A far cry from the bustling scene downstairs. A fan swirled lazily above. I made a mental note to bring Lilliane here next time for coffee while watching sunset.
At the table sat a balding fat man, with sunken eyes and a hawk nose. The White Don looked like an ordinary grandfather, save for his eyes which seemed to bored thru you. He’s flanked by Left Right Protectors (Zhuo3 You4 Hu4 Fa3, 左右护法), namely Agon and Noga. All of them wore white gloves, apparently not to leave any fingerprints. But I think they must be having a hard time trying to keep the gloves white, with all their dirty jobs.
“Buongiorno, Don Nico, “ I nodded.
“Ah, if it isn’t Sticky himself, Si? Come, come, take a seat.” Don Nico offered.
“Cut the crap, don, I don’t have the whole day.”I shot back.
“Haha….playing hero, are we?” he winked. Changing his tone, “Ok, briefly, I heard you’re on the case of the death of my secretary, Kana….i mean Kan Asai. I don’t want my “club” to be linked in anyway to this. Si? Or else…” He threatened.
“Else what? I cant promise you anything…”I dared.
“Else your brains will be served on a platter.” He sure knew how to make an offer I cannot refuse.
“We’ll see how it goes.” I answered as brave I could.
“The choice is in your hands. Ciao.” With a wave of his hand, they left, leaving me staring at their backs, shouting mental Italian curses, with the creaking fan still swirling.
To be continued…
note : Buongiorno = good morning (in italian)
Si = yes (in italian)
case 3 part 2
Part 2 – The Plot thickens
Its funny how the whole body twists when its dead. And this body is different. A bit different.
“So, what do you make of it? Mr. Kana..i mean Kan Asai, the personal secretary of White Don, dead in this manner?”Asked James.
Ya, it sure is weird. Kan Asai is wearing a cape, like those of superman and batman. And what is he wearing it for? Does he think he can fly like superman? Man....
Plus, the white glove which dropped out of his pocket links him to the White Glove gang, notorious for its vice activities.
“I cant make any sense of it yet. And who are the usual suspects this time?” i asked James with an arched eye brow.
“ 3 of em. His friend, Faye Lou staying at block A. his ex girlfriend Kathy in block B, the most likely murderer, as Kan Asai is directly below block B, and finally, his current girlfriend Rachel, in block C.”James summarized.
“Ok. Noted.” i jotted the details in my pocket notebook. “Please help to arrange for me to interview them. And let me know if there are further developments.” i finished off before heading home to get some much needed rest.
“Tweet, tweet” my house phone rang as i just stepped in. More news from James? I wondered as i picked up the phone.
“White Don wants ta meet you tomorrow, 9am, Medallion Club.” a steely cold voice said, sending a shiver down my spine.
“What? Wait...” “Click. Tuuut, tuut, tuut” the phone went dead before i can say anything.
Dang, and now what have i gotten myself into? I wondered out loud...
to be continued...
Its funny how the whole body twists when its dead. And this body is different. A bit different.
“So, what do you make of it? Mr. Kana..i mean Kan Asai, the personal secretary of White Don, dead in this manner?”Asked James.
Ya, it sure is weird. Kan Asai is wearing a cape, like those of superman and batman. And what is he wearing it for? Does he think he can fly like superman? Man....
Plus, the white glove which dropped out of his pocket links him to the White Glove gang, notorious for its vice activities.
“I cant make any sense of it yet. And who are the usual suspects this time?” i asked James with an arched eye brow.
“ 3 of em. His friend, Faye Lou staying at block A. his ex girlfriend Kathy in block B, the most likely murderer, as Kan Asai is directly below block B, and finally, his current girlfriend Rachel, in block C.”James summarized.
“Ok. Noted.” i jotted the details in my pocket notebook. “Please help to arrange for me to interview them. And let me know if there are further developments.” i finished off before heading home to get some much needed rest.
“Tweet, tweet” my house phone rang as i just stepped in. More news from James? I wondered as i picked up the phone.
“White Don wants ta meet you tomorrow, 9am, Medallion Club.” a steely cold voice said, sending a shiver down my spine.
“What? Wait...” “Click. Tuuut, tuut, tuut” the phone went dead before i can say anything.
Dang, and now what have i gotten myself into? I wondered out loud...
to be continued...
case 3 part 1
Part 1 - Fall to death
It was late night, and i was watching TV, sipping beer and having peanuts, when my handphone rang.
“Riiing.....Riiiing”, its from “Big Dog” James, my chain smoking police friend.
“Whassup, bro?” i answered.
“Sticky, we have a situation here. Come over to Tri towers, now.” He spoke hurriedly.
Its not like James to speak in such a manner, unlike his usual cool style. I gulped down my remaining beer, and put on my cloak before heading out.
Its a windy night, and dew have began to form on the car. I focused my mind as i sped towards my destination.
Tri Towers is a block of 3 condominium blocks facing North. The towers are namely, from left to right Tower A, B and C. Nothing spectacular. Except for a sprawled body in front of Tower B.
James was there, and gestured me over.
“Have a look at this, and see what you can make out of it.” He pointed to the body before me. “Seems like he fell to his death moments ago...”
What the ........ I was puzzled, and tried to make some sense out of it.
To be continued...
It was late night, and i was watching TV, sipping beer and having peanuts, when my handphone rang.
“Riiing.....Riiiing”, its from “Big Dog” James, my chain smoking police friend.
“Whassup, bro?” i answered.
“Sticky, we have a situation here. Come over to Tri towers, now.” He spoke hurriedly.
Its not like James to speak in such a manner, unlike his usual cool style. I gulped down my remaining beer, and put on my cloak before heading out.
Its a windy night, and dew have began to form on the car. I focused my mind as i sped towards my destination.
Tri Towers is a block of 3 condominium blocks facing North. The towers are namely, from left to right Tower A, B and C. Nothing spectacular. Except for a sprawled body in front of Tower B.
James was there, and gestured me over.
“Have a look at this, and see what you can make out of it.” He pointed to the body before me. “Seems like he fell to his death moments ago...”
What the ........ I was puzzled, and tried to make some sense out of it.
To be continued...
Friday, November 14, 2008
teething problems
Been going to UH on and off these few months.
It all started when the gum above my front teeth with 18 years of Root Canal Treatment (RCT) became swollen, and dentist said i gotta redo the RCT.
The first time the dentist saw me, she's quite surprised, as my mom was pestering her lecturer to attend to me, telling her that “the patient's mom keep asking when you will see patient...”, so in her mind, i'm an 8 year old kid, with a protective mom.....
so when she saw me, she's like “what? You're the patient? I was expecting a small kid...as (reason above)...”, and i can only smile sheepishly at her, haha...
the cute, kind and soft spoken dentist (married with 2 kids, alas! hehe.. :P ) asked me my marital status, and it went something like this :
She : are you married?
Me : No.
She : why not?
me : cos my teeth are ugly.
she : ok, i will treat them well, so that they will look white and shiny.
me : ya, then i shall be able to get married.
she : haha...
this skilled and patient dentist then proceeded to extract out all the old fillings (eewww.....), and refill it. We had to go for x-rays every now and then, to make sure all the fillings are out, and the new fillings filled in nicely.
Its not a easy job, as my teeth is so small, and the internal canal is curved...making it the more difficult to extract out the fillings with a straight tool. And i can imagine dentist's eyes are strained to look with the microscope, and trying to control the tool over a small area.
went to dentist for follow up, and gave her the card and some chocolates.
She's happy with the card and short poem i made for her, hehe..
thanks to her, my teeth is shiny like new, and i can use it to show off to gals, haha...
unfortunately, the teeth cracked, as it is too thin, and we had to do crowning. So, am undergoing this new process, and learnt a thing or two about dentistry :D
man, i'm getting long-winded nowadays....
It all started when the gum above my front teeth with 18 years of Root Canal Treatment (RCT) became swollen, and dentist said i gotta redo the RCT.
The first time the dentist saw me, she's quite surprised, as my mom was pestering her lecturer to attend to me, telling her that “the patient's mom keep asking when you will see patient...”, so in her mind, i'm an 8 year old kid, with a protective mom.....
so when she saw me, she's like “what? You're the patient? I was expecting a small kid...as (reason above)...”, and i can only smile sheepishly at her, haha...
the cute, kind and soft spoken dentist (married with 2 kids, alas! hehe.. :P ) asked me my marital status, and it went something like this :
She : are you married?
Me : No.
She : why not?
me : cos my teeth are ugly.
she : ok, i will treat them well, so that they will look white and shiny.
me : ya, then i shall be able to get married.
she : haha...
this skilled and patient dentist then proceeded to extract out all the old fillings (eewww.....), and refill it. We had to go for x-rays every now and then, to make sure all the fillings are out, and the new fillings filled in nicely.
Its not a easy job, as my teeth is so small, and the internal canal is curved...making it the more difficult to extract out the fillings with a straight tool. And i can imagine dentist's eyes are strained to look with the microscope, and trying to control the tool over a small area.
went to dentist for follow up, and gave her the card and some chocolates.
She's happy with the card and short poem i made for her, hehe..
thanks to her, my teeth is shiny like new, and i can use it to show off to gals, haha...
unfortunately, the teeth cracked, as it is too thin, and we had to do crowning. So, am undergoing this new process, and learnt a thing or two about dentistry :D
man, i'm getting long-winded nowadays....
search for frenship
It all started on 30th April, when aunt D attended my youngest bro wedding, and when i saw her usual smiling and pretty face, which never ages, and our conversation went something like :
me : wow, aunt ! You seem the same as always :D”
aunt : hahaha...(my name here), you are getting better at sweet talking....so, when's your turn (to get married)?
Me : haha...dunno yet..dun even have a gf yet ! Hehe...
aunt : (eyes big) really?
Me : ya,..come aunt, let me show you to your seat....
and about few months later, mom told me that aunt D called, and wanted to intro her niece to me...to which i say i'm ok.
As i went to the lunch (match making ) set up, i was thinking to myself...hmm...another gal who is weird enuff that no one wants...or too proud to accept anyone....but then again, she might be thinking that she's meeting some f***ed up old , ugly, lazy, good fer notin poor ass....sigh..so, i just have the intention as always...to meet a new friend :-)
and boy was i glad i attended !
The moment the gal walked in....she's with a kid..and i tot she's aunt D's daugther in law.
And she looked surprised to see me...later only i realised she's not let in to this..and apparently she didnt like it, not a bit. Hehe...
But after everyone sat down...i realised that she's THE girl. Pretty !
Ok, the pretty side apart, what bowled me over was that she's kind to everyone around, picking vege for her mom, aunt D, and even my mom ! And i dont even do that for my mom ! Feeling embarassed, i shyly picked some vege for mum, so artificial , hahaha...
well, during lunch was too shy to talk to her, only gathered that she's an active gal who likes to travel. And i was wondering why she had make up for a family lunch, only to realised thru her blog later that she had a party last night, and didnt have the time to remove the make up. Well, that solves the mystery.
After lunch, passed her my card, and asked her to sms my number. Didnt force to get her number, cos dun want to force her to do things which she dont like. Maybe i'm just too lousy to be considered as a fren, haha....
waited the whole nite but no sms for her. Well, not waited beside the phone, but had a few gatherings, and came home dead tired.
The next day, mom smsed me her number. Apparently she got it from aunt D as backup, in case the gal didnt sms me. But its not my style to prey on people like that. I mean, if they dun wanna gimme their number, i gotta accept it, right? Hehe...
that nite, i planned to search for her in internet. Keyed in her name in google, facebook and friendster, with only facebook with 192 results. Filtered thru them, saw the last entry was my pimary school year 199x, and was about to gave up when i remembered she told me she graduated from primary in 199x.
So, clicked on the thing, and was pleasantly surprised to see her name. So, sifted thru her frens, some who also happens to be my secondary school frens, and cursed at their long list of frens(100 to 600+), scanned thru them, and end up.... nothing.
So, decided to gave up, close the google window, and the yahoo window pop up as usual. Then i tot, heck, why not try yahoo? And keyed in her name(the correct spelling, cos i imagined the wrong spelling), and a blog with her exact name turned up....
and i tot..could it be?
Clicked on the blog..and was surprised to see a lot of travels and adventures by this gal...maybe could be her....too tired, and slept.
Woke up next morning, and was surprised to see that the blog mentioned about a family matchmaking date, and i knew its her, haha....
man, it feels weird to be mentioned in a blog, haha...my first time really, haha...
well, she mentioned that she hates this kinds of things, and at least she could have removed her make up, and eyes rolled when family members talked about a “family trip” to kuala selangor haha....
well, thanked her for saying something like : -
at least the bloke looked decent, with a nice shirt, and as for the card..i...er...misplaced it....
to which i replied :
haha...its ok to misplaced my card, i just wanna be friends with you nia :-)
and thanks for your kind comments on my shirt, cos its the only nice shirt i got ! :-)
man, it sounds so absurd to mentioned going to some normal place, when you've been around so much !
And finally, sorry for the intrusion in your blog, but i just wanna say hi :-)
and this morning during work, an sms came in, stating that she found my card. Haha. Thanked her, and told her that i enjoyed her blog, and hope she will keep it going. No reply from her.
Came back, checked on her blog, and no comments to my comments either. So, will continue to read her interesting blogs :-)
sigh...finished :-)
me : wow, aunt ! You seem the same as always :D”
aunt : hahaha...(my name here), you are getting better at sweet talking....so, when's your turn (to get married)?
Me : haha...dunno yet..dun even have a gf yet ! Hehe...
aunt : (eyes big) really?
Me : ya,..come aunt, let me show you to your seat....
and about few months later, mom told me that aunt D called, and wanted to intro her niece to me...to which i say i'm ok.
As i went to the lunch (match making ) set up, i was thinking to myself...hmm...another gal who is weird enuff that no one wants...or too proud to accept anyone....but then again, she might be thinking that she's meeting some f***ed up old , ugly, lazy, good fer notin poor ass....sigh..so, i just have the intention as always...to meet a new friend :-)
and boy was i glad i attended !
The moment the gal walked in....she's with a kid..and i tot she's aunt D's daugther in law.
And she looked surprised to see me...later only i realised she's not let in to this..and apparently she didnt like it, not a bit. Hehe...
But after everyone sat down...i realised that she's THE girl. Pretty !
Ok, the pretty side apart, what bowled me over was that she's kind to everyone around, picking vege for her mom, aunt D, and even my mom ! And i dont even do that for my mom ! Feeling embarassed, i shyly picked some vege for mum, so artificial , hahaha...
well, during lunch was too shy to talk to her, only gathered that she's an active gal who likes to travel. And i was wondering why she had make up for a family lunch, only to realised thru her blog later that she had a party last night, and didnt have the time to remove the make up. Well, that solves the mystery.
After lunch, passed her my card, and asked her to sms my number. Didnt force to get her number, cos dun want to force her to do things which she dont like. Maybe i'm just too lousy to be considered as a fren, haha....
waited the whole nite but no sms for her. Well, not waited beside the phone, but had a few gatherings, and came home dead tired.
The next day, mom smsed me her number. Apparently she got it from aunt D as backup, in case the gal didnt sms me. But its not my style to prey on people like that. I mean, if they dun wanna gimme their number, i gotta accept it, right? Hehe...
that nite, i planned to search for her in internet. Keyed in her name in google, facebook and friendster, with only facebook with 192 results. Filtered thru them, saw the last entry was my pimary school year 199x, and was about to gave up when i remembered she told me she graduated from primary in 199x.
So, clicked on the thing, and was pleasantly surprised to see her name. So, sifted thru her frens, some who also happens to be my secondary school frens, and cursed at their long list of frens(100 to 600+), scanned thru them, and end up.... nothing.
So, decided to gave up, close the google window, and the yahoo window pop up as usual. Then i tot, heck, why not try yahoo? And keyed in her name(the correct spelling, cos i imagined the wrong spelling), and a blog with her exact name turned up....
and i tot..could it be?
Clicked on the blog..and was surprised to see a lot of travels and adventures by this gal...maybe could be her....too tired, and slept.
Woke up next morning, and was surprised to see that the blog mentioned about a family matchmaking date, and i knew its her, haha....
man, it feels weird to be mentioned in a blog, haha...my first time really, haha...
well, she mentioned that she hates this kinds of things, and at least she could have removed her make up, and eyes rolled when family members talked about a “family trip” to kuala selangor haha....
well, thanked her for saying something like : -
at least the bloke looked decent, with a nice shirt, and as for the card..i...er...misplaced it....
to which i replied :
haha...its ok to misplaced my card, i just wanna be friends with you nia :-)
and thanks for your kind comments on my shirt, cos its the only nice shirt i got ! :-)
man, it sounds so absurd to mentioned going to some normal place, when you've been around so much !
And finally, sorry for the intrusion in your blog, but i just wanna say hi :-)
and this morning during work, an sms came in, stating that she found my card. Haha. Thanked her, and told her that i enjoyed her blog, and hope she will keep it going. No reply from her.
Came back, checked on her blog, and no comments to my comments either. So, will continue to read her interesting blogs :-)
sigh...finished :-)
words
“Its only words, and words are all I have, to take Your heart away ...” famous lyrics from bee gees “words”.
Words are a powerful tool to bring across ideas, to communicate. And i love to play around with words. Problem is, words are such that once spoken, you can never take it back. Like the chinese saying “Spilled water cant be collected back ( 覆水难收)”, we have to be careful and THINK b4 we speak.
I was mindless enuff to made rude remarks to a fren, and our conversation went like this :
me : i'm sorry..i didnt mean it...
fren : no, you're not sorry, cos if you were, you will THINK b4 you act....
that seems like sticky a formless knife into my heart, and twist it a few times, and leaving it there... i'm been saying things that hurt and annoy frens (eg tomato, senior, etc..), and apologising and promising not to do it again, and repeat the offence again...and the cycle goes on...
i'm lucky that frens have boundless patience and magnanimously forgive me time and again, and i also realise that its difficult to pacify a fren, and ask for forgiveness, no matter that my intention is not to hurt frens (well, i had the immaturity and stupidity to say the darndest things). I feel that i'm not worth a fren to them, as to me, fren is suppose to protect your feelings, and the last person to hurt your feelings. If the fren hurt your feelings time and again, might as well dont have that fren.
As such, i shall refrain from further totless actions, and pursue my meditation more diligently, inorder to be able to check my tots, b4 they are converted to speech and blameful actions.
I'm really sorry cm, and i mean it.
Words are a powerful tool to bring across ideas, to communicate. And i love to play around with words. Problem is, words are such that once spoken, you can never take it back. Like the chinese saying “Spilled water cant be collected back ( 覆水难收)”, we have to be careful and THINK b4 we speak.
I was mindless enuff to made rude remarks to a fren, and our conversation went like this :
me : i'm sorry..i didnt mean it...
fren : no, you're not sorry, cos if you were, you will THINK b4 you act....
that seems like sticky a formless knife into my heart, and twist it a few times, and leaving it there... i'm been saying things that hurt and annoy frens (eg tomato, senior, etc..), and apologising and promising not to do it again, and repeat the offence again...and the cycle goes on...
i'm lucky that frens have boundless patience and magnanimously forgive me time and again, and i also realise that its difficult to pacify a fren, and ask for forgiveness, no matter that my intention is not to hurt frens (well, i had the immaturity and stupidity to say the darndest things). I feel that i'm not worth a fren to them, as to me, fren is suppose to protect your feelings, and the last person to hurt your feelings. If the fren hurt your feelings time and again, might as well dont have that fren.
As such, i shall refrain from further totless actions, and pursue my meditation more diligently, inorder to be able to check my tots, b4 they are converted to speech and blameful actions.
I'm really sorry cm, and i mean it.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
the world is flat
Dear all,
Recently I read a book titled “The World is Flat” by
Thomas Friedman, as recommended by WIM Book Club.
Attached is my synopsis of the book.
Personally, I find it scary, and I had to stop every
now and then to reflect and think how my job will
be affected.
My own opinions are :
1. We have to learn new skills that emphasizes
more on creativity and personal relationships, so that
we cannot be replaced, in a sense that we are able to
integrate things and provide more intangible benefits.
2. Jobs that can be replaced (e.g. manual intensive,
call centre, low level calculation, data entry,….)
will be replaced. It is just a matter of time. So
we have to be prepared.
3. We have to plan a little bit further, to
acquire backup skills, e.g. I am learning tai-chi now with
the intention to teach it when I am retrenched in the
future. Find something that you like apart from
your work, and spend some time to cultivate it (e.g.
dancing, painting,sculpting,…)
Synopsis – The World is Flat
1. (pg 11) Globalization has evolved from
empowerment to a country, then to a company, and now to an
Individual.
2. (pg 15) Those who can create value thru
leadership, relationships and creativity will transform the
industry.
3. (pg 21) Work gets done where it can be done
most effectively and efficiently. It helps because it
frees up people and capital to do more creative, more
sophisticated work, and also deliver the end
product better, faster and cheaper to the end user.
4. (pg 153) One of the ways to a more reliable,
low cost delivery system is to replace inventory with
information.
5. (pg 302) How we educate our children/ourselves
is more important than how much we educate them/us.
6. (pg 564) People don’t change when you tell
them there is a better option, they change when they
have no other option.
7. (pg 565) People change when they see that
others, like themselves, have changed and benefited.
Hope it is beneficial for you all.
May you be happy and healthy always :D
Rgds,
Leh
Recently I read a book titled “The World is Flat” by
Thomas Friedman, as recommended by WIM Book Club.
Attached is my synopsis of the book.
Personally, I find it scary, and I had to stop every
now and then to reflect and think how my job will
be affected.
My own opinions are :
1. We have to learn new skills that emphasizes
more on creativity and personal relationships, so that
we cannot be replaced, in a sense that we are able to
integrate things and provide more intangible benefits.
2. Jobs that can be replaced (e.g. manual intensive,
call centre, low level calculation, data entry,….)
will be replaced. It is just a matter of time. So
we have to be prepared.
3. We have to plan a little bit further, to
acquire backup skills, e.g. I am learning tai-chi now with
the intention to teach it when I am retrenched in the
future. Find something that you like apart from
your work, and spend some time to cultivate it (e.g.
dancing, painting,sculpting,…)
Synopsis – The World is Flat
1. (pg 11) Globalization has evolved from
empowerment to a country, then to a company, and now to an
Individual.
2. (pg 15) Those who can create value thru
leadership, relationships and creativity will transform the
industry.
3. (pg 21) Work gets done where it can be done
most effectively and efficiently. It helps because it
frees up people and capital to do more creative, more
sophisticated work, and also deliver the end
product better, faster and cheaper to the end user.
4. (pg 153) One of the ways to a more reliable,
low cost delivery system is to replace inventory with
information.
5. (pg 302) How we educate our children/ourselves
is more important than how much we educate them/us.
6. (pg 564) People don’t change when you tell
them there is a better option, they change when they
have no other option.
7. (pg 565) People change when they see that
others, like themselves, have changed and benefited.
Hope it is beneficial for you all.
May you be happy and healthy always :D
Rgds,
Leh
The monk who sold his ferrari
Dear all,
Recently I read a book titled “The Monk who sold his ferrari” by Robin s Sharma, as recommended by WIM Book Club.
Attached are some of my thoughts of the book.
Personally, I find it philosophically based(as religion is not a suitable word here).
My own thoughts are :
1. Watch what u think, as it will attract the same energies/vibes. This can be done better thru meditation, by focusing your mind on something(e.g. breathing) on a regular basis.
2. Plan your day such that it is disciplined(e.g. do the same activities at the same time everyday, to reinforce the habit).
3. Lead a simple life (eg eat to sustain your body, and not to indulge in tasty food, well, not at least not everytime). Cut down on luxuries.
4. Exercise daily, something simple will do (e..g. yoga, taichi, walking) to keep your body healthy.
Hope it is beneficial for you all.
May you be happy and healthy always :D
Rgds,
Leh
Ps : please support my maiden work “The monk who sold his Iswara”, due to be out soon :P
Recently I read a book titled “The Monk who sold his ferrari” by Robin s Sharma, as recommended by WIM Book Club.
Attached are some of my thoughts of the book.
Personally, I find it philosophically based(as religion is not a suitable word here).
My own thoughts are :
1. Watch what u think, as it will attract the same energies/vibes. This can be done better thru meditation, by focusing your mind on something(e.g. breathing) on a regular basis.
2. Plan your day such that it is disciplined(e.g. do the same activities at the same time everyday, to reinforce the habit).
3. Lead a simple life (eg eat to sustain your body, and not to indulge in tasty food, well, not at least not everytime). Cut down on luxuries.
4. Exercise daily, something simple will do (e..g. yoga, taichi, walking) to keep your body healthy.
Hope it is beneficial for you all.
May you be happy and healthy always :D
Rgds,
Leh
Ps : please support my maiden work “The monk who sold his Iswara”, due to be out soon :P
The power of Now
Dear all,
Recently I read a great book, titled “The Power of
Now”, and would like to share some of its points.
I would also like to thank Bhante Aggacita of SBS
Taiping (http://www.sasanarakkha.org/) for generously
loaning me the book.
I hope it will be beneficial to you.
1. Learn to live with pain, and use it to root us in
the present, rather than to avoid pain.
2. Nothing exists outside the Now.
3. All problems are illusions of the mind – its about
realizing there
are “no” problems, only situations –
to be dealt with now, or to be left alone and accepted
“as it is” (now), or wait until it can be dealt with.
4. Unhappiness = Past – resisting what happened in the
past, Now – resisting what it is now, Future – hoping
for a better future, and denial of Now.
5. The choice is in your hands, to choose suffering of
peace (Now).
6. Act out of present moment awareness – whatever you
do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care and
love, even the most simplest action.
7. Do not be attached to the fruits of action, success
or failure, not depend on future for fulfillment.
8. You don’t demand the situation or people to make
you happy, and suffer when they don’t.
9. To KNOW that you are not present is a great
success.
10. The words are not the Truth, they merely point to
it.
11. True salvation is a state of freedom – from
desires and
suffering, past and future.
12. The greatest catalyst for change in a relationship
is complete acceptance of your partner, without
judgement or change.
13. When you achieved freedom, you gave up the
relationship with yourself, and all the other
relationships became love relationships.
May you be well and happy always !
Regards,
Lee Ek Hau
( Saccesi )
Recently I read a great book, titled “The Power of
Now”, and would like to share some of its points.
I would also like to thank Bhante Aggacita of SBS
Taiping (http://www.sasanarakkha.org/) for generously
loaning me the book.
I hope it will be beneficial to you.
1. Learn to live with pain, and use it to root us in
the present, rather than to avoid pain.
2. Nothing exists outside the Now.
3. All problems are illusions of the mind – its about
realizing there
are “no” problems, only situations –
to be dealt with now, or to be left alone and accepted
“as it is” (now), or wait until it can be dealt with.
4. Unhappiness = Past – resisting what happened in the
past, Now – resisting what it is now, Future – hoping
for a better future, and denial of Now.
5. The choice is in your hands, to choose suffering of
peace (Now).
6. Act out of present moment awareness – whatever you
do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care and
love, even the most simplest action.
7. Do not be attached to the fruits of action, success
or failure, not depend on future for fulfillment.
8. You don’t demand the situation or people to make
you happy, and suffer when they don’t.
9. To KNOW that you are not present is a great
success.
10. The words are not the Truth, they merely point to
it.
11. True salvation is a state of freedom – from
desires and
suffering, past and future.
12. The greatest catalyst for change in a relationship
is complete acceptance of your partner, without
judgement or change.
13. When you achieved freedom, you gave up the
relationship with yourself, and all the other
relationships became love relationships.
May you be well and happy always !
Regards,
Lee Ek Hau
( Saccesi )
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
mama mia
Had a fun time watching the movie “Mama Mia”, and laughed, and nearly cried.
The songs are all so lovely written, and the script just tie in with the lyrics and the mood of the song, eg “money, money, money” - to complain not enuff $$, , “chiquitita” while meryl streep was crying, “dancing queen” - to cheer her up, and the others.
Meryl streep and her doter sang nicely with their siren voices, but pierce brosnan croaked like a toad. I think i can do better than him. Just that he's more macho, handsome looking, mature, stylish, etc..than me.
The 3 good frens reminded me of 3 good frens in sg, namely streep for sn, tall aunty for jf, and the cute and funny short aunty of ml.
I wanted to learn the song “our last summer” to make gals swoon, and will polish my guitar skills, when i'm free....
“slipping thru my fingers” nearly made me cry, as streep dresses her doter up, to give her away on her wedding....can feel the devotion she has for her doter, and the feeling that whatever she do is always not enuff, and her doter is now fully grown up, and has a mind of her own, which she will never fully understand. Though reluctant, she will have to let go of her doter, as she always wants the best for her, which is for her to do what she wants, to pursue her dreams.
The ending is also a nice surprise. All in, a superb movie :-D
The songs are all so lovely written, and the script just tie in with the lyrics and the mood of the song, eg “money, money, money” - to complain not enuff $$, , “chiquitita” while meryl streep was crying, “dancing queen” - to cheer her up, and the others.
Meryl streep and her doter sang nicely with their siren voices, but pierce brosnan croaked like a toad. I think i can do better than him. Just that he's more macho, handsome looking, mature, stylish, etc..than me.
The 3 good frens reminded me of 3 good frens in sg, namely streep for sn, tall aunty for jf, and the cute and funny short aunty of ml.
I wanted to learn the song “our last summer” to make gals swoon, and will polish my guitar skills, when i'm free....
“slipping thru my fingers” nearly made me cry, as streep dresses her doter up, to give her away on her wedding....can feel the devotion she has for her doter, and the feeling that whatever she do is always not enuff, and her doter is now fully grown up, and has a mind of her own, which she will never fully understand. Though reluctant, she will have to let go of her doter, as she always wants the best for her, which is for her to do what she wants, to pursue her dreams.
The ending is also a nice surprise. All in, a superb movie :-D
centurion principles - part 4 (end)
Read the last few chapters, and its about the American Civil War generals, Robert E. Lee, Ulysess Grant, and President Lincoln.
The 3 of them were honored and revered by both comrades and enemies alike, because they share 1 common trait – compassion.
Lee denied the offer by president Lincoln to lead the Union army, as his hometown is the Confederates. He cant bear to kill his own neighbours and kampung people. He went on to lead the Confederates and surrendered gracefully later and urged the South to reconcile peacefully with the North.
Grant was known for his compassion, both to his soldiers, and even to enemy soldiers. He always accept surrenders, and tended to the wounded enemies and civilians immediately after each battle.
Lincoln never gives orders to his generals from his office in White House, and visits the soldiers frequently. He believes in trusting the generals to make the best decisions, and is good at making his point across using stories.
This is also similar to the famous Chinese general, Yue Fei (岳飞), who once said that the 5 criterias a general must possess are Compassion, Honour, Knowledge, Bravery, Discipline (仁信智勇严), and not one less. Loyal to the country till his wrongful execution, he remains an idol for all till this day.
Right, time to look for new book to read :-)
The 3 of them were honored and revered by both comrades and enemies alike, because they share 1 common trait – compassion.
Lee denied the offer by president Lincoln to lead the Union army, as his hometown is the Confederates. He cant bear to kill his own neighbours and kampung people. He went on to lead the Confederates and surrendered gracefully later and urged the South to reconcile peacefully with the North.
Grant was known for his compassion, both to his soldiers, and even to enemy soldiers. He always accept surrenders, and tended to the wounded enemies and civilians immediately after each battle.
Lincoln never gives orders to his generals from his office in White House, and visits the soldiers frequently. He believes in trusting the generals to make the best decisions, and is good at making his point across using stories.
This is also similar to the famous Chinese general, Yue Fei (岳飞), who once said that the 5 criterias a general must possess are Compassion, Honour, Knowledge, Bravery, Discipline (仁信智勇严), and not one less. Loyal to the country till his wrongful execution, he remains an idol for all till this day.
Right, time to look for new book to read :-)
centurion principles - part 3
Another interesting chapter is the one on Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the united states.
Early in his military career, he supplied volunteers with arms, and marched with them to the neighbouring state to prepare for attack from the british. After waiting for a few months, the attack never came, and he hired carts using his own money to help transport his sick volunteers back. I admired his persistence and toughness, and agreed with his nickname of as tough as “Old Hickory”. This prompted me to remain calm and patient while waiting for things to happen, as i imagined him waiting for few months without seeing any action.
The chapter on George Washington was equally inspiring too.
Being called to head the army against his wishes, he had to finished all his money, and ran into huge debts just to keep his company afloat. (this is similar to my case...) after the war, congress denied him any payments, and even his claims, and he was forced to go back to his farmland penniless.
His army even threatened to mutiny unless they were paid their overdue allowances. Being the nationalist, George washington feared for that, and made a speech to calm down his comrades. As he pulled out his speech paper, he squinted at it, and took out this glasses, addressing the crowd “gentlemen, you must permit me to put on my glasses, as i've not only grown grey, but nearly blind in my service to the country...”, at which his men teared, and the tension was difused.
He was later thrusted a greater burden, by being “forced” to become “President” by the congress, to lead the faltering nation to a firm footing.
His funeral oration stated him as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." , a truly fitting epitaph.
Hope its inspiring :-)
Early in his military career, he supplied volunteers with arms, and marched with them to the neighbouring state to prepare for attack from the british. After waiting for a few months, the attack never came, and he hired carts using his own money to help transport his sick volunteers back. I admired his persistence and toughness, and agreed with his nickname of as tough as “Old Hickory”. This prompted me to remain calm and patient while waiting for things to happen, as i imagined him waiting for few months without seeing any action.
The chapter on George Washington was equally inspiring too.
Being called to head the army against his wishes, he had to finished all his money, and ran into huge debts just to keep his company afloat. (this is similar to my case...) after the war, congress denied him any payments, and even his claims, and he was forced to go back to his farmland penniless.
His army even threatened to mutiny unless they were paid their overdue allowances. Being the nationalist, George washington feared for that, and made a speech to calm down his comrades. As he pulled out his speech paper, he squinted at it, and took out this glasses, addressing the crowd “gentlemen, you must permit me to put on my glasses, as i've not only grown grey, but nearly blind in my service to the country...”, at which his men teared, and the tension was difused.
He was later thrusted a greater burden, by being “forced” to become “President” by the congress, to lead the faltering nation to a firm footing.
His funeral oration stated him as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." , a truly fitting epitaph.
Hope its inspiring :-)
centurion principles - part 2
Read part 3 of “centurion principles”, about alexander the great, nothing much to trigger my tots, but part 4 on “Joan of Arc” was something different.
Though she helped lifted the siege at Orleans from the english, to the surprise and embarassment of more experienced generals, and crowned the king, she was later captured and sold to the English, who later burned her. The french king did nothing to help rescue or ransom her back.
This got me to think of some things :
1.Never brag about your achievements – keep a low profile, by showing off, we only caused our colleagues to be jealous, and superior to be irked. Whatever good you did can never be erased, though ppl tend to remember our bloopers and mistakes.
2.Step down at your height – Make way for others, and retreat when the going is great (急流勇退). There is no lack of great generals throughout the history of China, but few of them survived being killed by the Emperor. This was because they dont know when to retire, and continue to flex their muscles, even after their usage has expired (eg peace in the country, no more war), which irritated the maharaja, who then executed them.
Well....nuff babbling, hope its meaningful :)
Though she helped lifted the siege at Orleans from the english, to the surprise and embarassment of more experienced generals, and crowned the king, she was later captured and sold to the English, who later burned her. The french king did nothing to help rescue or ransom her back.
This got me to think of some things :
1.Never brag about your achievements – keep a low profile, by showing off, we only caused our colleagues to be jealous, and superior to be irked. Whatever good you did can never be erased, though ppl tend to remember our bloopers and mistakes.
2.Step down at your height – Make way for others, and retreat when the going is great (急流勇退). There is no lack of great generals throughout the history of China, but few of them survived being killed by the Emperor. This was because they dont know when to retire, and continue to flex their muscles, even after their usage has expired (eg peace in the country, no more war), which irritated the maharaja, who then executed them.
Well....nuff babbling, hope its meaningful :)
centurion principles - part 1
Heeding the call to read something substantial, i picked up a book titled “The Centurion Principles”, by Col. Jeff O' Leary, recommended by dad.
Its about leadership qualities, comprising of moral integrity, and doing what's right instead of what's easy, what's moral instead of what's legal. Historical examples of great leaders were given, with an analysis of their success, and failure.
Chapter one is about the Carthian general, Hannibal, who led a long and succesful campaign against the roman empire. His motto was “We'll either find a way, or make one.” He made a surprise attack by doing the impossible – crossing the Alps with his troops and elephants. Followed by tracking thru a swampland, and losing his eye in the next battle, and winning it. His peak achievement came when he routed the romans in Cannae, and sandwiched them and nearly annihilated the whole troop, with Scipio as one of the survivors.
But his pride and ego also caused his downfall.
Scipio, the survivor, rose thru the ranks, and learnt from the defeats under the hands of Hannibal. He then proposed a plan of attacking to defend (围魏救赵), by attacking the capital of Carthage, and thereby force Hannibal to retreat to defend his homeland in modern day Tunisia. Scipio managed to convinced the senate, and planned his attack with bold but pragmatic strategy.
He figured that supplies is the key to winning a war. And the first place he attacked in Carthage was the food supply depot. Hannibal was so sure of himself, that only a handful of soldiers were defending the supply port city. The city felled quickly, and Hannibal was in a defensive mode in a swift change of events.
Scipio then arranged for calvary reinforcements, and met Hannibal at a great battle. The reinforcements arrived in time, and Hannibal was defeated.
Moral of story :
1.dont brush away the impossible to hastily, as it might become a reality. In short, be prepared for anything.
2.Arrogance leads to complacency.
3.Learn from mistakes.
So far, i've only managed to cultivate point #1 occasionally, and points #2 and #3 are...well....something to be worked on continuously.
Chapter 3 is about alexander the great, which i've yet to read....
Its about leadership qualities, comprising of moral integrity, and doing what's right instead of what's easy, what's moral instead of what's legal. Historical examples of great leaders were given, with an analysis of their success, and failure.
Chapter one is about the Carthian general, Hannibal, who led a long and succesful campaign against the roman empire. His motto was “We'll either find a way, or make one.” He made a surprise attack by doing the impossible – crossing the Alps with his troops and elephants. Followed by tracking thru a swampland, and losing his eye in the next battle, and winning it. His peak achievement came when he routed the romans in Cannae, and sandwiched them and nearly annihilated the whole troop, with Scipio as one of the survivors.
But his pride and ego also caused his downfall.
Scipio, the survivor, rose thru the ranks, and learnt from the defeats under the hands of Hannibal. He then proposed a plan of attacking to defend (围魏救赵), by attacking the capital of Carthage, and thereby force Hannibal to retreat to defend his homeland in modern day Tunisia. Scipio managed to convinced the senate, and planned his attack with bold but pragmatic strategy.
He figured that supplies is the key to winning a war. And the first place he attacked in Carthage was the food supply depot. Hannibal was so sure of himself, that only a handful of soldiers were defending the supply port city. The city felled quickly, and Hannibal was in a defensive mode in a swift change of events.
Scipio then arranged for calvary reinforcements, and met Hannibal at a great battle. The reinforcements arrived in time, and Hannibal was defeated.
Moral of story :
1.dont brush away the impossible to hastily, as it might become a reality. In short, be prepared for anything.
2.Arrogance leads to complacency.
3.Learn from mistakes.
So far, i've only managed to cultivate point #1 occasionally, and points #2 and #3 are...well....something to be worked on continuously.
Chapter 3 is about alexander the great, which i've yet to read....
case 2 part 7 (end)
Part 7 – Finale
I arranged for “Big Dog” James, Michelle to come over my place that night. Setting up my webcam, I was able to get Miss Purple and Miss Tomato to join in. Unfortunately, Countess Yvonne cant join us. Her authority and professional testament as a physician will be helpful in lending weight on the evidences.
After serving beer to my guests, I presented them with my findings, explaining to them my gathering of facts, and the information I uncovered.
“Equagesic, from the phenazepine family, was used for the treatment of conditions where both pain and anxiety are present.” I made the concluding statements.
“It was the best-selling minor tranquilizer for a time, but has largely been replaced by the benzodiazepines, and banned in the UK since 2002.” With that I wrapped up my presentation.
Turning to the sobbing Michelle, I told her “Sorry, dear friend, but it seems your boyfriend died of a misadventure, due to overdosage of drugs.”
“ As no trace of alcohol or other sedatives are found in his blood, he cant be made drunk by Lydia. And the absence of physical marks on his body shows that no one tried to force the drugs on him.” I finished.
“Ok, bro, I’ll take over from here. Lydia will be released immediately.” With that, James escorted the sobbing Michelle out.
End of case #2.
Man, this story sucks, and I was forcing myself to finish it. We all already knew the cause of death early in the story, and no suspense at all. Guess I have no talent in this line, haha…
I arranged for “Big Dog” James, Michelle to come over my place that night. Setting up my webcam, I was able to get Miss Purple and Miss Tomato to join in. Unfortunately, Countess Yvonne cant join us. Her authority and professional testament as a physician will be helpful in lending weight on the evidences.
After serving beer to my guests, I presented them with my findings, explaining to them my gathering of facts, and the information I uncovered.
“Equagesic, from the phenazepine family, was used for the treatment of conditions where both pain and anxiety are present.” I made the concluding statements.
“It was the best-selling minor tranquilizer for a time, but has largely been replaced by the benzodiazepines, and banned in the UK since 2002.” With that I wrapped up my presentation.
Turning to the sobbing Michelle, I told her “Sorry, dear friend, but it seems your boyfriend died of a misadventure, due to overdosage of drugs.”
“ As no trace of alcohol or other sedatives are found in his blood, he cant be made drunk by Lydia. And the absence of physical marks on his body shows that no one tried to force the drugs on him.” I finished.
“Ok, bro, I’ll take over from here. Lydia will be released immediately.” With that, James escorted the sobbing Michelle out.
End of case #2.
Man, this story sucks, and I was forcing myself to finish it. We all already knew the cause of death early in the story, and no suspense at all. Guess I have no talent in this line, haha…
case 2 part 6
Part 6 – Blood
The next morning, I met up “Big Dog” James to get a blood sample of Brulee for testing. Stopping at the International Hospital, I called up my lab technician friend, Cik Aishah, and asked her to help analyse the blood for levels of meprobamate present.
Finishing my donut and coffee 2 hours later, I met up Cik Aishah to get the blood test results.
“Sticky” she started. “Whose sample is this? Its loaded with more than 25mg percent of meprobamate !”
“Huh? Can you explain it in lay man’s terms?” I requested politely.
“Ok. 0.5 to 2.0 mg percent represents the usual blood-level range of meprobamate after therapeutic doses. The level may occasionally be as high as 3.0 mg percent. “
“Ok. Noted. Please continue” I scribbled it down in my notes.
“A 3 to 10 mg percent usually corresponds to findings of mild-to-moderate symptoms of overdosage, such as stupor or light coma.”she continued.
“Uh-huh.”
“And 10 to 20 mg percent usually corresponds to deeper coma, requiring more intensive treatment Some fatalities may occur at this stage. “
“And?”
“At levels greater than 20 mg percent, more fatalities than survivals can be expected. What happened to this person? Your friend?” She asked.
“Well…he WAS my idol.” I replied.
“Terima kasih.” I thanked her and left.
To be continued…
The next morning, I met up “Big Dog” James to get a blood sample of Brulee for testing. Stopping at the International Hospital, I called up my lab technician friend, Cik Aishah, and asked her to help analyse the blood for levels of meprobamate present.
Finishing my donut and coffee 2 hours later, I met up Cik Aishah to get the blood test results.
“Sticky” she started. “Whose sample is this? Its loaded with more than 25mg percent of meprobamate !”
“Huh? Can you explain it in lay man’s terms?” I requested politely.
“Ok. 0.5 to 2.0 mg percent represents the usual blood-level range of meprobamate after therapeutic doses. The level may occasionally be as high as 3.0 mg percent. “
“Ok. Noted. Please continue” I scribbled it down in my notes.
“A 3 to 10 mg percent usually corresponds to findings of mild-to-moderate symptoms of overdosage, such as stupor or light coma.”she continued.
“Uh-huh.”
“And 10 to 20 mg percent usually corresponds to deeper coma, requiring more intensive treatment Some fatalities may occur at this stage. “
“And?”
“At levels greater than 20 mg percent, more fatalities than survivals can be expected. What happened to this person? Your friend?” She asked.
“Well…he WAS my idol.” I replied.
“Terima kasih.” I thanked her and left.
To be continued…
case 2 part 5
this is the only part which made senior laffed...and she even wanted to claim royalty from me ! cos she said i plagiarised her conversations with me..man..i cant even earn a decent living thru writing..and have to pay out royalties some more, kekeke... :P
Part 5 – Drugs
Later that night, i was lucky to meet a few of my medical field friends online.
A quick check with Miss Purple and Miss Tomato of the Federal Regulation Bureau confirms that the drug Equagesic contains meprobamate. Miss Purple added that overdosage of meprobamate results in hemorrhagic manifestations, which in lay man terms means profuse internal bleeding. The internal bleeding may then overflow, causing the patient to appear like external bleeding, with blood all over the patients' face.
Miss Tomato also added that suicidal attempts with meprobamate have resulted in drowsiness, lethargy, stupor, coma, shock and respiratory collapse. Some suicidal attempts have been fatal.
Meeting high school crush Countess Yvonne online, i asked her the details of the drug effects.
“Aiyo, why you so ignorant? Which planet have you been living on? Wake up !” she typed dynamically before proceeding to explain the details.
I counter checked on some points which eluded my limited intelligence with her again.
“Jia lat ! You are so cacat ! “ she scolded, and again repeated the details patiently.
“If no more questions, i gotta go and prepare for a presentation tomorrow. Bye and take care.”she ended the session.
I think its tough for her staying at Translyvania, and i am always warmed by her style of fiery outset, but friendly inside.
Tired out, but feeling great that i've made good progress, i slumped on the thin mattress and was asleep before i hit the pillow....zzzz....
to be continued...
Part 5 – Drugs
Later that night, i was lucky to meet a few of my medical field friends online.
A quick check with Miss Purple and Miss Tomato of the Federal Regulation Bureau confirms that the drug Equagesic contains meprobamate. Miss Purple added that overdosage of meprobamate results in hemorrhagic manifestations, which in lay man terms means profuse internal bleeding. The internal bleeding may then overflow, causing the patient to appear like external bleeding, with blood all over the patients' face.
Miss Tomato also added that suicidal attempts with meprobamate have resulted in drowsiness, lethargy, stupor, coma, shock and respiratory collapse. Some suicidal attempts have been fatal.
Meeting high school crush Countess Yvonne online, i asked her the details of the drug effects.
“Aiyo, why you so ignorant? Which planet have you been living on? Wake up !” she typed dynamically before proceeding to explain the details.
I counter checked on some points which eluded my limited intelligence with her again.
“Jia lat ! You are so cacat ! “ she scolded, and again repeated the details patiently.
“If no more questions, i gotta go and prepare for a presentation tomorrow. Bye and take care.”she ended the session.
I think its tough for her staying at Translyvania, and i am always warmed by her style of fiery outset, but friendly inside.
Tired out, but feeling great that i've made good progress, i slumped on the thin mattress and was asleep before i hit the pillow....zzzz....
to be continued...
case 2 part 4
Part 4 - Another P.I.
I called up another like minded P.I., Miss Win for assistance. She shares the same passion for writing with me, and even featured me in a few of her blogs. Hope i can return the favor to her one of these days, after I retired.
Miss Win will help me to dig up the past of Lydia, and her connections with Vanila Brulee. I needed to be sure of Lydia’s credentials, and Win is the gal for the job. Its gonna be a win-win situation for all.
“Teet, Teet” my handphone rang. Expecting it to be Win, I answered it. Turns out to be my friendly banker, Miss Eve.
“M. Sticky, I might have a solution for your financial woes.”answered the sweet voice at the other end.
“Ya? “ I replied enthusiastically. For a man who’s ear deep in debts, any news is good news.
“You can contact my friend, Mr. Sam , and just tell her I referred you. You’ll get “special” rates from him.”she giggled.
“Right. Thanks. And…”never giving up, I tried asking her for lunch again.
“Have a nice day !” Tuuut, tuuut, tuuut, the handphone screamed. Better luck next time, I mumbled.
Having a long day, I drove back to my shabby den at 222 A, Oven Street. As I was opening the door, Win called, and confirmed that all Lydia told me was true. Guess that closed the lead on Lydia.
“Psst”, I opened a can of beer, and tried to figure things out, before dozing off.
To be continued..
I called up another like minded P.I., Miss Win for assistance. She shares the same passion for writing with me, and even featured me in a few of her blogs. Hope i can return the favor to her one of these days, after I retired.
Miss Win will help me to dig up the past of Lydia, and her connections with Vanila Brulee. I needed to be sure of Lydia’s credentials, and Win is the gal for the job. Its gonna be a win-win situation for all.
“Teet, Teet” my handphone rang. Expecting it to be Win, I answered it. Turns out to be my friendly banker, Miss Eve.
“M. Sticky, I might have a solution for your financial woes.”answered the sweet voice at the other end.
“Ya? “ I replied enthusiastically. For a man who’s ear deep in debts, any news is good news.
“You can contact my friend, Mr. Sam , and just tell her I referred you. You’ll get “special” rates from him.”she giggled.
“Right. Thanks. And…”never giving up, I tried asking her for lunch again.
“Have a nice day !” Tuuut, tuuut, tuuut, the handphone screamed. Better luck next time, I mumbled.
Having a long day, I drove back to my shabby den at 222 A, Oven Street. As I was opening the door, Win called, and confirmed that all Lydia told me was true. Guess that closed the lead on Lydia.
“Psst”, I opened a can of beer, and tried to figure things out, before dozing off.
To be continued..
case 2 part 3
Part 3 – Lydia
The police lockup reeked of overnight faeces's stench, and i braced myself and held my breath before walking in.
“Anything i can help you, tuan?” a constable blocked my entrance.
“Ah, selamat pagi, tuan, i'm Anjing Besar James punya kawan, nak jumpa cik Lydia...” i explained.
“Oh, like that lar, come on in.”and he led me in, and sat me before leading Lydia out to meet me in the lockup room, bare except for a long table and 2 chairs.
Lydia looked haggard for a blonde of her age. The tears on her face have not dried up, leaving streaks along her pretty cheek. Her big blue eyes seemed so innocent, and oh, so so pitiful. I cleared my mind, and remembered Detective handbook rule #3 : No emotions.
“Miss Lydia,” i began as she sat opposite me.
“Y-yes?” she stammered.
“Tell me something about Equagesic.”i went straight to the point.
“Oh...it's used by Brulee as a treatment for his anxiety and stress.” she began. “As an actor, he faces lots of stress, from all sides. Director, producer, fans, even his girlfriend Michelle. That's why sometimes he meets me up, to confide his problems to me.”
“Your relation to him..?”i queried as she paused.
“Oh...we're good friends since university days. He would teach me kung-fu, and we would talk about philosophy, the course we're doing at that time. That was before he met Michelle during one of her yoga classes, and won her heart with his Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon moves.”
After some more note taking, i left and picked up my phone to dial a number.
To be continued....
The police lockup reeked of overnight faeces's stench, and i braced myself and held my breath before walking in.
“Anything i can help you, tuan?” a constable blocked my entrance.
“Ah, selamat pagi, tuan, i'm Anjing Besar James punya kawan, nak jumpa cik Lydia...” i explained.
“Oh, like that lar, come on in.”and he led me in, and sat me before leading Lydia out to meet me in the lockup room, bare except for a long table and 2 chairs.
Lydia looked haggard for a blonde of her age. The tears on her face have not dried up, leaving streaks along her pretty cheek. Her big blue eyes seemed so innocent, and oh, so so pitiful. I cleared my mind, and remembered Detective handbook rule #3 : No emotions.
“Miss Lydia,” i began as she sat opposite me.
“Y-yes?” she stammered.
“Tell me something about Equagesic.”i went straight to the point.
“Oh...it's used by Brulee as a treatment for his anxiety and stress.” she began. “As an actor, he faces lots of stress, from all sides. Director, producer, fans, even his girlfriend Michelle. That's why sometimes he meets me up, to confide his problems to me.”
“Your relation to him..?”i queried as she paused.
“Oh...we're good friends since university days. He would teach me kung-fu, and we would talk about philosophy, the course we're doing at that time. That was before he met Michelle during one of her yoga classes, and won her heart with his Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon moves.”
After some more note taking, i left and picked up my phone to dial a number.
To be continued....
case 2 part 2
Part 2 – Crime Scene
I arrived in front of Nine Dragon Inn, a shabby rest house in downtown. Walking up the stairs with unknown smells, i reached Room 118.
The door was opened, and “Big Dog” James was sitting on the bed.
“You're late.” he growled, with a cigarette between his teeth.
“Sorry, took me a while to find this place.”i answered, and rejected his offer of ciggies, feeling sick of the smell, and the dryness it causes in my throat.
“Tis the pictures we took last night. Man, you better not be on a full stomach, else you cant stomach this.”saying which he tossed a stack of pictures on the bed.
It looked gross. With the head of Vanilla Brulee bloated up, smeared with blood all over. Blood was coming out everywhere, and i nearly puked out my breakfast of roti canai and the tarik.
“What else have you got?” i asked.
“We found this bottle of drug on the floor.”he handed me a white bottle with colorful labelling, just like any other vitamin pill bottles you see everywhere. Only this one is a bit different. On it was written “ Equagesic”.
“Man, this was banned in the UK in 2002.”i looked at him and told him. “Any other thing?”
James shrugged, and said “Oh yeah, we put the blonde who was with him in custody. Name's Lydia, and she's renting this room. Seems she's a good friend of Brulee.”
“Can i see her after this?”
“Ya, since you're good friends with our police director, Tan Sri Thayalan.” Yup, Thayalan and i shared the same room in oil palm estates during our younger days, and he had since progressed ahead, way ahead of me, since we parted ways, mostly due to his diligence and intelligence.
“Ok, i owe you one, bro. Arigatou. Supper's on me next time.”
“Dou itachi mashite.” he replied.
With that, i left to meet Lydia.
Note : Arigatou = Thank you (in japanese)
Dou itachi mashite = you're welcome (in japanese)
To be continued...
I arrived in front of Nine Dragon Inn, a shabby rest house in downtown. Walking up the stairs with unknown smells, i reached Room 118.
The door was opened, and “Big Dog” James was sitting on the bed.
“You're late.” he growled, with a cigarette between his teeth.
“Sorry, took me a while to find this place.”i answered, and rejected his offer of ciggies, feeling sick of the smell, and the dryness it causes in my throat.
“Tis the pictures we took last night. Man, you better not be on a full stomach, else you cant stomach this.”saying which he tossed a stack of pictures on the bed.
It looked gross. With the head of Vanilla Brulee bloated up, smeared with blood all over. Blood was coming out everywhere, and i nearly puked out my breakfast of roti canai and the tarik.
“What else have you got?” i asked.
“We found this bottle of drug on the floor.”he handed me a white bottle with colorful labelling, just like any other vitamin pill bottles you see everywhere. Only this one is a bit different. On it was written “ Equagesic”.
“Man, this was banned in the UK in 2002.”i looked at him and told him. “Any other thing?”
James shrugged, and said “Oh yeah, we put the blonde who was with him in custody. Name's Lydia, and she's renting this room. Seems she's a good friend of Brulee.”
“Can i see her after this?”
“Ya, since you're good friends with our police director, Tan Sri Thayalan.” Yup, Thayalan and i shared the same room in oil palm estates during our younger days, and he had since progressed ahead, way ahead of me, since we parted ways, mostly due to his diligence and intelligence.
“Ok, i owe you one, bro. Arigatou. Supper's on me next time.”
“Dou itachi mashite.” he replied.
With that, i left to meet Lydia.
Note : Arigatou = Thank you (in japanese)
Dou itachi mashite = you're welcome (in japanese)
To be continued...
detective story - case 2 part 1
a sequel to my detective tales, though i think it sucks, as i'm tied down to the ending, and have to force myself to finish it...better story in part 3...hehe.. :P
Part 1 – Sore throat
Sore throat. It’s bugging me since last night. Thanks to me for forgetting to bring along water during my badminton session. I was lamenting my condition to Lilliane online when my handphone vibrated. It’s from Michelle, my analyst friend who works in the multinational 3N.
“Moshi-moshi, konbanwa” i picked it up.
“Uh..huh..huh…sniff..sniff…”someone was sobbing at the other end.
“Nan desuka?” I asked.
“Its…Its my boyfriend, he’s found dead with blood all over his face in a lady’s room….uh….huh….”Michelle managed to mumbled out between sobs.
Vanilla Brulee the kungfu superstar dead? It cant be, she must have made a mistake somewhere.
After coaxing her, I managed to outline the details as follows :
Deceased : Vanilla Brulee
Place of death : Nine Dragon Inn, Room 118
Suspect : Miss Lydia, Brulee’s good friend, who’s currently renting the room
I’m lucky that my friend “Big Dog” James is handling the case. After consoling Michelle as best I could, I ranged up James, and arranged to meet him tomorrow.
To be continued…
Note : Moshi-moshi = hello (in Japanese)
Konbanwa = good evening (in Japanese)
Nan desuka = what is it (in Japanese)
Part 1 – Sore throat
Sore throat. It’s bugging me since last night. Thanks to me for forgetting to bring along water during my badminton session. I was lamenting my condition to Lilliane online when my handphone vibrated. It’s from Michelle, my analyst friend who works in the multinational 3N.
“Moshi-moshi, konbanwa” i picked it up.
“Uh..huh..huh…sniff..sniff…”someone was sobbing at the other end.
“Nan desuka?” I asked.
“Its…Its my boyfriend, he’s found dead with blood all over his face in a lady’s room….uh….huh….”Michelle managed to mumbled out between sobs.
Vanilla Brulee the kungfu superstar dead? It cant be, she must have made a mistake somewhere.
After coaxing her, I managed to outline the details as follows :
Deceased : Vanilla Brulee
Place of death : Nine Dragon Inn, Room 118
Suspect : Miss Lydia, Brulee’s good friend, who’s currently renting the room
I’m lucky that my friend “Big Dog” James is handling the case. After consoling Michelle as best I could, I ranged up James, and arranged to meet him tomorrow.
To be continued…
Note : Moshi-moshi = hello (in Japanese)
Konbanwa = good evening (in Japanese)
Nan desuka = what is it (in Japanese)
Wing Chun
Saw a movie trailer of “Ip Man” (叶问), sifu of bruce lee, and got inspired to learn the kung fu, Wing Chun (咏春). Went to a class, and got started. The master is good, and told me a lot about the theory, and i summarized it as follows :
1.Lineage is not important, we must be able to learn the most from the master.
2.How long you learn is not equal to how much effort you have put in.
I was happy with the progress, as i expected to do the squat for 3 months b4 sifu start to teach me anything, as what happened to bruce lee when he first started learning. Anyway, i also realized that the moves are similar to what i've learned in tai chi and praying mantis fist, seems that most kung fu boils down to the few basics, eg sticky hands (黏手) , maintaining own balance and disrupting opponent's balance.
Of course i dont plan to learn till i can defend myself from thugs, just hope that the reflexes training can help to increase my mental alertness, and be more faster in my everyday actions, eg thinking. And most importantly, refine my patience further....much more further, haha..
we'll see how long this lasts, hehe...
1.Lineage is not important, we must be able to learn the most from the master.
2.How long you learn is not equal to how much effort you have put in.
I was happy with the progress, as i expected to do the squat for 3 months b4 sifu start to teach me anything, as what happened to bruce lee when he first started learning. Anyway, i also realized that the moves are similar to what i've learned in tai chi and praying mantis fist, seems that most kung fu boils down to the few basics, eg sticky hands (黏手) , maintaining own balance and disrupting opponent's balance.
Of course i dont plan to learn till i can defend myself from thugs, just hope that the reflexes training can help to increase my mental alertness, and be more faster in my everyday actions, eg thinking. And most importantly, refine my patience further....much more further, haha..
we'll see how long this lasts, hehe...
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tots on Tomato
its tomato's bday today...and i called her...and the conversations ended in 3 mins...after greeting her, it went something like :
me : yo..you seem so busy lately...not even have time to say “hi” and “bye” to me online...
she : no lar..normal busy lar...
me : how are you celebrating today? Are you seeing someone? Or is someone after you?
She : why do you ask?
Me : just curious...
she : do i have to answer that?
Me : not if you dowan to...
she : ok. Dont ask me those questions, cos i also never ask you..
me : ok...ok..ya...alrite...take care then and bye.
been feeling empty whole day...and got a bit better after seeing my cute dentist....
now i'm composing my tots and feelings on her...and posting it in my blog ...
guess its the end of a chapter for me, and a new beginning for her :)
sigh...i got to know tomato online in frenster in 2007, just before CNY, and chatted with her online, and i jokingly told her that i'll go after her if i dun have a gf in msia..to which she said no, must consider her first....and that set my train of tots in motion...and i fell head over heels for her...though we've never met or talked on phone b4 !
Got her handphone number later, and racked up a bill on my credit card, which was solved later by her insisting me to call her using skype. We continued to sky for hours on end, and even played puzzle on msn while chatting...those were the days, haha...
not long after, our topics dried up..and she got nothing more to talk to me...guess her curiosity for me died away, hehe...
coming to think of it, i've been very inconsiderate and disrespectful of her..always annoying her, and offering nothing of help to her..asking silly questions...teasing her...man...i'm so pathethic ! ...
but now that (i think) she maybe seeing someone..i guess its time for me to move on...finally. Those promises which i made..to take her to klcc revolving restaurant, klang bak kut the, etc....shall remain as unfulfilled this life. And she'll be a gal which i have feel for, but never met b4..that alone entitles her to a special place in my heart, as long as i can remember it.
Read somewhere that feelings are due to contacts, and to cut off feelings, i have to cut off the contacts. So i shall delete her hp number, and her blog, and her online names. That way, my hands wont be itchy to click on it, and disturb her. And i will give up all dreams/hopes of meeting her, and leave the rest to fate.
Sent her this mail, along with countless poems, and a few cards during the hey days:
# 10 things I hate about you :
Dear lil tomato,
I am glad to know you, and am much influenced by ur positive attitude, cheerfulness, cuteness, ur interest in d dhamma (this is important to me, but it’s another story, will tell u next time :P ). However, there are 10 things that I hate about u :
1. I hate the way u make my heart leap when I meet u online.
2. I hate the way u make my heart sink when u r offline.
3. I hate the way u make me think of u when I m awake.
4. I hate the way u make me dream of u (sometimes), when I m asleep.
5. I hate the fact that u r in sg, n I in kl.
6. I hate the fact that u left an indelible mark in my heart.
7. I hate the fact that I m not ur chili sauce.
8. I hate the fact that I can’t use CH brand ketchup on my steak.
9. I hate the fact that I m attracted to a lil tomato, even thou I’ve never met her b4.
10. Lastly, I hate myself for hating u :P
(adapted from “The 10 things I hate about you”)
Having said that, I m thankful to know u in this lifetime : ). I must have done a lot of good deeds in my past :P
I hope to know more about u, n vice versa.
May u be happy n healthy always :D
Best wishes,
Leh #
so, here's wishing you a happy bday , and you shall be the tomato always :)
me : yo..you seem so busy lately...not even have time to say “hi” and “bye” to me online...
she : no lar..normal busy lar...
me : how are you celebrating today? Are you seeing someone? Or is someone after you?
She : why do you ask?
Me : just curious...
she : do i have to answer that?
Me : not if you dowan to...
she : ok. Dont ask me those questions, cos i also never ask you..
me : ok...ok..ya...alrite...take care then and bye.
been feeling empty whole day...and got a bit better after seeing my cute dentist....
now i'm composing my tots and feelings on her...and posting it in my blog ...
guess its the end of a chapter for me, and a new beginning for her :)
sigh...i got to know tomato online in frenster in 2007, just before CNY, and chatted with her online, and i jokingly told her that i'll go after her if i dun have a gf in msia..to which she said no, must consider her first....and that set my train of tots in motion...and i fell head over heels for her...though we've never met or talked on phone b4 !
Got her handphone number later, and racked up a bill on my credit card, which was solved later by her insisting me to call her using skype. We continued to sky for hours on end, and even played puzzle on msn while chatting...those were the days, haha...
not long after, our topics dried up..and she got nothing more to talk to me...guess her curiosity for me died away, hehe...
coming to think of it, i've been very inconsiderate and disrespectful of her..always annoying her, and offering nothing of help to her..asking silly questions...teasing her...man...i'm so pathethic ! ...
but now that (i think) she maybe seeing someone..i guess its time for me to move on...finally. Those promises which i made..to take her to klcc revolving restaurant, klang bak kut the, etc....shall remain as unfulfilled this life. And she'll be a gal which i have feel for, but never met b4..that alone entitles her to a special place in my heart, as long as i can remember it.
Read somewhere that feelings are due to contacts, and to cut off feelings, i have to cut off the contacts. So i shall delete her hp number, and her blog, and her online names. That way, my hands wont be itchy to click on it, and disturb her. And i will give up all dreams/hopes of meeting her, and leave the rest to fate.
Sent her this mail, along with countless poems, and a few cards during the hey days:
# 10 things I hate about you :
Dear lil tomato,
I am glad to know you, and am much influenced by ur positive attitude, cheerfulness, cuteness, ur interest in d dhamma (this is important to me, but it’s another story, will tell u next time :P ). However, there are 10 things that I hate about u :
1. I hate the way u make my heart leap when I meet u online.
2. I hate the way u make my heart sink when u r offline.
3. I hate the way u make me think of u when I m awake.
4. I hate the way u make me dream of u (sometimes), when I m asleep.
5. I hate the fact that u r in sg, n I in kl.
6. I hate the fact that u left an indelible mark in my heart.
7. I hate the fact that I m not ur chili sauce.
8. I hate the fact that I can’t use CH brand ketchup on my steak.
9. I hate the fact that I m attracted to a lil tomato, even thou I’ve never met her b4.
10. Lastly, I hate myself for hating u :P
(adapted from “The 10 things I hate about you”)
Having said that, I m thankful to know u in this lifetime : ). I must have done a lot of good deeds in my past :P
I hope to know more about u, n vice versa.
May u be happy n healthy always :D
Best wishes,
Leh #
so, here's wishing you a happy bday , and you shall be the tomato always :)
Monday, October 13, 2008
detective story - FAQs
F.A.Q.s (actually just some questions from fans and made up questions from myself, kekeke.. :P )
Q. Is the story based in Europe or KL ?
A. Actually, it started out in Europe, but I decided to put in places where my gal frens are staying, hence the random and far flung places, eg Sri petaling, Sheung Wan (Hong Kong), etc. The author apologise for the confusion caused. ;-P
Q. Is the story about a group of French speaking Malaysians in Europe, or French people in Malaysia?
A. In the beginning, I thought of flaunting my French, but turns out I know only a few words, and had to bring in the other languages and dialects, thus making it into a “rojak”. The author also wish to apologise for the foul languages used, and will monitor it closely in the future.
Q. Are the characters someone you know?
A. Ya, since I’m writing the story, might as well put in the gals I know. :-)
Q. Doesn’t the story have titles?
A. Sorry, at first I thought it’s gonna be a one off thing, only to have Michelle suggest a second plot, and it subsequently triggered off my wild imaginations. So, tentatively, the titles are :
Case #1 : Tear of the Nile (booooring )
Case #2 : Demise of a superstar (yawn..)
Case #3 : Fall to death / Tri Towers ( its seems I don’t have talent in making up titles, can anyone help? Miss Purple? Hehe…)
Case #4 : Kidnapped
Case #5 : Clean Up ( in draft mode )
Q. When will all this stories end?
A. Well, at first, I intended to kill off Sticky in case #4, cos I ran out of ideas liao. But Lilliane protested, and suggested that I sent him on a holiday in the Carribeans, so, I’ll see how it goes. Maybe extend his life one more case, and finish him off in case#5, haha…
Thanks for all the support, and bearing with me and my crazy imaginations - Lilliane, Michelle, senior(Countess Yvonne), Eve, Miss Purple and Miss tomato. :D
Q. Is the story based in Europe or KL ?
A. Actually, it started out in Europe, but I decided to put in places where my gal frens are staying, hence the random and far flung places, eg Sri petaling, Sheung Wan (Hong Kong), etc. The author apologise for the confusion caused. ;-P
Q. Is the story about a group of French speaking Malaysians in Europe, or French people in Malaysia?
A. In the beginning, I thought of flaunting my French, but turns out I know only a few words, and had to bring in the other languages and dialects, thus making it into a “rojak”. The author also wish to apologise for the foul languages used, and will monitor it closely in the future.
Q. Are the characters someone you know?
A. Ya, since I’m writing the story, might as well put in the gals I know. :-)
Q. Doesn’t the story have titles?
A. Sorry, at first I thought it’s gonna be a one off thing, only to have Michelle suggest a second plot, and it subsequently triggered off my wild imaginations. So, tentatively, the titles are :
Case #1 : Tear of the Nile (booooring )
Case #2 : Demise of a superstar (yawn..)
Case #3 : Fall to death / Tri Towers ( its seems I don’t have talent in making up titles, can anyone help? Miss Purple? Hehe…)
Case #4 : Kidnapped
Case #5 : Clean Up ( in draft mode )
Q. When will all this stories end?
A. Well, at first, I intended to kill off Sticky in case #4, cos I ran out of ideas liao. But Lilliane protested, and suggested that I sent him on a holiday in the Carribeans, so, I’ll see how it goes. Maybe extend his life one more case, and finish him off in case#5, haha…
Thanks for all the support, and bearing with me and my crazy imaginations - Lilliane, Michelle, senior(Countess Yvonne), Eve, Miss Purple and Miss tomato. :D
detective story - part 8
Part 8 – On a Sunday evening
On a sunday evening. I was relieved to get the dough by Madame Flauntine. With this, i ordered a table for 2, with seaside view, and birds of paradise as a gift for Lilliane.
I'm gonna take a break, till my next case turns up. “Riiing, Riiing,....” goes the ancient phone. Who is it at this hour?
“Hello, Sticky here.” i picked it up.
Its Miss Purple. She’s organizing a charity party, and invited me to attend. Though I still cant bear myself to see her together with her boyfriend, NigeR, I cant reject her personal invitation.
“Ok, I’ll be there.” And bought some lottery/lucky draw tickets. Its peanuts compared to the amount of money I’ve spent in casinos and buying lottery tickets and 4 D’s.
Putting down the phone, I was lazing on the sofa when, “Riiing, Riiing,....” goes the ancient phone again. Who can it be this time?
“Hello….”I spoke impatiently.
“Bonsoir, Monsieur Sticky, i'm Eve calling from Princess Bank,” replied a sweet voice. Ah, my friendly banker.
“Bonsoir, mademoiselle Eve.” I adjusted my tone to courteous mode.
“Your current account is overdrawn, please bank in 1,000 pounds before 9am monday morning.”
“Ok. Thanks. How about lunch on.... ? “ I ventured for the umpteenth time.
“Merci. Bonne Nuit.” Click. “tuuuut....” the phone went dead. I suppressed a french curse. Must i have 200,000 pounds to put in to Princess Bank fixed deposit before i can meet her ? You wait long long, my inner voice told me.
Anyway, i'm not gonna let it spoil my mood. I fixed myself a cup of hot Olim, recommended by my cardiac, Countess Yvonne, as she said it makes me strong and healthy, and put on the headphones to listen to Beyond's “Wide Sea, Open sky”, and play my strip mahjong with the computer. This is the best i can make of the pathetic life of a private investigator.
Note : Bonsoir = good evening
Merci = Thank You
Bonne Nuit = good night
Coming up next, Case #2, stay tuned….kekeke… ;-)
On a sunday evening. I was relieved to get the dough by Madame Flauntine. With this, i ordered a table for 2, with seaside view, and birds of paradise as a gift for Lilliane.
I'm gonna take a break, till my next case turns up. “Riiing, Riiing,....” goes the ancient phone. Who is it at this hour?
“Hello, Sticky here.” i picked it up.
Its Miss Purple. She’s organizing a charity party, and invited me to attend. Though I still cant bear myself to see her together with her boyfriend, NigeR, I cant reject her personal invitation.
“Ok, I’ll be there.” And bought some lottery/lucky draw tickets. Its peanuts compared to the amount of money I’ve spent in casinos and buying lottery tickets and 4 D’s.
Putting down the phone, I was lazing on the sofa when, “Riiing, Riiing,....” goes the ancient phone again. Who can it be this time?
“Hello….”I spoke impatiently.
“Bonsoir, Monsieur Sticky, i'm Eve calling from Princess Bank,” replied a sweet voice. Ah, my friendly banker.
“Bonsoir, mademoiselle Eve.” I adjusted my tone to courteous mode.
“Your current account is overdrawn, please bank in 1,000 pounds before 9am monday morning.”
“Ok. Thanks. How about lunch on.... ? “ I ventured for the umpteenth time.
“Merci. Bonne Nuit.” Click. “tuuuut....” the phone went dead. I suppressed a french curse. Must i have 200,000 pounds to put in to Princess Bank fixed deposit before i can meet her ? You wait long long, my inner voice told me.
Anyway, i'm not gonna let it spoil my mood. I fixed myself a cup of hot Olim, recommended by my cardiac, Countess Yvonne, as she said it makes me strong and healthy, and put on the headphones to listen to Beyond's “Wide Sea, Open sky”, and play my strip mahjong with the computer. This is the best i can make of the pathetic life of a private investigator.
Note : Bonsoir = good evening
Merci = Thank You
Bonne Nuit = good night
Coming up next, Case #2, stay tuned….kekeke… ;-)
detective story - part 7
Part 7 – Ending
“breet – breet, Ta – ta”, the tango music of my handphone rang. Who is it that calls on a sunday morning at 8? This had better be good. Mumbling incoherently, i picked it up.
“Hello?” i answered grumpily, at the same time bracing myself for some bad news.
“Monsieur Sticky ! Oh, you gotta come here now !” a shrill voice came over the phone.
“Mademoiselle Lilliane? What happened?” i put the phone a little farther from my ear, adjusting to the loud volume.
“Its Poodie, our poodle has gone missing !” Lilliane shrieked again.
“Huh? How can? Why like that? Mmmm....are you sure? Have you looked.....?”
“Yes it is ! Oh...her cage was broken, and she's gone ! Definitely someone stole her !” wailed Lilliane.
“Cool it, mademoiselle.....” what is it with dog lovers? Humans can even have enough to eat (including yours truly), and they're going mad over a poodle..pooh !
“Mmmmm.....” i hummed into the phone, buying some time to think. Could it be related to the case? Come Sticky, think, use your brain, my inner voice said.
You've been lazing too long, and now's the chance to earn your buck, the voice chided again.
Lemme think....Tear of Nile.....open french windows....Madame Bovarine the dog lover.... Mademoiselle Marine the struggling loyer.... Madame Mireille the M&A specialist...what is the connection?...Bingo ! Got it !
“Mdmsl Lilliane, give me half an hour, i'll be at your place.” I answered excitedly.
Crawling up from my mattress, i quickly changed and rushed to the car. Driving at my top speed, i reached Madame Mireille's place.
Hearing a dog whining inside, i gave the door a flying kick(as trained by senior), and charged into the room, just in time to see Mdm Mireille holding Poodie by the neck, and brandishing a evil looking dagger in the other hand.
“Sticky ! What the... ? How..? Nevermind ! I'll make short work of you first, and deal with the dog later !” she sneered.
Obviously she didnt know that i was trained in taekwondo and praying mantis fist 10 years ago.
Without another word, i stepped forward agilely using the Monkey steal Peach steps, closing the gap between us. Before she had time to react and recover from her astonishment, i flicked a Cobra chop at her dagger arm, disarming her, and gave her a Flying Slapping kick to her head.
I muttered a prayer of thanks for senior training me well, as Mdm Mireille slumped to the floor.
Tying her and Poodie up, i drove over to Mdm Flauntine's place. Lilliane was tearing but her sadness changed into utter surprised as i walked up the doorway, carrying Poodie in one arm, and Mdm Mireille slung over my back.
“Monsier Sticky ! How come...? What happened?” Lilliane queried.
“I dunno, let Mdm. Mireille explain for herself.” i replied tiredly. “Can i have some breakfast please? Sil-vous-plait? “
“Oh...sure ! Come on in! And oh Poodie ! I missed you so ! Muaks” With that, she kissed on the dog. Yucks.
After breakfast, I explained my hypotheses to Madame Flauntine. Its simple actually.
The guest must have slipped through the long and narrow french window, with the Tear of Nile, and force it down Poodie's throat. Therefore, when Poodie when missing, its obvious that the culprit came for the ruby. And from logical deduction :
1.Madame Bovarine is too rich to do this kind of thing. And, she's too fat to squeeze thru the narrow french windows.
2.Mademoiselle Marine is in financial debt, a strong suspect, but she's too weak to force the ruby down the dog's throat. Which brings us to
3.Madame Mireille, a medium built lady. Her motive will be to cash in the ruby, and used it to buy the stocks of the company that is going to be taken over, hence pushing its share price up.
Madame Mireille confessed to it all, and Madame Flauntine was gracious enough to let her off, on the grounds of their close friendship.
“Good job, monsieur Sticky.” my client praised.
“Oh, its nothing really. Just elementary, my dear Madame, elementary.” i replied with a low bow. Obviously, this is not my original line.
“I wouldnt have solve it without the prompt response from Mdmsl Lilliane.” i credited Lilliane with another low bow.
“Oh, i was just so worried about Poodie....”she blushed beet red.
“I'll send over your payment shortly. Now, if you''ll excuse me.” with that, Mdm Flauntine left, and i made my leave.
Note : Sil-vous-plait = if you please, if it pleases you
“breet – breet, Ta – ta”, the tango music of my handphone rang. Who is it that calls on a sunday morning at 8? This had better be good. Mumbling incoherently, i picked it up.
“Hello?” i answered grumpily, at the same time bracing myself for some bad news.
“Monsieur Sticky ! Oh, you gotta come here now !” a shrill voice came over the phone.
“Mademoiselle Lilliane? What happened?” i put the phone a little farther from my ear, adjusting to the loud volume.
“Its Poodie, our poodle has gone missing !” Lilliane shrieked again.
“Huh? How can? Why like that? Mmmm....are you sure? Have you looked.....?”
“Yes it is ! Oh...her cage was broken, and she's gone ! Definitely someone stole her !” wailed Lilliane.
“Cool it, mademoiselle.....” what is it with dog lovers? Humans can even have enough to eat (including yours truly), and they're going mad over a poodle..pooh !
“Mmmmm.....” i hummed into the phone, buying some time to think. Could it be related to the case? Come Sticky, think, use your brain, my inner voice said.
You've been lazing too long, and now's the chance to earn your buck, the voice chided again.
Lemme think....Tear of Nile.....open french windows....Madame Bovarine the dog lover.... Mademoiselle Marine the struggling loyer.... Madame Mireille the M&A specialist...what is the connection?...Bingo ! Got it !
“Mdmsl Lilliane, give me half an hour, i'll be at your place.” I answered excitedly.
Crawling up from my mattress, i quickly changed and rushed to the car. Driving at my top speed, i reached Madame Mireille's place.
Hearing a dog whining inside, i gave the door a flying kick(as trained by senior), and charged into the room, just in time to see Mdm Mireille holding Poodie by the neck, and brandishing a evil looking dagger in the other hand.
“Sticky ! What the... ? How..? Nevermind ! I'll make short work of you first, and deal with the dog later !” she sneered.
Obviously she didnt know that i was trained in taekwondo and praying mantis fist 10 years ago.
Without another word, i stepped forward agilely using the Monkey steal Peach steps, closing the gap between us. Before she had time to react and recover from her astonishment, i flicked a Cobra chop at her dagger arm, disarming her, and gave her a Flying Slapping kick to her head.
I muttered a prayer of thanks for senior training me well, as Mdm Mireille slumped to the floor.
Tying her and Poodie up, i drove over to Mdm Flauntine's place. Lilliane was tearing but her sadness changed into utter surprised as i walked up the doorway, carrying Poodie in one arm, and Mdm Mireille slung over my back.
“Monsier Sticky ! How come...? What happened?” Lilliane queried.
“I dunno, let Mdm. Mireille explain for herself.” i replied tiredly. “Can i have some breakfast please? Sil-vous-plait? “
“Oh...sure ! Come on in! And oh Poodie ! I missed you so ! Muaks” With that, she kissed on the dog. Yucks.
After breakfast, I explained my hypotheses to Madame Flauntine. Its simple actually.
The guest must have slipped through the long and narrow french window, with the Tear of Nile, and force it down Poodie's throat. Therefore, when Poodie when missing, its obvious that the culprit came for the ruby. And from logical deduction :
1.Madame Bovarine is too rich to do this kind of thing. And, she's too fat to squeeze thru the narrow french windows.
2.Mademoiselle Marine is in financial debt, a strong suspect, but she's too weak to force the ruby down the dog's throat. Which brings us to
3.Madame Mireille, a medium built lady. Her motive will be to cash in the ruby, and used it to buy the stocks of the company that is going to be taken over, hence pushing its share price up.
Madame Mireille confessed to it all, and Madame Flauntine was gracious enough to let her off, on the grounds of their close friendship.
“Good job, monsieur Sticky.” my client praised.
“Oh, its nothing really. Just elementary, my dear Madame, elementary.” i replied with a low bow. Obviously, this is not my original line.
“I wouldnt have solve it without the prompt response from Mdmsl Lilliane.” i credited Lilliane with another low bow.
“Oh, i was just so worried about Poodie....”she blushed beet red.
“I'll send over your payment shortly. Now, if you''ll excuse me.” with that, Mdm Flauntine left, and i made my leave.
Note : Sil-vous-plait = if you please, if it pleases you
detective story - part 6
Part 6 – Madame Mireille
After getting confirmation from Mdm. Mireille to the guardhouse, and scanning my car for suspicious looking weapons and packages, I was finally let in the gated community, after leaving my Identity card and driving license behind.
Mdm. Mireille sure is a high flyer, having succeeded in closing a lot of big deals in Initial Public Offerings(IPO’s), Mergers and Acquistions (M&A’s), working her guts out while I sleep and while my time away.
The BMW 7 series and Jaguar in her driveway looked monstrous compared to my tiny car. Her garden is well maintained, and I walked forward to ask the gardener who is watering the plants to announce my arrival.
“Excusez moi,….”
“Yes?...Oh, its you, M. Sticky !” I got a shock to realize that Mdm. Mireille is the gardener herself !
“Oh..bonsoir madame, my apologies to intrude you upon this late hour, but this is regarding Mdm. Flauntine’s ruby…”I recovered myself and went straight to the point.
“Ah, come on in, and we talk about it over dinner.”She invited.
“Bon appetite, madame.” I raised my glass of wine, and toasted her.
“Bon appetite, monsieur.” With that, we clinked our glasses, and tucked into dinner. Dinner was nice, with frois gras, Jelly duck as appetizer, followed by truffles, salmon in salsa sauce as main course. The sauce is something to be remembered, made from coriander, ginger, masala and a host of spices.
I started the topic again, when dessert of blue vein cheese and dark Venetian coffee is served.
“Hmmm…nice coffee. Thank you. Madame, now that we are finished…”I started after taking a sip at the strong coffee.
“M. Sticky, it is an insult to even suggest that I’m connected to the theft. As you can see, I’m loaded. Let’s put this matter aside, and talk about other things.”She cut me off curtly.
“Ah, well, if you insist, madame.” Detective handbook rule#2, Go with the flow. And I adhered to it religiously.
Mdm. Mireille rattled on her high profile deal on the merger of Lemon Brothers and Earnest & Old. It’s the deal of the century, with staggering amount of money involved. Not to mentioned the intricate share swaps, rights issues and Irredeemable Convertible Unsecured Loan Stock (ICULS) involved. She even lamented that had she the extra cash, she would buy up shares of Lemon Brothers. But as it is, she’s making tons of it now.
Finishing my financial lecture, I thanked her politely before leaving for home to arranged my notes.
Later that night, I chatted up Michelle, an analyst working for a multinational, 3N, for details on the M&A. She confirmed a positive yes, from her sources in the stock market. Rumours are running wild that the price may go up sky high. Before she can ask me on how to compensate her for her losses in gold spot trading, acted on my dumb advice, I told her I’m tired out tonight, and logged off.
Hitting my mattress, my thoughts wandered from the case to the gals, before I drifted to la la land.
To be continued…
After getting confirmation from Mdm. Mireille to the guardhouse, and scanning my car for suspicious looking weapons and packages, I was finally let in the gated community, after leaving my Identity card and driving license behind.
Mdm. Mireille sure is a high flyer, having succeeded in closing a lot of big deals in Initial Public Offerings(IPO’s), Mergers and Acquistions (M&A’s), working her guts out while I sleep and while my time away.
The BMW 7 series and Jaguar in her driveway looked monstrous compared to my tiny car. Her garden is well maintained, and I walked forward to ask the gardener who is watering the plants to announce my arrival.
“Excusez moi,….”
“Yes?...Oh, its you, M. Sticky !” I got a shock to realize that Mdm. Mireille is the gardener herself !
“Oh..bonsoir madame, my apologies to intrude you upon this late hour, but this is regarding Mdm. Flauntine’s ruby…”I recovered myself and went straight to the point.
“Ah, come on in, and we talk about it over dinner.”She invited.
“Bon appetite, madame.” I raised my glass of wine, and toasted her.
“Bon appetite, monsieur.” With that, we clinked our glasses, and tucked into dinner. Dinner was nice, with frois gras, Jelly duck as appetizer, followed by truffles, salmon in salsa sauce as main course. The sauce is something to be remembered, made from coriander, ginger, masala and a host of spices.
I started the topic again, when dessert of blue vein cheese and dark Venetian coffee is served.
“Hmmm…nice coffee. Thank you. Madame, now that we are finished…”I started after taking a sip at the strong coffee.
“M. Sticky, it is an insult to even suggest that I’m connected to the theft. As you can see, I’m loaded. Let’s put this matter aside, and talk about other things.”She cut me off curtly.
“Ah, well, if you insist, madame.” Detective handbook rule#2, Go with the flow. And I adhered to it religiously.
Mdm. Mireille rattled on her high profile deal on the merger of Lemon Brothers and Earnest & Old. It’s the deal of the century, with staggering amount of money involved. Not to mentioned the intricate share swaps, rights issues and Irredeemable Convertible Unsecured Loan Stock (ICULS) involved. She even lamented that had she the extra cash, she would buy up shares of Lemon Brothers. But as it is, she’s making tons of it now.
Finishing my financial lecture, I thanked her politely before leaving for home to arranged my notes.
Later that night, I chatted up Michelle, an analyst working for a multinational, 3N, for details on the M&A. She confirmed a positive yes, from her sources in the stock market. Rumours are running wild that the price may go up sky high. Before she can ask me on how to compensate her for her losses in gold spot trading, acted on my dumb advice, I told her I’m tired out tonight, and logged off.
Hitting my mattress, my thoughts wandered from the case to the gals, before I drifted to la la land.
To be continued…
detective story - part 5
Part 5 – Madamoiselle Marine
Sheung Wan is a nice suburb, not too bustling, and surrounded by hills and trees. The seaview is also quite nice. And the skyscrapers opposite make for a panoramic night view. Though the place cannot be compared to posh places like Mayfair, Holland road, Melbourne and Bangsar, but the atmosphere is warm and comfy with the likes of Birmingham/Steines, Bukit Batok/Ang Mo Kio, Adelaide and Teluk Pulai.
Taking the narrow flight of stairs up, I reached the door of Mdmsl Marine.
“Knock, knock”
“Lei kan(coming)….” A rough voice called out.
The door opened to a slim brunette, specky with freckles, in sleeveless shirt, and hot pants. Just my type. I would have devoured her right there and then, if I were not here for official business. The fact that she’s a lawyer also deterred my actions.
“Afternoon, hou2 mou1(how are you)?” I greeted.
“Hou2 lei1 sei2 yan3 tau3 (good your dead head)!” she cursed. “I’m in the middle of preparing for my bar exams, and what the hell do you think you’re doing? “
Before I can speak a word, she interrupted with her fiery lash again.
“Mister, you have the right to remain silent, but whatever you say will be used against you!”
That reminds me to consult my panel of legal advisors before meeting any lawyer next time.
“No, I didn’t do it. And even if I did, I wouldn’t do it that way, and put myself in the list of obvious suspects. I know all the loopholes in law, and a few judges too.”
Somehow, my mind ran a bit wild on some lewd thoughts of fat judges and her. Sigh, I don’t call myself hamsap for nothing.
“And if you have nothing else to add, buzz off”. Slam ! The door slammed at my face, followed by silent obscene Cantonese curses by me, sending regards to her ancestors.
I cant help but remember my 2nd ex, who’s forever busy. Bless her, wherever she may be, and all the best in her future.
Well, at least it gives me some time to go back and have a nap before meeting Mdm. Mireille for dinner tonight.
Sheung Wan is a nice suburb, not too bustling, and surrounded by hills and trees. The seaview is also quite nice. And the skyscrapers opposite make for a panoramic night view. Though the place cannot be compared to posh places like Mayfair, Holland road, Melbourne and Bangsar, but the atmosphere is warm and comfy with the likes of Birmingham/Steines, Bukit Batok/Ang Mo Kio, Adelaide and Teluk Pulai.
Taking the narrow flight of stairs up, I reached the door of Mdmsl Marine.
“Knock, knock”
“Lei kan(coming)….” A rough voice called out.
The door opened to a slim brunette, specky with freckles, in sleeveless shirt, and hot pants. Just my type. I would have devoured her right there and then, if I were not here for official business. The fact that she’s a lawyer also deterred my actions.
“Afternoon, hou2 mou1(how are you)?” I greeted.
“Hou2 lei1 sei2 yan3 tau3 (good your dead head)!” she cursed. “I’m in the middle of preparing for my bar exams, and what the hell do you think you’re doing? “
Before I can speak a word, she interrupted with her fiery lash again.
“Mister, you have the right to remain silent, but whatever you say will be used against you!”
That reminds me to consult my panel of legal advisors before meeting any lawyer next time.
“No, I didn’t do it. And even if I did, I wouldn’t do it that way, and put myself in the list of obvious suspects. I know all the loopholes in law, and a few judges too.”
Somehow, my mind ran a bit wild on some lewd thoughts of fat judges and her. Sigh, I don’t call myself hamsap for nothing.
“And if you have nothing else to add, buzz off”. Slam ! The door slammed at my face, followed by silent obscene Cantonese curses by me, sending regards to her ancestors.
I cant help but remember my 2nd ex, who’s forever busy. Bless her, wherever she may be, and all the best in her future.
Well, at least it gives me some time to go back and have a nap before meeting Mdm. Mireille for dinner tonight.
detective story - part 4
Part 4 - Madame Bovarine
“Cuckoo, cuckoo....” the alarm of my handphone rang. I reached over, and wanted to press the snooze button, but decided against it. Today's a long day for me, and i don't want to be late with the breakfast appointment. Especially with Madame Bovarine, the socialite tai-tai.
I reached the Sri Petaling dim sum shop at 8am. Its easy to spot her actually. A fat lady sitting on a big table, pile up with all sorts of dim sum you can imagine – Shark's fin, abalone, bird's nest, crabmeat, prawn ball, crusty egg tart, fried yam(wu kok) , pan fried carrot cake(lor bak gou), steamed pork bun(char siew pau), chicken's sweet rice(lor mai kai), and a host of mouth-watering tibits i cant name.
With a wave towards her, i waited for her to gesture to me before sitting down. The huge man in black standing behind her looks menacing in his dark glasses. Why must body guards always have a typical look? That's when i noticed a sleek man, with nicely creamed hair, in white, sitting nearby. Ah, so the urban legend that rich and famous usually have a pair of bodyguards is true afterall. Black white two kill (Hei1 Bai2 shuang1 sa4). The way he looked at me seems as if i'm stripped naked by his eyes. Aargh, disgusting and unnerving.
“Oomph...you mast be mister sickee....” the fat lady mumbled with her mouthful of food.
“Kam, hef sam ting to eet...” she said, while licking at her oily fingers, studded with ornamental rings. I feel like facing a big vase, and quickly brought my attention back to the present.
“Ah, good morning, and thank you, Madam.”
“Ah Kau, ask them to ta pau(take away) this, this and this for George.” the tai tai ordered her bodyguard.
“Taking back for your husband? How lovely” i squeezed out a weak smile.
“NO lar ! Its for my loyal dog....”she scowled.
“Oh..sorry, Madam...”
“Listen to me, i know why you are here today, so i'm not going to let you waste my time...”she began.
“I didnt steal the ruby, and i dont have to, i have tons of them.....”
I nodded my head. Detective handbook rule #1 : Listening gains more information than talking.
“You know ar? I went for the party becos i give face to Flauntine..she think she what ar? If not becos her cook can serve great sweet and sour fish, i also no time to “layan” her...”
Still nodding, i began taking notes mentally.
“Plus, i also share a company with Flauntine...”
“You mean you are both partners”
“Aberthen(meaning : what do you think?) ? You think i pray pray ar....”
“No, madam, please continue...”waving my hands, i motioned for her to proceed.
“Flauntine that bitch ar....”and the information extracting process continued for the next few hours...
“Thank you, madam.” I bowed slightly, as the Mercedes Compressor pulled away, leaving me to take in the smokes.
Next stop, lunch at Mademoiselle Marine's place, at Sheung Wan.
To be continued...
“Cuckoo, cuckoo....” the alarm of my handphone rang. I reached over, and wanted to press the snooze button, but decided against it. Today's a long day for me, and i don't want to be late with the breakfast appointment. Especially with Madame Bovarine, the socialite tai-tai.
I reached the Sri Petaling dim sum shop at 8am. Its easy to spot her actually. A fat lady sitting on a big table, pile up with all sorts of dim sum you can imagine – Shark's fin, abalone, bird's nest, crabmeat, prawn ball, crusty egg tart, fried yam(wu kok) , pan fried carrot cake(lor bak gou), steamed pork bun(char siew pau), chicken's sweet rice(lor mai kai), and a host of mouth-watering tibits i cant name.
With a wave towards her, i waited for her to gesture to me before sitting down. The huge man in black standing behind her looks menacing in his dark glasses. Why must body guards always have a typical look? That's when i noticed a sleek man, with nicely creamed hair, in white, sitting nearby. Ah, so the urban legend that rich and famous usually have a pair of bodyguards is true afterall. Black white two kill (Hei1 Bai2 shuang1 sa4). The way he looked at me seems as if i'm stripped naked by his eyes. Aargh, disgusting and unnerving.
“Oomph...you mast be mister sickee....” the fat lady mumbled with her mouthful of food.
“Kam, hef sam ting to eet...” she said, while licking at her oily fingers, studded with ornamental rings. I feel like facing a big vase, and quickly brought my attention back to the present.
“Ah, good morning, and thank you, Madam.”
“Ah Kau, ask them to ta pau(take away) this, this and this for George.” the tai tai ordered her bodyguard.
“Taking back for your husband? How lovely” i squeezed out a weak smile.
“NO lar ! Its for my loyal dog....”she scowled.
“Oh..sorry, Madam...”
“Listen to me, i know why you are here today, so i'm not going to let you waste my time...”she began.
“I didnt steal the ruby, and i dont have to, i have tons of them.....”
I nodded my head. Detective handbook rule #1 : Listening gains more information than talking.
“You know ar? I went for the party becos i give face to Flauntine..she think she what ar? If not becos her cook can serve great sweet and sour fish, i also no time to “layan” her...”
Still nodding, i began taking notes mentally.
“Plus, i also share a company with Flauntine...”
“You mean you are both partners”
“Aberthen(meaning : what do you think?) ? You think i pray pray ar....”
“No, madam, please continue...”waving my hands, i motioned for her to proceed.
“Flauntine that bitch ar....”and the information extracting process continued for the next few hours...
“Thank you, madam.” I bowed slightly, as the Mercedes Compressor pulled away, leaving me to take in the smokes.
Next stop, lunch at Mademoiselle Marine's place, at Sheung Wan.
To be continued...
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
detective story - part 3
Part 3 : The scene
Reaching the sprawling mansion of Madame Flauntine, i cant help but wonder what kind of business she does. The driveway is long enough for a plane to take off, and the lawns are ample to build another block of condominiums or two. Walking into the hall, and ignoring the barks of the poodle, i greeted my client warmly.
“Bonjour, madame.”
“Ah, monsieur Sticky...cough..cough...excusez moi, but i'm not feeling well today, having chest pains. Cough, cough. Allow me to introduce my niece to you, Lilliane. “ Mdm Flauntine was wrapped in thick rolls of furs, and she gestured to a curly haired lady.
“Enchante, mademoiselle Liliane.” and i shaked her hands warmly. Turning to Mdm, “Madame, for your heart, i can recommend Countess Yvonne, my high school senior, a renowned cardiologist in Europe to you. Her professionalism is unquestionable, and her skills impeccable. And for your medication needs, i recommend Miss Tomato and Miss Purple of the Federal Regulation Bureau.”
“All right. Lilliane will be of assistance to you, now if you'll excuse me.”Mdm Flauntine sauntered out grogily.
“Mdmsl Lilliane, i'm sure your aunt must have told you of my profession as a private investigator, and my presence this morning here.” i began earnestly. “et vous etre?”
“Je suis consultante”, she replied haughtily. Somehow, the word “consultant” is arcane to me, and i always wonder what consultants do actually. I mean, if they do anything at all.
“Can you elaborate more on your job?” i queried.
“All i can say is i'm working on a italian job, and it is none of your business anyway, and is of no relation to the case at hand.” she snapped. She sure has a fiery nature.
“Oh, ok. We'll get down to business then.” i offered.
The mansion is tastefully built and furnished, with long french windows, and thick curtains. The party room has a big chandelier, and the whole house exuded style and fashion. It has ample wide spaces, which is a difference from other aristocratic wanna be's , who cluttered the whole place with furniture, carpets and what nots, and you can barely take a step without tripping over something.
Surveying the whole house brings nothing of new to light, and i was thinking of having lunch, when Lilliane motioned me over.
“I hope you have gathered your information, and i bid you good day.” she replied coldly. Not even lunch for me, and i muttered a italian curse silently.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Ah, nothing, just taking down some notes verbally.” i replied. “Bonjournee.” i bowed and left.
“Good luck, monsieur.” she managed to smile finally.
Back in the car, i took a drive around the mansion, and found nothing of interest. Reaching home, i called up the guests, and arranged to meet up with them tomorrow.
To be continued...
Note : bonjour = nice day
enchante = pleased to meet you
et vous etre = and you are? (used to ask a person's occupation or nationality, etc)
Je suis = i am
Bonjournee= nice day ahead
Reaching the sprawling mansion of Madame Flauntine, i cant help but wonder what kind of business she does. The driveway is long enough for a plane to take off, and the lawns are ample to build another block of condominiums or two. Walking into the hall, and ignoring the barks of the poodle, i greeted my client warmly.
“Bonjour, madame.”
“Ah, monsieur Sticky...cough..cough...excusez moi, but i'm not feeling well today, having chest pains. Cough, cough. Allow me to introduce my niece to you, Lilliane. “ Mdm Flauntine was wrapped in thick rolls of furs, and she gestured to a curly haired lady.
“Enchante, mademoiselle Liliane.” and i shaked her hands warmly. Turning to Mdm, “Madame, for your heart, i can recommend Countess Yvonne, my high school senior, a renowned cardiologist in Europe to you. Her professionalism is unquestionable, and her skills impeccable. And for your medication needs, i recommend Miss Tomato and Miss Purple of the Federal Regulation Bureau.”
“All right. Lilliane will be of assistance to you, now if you'll excuse me.”Mdm Flauntine sauntered out grogily.
“Mdmsl Lilliane, i'm sure your aunt must have told you of my profession as a private investigator, and my presence this morning here.” i began earnestly. “et vous etre?”
“Je suis consultante”, she replied haughtily. Somehow, the word “consultant” is arcane to me, and i always wonder what consultants do actually. I mean, if they do anything at all.
“Can you elaborate more on your job?” i queried.
“All i can say is i'm working on a italian job, and it is none of your business anyway, and is of no relation to the case at hand.” she snapped. She sure has a fiery nature.
“Oh, ok. We'll get down to business then.” i offered.
The mansion is tastefully built and furnished, with long french windows, and thick curtains. The party room has a big chandelier, and the whole house exuded style and fashion. It has ample wide spaces, which is a difference from other aristocratic wanna be's , who cluttered the whole place with furniture, carpets and what nots, and you can barely take a step without tripping over something.
Surveying the whole house brings nothing of new to light, and i was thinking of having lunch, when Lilliane motioned me over.
“I hope you have gathered your information, and i bid you good day.” she replied coldly. Not even lunch for me, and i muttered a italian curse silently.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Ah, nothing, just taking down some notes verbally.” i replied. “Bonjournee.” i bowed and left.
“Good luck, monsieur.” she managed to smile finally.
Back in the car, i took a drive around the mansion, and found nothing of interest. Reaching home, i called up the guests, and arranged to meet up with them tomorrow.
To be continued...
Note : bonjour = nice day
enchante = pleased to meet you
et vous etre = and you are? (used to ask a person's occupation or nationality, etc)
Je suis = i am
Bonjournee= nice day ahead
detective story - part 2
Part 2 : The Tear of Nile
Baroness Flauntine summed up the story over her whisky on the rocks. I escorted her to the door, and gave her a customary greeting of “bonne nuit” and a slight bow. With her pungent perfume of some unknown concoctions still lingering in my shabby one room apartment, i sat down to write down the details :
Item lost : The Tear of Nile.
Estimated value : 500,000 pounds (enough for me to put it as security to get a 3x loan facility from my banker friend)
Place : Mansion of Baroness Flauntine
Time : around 9pm at her private party, during a 30 minutes blackout
Guest List :
Madame Bovarine – a prominent lady of high social status, 55 years obese rich lady, with an penchant for dogs.
Mademoiselle Marine – Struggling lawyer, age 35, working for a Hong Kong based legal firm.
Madame Mireille – 33 year old workaholic accountant, with established accounting firm, specialising in M&A.
The details are skeletal, and not even enough for me to put on my thinking cap. I folded the paper of details into my pocket, and had a night cap before hitting the sack.
Friday morning, i managed to get my beaten up Iswara started, and sped towards the mansion of Baroness Flauntine near the suburbs. I need to survey the scene of crime to get more clues, before i can interview the suspects.
To be continued....
note : bonne nuit = good night
Baroness Flauntine summed up the story over her whisky on the rocks. I escorted her to the door, and gave her a customary greeting of “bonne nuit” and a slight bow. With her pungent perfume of some unknown concoctions still lingering in my shabby one room apartment, i sat down to write down the details :
Item lost : The Tear of Nile.
Estimated value : 500,000 pounds (enough for me to put it as security to get a 3x loan facility from my banker friend)
Place : Mansion of Baroness Flauntine
Time : around 9pm at her private party, during a 30 minutes blackout
Guest List :
Madame Bovarine – a prominent lady of high social status, 55 years obese rich lady, with an penchant for dogs.
Mademoiselle Marine – Struggling lawyer, age 35, working for a Hong Kong based legal firm.
Madame Mireille – 33 year old workaholic accountant, with established accounting firm, specialising in M&A.
The details are skeletal, and not even enough for me to put on my thinking cap. I folded the paper of details into my pocket, and had a night cap before hitting the sack.
Friday morning, i managed to get my beaten up Iswara started, and sped towards the mansion of Baroness Flauntine near the suburbs. I need to survey the scene of crime to get more clues, before i can interview the suspects.
To be continued....
note : bonne nuit = good night
detective story - part 1
Inspired by Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, “Nero Wolfe detective series” by Rex Stout.
Note : all stories are merely imaginations of the author, and any resemblance to real person(s) and/or events are purely coincidental.
Part 1 : On a Thursday evening
On a Thursday evening. I was lying back on the armchair, legs crossed on table, arms folded behind my head, staring at the ceiling, and trying to figure things out. The rent is due next week, and my car needs repairing. And the fat lady upstairs wont stop singing. This and all some petty matters is driving me nuts.
“Ding – dong”, goes the doorbell. Muttering a silent curse, i got the door open, wondering which creditor is after me at this hour.
“Monsieur Sticky? I'm baroness Flauntine....” i opened the door to a elegantly dressed lady, draped with a fur of some dead animal, with a feather on her flamboyant hat. Her thick eye lashes seemed like they can talk.
“Ah..yes, at your service, madame” i managed to bring my senses back to normal, and stammered something of intelligence.
“Pray take a seat, and tell me how i can be of help. Brandy of whiskey?” i ushered her in, and seated her at my best sofa.
“Oh, tres bien, i'll have whisky on the rocks, sil vous plait.”she sat herself graciously, minding not to cress her dress, and not forgetting to sweep her fur with an air. Ah, these damsels in distress...
I poured her her drink, and waited for her to began.
“My most precious, the fabled ruby, known as The Tear of Nile, has gone missing during my party last night....” she began.
“Madame, this is not....” I began to protest weakly, wringing my hand in despair, as searching for lost trinkets is not my cup of tea.
“I'll offer you 5,000 pounds, exclusive of all your expenses”she interrupted forcefully.
“...a problem. Pray tell me the details.”Reality got the better of me. There's the rent to pay, right?
To be continued..if you are still interested :-)
note : tres bien = very good
sil vous plait = if you please/ if it pleases you
dang, now i;m flaunting my tiny weeny bit of french, haha.. :P
Note : all stories are merely imaginations of the author, and any resemblance to real person(s) and/or events are purely coincidental.
Part 1 : On a Thursday evening
On a Thursday evening. I was lying back on the armchair, legs crossed on table, arms folded behind my head, staring at the ceiling, and trying to figure things out. The rent is due next week, and my car needs repairing. And the fat lady upstairs wont stop singing. This and all some petty matters is driving me nuts.
“Ding – dong”, goes the doorbell. Muttering a silent curse, i got the door open, wondering which creditor is after me at this hour.
“Monsieur Sticky? I'm baroness Flauntine....” i opened the door to a elegantly dressed lady, draped with a fur of some dead animal, with a feather on her flamboyant hat. Her thick eye lashes seemed like they can talk.
“Ah..yes, at your service, madame” i managed to bring my senses back to normal, and stammered something of intelligence.
“Pray take a seat, and tell me how i can be of help. Brandy of whiskey?” i ushered her in, and seated her at my best sofa.
“Oh, tres bien, i'll have whisky on the rocks, sil vous plait.”she sat herself graciously, minding not to cress her dress, and not forgetting to sweep her fur with an air. Ah, these damsels in distress...
I poured her her drink, and waited for her to began.
“My most precious, the fabled ruby, known as The Tear of Nile, has gone missing during my party last night....” she began.
“Madame, this is not....” I began to protest weakly, wringing my hand in despair, as searching for lost trinkets is not my cup of tea.
“I'll offer you 5,000 pounds, exclusive of all your expenses”she interrupted forcefully.
“...a problem. Pray tell me the details.”Reality got the better of me. There's the rent to pay, right?
To be continued..if you are still interested :-)
note : tres bien = very good
sil vous plait = if you please/ if it pleases you
dang, now i;m flaunting my tiny weeny bit of french, haha.. :P
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
deaf culture
Sign language teacher smsed me for a special test today. Seems that i'm short of 4 more marks to pass level 1. went for the test, and only managed to get 3 marks, bringing the total to 69.95...well...que sera, sera. Had a short talk with her on deaf culture, and the following are excerpts (in sign, but translated) :
me : i realised something about the deaf people ...
she : what is it?
Me : you all are wary of the hearing (people), and do not trust them. It takes a lot of time and patience to gain the trust of you all.
She : ya.
Me : i believe it is the constant fear of not being able to hear what we are saying whenever we are talking, and that breeds unnecessary fear and mistrust.
She : (nods) but there are exceptions...what is (another teacher) were to tell you that she likes you?
Me : (shaking head) then i will have to tell her that it is very difficult. As i believe communications is important in any relation, and given my poor sign skills, i wont be able to understand her most of the time, and vice versa. This will create weariness.
She : ya, and your parents will not be able to accept it too.
Me : well...ya, cos they also don't know sign language, and its going to be difficult for them to communicate with each other, and also other friends and relatives.
She : agree.
Me : so, you gotta have more trust in your bf. And remember, patience (fancy that coming from me ! A table banging swearing two-tongue good for nothing !) is also important.
She : (nodding) ya.
Me : but now times have changed, with the internet and handphone, the hearing(people) and deaf can still be friends can communicate like normal. Even most of my friends also i rarely call or meet them, only contact thru sms, email or chat.
She : ya, but for a relation, still need face to face interaction.
Me : ya, true also.
She : anyway, hope you will continue to learn and improve your sign language, and make more friends with the deaf, and also introduce more friends to them.
Me : ya, i will :-)
as such, the deaf are also normal, just that they need more time to build their trust in others, as they've been living in their silent world since birth, all alone, with few friends.
Hope this will prompt you to learn about sign language ;-)
me : i realised something about the deaf people ...
she : what is it?
Me : you all are wary of the hearing (people), and do not trust them. It takes a lot of time and patience to gain the trust of you all.
She : ya.
Me : i believe it is the constant fear of not being able to hear what we are saying whenever we are talking, and that breeds unnecessary fear and mistrust.
She : (nods) but there are exceptions...what is (another teacher) were to tell you that she likes you?
Me : (shaking head) then i will have to tell her that it is very difficult. As i believe communications is important in any relation, and given my poor sign skills, i wont be able to understand her most of the time, and vice versa. This will create weariness.
She : ya, and your parents will not be able to accept it too.
Me : well...ya, cos they also don't know sign language, and its going to be difficult for them to communicate with each other, and also other friends and relatives.
She : agree.
Me : so, you gotta have more trust in your bf. And remember, patience (fancy that coming from me ! A table banging swearing two-tongue good for nothing !) is also important.
She : (nodding) ya.
Me : but now times have changed, with the internet and handphone, the hearing(people) and deaf can still be friends can communicate like normal. Even most of my friends also i rarely call or meet them, only contact thru sms, email or chat.
She : ya, but for a relation, still need face to face interaction.
Me : ya, true also.
She : anyway, hope you will continue to learn and improve your sign language, and make more friends with the deaf, and also introduce more friends to them.
Me : ya, i will :-)
as such, the deaf are also normal, just that they need more time to build their trust in others, as they've been living in their silent world since birth, all alone, with few friends.
Hope this will prompt you to learn about sign language ;-)
Monday, September 15, 2008
realization
Something dawned on me today.
I realized that :
1.by saying that i'm lazy, by not knowing more about my job, being ignorant and doing nothing about it, is irresponsible. I've gotta learn to take care of myself(eg learn to fry egg), and dun let parents worry about me.
2.By being childish, and making people angry with my words, and continuously apologizing, and repeating the same mistakes over and over again, is truly childish. I gotta grow up.
3.Using sweet talk to court gals just wont work(from my experience), i need to improve myself and love myself first, before i can love others.
4.And telling gals that i like them before i know them is not considered as honesty, but stupidity and flirtious, insincere.
Finally, i would like to quote the lyrics from “better man” by robbie williams :
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain
Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man
yeah, i want to become a better man.
I realized that :
1.by saying that i'm lazy, by not knowing more about my job, being ignorant and doing nothing about it, is irresponsible. I've gotta learn to take care of myself(eg learn to fry egg), and dun let parents worry about me.
2.By being childish, and making people angry with my words, and continuously apologizing, and repeating the same mistakes over and over again, is truly childish. I gotta grow up.
3.Using sweet talk to court gals just wont work(from my experience), i need to improve myself and love myself first, before i can love others.
4.And telling gals that i like them before i know them is not considered as honesty, but stupidity and flirtious, insincere.
Finally, i would like to quote the lyrics from “better man” by robbie williams :
Send someone to love me
I need to rest in arms
Keep me safe from harm
In pouring rain
Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I'm getting old
Before my time
As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I'm doing all I can
To be a better man
yeah, i want to become a better man.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Brand (new) Story
Had and enlightening talk on “Brand Awareness” today, and cant help thinking of goddess of patience when the speaker mentioned that passion and “patience” are required in order to succeed in any endeavour. Haha.
This also coincides with “pointers” qy gave me to chase after cm, so, the following is the synopsis of the talk :
Brand dimensions can be divided into 2 :
1.Product Dimension – such as benefits(what's the benefit of being someone's bf/gf), performance (the job performance of that particular promising candidate), packaging (their personal grooming), ingredients(their skills and talents). Man, this can really be related to searching for a soul mate ! :P
2.Brand equity dimension – such as heritage(family background), personality(eg fun).
A strong brand always delivers its promise, or more than it promised. Now, doesn't that sound familiar?
The reasons for branding includes :
1.more competitive environment – with people competing for limited span of attention(purple gal will attest to this ;-) ), escalating costs of communications (my personal experience with tomato), accelerated change (of hearts (is it under a field of study, yt? :P) ).
2.Strong brands are preferred and trusted.
We build a strong brand thru AIDA – (creating)Awareness, (rousing)Interest, (instilling)Desire, (prompting)Action.
A brand message is effectively delivered when the same story is presented in different ways, eg using some dose of humor, exaggeration and a spoonful of good sense.
That's all for today. Hope it is beneficial for all. :)
This also coincides with “pointers” qy gave me to chase after cm, so, the following is the synopsis of the talk :
Brand dimensions can be divided into 2 :
1.Product Dimension – such as benefits(what's the benefit of being someone's bf/gf), performance (the job performance of that particular promising candidate), packaging (their personal grooming), ingredients(their skills and talents). Man, this can really be related to searching for a soul mate ! :P
2.Brand equity dimension – such as heritage(family background), personality(eg fun).
A strong brand always delivers its promise, or more than it promised. Now, doesn't that sound familiar?
The reasons for branding includes :
1.more competitive environment – with people competing for limited span of attention(purple gal will attest to this ;-) ), escalating costs of communications (my personal experience with tomato), accelerated change (of hearts (is it under a field of study, yt? :P) ).
2.Strong brands are preferred and trusted.
We build a strong brand thru AIDA – (creating)Awareness, (rousing)Interest, (instilling)Desire, (prompting)Action.
A brand message is effectively delivered when the same story is presented in different ways, eg using some dose of humor, exaggeration and a spoonful of good sense.
That's all for today. Hope it is beneficial for all. :)
Monday, August 4, 2008
Coconut Tales
This was told to me by my father, and i shall use his first party narration .
“I grew up in tanjung karang, a small town near kuala selangor. My father used to loan small coconut plantation from some farmers, and arranged for workers to harvest, peel off and carry out the coconuts.
The collection workers will come early in the morning, and by 10am, they will be back with the first lot of peeled coconuts.
To peel off the coconuts, they will first poke a spike into the ground. Then, they will wrap a thick guni sack around their waist, like a cowboy jeans.
After that, they will poke the coconut onto the spike, and twist and turn the coconut to remove its husk. They will also use their waist (protected by the guni sack), to stop the spike from turning.
An expert can remove the husk in 5 seconds, but it is hard job. The pay is 2 dollars per 100 peeled coconuts.
Carting out the coconuts is hard work. They will pile up the coconuts, sometimes 200 to 300 of it, on their bicycles. Then push the bicycle out from the plantation to our house. When the path is muddy, they will help each other to push the bicycle thru the hard spots. But they have to be careful, as once they lost balance, all the coconuts will come crashing down, and they have to repile it again.
Rainy season is the best for me, as the irrigation canals between the coconut trees will be filled with shallow water, and the workers will use my father's sampan to bring out the coconuts.
My elder brother and i will wait for the workers to come out, pulling their sampan, and then both of us will jump into the sampan, and the workers will tow us along, and we get to enjoy our free ride.
The collected coconuts need to be processed, and it is done on a big barbeque stove in front of our house. The stove is divided into 3 sections.
The first section is used to dry the collected coconuts, which had been cut into halves. My brother and i will stack the coconuts, flesh side facing down. We must make sure we don't stack simply, and stack in such a way that the heat will be able to go into the flesh, to dry up the coconuts. This is done every evening after the day's collection is done.
The next morning, the workers will come around 5am, and they will start to remove the flesh from the coconuts in section 1. It will take them 1 to 2 hours to remove the flesh. After that, they will go off to the plantation.
My brother and i will then stack the coconuts again in section 2, as some of the flesh are still stuck in the shell.
We will also arrange the flesh in section 3, to be dried. Dried flesh are called “salai”, and sold by the guni sacks to middlemen, who will in turn sell it to factories.
“salai” are used to make coconut oil and other products. “
there, that's all i can remember, from what dad told me. Hope it is correct mostly, and feel free to correct me :-)
“I grew up in tanjung karang, a small town near kuala selangor. My father used to loan small coconut plantation from some farmers, and arranged for workers to harvest, peel off and carry out the coconuts.
The collection workers will come early in the morning, and by 10am, they will be back with the first lot of peeled coconuts.
To peel off the coconuts, they will first poke a spike into the ground. Then, they will wrap a thick guni sack around their waist, like a cowboy jeans.
After that, they will poke the coconut onto the spike, and twist and turn the coconut to remove its husk. They will also use their waist (protected by the guni sack), to stop the spike from turning.
An expert can remove the husk in 5 seconds, but it is hard job. The pay is 2 dollars per 100 peeled coconuts.
Carting out the coconuts is hard work. They will pile up the coconuts, sometimes 200 to 300 of it, on their bicycles. Then push the bicycle out from the plantation to our house. When the path is muddy, they will help each other to push the bicycle thru the hard spots. But they have to be careful, as once they lost balance, all the coconuts will come crashing down, and they have to repile it again.
Rainy season is the best for me, as the irrigation canals between the coconut trees will be filled with shallow water, and the workers will use my father's sampan to bring out the coconuts.
My elder brother and i will wait for the workers to come out, pulling their sampan, and then both of us will jump into the sampan, and the workers will tow us along, and we get to enjoy our free ride.
The collected coconuts need to be processed, and it is done on a big barbeque stove in front of our house. The stove is divided into 3 sections.
The first section is used to dry the collected coconuts, which had been cut into halves. My brother and i will stack the coconuts, flesh side facing down. We must make sure we don't stack simply, and stack in such a way that the heat will be able to go into the flesh, to dry up the coconuts. This is done every evening after the day's collection is done.
The next morning, the workers will come around 5am, and they will start to remove the flesh from the coconuts in section 1. It will take them 1 to 2 hours to remove the flesh. After that, they will go off to the plantation.
My brother and i will then stack the coconuts again in section 2, as some of the flesh are still stuck in the shell.
We will also arrange the flesh in section 3, to be dried. Dried flesh are called “salai”, and sold by the guni sacks to middlemen, who will in turn sell it to factories.
“salai” are used to make coconut oil and other products. “
there, that's all i can remember, from what dad told me. Hope it is correct mostly, and feel free to correct me :-)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
back
wow..back again since nov....
actually i forgot how to log in, and hence no post...
but actually was too lazy to write anything also, haha...
tonite got the inspiration from tomato, as she also posted her blog recently, haha..
well, nuff air talking ...will think of more meaningful stuff to write next time, cheers :)
actually i forgot how to log in, and hence no post...
but actually was too lazy to write anything also, haha...
tonite got the inspiration from tomato, as she also posted her blog recently, haha..
well, nuff air talking ...will think of more meaningful stuff to write next time, cheers :)
Education
Education cannot be overstressed. Confucius once said “(teaching’s) Responsibility is heavy, and the path long. With moral as one’s own responsibility, isn’t it heavy? Till death does one stop, isn’t the path long? “
I think its time the country tighten its grip on quality of graduates, and only allows those who really made the mark to pass, and not simply pass them just to fulfill some so called “quotas”.
By stressing the importance of skill, and communications(in english especially), we can move towards a better educated population, and hence, more competitiveness.
For example, the government may post an early warning that in 5 years time, they will only employ those capable of communicating in English, regardless of race or religion. Of course, this must be done in a gradual manner, with much planning in advance, and not just any other “plans” that are sprouted out from the mouth at the spur of the moment.
Skills training will also be provided. For example, those who studied for medicine, and still cannot pass within 5 or 6 years, will have to retrain for other skills, eg pharmacy or nursing. As some courses may be too tough for a person to follow through.
Such plans will take about 20 to 25 years to execute, with periodical review and changes every 5 years. But the changes should not be too drastic, else the whole plan will be in ruins again.
Having said that, I’m not the PM or education minister, but just doing my part as a citizen to voice out my exasperation. Really wonder what the top guys are doing…
I think its time the country tighten its grip on quality of graduates, and only allows those who really made the mark to pass, and not simply pass them just to fulfill some so called “quotas”.
By stressing the importance of skill, and communications(in english especially), we can move towards a better educated population, and hence, more competitiveness.
For example, the government may post an early warning that in 5 years time, they will only employ those capable of communicating in English, regardless of race or religion. Of course, this must be done in a gradual manner, with much planning in advance, and not just any other “plans” that are sprouted out from the mouth at the spur of the moment.
Skills training will also be provided. For example, those who studied for medicine, and still cannot pass within 5 or 6 years, will have to retrain for other skills, eg pharmacy or nursing. As some courses may be too tough for a person to follow through.
Such plans will take about 20 to 25 years to execute, with periodical review and changes every 5 years. But the changes should not be too drastic, else the whole plan will be in ruins again.
Having said that, I’m not the PM or education minister, but just doing my part as a citizen to voice out my exasperation. Really wonder what the top guys are doing…
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