Achieving milestones

Happy Birthday to myself today on Feb 18th! Today is also my 100th posting! No big deal considering that when Zewt wrote his 100th posts, he had 30,000 visits already. I only have a fraction of that, let me see, 883 visits? What the heck - drinks on me! Free flow susu kacang to all of you! Freshly made and still warm. Thanks for visiting my humble blog all this while.



This blog started in September 2007. At that time, I had no idea what a blog was at all. Then I found out that blog is actually short for web log or an internet form of personal diary. The difference I see from a regular website and a blog is that a blog has more dynamic entries, updated regularly. To make your blog noticeable by the internet community, you have to post daily.



When I started, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I think the most important reason that I started this was to force myself to learn as much and as quickly as possible about making money online. I bought this best-selling book (Secrets of Internet Millionaires) from Stuart Tan to find out how to go about doing this. Then when he left a comment on one of my posts, I took it as a sign - like the star of Bethlehem is beckoning upon me.



There are blogs with specific topics like 5xmom's Make Money Online blog and there are blogs on personal life such as Kenny Sia's blog. There are part-time bloggers and there are full-time bloggers. Then there is a also the problogger, as defined by 5xmom in her post here. In a nutshell, these guys do everything from writing to the more technical aspect of coding, and they are supposed to be very willing to share their knowledge. Sounds like Jedi master thing to me, but I guess I haven't met one yet.



For a start, I decided then it was easier to just write anything that comes to mind and captures my attention. Maybe just allow the blog to take shape freely. And allow me the freedom to explore different areas before I choose a niche topic.

It is a lot of tough work. In the beginning I had to deal with the blogging platforms, editing and publishing tools. I had to learn a little of HTML and CSS coding. Thankfully, the internet is vast with useful information and Google search is so good at sifting through the tons of websites to supply you with the relevant ones (downloading scripts etc.)



So I set some goals. I wanted to experiment with the different methods to improve your site ranking and traffic. My strategy was to double the number of posts each month as I built towards the habit of one post per day. It seems this is especially important for new websites wanting to be indexed quickly.

I think this paid off as my traffic had a modest increase and if you type "susu kacang", you will see my blog in the first page of the Google search results.

Since I was able to write around 20-30 posts that month, my next goal would logically be to maintain my performance. In addition, I would like to write some articles for submission to websites like eZine.



To be honest, it is very tough to keep up like that. Firstly, writing is not my forte. Secondly, I can only work on this at night when I am "off from work".

Still, when I see people like Zewt or Ladan appearing on my mybloglog widget, I am slightly more encouraged to push on.

There are two things I am experimenting with now. Number one is joining social networks like Facebook, MyBlogLog, Imeem etc. to reach out to interested readers. Number two is employing SEO tactics such as using "hot" keywords. Both of these techniques have brought me more readers. My traffic almost doubled when I used terms like pubic hair and pussies. There was a spike in my traffic when I mentioned the names of Hong Kong actors and actresses involved in the recent sex scandal. These are all very interesting and actually I won't have noticed this if Amy had not brought this up.

I would like to begin niche themes as soon as possible. It would be interesting to see how different the results would be compared to this blog.

Window dressing also plays a role in attracting readers. I have changed the look of my blog a few times already. I am quite pleased with the current design which I optimized with Mozilla Firefox. I spent some time tweaking the design to accommodate other browsers like the Internet Explorer. It seems however Internet Explorer does not support certain features. So it is best to view this blog (and other blogs) using Mozilla Firefox.

In the process of running my blog, I had to learn other softwares such as Adobe photoshop, dreamweaver, flash etc. So, overall, I believe this is a value-added experience.



Of course, there is a price to pay for. After hours and hours of blogging daily and insufficient rest, I think I am developing repetitive strain injury (RSI) on my right elbow (feels like a tennis elbow). This is not a good sign as it shows that I am overworked. And sleepy now. I have less exercise and that is not good. So I try to squeeze in some time doing rope skipping and a bit of body stretching.

~~~~~

My 39th birthday was a simple and quiet affair. Amy bought a cake to celebrate the occasion. The same cake that I bought for her birthday last month and our good neighbors gave us for Christmas last year - Philippines style yam cake. How come nobody got me any presents? :( Maybe Zoey will get me one next time, hahahaha (waiting).

Well, I guess that's all for today.

Can we improve our vision with this device?

What are you kids looking at? More pictures here.

Well, it has been four month's since I took the drastic step to experiment with Bates Method for eyesight improvement. The thing about this project of mine is that it takes forever to see the results (did I say see?), which is why I have not posted any updates on this until now. There are people who zealously post their progress almost daily for a number of years! See the blog sections in this forum. Wait, if you think I have made any important breakthrough, you will be sorely disappointed. Then again, I have not done any of the 'exercises' recommended by Bates or Quackenbush in his book for the last two months. See? I didn't follow proper instructions. Anyway, it was pointed out to me by a nice teacher that Bates program should be 'naturally' implemented in your daily routine. That is, it need not be some exercise per se. It is about using the correct habits for seeing. No staring or any visual habit that creates strain to your eyes. Frequently blink, relax and abdominal breathing (like pranic breathing, I suppose). These are some of the things I have mentioned in my earlier post. Oh, one more thing - the vision teachers prefer you to call these routines as "habits" rather than "exercises".

Anyway, the reason I am bringing up this subject today is because I came across a product whose company claims can improve the eye vision. Now, there are quite a number of such products out there if you do a google search. They come in a variety of form. One such product is known as the "See Clearly Method" kit and was sold in tens of thousands by a company for $350 apiece. The kit consisted of manuals, charts, videotapes and audiotapes demonstrating eye exercises and other techniques. Apparently, the product did not meet the customers' expectations and when they tried to return it, they were rejected. Hence, a lawsuit was launched against the company for some of the following allegations:

"The lawsuit alleges that Vision Improvement Technologies uses a combination of misleading and unfair marketing tactics to sell their kits, including exaggerated claims of effectiveness, false implications of scientific validity, and misleading consumer testimonials in advertising. ..."

I also found a related discussion in this forum post.

Now, this is the product that I was introduced to. It is called the EyeRelax.

Does this work? EyeRelax product

If you check the website of one company marketing this product, it says on its page that:

"EyeRelax is developed based on extensive research in the areas of bio-spectrum and our eye visual fields. The technologies behind EyeRelax is patented. By treating both the accommodative system and the vision neuro system, EyeRelax is the most complete in its prevention of myopia and improvement to our eyesight. It is with this beneficial innovation that EyeRelax was awarded the top international awards. EyeRelax helps to improve your eyesight, reduce visual fatigue and improves the overall health of your eyes. ..."

That's a lot of technical terms there. Basically, it claims to help you by allowing your eyeball to change shape. I believe this is what is termed as treating the accommodative system. However, being a skeptical person (well, since I was trained as one), I took the liberty to run through the web and stumbled upon a website called QuackWatch where I found an article related to Bates method. This non-profit organization aims to inform simple folks like us about the fake stuffs. It's not my intention to dismiss Bates method altogether and I do hope there is value in this investigation. After all, I would like to get my 20/20 back. But there are other Bates teachers who also admitted Dr. Bates made some mistakes in his theory of accommodation. Here's QuackWatch says regarding the theory:

"The Bates theory of accommodation collapses on other grounds. It would be theoretically impossible for the extrinsic muscles to alter the structure of the eyeball so as to meet the requirements of accommodation. The outside, white coat of the eyeball (the sclera) is not resilient and elastic, as shown by tests in the laboratory. Furthermore, when pressure inside an eye is increased by more than 500 per cent, the volume of the eyeball hardly changes, as shown by measurements (the increase is only 0.007 per cent of the original volume). This proves that the sclera does not yield very easily to pressure. Finally, the sclera becomes even more rigid and less resilient with age, especially after the age of 40. ..."

So, if this statement is true, then EyeRelax's claim regarding the accommodation system and its purported vision improvement is contradicting. Also, looking through its catalog, it says people with vision of less than 300 degrees (that is, 3.0DS) will benefit the most and have the highest likelihood of regaining normal eyesight (20/20). It does not say that the same benefit for people with extreme myopia like me (>6.0DS).

Marketing catalog

Here's a marketing video of the EyeRelax product I found on youtube:

Well, it is sad that you find many children (some as young as four years old) wearing glasses. Is it genetic or is it due to poor reading habits? In my time, there were very few bespectacled kids around. Mostly these kids are wearing one because they can afford it. I wasn't wearing any until I went to Penang where I did my primary four. It is true that I wasn't able to see clearly in class and I had to strained my eyes to read the letters on the blackboard. One time I had to plead my Indian classmate sitting in front of me to help me with the writings. He agreed only after I offered to pay him 5 cents (or was it 1 cent?)! This is one embarrassing incident I can never forget.

And so, I was taken to the optician to have my eyes checked. Why wear glasses? Being a stupid kid, I thought it was cool to put on one - like in the TV movies. See, watching too much TV is bad for you. Also, most of my relatives (uncles, cousins etc.) were wearing one. Ouch! Those days before they had the computerized equipment, the optician would continue adding the glass pieces until you feel your eyes have been adequately compensated. Being a bit 'kiasu' (local dialect for extreme behavior), I wanted more and more clarity to the point where I think the floor seemed like it was under the swimming pool. As a result, I was prescribed my first pair of glasses with 3.0DS or 300 degrees. Thinking back, I probably needed 1.0DS (100 degrees) or less. Well, you can't change history....

We can learn from history. My personal experience has shown me that it is important to explain to kids the reasons and effects of wearing glasses. They need to be explained how much compensation is good enough, should they need one. But I guess there are not many stupid kids out there like me.

Another important thing that I want to point out from my recent experience. I mentioned in my earlier post that after a few weeks of not wearing any glasses at all, my eyesight naturally improved by 0.5DS or 50 degrees. Comparing this result with some testimonials of people using the EyeRelax product, I wonder if the product really helped at all. And that is the problem with things like this, they almost always rely on testimonials as proof of success and validity.

Testimonial? Hmmm....

To make a long story short, I think it is great if we can find ways to improve our health. Actually there are all kinds of ways on the market. And like all things in life, you will find genuine products as well as fake ones. Now, I am not saying this EyeRelax is a fake one. I will be glad to hear from you if you or your friends have used one. The journey to normal eyesight is a long and uncertain one, I can tell you from my own experience. It is filled with frustrations and it is disruptive to normal life. Yet, like any endeavor in life, one must strive hard in order to succeed. If we don't try, we never know.

I am thirsty now...where's my susu kacang? Maybe settle for Milo tonight....sigh....

Learning in interesting ways

The education system in Malaysia has gone through a lot of changes over the decades. Under the British rule, all the school subjects were taught in English. After the nation gained independence, they were all gradually taught in the national language, Bahasa Malaysia (sometimes also known as Bahasa Melayu - why can't they make up their minds?). In the last few years, the government decided to revert back to English particularly to teach specialized subjects like Mathematics and Science. Apart from the language medium, the education ministry has also revised the syllables significantly. From what I heard, students today are learning less than previous generations, a statement we can easily verify by comparing the textbooks used now and last time. Well, I don't know how the education system will end up but we must continue to have teachers who can inspire the students to enjoy and love learning.

It has been a long time since I left my secondary school. Back then in the 80s, we still have a number of Indian teachers who were brought over by the missionaries. They were very devoted teachers. I remember one occasion during one of our Friday assemblies where one of our mission teachers was giving his farewell speech presentation. He had a huge built and was also our school discipline master. I would step aside timidly whenever he walked past because he looked fierce and serious all the time. Let's call him George. After his speech, George started singing his farewell song! And as he emotionally recounted how he planted this huge, huge, old tree in front of the headmaster's office, tears started to roll down his cheek. He was sobbing uncontrollably and took out his handkerchief to wipe his tears away. Wow, I never imagined a big and tough guy like him could get so emotional. That was something I can't quite forget.

Learning from nature's beauties

I am glad I had good teachers to teach and guide me well. When I was in form six, a biology teacher explained to the class how scientific facts are established - it is a process the begins with postulation, which is like a proposal, I guess. Some criteria has to be met before it is promoted to a new level called hypothesis, I think, and so on, until it finally becomes a law. For instance, in physics, you have Newton's Law of Mechanics which consists of three laws (1) Inertia - the tendency for a mass to stay in the same state, stationary or moving(2) Force equals to mass times acceleration, F=ma (3) Action equals reaction. These laws were established after observing how everyday objects behaved and meticulously conducting experiments to arrive at some useful conclusion.

The point is, my teachers managed to bring the science subjects to life and made them so enjoyable. At least to me. I don't believe in learning through memorizing and studying for exams (unless you just want to get the cert). If you do that, you will miss the great experience of meaningful learning. One way to make the subjects alive is to read about the discoverers themselves.

I think my worst experience in learning science was in my lower form. I didn't really enjoy the way science was taught. One example I can remember off my head was how the teacher explained that in our solar system, there were only the nine planets (moons, comets and asteroids) and empty space in between. Just vacuum. No question about it. That kind of approach in teaching certainly does not promote inquisitiveness and instill the spirit of learning. You must realize that there is no end in learning. For example, we now know that space isn't really empty after all. There are streams of particles flowing out from our sun, escaped gas molecules from earth, radio waves transmitted by our stations and the satellites and perhaps aliens (hahaha). Space is not really a flat plane but can be bent by gravitational forces - like a wrinkled tablecloth.

It is also important to read good books. I read the physics textbooks written by M.Nelkon and P.Parker (or Parkson, cannot remember...sounds like Spiderman) over and over again. I also had this thick biology book with the Rafflesia plant on its front cover. Later in life, I also read fiction and non-fiction books written by the sci-fi maestro - Isaac Azimov. Can you believe that he had written 500 books in 50 years (I think)? Once you pick up his book, you never put it down until you reach the last page. I don't think you can get that much pleasure from reading those summarized version of textbooks called "Buku Panduan".

Scenic La Jolla Cove

So, how do you learn in interesting ways?

Maybe a good example can be gleaned from the following story taken from my hero Feynman's experience.

'During walks in the woods with my father, I learned a great deal. In the case of birds, for example: Instead of naming them, my father would say,"Look, notice that the bird is always pecking in its feathers. It pecks a lot in its feathers. Why do you think it pecks the feathers?"
I guessed it's because the feathers are ruffled, and he's trying to straighten them out. He said,"Okay, when would the feathers get ruffled, or how would they get ruffled?"
"When he flies. When he walks around, it's okay; but when he flies it ruffles the feathers."
Then he would say,"You would guess then when the bird just landed he would have to peck more at his feathers than after he has straightened them out and has been walking around the ground for a while. Okay; let's look."
So we would look, and we would watch, and it turned out, as far as I could make out, that the bird pecked about as much and as often no matter how long he was walking on the ground and not just directly after the flight.
So my guess was wrong, and I couldn't guess the right reasons. My father revealed the real reason.
It is that the birds have lice. There is a little flake that comes off the feather, my father taught me, stuff that can be eaten, and the louse eats it. And then on the louse, there is a little wax in the joints between the sections of the leg that oozes out, and there is a mite that lives in there that can eat that wax. Now the mite has such a good source of food that it doesn't digest it too well, so from the rear end there comes a liquid that has too much sugar, and in that sugar lives a tiny creature, etc.
The facts are not correct. The spirit is correct. First I learned about parasitism, one on the other, on the other, on the other.
Second, he went on to say that in the world whenever there is a source of something that could be eaten to make life go, some form of life finds a way to make use of that source; and that each little bit of leftover stuff is eaten by something.
Now the point of this is that the result of observation, even if I were unable to come to the ultimate conclusion, was a wonderful piece of gold, with a marvelous result. It was something marvelous.'

Pelicans

What do you care what other people think?

Feynman Diagram [Source: hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu]

While surfing on Technorati website, I came across a post mentioning my hero's name, Richard Feynman. The title of this post "what do you care what other people think?" was actually an advice given by Feynman's wife to him when he was confused what to say at the commission investigating the Challenger disaster. It is also the title of his book describing his adventures in the big NASA organization. Life is, unfortunately, just like that. Sometimes you cannot say what you believe in. You are going to hurt some people when you do that.

In the Challenger disaster, Feynman had to dig deep to find out the cause of the space shuttle explosion. He went to the engineers and technicians - people at the lowest hierarchy, and eventually discovered the O-ring was the culprit in the tragic accident. The O-ring is a rubber object that prevents gas leak in the shuttle's fuel tanks. When the temperature drops, it behaves differently, becoming more brittle-like. It turns out that the night before the shuttle launch, the temperature was freezing cold. So, when the space shuttle was launched, the O-rings were not able to prevent the gas leaks (the hydrogen got mixed with the oxygen) and hence the deadly explosion. Now, NASA kept a log of their previous shuttle launches but failed to notice the correlation between the launch temperature and accidents. They had been looking at the successful launch data only while ignoring the failed missions. So it took a single physicist to point out the important information. The way Feynman presented the results of his investigation before the Rogers Commission was also pretty dramatic. All he used was just a glass of cold water and a G-clamp and the O-ring.

Anyway, as he expected, some of the details in his findings report were deliberately censored by the Commission. Maybe some big boys in the government don't like to see some things published.

Feynman Stamp

Occasionally, I get some kick out of solving important problems in my engineering career. I remember one time when the whole R&D team was trying to figure out an ESD-related problem with the cordless phone the company I worked for designed. They spent almost a month and did some patchwork but still, the phone could not pass the specifications. So, my manager got me in and I did some thinking. I looked at the phone and asked myself where the engineers could have overlooked, not wanting to repeat what they have already done and waste my time. I figured out it must be under the electrical shield on the PCB. The PCB layout made it difficult to remove the shield and the engineers probably assumed there was nothing wrong there. After removing the shield, I found that the electrolytic capacitor was inserted with the wrong polarity in. Once that was corrected, the problem was fixed. Maybe it was a bit of luck and a bit of smart guesswork - it was fixed in less than a week.

Not trying to show off lah. Sometimes it is nice to look back at my achievement and relive my moment of success. I guess that is what you keep after all is old and gone. Your sweet memories. So, sometimes when you know you are right about something, be confident and don't be afraid to go against the popular opinion. In my humble opinion, Feynman is a very inspiring character. He has another book "Surely you must be joking, Mr Feynman" which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. He has many interesting stories to tell and made me laugh every moment. I would recommend it to you.


Finally, half-expectedly, my manager told me there seemed to be some more problems...

Happy Mother's Day!

The vagina is our doorway to the new world, unless you are born by other means. Yet we forget to thank our mothers enough for that. In fact, there are many things we forget to thank our mothers for. (Okay, I admit to playing with keyword here but the ladies might find something useful here.)

When I was a young boy, my mother used to fetch me home from the kindergarten. We would walk for 1-2 miles before reaching home. On my graduation day, I received a very authentic-looking Ultraman figurine and a big, red color toy sports car from the kindergarten. And I remember she was there too. I also remember my agonizing dental visits where my mother would get me Kamen Riders, Tiger Dragon Tiger Gate ( 龙虎门), Old Master Q (老夫子) and Doraemon comic books to help me forget about the painful experiences. When I was in lower primary school, my mother hand-made my favourite pair of shorts which was sky blue in color. It gave me a sense of pride every time I wore it. She taught me how to paint using water color for the first time. She must have taught me how to use crayons and magic pens too. She also taught me how to play Chinese Chess and I went on to beat her. She made sure I would never go hungry although sometimes I was stubborn at eating. I remember after work, she would buy 'yong tau foo' or stuffed beancurd and other varieties from her school canteen and quickly made a few simple dishes. As a young boy, I rarely asked for anything from my parents. I was thrilled and surprised when she agreed to buy me a toy set of construction vehicles that I saw at a sundry shop.

These are some of my recollections of my childhood years with my mother. She brought me into this world and made sure that I was loved and cared for.

It is said that you only know how difficult it is to bring up children when you have your own. This is so true. I can only wonder how my mother managed to do all of these and still have to deal with other issues. That must be a mother's love.

And I can only thank her by saying "I love you, Ma". Happy Mother's Day every day.

A touching article to remind us to spend time with mothers before it is too late - Being a mother

Whatever you do, do your best!

 

I often hear people saying that they only want to do things that they like. They think they will not be able to put their heart and soul into something that they don't love. In fact, I have used this philosophy as a guide to my study and career path. It makes sense actually because life is easier if you love what you do. And you will naturally love something that you are good at.

It also helped that I did not have too many options to choose from. I would have wasted a lot of time just wondering what to choose and still wonder whether I made the right choice, rather than putting my time and energy into it.

Here's the funny thing.

I don't mind learning things that I used to dislike now. And things that I used to love doing, I am less motivated to do them now. Why the change of heart? Perhaps I feel that I have accomplished what I have set out to do and would now like to do something new. Or perhaps I realized that the world is not ideal and I am sick of being part of it. The bottom line is, I think, I have come in full circle.

When I was in my upper form, I was very privileged to have very good teachers. One of my teachers spent considerable efforts to encourage and motivate me in my studies. Of course, it helped that I did well in his subjects but I did not allow my head to grow too big. Anyway, I visited his home during my school holidays. He gave a piece of advice to his young, seven-year-old(I think) son that I can never forget. He said, "Whatever you do, do your best".

Although the advice wasn't meant for me, I cherished it like it was mine. Although I did not appreciate the meaning of it, I safeguarded it in my heart like a sacred key. This is probably the key to unlock the secret of happiness and success.

 

I think if you always wait for something you like to arrive, you may wait forever. This is because when it arrives, you will be too busy brooding over the matter to notice it. You could have gone on to achieve a lot of success had you put your one hundred percent focus in it. There is a saying that happiness is right in front of you. Who knows, when you do well, you will begin to love what you do.

I think life is like a dance. Your dance partner is experience. Let your partner show you the steps instead of rejecting her. Maybe you don't really know who you want to be. But if you dance your way through life and just take whatever comes along gleefully, you may very well become the person that you love.

A Dialogue with Zoey

Papa driving and Zoey sitting at the back.

(Spoken In Hakka)
Zoey: Papa, Mama is working.
Papa: Yeah, Mama is working to earn money.
Zoey: Papa, where's Mama?
Papa: Mama is working at the office.
Zoey: Papa also working?
Papa: Yeah, Papa working for you. Papa makes breakfast and lunch and in betweens, and teach you new things, and play with you.
Zoey: Nahh.
She hands Papa a dime. Papa reaches back to take up the offer.

Zoey: Nahh.
She hands a nickel. Papa smiles and reaches for it again.

Zoey: Nahh.
She hands another dime again.

Zoey: Papa, where we're going?
Papa: Going home (Papa sighs quietly and ponders about the future)

Long silence.

Zoey: Oh. (As if she hears what's on Papa's mind.)

Just my reflection

Wow, Zoey, whachya looking at?

Since there are military air fields around Las Vegas, you see a lot of fighter jets flying above the city.The weather was great that morning, so I took some pictures of the jet streams in the sky. I think the photo qualities don't do justice to the magnificent daylight spectacle.

Time flies.

Sometimes when I look at Zoey, I get some glimpses of how I used to be. Yet Zoey is also growing very fast and I can see her developing perceptions of her environment. In other words, she is not so 'blur' now.

Perhaps 'blur' is how you can describe me. There is a local phrase in Malaysia and Singapore 'blur like sotong'....I don't know if sotongs (squids) are really blur. A very long time ago, somebody also mentioned that I was an aloof person. At that time, I didn't really know what it meant but I thought she meant I was 'a fool'. Maybe blur is the same as aloof?

Nevertheless, what kind of person you become is very strongly influenced by your parents and your environment. A friend I once knew told me that Muslims believed that a child is like a white piece of cloth and the parents are responsible for what is written or drawn on it. Then there is a Chinese saying that says 'to scold is to care, to beat is to love' or something like that.

As for me, I am still a 1xPa and therefore learning as I go along. However, having been on the receiving end, I guess I do know a little bit about child upbringing. My reference book is how my own parents brought me up and my observation of other people's lives.

My mother was the police officer at home. Whenever I was up to mischief, I got my reprimand or 'rotan' (cane). Eventually, these lessons of discipline would become my Jiminy Cricket and for this, I am eternally grateful.

Some children may need to be explained to them why they are punished and so on. I think this is the trend among the modern generation and society - they need to explain to their children. Back in the old days, you get your 'chili pedas' ('hot chili') and that's it. However, I was able to appreciate my mother's disciplinary actions.

When I was young, I also had a lot of time to wander around. Unlike these days, kids could roam more freely then and not have to worry about bad guys. I think because I spent a lot of my time on my own, I discovered myself. Whoa!

I think this is in contrast to growing up in an environment where you are constantly in contact with other people or external influence. As time goes by, you lose the connection with your inner self. Then you will feel lost and then go around looking for spiritual guidance. I think the same thing happens to people only seeking money and fame, because of these are external factors.

Don't think I want to go into the debate of the importance of money now. There is a teaching described as the "birds of heaven and lilies of the field" in Matthew 6:24-34 (Luke 12:24-27). Basically, it tells us not to worry too much in life. If you worry too much, you cannot sleep well. Sometimes, teachings like these can sound contradictory to your situation but if you try to detach yourself from the world temporarily, you will be able to see the wisdom in it. Some people will say a short prayer or meditate before reading. This will help....

On the other hand, I think there can also be a side- effect when you are in your own world for too long. You are isolated from reality and society. In my case, maybe that is why I was labelled as aloof. Blur like sotong.

Sometimes this has brought problems to me too. For example, I realized that people always assumed that I have certain intentions or motives when in fact I had none. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and I was actually happier when I didn't realize this. It is really disappointing to know that the majority of people have this kind of mentality but gradually I also realized that this is a survival trait in a competitive and unfriendly society.

That's what growing up is all about, I guess. Part and parcel of life.

Time flies.

I guess it is every parent's dream for their children to be truly happy with themselves. It is a journey we all take together....as we help our children to discover themselves, we discover ourselves.

A city that never sleeps

View outside hotel room


Taking monorail in the morning


The stratosphere


McDonald is everywhere


So happy to find breakfast


Winners eat at hotels, losers eat at McDonald


Zoey wants to see the camera LCD


Interesting design inside Forum Shopping Mall


Got Milk?


Eye-catching window


One of many art shops


Ladies' shoes


Balls in the air


Gucci


Louis Vutton


Zoey Zzzzz.....

I heard the most ridiculous warning in my life at the MGM Grand hotel casino food court. I had just finished eating Nathan's chili dog. While waiting for Amy and Zoey to return from the restroom, I rested my head on my hand and closed my eyes. Suddenly I was rudely awakened by somebody knocking on the table and reprimanding me for sleeping. The man talking to me wore a uniform of some kind and based on his subsequent remarks, I think he probably wasn't trained very well. Since we were getting ready to leave, I didn't feel like arguing with him. What's the point anyway?

So I think Las Vegas is a city that never sleeps. There are patrols to make sure that you don't in public places.

Are you sleep-deprived?

I think my sleeping hours are rather irregular nowadays. I think most active bloggers sleep pretty odd hours. I was told that 5xmom blogs till 3am.

Sometimes I sleep as late as 4am and on average, around 1-2am. Maybe that's luxurious by some people's standard. But if I get good music, it keeps me going through the night. Right now, I am listening to Anita Mui's songs. If you like, you can sign on at imeem and as a registered user, you will be able to search for many, many songs.

When I was young, I had some kind of sickness that made sleeping difficult for me. It sometimes took me 2 hours to get to sleep. And sometimes my sleep got interrupted and I had to fight the pain to get back to sleep.

I understand that some people are used to taking sleeping pills to sleep. My neighbour, for instance, takes those and sleeps like a log, even with his baby crying all night. His wife told me that he couldn't sleep well because of his work stress.

Now, I did not resort to any medicinal help. I tried a method where I basically slowed down my heart beat rate by keeping my breathing slow and long. I succeeded in sleeping but in the excitement, I was stirred up again. So I had to find a way to switch off that 'wake-up signal'. It took a while but eventually I managed to tell my subconscious mind to do it. Now, whenever I have sleeping problems, I just use this method to overcome them.

Talking about sleep, I came across some interesting facts about it while looking for material to write. You can find it here at Howstuffworks. For example, cows can sleep while standing up! Reptiles do not dream, birds dream a little and mammals all dream during sleep.

When I don't get enough sleep, I tend to become irritable easily and am unable to concentrate well. I think this is true for everyone. When children don't get enough sleep, it can affect their growth development. And you know, the usual advice for people who are ill is to take more rest. So, sleep also allows the body to heal and the brain a chance to figure out what to do with the information it gathered earlier.

When I was a kid, I usually slept by 9pm and had to get up by 6am to go to school. Gee, it was so difficult to get up. Sometimes my mother would send us - me and my younger sis to school and because I was slow to get up, she had to drive like I have never known her before. Other times, my best friend's parents would be patiently waiting in their Mazda 323 car outside our house gate for me. Anyway, I had about 9 hours of sleep, not including maybe a one hour afternoon nap.

I was still getting quite a lot of sleep in my late teen years. The only time when I wasn't getting enough sleep was during exam revision and that was due to last minute study. Now, it seems I am getting less sleep. On average, I get around 8 hours of sleep. My buddy from Seremban seem to think that I don't sleep enough. But, now with blogging and babysitting, I am really sleep-deprived.

Older people sleep even less, maybe around six to seven hours a day.

Anyway, I think you will know if you have slept enough when you feel your best.

Exercise also helps you to sleep well. After my rigorous badminton games last weekend, I was sleeping very well.

So, back to Las Vegas....

We took the monorail in the morning and stopped at the McDonald restaurant near Harrah's for breakfast. I don't "lovin' it" McDonald but in this situation, I was very happy to find one in town. What I needed was a simple, cheap breakfast. I wasn't expecting such a long waiting line though.

After that, we walked around outside and went to Forum shopping mall. There is not a great deal for me to do there apart from window shopping and taking photos. You can find all kinds of shops selling branded stuff. There is one shop that sells very expensive egg-shaped figurines and arty-farty items. It was showing a video recording of Michael Jackson shopping inside while everyone else was kept outside. VVVIP treatment.

If you are crazy about designer labels, you will be happy to know that Louis Vutton, Gucci, Emporio Armani and some more names that I cannot spell can be found here. Oh, it should be Louis Vuitton - the second 'i' is silent.

We walked through the maze of shops and arrived at the big fountain area where animatronic figures came alive in "Fall of Atlantic and Festival Fountain" shows. Around the fountain was a 50,000 gallon saltwater glass tank which was home to more than 1000 species of ocean life, including tropical puffers, flounders, sharks and stingrays.

We took our lunch late at Planet Hollywood. Oh, if you are looking for seats, don't count on hotels and casinos. They only want you to sit in the gambling or dining buffet area. Better to go to shopping malls as seats and benches are conveniently available. The Planet Hollywood was nicely decorated with props used during filming. They had the Terminator machine, Norman Bates' Psycho mom in the rocking chair, a naked Sylvester Stallone (Demolition Man) etc. Wait, I thought I saw a Britney Spears lookalike walking in and out of the cafe. This version seemed to have a bodybuilder's shoulder muscles though. Arrgh.

We gave a miss to other shopping malls this time. At Bellagio, you could find retailers like Tiffany & Co., Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Dior, Fendi, Prada etc. Too bad we didn't go there as it was already past Zoey's bedtime. Bellagio has a wonderful musical fountain display, claimed to be the longest(not sure) in the world. Something like the one they have at Sentosa Island, Singapore. If you enjoy more shopping, situated not too far away are the factory outlets for your buying spree. You can get Nike etc. etc. etc.

We took the monorail to MGM Grand - Amy wanting to show the lions to Zoey there. It was way past dinner time, so we went to the food court but could only find burgers, pizzas or fried stuff everywhere. There was McDonald too but I was kinda tired of eating McDonald all the time. And Zoey didn't want any of those. Finally, Amy went to an adjacent chinese restaurant ($$$ rating) and bought a $13 vegetable fried rice meal for her.

Everything is expensive is Las Vegas. In the past, I would be looking forward to their famous cheap buffets. Now, I understand they have upped their prices.

Did I mention that Amy tried to ask for some hot, drinking water to be brought into the hotel room? It cost $(I forgot) and another $5 to be delivered. What a rip-off!

I was glad when we finally got back to our rooms. For the most part, it was a fun day. Now, everybody was tired and needed to go sleep.

In their hotel rooms, of course.

P.S. And now, I also gotta get some sleep.....good nite, bloggers.

How I began my new year

The pyramid-looking Luxor Hotel

New York, New York!

Treasure Island Hotel

Toni Braxton performing at Flamingo

Phallus-looking Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian

Paris Hilt...oops...Hotel

A lot of cranes at construction sites

Some statues at Caesar's Palace

Caesar's Palace

Fountain outside the Forum Shopping Mall

Busy holidaymakers

Busy traffic at Las Vegas Boulevard

Getting dark at Mirage

Denny's and other shops

So, I celebrated the new year holiday with my family at Las Vegas. In case you don't know, it is a gambler's haven. I don't really fancy gambling, so what am I doing there? Well, there are other things to do there as well. Like going for shows. They have all kinds of shows from magic show, impersonation/comedy, drag show, musicals, acrobatic/circus performances, topless shows etc. I didn't go to any either. Would like to but they can't allow kids under five years of age. Unless I hide Zoey in my pocket, that is out of the question. Err, so what else to do there? Shopping. Of late, it seems there are more shopping avenues there. Did not get anything though. Just took lots of pictures.

Just to do a comparison of my experience at Las Vegas 7 years ago and now:

Then: Lots of walking down the strip and visiting lots of hotels/casinos
Now: Spending most time looking for foodcourts and taking Zoey to lots of toilets

Then: Can hang around till very late - too excited to sleep
Now: Go to bed early - Zoey needs to sleep

Then: Carry a camera only
Now: Carry camera, and a bag packed with Zoey's items, and Zoey

Then: Buffet galore
Now: Eat at McDonald for smoke-free environment

Then: Can hang around anywhere
Now: Got rule for minors, so this indirectly applies to me too

Then: Can watch XXX on adult channel
Now: Watch Sesame street on kids channel

Well, I am not complaining. I betted one dollar on the slot machine and won 14 cents. That is, not before I have lost 46 cents first. So, it is a decent win anyway.

Las Vegas is probably a good place to visit if you can explore freely all that it has to offer. Of course, it will burn holes in your pocket too. But for old geezers like me, spending time with my family is good enough already. Doesn't really matter where although I won't mind doing it at the badminton gym, hahaha.

Talking about badminton, I have been playing non-stop for 3 days this weekend and my body is terribly sore now. Surprisingly, I played pretty well. Amy's women doubles partner commented that I was very consistent and making a lot of right shots. Eric, our UCSD student friend, who is usually very stingy with good compliments, even said I played not bad. I was really surprised too but I guess some days, everything just come together.

Hmm, perhaps I had been pretty down this past week and that made my game better. Maybe I was mad at something, so I decided to go all out in the games. And that is also why I had not been blogging for a while. It is hard to write something when you are not settled.

Hey, look at the picture to your right - looks like the middle finger. Hahahaa.

Anyway, the weather was good when we were at Las Vegas. Today, and yesterday, it was raining heavily in San Diego. I heard there was a big storm in San Francisco area and resulted in power failure in more than 600,000 homes. I even heard that earthquake and maybe tsunami is going to hit California soon. Indonesia is hit by flood on Jawa island and I heard that there is a fear that there could be an earthquake too. I was told that the volcanoes are all active at the same time now - never has this happened before. Now, I am not sure how correct my source of information is but people seem to think that this has something to do with global warming.

I haven't got time to check the stock market but the oil price hit $100 per barrel for a couple of minutes. And the Dow Jones index have gone below 13000 points again ahead of a possible Fed rate cut. Seems like the same scenario replayed all over again. Then, in December, there were all the bad news before the rate cut and as the date approached, the speculators rallied the market up.

So, how to keep your spirits up when you are down and there is bad news all over?

Well, I just randomly opened a book and found this poem:

Have Faith, and Expect the Best

by Beth Fagan Quinn

Faith begins
by believing
in your heart
that what is right
has a chance.

Faith is knowing
in your heart
that good can
overcome evil,
that the sun can also shine
in a rainstorm.

Faith is peaceful
and comforting,
because it
comes from within
where no one
can invade
your private dreams.

Faith is not something
you can demand
or command;
it is a result of
commitment to belief.

Faith is believing
in something
you can't see or hear,
something deep inside
that only you can understand
and only you control.

Faith is trusting
in yourself
enough to know
that no matter
how things turn out,
you will make
the best of them.

So, I guess we should never lose faith in ourselves.

Sometimes, it is hard for others to understand you. Sometimes, it is hard to help others understand you. No matter what you say or do, there is already a prejudice against you. At times like this, you can only hope that there will be someone somewhere soon to listen to your cries. Try to stay positive and do things that can make you feel positive about yourselves. Find someone that you can talk to. But, above all, don't lose faith in yourselves.