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wishes you

a happy and prosperous

DRAGON year!!!

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality.
I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never
became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a
result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical
details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end.
That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Synopsis: On vacation aboard a luxury cruise ship, Alvin, Simon, Theodore and the Chipettes are up to their usual antics, turning the ship into their personal playground, until they become ‘chipwrecked’ on a desert island. As Dave Seville frantically searches for his AWOL charges, the ‘Munks and Chipettes do what they do best – sing, dance and wreak havoc. But they’re in for the biggest surprises and lessons of their lives when they embark on an island adventure with their new friend – a castaway who’s more than a match for Alvin and the Chipmunks.

After watching this movie, I will rate it 5/10. Why? It’s because of the the abrupt climax. Maybe kids will like it very much. But, I personally felt that the movie becomes boring in the latter half when the chipmunks and Dave start looking for each other. It will be better if there are more songs put into the movie. There is one part which I loved the most: when the chipmunks and the chipettes introduced themselves to Zoe ( a girl who lived in the island for almost eight years). Watch this:

Funny right?

Alvin and the chipmunks 3 is a  little different from the previous two. This time Alvin is not the ‘one’ that steal the hearts of the audience … instead it was the intelligent and responsible “Simone”.Theodore is the baby of the family while the chipettes (females) include the beautiful but vain Beatrice, the introverted Jeanette and the affable Eleanor. The screenplay (by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger), and the dialogues salvage the film to an extent and make it worth watching, especially for the kids, who may enjoy the antics of the chipmunks. The dialogues are witty and reflect emotions which the kids in the audience will relate to.

I love watching Theodore..he is soooo cuteee. Can I bring him home?

The innocent face of baby Theodore

Theodore and Eleanor were dating!

The nasty Alvin in the casino.

love this couple

For this Christmas, remember to bring your family to enjoy this funny animation.

3/5stars

DISCLAIMER: I am not advertising for any parties. I feel that this a good piece of articles to share with others, instead it’s a corporate culture that should be practiced in every institution.

“We started with 2 planes and a 40-millions debt, now we have more than 90 planes with monthly 1.4 millions passengers on-board.
What make us go through all the obstacles and achieving all these?
Passion and perseverance. They drive a dream into a spectacular success!”  - Tony Fernandes

Yet he is so humble. “I would be lying if I said I am not happy. You would be a legend only because of the people behind you”

WHEN AirAsia’s popularity was on the rise a few years ago, rumours were aplenty about how some of its cabin crew was made pilots and the sort.

Although it was the butt of jokes for many, little did people realise that there was much truth behind those rumours.

AirAsia employee Ong Sook Min’s career progress is a fine example.

She began her career at the low-cost airline as a flight attendant before she was accepted into its training academy to be trained as a cadet pilot.
But Sook Min is no plain Jane with a secondary school qualification. The engineering degree graduate turned up at the AirAsia cabin crew interview only to be asked to apply for the cadet pilot position instead.

She agreed and while waiting for an acceptance letter from AirAsia to join the cadet pilot programme, she took up the cabin crew job for six months.

“I’ve always dreamt of being a pilot. Later I learnt that neither our national carrier nor neighbouring Singapore Airlines employ any female pilots.

“I put that ambition aside to focus on becoming an engineer instead. Today, thanks to AirAsia, which is the only low-cost airline in the region to employ female pilots, I have achieved my dreams,” said the contented-looking young woman.

Her journey into was no easy task.

The preliminary selection process for the cadet pilot programme consists of a qualifying exam on physics, mathematics, English and IQ.

The second interview is a psychomotor and aptitude test. This is followed by an oral interview where two captains would ask the interviewee mental calculations.

“You won’t be allowed to use your fingers, either to count or even calculate in the ‘air’ as you sum up the equations,” said Sook Min.

That arduous filter is only for a qualifying round.

“Only when you pass those three interviews and the exams, it’s then off to the flying academy,” said Sook Min.

She was sent to the Malaysian flying academy in Malacca for her 18-month course.

After graduating from the flying academy, she was back at the AirAsia Academy for the Airbus A320 Type rating, which is a ground school where the cadet pilot learns everything about flying the Airbus A320.

“I learnt about the Maintenance Flight Training Device and went through seven simulator sessions. Having passed this, I had to sit for a skills test and then, an endorsement test. Only after passing the endorsement do you get to fly the Airbus 320,” she said.

With more than 2,700 hours of flight time logged so far, Sook Min is just 800 hours away from becoming a captain. The senior flight officer has to sit for another set of tests before she earns the title captain.

“I hope I’ll be promoted to captain by the middle of next year,” she said.

AirAsia has 19 female pilots and three are in line to becoming pilots soon. Sook Min is one of them.

“AirAsia eliminates stereotypes and prejudices, so it has given me an opportunity to realise my dream. I’m thankful for the opportunity and its wonderful work culture,” she said, reflecting on the “everyone’s important” and “stay humble” credo that was put in place by its CEO, Datuk Tony Fernandes.

Another interesting people-development story at AirAsia has to be the career growth of Azhar Jaffri.

This flight attendant started his career as a ramp agent, loading and unloading bags, tagging them and even latching on the pax steps, those passenger steps that enable passengers to board and leave a plane easily.

From a back-end or backroom job in which he served for five years, Azhar was asked by his boss if he would like to try for a cabin crew job when it was offered internally first.

“I was initially reluctant but decided to give it a try. I attended the interview and was accepted into the AirAsia Academy to start my training as a cabin crew,” he said, adding that he now enjoys flying around the region, an exposure that has opened up his world to a breadth of knowledge.

Even the cabin crew are required to undergo a series of training modules and tests before they get to become a part of the Airbus A320 cabin crew.

His next aim is to become a senior flight attendant and move on to the bigger A330 and long-haul flights.

Azhar looks contended with his present job that rewards him four times more than what he earned as a ramp boy.

Flight attendant Thasikala’s life couldn’t have taken a better turn, too, if it had not been for her employer’s focus on people development.

She started her career at the LCCT as a contract wheelchair worker before she was offered a job as a Guest Service Assistant, doing check-ins and printing boarding passes.

She enjoyed her job there for 5½ years. Seeing her good customer service skills, her boss suggested that she apply for a cabin crew position.

Enjoying similar career advancement in the same workplace is Samantha Wong.

The former financial department assistant has moved on from her rather mundane number-crunching job to taking to the skies with much enthusiasm.

“Meeting all sorts of people was something I couldn’t experience at my desk job. I love my job now,” she mused.

The most lively example is Captain Dharmadi who is the current CEO of Indonesia AirAsia. Who would know that he was actually a rampant boy, loading and unloading bags, tagging them and even latching on the pax steps, those passenger steps that enable passengers to board and leave a plane easily? From a rampant boy to flight attendant, pilot and now he is the CEO, haha where can this happen? AirAsia? Nope, it can happen in your company too, tap the talent!!

A man, who really inspires me, passed away on yesterday night (US time – morning of 5th OCT ). He changed the world, he made a difference and that is undeniable. Frankly, I am not an Apple fan who eats apple, plays apple, sleeps apple, but I he is the one who I admire. He told me not to give up when hardships arise, he encouraged a “CRAZY” idea to be adopted.

He is not someone who has a smooth path to success. He is not the person who born with an angle’s halo. The difference between us and him is just that he doesn’t want to stay being an ordinary man. Could you imagine how a founder is fired from his own company. That was what exactly happened to him.  ”Sometimes life could hit you on your head with a brick, don’t lose faith,” Steve Job told us.

When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions.

– Steve Jobs, 2006

The Crazy Ones narrated by Steve Jobs.

It’s funny whenever I read this:

An Apple a Day keeps Bill Gates away.

Let’s have a look on what’s Bill Gates responded to wards Steve’s death.

Bill Gates:
I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.

Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.

The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.

For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

I would say that this is a must watch video.

Stay Hungry, Stay foolish.

RIP Steve Jobs.

It is official. I am single but not available anymore (that explains the long silence in this blog, haha)

Yes, yes, for those who don’t know yet, I have a girlfriend already (finally, after my whole life of bachelorhood). I think my old timer friends will laugh a laugh of relief (to know that I’m really straight) over this post as they have been attempting to figure out who I liked for all our high school and elementary school years to the extent of accusing me as gay for not liking any girls at all. I know, those periods of our lives were the hardest to stay single as the raging hormones do not really help the idea of singlehood. But I guess my resolve to stay true to my principles were much stronger.

My principles were pretty set and clear to me even at a young age. Call me old fashioned if you want, I don’t care (I prefer the term “mature”). If being old fashioned got me the awesomest girlfriend in the world, namely Chrystin (you can find her picture in my Facebook), I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

I’m no love expert, but for those who are still single, may these “principles” of mine help you find your awesomest future partner (which I know I did).

1. True love waits.
It sounds really cliché, I know. But you see, it’s true in every facet of a relationship.

I waited all my life before I got into a relationship. The reason? Simple. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get married then. Well, you can laugh if you want, but I think the goal of getting into a relationship is to STAY in a relationship. And that’s through marriage. If you can’t imagine getting married and popping up some kids, then forget it. Just stay single and don’t go about breaking every girl’s heart and along the way, yours too.

It took Chrystin more than half a year to decide whether she wants to be in a relationship with me. Six months of waiting (that’s longer than waiting for your IPhone to arrive). Just imagine! But I thought it was good test because even after half a year I was still waiting and was sure I wanted to be with her. Finally we got together because she couldn’t stand waiting anymore =)

This makes her very special to me. She’s my ONE and ONLY girlfriend. And I plan to keep it that way. But you might ask, how can I be so sure? Well, if things don’t work out, MAKE it work! It’s a whole principle on its own, I’ll probably talk about it sometime later.

2. The ball is in your hands, not God’s.
I really don’t believe in the notion of soul mates. I think it is because of such foolish mindsets (popularized by some churches or the ever unscrupulous Hollywood) that leave people single all their lives waiting and hoping for Mr or Mrs Right to appear out of a bush or fall from the sky or something. The truth is God doesn’t arrange soul mates for us! Don’t believe me? Open your Bibles and read for yourself of how God allows us to choose for ourselves a woman (or man) as future spouses! Just look up on the stories of Isaac and Rebekah or Jacob and Rachel. They (the hunks) chose for themselves if they wanted these chicks to be their wives! Even the Bible endorses us to choose (which means there’re MANY possibilities out there and NOT just ONE)! So, don’t just count on God to do the courting for you lest you end up as a celibate for life.

3. Don’t look for The One. Be The One.
No one is perfect. Period.

Instead of looking for someone who is perfect (which is impossible), I hold a principle of being the right one for the other person. I don’t quite remember where I heard this message but it did made a mark in my life to realize that love is never self seeking. It’s always about loving the other person unconditionally. It’s about changing your stubborn ways to please the other party. It’s a beautiful picture when both parties seek to do the same thing of being the right one for the other person. When you enter a relationship with this mindset of being the “right” one for someone else, the way you look at the relationship changes completely, which leads to my next principle.

4. It’s more blessed to give than to receive.
When people ask me what is the right time to start a relationship, I’d answer when I start working. I would not get into any relationships when I’m still studying. Now, this is purely MY opinion. I never said this is the right measuring stick for the question, which I will attempt to explain now.

So many times I’ve heard of couples starting a relationship because as singles, they feel lonely, they want to feel loved, accepted and etc. What a HORRIBLE excuse to get yourself attached to someone whom you’ll soon discover as a complete stranger, opposite from who you think he/she is. The truth is even when you’re in a relationship, there are times when you’d feel even lonelier, even more unloved, rejected and etc. You can’t patch your emptiness with an imperfect human (chances are, he/she is also trying to do the same thing). Probably that’s why divorces and breakups are so rampant, because the other party failed to “meet” their needs. It’s about giving, not receiving. If you’re still stuck with the notion of just receiving in a relationship, then you’re really stuck with these two choices. Santa Claus or Jesus Christ. One’s your dad and the other… hm, the best choice ever?! =)

Anyway, that’s why I will only start a relationship when I have a job. That’s when I have the power to earn and to give as much as I like (when you’re a kid or a student, you use your parents’ money and that’s not very impressive, dummy).

More than just giving material things, learning to give yourself wholly (which I am still learning to do so) is probably the most important thing to do for someone you love. Well, Jesus loved me and gave His life for me. If that’s what it means to love (by giving), then I’d model after His perfect love.

quoted from aaroink

It’s not the place where I wanted to be at. It’s not the university which I wished to be enrolled. We do our best as a human and God decides the best for us. Sometimes, the result might not fulfill our desire but don’t judge it before you explore it thoroughly.

Here I came to Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I started my life as a medical student officially. I witnessed the most impossible phenomena which hardly happens in Malaysia. (sorry, I’m stereotyping~ but, that’s the truth!) I saw see cars stopping for the pedestrian to cross the road every day. It’s normal if you are in Singapore or more civilized country. But, this seriously happens in Hospital USM every day! Pay my highest respect to those drivers.

My life in USM wasn’t sucked at all! It’s awesome and great with friends who are friendly (at least, till this moment, I haven’t get into any troubles with anyone =p ). They are caring and understanding as well. Frankly, I have some prejudice towards those students who are from SMJK (chinese high school), I feel that they are the “kiasu” and the selfish since I was in matriculation college. (Of course not all of them~) Surprisingly, I didn’t find any one with those traits here. Haha… love the others to gain love from others =)

I didn’t try drinking any urine-yellowish-colored water before I came to Kelantan. We name them “mineral” water, haha! When you are pushed to a corner, you need to adapt to the harsh circumstances though how worst they are. I drank and had diarrhea for a few times before being immune to it. That’s the time we call ourselves as “Iron Man”! hehe…

Having visited the hospital wards, I am grateful for having my health. I saw a patient, who is in a vegetative state after a neurosurgery, suffering in pain with the sound of spitting out phlegm from the tracheostomy tube (an opening at the trachea) when the nurses cleaned his bedsore (a wound due to long-time lying on a bed). No words could describe his pain… The best which I can do for him is just praying for his recovery.

The journey was kicked off and I am looking forward to discovering more. =)

p/s: Random photos…

 Spotted some rubbish in the lecture hall =p 

medic students with 3rd class mentality?

In OVERHEARD 2, the financial world is portrayed as full of greed and betrayals, with people mainly concerned about stretching the profit margin. When Manson Law (Lau Ching-wan), a famous stockbroker, is injured in a car accident, it is discovered that he has been under surveillance by a mysterious man called Joe (Daniel Wu). As a team of police headed by Inspector Jack Ho (Louis Koo) begins to investigate, the fate of these three men starts to intertwine. The film plays out like a classic game of cat and mouse, and offers lots of suspense and edge-of-the-seat thrills. The plot about the illegal practices of powerful stockbrokers, and the gradually-unfolding truth surrounding Joe’s identity and motives, are used to form the basis of this intense and effective thriller.

Manson Law with his extraordinary skills could manipulate the whole stock market. It’s effortless for him to rise a stock price from fifty cents to 6 bucks! If this is real, everyone can be the next Warren Buffett.

The extended chase scene on busy streets holds your breath. A super duper dangerous overtook, which might lead to a life-threatening accident, was just perfectly done. And of course, a “WOAH” flew out from my mouth at that instant. =O

Bombs and vaguely suspicious clues are awaiting Jack Ho to link them up. The whole movie is full of influential mystique.

It is a delight to see many veteran actors (most of whom are semi-retired from acting), such as Kenneth Tsang, Woo Fung, Kong Ngai, Felix Lok and Kwok Fung, being given roles that allow them to shine with their truly fantastic performances.

Daniel Wu’s character, Joe, is one that lurks between the lines of right and wrong, constantly surprising the audience with a continual shift of role between an antagonist and a protagonist. You’ll never know where his true faith lies, as his origins aren’t exactly clear.

You will be disappointed if you hope for huge emotional fluctuations when watching this movie. It does not have those Hollywood-styled fast-paced action scenes, but it has few gaps (quite a long period indeed ==) in between for the audiences to gasp. Overall, Overheard 2 is still a “watchable” movie. Though the ending is relatively subdued, the messages of this movie were conveyed perfectly.

3.8 /5 stars

TO ALL MY FELLOW NUTS – I mean friends…I just realized…We sit and stare at a screen…We talk to ourselves. Laugh our butts off. We have imaginary friends and vineyards, cities and fake animals. We cook imaginary food in imaginary bakeries…. We poke people and think it’s ok. We even write on walls. Think about it…. Facebook is a mental hospital ….and we are all… patients… partying in the ward…

~Steal from Facebook ^^

In the month of August, besides celebrating the birthday of our beloved Bolehland, we have something funny.

Two religious festive began simultaneously. One was Ramadan, the fasting month of Islam. During Ramadan all healthy and sufficiently mature Muslims abstain from any form of food and drink from the sunrise to sunset. The fast is simultaneously a an act of obedience to God and remembrance of those who are hungry all the time. And when the evening comes it binds the community together in celebratory feasting.

The other holiday was what is commonly called in English the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. In Chinese traditional religion it is believed that on the first day of the 7th month the gates of hell are opened up and all the discontented spirits return to earth. They are hungry because through either an unnatural death, or through human neglect they have not been offered “soul food” in their otherworldly home.

There are two clear contrasts here.

For Muslims, Ramadhan should be a peaceful month. It’s believed to be free of ghost.

But this year Ramadhan clashes with Hungry Ghost Festival. If the ghosts are tied up, how can they enjoy the offering? One, all the ghost can roam freely while the other, all the ghosts are locked up. =p

Hungry Ghost Festival and Ramadhan at the same time, one hungry one fasting. For sure the Chinese ghosts will go mad over the Muslims.

Haha, all the above is just a joke, don’t take it so serious (no intention to offend anyone).
Have a laugh for the day. =)