In Japan, got Japanese ar?

The other day I was manning a tour desk for a day and my duties consisted of entertaining phone calls from potential and would-be customers. There was quite a huge number of phone calls and some of the calls was rather straight forward inquiry calls and some of the calls was just incredibly hilarious and ridiculously stupid!

I would like to share some of the phone calls that had me giggling just thinking about it during dinner time and still shaking my head at bed time:

MAN: Hello. Is that xxx tour company?
ME: Yes sir. Good morning and thank you for your call.
MAN: I would like to inquire about a trip to Korea during winter.
ME: What is it that you would like to know,sir?
MAN: I am planning to go in December. Winter,right? That time will it be cold ar?
ME: ??????

Has global warming arrived?


LADY: Hello. Is that xxx tour company?
ME: Yes.....Good morning, maam.
LADY: I am thinking of going to Japan and i want to fly on the A380.
ME: Yes, we do have tours to Japan traveling by A380. The flight will be operated by Singapore Airlines. Therefore we have to transit in Singapore.
LADY: Why transit ar?
ME: The flight is operated by Singapore Airlines and the A380 will only fly from Sinagpore to Japan.
LADY: Why Malaysia Airlines don't have A380 ar?
ME: Unfortunately not yet, maam.
LADY: Why ar? Why Malaysia Airline don't have A380?
ME: Malaysia Airline has yet to take delivery of the A380.
LADY: Aiyah! Why not yet buy ar? Why don't want to buy ar?
ME: No maam. Malaysia Airline did bought the A380. Just that the supplier has yet to supply it yet.
LADY: Aiyah! Why so slow one? Got no money to pay ar? Like that, how to fly to Japan?

So many questions, so few patience!


MAN: Hello. I would like to know....
ME: Yes?
MAN: Do you have any tours to Nepal?
ME: I am sorry sir but we do not have any tours to Nepal....
MAN: Why? Why you don't have tours to Nepal? Why? Why you don't sell tours to Nepal? You don't like Nepal ar?

what the.....?


And this one tops them all.....

MAN: Hello!
ME: Good afternoon sir.
MAN: I would like to ask you. I want to go to Hokkaido during winter time for sking.
ME: Yes sir. We do have sking tours to Hokkaido in winter.
MAN: In winter, got snow ar?


In Japan, got Japanese ar?

Driving one up the wall.

Is it only me or is it just me? Every time whenever i drive in Kuala Lumpur, I can't help but get all work up and piss off with the driving habits of Malaysians.

For those who had drove in Kuala Lumpur, you would know what I am referring to. For those for intend to drive in KL, my advice is "Have a strong heart, a cool head and balls of steel".

I am pretty sure that in all of those cars that are on the road, it is well equipped with signal lights but unfortunately, it is not well equipped with drivers that make use of it! One moment you might be following a car and the next minute, the car in front will just turn either left or right...without ample warning.

Then again, when one is travelling at one's pace on a straight road and as one approaches a road with a fork on the left, you can rest assured that the car approaching from the left seems to have no brakes at all. Either that or the driver does not realise that there are things call brakes in his/her car! Makes you on the straight road wants to slow down to make way for the car coming from the left! Is that the unwritten rule here?

And the poor pedestrians! Anywhere in the world, it is the rule for cars to stop for pedestrians. Should you be in Kuala Lumpur and should you come across any driver who ACTUALLY stop for you while you are walking on a zebra crossing, look at the driver and say a word of prayer for you have seen GOD, a Good Obedient Driver!

Teacher I Remember You

With Elton John's Teacher I Need You playing in the background, I can't help but reminiscence about my school days at Cochrane Road School and the teachers who was there. Wonderful dedicated teachers who touched my life in one way or another.

Who could ever forget Mr Alfonso, our geography teacher with his sideburn and 'groovy' (at that time anyway) spectacles and he had this knack that his punishment was both terrifying and funny. At the start of every lessons, he will ask questions about what had been taught during the previous lessons and god forbid that you should not know the answers.

He will come to your seat, look at you through those dark lenses and give you a smile. That 'You better have the correct answer or the next 3 minutes will be your worst 3 minutes of your pathetic life' smile. If it is obvious that you doesn't have the answer, he will lift your hand ever so gently and slip a rubber band on your arm.

You have to give him credit though, He is a fair punisher. He will just pull the rubber band an inch or two and repeat his question and this time if you get it wrong or does not have the answer......Twang!

Of course, by now those who did not revised our work will be busy looking for the answers in our text book while those who did their homework will be enjoying the punishemnt that is being dished out.

And who can forget about our Maths teacher, Mrs Chan! A big sized woman with a ever smiling face but beneath that cheerful face lies an 'evil mind'.

Same formula as Mr Alfonso, she will go round the class, choosing her 'victims' at random and god forbid that you doesn;t have the correct answers. She will stand at your side, a step behind you and ask the question and when one have difficulty in coming up with the correct answer, she will repeat the question but this time with ther big strong palm (did I mentioned that she was a giant of a woman?) resting behind your back. Once the correct anwer is not forthcoming, the palm will be raised slowly and by this time, the poor 'victim' will be cringing at the expected pain and.........wham! The palm would have come down hard on your back before you have time to say, "Oh God!".

As usual, we will all be sitting there terrified except for those who had done their homework and had studied the day before.

Come to think of it, if it wasn't for teachers like Mr Alfonso and Mrs Chan, I wouldn't have known that Japan was once famous for her silk and I wouldn't have been able to keep tab of my taxes.

And who can forget our physical instructor, Mr Liew. A short and barrel-chested man who was our gymnastics instructor. He really pushed us hard on the school field and in the gym. His pep talk was out of this world but unfortuantely then, I was more interested in getting onto the field quickly instead of listenning to his long-winded but good-intentioned lectures. After all, P.E. period was only 50 minutes and after deducting time for changing of attire, there was just not much time left.

Then there was the Senior Assistant, Mrs Dorothy Ee. Always walking around the school with a fierce look on her face and at times, a cane in hand. It was much later after I left school that I had the oppourtunity to meet her again in a different environment. Realised that she wasn't a bad person after all. A very normal and pleasant lady. Guess one can't judge anyone from the cover.

To all the teachers of Cochrane Road School (1972-1976) who had graced my life...........THANK YOU!!!

Petroquake 2.7

So it finally happended............

From midnight today, petrol is now officially RM2.70 per litre and diesel is now at RM2.58 per litre. If you ask me, we have been duped by the government feel-good propoganda for far too long. So much so that we had been living in fantasyland. In other words, we had been jerked around by our very own government.

We had been so comfy with the oil subsidies that we had totally ignored the other FREE source of energy that we had been so kindly blessed with. I am talking about the SUN, and I am not refering to the newspaper but rather the hot one up in the sky that we get for almost half the day here.

Yes! SOLAR POWER!
Granted, Solar powered cars might not be here yet but solar panels are. And just imagine if everyone were to utilize those solar panels in our homes, we will end up with a huge savings from our power bill.

Coming back to teh petrol hike, the PM has made a plea for the people not to hold any demonstartion over the price hike. So how are we going to show our displeasure? By paying happily the new rates? He is lucky if rotten eggs are not thrown at him.

For a country who is a NET exporter of oil, we are paying a net importer prices. Is this logical? Then again, is it logical for some of our politicians who are earning RM12,000 to have RM24,000 monthly expenses? Nothing seems to be logical here anymore.

Already there are calls for protests in KL and others towns but to me those actions will only give some target practice for the police and FRU's (Officially known as Federal Reserve Unit but more aptly Federal Ruffian Force). Why give them an excuse to whack us left and right, up and down?

If anyone who is affected by this oil price increase is concerned and turned off with this government, the only 'safe' way to show the G-men our anger and displaeasure is to SWITCH OFF for a day or a few hours all electrical appliances in our homes or offices and stop driving our cars, trucks, SUV's and/or bikes.

SWITCH OFF to show that we are PISSED OFF.

Yokoso Japan !!!

Came across this article on the net:-



CANNABIS BLUNDER AT TOKYO AIRPORT

An unwitting passenger arriving at Japan's Narita airport has received 142g of cannabis after a customs test went awry, officials say.

A customs officer hid a package of the banned narcotic in a side pocket of a randomly chosen suitcase in order to test airport security.

Sniffer dogs failed to detect the cannabis and the officer could not remember which bag he had put it in.

Anyone finding the package has been asked to contact customs officials.

"This case was extremely regrettable. I would like to deeply apologise," said Narita International Airport's customs head Manpei Tanaka.

The customs officer conducted the test on a passenger's bag against regulations. Normally a training suitcase is used.

"I knew that using passengers' bags is prohibited, but I did it because I wanted to improve the sniffer dog's ability," the officer was quoted as saying.

"The dogs have always been able to find it before... I became overconfident that it would work," he said.

Japan has strict laws against drugs and possession of small amounts of cannabis can lead to a prison sentence.




Someone in the Customs department will have to commit Seppuku (切腹) or hara-kiri which is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment to atone for any wrong-doings that has brought shame to one's master.

And a lucky traveller will be having a 'high' time in Japan........as they say in Japan, 'Yokoso Japan!' (Welcome to Japan!). Have a 'high' time in Japan, courtesy of the Japan customs department!

Ring! Ring!

Damm! The ringing in both of my ears are still there and think it has grown louder lately. Medication did not help much and even getting lots of sleep has not reduce the ringing sound but rather has resulted in an increased waist line!

Guess that's the price to be paid for having .........tinnitus!

On That Day.....

It was a typical Sunday evening. Home then was on the 2nd floor of a 3-storey walk-up shop-house along Jalan Pasar in Kuala Lumpur. I was 10 years old then and was in Primary 3. My country just had her General Election but being a 10 year old, what did I know about politics of my country then?

I remembered sitting on the veranda and looking at the traffic along Jalan Pasar. It was a Chinese dominated area and as usual Jalan Pasar was always filled with many traffic coming and going. After all, those intending to travel to the city centre had to pass through Jalan Pasar and those coming and going to Sungei Besi (another chinese dominated area) too had to pass through Jalan Pasar. So you can safely say that Jalan Pasar was alive with much traffic and lots of things to see 24/7.

There was one cinema (Star cinema) along Jalan Pasar which showed all the latest Chinese kung fu and Chinese love movies and another 2 other cinemas within walking distance from my house.

A 10 minutes walk across the road from our house will see me at my primary school, Pasar Road English School (1), or P.R.E.S. One as it was known then. So walking was how I went to school and how I enjoyed the walks then. Just behind was a wet market, the famous Pudu wet market where many a sunday mornings was spend shopping for chicken, char-siew, fried duck, mutton, cheap flip-flops, delicious fried mee, sweets, vegetables with my mom and sister.

Not forgetting the friends that was made there, both good and bad influences that shaped my childhood memories. Where they are now, I have no idea. Some of them must be doing very well now or some of them might had passed on for all one knows.

There was also a funeral parlor just behind our row of shop-house and there was a couple of times when a dare was made between friends to see who was brave enough to go into the funeral parlor whenever there was a dead body there. An exposed dead body waiting for the casket to arrrive! Even the dead has to wait for something! You can say that was where we trained ourselves to have balls of steel, so to speak.

I remembered too that there was an 6 storey building which belongs to an association for hakkas just a few doors away from my house. Come to think of it, the whole row of apartment that was on my block practically belonged to that association so that would make them our landlord!

I also remembered that there was night classes being held on the top floors of the association and the Mandarin, English and Mathematics classes was extremely popular with the people who was staying around that area (Pudu) then.

On that fateful evening, I was sitting outside on the verenda. The same verenda where there was one Chinese New Year when I spend a large part of my ang-pow money on firecrackers and letting it all off all alone. All those moments where one does something that becomes a part of one's childhood memories.

There I was sitting on the high chair on the verenda, looking at the going-ons along Jalan Pasar and waiting for mom to take me across the street to the corner of the shop-house opposite where there was a bus stop and to take the #15 (I think) bus to BB Park, an amusement park in Jalan Bukit Bintang where there was food stalls, roller-coaster, ferris wheel and merry-go-round rides and of course, my favourite place of them all, the cinemas!

But at that moment, mom insisted on listenning to her favourite talk show on rediffusion, a now defunct cable-station that was very popular in the 60's until radio and television came about. It was while I was lost in my own world watching the going-ons in front of me that suddenly there was this commotion of people rushing down from their classes to their bicycles, motor-bikes and whatever mode of transport that was available to them that was the start to a series of events that will forever reshape the way that I will look and think about my community and my country. One can say that on that fateful day, my innocence and naviety was lost.

I was suprised and shocked to suddenly see so many people rushing off with such urgency, like they was so glad that classes was off and they was more than happy to be going back home. Then somewhere along the line, the urgency turned to panic and that was when mom, my 2 sisters and my 2 brothers joined me on the verendah and was just as shocked to see those young people stampeding off. Dad joined us a few moments later from his usual coffe shop joint downstairs and mentioned that was a new additional to my English vocabulary anda word that will always be associated with the events unfolding in front of me, "CURFEW".

At that moment, my 3rd sister was watching a movie at one of the cinema near-by and somehow she managed to sneaked her way back homw with tale of how one minute everyone in the cinema was engrossed in the movie and then the next minute, there was a huge commotion where most of the stall ownnersoutside the cinema was trying to make their way into the cinema with their goods and all at the same time too!

At thet time, all thought of going to BB Park was forgotten and although things was getting pretty excited to me then all I had no notion then of how dangerous the situation was to me or my family. I had no notion then of the upheavel that my country was undergoing at that time. Such was my naivety then.

In time to come, the TV programmes was filled with announcements that the whole family glued to the tv and commenting after 4 words was announced. In no time at all, the Prime Minister himself came around and made a very serious sounding announcement that had everyone locking up all the doors in the house. Then the electricity supply was cut off and all everyone could do then was to gather round the bed and talk.

I remembed then that I won't need to go to school anymore. For how long, no one could tell em but frankly speaking at that moment I was more worried about missing my school band practice. You see, P.R.E.S. One had this well-known marching band and I was proud to had been a member of the band and just imagine, in spite of all the historical happenings around me, I was worried about missing band practices!

It was much later on that fateful night that there was more action along Jalan Pasar. Police in their police cars (Alfa Romeos then) and soldiers in those high and big military trucks and occassional FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) started to pass through Jalan Pasar every now and then. Now the FRU was one of the most feared police units then and everyone had a high respect for them. It was because of the red helmets that they wore that the people called them 'hoong thow ping' (cantonese). I didn't know if it was the people fear for them that translated into respect for them but back then one then would speak of the FRU in awe.

Thugs (whom I later found out) with long iron pipes and parangs started to gather along Jalan Pasar and in no time at all, they was acting like those policemen that I see, stopping every vehicles and checking on the driver and passengers. It was much later that I found out that they was on the look-out for Malays. and then they spotted one!

I still remembered the guy was a Malay driver (by his white uniform) and he was driving those big Holden, the Mercedes Benz of that time. He stopped a few feet away from the group and started to run away from them. Somehow he slipped and fell into the drain, a rather deep drain that I remembered was more than 5 feet deep. I should know coz I spend some days inside the drain catching tadpoles!

The whole gang of thugs started to run alongside the drain started to throw their iron pipes into the drain like they was some hunters chasing after their prey that had fallen into a ditch and chasing after it! My sisters cried at the sight of this and I thought that they only cried while watching some Chinese love story movies!

Although I like kung fu movies and Wong Fei Hoong then was my favourtite movie but somehow after watching that live action drama, I ended up with a big headache and panadol was the cure then. Never realised that humans could do such things onto another fellow human being. For a 10 year old, the only thing that was going around inside my head was, "What on earth is going on?"

Not contended with the Malay driver, the gang turned their attention to the Sri Jaya bus, the #15 bus that I was supposed to take to BB Park with my mom and they started to pushed it to the middle of Jalan Pasar and in no time at all, burned it to the ground with great drama! For a 10 year old boy, I never knew that a bus on fire could burn so bright and the heat generated would be felt from our verenda 30 feet away! Later I found out that they choosed that bus because it belonged to a Malay company.

In the midst of all these, I saw a shimmer of hope and humanity when some occupants started to provide shelter (and safety) to some Malays in their house opposite our place. It was (i think) the 3rd house on the row of shop-houses opposite us and the occupants there opened ther doors (I guessed they must had been watching the going-ons behind their metal folding doors) started to pull a few Malays into their house, thus providing them with safety, the only commodity that was priceless then.

All these was happening in front of us and there we was, the whole family watching the whole drama unfold in front of us, live and uncensored.

Ultimately a few army trucks came and the soldiers started firing from their guns at anybody or anything that was moving on the street. That was the cue for everyone of us to make our way back to our rooms abandoning our verenda.

I remembered my sister had stopped crying then and mom was talking something about food. But the excitement and horrors of the past 4 hours of high drama took a toll on me and in no time at all, I dozed off to sleep

..........on Sunday May 13th 1969.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Celebrated my mom's birthday at a local restuarant in Kuala Lumpur with a simple family dinner that ended with a karaoke session.







Looking good @ 93.

Japan & Malaysia work ethics

When one talks about Japan, the subject of the Japanese workers high productivity always surface. So it was quite suprising to read that a Japanese who works in a local government department had been caught for accessing 780,000 porn web sites over a 9 month period!

I might be lousy with algebra, geometry and pythagorean theorem but simple arithmetic tells me that it works out to more than 10,000 pages a day, or more than 20 pages for every minute that he is at his desk! Now that is a mighty lot of web sites to acesss for one guy. Talk about the 'productivity' of the Japanese. Just imagine the poor guy having to keep one eye on the screen and another for any intruding colleagues. Not forgetting that he has to keep five fingers on one hand on the keyboard and the other five fingers on the other hand scratching an itch!..........and what about toilet, lunch or tea break? This guy is trying to set a world record or what?

...............and the winner of the Guinness World of Records for "Resisting the urge to scratch the itch in the most itchiest part of the body" category, is Yamada "Itchy" Mainichi San!

Itchy San: Shank you, Shank you.......It gives me great honour to win this award for my forefathers, my family, my company and my country. Now if you excuse me, I got an itch I need to scratch........arigato itchy-masu.

In the end, he was punished by having USD200 deducted from his salary and the word is that he is now a more productive worker! And so the theory of "Less pay and more porn sites viewing DOES increase one's productivity!" Hmmmm............This is definitely food for thought for those American Management Guru's.

Thank god, We doesn't have that problem in Malaysia. My guess is that Malaysians are not into surfing porn web sites during their working hours but rather they get more stimulation from the Samy and Toyol Show or the 'Dr Chua is IN' episodes. For those who doesn't haven't any computer access during their working hours, there is always the mobile phone.

Just walk into any offices in Malaysia and one can always find someone at their desk making personal calls on company time.....

Malaysia Worker : Aiyah, It's ok one. Can talk......Boss is in , so what? He is on another line with his china doll......We have another hour to talk cork.......So how? Last night..... he got touch your hand ar?.....got kiss ar?.....mouth smelly or not?......how? how? how?......shiok ar?

Even at the checkout counter at any supermarkets, one will find these workers happily chatting, working the cash register, packing the items into plastic bags and ignoring the customers all at the same time. Whoever said that productivty is low among Malaysian workers?

And try taking your own sweet time giving your meal/drinks order to the waitress and you will find her telling you, "Aiyah! If you have finished deciding, call la hor. I have an important call to make to my boyfriend leh."........We Malaysians doesn't want to waste time, you see. If you can understand that, I am sure you will be leaving a big tip for the waitress.

........and now if you will excuse me, There is someone that I need to call.

Popiah Melaka, anyone?

During my years as a Japanese speaking Tour Guide, I had came across some hilarous and some not-so-hilarous incidents. Some will remain as sweet memories for me and some will serve as an eye opener to the follies of human nature and this is one incident that I would like to share with one and all.

It happened in Ramada hotel in Malacca when I took a group of about 25 persons which consisted of a few elderly couples and honeymooning couples.

I was in the room with the driver, a Malay guy in his 30's who suprisingly was a non-smoker! He was watching the television while I was reading a magazine. There was a soft knock on the door that initially I assumed was coming from the soundtrack clip from the tv show. Eventually the knock became more audile and I answered the door. It was one of the honeymooning couples in my group....the wife actually, but I could sense that the husband was somewhere in the background.

ME: Hai! Good evening. Is anything the matter?

HER: Errrrrrrr.....................

ME: Hmmm..................Hai?

HER: Errrrr...........I was wondering if there are any supermarket or convenienece shop around the hotel.

ME: (Noticing that it was way past 11pm) I am afrad that most of shops are already closed for the day. Is there anything that you need that perhaps I might be able to loan to you? (thinking that perhaps they might need a tube of toothpaste)

HER: Err....Actually......Errrrrrr,,,,,,,,,,

ME: (Assuming that she might be hungry)..... Or perhaps if you like to have something to eat? There is a coffee house that is open 24 hours on the lobby floor.

HER: No.....Errr.......I am not hungry. I eeeeerrrrrrrrr...........wonder if you could tell me eeeeeeerrrrr........where I am able to get eeerrrrrrr.......any sanitary napkins.

ME: Eeeeeeerrrrrrr...........hmmmmmmmm...........Eeeeeeerrrr...........Well, the medicine shop are closed now....

HER:(with a worried look) No! No! No! I don't need any medicine. Only napkins.

ME: Eeeeeerrr.........yes, I know what it is you desire, i mean, want.....eeeeerrrrrrr......need. It is also available in the medicine shop here.

HER: Oh........

ME: (Suddenly realising that there is a bunch of girls at the reception and surely one of them must have some emergency supply on them....i mean, with them) Ok, Let me call down to the reception and see what I can do. I will get back to you. Please wait in your room, ok?

HER: (bowing deeply) Hai! I will be waiting in my room. Arigato....!

(As she turned to leave, this was when her husband appeared and smiled his thanks and apologies all roll into one).

I then picked up the telephone in the room and called down to the reception.

Now at that time, there was a couple of real cute young things at the reception and a cute friendly lady in her 30's called Mona who was also the Guest Relations Oficer (GRO). When I called down, Mona happended to pick up the phone....

ME: Hello......

MONA: (in a sweet, pleasant and lovely voice) Good evening. Reception here. This is Mona speaking.

ME: Hi Mona. Liow here.....

MONA:Aiyah!....... Ano ne...... Liow ar?.... Why?.... Cannot sleep ar? Thinking of me, is it?

ME: Ha ha .......Yes and now my bed sheets are all wet lioa.....

MONA: Ha ha......Idiot!.....

ME: Listen...I need a favour. Actually my guest need something. She is having her P and she need Made-in-Malaysia napkin. You got any?

MONA: (in a loud and agitated voice) This Liow ar....sleep don't want to sleep. Now calling down asking for napkins. (I could hear giggles and laugther in the background) Yo Jepun, If your bed sheets wet, you don't need napkins lah, just use the towels in the bathroom and wipe it dry. If that doesn't work, sleep on the sofa!

ME: Yo....Mona, I am serious here lah....My guests really has a need for those sponge.....i mean, napkins.

MONA: You better don't play play, ok? Very sui (bad luck in cantonese) one, you know. Somemore midnight coming. Afterwards hantu (ghost) get it that time, you will be eating it for supper!

ME: Aiyah! This is a real genuine case leh...... Ano ne......

MONA: Ok....so you want with wings ot without wings?

ME: Huh?

MONA: With wings or without wings ar?

ME: What the fuck?! Ano ne....My guest need napkins leh, you know, those types that nature forces you ladies to use every month. Not asking for supper leh...... What chicken wings are you talking about?

MONA: Aiyah....ini budak.....Never buy one before leh? Asking you with wings or wothout wings and you talking about supper.....let you eat my one, want or not? (more giggles and laugther in the background).

ME: (thinking that this looks like a bad idea to have had called down to the reception.) Ok....Listen, Mona....My guests is in room xxxx....just send the damm thing to her.....and cepat sikit, or else the whole hotel will be flooded.

MONA: Wah low eh....Jepun tsunami ar?

ME: Just send the damm thing over, pleasssssssseeeeeeeeeee............

MONA: Hai!

Putting the phone down, my driver asked me.....

DRIVER: Apa pasal, boss?

ME: Tak ada lah.....customer mau cari popia melaka....

DRIVER: Kedai dah tutup. Mana mau cari lagi?

Tired, I didn't bother to answer him.

And there I was reading my magazine when about 10 minutes later the phone ranged.

ME: Hello....

MONA: Wah, Liow! Your Jepun teruk lah......Gave her 3 and she asked for 12 leh! Ano ne.....these Jepun always heavy duty flow ar? Eat a lot of sushi can become like that one, is it?

ME: Good night, Mona.........and thank you.

DRIVER: Apa lagi, boss?

ME: Popiah melaka jual habis.

DRIVER: ?????????????????

And till today, I have no idea if it was with wings or without.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.....

Took this photo of my weinmaraner this morning as she was sound asleep at the front entrance. I am just wondering if this is her usual sleeping position or is she having a wet dream?

The thing about having a dog in the family is that everyone in the family develop emotional ties with them. Nicole LIow (Yes, she is a Liow, part of the family) has been with us for the past 5 years and incidentally she was born on Christmas Day!

She is one very lucky lucky cainine and an extremely intelligent breed too. Very active and i guess, as with any children, she can also be quite a handfull at times. There was a couple of times when, perhaps out or boredom, she will pick up a stone (with her mouth) and start throwing and chasing after it like she was chasing after a hunt. After all, she is a hunting breed dog so she is entittled to act funny once in a while. But to pounce on some innocent birds who happen to fly into our garden and practically rip the whole head off is just too gruesome. My god! We got a murderer in the family! No wonder I don't hear any birds singing any more in my garden. Hmmm......need to get those tape recordings of canaries singing and hook it up in the garden for some sound effects.

As with most hunting breed dogs, she is fast, strong and athletic in appearance. She has a short coat of grey hair and does not need too much of grooming, which was one of the main reason why I choosed her in the beginning. One less task for me, you see. She is also very loyal and rather easy to train, I did mentioned that she is an extremely intelligent dog, didn't I? Think it's one common attribute in the Liow clan, hmmmmmmm..............

Anyway we will just let sleeping dogs lie.

My 1st time....

Everyone remember their first time. I remember mine very vivdly....

It was a hot slow January 2007 afternoon. Having read much about in the newspaper, magazines, the net and from friends and colleagues that I was dreaming and thinking about it for days and ends. As I went through my daily chores with the thought of going for it on my mind the whole day long, I felt like a man obssessed, like a man possessed. I just simply have to experince it before I leave this world so that in years to come I am able to tell myself that I did it and created something beautiful. Since I won't have the oppourtunity to fight any wars nor the desire to die for my country, I figured I need to do it to be able to tell my children one day that I did something great and created something beautiful.

But as with any new ventures, I was worried that if I get it wrong the 1st time around, I would bring shame to my forefathers. I will be the poster boy of shame in the Liow family. The 1st time got to be perfect. It has to be for the sake of the Liow name. I can't be seen as the one who bring shame to the Liow family because for a Chinese, it is unthinkable to bring shame and dishonour to the family name. One would rather die than commit the most unhonorable crime. The Japanese are somewhat similar to us Chinese in this department, only thing is that they are much much more serious about the punishment. You see, when the Japanese bring shame and dishonour, they commited hara-kiri or literally, it means to cut open one's belly. I guess we Chinese wouldn't like to show off to the whole world what we had for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper. We prefer to be much more humble and much less dramatic, you see. Not forgetting, we treasure life and would rather die of lung cancer or high blood pressure or diabetics from all the drinking and consumption of rich oily food. Now that's a smart and lovely way to go, if you ask me.

And so the stage was set. On the 25th January 2007, I sat myself down comfortably and went into deep thought. Deep concenration and a clear mind is important before one set out on any new experience, that's what my father would say. After a lot of immaginative thoughts and brainstorming sessions, I finally took off my shirt, loosen my pants, switch on the air con and went down to the nitty gritty of things........I created my 1st blog! (www.rickyliow.blogspot.com)

..........and i felt no pain, only a nice feeling of having created something beautiful.