Today is the first day of another brand new start. I'm sure it's not me all alone here who always looking ahead what the nearest future holds and starts preparing for it. A big point of making goals for the next 364 days is also to take look back at what you have achieved throughout the last 12 months of 2008.
And, here's my report card of what I have promised to resolve in 2008:
Improve on my time management, to plan and prioritize my tasks accordingly. It's time to stop procrastinating and get things done by yesterday which can be done today.
I'm not a perfect planner but I have able to kept things under my control. I was an undergraduate till mid last year and was struggling a little with a flexible lifestyle which at times goes off the track in meeting timelines. Now, it's more organized. I have no choice - my work starts at 8.00 am and my biological clock is ticking to a programmed routine.
Develop a positive mental attitude by looking at problems and difficulties as challenges. I think they become less difficult to handle that way
I think I have done pretty well looking at things with a whole new perspective. As I always believed everything happens for a reason, now I got no problems but tones of challenges ushering me along with the brand new 2009.
Be passionate in everything I commit with. With such attitude I hope it would be easier for me to bring the best out of me to achieve outstanding and excellent results
It's either I do what I like or I have to like what I got to do. I’m working now; standing stable on my own feet. But, what I'm doing now got nothing to do with what I have studied. But, the most important thing is I'm loving it. To put it differently - It's finger lickin’ good; for now at least.
Eat more and gain some weight for goodness sake. Trying hard for it! (yeah, I know what you are thinking!) Only, if I can borrow some of your fats.
Ermm.. well..I have gained some but need to get a little more buffy. The doc said 2 kg more for me to enter a balanced BMI window. I shall continue my effort to balloon up myself. Hopefully I don’t explode one day :P
Not to be selfish, to be compassionate and not only think about myself. Time to lend my hand to others in any ways as others too may have doubts, fears and difficulties with life, just like me
It was a long pause since then. 4 years of Campus life didn't gave me the luxury of time to serve the needy the way I wanted to. But now, I'm free to move around and have spent last few months with a great bunch of buddies to collectively give some money, time and energy to where it belongs more. And, I have also made it a point to contribute a certain percentage of my monthly income as a community text, channeling it for goodness.
Read more books. I wish I could learn something new each and every day of 2008.
Expand my network, meet more people, make new friends and earn some good money as well - all with blogging of course :P
If you noticed closely, I have left big gaps in between my posts. I wasn't able to post up more often as I used to be due my job that requires me traveling to remote areas for a long period of time. But, I have successfully expanded my circle of friendship and met some good souls through blogging and online activities. In fact just back from Penang a two weeks ago, after spending an awesome weekend with some of my blog mates.
I'll be graduating this year. Hopefully 2008 will bring me golden opportunities whereby I could stand stable in establishing the next step in my life with a good career.
Wohoo..! Do I need to say more?
And here's more off the record which gave me reasons to look back and smile at 2008. I have walked more than I intended to do - created a written budget for me to keep track of my money. I feel it's a great way to organize our cash and it’s a respect all of us need to pay for every single penny that we spend. After all, money is energy too!
To my luck, I had opportunities to meet some of the successful people and listen to them. Last September, I attend a public lecture - “Ignited Minds : The Power of the Youth” by APJ Dr.Abdul Kalam, the former President of India. And Later, had another chance to participate in a dialogue session with Datuk Vinod Shekar. And, I hope 2009 will show me the way towards more success and its people.
As I bid farewell to 2008, I'm hoping for a better 2009 and wonder what the coming year has in mind to offer me. With never a thought of sorrow; the old goes out, but the glad young year comes merrily in. Wish all of you a blessed new year.
May 2009 brings out the best in you.. Cheers!
p/s: Two double O nine; the time is here for you to buckle up.
We are hoping to reach out to the children by donationg clothes, books, provisions and gifts. More than that, we'll be spending some time; may be an hour or two with the kids on that day. Trust me when I say that the gift of time sometimes can be more valuable and more satisfying that money.
I think giving back to the less fortunate ones is the best way to thank God for the wonderful life we have been blessed with. And I also deeply believe any simple gesture blended with true love and care has the power to make unbelievable changes on others - which reminds me Oprah's words, "Everyone wants to matter. Three nuns I didn't know made me feel like I mattered when my mother, half brother, half sister and I were on welfare and they brought us food and toys for Christmas. The best gift wasn't the toys. It was being able to give the honest answer when the other kids asked what I got for Christmas. Now, here I am wanting to give back what I was given, a sense of worth"
So, let's reach out. More info of this initiative is available at Mindsblog and you may RSVP your attendace via Facebook.
Let us together celebrate the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.. Happy Deepavali :)
Be careful on roads, ingatlah girlfriend yang tersayang :P
This weekend marks a double celebration :)
To my Kadazan-Dusun buddies, I'm wishing you a Happy Kaamatan (May 30-31). May the harvest festival bring you more prosperity, happiness and good luck.
Also, best wishes to all Sarawakians celebrating Gawai on the 1st and 2nd June. I wish for the happiness and joy of this festival to be yours forever.
For the rest of you all, it's wonderful for us to be blessed with many different cultures and occasions side by side. Let's learn and enjoy the cultural diversities and uniqueness of them which make Malaysia what it is - a land of many colorful festivals and celebrations.
Happy holidays and have a great weekend :)
Wishing Vishu ashamshegal to all Malayalees and Happy Vasakhi to my Sikh friends. May this new year brings lots of prosperity, abundance, love, good health and wealth to all of you and your family :)
Original Posting : April 13 2008
To my non-Tamil speaking readers, this is how you wish your friends in Tamil - "Tamizh Putthandhu Vazhtukkal." Go give them a surprise. :P
Happy Tamil New Year !!!
28:1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”Today is a new chance to have life; a gift from God. May the Holy Spirit make your heart bright and May Jesus' love be forever wrapped around us. :)
God bless & Happy Easter, everyone!
But, first of all why did Jesus have to die?
According to Christian teaching, he was God born as a human being, and he died as the once and final sacrifice for the sins of others and then rose again to affirm that anyone who accepts his sacrifice will also rise in the next life. Here's more on why did Jesus have to die?
Gong Xi Fa Cai & Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Yes, I'm born in the Year of Rat, the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs.
So, Ang paw lai.. Ang paw Lai.. Drop it here :D
It was evening of Thaipusam eve. I was already in Kallumalai Sri Subramaniar temple. It was my first time being in Ipoh celebrating Thaipusam next to the limestone hills. Several roads were temporarily closed for the three-day celebration. No much crowd at the temple but I can see people started to drop by the temple bringing in paal kudams (read=milk pots) to fulfill their vows as early as 4pm. As usual, food stalls were set up around the temple compound. No kavadis at that hour. I was told that devotees will start carrying kavadis after midnight. Besides all those usual scenarios, something else marked a little bit of difference in this year's celebration in Ipoh. The was a hunger strike organized by Makkal Sakthi and civil rights organization including ACID of Perak, right next to the temple. Banners were seen high up on the cave walls urging the government to abolish ISA as it is against human rights. Around 30 people hunger striked in a peaceful way against the arrest of H5 leaders recently. Also seen on the spot was YB Kulasegaran. I managed to spend some time with him and members of ACID discussing certain issues involving political agendas and the welfare of Indian community in Malaysia.
It was already late in the evening. Around 7pm I would say when I left Kallumalai temple heading towards Ipoh Mariamman temple to escort the chariot. The chariot was already outside the temple, decorated with colorful lights and ready to move. A huge crowd of people were already gathered before me to join the 7km walk escorting the chariot. Police officers seen on duty making sure of road closures and traffic controls are in order. A big FRU truck seen behind the chariot which then followed it all the way until the end of journey. I don't know if it was a routine in Ipoh but that was the first time I'm seeing an FRU truck following a chariot. The walk was a peaceful one with no unexpected incidents happened and the police officers did a wonderful job assisting the temple management in making sure there were no problems in terms of traffic. After almost four hours, the chariot reached Ipoh Kallumalai Sri Subramaniar Temple marking the end of its journey. Prayers we conducted after the chariot arrived. For now, the crowd has grown bigger than what I saw earlier in the evening.
Food stalls were pack with people trying to fit in for their late dinner. Hunger strike was still going on next to the temple. People started to gather around their tents to check out what was actually going on. I could see some of them flipping through the brochures distributed by ACID and wearing "mansuhkan ISA" badge given away by Makkal Sakthi organization. There was also a projector screen set up down the cave showing the previous parliment debates and Hindraf Rally spillovers along with some temple demolishment highlights. It attracted more and more people to gather around the area. After sometime around 50 police personals came in to monitor the crowd as it was growing bigger by minute. I would roughly quote the figure to be around 150 around half past eleven. It was sharp at midnight when I left the temple. I saw more and more devotees keep on entering the temple holding paal kudams in their hands to fulfill their vows. The queue of people carrying paal kudams waiting their turn o fulfill their vows were stretched up to 2km outside the temple when I left the place. Yeah.. that's long!
23rd January. It was 7am on Thaipusam when I stepped into Maha Mariamman Temple of Ipoh. A big number of photographers were scattered around the temple in early hours of morning not wanting to miss their chance to snap some of the colorful moments of Thaipusam. I was there to escort my friend who carried a Kavadi. After usual rituals and prayers we were set to go heading towards Kallumalai. Yes, another 7km walk early in the morning. But it was shorter in time compared to the day before. It took us two hours to reach the destination at 10am. People kept on coming to temple carrying beautiful kavadis and paal kudams without bothering the hot sun. There were a huge number of people at the temple to offer their special prayers to Lord Muruga. The crowd started to disperse around noon. I spotted YB Lim Kit Siang at the scene heading towards the temple. After some time, I could hear his voice on the speakers delivering his speech supporting the hunger strike urging the abolishment of ISA. I spent a few hours being at temple, simply enjoying beautiful dances by colorful kavadis before making a move around late afternoon. That's about this year's Thaipusam. It was actually double the fun than my previous one.
Internet connection still sucks. I couldn't upload any of my pics at the moment. :( Meanwhile, check out some of the beautiful pics of Ipoh Thaipusam, here.
I was in Batu Caves for last year's Thaipusam. Tomorrow I'll be celebrating it in Ipoh. Catch you there and I'll be back with more updates if possible. Wish all of you a Happy Thaipusam!
On the third morning, it's 'Mattu Ponggal' which is the day of Ponggal for cows. The cattle are washed; their horns are painted and tinkling bells and flower garlands are tied around their necks. It is a day of thanks giving for them, appreciating their valuable contribution in giving milk and ploughing the fileds. Mattu ponggal is only famous among farmers as we do not even get to see cows nowadays. But I do see some buffalos everyday at my campus. I shall try to celebrate with them then!
Well, the last day would be 'Kaanum Ponggal'. On this day, people travel to see other family members to share their joy and happiness. So, what are your plans for Ponggal? In case you wanna try cooking the Ponggal Rice, here's the recipe from MIndsblog. Wish all of you a Joyous Ponggal!
The next three days starting today going to be a meaningful one for fellow Hindus. There will be celebration and special prayers in all the It can be considered as an extension of Deepavali and don't be surprise when I tell you that it is also one of the oldest Hindu festival perhaps before Deepavali itself, as Karthigai Deepam has been mentioned and referred to in many ancient works of Tamil literature that dates back to 2,000 or 2,500 BC. It falls in the month of Karthigai when the star Krithigai is on the ascendant according to the Tamil Calendar on a full moon day. It is believed that Lord Muruga, the divine light of Lord Shiva, took his form during this month and this year, the festival of Karthigai is going to be a bit more special (again, nothing to do with Hindraf Rally). For the year of 2007, the Karthigai Deepam and Pournami (read=full moon), fall on the same day, as well as the day when Lord Muruga took his avatara on Earth. The Karthigai is of great importance to Lord Muruga as He symblolizes light, knowledge and beauty. In fact Lord Muruga has another name, Karthigeyan - which denotes the Karthigai festival.
No Hindu Festival is complete without a lighted lamp, but for Karthigai Deepam it is indispensable.The moment you think of Karthigai Deepam, you get a mental picture of a row of agal vilakkus - those little earthen lamp containig ghee or oil to fuel up the energy at the whick, which gives you a bright and steady glow to the lights. The lamps are so arranged near the doors and windows and in the balconies that they give you a warm welcome during the chilly evening of Karthigai. I still remember my good old days where me and my siblings will arrange the oil lamps on the wooden fence and at the entrance of the house for three continueous days. The number of Karthigai lamps arranged will be usually an odd one such as nine or eleven.
This lighted lamp is considered as an auspicious symbol and it is believed to ward off evil forces and bring forth prosperity and joy. By lighting these lamps, you annihilate the three impurities of egoism, selfishness and delusion, burn away from the mind the thoughts of senses and the desires in the fire of Knowledge of the Self. Beholding the light of lights, you illumine your mind, intellect, the sun, the moon, the stars, the lightning and ultimately the fire. This is real Kartigai Deepam.
Wish all the Hindus a Happy Karthigai. May light prevails over darkness. Wherever you are, stay safe, take care well and have a great weekend ahead. God bless!
Dunes of vapors from crackers rise,
Engulf, as odorous airs resound
Effusing joys to all abound
Pearls of gleams in these autumn nights
Adorn our lives else trite
With sparklers that motley skies
As soaring spirits of powder wander
Let us thank the heavenly might,
In this festive season of lights.
Wish all of you a Happy Deepavali.
May this festival of lights brings the flicker of hope and success to all of us!
வலைப்பூ நண்பர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் என் இதயம் கனிந்த தித்திக்கும் தீப திருநாள் நல்வாழ்த்துகள்!
For those who are going on a balik kampung trip, remember to stay alert and be extra careful on roads as it's better to be late than never. Make sure you take all the protective measures in ensuring the safety of your home while you are away celebrating Hari Raya. Have lots of fun enjoying your holidays, take care well and wish you a great weekend ahead.
The Varushapirapu is the Tamil New Year, it is a time for celebrating new and prosperous beginnings. On coming Saturday, the Tamilians form Tamil speaking state of Tamil Nadu, Kerala in India and all around the world will be welcoming the Sarvajit year, which means a year of victory and prosperity for all across the globe. The Tamil calendar is based on the solar cycle. It has a sixty years cycle and each year has twelve months. The Tamil New Year follows the vernal equinox and generally falls on April 14 of the Gregorian year. The 14th of April is the beginning of the first month Chittirai of the Tamil year, which is celebrated as the New Year and is also known as "Chittirai Vishu". Varusham is the Tamil word for "year" and 'Pirapu' can be translated as the "birth" or "beginning" or "commencement" of an event. According to Hindu mythology, on this day the Creator of the world Lord Brahma started creation. On the Tamil New Year's Day, poojas are performed in various temples. The birth of the New Year is a whole new beginning and marks the time when the world awakens from its wintry slumber. So almost all the Hindu New Year festivals fall on the spring months when nature turns bountiful and blesses the earth with fruitful greenery. The beautiful flowers that bloom in spring, the early bird songs, the fresh harvests which are the fruits of of past labour and the commencement of a new agricultural cycle. all these symbolise the dawn of another year. Thus, every colourful spring festival of the hindus, with all the expectations, apprehensions, hope and joy woven in the festivities, is essentially a New Year celebration.
In North India,Baisakhi day is observed as the Naba Barsha (New Year) in Bengal. On April 14, the people take a ritual bath in the Ganga and bedeck their houses with rangoli (floral patterns) drawn on the entrance of their homes with a paste made of rice powder. The festival stands for the dawn of a New Year in the northern India, especially in Punjab. Baisakhi holds a unique significance in Punjab, commemorating the founding of the Khalsa by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The festival of Baisakhi is an important festival for the Sikhs because it is a formal celebration of the brotherhood of their community. On this day in 1699, their tenth Guru Gobind Singh organized the order of the Khalsa and administered amrit (nectar) to his first batch of five disciples making them Singhs, a martial community. Again, on this day in 1875, Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj-a reformed sect of Hindus who are devoted to the Vedas for spiritual guidance and have discarded idol worship. This day is once again of immense religious import to the Buddhists because Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment and Nirvana on this auspicious day.
Happy Tamil New Year !
தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள் !
