Talk 3 Talk 4

G.I Whisky

2010-11-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

.....after all the small talks and gesturing one would with a welcoming guest, we got down to attending the documents.......... I sign while Whisky tumbprinted......on the text prepared by the agency.

............. then the Chaperone maitre brought out all Whisky’s luggage for inspection. The contents of the luggage was professionally scrutinize before us (Sam and Whisky) .....I watch from a distance....(all the lady thingy, you know....)
................ I insisted that all the unwashed laundries...clothes and sundries (all 2 weeks or more of it) be thrown away ....( I will buy back for her) .

The Supervisor then went through with Whisky in our PRESENCE her personal belongings - being cash and things of monetary values to be properly documented for her protection.

With all protocols satisfactorily attended to being prime and proper ...we took Whisky home (Welcome home Whisky).

On the way home I took a diversion and went straight to the Indian barber (Barber Joe)...
..... got Whisky to have her hair cut....crew cut G.I style .... Whisky was reluctant ........ it had to be done as her hair was infested with lice.

After the hair cut, Whisky looks refreshingly better than she was before with the unkempt matted hair ... went to the pharmacy to get her anti-lice shampoo before heading home.

I sensed the excitement...and spied the smile on Whisky’s face as we approached nearer to home....

...to be continued.

p/s ....
Sam......Sam had better pray that she hadn’t contracted the lice (close proximity from the hug with Whisky).......I would have her cut bald...hehehe

Honey come back - Whisky.

2010-10-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks, we finally received a call from the agency telling us that all documentations have been attended to and approved, and we were told to collect our merchandise – yours truly, Whisky.

We went to the Agency office the next day to collect her ........

I couldn’t wait to see her again ......both Sam and I waited in bated anticipation at the office .....the door opened and there ...standing right before our eyes was Whisky!!..... Sam and I exchanged look and our hearts sank...sunk to the deepest ocean...oh dear!!!

....Whisky was a pale shadow of herself.....she looked gaunt ...her eyes gorges in its sockets......her hair messy and tangled......her skin tanned and dry as if buffalo leather laying out to dry........her sunken cheeks just skin covering the skulls....

...She is nevertheless healthy!....her face broke into a smile.......the smile that is dear and enchanting....the smile that encompasses all that is nice and good about Whisky.

We smile back.....my eyes went teary.

Whisky rushed up to Sam ....hugged Sam like a lost lamb... finally finding its’ mother.....Whisky weep....wept so gently........making me cry so softly that it is making me hurt....

...then Whisky looked up....Sam patted her on the back..........then Whisky turned to my direction.....then..

.......then she lunged towards me with opened arms......[ don’t you dare, don’t you dare ]......then I rushed behind the chair.........then I literally dived between the tables......grabbing the chair... placing it in front of me to form a barricade.......preventing her from hugging me...

......Whisky, however, got hold of my hand....placed it on her forehead and planted a kiss...[ It is customary of her culture in respect of the elders and to ask for forgiveness if any...]

I respected that and felt humbled by it.

To be continued...

Whisky is coming home.

2010-10-10T01:50:00.001-07:00

Sam received a call from Whisky who was at the departure lounge (25th. Oct.) She heard about our plight and wanted to speak to me. I was at the restaurant. Sam did a call-divert and I spoke to Whisky. (approx. 2.10pm). She volunteered to come back to help us until the new replacement maid arrives and she drove some hard bargains – We taught her well, lol.

Listed below are her demands.

1) Bear all travelling expenses – ok
2) Cost of cancellation – ok
3) Cost of entry documentation – ok
4) Cost of permit renewal – ok
5) Passport renewal – ok
6) All future repatriation expenses – ok
7) Airline of her choice for future departure – ok
8) Time of departure of her choice - ok
9) Destination of her choice – ok
10) Full travelling expenses to doorstep (home) – ok
11) To be send to the airport directly by-passing the agency collection center – ok
12) Go out with her friends - NO – she agrees.
13) To have her own handphone – NOPE – she agrees.
14) Be allowed to buy jewelry with her own money – ok, but with supervision.
15) Bear excess luggage weight - no problem
16) All unwanted cloths/kitchen appliances from us and the neighbors to be given to her – no problem but I am not going to bear the cost of deliveries - she agrees.
17) Buy a handphone for her as farewell gift on the date of departure - no promises but will keep in mind – she says ok.

With all the issues ironed out, Whisky began a long arduous journey back to our home with all the bureaucratic red tapes attended to in reverse order.

To be continued.

The story continues - Whisky.

2010-10-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

The story continues – Whisky.

When we realized that Angusinitina was not to be here, we (Sam) contacted the agency’s collection center person-in-charge (24th.) to be put in touch with Whisky. We were told by the personnel that it was impossible to contact any person in the center now as all communications were not allowed for security reasons and that even if it is allowed for a special reason it would be very hard to trace that person as most of them would be incognito, again for security purposes, as most of them would be carrying lots of money and valuables back home.

The personnel, however, agrees to passed the message via words of mouth. We gave up.

The events unfold.

On the 25th. ....I woke up feeling lost....psyching myself up for another tough day........routinely went about my business. I looked at the clock.....10am...mentally made a note......... 11am...Whisky should be at the air-port now ....12.30pm..bye! bye! Whisky.

I had to let go the false hope .....mentally visualizing Whisky’s walking away...passing the custom check point ...eagerly anticipating her journey back home ............f....................
......the plane departs at 1500hrs (3pm).......

Met up with the employment agency personnel at 1pm to discuss the replacement for Angusinitina and going through the prospective maids portfolios.....some too old...some too thin.......some too pretty.....some ugly........one or two, I don’t like the look...some too smart..... I needed more time, I told the officer to make copies of the portfolios to be taken back to go through with Sam.

1.30pm...my thoughts went back to Whisky......wishing her well and safe journey.....
....felt tears welling up.....excused myself, something went into my eyes....told the officer.

Rushed to another appointment with a friend......we are having lunch at 2pm..............bye-bye... Whisky for the last time......looking forward to a good time with my friend at the western food bar...SPAGHETTI..

.....then Sam called......my heart sank!

To be continued....

Leaving on a jet plane.

2010-09-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Leaving on a jet plane.

All her bags are packed and she is ready to go,
Don’t know when she will be back again,
I don’t think we will ever see her again.

Whisky will be leaving on the 25th. September and Angusinitina is arriving tomorrow, the 20th.....a schedule timed to get the new maid orientated with the working and living condition of our household.

..........Whisky brought a new order to our family...she became the boss of her work....and we became a slave to her routines.... while I became the ‘collateral damage’ of her doings – a ‘fall guy’ torn between being her boss and being my own boss.

As the curtain is about to be drawn, I stake claim to be the deserving owner to all the ‘four letter expletives’ ever conceived starting with the.....‘F@#&’ ............and so on.

She was a minor disaster...mediocrity is her middle name..... ‘bumpkin’ her last name...She had me on edge and up against the wall too many times, .... blood pressure yo-yoed like yoyo.....gastritis soured up like cheap wine.....

....and once when she microwaved my banana .....f---......agony is rolling the molten gooey with the tongue trying too cool it ...........f--- having the tongue cooked in that process.......and F--- why didn’t I spit out the molten gooey.

After four years ....she’ll be leaving soon....F--- I’ll miss her......she had endeared herself to my family.........seriously, we will miss Whisky and her childish innocence............her impish smile..........the pig-headedness...........her horse-appetite..... the tortoise pace....
...... “the 7-eleven- sleeps- as- she- likes- vampire”.......an ex-alcoholic with a penchant for exotic meat: dogs, monitor lizard, insects.......the Houdini of works ..and so many more unprintable adjectives and adverbs.....

but everything being said, Whisky is a good daughter, wife......she is an angel of a person....she has a heart of gold...and honestly, I have never met any person so innocently good as her....... F--- (sniff)...I’m gonna miss her.

..and F--- ..I have degraded myself somewhat by using the F word in my written text but it is the only way to explain the quandary of paradoxical sentiments held hostage in search of appropriate jargon to serve the un-wordly emotional crunches.

I miss you, Whisky....take care.

F----.

Pandora - The whisky Story.

2010-07-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Pandora – The Whisky Story.

..The World Cup is over........I am dealing with the post-match blues......watch Avatar for the 2nd. time......I don’t know why..

Whisky is from Pandora...YES!..... Whisky is a NAVI....or something like that....idk..

I am trying to draw parallel with where Whisky comes from......Pandora – a place on earth.... a remotest outpost of human dwelling in the pristine jungle at the farthest eastern end of an island in the Pacific south.......

.....where horses are still a mode of transport........where dogs are pets...watchmen and ‘food’ cook in brine and preserved with spices hung from the ceiling (if any and it is so called )..........

.......where homes are houses built with sticks and leaves on beaten earth........where toilets are freshly dug hole between some trees ...........where cleanliness is to bath in a stream of icy cold water some kilos away ( which explained why.....) ......

WHISKY ...TAKE YOUR BATH NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

...where economy is none existent ( almost ) .....and they survived on subsistence farming ( almost ) ..the biggest monetary value they have in possession or maybe have seen is perhaps 10 rupiahs ( about .02 cents of the USD ) ...

Whisky is a millionaire now in her country’s denomination.

...where people (mostly)....have a heart pure as gold...and the minds governed by the strategies to survive in the harshness of the environment – which explained her tears and hugging for forgiveness ( forbade her to hug me ) .... the affable smile that melts hearts.........and her ..suli...suli apologies .....

........the shrewdness to escape work.......[the ‘escape artist’ of work]........the cunningness to camouflage it.......all served Whisky too well...

The pertinent question is why are we still having her as maid ...I don’t know ....idk.....we don’t know...wdk.....

Maybe we should call her Neytiri instead... ....Welcome to Pandora!

To be cont.....

Whisky the 7-eleven

2010-05-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Time is non-existence in Whisky’s context ....... she is governed by some internal mechanism that existed biologically within herself that render immaterial the omnipotence of time with respect to structural conformity necessitating to comply to facilitate civil and social integration functional as in household ........

.............in simple English, it means Whisky function 24hours a day.

Here’s my story (Chapter 3).

Whisky eats.....sleeps....naps.....works...all throughout the day at the oddest hour....I do not know what’s wrong with her she just can’t follow simple instruction..... and if she is to follow what has been instructed, she needed to be supervise. Without supervision, the simplest instruction becomes a major headache.

.....maybe Whisky acted purposefully to get us off her back ...I believed so to a certain degree ......or maybe it is just the ‘child’ in Whisky that prompted her actions........
.....perhaps maybe, it was Whisky’s laidback lifestyles back home that activated her ‘inactions’.............. at times I might have to believe that Whisky is autistic but I don’t think so......

Whisky cooks at 2am (even though we have food for her) ........... Whisky vacuum the house at 10pm or when she likes ......mop the floor at 12pm or when she is free..........does the laundry anytime within the 24hours .......

....washes the breakfast plates and cutleries, utensils..........lunch pots and pans (if any) .........dinner’s cookeries pieces when she is free ....that will be between after she had mopped the floor and her dinner which can be anytime within the next 24hour.

Whatever else Whisky does when we are not in from 8am to 6pm ...and bedtime, we do not know .......what we do know is that....she is somewhere in the house doing what she deem necessary her household chores.. ....

....and the dogs’ weekly bath became a bath once every few weeks or when we are free...

Utility bills like water shot up 200% enough for a family of 20 ......electric charges rocketed like a 24hours disco ......food bills ballooned enough to feed a small farm....

......so Why are we keeping her ....initially we had no choice .....later she despite her shortcomings, we held on to the believe that 2 years contract with us are just days away if we care to believe ................................and then much later, just before the expiry of the contract, Whisky requested that we extend her contract to the 3rd.year .....We agreed.

Now...into the 4th. Calendar year ....Whisky will be with us till September 2010....
......................and the journey continues....................

Whisky the Prequel.

2010-04-24T20:26:00.001-07:00

It all started with “Ugly Betty” ...the maid.

Here’s my story.

After Wai- fung, a maid who had been with us for five years, left .......we got the service of the “Ugly Betty”....UB for short.

UB was loved by every member of my family(ies) ...extending to my mother ...brothers ...sisters and in-laws...................even the dogs love her...................but UB drove me up the walls.......I cannot stand her...much as I tried to be more tolerant and accommodating.

With UB...everything was slow ....breakfast extending to lunch .......it takes like ‘forever’ for anything to get done .......laundry cleaning with washing machine took hours.....ironing took a ‘life-time’..........with UB in our family........everything was “SLOW motion” ........we slowed down .....we ate outside.......we help her in her work .........we in short, do everything for her ....and “We” in short means my wife Sam and sometime.. the children.

UB had dental problem .....and It cost me a fortune to get her teeth fixed.. in the duration (4 months) she was with us and ..........I ..I.....am BOILING now!!!!!!

..then one evening when we came home after dinner.........we found the door ajar....and upon further investigation......the maid’s room was emptied ...and on the dining table was a note .........

.....and in that note......she thanks everyone for being very nice to her and asks for forgiveness to her action...

( Ugly Betty eloped with a construction labour nearby ).

As UB was still under guaranteed from the employment agency....we were entitled to a free replacement .......three months later, Whisky arrived.

With Whisky time didn’t slow down .................time stood still.

Whisky the Un-thinkable.

2010-04-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Un-thinkable.

This is the 3rd. Chinese New Year....the no:3 “Ang Pow”... that Whisky (Yacob) received from me..........and in it was $20.00

.....I swore here in dA..3 years ago.......when Whisky first arrived at my home to work as maid ......I will sent her back the very minute her 2 years contract expire.......and that I would not retain her even if she works for me free.

Here’s my story. Chapter One.

I don’t know where to begin ......but for the benefit of those who had become my friends later on ....I think it is appropriate to begin with the maid’s arrival...three years ago.

After a series of mismatch and runaway maid.....the Agency went back on their words “money back guarantee”........ and replace us with another maid named Yacob ...and hence, the story began.................

I shook my head in disbelief the moment I set eyes on Yacob...she could hardly walk straight......she was scrawny ...dazed ...like an inmate from the Tuberculosis retreat of a hospital .......the Health Certificate declared her Fit though......
........the said Agent says that Yacob is stressed out from the undertakings of her duties as a maid in an environment completely foreign..... (Yacob is the 9th. Maid) ......I’ve seen enough ....I REFUSED to accept her.

In the midst of the hulala (arguing) between the Agent and I ........I threatened legal actions.......I threatened Police report ....and all the loud noises.....

...........Yacob smiles ....just smiles a childlike smile ....a ‘lollipop’ smile ....... a smile that inspired the caption of my work “Everyone smiles in the same language”.

I was smitten.

..OK!.....I take her, said Samantha
Ya! we take her, I said.

...and hence, our journey began.................................................

Statistical tales of the facts: Whisky is a sleep machine ............................to be contd.

Spaghetti Blue.

2010-03-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

Bob in Wok ........not ....Wok with Bob.... .......for the time being.......

Man.......I am feeling the blues..............I stayed off Spaghetti since Wednesday....and I am not feeling quite myself .............................it is like ..............blank!.............................
........................................blur.............

I seek comfort in noodles......any cooked noodles......soup noodles.....wantan noodles......... fried Singapore noodles ............braised duck noodles........curry noodles ......prawn noodles...............
....beef stomach noodles .....pork balls noodles......fish balls noodles.....fish head noodles..
..sour Assam curry noodles .........pork belly herbal noodles ..........tom yam noodles.......
...claypot braised noodles ......soto noodles ...........fried hokkien noodles.........Cantonese noodles ......... live prawns noodles...........spaghetti fried ala Chinese style noodles!!!!!!!!
....and many more.

I had better eased off the Italiano spaghetti .......for a period or else........ the last ‘date’ with Spaghetti I had on Wednesday (24/3)........ would be the last plate ....reason being that............my blood sugar level reading is on the bother-line...........and if I don’t take heed ....I will be a diabetic................in a year time..........

I don’t know .................................what my world would be like without Spaghetti.....

...........I don’t know ..............................how on earth my world would be..... ..........IF......... I have to..........put a brake to the carefree voyeuristic pursuit of ‘chow’ to satisfy the ‘foodie’ in me.......and to satiate the gluttony in my system.....

I just don’t know.

...Time passes too fast.........tomorrow is a few hours away......

....YES!!!..YES!!!!..YES!!!!!!
...and come Monday is SPAGHETTI Day ..... a day I designated to be ....the one weekly ‘bonding session’ with good old Italiano.....

I feel good already...YES!!!!!!!!!!

Spaghetti.

2010-03-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Wok with Bob.

After I got over the craving for Tom Yam.........I revisited an “Old Friend”...whom I never gave a hoot for ......and strangely, the second chance meeting ....saw me falling head over heel in love with ......the Spaghetti.

I just had to have Spaghetti...where ever I went............and this “(un)-holy alliance”........... so to speak, has been tagged on me for a few months now and there is no sign of it wavering....w0w!!!!...

I travelled the length and breadth of my small world........visiting every eatery.........every nook and corner .......... “four stars restaurant” ......established brands ....in search of the “Best Spaghetti”.....

...and...

...I HAVE FOUND MINE!!!!!! .....absolute BEST ........surprisingly delicious....like straight out from Rome .........authentically Italian ...
........ I have not been there (Italy)...... but it is not hard to imagine ....and it is easy to imagine that the Romans would make a ‘bee line’ for the eatery if they had known its whereabouts......and I am NOT TELLING.

The outstanding qualities that brought me here and again to this particular eatery to have my favourite spaghetti ......is simply the fact that it is just right in everyway ..... the.... PERFECT pinch of salt ........the TELLING chunks of tomato ..... ..the CLEVER dash of herbs and spices..........the MEASURED teaspoons of vinegars and whatever....and so on.............
....and the MAMA MIA touched of spaghetti ....right down to the servings.

My journey in search of the Best Spaghetti did not end here.....I am still searching....and at the same time learning the “SECRETs” of the Master Chef .......................deciphering the recipe .......perfecting my skill to conjure up the “BETTER of the BEST” spaghetti for my family ..................friends too.

I am having “you-know-what” for lunch soon after .....bye!

My Lunch.

2010-03-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

My lunch.

I was with a friend........a gregariously jolly fella ...who when in his element...is capable of cooking up the silliest silly jokes ...and this time round.....with a small windfall at the casino and a couple of self-congratulatory boozes .....he outdid himself.

Met him and his colleagues at the designated eatery .....a joint we frequented.....to have lunch.....
...in came the Fella .......half sober from the congratulatory boozes.....and half somber from the few thousands winning at the casino.

Robert! ...on me.....on me.....on me...., he joyously said ...

Waiter...waiter.....order...ORDER..... .....the boss came............the Fella told the boss
...that he is tired of the same old dishes......and he pointed to the big water tank outside...I want that big FISH....how much!!!!!!

........the Boss quiped..... but that’s my pet......he has been with me for years.......[ We know....I have seen it when it was a baby of about a few inches long ] ......

...ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR for him....ok!....my friend said......
...and cooked it “Teo Chew Steam Style” with extra tomatoes and ginger.....ok!

....ok! said the Boss............ he disappeared into the kitchen...and from the kitchen I heard pleading voices.....squealing ..Cussing.......and the Boss came out with the net.....went back into the kitchen.....some more noises...

...some 45 minutes later........the red- faced Son of the boss...came out with the biggest serving plate .......and few other smaller plates of other dishes .....and bowls of rice.

They were having a great time ...and I had to be the spoiler...I couldn’t bring myself to eat somebody else’s pet...all I had was the “Egg FooYong” ..... they told me that it was very very sweet and the meat was delicately delicious ..... I envied them.

Many years ago...I bought 2 baby chicks as pets for my daughters......and they gave them names...one being Flowery and the other was called Roadrunner....we rare them for a period...and they grew up to be very big , strong and handsome......Cockerel and Hen...

One morning....Sam and the maid....together with my children took Flowery and Roadrunner to the market to be slaughtered.....without my knowing.......and the children were too young to know........

...that evening ...we had Friend Chicken.........on the table.....I saw the biggest drumsticks .......Sam put one each on the children’s plate ....and I had the whitest breast meat ........

........just before I bit into it........I habitually looked out of the window to look at the dogs
...and the garden ....and I saw the familiar cage ...it was emptied.......

I enquired .................................. Sam said ...Just eat!...very delicious!...free range chicken is very sweet and best!

I didn’t eat....I cried silently....and puke inside, literally.... ...but I understand.

Happy Chinese New Year.

2010-02-11T21:51:00.002-08:00

...GONG XI FA CHAI ....

Happy Chinese New Year.

2010-02-11T21:51:00.001-08:00

Is it me.

2010-02-07T01:29:00.000-08:00

Wok with Bob.

I was at the McDonald a few days ago.....I had McChicken...and I was SURPRISED!.....it didn’t taste quite the same....it wasn’t quite so delicious...
.............it tasted a far cry from my first bite of the McChicken I have had the pleasure to indulge some twenty years ago ..........and also now the chicken patty was somewhat less...somewhat smaller....somehow thinner.........and the spinach
......less crunchy....less salad....and LESS.

..or is it me..

The next time ...I have the McChicken.... will be a few months later....and if it doesn’t change for the better.....that will be the Last time. [ Hope some McDonald’s Clowns read this.....]

I remembered when I was little (4years and on)......I look forward to my mother given birth to all my younger siblings ...(and never stop giving birth).........memorably it was one of the most satisfying moment because I get to eat all the good stuffs .........that relatives and friends brought for my mother during her confinement.
........... heehee...Yum.. mummy is a very fussy eater...and I had everything else....like the chocolates......Brands.......Dom Perignon cooked with Chicken and loads of Gingers ...Ovaltines , the cocoa drink I missed so much .....and MOST of all I missed the Jacob’s cream crackers....I craved so much.

I just cannot explain the deliciousness ......it was so good then............and...
....Over the years, I bought Jacobs on and off....hoping to get that deliciousness......sadly, it never ever came near as being quite as good as.................Oh! how I miss the creamy deliciousness of the golden years.

...or is it me......

I don’t think so!

I made a yearly pilgrimage, so to speak , to the Kampar Noodle Stall about 200 km from where I stay....My father took me here when I was young...his father brought him there ....I took Sam here to savor the honest-to-goodness bowl of fish balls noodles....and I brought my children here....

It tasted just as delicious...maybe not quite so.....but it was still satisfyingly just as good.

The stall was managed by the old matriarch ...who has been operating here for the past 50 years.......those days she was helped by her late husband and during the school holidays by her children....
..............Her children are all professionals ...receiving the best education financed by the Matriarch’s Enterprise........Many of her children have their own family and staying away in the city...and some emigrated abroad.

The Matriarch stayed with one of the children once for a very brief period...she couldn’t take the inactivity.....and she returned here to do the business that had serve her and the family so well....and she DOES all the preparation by herself......she is in her mid-70s....
........That might explained the slight dip in the deliciousness of her famous “Kampar Fish Balls Noodles”....an institution in this small town...known by all in this country.

Is it me?
No ..my taste bug hadn’t change....
...........profitability replaced honest-to-goodness deliciousness.

Wok with Bob.

2010-01-17T03:25:00.000-08:00

“Wok with Bob” is about my favourite past time.......EATING.

After weeks of feasting running up to the New Year 2010.........and the banquets for the pre-Chinese New Year Celebration .........and... the associate companies annual dinners
.... and the family gathering luncheons....and........and........the Sundays morning breakfast bash ......and the midnight snacks ..... suppers ...

..... I have had enough of good food and fine cuisines... ......so when an invitation to dine with friends at the fringe of the jungle on some weird wildlife... I accepted the invitation without reservation.

On that particular day I arrived at the destination 5 hours later .... getting there was half the fun as I enjoyed the country drive........I saw cows .........goats............
....chickens.......and one “ jungle crab” running across the road......and some big birds that look like Turkeys... (I don’t know)....maybe Ostriches....
....... tiger poohs on the beaten tracks (very strong smell)......and the bigger poohs must be the elephant’s .....and yes.........I saw some buffaloes.

I met my friends at another friend house which doubled up as a restaurant.........I was very happy to see them and after exchanging some pleasantries....we got down to serious business...that is to FEAST.

We had ...Curry Wild Boar ........Braised Venison........Herbal Snakes.......with lots of Beers
.........I didn’t touch the Paprika fried Squirrel...because I saw the preparation and I shot a video clip of it....It was too Cute to be eaten.....sniff!

I might want to be a vegetarian one day.....maybe...eating less meat for now.

..

Money..money..Money..

2009-12-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

..Money money Money

..it’s a rich man world!!!!!

This must have the quietest Christmas ever....for the first time in as many years I have no invitation to a party...dinner......luncheon.......from friends and relatives because they are not celebrating due to financial difficulties.

I looked around me ...the neighbourhood.....the streets.......I can hardly see any decorations....Christmas trees...........people are just not celebrating......even the midnight Mass saw less people judging from the cars park along the road soulders......

There weren’t any sounds of gaiety ....crackers....christmas caroling...........save a few songs here and there from the television...

...most restaurants were not doing well .......no reservation is needed......less clientele even if there is ...they went for the less expensive.....mainly very tight fisted.

Where is faith ...is it so shallow.......it is all about money.....is it!

.........I remembered the good times...when they sang praises.......when they wept with joy .....of their love for God.....when they hug one another in the name of brotherhood.........sisterhood.......of.....their Paradise......

...I remembered also their devotion.....their love...their sigh...their incoherent sound of praises.....chit...cit...ha....

....... and then money ran out........... All is quiet .......this Silent Night.

...the Economic crunch got the better....God is feeling the pinch too!

...........and in another word.....“who is God to these people...God or money.”

I read once, How the Government expects the people to be loyal when they have no money to buy flags.........in another words....do not expect the citizen to be loyal when their stomachs are empty.......the same holds true for the so called “Reborn...”

I am a Chinese....then a Buddhist.......I made no pretense....I am not Holier than thou type........Money makes the whole go round...that’s the fact...

Like most Chinese....money is our Religion.....to most, Money is everything...to some, Money is the only thing....... and ...we strive for it.......we pray for it ...we pray to it..
Worshipping money unashamedly .....It’s OUR GOD!.......FULL STOP.

...to a Chinaman....”No Money, No Honey”...that simple.

I differ from the norm.....and deviate a little from the stereotyped Chinese...to me ....“Money means Financial Independent”....so that I do not have to worry about all the earthy things associated with money......it means Freedom of the heart and soul..... to be able to concentrate on doing social work......to meet peoples....to help people....
...to serve Humanity in my own capacity.

..and in another word.......Money makes me HUMAN....(so to speak).

( which holds true...look around you...Bill Gates and the like..)

I end this with a note of wisdom (perhaps, love) ....

...“When poverty knocks on the door, love flies through the window.”

Happy New Year to you all...let the coming year be a productive one for you and me.

Love......Robert.

......some of the Children I met....it touches my heart a lot to see brotherly and sisterly love.....their parents are hawker, selling fried fritters down the road.

Autumn in my heart.

2009-12-24T03:32:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to do this edition by Anita.......and frankly I didn’t know exactly where to begin as I am from a country with no seasons.....so I scan through the file and found a picture that might just do the trick ....I had a tough time because....... I am committed play the naked lights masquerading in forms.......the Art of my calling.

“.....What is Autumn without the colours.......the soft champagne hue of romance.........the yielding tint of love...............with a tinge of nostalgia in a blend shades of melancholy......the falling leaves of the days went by....

......of the youth that seeped by leaving trace memory of tenderness ...too painful to secede .................too beautiful to forsake...........In the yesteryears of our dreams....

.....autumn expresses a longing in solitude....an intimate private moment held in suspension...
..........inclusively in selflessness.......... yet unyielding in exclusivity......... that my autumn remains just a figment of imaginary read ....constructed in moods....captured by sentimentality..........................

........only to remain.....the ‘Autumn in my heart’...................”

An open letter to my future husband.

2009-12-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Dear future husband,

Even though I don’t know exactly who you’ll be yet. I think of you often. I wonder how you’re living your life now. It matters to me because how you live your life now determines the kind of man I’ll spend the rest of my life with.

Apparently for some bizarre reason, manhood doesn’t come automatically for males. Some guys seem to spend their entire lives trying to “prove their manhood” – by hunting, playing sports, driving fast, and unfortunately, by having sex. It seems rather strange to us women that guys think having sex proves they are men. To us it just proves they have reached puberty.

Becoming a man is a much more complicated process. The funny thing is, even in this day and age, most guys want to marry a girl who respects her sexuality. A guy doesn’t like the idea of his future wife in the backseat with someone else, or of her being the subject of a sexual conquest story in the locker room. They’ll brag about girls like that, but they won’t marry them. They want to marry a girl who has never “done it”, who recognizes that sex speaks of forever, committed love – someone like me.

But why would I want to marry someone like that – someone who wants to marry a virgin but spends his youth robbing other girls of their virginity? He’s not a “real man” in my eyes – he’s a selfish, immature boy driven by insecurity, not love.

I want more from you. I want you to respect your sexuality as much as I respect mine.

I want you to really learn to love. Learning to love is learning to put the other first. A guy who messes around outside of marriage isn’t putting the good of the other first. He’s putting the girl at risk of pregnancy. He’s putting himself at risk of some nasty diseases – diseases he can then pass to his wife.

A real man doesn’t let his desires control his actions. He controls the desires instead. I want you to develop self control. That’s important to me. I don’t want to marry a man who can’t control himself. Men like that make lousy husbands.

When I meet you I want you to be a man who has made a conscious decision to wait – out of love for our future family and commitment to marriage. I want you to be a real man, who has developed the self control, maturity and unselfishness that waiting brings. That will make you a better husband, and a better father.

I’ve abstained from sex all these years, and saying “no” hasn’t always been easy. I’m sure it wasn’t always easy for you either. But it will make our marriage so much stronger.
Sex will be our gift to each other. It belongs to us; not “us and everyone else we have ever dated”

Thanks for waiting for me. I promise you won’t regret.

Author unknown.

A good cry.

2009-12-06T03:47:00.000-08:00

I was watching a Korean Drama with Sam.......it was a tear jerker....we got teary eyes.
It was so touchingly sad.....I thought love is beautiful and all things good.....I didn’t know love hurts that much...and it was so painful.... [ It got me thinking ].

.......and yet behind this pain and beyond this heartbreak ... is love at its best...a love so beautiful and divine.....It was this fabled pain that brought on to me the capacity to understand love as .........an intense passion insulated paradoxically ......enveloped in compassion ............and to know love in its painful perimeter....a aide memoire ...the consequential humanity.........a human being.

...but wait!!

I/we am/are man......we don’t watch dramas...we want action....we demand gory.......we watch Rambo.......we go bar hoping....we go chick hunting.....we boo...we fight...we swear.......and more.....much more.....

We, men are the sole-agent of God......executing decree in God’s name....and in God’s name the wholesale murdering of the innocents as collateral damage.......sacrificing one’s life to further the glory of god.....thus..
....claiming impunity to man’s law in accordance to God’s Will........the omnipotent to act notwithstanding the consequence......the sorrow of the living....and of those left behind...

We are Man first.... then human being..........destroying everything in our path to satiate a desire to stamp ownership of Mother Earth and beyond........to claim mastery over all living things.........to play God in God’s name.

...because we can...We are man.

...are we forgetting something!........God can be woman too.

I love musicals and dramas.... we were watching “Winter Sonata”...........I became human again....after a good cry.

Girls and tidbits.

2009-11-29T00:06:00.000-08:00

I wrote once that when I was little, my mother took me to a fortune teller to have my palm read. The Monk told my mother that I have flower power. I took to believe that I was irresistible to girls, I was wrong. He was wrong, the Monk.

The actual truth is that I am always outnumbered by girls, at times overwhelmingly outnumbered, like in my family. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, girls are some of my best friends.

It is just that the hormonal requirement in me behaving like a homing pigeon seeking the company of the “boys will be boys camaraderie” and the need to check against the benchmark of being a male specie.

As a matter of fact, I am enjoying myself in their company because through my close association with the ladies, I understood the male role in their domain and the behavioral consequence of their monthly stupor that I once wrote as the second worst thing about being the male in female world.

I also wrote that I have mastered the art of disappearance, during those trying period, of the ability to blend in with the furniture and the wisdom to be “seen not heard” and “heard not seen”

What I didn’t write was the worst thing about being the male in the female world and the taste buds acquiring the liking of the lady that male specie wouldn’t be caught dead with:- the love for Dom Perignon instead of Whisky, the craving for all things sour and sweet and worst, tidbits.

I love tidbits......all sort...sour....preserved...sweet...salty and more. ..
[ munching and sucking the deliciously sour preserved mango now ]

I took a detour to the wonderland of tidbits to do a short video clipping.

New found love..

2009-11-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Sam’s (my wife) birthday pigging out at one of the swanky joint offering buffet in ‘all-you-can-eat’ Japanese and ‘fusion’ cuisine. The “kiasu” - thou shall not lose – mode kick in and I was in a combative mood trying to eat all I can to recoup the initial investment besides pure gluttony. I am ashamed of myself but it was FUN with a capital and fun I did have stuffing myself with all those ‘to-die-for’ cuisine. It was suicidal.

Kamikaze – come to think of it.

The story today is about my new found love...the love at first bite...the craving for an ala carte sourish spicy ‘green curry’ seafood cuisine ...the Tom Yam. I have developed the craving a few months back when Sam insisted that I take a sip of the spicy soup that she had loved for years, one sip there was no turning back. It was love at first sip to be more appropriate.

The perfectionist that I am...the fastidiousness of my character drove me to seek the best bowl of Tom Yam that I could find and each gastronomic journey lifted the taste buds to a higher level. I deciphered the ingredients of each bowl of Tom Yam and fed the information to Sam.

Today, Sam makes the best bowl of Tom Yam...an enticing blend of saltiness to accentuate the sourish soup in fiery spiciness of deliciously sweet seafood herbal brew.

Oh Heaven!......Sam is cooking fried noodles with Tom Yam paste....NOW!!!!!! 8.08pm.

November 20, 2009 – Friday.

Next door to Alice.

2009-11-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

In the family old house...we had a neighbour staying right behind us...and there lives Alice.

.....in Alice’s backyard were Rambutan trees (hairy strawberry)... ....my sibling and I would steal the fruits during the seasons.....and Alice would come out to chase us away....it went on for years......like a game of cat and mouse.

As we grew older...my sisters would chat with her over the thick fencing undergrowth............they became friends.......... I have never seen her in person....I mean..............how she looks like........

..........there were times when I saw her walking home from school..........she was always in front...............................

..over those years...... we became friends ....we chatted .......cracked jokes.....[never to see her face]......................realized that she was a caring and kind person.........and I like her friendship..................she was a few years my senior.

..One fine morning.....she called me when I was at the back...

Robert...Robert......bye!......
......see you!...I am going to Australia.

That was the last time.....I heard from her......and of her......
.............30 years ago today.

Alice...if you chance upon this site...say Hi! to me...

I chance upon a situation with the song “Living next door to Alice” over the radio and made a short video clip that somehow fits appropriately. ....The ‘lady’ in it is the perfect representation of the girl whom I knew as Alice.....a girl whom I never know the look.

.....for Alice.

The week that was...

2009-10-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

Chinese wedding dinner was never on time....and is always late.

During my grandfather time...it was late because some of the guests arrived on foot.......some on bullock carts.......some trekked through jungle.......most do not have watch and relied on the sun’s position.....

...but dinner back then was a full day affair.

During my father’s time.....dinner was still late....though there was public transport...and many haves cars..........

People do not arrive on time.. (to save face).... because they do not want to be seen as desperately hungry for a good meal they could not afford......so they purposefully arrive late.........to signify one has plenty to eat all the time.......at the same time get notice by the guests already there...........................and it inflates their self-importance.

.....and dinner starts eventually...2 hours or more later......

During my time.....on the invitation card....Dinner start: 7pm sharp.

[ I arrived at 7.15pm. .........the 1st. to arrive ]

..............and dinner still starts late....even on a Sunday!!

People feel uncomfortable being on time because they will be greeted by a full platoon of Host’s family members...and they probably couldn’t remember the names of who....and who-is-who...

.....and the more pertinent reason is that people expect the dinner to start late.......
So...no need for excuses..........everybody taking their own sweet time.............and be fashionably late.......

.....dinner starts eventually at 8.30pm

.....by that time the host and family would have stood fashionably for 2 hours at the main entrance since 6.30pm to welcome the arrival of the guests.

I had a great time feasting with my family members and friends.....no beggar’s chicken was serve.....in its place was the roasted suckling pig...delicious.........and we had ‘18yrs. Chivas Regal’ .....Sumptuous!!

As if the price to pay for my indulgence....I was struck by the flu bug on Wednesday...I suffered terribly from body aches ....more so because I was into weight training the day before...and the 10km run on Monday [ to make up for the gluttony on Sunday ].

Consulted the Doctor....he prescribed anti-biotics.....muscle relaxant ..... ponstan (for the pain)....antacid for the acidity.....and 2 days off.

......I continued working as I couldn’t afford to rest........with all the bills to be paid...the children’s education.......daily expenses..........staffs pay.......rentals......incidentals.......installments........bank charges..........and so on..........my food bill........beers.........Dr.Kanda (the Vet)..........dog’s food.......Trusty’s Fido Dog soap..
.....Whisky’s food list...and....and........:faint:

I posted a video clip on a slide show of the bride and groom.......to show you all how it is done here....and for all you aspiring photographer..... it might inspire you to the next level.
....see the professional at >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com

*I am feeling better now.

The Beggar's Chicken.

2009-10-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I accompanied a friend, who had a sudden urge, to a restaurant at the remote end of a small town bordering the jungle. This friend of mine yearned for the taste of wild-life....and it seems to me he wanted to boost his libido.

The restaurant serves games such as wild boar....snakes....sang kancil (deer)........ant- eaters........iguana (monitor lizard)....monkeys and animals that are caught by the aborigines.

We ordered Curry Wild boar and Claypot iguana. .......and the soup of the day - Snake’s Skin.............I ate just the curry wild boar ..............and left the rest to my friend............he ate whole heartily ...the herbal concoction of iguana and drank the snake soup....
...we washed it down with ‘toddy’...a strong alcoholic brew made from the sugary liquid discharge from the young shoot of the coconut.

The patrons of the table next to us had beggar’s chicken ..........

The Beggar’s chicken is a closely guarded ancient recipe born out of necessity....and ingenuity of a group of desperately hungry ‘street people’..... These people stuffed the chicken with a combination of herbs discarded from the herbal shop.....then wrapped with a large banyan/bamboo leaves and pasted it with clay to be baked over an open fire.

This slow cooking process retains all the nutrients and goodness which would have been otherwise destroyed by heat......and together with the nutritional properties of the herbs it protected the vagrants from succumbing to pneumonia.... in the harshness of the weather.

Today...this herbal preparation became one of the grand ancient Chinese cuisines passed down from the ancestry of the vagrants to their descendants who became restaurateurs and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.

There are many variations of the beggar’s chicken....and copycats.....only the connoisseurs can tell the difference.............I can.

>> feast your eyes on it......seeing is believing.

Put the journal up a day earlier because I am attending a wedding banquet tomorrow evening...25th-10-09..............and seriously I have too many dinners... at least one almost every other week...and I cannot stand-down on the invitations because...I love socializing and the food............hoping that they serve beggar’s chicken tomorrow.

Kuala Lumpur.

2009-10-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur was founded in the 19th century by a Chinaman named Yap Ah Loy....a tin miner who was appointed as the 1st. Chinese Kapitan ( headman) by the British colonial ruler.

Situated at the confluence of the Gombak River and the Klang River....it began as an outpost town serving the mining communities and flourished into an important trade and administrative centre.

Its’ central position in the Malay Archipelago.......sited between the Penang and Singapore of the Strait settlements.....enhances its inherent logistic of being the natural preference in the becoming the administrative centre which grew in importance to become the Capital of Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur , today, is a metropolitan housing diverse Multi-national corporations is as much diversities as its populace composed in Architectural mavericks and beauties is the home of yours’ TRULY....Robert Lau.

...come visit me someday.

In the picture:

The Kuala Lumpur Tower (the baby-rattler structure-like) is to the left of the Petronas Twin Towers.

Lemang.

2009-10-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

I stopped by to buy Lemang for supper the other day. The Lemang is glutinous rice flavored with coconut milk and bake in the hollow of a bamboo over open fire....absolutely delicious ...you can eat it on its own........

......but it’s best to go with the “Rendang”..... a traditional Malay fare of beef/chicken cook in a concoction of spices and grated coconut.... ..creating one of the better curried dish of tendered... very delicious dried spicy meat.

The Lemang that I bought here was a big disappointment because I was looking forward to a great supper at home.......only to realize that it was not completely cooked...it was raw at the center...and the coconut milk soured the glutinous rice.

The dogs had a big feast though.....Lucky ate a bit......Ashitaka didn’t like it........Steady had a little....and TRUSTY loved it...and ate all........slightly more than a foot of it.

I deviate a while..........[ SAM just show Trusty a bottle of FIDO....a dog shampoo she bought at the market...specifically for her ].

....back to my story.......we were left with just the ‘Rendang’........drove over to 7 eleven to buy a loaf of bread........came home and had a great time.....simply delicious!

....the unfinished portion of the Rendang went to Trusty.....all of it.

..

** Trusty is not too well.....she will be operated next week.

TGIF.

2009-10-11T01:01:00.000-07:00

I never got round to watch “Thank God It’s Friday” the movie...and I don’t know why!!!...and I never got round to dine at TGIF restaurant because I gravitate towards the Sushi Restaurant next door...every time I was there.

....and as with Every Friday....I sigh with glee “Thank God It’s Friday” this Friday as I made my way back home after a very difficult Friday.......TGIF!!!

It was not to be...I was caught in a massive traffic jam lasting more than an hour...and I was caught with my pants down, literally, ........in sheer agony TGIF [The Gallbladder Is Full]......instinctively I look around for trees.....bushes......small shrubs to “pour out the liquefied agony”. ........the only possible standing structure to do it discreetly....was the lamppost...........and I chose to labor on....the agony.

....I looked to the right...I saw “That Guy Is Freaking”..(TGIF).....probably from system overload...(you know what I mean)...I gave a reassuring nod.....[ hey, Bros..we are in the same boat, we will sail out of it together]

...then......I looked to the left...I saw “That Girl Is Fidgeting”...she is probably overloaded too........I smile reassuringly ...[ hey, Sis...don’t worry...hang on...the traffic will soon clear....and we will make home run and “zero in” on the loo all to soon..YuP!! ]

Over the radio...the song “Have you ever seen the rain” by CCR was aired....

.[ Gosh!...what great timing ..............you could see Torrential storm, I sneered.....]

...followed by the Traffic Update/Report.....blah!...blah!...blah!....traffic is at a standstill..

A little more than an hour later...I arrived at the Petrol Station......less than 5 minutes away from home..........all commonsense blurred out...all logic purged...I did the unthinkable...I stopped ...to go to the toilet.

Walking calmly and purposefully to the loo so as not to “spill the load”...I inched forward
...only to be beaten by a chap to the door.......[What could be worse, I sighed ]...
...I was wrong.......

All hell broke loose!........ more than a minute had passed....and the guy hadn’t done yet.....he is too long ..That Guy Is #$%@ing....... (TGI#) too long.......what seem like eternity.

...I knock on the door...BAM!!..BAM!...BAM!!!

Abang! ...cepat..tak tahan lagi.
(Bros.....faster...can’t stand any longer)

Hey abaaang!!...berat lah.
(Hey broooos!!...shitting lah)

I...then leaned on the wall in a cool fashion with my legs crossed tightly to plug the leak..
.. ...cold sweat permeated........and finally ...the door opened...he apologized...I rushed in
.......rained out all my woes..

....and boy!....TGIF...(The Gas Is Fouled)...what has he been eating!!!!!

I reached home finally..........TGIF.

Today is Sunday as I spilled my heart content out on the journal........I feel better now!.......

...Thank God It was Friday............that very day.

Go over to >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com >> to watch boring traffic jam and listen to the Traffic Update/Report .........all 41secs of it.

Clicky the advertisement.

Thank God Its Friday.

2009-10-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Chinaman.

2009-10-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Ah Kow (not his real name) is the very proud owner of Ah Tee (his real name) meaning Younger Brother.
...Ah Tee is a miniature cockerel who had done Ah Kow proud by winning several local competitions for the best poise and the handsomest cockerel...

......Ah Kow is head and heel over Ah Tee and pronounced him his “King Cock”...

.Ah Kow takes Ah Tee everywhere he went........

I quote Ah Kow..

“I take Ah Tee, my King Cork everywhere.....even to the whorehouse...haha!
..Don’t worry ......I got many hens for him.......hehe.......right or not!!....Ah Tee ......my King Cork...right or not!!”

[I include the quote........... to show the special relation between Ah Kow and Ah Tee.]

.....the man himself.....Ah Kow...is the perfect personification of a “Chinaman”

......allow me to elaborate...

A Chinaman is a person usually in their forties and had slogged his entire life as a business middleman in trading... as retailer ... and wholeselling ...he worked tirelessly day and night....piling up his pennies into fortunes...investing in properties and agricultural lands.....They are the “Towkay”... meaning Big Boss.

They are typically pot bellied...dressed in floral shirts and Gold Rolex with bracelet a size too big so as to shake into position so that everybody notice...a Du pont Gold lighter to clink open to get the waitresses attention.......... ...they are gregarious........generous to a fault .......they like to keep a few thousands in their shirt pocket ........Paying for few dollars worth with a huge pile of Dollars to show.....

....and their wallets (which they keep in the pant pocket) bulked up with addresses and phone numbers of clients, nightclubs, mistresses; ..............herbal cures and remedies... ....some money..........and lucky charms for protection.

They made good friends...dependable and honorable business associates...but the worst competitors because they can survive scrapping the bottom of the rice pot for crust ...................for years....... and generations if necessary.

Never also rob a Chinaman...he is BAD.......just ask, he will give.....he understands life being the underdog, he was one ........ all his life..... he took the honorable path and found wisdom and fortune.

Ah Tee is the perfect representation of Ah Kow........self-important.... imposing ...showoff ....loud.....shrewd and resourceful......companionable........honest........kind-hearted........simplistic and an economic juggernaut all roll into one.

* The better educated more visionary Chinamen became......Founding Chairman of large multi-national corporations... and World famous Entrepreneurs.

I became talk3talk4 ................... just Airs...................Talk only.

The Ghost Festival.

2009-09-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

The Ghost Festival.

The Ghost Festival also known as the Feast of the Wandering Souls is being held on the whole of the seventh month of the Chinese Calendar (August). The ghosts from Hell are let loose during this time. Open air operas are held in market places and temples as part of the feast.

Fast forward.....today.

We have concerts by Singers singing pop songs performing on stage in front of rows....and rows of empty chairs .....RSVP for the “You-know-who”......only some front seats were taken by the brave audiences (human)......me being one of them.

The concerts this year were pale shadows of last year.........we have Pole-dancing by skimpily dressed ladies and very VERY hot performances.....GHOSTS need entertainment too.

....the Authority forbade the act citing indecency.....the Temples’ official worried that the “audiences” might enjoy it too much to return to where it came from.
..and we..... the few brave human enjoyed first class entertainment F.O C....and the food too........

“You-know-what” need to eat and BOOZE...[symbolically] as offering...... ...while the few brave men among us feast on it till heaven comes. YUM..YUM!!

The most important lesson here is not about the culture but about the Performers ...... the Chinese specifically are the most pragmatic people on Earth....who in the world would perform to an empty audience ......where rows of empty chairs are seated with invisible “you-know –what”..... and giving their very best as if performing for the human.......cajoling participation....lively world class emceeing ....pyrotechnic display......disco lighting and what not...

...all being said...the Moral here is that the Chinese recognizes only MONEY.......
..from who ...to who.....does not matter ......to do what and for what...no problem.... as long as it is LEGAL.

***Also note here is that I was there for you all.............I enjoyed the food though.

Sorry Dude!

2009-08-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

From the corner of my eyes....... I spotted a flash of moment about 50meter away....and as I turned to scrutinize, I saw a dog ‘galloping’ daintily...I went after it.

..[ It was in a new housing estate.....and most premises were unoccupied... ]

...I brisk walked in a purposeful manner so as not to startle the subject.... and as I was closing in on him......the ‘Dude’ stopped. .....I frisked out the camera slowly...and inched my way closer with no sudden untoward tic ....to record the episode.

The ‘Dude’ is one of the sweetest dude of any kind I have seen....and I would love to care for the mutt if I hadn’t had so many dogs at home...( Dude is a stray ).

Dude is a victim of childish prank.

...and for all the “show and laugh”.....I was no less guilty when I realized 15minutes later that I should have removed the facemask for ‘dude’ ....because if left ‘unattended’ for a longer period....the elastics would have ‘eaten’ into the flesh and cause insufferable damage....[ I’m so sorry Dude ]..

*......I prayed that some good Samaritan would remove the offensive mask for Dude....... who have given us so much joy in his misadventure...and in that laughter we learnt of our indifferences and cruelty.

The Petronas Twin Towers - Impromptu 5

2009-08-07T09:23:00.001-07:00

..[ FULL VIEW ]

This shot shows a breather...I was straightening and stretching my back to relieve the pain....cocking my head to the left and right to ease the tension.

....I was quivering all over from the electrifying enthusiasm....of having to plead with the police officer to allow me time to finish what I was doing ....and searching for the elusive moon..........and that I was all washed-up from the day’s activities.

The picture in question....underwent many layering....and ‘lacquering’ to project a photographic optical illusion with added depth to translate a dimensional profile.
Coloring highlights were maximized and contrast pushed to the edge of permissibility....before Monochrome( ing ).

...and the end results...............................You be the JUDGE!

The Petronas Twin Towers - Impromptu 4

2009-08-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

[ FULL VIEW ]

It was one highly energized electrifying night some two years ago.....when I stopped along heavily congested Ampang Road at the ‘spur-of –the moment’ when I caught a glimpse of the moon right beneath the ‘Sky-bridge’ of the Petronas Twin towers.

I have to had that shot....and so it started a shooting frenzy that culminated with 39 photographic registry........all but one showing the elusive moon....however, faintly.

I conjure up the belief in that little mind of mine to confidently affirm that this is “the Picture” that people will be talking about a thousand years to come...and they would sing praises adorning it .....

...................but ..
... ................................................I am the only one talking about it .

All that was written as per above was documented in the postings made some 2 years ago
........and the record shows........I took the blow...and did it my way.......

Thank you... Frank Sinatra.

...I did it MY WAY.

The Petronas Twin Towers - Imppomptu 3

2009-07-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

[ Full view ] ...in sepia bronze

The hardest thing about editing this picture was to strike a balance between the contrasting sharpness....so as not to mar the lattices that gave the ‘might of beauty’ that transcended beyond the architectural wonders within and into the engineering marvels of man’s ingenuity.

Looking at it....easily transport one to the exact spellbinding spot that I stood 2 years ago.........and I still feel the dazzling height to a dizzy wonderment.

The Petronas Twin Towers - Impromptu 2

2009-07-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

.. [ Architectural wonder, exterior ]

The Petronas Twin Towers - Impromptu 1

2009-07-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

[ The Architectural Wonder, exterior ]

Hometown Restaurant.

2009-07-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

No fancy spread...expensive décor....just cheap melamine and plastic cutlery.....
....and where the cooking is done by old aunties/uncles who have been cooking for ages from recipe passed down....

......where waiters/waitresses are the children on school holidays ..and the chief waiter (captain)..is the spouse of the chef ...recommending the catch of the day.

..and ....plates...crockery...used utensils are washed by grandmas/dads....too old to for any jobs on the frontline....yet still healthy enough to be gainfully employed...( money is never enough especially when one is old ).

..... the service.....erratic....and dependent on the general well-being of the day...whether there has been a quarrel....or argument ...when the plates and various paraphernalia are set down in “I don’t give a damn” manner...and the cooked food are serve in “I don’t give a damn” manner..

.....unashamedly indifferent ...the foods are cook in “I don’t give a damn” saltiness...spiciness.............oiliness..................burniness (if there is such word)
.... ... and come three quarters cook from the kitchen that reminisce a chicken slaughter house...(if you know what I mean).

..but on a good day ..It is a culinary delight minus the frontline service.

Menus are non-existent ..Cooking comes in three simple ways on how the ‘catch’ is to be cooked: ...... Steam with ginger, tomatoes..wine.......fried sweet and sour.......or stir fried in spice and chili.

....for example........Steam Pomfret......Sweet Sour crab ...and Spicy Prawn..and to provide a balance diet to the protein...I can have Blanched Vegetables in light garlic fragrant soy sauce.

The price is surprisingly... UNfair..Unjust....Unwritten ...there two different price settings.......one is for the locals...and the other for the outsider. The only reason why I patronize the local joint is because I love the charm of the easy casual no-frills dining
...and the nearest experience to “Mum’s cooking”.

What's with them....

2009-07-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

LUCKY

STEADY

What’s with the dogs........in a space of a year ....Ashitaka went under the surgeon’s knife to remove a leg (documented earlier).....that climaxes in the last two months...starting with Trusty’s operation to remove the cancerous cyst (documented earlier)...somewhere in May.....

.........Gosh!!!!!!!...followed by Steady’s infected right ear that called for many followed up treatments...to clean and dress the wound until it heals ..........OMG!!! ...the wound opened up again due to scratching .........and OMG....OMG...OMG!!!!! maggots infested it...and subsequently took her back to the good Doctor .....the Dr. painstakingly dig out the maggots from the ear...and to make matter worse, the maggots ate through the ear digging a tunnel through to the inner ear....:faint:....Sam..we..and the maid ....nurse Steady until she recuperated fully with the Good Dr. constant monitoring and the daily administrating of antibiotic injection .

..Gob bless you Dr. Kanda

......OMG...OMG...OMG...OMGGGGGG!!!!!!......Lucky’s ear swell into a ball due to scratching...it was a freak incident.......dogs have been scratching their ears for time immemorial ...nothing ever happens...bbut my Lucky boy...somehow fractured the blood capillaries and blood starts pouring into layer inside the ear lobe like a plastic bag.....

...initially, we thought that it was mosquitoes’ bite...we administered Mopiko......then..Burnol....then Calamine...then we figure it was wasps’stink...we administered iodine.....then insect’s bite ointment ....then gave him panadol....then..
......antibiotic cream...then dettol....then to Dr. Kanda

Dr. Kanda suggested operation as the only option....to drain the fluid and scrape the ears inner wall........and an appointment was made and Lucky ends up on the surgeon’s table.
Luckily....Lucky recover fully...and running about like a sunshine boy.

Dr. Kanda understood my financial position and he just told us to pay him when we are comfortable....it has been a week since...ThanK you Dr. Kanda.

Born free.

2009-07-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart

Live free and beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star

Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free

Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free

Still at the Banquet.

2009-07-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Wisdom propound that it runs in the family.....Science promulgate that it runs in the blood....Genetic substantiate DNA ...the inherent testimony of the composite makeup of a person.....
...................and I say, ...we cannot choose our parents !!!

Talent runs in a family....just like the little girl of 4 years who sang a Chinese folk song called “ My Daddy lost his spectacle” on stage without a single off-key. This little ‘sweety pie’ is the second generation niece of the groom.

Come to think of it...the only talent I inherited from my blood line is the ability to talk and also the inability to sing......My earliest ancestors were Kings dating back 500 years ago....I still fumble at the thoughts of what talent/s I inherited from great old papa.

It doesn’t matter because after 3 generations....it was all downhill all the way for the clan with no break in sight...We failed you “Great Papa”.

See little girl sing >>>> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com

Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T20:27:00.001-07:00

....you are not alone.........

Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Banquet.

2009-07-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Banquet.

I attended the Wedding Banquet last night......I enjoyed it thoroughly....the food was sumptuously delicious...outmatching those serve at very prestigious five stars restaurants in the city. I cannot understand why....this is the second banquet that I have attended here in this coastal town....and it is among the best ... ....food and all.

This update is not about food......it is my friend’s son wedding....it was just about the most romantic entrance by a newly wed I have had the pleasure to witness.

Both the bride and groom sang while making their entrance into the banquet hall......[and sing they can ].....because the groom is an accomplished singer...having sung for Kings...President... and dignitaries....and the wife is a musically trained.

Both of them.....are teachers, the noblest of profession.

The video clipping is not up to desirable standards but nevertheless you get to see the happening at the Wedding Banquet. ....and I was too busy indulging in............you know!!

Wedding Invitation.

2009-06-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Mr. Yap has been a loyal customer to the company for almost 25 years and over the period we have became friends.

So, when I received the invitation, I was very happy not only because I get to participate in the merriment of a marriage but more meaningfully I get to see a child who has grown up to be someone’s husband over a period of time that flashes by....... underscoring our coming of age.....and that in a year or so........ my friends will be the grandparents...and that’s one of life’s greatest gift.

......and with that I would like to extend my Heartiest Congratulation to both Mr. and Mrs. Yap (sr.) for being Successful Parents ...and to Mr. and Mrs. Yap ( jr.) may you both lead a successful life following the road laid by your parents...a road that was once just a path.

The King of Fruit.

2009-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

This had been a very hectic and trying week...It’s too “hot”....stressful that I decided again to take Sam to the countryside to “cool” down.

... Nothing takes the mind away from the toil and broil of the ‘rat race’ better than a good drive to nowhere... [minus the traffic]......ending up in the Durian collection centre ...where we can buy the “King of Fruits” for a fraction of the price that we pay for in the city.

Here too, we have a wider selection of different so called “generic made-to-order, cutting edge technological invent” type of Durian.....of even more mind boggling “what/who in heaven”....and “where in heaven” did the name derive from...

.........We have today:

.....Mountain Cat King...famous for its rich creamy sweet taste..

.....Red grass prawn...famed for its Red orangy color with a tinge of bitterness..

....then we have ...Ah Kow’s cocktail...a new breed [not tried yet]..heard it tasted like sweet wine......

..and there is the early fav. called .. the Red meat crab...my fav. too though I am not sure why the name..

..then...the Hair Rejuvenator commonly known as 101 [hair growth hormones from China]........very VeRY rich creamy sweet bitter seedless....Yummy!!....not sure why the name also!

Today , we have .....21 [blackjack].....777 [jackpot]...102...103......333 [live forever]
808 [prosperity]...........008 [I prosper]..............888 [forever prosper]...and many more names and permutations.... [if space permits]......

...and NO!......we don’t have the 444 [die foever]...404 [forever die]

The Good Son.

2009-06-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

I took the beaten track off- road to a small village to visit an acquaintance whom I have not seen for a while. I love the warm friendly people there.

Here I met the “Boss” of the small stall...it was like a step backward into time....about 40 years back.....
.........and in this modern era......it is like a life museum ...a reminder of the past
.......the conservatory of the bygone years etched onto the surrealistic templates of our conscience of what is now the extension of the new age morality accelerated beyond wisdom.

Today, the Story is about the Allegiance of a filial son.

In our country, where admission into Public University is based on “birth right of the right skin color” and not meritocracy....countless top grades students of other skin color were/are deprived off a chance of furthering their education giving ways to much lesser and inferiorly graded student of the right color. The country’s statespersons called it “Social re-Engineering”.....who are we to argue!!!

....and so countless parents like the “old uncle” slogged day and night to finance their children’s education.....hoping that their children will lead a better life than they themselves...thus breaking the chain of hardship...doing their ancestors proud with the unwritten ancestral pledges of each and every child of the Chinese origin by way of Confucianism ingrained into the very core fabric of the Chinese psyche.

Old Uncle is the “Good Son”.

Uncle’s son is now working in the editorial of a newspaper company.

* [He was educated in England]

.....uncle does not accept money from him because the cost of living in the city is very high and he wants him to save enough money to start a family of his own.

The elder daughter is married and uncle is staying with his wife and a young teenage daughter. He has no plan to retire as he still has to finance his youngest daughter’s education... She is 15year of age.

Happy Father’s Day.

Gonna miss them.

2009-06-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

TRUSTY

Trusty is recovering well under medication and the “new growth” receded.
Dr. Kanda told us that she’s lucky but bear in mind that it may come back and told us that he would not operate on it again as it would be pointless to prolong the suffering....
...Euthanasia is the only answer.

Touch wood!!!!! Trusty will be here with us for many more years to come.

*The Elizabeth collars on Trusty is not wide enough to prevent her long tongue from licking the growth and the wound....a plastic sheet was cellophaned to it.......It works!!
She’s very obedient as she did not try removing it.

STEADY.

We found Steady 13years ago abandoned by the roadside...brought her home and she became the Matriarch of our dogs......respected by all.

My family love her dearly and .......I..I ....I.....luf her too....[She drives me up the walls]..
....for the past 10 years .

....Steady has been nagging me every morning and evening ....
..she would ...grunt...groan.....bark.....HOWL........whimper...whine.....HOWL....awoooo
....wooo.....awuuuu..awoooouuuu....the VERY moment step out from the door..put on my exercise shoes ..SHE WANT TO TAG ALONG!!!!!!!.....she want to exercise with me..
....she want to go trekking with me...........run....walk with me .

When I refuse to bring her along...she would try ways and means to free herself from the chaining...most of the time she figured out how [She’s Houdini]...and the few time that she failed to release herself [It’s hell for me when I got back]....she SULK!!!...refuses to eat...you can see 2 streaks of wet tears from the corner of her eyes....its Heart breaking!!!

Thinking of the times she got me into trouble...chasing people’s prized chicken...killing it
..the owners’ waited for us with the machete.[don’t want to talk about it].......killing the neighborhood children prized pet rabbit....the owners waited with the shotgun [don’t want to talk about it]

...the time she got me lost in the jungle chasing after her.....chasing some small animals..
..leading the whole troop [Trusty, Ashitaka and Lucky].....all over the terrain at 8pm..when it was pitch black!!......emerging out from the jungle at 10pm.

With Steady ...who needs a cat!!...she is the Terminator.....rats ..shrews...birds....lizards..
..monitors.....sniff!!!..Our pet rabbit [recently]........Steady would deposit the killed prey right on the doorstep to show off and we would praise her......[our pet rabbit ..Mama Mia].
Our house is pest free.

I patted her for the first time...a few days ago...I love her!

.....took her to the good Dr....she was groaning in pain....she had rheumatism and arthritis
.....she’s deaf now....she had cataract...Nothing much the Dr. could for her except providing painkillers...to be administered only when absolutely necessary as it might lead to complication at her advanced age.

Sam is nursing her.

* Steady was hit by a car 2 weeks ago...she wasn’t hurt....I was sure...[..or else I might wait for he car owner with the machete]....this was the 2nd. time .

......the 1st. time she was hit by a car...and she was hurt badly..and all medical charges was borne by the car owner.

Taking Steady out is very STRESSFUL......at times.

Everyday is a bonus for Steady.....I now realize how much I would miss her...I shall pat her more....stop asking her to SHUT UP!!!!!!

Gonna miss them both...but NOT JUST YET!!!!

So Sad.

2009-05-31T01:48:00.000-07:00

On the eve (Sunday 24th.) of Trusty’s operation.....I patted her...I stroked her forehead gently......I looked forlornly into her eyes.....she gazed back knowingly....sadly....and she licked my hand. ..............................................................This is the first time....I touched her.
...............the first time that I stroke her lovingly......and spoke softly ...Love to her.

[I love dogs but I rarely touch them...almost never.....I did carry the old “Lucky” once when she was hurt.....but that’s about it.]

We sent Trusty to the Vet on Monday 25th. at 10.30am.....Dr. Kanda was there waiting..
......I didn’t get to say goodbye to Trusty as there weren’t any parking space.

That same evening, Dr. Kanda called to inform us that the operation was successful and that we could take Trusty home. She was so happy to see us and couldn’t wait to get home.

Trusty recuperated very well....her wound healed nicely....Sam nursed her lovingly...
....Whisky served her extra portion of meat ....the Children took turns to watch over her
....and I looked at her lovingly each time I pass by her....she brought joy to my heart when she’s up to her antics...

......by Wednesday ...Trusty is up and raring to go trekking with us .....we left her a home on the Dr.’s advice: “Let the wound heal completely for a week”.........She was making a lot of noise.....a sign that she is well.

Yesterday, Friday 29th....the Children noticed a lump immediately above the operated area....I asked Sam about it.....She told me that it appeared 2 days ago...when she was cleaning the wound for her and it had since grown larger.....and there is another lump on her leg.

[ I felt so sad.......Dr. Kanda says that sometimes the tumors strike back with vengeance.]

Trusty quiet down ...I felt a tinge of sadness every time I talk about her...every time I pass her.....I am crying silently now that I am writing about her.

I ma going the pat her later...........this time longer....and more frequent.

Jackson's Hotdog.

2009-05-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Jackson’s hotdog.

Jackson’s Hotdog has been around for more than 35 years...I remembered my late father taking me to the park (Taman Jaya) to patronize the Jacksons’.

It was a big thing those days....the only other place selling Hotdogs is the A&W which is about a km. away.....And the only other place where we can buy sausages and the buns are the Robinsons and the Cold Storage.

I can still clearly feel.....the “COOL factors”...the hip ...the tight blue jean....leather jacket that was later replaced by ...hippies....bell bottoms...the Beatles hairstyle.....boots.......the ‘bob’ hair style for girls.......the songs...James Taylor....Carol King...Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the water”.....CCR’s..Have you ever seen the rain
...it was cool then....and the GIRLS.......real COOL MAN!!!!....but I was too young then.

Retrospectively, Jackson’s Hotdog is a homegrown Institution that could have been a very Successful Franchisor had the proprietor been ambitious....but it was not to be...and the Jackson’s Hotdog always taste better under a tree....far better than any hotdogs anywhere....much better than A&W...and other foreign franchise...perhaps it is because it was eaten in the open ...and....UNDER A TREE.

Hotdogs cost US 60cents.......Burgers: US 70cents...extra egg wrapping: US 20cents.

If you are local...support the Jackson’s...the husband and wife team may not be there for too long.

Take a trip to Memory Lane

Who SAYS !!!!

2009-05-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

Who SAYS !!

I went to the local joint ..“Shogun”.....a Japanese’s ‘eat-all-u-can’ buffet . It is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the “Promotional discount” of 50% off per pax.
......a real good DEAL...we cannot resist. I have been there many times and there is a very good spread of fine cuisine of high quality....the service is impeccable and the staffs......hmm....SMILES.

Bad times..Who SAYS!!....the place was packed but when the picture was taken it was near the closing time at 3pm for the lunch crowd. I was still there with my family..EATING my money’s worth...waiting for the fresh OYSTERS!!!

Like they say, some come to enjoy the good food......others came to eat their money’s worth.........while some came for one-upmanship......I went to get KILLED.

See the killer spread >>>>>

p/s......a thousand apologies for the “rush” video clip.

....I was rushing to grab the PRICE stuffs (e.g. lobsters...prawns...soft shell crabs...lamb shanks....mama mia!!...OYSTERS.) before it went into other people’s stomach.

The Greatest Love of All.

2009-05-02T08:15:00.001-07:00

The Greatest love of All.

Irrespective of.... race .....creed....culture......Whosoever’s interpretation........in whatever representation....it PERSONIFY LOVE in its purest form...the definitive illustration of a Mother’s Love .......... free from all encumbering instances of sanctimonious design.....
The Genius of Reggie Lee...presents “The Greatest Love of All”.

Happy Mother’s Day.

So sorry MA......forgive me......your son.

Picture source: The Star
Creator: REGGIE LEE.

Eat First!!!

2009-04-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

Eat first!!!Sushi

Just the other day (last week).......It was a very tough week...everything that can go wrong ...went wrong.................[it was the one of the %$@day].....faced with mounting debts...........worsening economic situation........creditor-a-calling..(kicking).....
......customers BOUNCED cheques..........insufficient funds!!!.....bankers’ friendly call (you know what I mean)...

.......friends came asking for financial aids (I need LOAN..bro.)..........customers requested for additional credit facilities and extended payment period (I need BORROWING..)
...received REPOSSESSION letter..........................UNIVERSITY fees to be paid...:faint:

..........better off death, so to speak.....but NO!!...........I am from the OLD SCHOOL!!!!
Eat First.........................and so it happens that ‘Sushi King’ was having members’ day
.......all members get to pay only $2/set/plate as against $4-$6/set/plate on a normal day.....what a STEAL!!

...and so without further ado...I left my office...drove home...got my family into the 4WD..
drove straight to ‘Sushi King’....double parked illegally ...barged in.. then EAT.

We ate 55sets/plates in all......at half throttle .....limited by what’s in the wallet...burp!!!
...fulfilling...NEVERTHELESS.

...and nevertheless, today was another day....tomorrow, I don’t know.......last week, .. I’ve forgotten..............this week, I don’t care.......next week, WHO CARES.

Yum Yum......>>>>

The World's Coolest Pet.

2009-04-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

The World’s Coolest Pet.

Once a person saw pass the ugliness..... a person sees beauty .......
...I see tolerance......I saw the universality of God’s creation and I saw economic opportunity .......I see teachers screaming...
......I saw the ultimate cool...the baddest... coolest.......the hottest dude/chick is the owner of the horseshoe crab...The World’s Coolest Pet.

No more bullies...no more introvert to bore you...no more extrovert to make you feel more insecure.....No more busybody......you are left on your own device ..
AND best of all...you do not have to bathe it...walk it...pamper it with affection....just pack it in the bag and bring to school. [DO NOT FORGET TO DOCK THE TAIL LIKE A DOBERMAN]
.........put it in your teacher’s desk...the possibility is only limited by one’s creativity...
...and by one’s evilness (sic).

Perhaps you could teach it tricks..... to ‘sit’ on command.......scratch on command
....(I don’t know)...maybe to show off its legs........again the possibility is endless when you figure out where in the world is its eyes...its ears.....its tongue!!!

I saw “Goldmine”.......hatching Horseshoe...selling it as pets to the world.....it is going to be the hottest thing since I-POD....and we will see the next John Door.....the Bill Gates of the Pet’s World...... ....any takers!!

The toughest part for me was to give the pet horseshoe a NAME......I have tried....Lucky
.....Steady....Bo...Boss...Goodluck...Duke...Rose....Captain...Lassie......and countless other permutations and all the known names including ROBERT... and until all the creative juices milked out...squeezed dry that I finally found a perfect name.... “Wall-yeeee” .

See my “Wall-yeeee” >>>>

Mother of All Ugliness.

2009-04-11T07:41:00.001-07:00

The World’s ugliest Living/Non-living thing….Ladies and Gentleman….May I present the Horse-shoe-crab. With this ….I REST MY CASE.

Trivial, fact and highlight.

TRIVIAL :- When I was little…...I would run…stomp….Stomp….and STOMP on its back until it sinks into the sand …..and get the hell out.
[It’s ...FREAKING.... SO VERY SATISFYING]

TRIVIAL :- It is sold for its eggs (cheap caviar)……lay it on its back and put it over fire until cook. The eggs are at the tip (supposedly the head.)..directly opposite the tail.
Just break open the shell...about a spoonful of culinary delight.
It cost $ 5 per horse-shoe-crab.

HIGHLIGHT :- The Horse-shoes are harvested for its ‘blue blood’ which contains a rare compound of medicinal value used to treat a genetically fatal disease.

FACTS :- I just realize, from the picture, that I was standing dangerously close to its razor sharp tail ...and if it very much as to wag its tail ....I’ll castrated ....to become the 21st.century only eunuch....FACT !!!!!! ..That was how dangerously close.

GEES!....God must be crazy >>> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com ...hmm....but I’m sure he has a reason for such hideous creation.

* Not my fault GOD...some joker came out with a show titled “God must be crazy”..
[ My fav].....Ai ya ya!!!.....I am just borrowing it.

iamme.

2009-04-05T04:45:00.001-07:00

I come this far
..the journey
I shall go further
..the story

In the lifetime
..i saw
The changing time
..i see

The pain of youth
..i felt
The warmth of love
..i feel

In a person
..i have loved
As a person
..i can love

I was I
..before I learnt
I am me
..now that I learn.

...... Robert Lau

Barack Obama.

2009-04-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama

Quote…..when I grow up…I’m going to be the president of Hawaii…..unquote.

[Disclaimer]

The above work and texts is the work and views of a disjointed…distorted…disillusionized EX-SMOKING down and out so-called ARTIST with a serious smoking problem.

The ARTIST’s infamous Presidential Lie.

Quote: “I’ve never ever smoke in my entire life” unquote.

The World's Ugliest Gatepost.

2009-03-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Along with the Dodo bird, Chivalry became extinct………….Common sense went the way of the dinosaur…and good taste, if any at all, is in the domain of the horseshoe crab.

To each his own…a man’s home is his castle….who are we to talk about one’s home…the sanctuary of one’s heart….but for the life of the horseshoe crab,
…. how could anybody sees something so blatantly ugly and not talk about it….only to shake the head in quiet disbelief at something so loudly repulsive.

I can’t…I need to speak up not to spite but to do justice to the conscience of my thoughts ….so integral a part of the journey…..I undertook to share life experiences without fear or favor in the name of humanitarianism with a touch of humor and a pinch of salt to lighten up the daily grind of day to day living.

Here is where the philosophy ends….the fun starts….where the rain stopped and the Sun shines…..So without further ado…I again digress.

I bet you to the last dime in my pocket that the house owner is one of the contractor or the security officer of the Petronas twin Towers….who had so benefited from it to be so unabashedly attached to it that he had a replica of it constructed as a gatepost to remind him of the good times….now that he had retired. It makes absolute good sense to deduce it as correct because who in the world would have done so….NOBODY.

The World owes it to him for not being the contractor or the security personnel of the World’s Ugliest Building…..it would have been UNTHINKABLE.

One more lesson in life manifest……before anyone laments about their misfortune…their lack of beauty…height….that nobody cares a hood…nobody notices
and whatever…….spare a thought for the less fortunate……the children of Africa…..
….and the people of that neighborhood...[.I can’t imagine living near there]….like the saying goes “You can’t choose your parents”.

Spare a thought for the luckless >>>>>>>>

The World's Ugliest Building.

2009-03-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have posted the picture of this building a few months ago…I didn’t write anything about it as I was lost for words….what is there to write or tell except that it is the ugliest thing/object/insult/spaceship or whatever you might like to call it.

And it was until now that I found enough courage to lent inspiration to speak on it and tell about (my side of the story) what actually went through the mind of its creator – the ARCHITECT, himself. ……………………………[I am always RIGHT ] .

I love buildings …I always marveled at the Architectural Wonders of the World …I sees it as ART in the Purest Sciences…..the logic of space beyond creativity…a mind at play within the confine of engineering ……..the influences of humanity and the confluences of cultures……This is my WORLD of ARCHITECTURE.

What went through the small mind of this very person when he sat down to draft the blueprint of the said building...........What was his cultural encumbrances….…was it influenced by his distorted childhood…..and if so, was he traumatized.

Who taught him..….which Architectural school……was he a brilliant student…which school of thoughts…can he draw…was he good in math…what magazine he subscribe
….which made of car he drive ………is he tall…..is he short….. his sexual orientation..
…married…single......HE or SHE

There are more questions then answer…….and inconclusively, the questions are the answers.

I beg to differ…I am of the contention that this person is a Politician…Architect by training…..who in this world could come out with anything at all as ugly as this.

Allow me to explain…..a politician first had to come of with idea to mobilize a movement [to designate a design in this case].

To convincingly convince the people…..he has to first convince himself of the viability of the project [the beauty of the design in this case]….to sells his vision whole and sundry for the betterment of the society [to convince his commissioner of the Landmark marvel in this case].

Blinded by his own conviction…he blindly led and sold his idea of change and so we have a society of the blind leading the blind [the shareholders leading the landowner in this case] for all to see except the blinded themselves.

The said building is abandoned …so much can be said of most POLITICIANS.

See empty promises at its ugliest >>>>>> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com

Bankrupt Politician.

2009-03-16T03:06:00.001-07:00

Bankrupt Politician.

[An excerpt from a commissioned speech titled “Renewal Regeneration”.]

Ladies and Gentlemen…before I debauch further the topic

Let me give you an anecdote.

Imagine a building (our Nation) supported by four pillars put in place by our founding father…cemented in with sound Constitutionality … subservient to the natural law of sovereignty and suzerainty governing the rights of every person thereis.

The workmanship to cement in place the pillars is the toil, sweat and tears of Leaders of highest integrity and fortitude coupled with the tenacity of one people in one united voice marching forward…making GREAT stride in Nation Building.

…then

Along came, the BANKRUPT Politicians….

With BANKRUPT IDEAS… harping on OUTDATED Politics…generated…to regenerate their fledging popularity by smoke screening the people with the REGERENATION of OBSOLETE politics….masking their own failings and follies in the name of renaissance in the shifting “Paradigm of Mindset Politics” for the good of the people and the nation.

…a lie re-invented…as in a wheel re-engineered…….only plausible in Politics
…where the art of making the impossible possible….a source of Renewable Energy…
………………………………..

………………………………………………..and so forth…………..

Bankrupt Politician.

2009-03-16T03:06:00.000-07:00

Mona Lisa.

2009-03-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

I watch the show “Mona Lisa’s Smile” together with my family yesterday….. in conjunction with the World Women’s Day – 8th. March.

I enjoyed the show and did shed tears. It is a must watch for the ladies and all Julia Robert’s Fan.

If you have watched the show…then you would have understood the conceptualization of this entrée…..MONA LISA.

Simply Fabulous

2009-03-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

I am not a ‘Flower person’…to me flowers fall under the few categories …and the list are
Sunflower…Carnation…..Rose….Orchid….Bougainvillea…and Lotus.

You can see what a simple person that I am ….my needs are simple…my desires are simple…my logics SIMPLER…..the common sense, SIMPLIEST….my thoughts, SIMPLY complex….
……and my philosophies are simple logic made simpler simply because complex issues are best ingested with simple logics based on simpler common sense.

To prove a salient point.…who in the world would use a flower to conceptualize a philosophy not unless he/she is a simpleton like me.

With that …I rest my case.

p/s ..if you don’t already know…the flower in the picture is a SUNFLOWER……
…I arrived at the conclusion through simple elementary deduction as you already know.
However…I stand corrected if you can proof me wrong with the right answer.

And with that…I rest my case.

p/ps….I am TOO BUSY to put it simply.

So and with that……I am resting just in case.

Belly Dancing.

2009-03-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

I went for a ‘walk walk’ stroll to Petaling Street, the Chinatown at the heart of the Capital
…accompanying my family members.

Petaling Street is no longer the Chinatown per se because foreigners are employed to manage the stalls …..while the Chinese entrepreneurs diversified into Manufacturing… …Café….Restaurants… even some brothels and other more Lucrative legitimate businesses…like they say.. “GOING UPMARKET”

Belly Dancing and Brazillian Wax are the ‘in things’ and the current rage of the Metropolitan…anybody who is somebody at all is into Belly Dancing …

……while the very well oiled of the Crème de lale who happen to be the wives or mistresses of somebody who happens to be somebody who matters… are into Brazillian Wax… …it cost a BOMB per session with two free maintenance service for the DELUXE menu….and cost an “arm and leg” for the SUPREME PREULTIMATE with free AIRSTRIP worth $2000 and comes with a YEAR WARRANTY plus 4 Maintenance services and free access to the EXECUTIVE LOUNGE with one complimentary drink.

This article/essay is about Belly Dancing so Brazillian Wax is for another day to tell.

I tagged along blindly behind and ended up in this Belly Dancing shop..selling all kinds of Belly Dancing’s paraphrenia and nick knacks.

I wished Sam is into Belly Dancing…she needs it.

Come Belly Dance >>>>>

Latest I heard…It was just LAUNCHED….BOYZILLIAN…:faint:

Banana fritter Lady

2009-03-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

The lady here is manning the stall for her parents and babysitting her nephew.
I patronized the stall for a few years now and I have seen this young girl growing up to be a fine young lady. Just a few weeks ago, I saw her driving her parents…how time flies.

I am happy for them because they are doing very well ….a far cry from when they first started. They are the HEROES of Asia.

The longish deserts are the Banana Fritters…the flatten pieces are the Yam and Sweet Potatoes Fritters. Of late, they started making doughnuts (simply delicious…the traditional doughnut). It cost $1 for 3 pieces of any pick.

Visit >>>

King for a day.

2009-02-26T05:36:00.000-08:00

Attended a Wedding Banquet held last Saturday to celebrate my nephew’s marriage in a Nirvana Ballroon of the International Hotel. It was GRAND and there was a sumptuous spread of exotic VEGETARIAN cuisine.

I enjoyed it thoroughly especially the Shark’s Fin that was made entirely of “I don’t know what”,… the Four Seasons….Vegetarian fried prawns…the Roast Duck , the “Monk Jump Over the Wall” …and the Beggar’s Chicken. (Strictly VEGAN).

It is our custom to treat the “Newly Wed” pompously just for the day and the Groom will be bestow with a King’s treatment in accordance to the so called Royal Protocol passed down from generations to honor the GROOM the “King for a day.”

My Wedding Banquet was a JOKE of the decade…..sniff!...sniff!

Puteri Gunung Ledang.

2009-02-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

HANG TUAH.

Stephen Rahman Hughes (A British) acted as Hang Tuah in the Musical “Puteri Gunung Ledang”.

He is so HANDSOME.

I watch the Musical last night ….the courtesy of a Dear friend. (I couldn’t afford it)

Bakar the Cobbler.

2009-02-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

Bakar the Cobbler

Bakar has been plying his trade at this busy sidewalk of this busy street somewhere in Kuala Lumpur….. he is an unlicensed trader…and he is constantly harassed by the municipal officers in their tour of duties.

….The Enforcement personnel would issue him summon which he dutifully pays and at time they would confiscate his tools of trade and he would have to pay a levy to have it back.

Tell it to Bakar and thousands of them like him….they would laugh it off …..the summonses and the levies are as RENTALS and computed as cost of doing business….they are earning a decent living supporting their families…..most of them (hawkers and roadside traders) are earning more than an Executive or a Manager of an organization and many became Millionaires through maverick FRANCHISING.

Earning a decent living is easy in Asia…..and THEY ARE THE HEROES OF ASIA.

For the first time.

2009-02-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Model: I was just passing through when I saw her….mesmerized by her eyes and I stole the shot off her from a distance with the Zoom mode. The picture wasn’t too clear…I had it edited.

I see eyes as a personification of a smile…it beautifies it.

[Listen to the song if you haven’t….simply BEAUTIFUL]

For the first time – Kenny Loggins

Are those your eyes, is that your smile
I've been lookin' at you forever
But I never saw you before
Are these your hands holdin' mine
Now I wonder how I could of been so blind

For the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now I understand why love is...
Love is... for the first time...

Can this be real, can this be true
Am I the person I was this morning
And are you the same you
It's all so strange how can it be
All along this love was right in front of me

For the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now I understand why love is...
Love is... for the first time...

Such a long time ago
I had given up on findin' this emotion...
Ever again
But you live with me now
Yes I've found you some how
And I've never been so sure

And for the first time I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
Can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now I understand why love is...
Love is... for the first time...

The Moon represents my heart.

2009-02-03T08:08:00.001-08:00

The Moon represents my heart – Theresa Teng.

You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you…
My affection is real.
My love is real.
The moon represents my heart.

You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you…
My affection does not waver,
My love will not change.
The moon represents my heart.

* Just one soft kiss
is enough to move my heart.
A period of time when our affection was deep,
Has made me miss you until now.

* You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you.

* ** Go think about it.
Go and have a look [at the moon],
The moon represents my heart.

Repeat *

Smelly TOFU and Pasar Malam (night market)

2009-01-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

Smelly TOFU and Pasar Malam (night market)

After the Dental sojourn many evenings ago…..We drop by at the pasar malam (night market) to have our supper and to get new clothes (myself) for the Chinese New Year.

We had fried noodles…soup noodles….curry noodles…and it was satisfyingly good.

That evening…...I decided to be adventurous …for no apparent reason..I decided to try out the ‘Chow Tofu’..(Smelly Tofu) a la carte…….it has been bordering me for years….. The aroma stench like sewage…and true to its slogan “AROMA ACROSS A THOUSAND MILES”.

The queue was long….we waited for our turn….bought 4 pieces for each one of us

…..Sam went first…shook her head in delight…then it was my turn…I have already turned green from the regurgitation…there was no way out….BRAVED myself…closed my eyes…SAM fed a piece to my mouth…..I chewed the crunchy texture..and ..BY GOSH…it was the best TOFU I have ever tasted.

Then it was my children’s turn…..they then wanted more..but the queue was too long………..decided to come back for more another time.

Believe me you….it is worth a try…even if it is for the NOVELTY of having the guts to have tasted the smelliest dish…… the infamous “SMELLY TOFU”……just don’t burp!..

If need to…..wind down the car window.

Come smell >>> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com

I want...I WANT...I want !!..Chapter 2

2009-01-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

I want...I WANT...I want !!..Chapter 1

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

I want..I want..I WANT.

This afternoon I saw the cutest TOYS ever…and if I was a child….I would have ranted
…I want… I want…I want…and if my parent still refuses to get one for me……I would have activated the battle station …declare all out WAR till the objective is secured.

I would go into my room …lock up …and STARVE.. (after I had smuggled enough ration to last a week)…and my parent would squirmed…..and I dare them to watch me starve to death….and I will only eat if they buy me the ‘stuff puppy with naughty ears’.

Go to >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com ..to see the cutest stuff toys ever...and listen to the singing.

OK…see you all later…Dinner time……….Sam, where are the CHILDREN!!!!!!!!

Sam ate it.

2009-01-21T04:22:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year is a few days away…...the top item on the shopping list was a dining table. I have been looking around for one to replace the Dining table that has been with us for 15 years.

Found one ….a 5’ by 5’ ….solid cheddar wood with beautiful grains in deep champagne hue…..and comes with 8 chairs (slightly raised) that sit a person comfortably in a regal relax position to pig out .

The Dining set cost $ 3000…..a sum I can barely afford but absolutely necessary because it is really a shame to be seen in one… though it served us functionally well as required….but my MOTHER has been nagging us to change it because the children are all grown up…and their friends come a visiting so often …and we love to have them over for meals.

They didn’t mind….as they understood the financial obligation that we are undertaking…………..…I am undergoing…. to be exact.

And so…

On my way to the furniture shop to place a deposit…I accompanied Sam to the dental clinic…went in with Sam….and the dentist greeted us….Attended to Sam……after a few jabs….with Sam squirming! ….some more drilling….Root Channeling.

….Mr. Lau….Sam bridge has got to be replace……..OK! No problem.

The Dentist …then went on to …..calculate…tik…tik..tok…tik..tik…tuk..tuk

..it is about…[with ME SQUIRMING!!!]……. $ 3900…..after discount….tik…tik….that would be

….$ 3600…and since your family have been patronizing the clinic…and loyalty pays

..I am giving a discount…for you Mr.Lau…..it is $ 3000…(it pays to be loyal.)

What can I say….I was so touch!!…..got EMOed……I was SO thankful ( my voice was choked with emotion)…at that moment he was the GREATEST person ……my eternal gratitude….. when all the EMO stuffs sunk in…..the dust settled….

……....GEE!!......I am paying $ 3000 for two pieces of porcelain…the size of a peanut.

[In silent thought….GOSH!!!!!!....SAM you just ATE my DININING table …literally, so to speak….

..……..figuratively accurate……and politically correct, if you choose to debate.]

After the dental sojourn …instead of the furniture shop…I went to the Pasar Malam (night market) to buy new clothe and wear for the CHINESE NEW YEAR….

GONG XI FA CHAI (Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous NEW YEAR)

>>>>> talk3talk4.deviantart.com

The Morning After.

2009-01-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Morning After.

This picture “The Morning After” is being posted the morning after (yesterday morning) I posted “Morning”.

…..Originally…..I had in mind “The Morning After” to be “Morning Has Broken” and vice versa

“Morning Has Broken” to be “The Morning After”…....just before the screwed up in the wee hour of the morning. …...one morning… [TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT]

It is now 2.07am in the small hour of the morning of 18^th.Jan.09…as my finger fox-trot on the keyboard to complete this journal…and it maybe way pass 2.30am on this wee hour of the Sunday morning after I post up “The Morning After”…but before consuming the 2 Royal Stouts which have a tendency to play trick on the tired mind and blurry eyes.

Enjoy it nevertheless…and none the wiser on my part……!!!!....:yawn:…..GOOD NIGHT……:sleep:

MORNING.

2009-01-16T18:16:00.001-08:00

Morning.

I have spent countless hours over the period of eight months editing this picture…a process that involve…..revolving between …undone redo ….redone undo…..multicoatings….multilighthings……multifiltering….multilayering…

…multicoloring……..multitasking and the like….to perfection, so to speak.

In the small hour of one morning, I mulled over two possible title..”The Morning After” and “Morning has broken”…tried “Morning has broken” in text form…and ..

…Murphy’s Law set in…..I would rather quote….he quoted…If there is another way to do something…that something will be done in another way….(If anything can go wrong..it will)..

…and SO..

After 2 Royal stouts on the wee hour of the morning…..I click ‘save’ instead of ‘save as’

..having in place an irreversible “Morning has broken” on the bottom of the said picture

…regrettably with no recourse….and my MORNING will never be the same again.

It is 1.45 am…in the small hour of the morning…I post “MORNING” [as I type with one finger]…it maybe be way passed 2 am in the small hour of the morning when I finally posted this picture without correction ..and with much regret.

Enjoy it…nevertheless….

Morning has broken – Cat Steven

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
Gods recreation of the new day

SMILES - Art: 05

2009-01-10T21:59:00.001-08:00

Smiles – Art: 05

Everyone smiles in the same language.

Picture: Fiona [~KerrigorRose]..my dearest friend.

Art and editing: Robert Lau.

visit >>> talk3talk4.deviantart.com

Last Joe.

2009-01-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

Old uncle is the last of the few craftsmen left in this ‘sunset industry’. None of his children are keen to follow his footsteps and it is left to be seen whether his craftsmanship will survive into the next generation.

Uncle told me that the supplies of cane is shrinking due to rabid urbanization that resulted in the deterioration of the environment affecting the ‘virgin jungle’…where most of the canes are harvested by the aborigines and sold at an exorbitant price to the cane industry.

Gone are the days…where cane harvested by the aborigines were exchange for basic necessity like salt….sugar…rice …cooking oil and the likes….thus hiking up the prices of the cane products beyond the reach of the segment of market (the ordinary village folks) traditionally its staunchest supporters…..but for the better…the cane furniture are re-classified as ‘up-market’…adorning lobbies of Hotels and Clubs.

Though the industry is experiencing a resurgence of interest and demand…..it is left to be seen whether it will survive the environmental impact of modernization on the supply of canes and or the business acumen and shrewdness of the aborigines.

Will uncle be the ‘Last Joe’…..

I am ME.

2009-01-04T05:46:00.001-08:00

Hair Spray.

2008-12-28T05:04:00.000-08:00

I accompanied my wife and daughters to the saloon this afternoon…the Saloon is operated in a low-cost apartment converted into a ‘low cost unisex saloon’ by a lady dog lover.

Perming and styling for the three of them cost $105.00…for the same services rendered by a fancier saloon would have cost between $350 to a $1000…..for that saving…it was worthwhile to bear the discomfort and possibly having to share the same cutting utensils with her dogs (very adorable). Desperate time calls for desperate cost cutting measures.

While the proprietor was styling my family’s hair inside her saloon….her husband was styling and cutting the furs of her precious dog outside.

The wife is gifted hair stylist. Sam and my daughters (me included) were extremely happy. Her husband did a good job on the dog(s).

Come see styling on the dog…that bear testimony on my words.>>>talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com

GREETINGS.

2008-12-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

SUNSCREEN.

2008-12-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

** Read it…trust me on the Sunscreen

SUNSCREEN : Baz Luhrmann

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97. Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you one tip for the future, sunscreen
would be it. The
long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the
rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my
own meandering
experience... I will dispense this advice now

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh,
nevermind, you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until
they've faded. But trust
me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself
and recall in a way
you can't grasp now, how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous
you really looked. You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that
worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by
chewing bubblegum. The
real toubles in life are apt to be things that never
crossed your worried
mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle
Tuesday

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't
put up with people who
are reckless with your's.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're
ahead, sometimes you're
behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with
yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the
insults. If you suceed in doing
this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank
statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do
with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22
what they wanted to do
with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still
don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're
gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll
have children, maybe you
won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40. Maybe you'll dance
the funky chicken on
your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do,
don't congratulate
yourself too much or berate yourself either - your
choices are half chance,
so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can... don't be
afraid of it, or what
other people think of it... it's the greatest instrument
you'll ever own.

Dance... even if you have nowhere to do it but in
your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines they will only make
you feel UGLY.

CHORUS
Brother and sister together we'll make it through.
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there.
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there for you.
And I'll be there just helping you out whenever I can.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they
might be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they're your best link to your
past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future

Understand that friends come and go, but for the
precious few you should
hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography
and lifestyle because the
older you get, the more you need the people you knew
when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes
you hard. Live in
Northern California once, but leave before it makes
you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise,
Politicians will
philander, you too will get old. And when you do, you'll
fantasize that when
you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians
were noble, and children
respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe
you have a trust fund,
maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never
know when either one might
run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're
40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with
those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly
parts, and
recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

CHORUS

Everybody's free. Everybody's free.

SMILES - Art: 01

2008-12-15T04:31:00.001-08:00

SMILES - Art: 01

Everyone smiles in the same language.

Picture: Mother

Art and Editing: Robert Lau

Just JOE.

2008-12-13T08:55:00.001-08:00

Just JOE.

I took Sam (my wife) to a concert this evening…….didn’t not have extra Mu lala

(money) to splash …so just like any ordinary Joe……I got Sam to perch on the railings

….while I climb up a tree ….(and Yes…I am that agile ) to get a clear shot.

Enjoyed the concert……come join me >>>>>> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com

SMILES.

2008-12-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

SMILES.

Everyone smiles in the same language.

Picture: Pat Shaw [Trish to me.] of ~TriciaS......(My dearest friend)

Art and editing: Robert Lau :jarklarge:

Mobile Steamboat.

2008-12-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

If business doesn’t come to you….you bring business to them…..that’s the Key Strategy
..in today’s dog eat dog world…You undercut…..You fast forward…You one step further….You overdo….You Cultivate….You Motivate and You INNOVATE.

Mobile Steamboats have been mushrooming faster than rabbits……and to stay one step ahead…this fella innovated….he incorporated grilling and barbecuing …and business was brisk.

Sit tight. Before the month is over….we will see Sizzling BBQ Mobile Steamboat all over town. What next .?? ….Mobile Sushi !!!