PickMyBrain

New post every Saturday!

Origins

This page tells about the origins of Ocean's 1/2. In conventional terms, it would have been the About page. Take a look.

Project 365 Grateful

This a project inspired by a friend to help myself have a brighter outlook on life and appreciate what I already have. Read all about it here!

Contact

Now if you ever have any private/personal questions or are just to shy to leave your name, contact me personally! I'll reply ASAP :)

Disclaimer

No one likes to sue or be sued. Though that is highly unlikely in this tiny blog of mine, I still like to say a few words here.


======================================================================

Congratulations on finding this small, little blog of mine! :)

======================================================================

Friday, 30 December 2011

2011

I haven't been blogging much, no. Although I do have quite a few things in mind, which I'll probably procrastinate. But seeing that 2011 is coming to an end, I find it fitting that I at least put up one last post.

As usual I can't really remember what happens month by month, which reminds me...I should do a wrap up after every month just to keep my sanity in check. But I guess, this year has been a great year of awakening.

I realised 2 most important virtue/value/principle that I would like to see in myself: hardworking & initiative.

I think it has been there all along, it's just that I've never come to fully understand nor realise the urgency of procuring these values. And yes, I'm quite proud to say I've worked a lot harder on my studies this last 2 sems. Although results weren't as encouraging as I had hoped, I'm keeping the faith. I'll work harder next sem. And never forgetting the friends who took me by the hand, for who I am, and showed me the light. A bit over dramatic, but seriously, I'm very thankful to all of you - you know who you are.

For the second value, initiative, it took me 5 days in a Buddhist camp to realise this fact and punture my hugely inflated ego:

"I finally realised that taking initiative is not being "lebih". It's taking the first step and putting our ego aside because we care." -Loo Han, 2011-

I suppose all this while, I was too afraid to take initiative lest I was shunned by our lesser civilised society. But some people have taught me a lot, and if everyone's too afraid to make the first move, no one will. So, take heart, I'll be more initiative from now onwards.

For the second half of the year, I would say that my life has been changed forever. All thanks to INCOVAR. It's a spiritual awakening of sorts and a realisation that there's a lot more out there than what I think (again, stupid ego). But really, I have to thank Ms. Ng for pushing me to go for a camp I otherwise would have skipped! Thank you!

Since then, there's no turning back. I've becomed a lot more active in Buddhist activities up and about. And total Buddhist camp count = 3!

Also, I have to say that I feel very blessed and thankful. Especially to my ever understanding family. I haven't been able to spend much time with them. I was supposed to be a homebody this December and yet, my adventurous spirit kept me far from being that. Come January and February I will... hopefully. Fingers crossed!

Oh! And I've rediscovered my passion for adventure,spontaneity and the great outdoors! Ahh, what a feeling to go back to nature. Realising that I actually love scout camps much more than I think!

Last but not least, I have to say I've finally found some peace within myself. A sense of purpose and a bigger understanding of life. I feel as if I've grown so much older, and yet the older I grow, the younger I feel. That is to say, we grow up to become who we once were, with a little more wisdom.

Ahem, anyhow, enough for the serious talk. It's the end of the year, and we're still here! We rejoice, we rejoice, we rejoice!

Friday, 23 December 2011

Lord of The Rings

The Lord of the Rings... Hmmm.. I think no words can do this movie justice, so I'm just glad I had the chance to watch all three of them this past week. And I have to say, what a show!

There's no beating the last few scenes in Return of the King. There's just so much to love and so much to learn. The Hobbits taught me a great deal. Their love for simple wants and needs are very inspiring, and it has left me with a feeling unlike no other.

Faith also plays a big part in this movie. And faith has been a big question mark in my life recently. There's always two sides to a story, so they say. And there's two types of people, those who believe and those who don't.

But good faith comes with wisdom. Wisdom = Gandalf. Enough said.

And all the other races - elves, dwarfs, man, hobbit just shows the diversity of the world. Cause that's how it is. You feel the same within your own kind(family/race) and different with others. But each race has their own pros and cons and we can all learn from each other, live with each other. The ideal is just so beautiful.

I'm going off topic already, so all I want to say is... I can't wait for The Hobbit in 2012!

P.S. J.R.R. Tolkien sure is a genius.

Monday, 19 December 2011

On the First Day of Christmas...


There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.  What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

 
This week, I found out. 
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
 
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. 
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.- 
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. 
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. 
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. 
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. 
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. 
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. 
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. 
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. 
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed. 
So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.' 
Merry Christmas Everyone


Picture taken from here.

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Cafe Barbera: Eat All You Can Pizza Review



While on a shopping mission, stomachs do get hungry. And this time around, guess what's for lunch? PIZZA! Pizza, pizza and more pizza! 
This is Cafe Barbera's latest promotion:


For Rm15, you'd expect super-thick-crusted pizzas ahem*pizza hut* ahem. But, nope, this is really good pizza! Very Italian, very delicious! The crust is not only thin, it's crisp and baked to perfection! To add cherry on the icing, you're served! Like this:


Honestly, I would rate their service very highly. They kept asking how was the food, was there anything we need, and we even had fun conversations. Oh, and they generously provided cheese powder even though we only asked for chilli sauce. Alright, here's the main course: PIZZA!









I ate something like 17 slices! Yeap, that's worth your RM15 alright. Heck, a Domino's pizza would cost you RM20++ already. Another fun part I like is that the pizzas come randomly. So, you'll never know what to expect (yes, I love surprises!). Drinks are the normal cafe prices. We got a jug of iced lemon tea and some cappuccino (since it says 140 years of coffee perfection):



 And if you're still having any qualms about overcharging the other stuff that's not in the promotion, here's the breakdown:
 
here's the funny guy again

So, go ahead! As they cannot say for certain how long this will last :) But sign up for gym on the way, yeah!
 [7/10]

Sunday, 13 November 2011

Quote #6



Picture taken from here.

Wednesday, 2 November 2011

Sun Rise


Sunday, 30 October 2011

Work...?

I had the pleasure of attending Dr. Chan Kah Yein's dhamma talk at SJBA this morning. I almost didn't attend to make way for revision, but I was intrigued by the topic today. I don't remember the exact title, but it's about working hard in the Buddhist perspective.

The main misconception, as Dr. Chan stated outright, is justifying laziness as taking the Middle Path. The Middle Path is practiced by Buddhist but it's not an excuse to not work hard. I won't go into details, but here are some interesting notes that I managed to capture during her talk:

1. Work hard. Work damn hard.

2. Do something you like and you'll be good at what you do. Also, you need not be good in everything, an all-rounder, contrary to popular belief. Specialise!

3. People need to struggle. Humans learn more from struggling than breezing through.

4. Don't nag. Set your terms and conditions and penalties, then carry through. Most people tend to threaten, but not carry through.

5. Examine out intentions. Do we do something out of compassion or just to be right?

6. Multi-tasking is rubbish. It is merely an act of fleeting from one task to another. (Even computers can't multi-task. They fleet from task to task in microseconds)

7. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. And here's quote #5:

Mark Twain: I can lie, but I won't.


I had the honour of speaking with her after her talk and all I can say is that she has inspired me to work harder and find my passion. I hope you will too, after reading. Cheers!

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Quote #4

Taken from The Unit:

HW: You don't know the answer
TG : No
HW : If you knew the answer, what would it be? Write it down.

Comments: I think fear of facing the truth numbs us so hard, that we dare not even try to find answers to our problems. I feel this is a good method to face that fear. It also portrays the healing properties of writing. Writing helps our thoughts flow.

Monday, 24 October 2011

Quote #3





“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” ~Unknown


Disclaimer:
Photo taken from: here.


Friday, 21 October 2011

Wrong When It's Right

Some times,  I feel as if we have too much fight for out "rights". The rights to say anything we want, the rights to publish anything we want, the right to do whatever we want. So much so that it can actually infringe other people's rights. And yet, we'll still be arguing about OUR GODDAMN RIGHTS.

Here's a post dedicated to all road users.



It's not your right...
To arrive at the the office in time. It's everyone else's too.

It's not your right...
To be the last car to beat the red light.

It's not your right...
To turn out of the junction at the moment you arrive.





It's not your right...
To cut into my lane.
And it's definitely not my responsibility to brake for you.


It's not your right...
To have parking reserved for you.

It's not your right...
To evade traffic jams. The queue starts from the back.



Last but not least,
It's not your right...
To have the fastest, most comfortable and most economical journey on the road. It's a compromise and understanding between all road users.





Disclaimer:
Photos taken from : herehereherehere and here.

Monday, 17 October 2011

Quote #2



"Fly me to the Moon...let me dance among the Stars..."I hope we never lose our sense of wonder. A passion for exploration and discovery is a noble legacy to our children. I hope we set our sails and venture out one day. That will be one glorious day...

-Astronaut Wheelock-


Disclaimer: Photo taken from here.
View full powerpoint here.

Thursday, 13 October 2011

Big Bad Sale!

Rejoice all bookworms out there! There's a super huge book sale happening from now till the 16th of October 2011. I went there today and boy, it really is a feast! Too bad I was too engrossed in looking through title after title that I forgot to take any pictures of the place... :(

So, you'll have to settle for this mountain of books I bought:




Don't get me wrong, I don't usually splurge. But this is really one of a kind sale. Most fiction books, including bestsellers are priced at RM8. And the most expensive book I purchased would be the second from bottom - Jamie's Kitchen, at RM25 only. For the whole mountain of books above, I did not pay more than RM200 :D:D:D:D Happiness!

Therefore, wait no more, else the books get sold out! For more details, head over here:
http://www.bigbadwolfbooks.com/
and
https://www.facebook.com/bbwbooks/

Here's their promotional leaflet:





 And the bookmark they give after purchase:



Best thing is, it's held annually! So, my suggestion would be, buy a year worth of books! :)

Sunday, 9 October 2011

Snug


Saturday, 8 October 2011

Oranges




Sunday, 2 October 2011

YinYang Fish

After studying for long hours, you get hungry..and inspired to cook :) Cooked from random stuff found in the fridge.

marinated fish for 30 mins


first fish!


with cheese. it's supposed to be baked but, oh well


the first one - nice colour, but less tasty


The second one - probably due to the residue in the pan , this one's a lot darker, but tastier too!



Yin and Yang fishes

Thursday, 29 September 2011

National Excuses

This is What A Malaysian Should Know

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR HAIR LOSS:
Ajinomoto

NATIONAL INSTANT FOOD :
Maggi Mee

NATIONAL BREAKFAST :
Nasi Lemak

NATIONAL LUNCH :
Nasi Ayam

NATIONAL SUPPER :
Roti Canai & Teh Tarik

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR BEING LATE:
Traffic Jam

NATIONAL FRUIT FOR INDUCING MENSTRUATION :
Pineapple

NATIONAL APHRODISIAC DRINK:
Stout. Many Malaysian men swear by it. But then after a few pints they start swearing at everything.. .

NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (MEN):
Food Poisoning

NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (WOMEN):
Menstrual Pain

NATIONAL CURE FOR DIARRHOEA :
Cap Kaki Tiga.

NATIONAL CURE FOR HEADACHES:
Panadol.

NATIONAL CURE FOR DIZZINESS:
Minyak Angin Cap Kapak.

NATIONAL CAUSE OF DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
Happy Hours.

NATIONAL INSTANT CURE FOR DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
The sight of a police road block.

NATIONAL RICE COOKER :
NATIONAL Rice Cooker

NATIONAL RUBBISH DUMP:
Anywhere, as long as it is not your house.

NATIONAL MOST MIS-PRONOUNCED NAME:
Carrefour.

NATIONAL ANSWER FOR 'WHERE ARE YOU?'
on the way.

NATIONAL OFFICIAL TIME FOR BEING LATE
-10 minutes

NATIONAL REASON FOR PRICE INCREASE
Petrol naik

NATIONAL REASON FOR PETROL INCREASE
Still cheaper than other country

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR CAUSING TRAFFIC JAM:
There was accident on the other side of the road

NATIONAL REASON WHEN REJECTING INVITATION :
'I got some work to do..u all go first'

NATIONAL REASON FOR COLLAPSED BUILDINGS & LEAKY PARLIAMENT ROOFS:
An act of God.

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR IRRESPONSIBLE POLITICAL STATEMENTS:
None. We were misquoted.

NATIONAL MINISTERIAL REASON FOR INCREASING TOLL RATES:
Lu ingat ini jalan saya punya bapak punya kah?

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR JUMPING QUEUE:
everybody jumping what!

NATIONAL EXCUSE NOT PAYING SAMAN ACCORDING TO DUE DATE:
government will give discount one of these days

NATIONAL EXCUSE TO BRIBE:
minum kopi
 Let me add one of my favourite:
NATIONAL ANSWER TO 'HOW' QUESTIONS:
okaylah

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Consumers' Rights

Contract Law In MALAYSIA

Legal Issue on Contract Law in Malaysia - Good for us to know

This is something I like to share with you from one of my seminar recently. If you find this informative, pls circulate. It was conducted by A/P Catherine Tay on Legal issues in E-commerce.

Notice that most of the time, the receipt / invoice you received from the merchant carries this exclusion clause or similarly worded statement: 'Goods sold are not returnable ' or ' No refund once sold ' .

The thing that I have learnt from her is that : 'As long as your good is purchased for home use and not for business ( i.e. to be resold), the above exclusion clause is VOID.

That means, as long as the good is defective, regardless of what is worded, you CAN get back all your money spent. You do not have to accept a repair on the good or an exchange. You CAN ask for a refund. AND you are LEGALLY right and entitled to! What a revelation!!

And most of the time the merchant will refuse to return you your money.

Her advice? >From her own experience ( and no less than 7 and all successful!) , she will threaten the merchant with four words: ' SEE YOU IN COURT! '

The court here refers to the Small Claims Tribunal Court .

However, you don ' t have to tell them what court! All you have to pay is RM10 admin fee and the loser (the merchant) will have to refund you the money PLUS the admin fee!

She shared this with us because she felt that even educated people are cowed by such unfair wordings (which includes her jaded friends who are not lawyers).

Pls try not to let the merchant fleece you the next time you have a defective good.

I know where to file this. On the 16th floor of Putra Place (The Mall opposite Putra World Trade Centre) . The form cost RM5.00. The Tribunal will settle within 2 months period.

Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia ,
Tingkat 16, Putra Place ,
100, Jalan Putra ,
50622 KUALA LUMPUR < B>
Tel: 03 - 40492300 / 40424181 Fax: 03 - 40424259

Monday, 26 September 2011

Wheel of Life


Friday, 23 September 2011

Underwater Kiss


Thursday, 22 September 2011

The Road Not Taken

Sometimes, in life, we find ourselves facing difficult decisions, or rather decisions with dire consequences. Be it hopping on board a business opportunity or exploring human relationships further, it's all about coming out of our comfort zones and doing something different.

The question is always this: Is it worth it?

Think too long, and the moment will pass you by. Biased judgement on the other hand can be fatal. Fight or flight. Make or break. Pros and cons. Yin and Yang.

Cloudy is my mind right now. Give me time to sort myself out. 






Tuesday, 20 September 2011

If You're Not The One

Monday, 19 September 2011

Quote #1

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button



Reblogged from  http://rambli-fications.tumblr.com/post/10322831421

James Bong


Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Please Don't let Me Go

Monday, 12 September 2011

Ingenious!

Sunday, 11 September 2011

The 'I Like You' Poem


if you gave me
half a moon of a chance
i would
kiss the incisors
out of your mouth, clean
and hold them in my
own, like chippings
from an old mug
then
pray my tongue into
a bowl of holy water
and ask god to never
leave you thirsty.

P.S. Reblogged from http://rambli-fications.tumblr.com/post/10076419556

Adrenaline Junkies

We're all adrenaline junkies. Before you start shaking your head, hear me out.

We're all adrenaline junkies, but we seek it in different ways. Some do extreme sports like cliff jumping, white water rafting, roller coaster rides, etc. etc. There are also some who get their dose from chasing the opposite sex - from just seeing to talking to making out to entering the bedroom. Some do it in the form of drugs - getting high is a form of adrenaline rush. And some, like me, procrastinate just to feel the adrenaline of last minute work.

Whatever it is, whether we admit it or not, one thing's for sure, we like it. Don't you think so?

Friday, 9 September 2011

Dawn of Dusk


Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Do you know you're unlike any other?





Sunday, 4 September 2011

Light The Way


Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Patience

First post and I'm ranting. Not a good sign, but today's journey really tested my patience to the limit. I don't mean to flatter myself, but I think I did quite well. Here's the story:

Hurdle #1: RapidKL buses. I really didn't expect any obstacles to be honest, but when the public buses came, Metro included, I realised how very wrong I was. Every bus was full, packed as if it was 7am. After passing on several buses, I managed to enter a bus. That reminds me, I felt cheated cause the fair's RM1.90, but there's almost always no change, so RM2 it is. What a cheap tactic!

Hurdle #2: KTM. My, my... This is quite an experience. I patiently waited as usual for the long intervals between carriages. When it finally arrived, it was unsurprisingly full. Packed to the brim. I'm actually quite surprised that anyone could even board! I tried as well, but sad to say I was too fat couldn't :( And so, I went back to take my seat, dejected at the fact that I have to wait for one more interval. Luckily, KTM sent a second carriage like 2 minutes later. I.am.saved! Though it's also packed, thankfully I just managed to squeeze in.

Hurdle #3: Buying thy bus ticket. I was queuing at the counter, wondering why is it taking so long to purchase tickets??! Nevertheless, it finally reached my turn. I told him my destination, he told me the time he said okay, and then he started SMS-ing.. WTH??!! Not only did he ignored me totally, after SMS-ing, he told me to move over to the next counter, saying he needed to check on the buses.. I was seriously stunned! Oh, not to mention I had like 2.5 hours before the bus arrives...

Hurdle #4: Lack of food choices, thus had to settle for KFC. Long queue. This is to be expected, but oh well, I'm just ranting.

Hurdle #5: Bus itself. As we all know, the bus ticket is printed with a seat number. For a reason. But what I and the other passengers found out in the bus was that there's a duplicate of seat numbers. Oh, come on! I managed to secure a seat, but some weren't so lucky. However, I believe that there's a second bus coming to pick them up, so all's well.

Yup, that's about it. 5 hurdles to test my patience today. And I'm definitely worn out from the journey. But I'm glad to be back :)