Taking Chances

This morning, I just sent my Dad to the airport. He’ll be away for 1 week. Which means I’ll temporarily take in-charge of the business during his absent. That also includes the extra pressure, extra stress and extra headache too. It so happen that the most “happening” stuff that my company does from time to time falls during this time of my Dad’s absent. We’ll see how I’m going to pull through this. The next past five days will see me blogging (some sort of report?) about my work- on my own. That’s a whole different level. At least I can say that I’ve almost complete designing my company’s website. It’s functioning already but on a borrowed domain. Soon we’ll buy a domain.

In saying that I’ll be in-charge for this week, I realised that there are a few things that I need to change. Responsibility is for sure, but this time a little extra more. But the main thing is this- taking chances. Yes, I need to put in a positive attitude. Be more optimistic about the things around me. In doing so, I can’t be afraid to take chances. I need to be an opportunist by capturing things that will be of advantage to me. Even if I’m not sure if Plan A works or Plan B works or whichever it doesn’t matter. Even if I fail something, I’d know then where is the right direction. I don’t want to regret later on for not capturing things that would have change the course of my future for the better. It’s either I sink or swim, I’ll still have to do what I’m supposed to do anyway. Talk with confidence like I know everything to bosses, project manager or site supervisor, and make a fool out of them- since there can only be one smart fella. Ahaks. (It’s a complicated stuff to explain in some working fields) Things may go wrong once in a while, so I got to learn to see the beauty in the scars. Overall, I still can’t work everything out on my own. All I need is just a faith of a small mustard seed to believe and He’ll work it out.

Life is full of surprises- if only we realise it.

Romans 8:28

Pressure Mounts

Another 2 more days to go comes another tidal wave. A 6 day war… Lifting up my hands for strength and hope…

Anything Goes… Wrongly

I saw this in Ujong Pasir. Well, this is not the first time I’ve seen any of this sort. It’s interesting to know what people would do to make something sellable, especially when it comes to food. They’re expecting anything and everything that comes with the word “Nyonya” would make their food sellable (which is completely and entirely stupid). Or probably by including the word “Nyonya” in the name of the food that they’re selling gives them the license to increase prices. But I can still turn an eye blind to that. So anyway, what’s the big deal? Putting in the word “Nyonya” to a food that’s entirely alien to Peranakan cuisine is uncomprehendingly stupid. People are too desperate to make something sellable that they have to put up weird labels? What’s next? “Nyonya Roti Canai”?

Going For A Ride?

I was on my way back from from Mersing and I spot this in Ayer Hitam. The dog was not tied to anything. The motorcyclist was riding fast, making sharp turns. The dog wasn’t panicked. Keeping its balance and cool very well. I send this photo to the Star newspaper but so far no reply yet. (Sounds like sending lots of resume and no reply yet?) Just something that you don’t get to see everyday unless you go out and see the world. If you get lucky, you’ll bump into some odd things…

Chao!

His Grace Will Meet You There

UPDATED

That’s not my old car…

A few days ago was my grandmother’s 8th anniversary of her passing. Many things have changed since then. I was a very different person back then. But one thing for sure, I miss her. We went to her gravesite. Looking at the grave tablet, it’s just the same as it was 8 years ago. It really felt like the whole thing happen not so long ago.

At the same time during the same day (or maybe a day difference) of my grandmother’s anniversary, a friend of mine whose grandfather (whom I briefly met) passed away too. I can tell what she’s going through in this moment. Quenching, heartbreaking, anguish, despair, sorrow… Something that wasn’t so strange to me.

Nothing that we have in this world can last forever. Even the very thing that we hold dear can rot and be eaten up by moss. How long this earth can last? Even friends, siblings, parents and so on, one day they will be gone. That’s reality. We’re living on borrowed time in some sense. There will come a day when the clock stops ticking and the light goes out. I ask myself, how much have I done to make a difference in the people that I’ve come in contact with? How much time did I take to appreciate my parents? How much effort did I take to build strong bonds among my siblings? How many times did I take a pause and tell how much I love to the person that I care the most? And finally, what the heck am I doing now? pause *duhhh…

In a nut shell, we’re all going to be goners someday. It’s just a matter of how fast are we going to kick the bucket. And even more interesting, how are we going to kick the bucket? How does it feels like at the very last few second before we die? That’s a very hard question. “When it comes to the end of the road…” just as someone told me, “… His grace will meet you there”..

 

1 Thess 4:13-14; Heb 6:9, 10:23

My Resting Place…

I was on my way back from Mersing, Johor. I find that most of the time, travelling is at its best during the evening or twilight. Especially after rain, how the mist fills up the atmosphere. To see how beautiful nature is, the creation of God. It’s like as if God is painting a picture for men to see. Sometimes it’s like as if He’s painting something for me to see, to tell, to comfort, to display all the grand glory. The universe that He created so great, so vast, so massive, so wonderful and yet He cares for a small insignificant tiny dot like me.

Psalms 91:1-2

Patina

I got some free time and I decided to experiment was is called “patina” on my rusted golok kecik.

Purpose:
- Another alternative method to keep your blade from rusting
- Creates another form of rusty look, but not the bad kind of rust. It's a good kind of rust..
- Creates another form of oxidation to your blade
- To make a fake damascus / pamor effect on your blade. Which is super cool especially for those who don’t have them. Ahaks!

What do I need?:
- Any carbon steel blade
- Vinegar
- Lemons (optional, but in this case i use them- 3 lemons)
- A pail or container good enough to make your blade stand in it
- 2 cloth peg
- A cloth good enough to cover up the entire blade
- Lots of rubber band

STEP 1

Make sure you have a clean carbon steel blade, free from rust. If there is rust, apply wd-40 on the surface of the blade & brush / scrub them with wired brush / steel wool until the rust is clean. Then wash them with soap & warm water. After drying it, you can sandpaper it until it's clear.

STEP 2

Cut all the lemons into 2.

STEP 3

Arrange them on the blade as seen in the photo.

STEP 4

Warp a cloth around the blade with the lemons in cloth just as the same position as seen in STEP 3.. Tie the cloth with rubber bands to secure it tightly. This will also help to keep the lemons from falling off.

STEP 5

Place the blade in a pail or container in a vertical position. Use two cloth peg to hold the blade in position as seen in the photo.
Pour vinegar all over the cloth & make sure the entire cloth is soaked in it. Leave it for 2 hours before you untie it.

THE RESULT

Holla..

Can you see the so-called rust on the blade? That's the main effect from the lemons. If you use vinegar without lemons, you'll have a different effect.

On the other side.

Straight view. Sometimes you can see a "dual" effect as you move the blade in different angle. Awesome..

Straight view from the other side. Looks like I've created a fake Bendosegodo pamor. Hehe..

Look at the rust on the cloth! Ewww.. It stinks too.

The aged looking blade with damascus effect is a beauty indeed.

After the photos were taken, I wash off the rust stuff. You can keep it as it is to maintain a chrome look, it's fine. The pattern won’t wear off if you wash them.

Other methods:
Instead of using lemons & vinegar you can try mustard, coke, tomatoes, various sour pickles & etc. Just be creative.

Enjoy!

Smacker Line…

“I’ve given you my best, why does he get the best of you?”

*smack

This Dance

 

This song made me want to dance with somebody…

A Fresh Start

It’s 2010 now. Just 2 and a half hours ago. This blog is a continuation from metaMOREpHIS blog, so to speak. There are many reasons why I’m starting things anew. Honestly speaking, I do not know where this is heading to. Yes, a new start is what I needed the most. A direction. I can’t say it’s going to be smooth sailing from here. Still some sort of stuck at the crossroads. May this journey see some growth.