Ask Uncle Sam

Dragon Boat

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:31:00 +0000

The competitive boat that needs to be operated by 12 man at one go, 1 instruction, in synchrony. But what if you're only one person on the boat?

2012 is definitely going to be a personal challenge for me. However, I think I still have some kiasu-ism in me that makes me want to go the extra mile. For now, I'm carrying my own supplies in the dessert in dire need to find an oasis.

In hope?

To find an oasis somewhere following the north star that is my guiding light in the cold dark night.

Johnny Walker's quote: "You'll never walk alone". Maybe someone is always walking beside me. Count your blessings.

Positive

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:48:00 +0000

I am seeing this as a new opportunity. Life in general this year would be an uphill battle. But I ain't giving up.

If spartan can do it so can I? Dafuq!!!

This funny feeling

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

You know what's really funny?

When there is this little thing that Is inside you. It irks the hell out of you and it grows. Like a poison.

My solution = sleep and get over it.

Finding

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Yeap, I am still looking for it.

Looking Back

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:04:00 +0000

You just want to take 10 steps back from where you are right now just to see if there was anything that could be done. That's regret.

You want to take 5 steps back comforting yourself that life is only a game of chance and what if(s). That's just being pure dumb and stupid.

You may take 1 step back and think properly of your next move. That is call planning ahead.

Guess sometimes it is just too late for us to look back. Too easy for us to dwell in the past and present.

Time to lift your head up high and just walk. It is not worth dwelling. This is just a passing dream. Someday, reality will surface and we will face the world as it is.

Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Well. Congrats to Tim and Audrey? Lol.

My question to peeps out there is when would you ever know is the right time to propose?

Quite mind boggling for me to figure it out. (I am trying to minimize the profanity here - I really wanted to use mind fu**ing)

Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:26:00 +0000

You know they say life is full of opportunities. Sometimes I just don't know when to stop pursuing. Sometimes I wonder if they were just a perceived opportunities.

I like to be part of a story. Part of something or someone. Maybe that's just me. But finally I think I am gonna stop trying so hard. Or maybe I am not trying hard. It is just me doing it that makes me or others think that I am trying hard.

Maybe it is just time to take a chill pill and really let the song "Come What May" to take its place in my life.

Maybe life is not that easy or hard. Life is all nothing but maya. Being too attached to it just makes you....sad you get emotional. You get problems. It is not negative. But maybe it is just what we need to go through.

And my thought now is...to ask myself is it worth it? To put in all I have when the rest don't. To invest all in one basket carrying the risk that it may just break. They say loyalty is cheap nowadays and I came to prove no. But 99% has proved that it is. So where does my contribution count. It is hard to do something where people don't value you anymore. Like a Christmas gift chucked so far away that it is almost New Year and you never opened it.

Sam. It is time to wake up. Stop being so naive as what others have told you so. The reality of this world is not cruel but true fact is not everyone thinks like you.

Good and bad thing about myself is I can't always speak what I think because most of the time I can't convey it well. But if I may speak freely, I would think it has been quite thrilling to discover the mistake I always tend to make.

I would still like to believe that there is genuine-ness in this world. I still wanna believe. So please don't let me down.

Uphill

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:06:00 +0000

I am slowly beginning to understand why God gave us challenges and obstruct our paths ahead.

My question is why can't it be any easier?

"God promise a safe passage but not a smooth ride". How true.

Without You

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:05:00 +0000

I somehow seems to have lost the "You" in me. Painful, but life goes on. Everything seems a blur right now but I have faith that it will be fine soon.

I cross my fingers.

Rainy GPS Retreat (Behind The Scenes)

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:28:00 +0000

Here are some of the additional shots taken by Eric Hiew. Behind the scenes in which we've captured.

It starts with a driver and his baby orange car - Summer

The driver concentrates on his entrusted task

Providing best service to the couple who hired him

Balancing fun and work

If the driver doesn't know the direction, he has to ask.

The trip involves lots of self-amusement in the car

We're on foot most of the time so that we can digest the food

We indulge in taking silly pictures - And YES that's my leg. Sexy isn't it? =p

It involves going all the way just to get what you really want.

Occasionally the driver needs his nap.

This is how we spell S-A-T-I-S-F-I-E-D

We forgot to tell you that it rained the entire journey until the day we left!

Photo Credits:

1. Eric Hiew

Free hugs

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:21:00 +0000

You know I could really use a hug today.

Rainy GPS Retreat (Ipoh - Penang)

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:34:00 +0000

Holiday trips are always refreshing and nice. Took a few days off from work (well, not totally holiday because still had some work to do), thought it would be a wonderful retreat from the reality of life. They say, sometimes you just need to take a break, and I did. Eric and Amy both organized the date and I was their personal chauffeur for their "honeymoon" retreat.

Biasalah, drebar pun ada benefitnya jugak. Haha.

Immediately after a meeting that ended late, we met up in Old Town White coffee to grab a quick bite and started our journey up north (somehow it sticks that north always have the best food in town?). Anyway, it was quite a slow and smooth drive as there weren't much people who started their journey for the LONG weekend.

Prawn Dim Sum

Yu Mai

And a whole lot more !

Our toilet in Hutton Lodge

Bed was alright

Problem is you can be seen when you shower. HAHA

Headed towards Penang Road's famous Teo Chew Cendol. Still as good.

Stumbled upon the long lost Apong Guan

It was sheer luck that we found the stall as I was talking about it.

Went to Bora Bora Cafe

Fruit punch dropped standard

Went to Hard Rock Penang to watch the JAZZ HATS. Highly recommended by my neighbor - Kevin. Damn they were that GOOD !

Had Lok Lok for dinner somewhere

Despite it rained the whole day, it was still a rainy night.

Sights of Kay El

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:58:00 +0000

One doesn't have to feel funny about going the back lanes of KL and seeing random people throwing rubbish and pee-ing at the longkang. I guess these are regular scenes if you sit in the middle of the city observing long enough.

However, the focal point of this blog post is not on that but rather the sights of KL that we don't really see. The backlanes, the toilets, the staircase, the "haunted" sites. Who knows. We just took our camera and started snap as we walk. =p

Started with an LRT ride to Pasar Seni

LRT

The door

The graffiti wall

Our T&G system

Crowded station

An old drawing on the wall

The infamous beef noodle

Road Signs

Metrobus

Pasar Seni Walk

Eric, Amy and Me

Met another group who shared the same passion as us.

I am proud of my country.

The unknown scenes.

A really old lift. 80 years?

Ancient hydraulic system

Abandoned wall

Abandoned shopping lanes

A super old fridge

That was how we hung our shirts to dry back in the olden days.

The backlane

Such classic designs

What's your lucky number of the day?

The ever crowded scene of the LRT

Hello people

The majestic twin towers

Laying down our gears

Ended the day with food. We're Malaysians after all.

Photo Credits:

1. Sam Kon

Soaring Great Heights

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:52:00 +0000

Once upon a time, I didn't know how to fly a kite.

Bought a nice "frog" kite.

Within seconds it was high up in the air

What matters most was that I finally know what kite flying is all about. The joy when something yours was high up in the air. Proud?

It couldn't have been done without friends - Eric + Amy. Sometimes I would think the most important thing in life is about treasuring relationship and not material relations.

Quarter Life Crisis (Behind the Scenes)

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:36:00 +0000

Just found out that my cousin sister had another album. So I am just gonna post some of our amazing adventures before we went to challenge the Mountain.

I am a born poser

Now I know why I waited for them at the peak so long. Haha

We call this mountain gliding

No idea what was happening here, but I find this funny.

To be the bigger man

Us goofing around while climbing down

Via ferrata

Down down and all the way we go !

It was indeed a beautiful weather for via ferrata.

I say the most important part of this adventure was not about reaching the final destination, but rather the journey took to reach the final point. =)

Photo credits:

1. Jere

Quater Life Crisis (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:28:00 +0000

I rummaged my facebook photos only to find the remainder of what we managed to take during the hike.

Left around 2.00 a.m., I was top 10 of the day reaching the peak at about 5.10 a.m.

Looking far at the horizon

There she comes.

Picture perfect

I was sitting at the peak until 6.00 a.m. until my bro and cousin sis arrived. Well, the joke of the day stays within us as via ferrata was another story to tell.

My takeaway from the trip - No matter how tough the journey of entering the workforce, I ain't gonna give up.

Immediately after the climb, I decided what I want to venture into. Things started to fall into place and I am where I am today.

Can't wait for the next adventure in climbing the pinnacles of Mulu (If I ever survived the 700m vertical climb). =p

Quarter Life Crisis (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:15:00 +0000

So our epic journey continues. Upon day 2, we woke up at an ungodly hour to get into the cab and to be transported to the foot of Mt. KK. (We caught our sleep debts back in the car anyway).

It was a windy road

So near yet so far

First thing that crossed my mind - Selamat?

Us in 2km height. Fei looked more tired than I do. WAHAHAHAHA

Here comes the woman !

Finally we reached Tanah Rata at a good timing - 12.30pm (4 hours hike)

Clear blue

Happy face

My oh faithful flower pants

At this point in time, you just need a hot drink.

Our beds

All smiley smiley before the real uphill battle begins

We checked in. Got our briefing for via-ferrata (which literally means alternate route). Head for dinner, and tried to sleep. Whole night was tough because there were lots of late hikers who still enter the room at 6pm !

Quarter Life Crisis (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 06:11:00 +0000

Psychological research indicates that we all have mid life crisis at some point in our lives. Majority would fall within the categorial age of 40s - 50s due to work stress and it hits the tipping point of their lives (for the better or worse).

I guess I am not different from them, just that I would think that mine would be spread out throughout the years of my life. I would like to call this phenomenon "Quarter Life Crisis". It wasn't long enough (actually almost 1.5 years already), that we - the Kon(s), were planning on hiking Mt. KK to seek wisdom. We thought that there would be some God or Master that would be sitting at the peak of the mountain.

Why we climb? Easy answer - We just needed to do something epic in our lives to remind us that nothing could obstruct us if we were to overcome great achievements.

We started the "All True Malaysian Stomach" with this. A Malay delicacy

Visited one of the native villages and they have this "natural trampoline"

Visiting the Philippine Market

We ~~drank~~ down-ed the coconuts

Ever wonder why we are brothers?

The beach somewhere

The golden dusk.

My ever cool cousin sis

The rest of the night was actually having our final sumptuous dinner before heading for the real battle.

Question on my mind

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:55:00 +0000

The questions that I am currently asking and reflecting upon:

1. What is the purpose of life?

2. What is the ultimate achievement of my life?

3. When would and should love take place?

4. What does it mean to lose everything and start all over again?

If I could just answer these questions, it would be bring sanctuary to my beating heart.

Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:31:00 +0000

What is there to say, when you wouldn't listen?

Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:11:00 +0000

You know how often we say that "we'll cross the bridge when we come to it"?

Well I guess that I can see the bridge, and it won't be long before I have to cross it.

It ain't an easy choice. It ain't gonna be fun. But you gotta do what you gotta do. One way or another, God didn't make this life easy without a challenge and without a chance.

So what will it be? Que Sera

Missing

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Like a supposedly perfect oh tyre, yet having a missing piece. Just like that I feel like there is a hole in my heart. =(

Numb

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:51:00 +0000

I see afar,
Nothing but stars,
Shinning through the skies,
Such lies.

Feels like screaming,
Too much it seems,
Falling and ripping,
There is no healing.

Waking up everyday,
Killing all the time in a day,
It's been a year or two,
Since it last came true.

I scroll my phone,
Left to right,
Up and down,
I ain't hearing any dialing tone.

Finally I felt like breathing,
Coming out from water,
I sank again later,
Too soon to be celebrating.

I came unnoticed,
Without a sound,
I left unnoticed,
With a wound.

I'm putting it to asleep,
Those memories hidden deep,
Our kiss,
That last goodbye.

Work Life Balance

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:37:00 +0000

You know how people usually say they TRIED to find a work life balance. Maybe they didn't try hard enough or maybe they only commit to try, and planned to fail.

In my case, I still have a couple of stories which I have not posted:
1. Sri Lanka
2. Mt. KK
3. Working Life
4. Life in General.

I promise to blog as soon as I get my Starbucks. Right now, everything is going bonkers and I need to organize myself to be more efficient. Just need to hang in there a little longer. Can't wait to blog the stories and adventures I've been !!

Toy's R Us

noreply@blogger.com (Uncle Sam) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:32:00 +0000

As a kid, eveywhere in the world can be an imgaination. Just getting hold of a stick, one can expand the horizon of imagination of being the Sword of Camerlot of the Lightning of Zeus in which Persius stold while watching one of the cartoons. Interestingly,as kids, we had no boundaries in imagination. We were in our "play world" - as though a virtual world totally made out of our mental download and upload. The hardwire of internet and connecting to this world is only via the objects we interact with.

As much as psychologists tries to depict the fact that it is a kid's world during the age, as well as segmentalizing their growth on when and how to feed them with realities of this world, I guess, we as adults slowly has lose our own feet on how we used to fantasize in our own imaginery world. This fantasy could have been triggered by the cartoons and tv shows we used to watch while having a cookie in hand after we finished our homework, or maybe milk feeding time.

Maybe watching baby geniuses could have disected the brain of a child on how he/she plays a piece of Mozart in their mind. Maybe by connecting with sizeable brain wave wires could have revealed to the world how the physics of this world does not apply to a newborn who may have brought forth God's idea or message on how to further advance mankind's technology.

Who knows? But where has our creativity gone to? It isn't about personality that separates creative people and non-creative people nor is it the Providence's decision in making you a stern looking daddy versus a gay or lesbo. Then the fundamental question arises - human's capability - innate or crafted?

I remember the times when we were younger and how we spoke to our toys about our daily life, may it be a spank right to our arse from our mum's or how naughty we were in school. Everything was interacted and communicated. Slowly as the generation grow up, toys became a no no and maybe even interaction with our imagination side became a block out. Why skies can't be pink or red like in the tv-shows or why birds can't talk like human beings as depicted in sesame street?

Bogging every detail back to a child's dream, I guess that is where it all started. Could have been the adult who crafted the idea of the youngs. Could have been proven the theory that parents actually force their dreams and unachieved goals to their children. Sad truth, but could probably explain why kids nowadays are so different. Their life have been pre-determined the moment they are born. That is what is happening in india.

People no longer have the trust and faith in dreams in which could make them happy even just as simple as being an ice cream seller. I believe in one point of time, some child would have thought "hey, ice cream makes me happy, I wanna make people happy too when I grow up". Who in the right mind would have foster these kind of thoughts in today's world when stocks and investments are driving the whole market crazy. It is a money-crazy world out there where the innocence of a child's mind has been polluted with thoughts of greed and making-more money. Discarding all the values in which were downloaded to the child while they were still in the womb of a mother, which is to be Happy and Loving. Gone...

Here I am watching a kid holding his new toy gun figuring to himself maybe one day he wants to go out and kill monsters and bad guys. Wonder how long will that thought holds....

Nothing wrong to fantasize or dream, but I guess people became so jaded with life, that they forgot they are in fact in a dream world, and they failed to dream further, and pursue what they enjoyed in life. In reverse, they lived in a static routine living world where only the world builds on their imagination and not otherwise.

"You imagine to live, but are you living your imagination"?