Liu Hanxue

TheFreeSite.com: Free WAV sound files, wav sounds, music, MP3 files, music search engine, sound effects, MIDI [del.icio.us]

2009-11-08T09:11:57-08:00

Email Sounds :: Great WAVs for your email! [del.icio.us]

2009-11-08T09:11:40-08:00

大小雪_新浪博客 [del.icio.us]

2009-10-20T17:02:56-07:00

Make Money Online - Investing Stocks Option Trading [del.icio.us]

2009-10-19T19:33:22-07:00

Agile XML [del.icio.us]

2009-10-10T14:22:25-07:00

think of XSLT as cumbersome at all, but I am always open to new ideas

Building Dynamic Web Applications [del.icio.us]

2009-10-10T14:17:58-07:00

ami-4599c2c

/dev/websphere [del.icio.us]

2009-10-10T12:55:29-07:00

Blog on websphere and cloud + IBM technology

Book Review

2009-09-29T23:54:00.002+08:00

Just read an interesting book synopsis, though I will disagree on it. I think there will be a continuing boom in the next 30 or so years because:

China growth + economic boom is once in a millennium
India growth + economic boom is once in a millennium
Existing challenges such as poverty, food shortage, climate change will mean a drastic change in human behaviour and possibly culture, which can only be resolved via one way: science and technology. In human history major advances in science and technology is followed by economic growth and increase in quality of life
Rapid development of some countries, especially China and India, will demand a lot of natural resources.
Surge of middle-income families world-wide lead to demand of consumer products and spurring industrial growth

Also, one of the underlying theory for the next depression in the book is because of the 'cycle' of economic downturn. I do not believe in any exact and repetitive timing for economic cycles. 3 events of commodity peak in 1920, 1951 and 1980 does not mean the next will happen in 2010 - if it rains last Friday, Sunday and Tuesday, does not mean it will rain on the following Thursday. Just like the complicated climate system on earth, the economic cycle is subjected to many causes and inter-dependence like consumer confidence, wars, co-operation between blocs of nations, etc.

That said, I do believe human civilication is nearing the peak of its cycle. The pendulum is almost at the end of the side on science and technology development, economic prosperity and concerted effort to increase the quality of life. As a result, there is serious damage to Earth's ecosystem, unprecedented divide of the rich and poor, having satisfied basic human motivation (food, shelter, security, etc) and intense, isolated activities there is loss of contentment in life causing spiritual chasm to appear.

Here is the link to the synopsis again - http://www.hsdent.com/tgca_pr.pdf

CTX107572 - Troubleshooting Tools for Citrix Environments - Citrix Knowledge Center [del.icio.us]

2009-09-28T08:53:39-07:00

Micro-insurance

2009-09-15T00:34:00.003+08:00

The world is abuzz about micr0-finance, especially micro-loan ever since the publicized success of the Grameen Foundation. If you are a Malaysian, do you know about the Malaysian government's micro-finance effort called Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM)? Unfortunately it is heavily biased as per the NEP policy: loans are open to only bumiputra.

An interesting off-shoot is micro-insurance. What is really interesting is the fact that it is not taking off rapidly in third-world countries.

Think about it: why would insurance fail in the third world country? Though the article from Time magazine says a lot about trusting another company and refusing to accept risk, I think it goes beyond that.

The culture in third-world country, specifically in areas of extreme poverty such as Sub-Saharan Africa, certain locations in South America and South Asia tend to have a very different culture from developed nations. There are a lot more direct inter-dependency, strong social bonds and trust among "real" people compared with the pronounced individualism and laissez-faire environment of the West. In such a culture, why would one depend on a faceless corporation when one can share the gains and losses directly with one's peer? Let's say if there is a house that is razed by fire, the community will spring into action to provide support to the affected families. From a risk management perspective, there is "built-in" risk mitigation in the social fabric.

Secondly, these countries has such a long history of an agrarian and/or livestock culture, and entrenched beliefs of "fate" or unmutable elements especially the weather. One is expecting them to embrace a whole different philosophy to accept the concept of insurance and avoiding catatrophe from natural risk factors.

As a result of the recent world economic recession, there is widespread believes that certain financial mechanism has distorted the risk/reward picture, instead of being the "oil" that transfers risks to the party best able to accept it. From an Asian perspective, I have always found the "insurance" concept to be antithetical to the local believes of social harmony above individual pursuits. As a result, insurance, especially life and medical insurance draws family members apart further when there is even less inter-dependence.

华山论剑 [del.icio.us]

2009-09-08T05:14:05-07:00

PoliBug :: 波力拔克 [del.icio.us]

2009-09-08T05:13:59-07:00

锋言风雨: 蓝志锋@Lum Chih Feng [del.icio.us]

2009-09-08T05:11:03-07:00

《独立新闻在线》 [del.icio.us]

2009-09-08T05:09:42-07:00

Malaysian Linux website [del.icio.us]

2009-09-08T04:43:06-07:00

Value Investing In KLSE>Value Investing Made Easy! [del.icio.us]

2009-08-11T03:35:31-07:00

Almost there....

2009-05-25T01:47:00.002+08:00

Its been ages since I have updated this blog. So here's some update.

Been busy with work, a bit out of balance and getting back on track. Major changes in the next year or so. The one thing I really enjoyed this weekend is all the house cleaning. Scrubbed the kitchen floor as well as the bathroom, only left the wet kitchen wall as well as the floor.

Finally cook my first meal in the Kota Kemuning house :) I intended to cook a week ago, bought all kinds of food item, but forgot to install the gas tank, which got ML laughing for a looooong time. Back to the meal, just a simple dinner with 3 vegetable dishes, had too much porridged, so opened a can of "Ma Ling" brand pork, just to finish up everything. There goes all the hard work in gym / cleaning up the house ^_*

Busy week ahead, hope to have some updates later in the week...

House of Lighting

2009-02-27T15:55:00.009+08:00

My home desperately need good lighting. We've been hunting for lights last weekend, but could really find suitable lights which at the same time has value for money.

My ex-boss suggested House oF Lightings (yes, that is the exact spelling) at Puchong, since I have some time after lunch, went there to take a look. I was surrpised by the very low price and large selection available.

Here are some wooden and traditionally themed lights that appeals to my taste:

These are suitable for the staircase, but strong, energy-saving bulb is a must:

Look at the dirt cheap price tag! There are some simple chandeliers which cost well below RM 100

How about these for the main hall?

Water Consumption

2008-07-22T13:52:00.002+08:00

Water is by all means the most important natural resources that we regularly use. Even though Malaysia is a country rich with natural sources of water, our careless usage, over-development and pollution is reducing these sources by a lot. So much so that some states such as Penang and Selangor need to import water from other states.

I subscribe to the National Wildlife Foundation newsletter, and recently they have an interesting Water Calculator. Check it out at http://www.nwf.org/water/waterCalculatorAction.cfm

While this is US-centric, do take a look at the efforts being done in the U.S. to conserve water.

Here is an interesting article about the role of water in the ecosystem and how it is interwined with wildlife.

There are a number of tips at http://www.nwf.org/water/waterconservation.cfm which is applicable everywhere, especially here in Malaysia:

Bathroom

Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. In other words, don't use it for a garbage. Dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
Test for a leaking toilet by adding food coloring to the tank (not the bowl). Without flushing, note if any color appears in the bowl after 30 minutes.
Install a low-flow toilet. If you have a standard toilet, put a toilet dam in the tank. Do not use a brick which will disintegrate and clog your pipes.
Use a low-flow showerhead.
Don't let the water run when washing, brushing and shaving. Turn it on and off as needed.Get a small sand timer that lasts about 3 minutes and bring it in the shower. Most people can have a shower in six minutes.
Repair dripping faucets or toilets, which use enormous amounts of water.

Kitchen

Avoid washing dishes under a stream of water. Turn off the water in between dishes. Use only a full dishwasher and clothes washer.
Save the water from steaming or boiling vegetables for houseplants, vegetable broth for soup or stir fry liquid.
Wash food in a bowl or pot of water rather than in running water. This works especially well for herbs because you can swish them around and the dirt will come off their many surfaces. Let the herbs sit a minute and the dirt will sink to the bottom while the herbs float at the top.
Do not use water to thaw meat. Use the microwave instead.

Outdoors

Water your plantings with a soaker hose or a drip irrigation system. Less water evaporates this way than with a sprinkler, and you target your watering
Use "wasted" water for your plants. A rain barrel or cistern that captures rainfall from your roof is a great garden reservoir. In some areas, gray water - water from bathing or washing clothes - can legally be diverted to garden use. Use water from your fish tank when you clean it in the garden because it contains great nutrients. Empty dehumidifiers in the garden.
If you have a swimming pool, keep it covered when not in use.
Sweep sidewalks with a broom, not a stream of water.
Plant native plants that don't require extra watering.
When washing your car, use a bucket and sponge rather than letting the hose run.
Reduce the size of your lawn which is a water guzzler.
Test to see if your garden needs watering by putting a screwdriver into the soil. If it goes in easily, you don't need to water.
Weed your garden because weeds take the water away from your other plants.
Check your water meter while no water is being used in your house. If it moves, you have a leak.

Hectic Times

2008-07-15T15:53:00.002+08:00

I have not been posting to this blog as much as I would like. Its been a very hectic period. Just back from the Europe trip and I am up to my neck in both work and personal life.

Especially this 2 weeks when no one is at home, and I am baby-sitting the house. I cannot believe just how much of housework need to be done for a double-story house. Here's an overview of what happened in the last 24 hours:

Left office at about 3.30 AM
Went for my supper at Dengkil mamak
Drove home, arrived at almost 5:00 AM
Slept at around 5:45 AM
Woke up at 10:45 AM, was raining, rushed to take in clothes
Do laundry
Brought brunch (wan tan noodles)
Chinese medicine shop: bought packet of barley, packet of chrysanthemum flowers
Sweep and mop house (only downstairs)
Boil barley
Clean up kitchen
Wash table fan in room
Soak and wash bathing towel
Keep dried clothes
Hang up newly washed clothes
Check lights and set timer on

After that, went to nearby pasar malam to get some fruits. Then drove to PJ library to return books - 3 months late, cost me almost RM 30! That is because I left for Europe last minute on a weekday, did not manage to return books.

Work is another story altogether. Oh well, only 3 months+ worth of backlog, with recurrent total service outage.

Den Haag, Part I

2008-05-26T04:27:00.002+08:00

Here's just a quick update on my life in Den Haag. I started out late, going out at almost 2 pm. Took a tram to Scheveningen. It is really beautiful, especially with the windy and cloudy weather. It was a very nice walk. Unfortunately, I am using a friend's computer, and it is getting late here in Holland, so I do not have the opportunity to describe more, and include photos. So do keep posted ;)

From far, I saw a gigantic windmill, and I was just so tempted to go up close. So I walked almost half a mile, yet the windmill was still inaccesible :( Apparently I had to take a long detour to get to it, and I gave up, since I have made an appointment to borrow a bike from Thomas.

Since I took a long detour, I was not in the same tram line that I got into. Unfortuantely, this tram does not go to Centraal Station! I met a kind couple who advise me on 2 options:

(a) Take this tram, and change to another line to get to Centraal Station
(b) Walk to the tram line that I came from

I opted for (b) because I needed to be in that tram line to get to Thomas' place. After walking some distance, I spotted a tram stop. There was a lady who was again very kind to explain to me that I am still on the same tram line, and it will take 1-2 kilometres to get to the tram line I was aiming for. Now how I walked that far away, I have no idea. Anyway, again the kindness of the Dutch people shone, and she offered to inform me where to get off and change the line.

While on the tram, I spotted Javastraat, which is the street perpendicular to the street that Thomas is living in. So happily I got off... and phoned Thomas to ask for precise directions. To my dismay, I got to know that Javastraat is a very looooong street!

I have to stop here now, so do keep posted for the second part of the adventure...

Den Haag

2008-05-25T19:58:00.003+08:00

I will try to keep this post as short as possible, since it is now 2 pm on a Sunday, and I have not really toured Holland at all since coming here.

I arrived here late on Tuesday night, around midnight. Barely had enough rest and had to wake up early the next day to go for training, at my office's global headquarters - woo hoo!!

After 2 days of training, it is back to work at Leidschendam. I was already not feeling well on Friday. After having dinner with a couple of Malaysian friends, I still had to get some work done in the hotel. By the time I hit the sack, I was dead tired. Had to wake up early the next day, because I have to go to office for a change/migration. More like migraine-tion, because what is suppossed to be a few hours turned out to be a full day work. Ended up leaving office at 5.30. By that time I was feeling really haggard and totally knackered.

However, I had an appointment with my friend from Malaysia, who's already here for two and a half years. Very good to catch up with him again, especially someone who has given so much of valuable advice and done me so much good in my life's direction. By the time we had a coffee, it was already 10pm.

I was so tired and ill that I did not sleep properly. My joints are giving me pain, and I am in that situation where I wanted to sleep but cannot sleep. Probably fell asleep at 1am. But I kept waking up before sunrise, and remember once when I looked at the clock, it was 5:32 am and there was a bit of light. However, today's weather is bad. Raining since 3 am, and has been raining non-stop. Cloudy weather. Usually my favourite, but because of the flu, I would rather it being sunny and warm.

Anyway, off I go, and more updates later...

An Act of Kindness

2008-04-22T18:45:00.002+08:00

I was driving back to Klang on Monday morning, and wanted to go to the Pandamaran morning market to buy my favourite breakfast dish: chee chong fan.

Since it is on the way, I topped up my fuel tank at the Shell station, just after the Persiaran Raja Muda Musa (Port Klang road) / Taman Chi Liung / Taman Gembira interchange. After that, I drove out to Persiaran Raja Muda Musa and suddenly heard a loud honk from a motorbike. At first I thought it is another obstinate motorcyclist, and his look did not help too: a bit shabby and not too friendly. Anyway, he pointed to the rear of my car, and I realized that the fuel cover was open.

That was a kind act right?

It did not stop there, he even took the risk and rode close to my car, and then gently closed the cover for me!

I never expect such kind gesture in these days where people in general are selfish and think how to get ahead of others. Mr motorcyclist, thank you very much, and hope you can continue to be so helpful and gracious.

Bad service from uMobile

2008-04-20T14:12:00.002+08:00

I am currently giving uMobile wireless broadband a try, and I was quite disappointed with the overall service and package. uMobile is not officially launched yet, and they are giving some special promotions.

You can read the FAQ for the mobile wireless (HSDPA) service here. The gist of it:

RM 78 per month
"Unlimited" internet access, but capped at 5 Gbps
Contract for 24 months
ZT MF622 modem included
Only data service, no voice/video

Coverage
The coverage in the Klang Valley is not too bad. I only tested it out in areas where I frequently haunt:

Seri Kembangan - no connectivity at McDonalds Seri Kembangan
Sri Serdang (UPM) - decent connectivity
Cyberjaya - none at all after the Putrjaya LDP toll
Klang - Connecction is OK at Teluk Gadung & Pandamaran
Subang Jaya - Connection is OK
Shah Alam - Connection is OK
Kota Kemuning - Connection is OK

I have not really explored the other areas, but I believe the coverage map should be pretty accurate.

Reliability
Reliability is of utmost importance, because I plan to use this service for work purposes. I do not mind if the speed is slow, as long as I can be reliable connected to my office's Virtual Private Network.

Unfortunately, reliability for uMobile falls short. For web browsing, etc it works fine, but if you need to be constantly connected with some minimum upstream/downstream bandwidth, uMobile's service simply cannot sustain it. I got disconnected from office a number of times within 2 hours. Note that this is not limited to only 1 location, but applies to all locations.

However, if what you need is just simple web access, or if your corporate web application does not require constant connection, then it is bearable.

Platform
Platform support is very important, specifically Linux support. This is because I work with Linux all the time, and even my laptop has Linux on it. I only use Windows when I really need to, because it does not give me the level of productivity that Linux allows.

Unfortunately, the ZTE MF622 modem does not come with Linux support. There is only an installer for Windows and MacOS. To make matters worse, the device uses "dual function" USB; it is first mounted as a storage device, and later turn into a wireless connectivity device.

While there are a few proposed solutions ufsoft, lowyat.net and my question here they do not work for me.

So its a no-go if you are using anything other than Windows and MacOS. What a shame.

Speed
Speed is a big disappointment. I have only achieved maximum download speed of 6 Kbps. The uMobile application shows the speed in kbps (kilobit) instead of KBps (kilobyte). Even then, I do not think it is accurate. Perhaps there is too much of "burst" activity.

That said, I sometimes need to download documents, my important files and occasionally install Skype and other connectivity software, and the slow download speed simply makes life impossible for me.

Service

This is the worst among all! If they do not buck up, I do not see how they can gain much market share from Maxis, DiGi and Celcom.

I signed up for the package at PC Fair last Sunday evening and was told that the line will be activated within 24 hours. Fine, I thought why don't I give it a test the next morning, and drove to Damansara Heights. No connectivity. Made a phone call to the service center, and was told that my subscriber information is not in the database yet. Now that is a real surprise.

Maybe I should try on Tuesday morning, when it is definitely more than 24 hours. It was still not working by Tuesday morning :( So I gave them a call and the conversation went this way:

Hanxue: Can I know why I cannot get connected to the Internet yet?

Customer Service Agent (CSA) : Hang on, let me check. I am sorry sir, your line is not activated yet.

Hanxue: What?? But I paid for the service on Sunday, and was told it will be activated by Monday.

CSA: I am sorry sir, but I am afraid you have to wait.

Hanxue: Fine. When can I get it activated? Can you please give me a call when it is activated?

CSA: You just have to keep trying, sir. I am sorry sir, our policy says we will not call to get activated.

Hanxue: But how in the world can I know it is activated? I cannot go around driving in the Klang Valley and hope it is working already.

CSA: All right, I will ask someone to call you.

Nobody called me. I did not bother to wait, and only gave it a try on early Thursday morning (Wednesday midnight) and it was working by then.

There is another drama when I wanted to return the set. I had to go all the way to their Service Center at Berjaya Times Square. Not a place to go on a Saturday evening especially if you are rushing to go to a concert.

Anyway, I brought the whole package to them. There is a long form that I had to fill in, even when they already have my details! Also, I was made to wait for a long time.

Finally, the agent was filling in another paper form (tell me about it, a company offering wireless broadband access uses so many paper forms) and told me to hand in my Identity Card. So happened I left my wallet in the car. She refused to process it further, even though I suggested to terminate the account, and hold on to my RM 50 until I produce my Identity Card at a later date.

The supervisor came and spoke to us, and said there is no way to proceed. I traveled all the way from Klang to Kuala Lumpur, and they have an option to keep my deposit but at least get back their hardware. Yet they refuse.

If you are looking for a wireless broadband service in Malaysia, forget uMobile. They will disappoint you.

Reminds me of the other products / services by Berjaya Group, such as the Berjaya Hotel in Times Square. Looks beautiful on the outside, but once you look at the details and experience the service, you will regret going for it.

Food is so expensive!

2008-04-18T10:59:00.003+08:00

I went out and got 2 pieces of putu mayam for breakfast. Guess how much it costed me? RM 1.20! That means 60 cents per piece.

I suspect there is a cartel for putu mayam in Klang. In other places, including KL, put mayam cost for much less, i.e. between 40 cents to 50 cents. Anyone has additional information?

On a side note, I had a small family dinner yesterday night - rushed home from office and was a good break from work. I was dog-tired though, did not manage to stay awake for a webinar (web seminar) at 2 am. I need to recall the name of the restaurant again; it is behind the old Ocean in Klang. Superb dzhi hun kern ;) A bit pricey since it is a "standard" Chinese restaurant: 2 noodle dishes, a vegetable and fried oyster set me back by RM 60.00, for 5 persons. Mind you, all 5 of us are not big eaters... well, maybe except one.

After dinner, I took my mom to have supper at a Pandamaran stall, famous for its leng chi kang. I myself got some ground nut soup; don't want anything cold to exacerbate my cough.

Since I do not have any photos of the food, let me make up with a few views from my room, and kitchen later. I cannot upload the images from home :(

Talk by Lim Beng Choon (Accenture)

2008-04-17T01:51:00.002+08:00

I attended a lecture by Lim Beng Choon, Country Managing Director of Accenture Malaysia. For a summary of the talk, please refer to this forum post.

I will post a more complete analysis at http://hanxuesbizblog.blogspot.com at a later time.

That said, I am really impressed by Mr Lim. He has a very firm and good foundation in life, and even at such a high position he finds balance between career and other areas of life. What I really respect him for is his candidness and humility.

His simple rules for success:

Focus on what you are currently doing
Whatever you do, do it very well
Have self-discipline

A similarity I find between us is the fact that money is not the biggest motivation for performing well.

All the best to you, Lim Beng Choon, and may you be the role model for the many of the next generation leaders!

The road less traveled

2008-04-16T16:16:00.002+08:00

I subscribe to the daily quote of the day, and here's a very interesting quote:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-- Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Reminds me the path that I have taken, which is different from the one most others choose to take. No doubt it is tough when people have almost opposite believes and values and convinced they are totally right. What is worse, sometimes one is coerced to "join the game", so to speak.

Looking back, all the pain, anger and frustration, even bouts of depression is worth it. Without experiencing, how can one learn? I thank ML, all my teachers, friends, relatives and even boss (yes, that is you, Jana) for all the guidance to help me navigate through those tough times. May you all be well and happy always.

Suffice to say that I shall continue down this path to seek happiness through wisdom and compassion.

Is there a way to cool of the warming Earth?

2008-04-16T13:21:00.002+08:00

Research on climate proxies is trying to find out the exact causes that cools down the Earth. Read more here.

How to explain hard disk size?

2008-04-15T13:42:00.002+08:00

This is a conversation I had with a colleague on hard disk size:

Colleague [1:31 PM]:
fuyoooo..
how big hard disc...?

‎Lee, Hanxue ‎‎ [1:40 PM]:
This big
|==============================|

Colleague[1:40 PM]:

pigilaaa

‎‎Lee, Hanxue SITI-ITIBCP101‎‎ [1:41 PM]:
Capacity is

|========33%--------------------------------------|
What?? I am giving you accurate information lar

Colleague‎‎ [1:41 PM]:
pigilaaaa....

Can a person write 200,000 books?

2008-04-15T13:30:00.001+08:00

Will you believe me if I say someone wrote 200,000 books? Even have them sold in Amazon.com? Then try reading this article.

In summary, Phillip M. Parker created an application that forms a template for a book, trawls the Internet for information sources, and fill in the template using Word, just like what an author would do. The result isn't that great, but it is an interesting project nonetheless.

Here's the video

The folly of clubbing

2008-04-11T10:20:00.002+08:00

My friend posted some opinions on clubbing, and it is very interesting to see a fellow Dhamma friend into an activity which is diametrically opposed ;)

What are the objectives?

Do good to others and yourself
Do no harm to others and yourself
Purify your mind (soul)

What is the aim?

Find happiness in life,
through Wisdom and Compassion

How to achieve it?

Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

It is a lot about focusing on the present moment, rather than regretting about the past or worrying about the future. Thus, one can find inner peace.

Why do people go clubbing, or any of those activities labeled unhealthy by the older generation? Why does the older generation label certain activities as unhealthy in the first place? First of all, through their life experience they can tell what is good and what is not good in the long run. Whereas young folks (like myself) cannot see behind the short horizon, and do what we think is best. In other words, we lack the wisdom of the older generation.

Secondly, there is a compelling reason to accept why these activities are "not good" in nature. One may not have bad intentions in the beginning, but due to the mindless and out-of-control nature of these activities, one very easily commit bad kamma without knowing it.

Thirdly, one may bring oneself dangerously close to immoral activities. Something that you will not contemplate doing, looks possible when you are drunk or in an euphoric mood.

Fourthly, what are you running away from? :)

If you are at peace, why do you need to forcefully let go? Why let your body go out of control? Does that not show a mis-match of mind and body intentions? Why not investigate the root cause and then attempt to solve it?

So in summary clubbing is not a bad activity per se, but when one is at peace and accepts oneself, one can find many more activities that bring lasting happiness, especially through compassion to other living beings.

Therefore, I do not see clubbing as "bad", but it is simply not attractive at all. Like eating cats, for example.

May you be well and happy always ^_^

Working Late

2008-04-11T09:53:00.005+08:00

Right now its about 10:00 am, and I have been in office since 8:00 am yesterday. Well, I got 2-3 hours nap at the Sleeping Room at 3.45 am, but that's about it ;)

Yesterday morning when I woke up there was a lot of mist, creating a very beautiful view over the lake in UPM:

I had my dinner late yesterday night at Kopitiam:

A Life-Long Journey

2008-04-11T09:25:00.003+08:00

Yesterday I was at the gym and met up with a fellow practitioner who is very, very experience and whom I respect a lot. We ended up chatting for 3+ hours on various experiences, techniques etc!

He started training martial arts when he was 11 years old, and has basically dedicated his life to martial arts. What is more, I think he has reached the ultimate stage of "No Form" and has true wisdom in martial arts.

He went on to provide a lot of advice and share his experiences with me. He has also sought lessons from various masters everywhere. There are some in-depth discussion which is not suitable to be published here, and even if I do you may just take me as a mad person ;)

Some interesting things we discussed including how experience outweighs outright strength and speed. Gong Fu is about the continuous training and cultivation. It is the concept of someone weak overcoming the strong. It is about upholding principles and be one with Nature.

Also, many modern martial arts are so focused on form and presentation, rather than the real values. For example, modern wushu is almost entirely based on forms and performance. Whereas traditional wushu, such as Baji Quan, focuses on the utilization. Very good introduction to Baji Quan here.

So it is a long journey with limitless possibilities. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step"...

Potluck - Session #2

2008-04-10T01:00:00.007+08:00

Guess what, since I was in office from 8 am till 12am, I went for the 2nd session of Potluck :P

Here are some photos:

My 2nd round. Note that this is after a plate of bee hoon, and 2 packets of potato chips, and some kuih.

View of all the food. Camera was overhead, so some poor colleagues got beheaded :P

Yummy! So much of food.

Potluck - Crazy lunch combination

2008-04-09T17:27:00.002+08:00

My department had a Potluck session today, and many colleagues brought lots of yummilicious food. So much so that I do not know what to choose, and I try to make up interesting combos.

This is my Round #1

This is my Round #2

Would you like to bet if I got indigestion, or worse, after eating those? :D

There's even a table specially reserved for vegetarians. Yummy!

Here's a photo of my office's Bistro. With a new provider, the services are more professional, but the price is sky high. Nice design they set up though, feels homelier.

五月天 (Mayday)

2008-04-09T14:00:00.004+08:00

Introducing my favourite band, 五月天 (Mayday)

This is currently my favourite Mayday album:

Just My Pride

I will not bore you with my take on Mayday, you can find out more at their official website at http://imayday.com and a good article at Wikipedia.

Their music is very simple, yet has a very earthy feel. It sings about life, friendship, being good and happiness. There were many periods of time in my life where there were challenges and where I almost lost hope, and it is always Mayday that accompanies me and keep me going.

Since we share the same Hokkien roots, I can identify a lot with the themes in their songs. Hokkien songs tend to have a simple feel, and there's always a feeling of unless depth, of simplicity and peace. After all, that is what most Hokkien people love: living a simple, happy life, being close to family and the gods/goddesses.

I will be going to Mayday's concert at Genting on 19th April 2008. Here's the poster:

Here are some sample of their songs:

For more music, go to http://hanxue.imeem.com/music/ or alternatively check out my iShare in Facebook. Just add me as Friend in Facebook.

Urban Happiness, Rural Happiness

2008-04-08T07:48:00.005+08:00

I was flipping through the April 2008 issue of CLEO magazine the other day to kill some time, and stumbled upon an interesting article comparing Urban Happiness and Rural Happiness.

The article is mainly about this girl who came from a small, idyllic town in Perak to study in Kuala Lumpur, and how she learned to cope with the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan lifestyle.

I think the article went a bit overboard, in so much as to point out only the joy of living in a small town, and highlighted quite a bit of the disadvantages.

I am of the believe that you find polish in the city, and wisdom in the desert (or village) . It is true that the lifestyle in smaller towns are generally healthier, and it has a much lower level of stress. Then again, anyone can find happiness in almost any condition, as long as one trains up one's mind to live in the present (instead of hanging on to the past, or seduced by the future)

In villages there are less things going on, less pressures to simply survive. This leaves one with a lot of idle time, which can then lead to a lot of mindless activities. One will naturally gravitate towards talking about other people, rather than doing something productive. There is also a good reason why the mass of humanity are moving towards the city: for economic and social mobility reasons.

All in all, I still think a peaceful surrounding is worth much more than the glitter that one finds in the city. Take a look around when you are in the city. Observe the nervous ticks that most people exhibit. The constant need to escape the drudgery of life, the absence of calm and peacefulness.

There is no way I will trade the tranquility of village / suburbs with the city rush.

Photo of Wuyi Mountain, my ancestor's homeland.

Guide to Buying House

2008-04-07T20:36:00.004+08:00

I was having dinner with a couple of colleague; one of them wanted to buy a house, and another just bought one. The colleague who bought a house mentioned how he decided on the house. He was primarily using the Problem Solving and Decision Making framework by Kepner Tregoe.

First, list down the must have criteria. If the different options are close, or there are a lot of subjective factors, try to explore more and set it down in an objective manner. For example, list down what is important for you:

location
price
environment
traffic jam
future value appreciation
how near to "noise producers" (restaurants, temples, mosques, etc), monsoon drain
any factories nearby
public transport

Once you have list down the MUST haves, it is easy to rule out options that do not meet these criteria.

Another important thing to consider is the valuation of the house. Some houses may be over-valued, thus creating difficulties such as loss when selling the house in the future, and difficulty getting a high percentage bank loan (standard is 90% at the moment) due to low appraisal/valuation for the house. This is especially true if a house is developed near another area which is popular; so the house need to be priced at about the same price range just so that it will be competitive and will not be perceived as "cheap" or "lower-class" alternative. The safest way is to spend a little bit of money up front to get a fair valuation. You can get unbiased evaluation from the Valuation and Property Services Department. Banks usually provide valuation service (most of the time free), but note that the valuation may be in favour of the bank.

First impression is also important; you need to have a nice feel of that place. There must be a balance between gut feel, and rational decision making.

Using these list and by checking out some important issues, such as the time taken to drive to office, he made the decision to purchase the house within a month! The 3 main areas considered were:

Using NKVE / Elite highway, the travelling time between Setia Alam and Cyberjaya is only 30 minutes. The toll could be a bit pricey, RM 4.20 if I am not mistaken.

Photo of Kota Permai, very near to my house

There are some additional interesting points:

Are you buying for personal use or investment? For investment (selling it later), it may not be a good idea to buy at a high growth area, or a house that is too expensive: this means your potential buyer will be limited to high net worth folks.
Beware of a house which is near to sewage, or places that is noisy, or power lines, or.. well the list goes on. You need to scout around the area
Corner houses are very expensive due to the land size, and not that easy to sell off. Plus it may be next to a busy road

There is only very limited house buying guide online. Try checking out this iProperty article or the basic house buying process from Megaharta.

For myself, the house buying decision was a "painful" one. Partly because ML and I had vastly different needs and visions for our home :) We took about a year to decide, and >6 months (some small issues still ongoing!) to resolve all matters on the house purchase. Then again, this is a second hand house, rather than a new house.

Judging Others

2008-04-07T16:00:00.003+08:00

An untrained mind (like mine) can easily wander off, and one thought can lead to more thoughts, which is not necessarily a good thing. When the subconscious mind is not calm, one will feel agitated. Likewise, ego arises due to ignorance. When one is overwhelmed by ego, one see things from a very individualistic perspective. As a result, one will have the tendency to compare and judge others.

For the past few days that has been the case, and I catch myself easily judging others. So I need more mindfulness training :)

天下有始，以為天下母。既得其母，以知其子，複守其母，沒身不殆。塞其兌，閉其門，終身不勤。開其兌，濟其事，終身不救。見小曰明，守柔曰強。用其光，複歸其明，無遺身殃；是為襲常

In the beginning was the Tao.
All things issue from it;
all things return to it.

To find the origin,
trace back the manifestations.
When you recognize the children
and find the mother,
you will be free of sorrow.

If you close your mind in judgements
and traffic with desires,
your heart will be troubled.
If you keep your mind from judging
and aren't led by the senses,
your heart will find peace.

Seeing into darkness is clarity.
Knowing how to yield is strength.
Use your own light
and return to the source of light.
This is called practicing eternity.