Saying Thanks, When It Matters Most

Is it so difficult to say thanks?

Do you say thanks to the toll booth operator each time you pay the highway concessionaire for passage to wherever it is you're going?

Do you says thanks to the cashier at the window of the fast food drive-thru for reuniting you with your favourite burger, fries and soft drink?

Do you say thanks to the gentlemen that held open the door for you to pass through?

Do you says thanks to the pump attendant who just filled your tank so that you get to continue your journey?

Do you says thanks to the flight attendants who provided that award-winning service which made your long-haul bearable?

Do you says thanks to your husband for taking out the thrash religiously every night eventhough his favourite tv series has started?

Do you say thanks to your wife for frying the rice for you at 6.00 am so that you can share it with your office mates at the pantry at 8.30 am?

Do you say thanks to your boss for allowing you to leave the office a little earlier so that you can get ready for the concert you're watching that night?

Do you say thanks to your secretary for preparing your mileage claim so that you get some extra cash while waiting for your next pay cheque?

Do you say thanks to your kids for still loving you unconditionally even if you came home late from work and forgot to buy the doughnuts they wanted?

Do you say thanks to your friend who is still willing to give you the benefit of the doubt under the most bizzare of circumstances?

Do you say thanks to someone who is willing to go the extra mile for you and ask next to nothing in return?

Do you?

The Power Of Facebook and A Great Love Story

I bumped into my senior from varsity days this morning while having breakfast. Apparently, he has just been relocated by his company to the identical sister tower of where I work.

It was really good to see him again after 15 years. Actually, I have been communicating with him via text messages and Facebook prior to this, but we never had the time to actually meet up. Now that he's based here where I work, I guess we'll be seeing each other more often.

Anyway, he confided to me that he married his campus sweetheart earlier this year (second wife) after being apart for 15 years too! And amazingly, they were reunited via, yes you guessed it - Facebook!

My senior, Mr Z is really a lucky son of a gun. According to him, his first wife agreed to him marrying his old flame without much fuss (hmm, I find this hard to believe). Well, maybe a pot or pan flew across the kitchen before she finally agreed to sign the consent form. But nonetheless, he is now a member of the coveted "Double Barrel Club". Haha.

Anyway, what I want to share is how romantic and dramatic Mr Z got to be reunited with his old flame via FB. Apparently, after his old flame got divorced (after only 4 or 5 years of marriage if my calculations are correct), she frantically searched for Mr Z for the past 10 years but to no avail.

And then as well all know, Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg created FB (why do all these geniuses drop out from Ivy League universities??) So, with FB, Mr Z's old flame finally managed to locate him.

It was a sad love story for Mr Z in 1996, during his final year at varsity. His girlfriend (the old flame) dumped him without explanation and it almost killed him. He lost a lot of weight and the pinacle of his sorrows was when he met with a road accident which broke his collar bone.

The old flame married someone else which as we all know by now, ended with divorce.

Mr Z on the other hand moved on and met his first wife. And who would have figured after close to 15 years, Mr Z would be in touch again with his old flame via FB. The old flame left her phone number in FB and it took two days for Mr Z to make that magic phone call.

Mr Z told me that when they finally met, the first two hours was filled with cursing by Mr Z, demanding the old flame to explain why she dumped him 15 years ago without any valid reasons. I guess she owed Mr Z that much after all these years. Because if memory serves me right, Mr Z met with the accident as a result of driving under depression because of his broken heart. Or was it driving under influence, hehehehe.

They were married one month later. Amazing, right?

Both Mr Z and his second wife must be forever grateful to Mark Zuckerberg for creating FB.

And Mark Zuckerberg had better not announced his travel plans to Malaysia in the future, because probably a frying pan would greet his forehead at KLIA....

I Still Love You, More Than You Can Possibly Imagine

This is for someone of whom I have been sharing my life for more than 11 years.



Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you I'm so happy that you're mine

If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm so sorry I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance to keep you satisfied, satisfied

Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Omnibus Snippets : Three Posts In One Go

1. VW Golf GTI : Hot Hatch Which Makes Any Guy or Gal Drool

Congratulations Suri Nordin, my colleague and friend on her latest asset acquisition - a brand new Volkswagen Golf GTI (perghh meleleh siot). She was officially the proud owner of the hot hatch from Germany at about 7.30 pm yesterday, where the car was handed over to her at the VW dealer in Jalan Ampang. She was accompanied by her busy body boss MFR yang melebih-lebih pulak nak drive the car. Hahaha, jangan marah my brother. :-P

Just a friendly reminder to Suri. That car has a lot of torque. It was built for speed. You get a beefy 2.0 litre engine with 210 horsepower at 5300 rpm and an adrenalin pumping 280 N-m of torque between 1700 and 5200 rpm. That's a lot of power babe, so go easy on the accelerator. Just a gentle tap on the pedal would be more than enough to make other cars on the highway eat the CO2 emitted from your exhaust and a firmer tap would not even allow them to see your tail lights.

You have made an excellent choice. A top notch German marque. Enjoy responsibly!


2. Sexy Safura Quote of The Day

I was having a drink with MFR, Suri and Safura after work yesterday. Safura is MFR's new executive replacing MS who is now enjoying his new stint at our employer's Australian venture in Brisbane.

She's cool but I tak berani nak puji dia lebih-lebih sebab her boss MFR will surely puke, not because of her but because menyampah dengan saya yang terror mengayat ni.

Anyway, Safura said something which is definitely the quote of the day. And it is one sexy quote I tell you.

"I hate trouble but trouble loves me."

Wow, I like! Because it seems to fit in my characteristics at the moment - playing with fire, hehehehe!

Yeah, yeah, MFR has cautioned me about playing with fire. I am well aware of the consequences. And I thank you bro for your reminder. It means you care.

Anyway, if anything goes wrong Mr. MFR, you have every right to tell me upfront as loud as you want : "Aku dah cakap!"


3. The Brotherhood Code

After the departure of MS to Australia, the two ace boon coons left as my partners in crime are MFR and MOS. They were already close buddies for quite some time before I decided to join the posse a few months back, despite me being in the same outfit for more than a year now.

Being like brothers, naturally we had a gentlemen's agreement which is basically a set of ground rules to ensure we do not step on each other's toes and overstep the boundaries. All in the name of materialising a bond between us which is stronger than oak, as what some redneck Texan would say.

We refer to the agreement as the Brotherhood Code or simply, the Bro Code. It was MFR who coined the word. The Bro Code. Come on, say it again with me. The Bro Code. It sounds manly, macho, credible, decisive and authoritative.

So, what are the ground rules stipulated under the Bro Code? Honestly, no rules have been cast in stone but it should be among these lines :

1. No flirting or having affairs with each other's spouses, especially behind each other's back.

Itu aje...

Running To The Beat Of My Own Drum

For the past two weeks, I have started to hit the gym again, after almost two months being absent from my own workout regime.

Excuse - I was buried with work. Yeah, yeah, the oldest excuse in the world.

Twin Towers Fitness Centre (TTFC) must really love members like me who religiously pay the monthly fee of RM120 but rarely uses their facilities.

I decided something finally had to be done to ensure TTFC does not profit blindly. So I started going again. At first, I anticipated that it would be difficult for me to get back into my workout regime after a hiatus of two months. But surprisingly, I was able to do it quite effortlessly, both cardio and also toning workouts.

I am thankful God decided to maintain my fitness where I left off two months ago. I can still run at a speed of 9.0 on the treadmill for 30 minutes straight without stuttering or what we Malays call "pancit".

Running makes me feel good actually. You tend to relax mentally despite your body working overtime to meet the requirements of your running.

And I don't limit my running within the comfort of the air-conditioned gym. I take it further - at the KLCC Park and also Taman TAR Ampang Jaya. I am really running like nobody's business nowadays, clocking an average of 4 to 5, sometime 6 km per run!

Even friends and family find it hard to believe that I am able to run like this despite my rather large physique. I always told them - the key is fitness. If you are fit, a fat guy can actually outrun those half his size. Believe me, I've seen cases like this before at the park where I run.

Anyway, here's a tip for those who feel like taking up running. Don't try to do outdo yourself, let alone others. Let the other show offs pass you by. Just run at your own pace. If you feel you must stop to walk, do it. No one has to impress anyone. As the name suggests - jogging, meaning you jog, not sprint like Asafa Powell. I've seen so many dimwits who sprint at the beginning only to pant for air and stop just after 100 or less metres. And I am still running, slowly but surely.

Running is also a good way to vent out your frustration or manage your stress. Because when you run, your rapid movement will clinically prevent you from thinking too much, providing your mind with a temporary sanctuary which blocks out undesired thoughts. That's why a lot of people who has problems take up running. Because it is good for your health and because it helps you to block out disturbing thoughts, even if it was temporary.

There was a nice Malay movie entitled "Sepi" which was actually a set of love stories intertwined. In one of those stories, a shoe manufacturer / entrepreneur played by Tony Eusoff lost his wife in a road accident. So to block out memories of his demised wife, he took up running as a new passion.

I was kind of inspired by that. Because at the moment, my life is also kind of messed up.

Running seems to solve that momentarily, until I find a more permanent solution to all my current woes....

The Unsuspecting Beneficiary of Unconditional Love

I wish to discuss about unconditional love today.

It's something which we all get, at least from our parents.

In my case, I'd like to believe that I am enjoying unconditional love from my parents, my wife (although of late she rarely shows it), my two bubbly and adorable daughters, and also my siblings. In theory, at least.

Most of us, especially the less observant, would simply dismiss that the parameters of unconditional love are confined to family alone, or at the very most, dear and close friends.

But I beg to differ.

Because I am now giving unconditional love to someone despite her not knowing it. And I intend to keep it that way (unless she reads this pathetic blog of mine).

Yes, she is my friend and colleague, but I only knew her a few years back and only got real close to her recently (well, more than a year now) due to work requirements.

I don't know why I am feeling this way towards her. But she once said jokingly that a lot of people "sayang" her.

I didn't really see it as a joke. Because I do "sayang" her. Sangat. Unconditionally. How about that?

I guess she fits my idea of the ideal woman. Very down to earth; sweet; smart; efficient; committed to what she does; occasionally and appropriately funny; jovial; caring; loving; and highly responsible. Of course I can go on and on, but I doubt my fingers would have the strength and perseverence to endure typing more justifications as to why she is ideal. Trust me, the list would be non-exhaustive.

But rest assured, I will always have the strength and perseverance to endure showering her with unconditional love. I'm pretty sure about that.

Like in the song Forever by 90s British R&B group Damage, even if she took my heart and tore it apart, I will love her still forever, and in this case unconditionally.

If you happen to read this, yes YOU, the beneficiary of my unconditional love, don't freak out okay? I see myself as your alternate protector, as a surrogate brother who self willingly pledged to see you through thick and thin. Everyday I pray that you will be happy, I pray for you to be happy with your husband, who's a great and lucky guy. I pray for your constant health. I pray you will be blessed with great kids. I pray you will be protected from harms way. I pray you will be deflected from any wrong doings.I pray whatever bad past you had will be buried forever and cease to haunt you again. I pray for your wellbeing in totality - spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially and professionally. I pray for you, unconditionally.

The next time you catch me gazing me at you, it's just me counting my blessings for having you around in my life at the moment. I became a better person because of you. I am motivated to do what I do now because of you. Don't take that away from me. I am guilty as charged for loving you that much but I beg for a deferment of sentencing, at least until I die.

Thank you for rejuvenating my rather prematurely dilapidated life. You may not believe it, but you make loving you so easy for me.

Unconditionally....