Working full day

Have to work full day today. Andy is back in National Service for two days. No, he is not after Form Five student. He is there as a trainer. And he is called up to teach the trainees in the camp three times a year. Or in this case, he is called up because there are not enough trainers to teach the syllabus. And when he is not around, I would have to work full day. It can be very tiresome.

Effect of petrol price increase

The rise in petrol price has indeed affected us is many ways. Firstly, we have to spend more a month for transportation. Secondly, most of the shops are increasing their products prices which translated to higher monthly expenses. Thirdly, we decided not to buy a new Proton Persona car. There are many other effects of it which we will only feel in a month or two. We also have no extra money to buy gold. Yes, we were thinking of investing in gold but with the current changes, we have stopped buying for lack of money. I am sure when God continue to provide for us in various other means, we will be able to invest in gold again. As for now, we will have to trust God in providing for our monthly needs.

Mother not sleeping at night

Over the last few weeks Mom has not been able to sleep at night. I've seen her awake, sitting in the living hall, doing nothing physically, lost in her own thoughts. When I approached her and asked her why, she just smiled and said that she could not sleep. She would stay awake until almost dawn and then only she would fall asleep.

Though this does not happened everyday, it is still a concern to me. I wished and pray that she would be able to sleep at regular time and that her health would not be affected by these sleepless nights.

Bulging protruding tummy

I don't like the sight of my tummy. It is not nice to see a bulging protruding tummy. It is just not healthy to carry a burden in front of me. A lot of people are talking about dieting. Mostly ladies lah. When I go out shopping, I noticed that most of the people are getting fatter. You can see lots of fat people now. And you can see bulging, protruding tummies which is really an eyesore. I really need to cut down on the amount of food that I take every meal. Also thinking of starting back fasting a day each week. Zzzz.... what must I do to obtain flat tummy.

Repainting and cycling

After much delays and postponements, we finally repainted our cars. My old Mitsubishi Tredia has been repainted with grey colour metallic coated. My wife’s old Toyota KE30 red car has been repainted with light orange pastel colour. It costs us more about RM3K to get it done, which included the cost of welding the various parts of the cars that are rusty. At least now, we do have a “presentable” car to drive. Earlier, we were thinking of buying a new Proton Persona car but in the end we decided not to. Now that the price of petrol has increased and Michelle is no longer working, we thank God for not allowing us to go into further debts by buying the new car.

Now, I will try to cycle to work. Yes, it was unthinkable to do that a few years ago. The distance is 11km from my house but it is now a norm for me to cycle to work. Yes, I did it, I did it. Now, I do not have to think about Car Radiator though I have to think about my safety while cycling on the road. One thing for sure, the roads in Malaysia are not bicycle friendly.

Increasing the prices

Thinking of increasing the price of the drinks that I sell at the shop. No, I am not doing it just because others are doing so. I am thinking of increasing the price because the cost has increased. Yes, the supplier has increased the price of the drinks by about 10% of the cost. And here I am, still selling the drinks at the same old price. That means my profit has gone down. If the supplier keeps on increasing the price, I would have no other choice but to increase the selling prices too. As much as I want to help my customers, I have no other choice but to do it. Business can sometimes be "cruel".

Scratching where it is not itchy

There was once a anthropologist who went to a tribe to study their culture and language. He was aware that there was a missionary that went to that group and had minimal results in reaching out to them. While the anthropologist was talking to a group of the tribal people, he asked them the question, “Why is it that you all did not believe what the missionary told you?” After a long silence, the leader of the group finally told the anthropologist. “Well, it is like he is scratching where it is not itchy”.

Fulfilling the needs of the person is important before we can reach out to them. Well, the needs may not only be for food, water or shelter but it could also be the issues of life. It can be about the challenges of living everyday and it can also be about spiritual issues. Most people would look to the church, temple, mosque or monasteries if they are seeking help in spiritual matters. If you have thought of “I Want a Better Marriage” then you are having a “itch” that needs to be scratched. I would suggest that you find an Emergent Church to find the answers to that need.

I would advise that you Find a Church in Rancho Santa Fe if you are staying in Santa Fe and find the solutions that you need for your “itchiness” in life.

Zenni Optical

It is time for Clarissa to go for her eye check-up with the optometrician. We do hope that her eyes would get better now that she is wearing her spectacle. We bought the spectacle at the optometrist shop. At the shop there are many types of spectacles including the Incredible Stylish New Frames From Zenni. There are Variable Dimension Frames From Zenni that we can choose from but we need to make sure that it is suitable for Clarissa. The range of Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses are very attractive which I would definitely consider if I want to get a new spectacles.

Good health is a great asset

One of the best supplement products that I have tried is the Usana products. Yes, I am not lying and this is not a gimmick to sell the products. I’ve tried it and I am fully convinced of its benefit. And it is really important for me to have a daily supply of multi-vitamins supplement which include anti-oxidation and detoxification effect. I need it because I am exposed to radiations from computer monitors everyday. If there are only one computer then it may not be so bad, but I’m exposed to more than 20 computers everyday for 8 hours a day. I know I need to protect my body from this danger of radiations. That is why I trust in God and in excellent proven track record products like Usana.

Unfortunately, not many doctors are aware of these excellent Usana products. Some are even marketing low quality herbal products to their patients. If any of you are taking prescribed drugs for medication, you should consider checking out drug guide for iphone. Do not simply take any drugs without knowing the full implications or side effects of it. Yes, no doubt the doctor would have known about the drugs’ side effects, but he might not inform you all the side effects that you might be experiencing. So better be well informed rather than being confused. Good health is a great asset.

A new backpack for me

Went shopping yesterday with Miche. We wanted to go for a movie just to celebrate Miche being out of job. While at Mahkota Parade, I remembered that I need to get a new backpack as the backpack I used while cycling is torn and cannot be used anymore. So we headed toward the various shops there. There is a few sports related shops in Mahkota and we went to Sports Station.

There are various sports accessories like Puma, Adidas, JanSports, Nike and many others. Well, I am not a fan of any of the brands as my main consideration is the price. If the price is low and the quality seems good, I will buy. However, the Puma backpack that we saw is quite expensive though it is of good quality. We almost went out buying nothing when someone tapped Miche’s shoulder.

We were indeed surprised to see our church member and later being informed that she is the manager there. She offered discounts and managed to persuade us to buy the backpack. Well, much to our surprise again, the backpack is on “Value Buy” promotion and the price is much lower that the discounted price the manager can give us. Furthermore, it is within our budget so we bought it. Then off we went to watch “Wanted”. Oh ya, since Miche is out of job, the Nintendo and the treadmill would have to wait.

I did it, I did it - Part 4

Yes, I did it again this morning. So nice and I felt so good. I made sure that I slept early last night so that I would have enough rest and enough energy to do it this morning. My wife already awake when I woke up. After the shower and a glass of Quaker Oat for breakfast, I took my bicycle and cycled to work. Yes, I did it. Hope to do it everyday if the weather permits. So far, it took me about 37 - 45 minutes to reach my shop. It is about 11km from my house so I would have cycled 22km to and fro. Praying that the weather would not be hot or raining. Would ask my companion the Holy Spirit to protect me from harm and harsh weather conditions.

Yes, I did it, I did it.

Trading in shares

It is interesting to see various people coming into the shop and use the computers. Most of them are students who would play games, surf the net or do their assignments. Generally, the boys would play games, the girls would surf the net. Only during certain times, they would come in and do their assignments. Of course, chatting on the net is their favorite thing to do.

There are a few older customers who come in to check the stock market. I am not familiar with the websites that they logged in to check the share prices as I am not into buying or selling shares. Maybe if there are many more customers who are into trading shares and they want to use the computers in my shop, I should consider adding in option screener program as an added service to my customers. I’m sure they would be delighted about it.

I did it, I did it - Part 3

I didn't do it for two days already. Haizzz...I really miss it. Circumstances doesn't allow me to do it. Will be looking forward to it. It is like I am addicted to it. And once addicted, am looking forward to get it again. Now I know how the addicts must have felt when the urges start coming back to them. Must do it next week lah. Really miss it.