Wishful thinking

Have you ever imagine that you will find a bag of cash along the road? Well, I do, lots of time. Usually I ride my motorbike to work. Many a times while riding back from work, I wished that I'll come across a bag or many bags of cash. And I would find cash in RM10 and RM50 notes totaling to thousands or even to millions of RM. So far, all have been wishful thinking. Never have I come across any bags with cash in it on the road. Garbage bags are plentiful.

What would I do if I come across the bags of cash? Well, one thing for sure, I would buy gold bullion with the money and save it for my children's needs in future. Hahaha...so bad of me, don't want to return it to the relevant authorities. Well, it is just wishful thinking, so let me imagine that I can use the money.

Fasting

I believes in the value of fasting. And before starting the business, I fasted regularly every week. However, when I started the business, I neglected it. My body's weight went up and down depending on the seasons of my life. Lack of exercise and sleep are major concerns. Everytime when the body is weak due to lack of exercise and sleep, I will fall sick.

I guessed it is the natural way for the body to tell me that things are out of balance. Now, my body is weak, my stomach is growing bigger due to overeating and lack of exercise. Looks like I will have to fast to cleanse my body. Will fast lunch at least once a week. Must get back my regular spiritual discipline of fasting.

High expenses

Sigh...I did not achieve my target of clearing my business debt by May 2010. Was really hoping that I could settle it by May, but that did not take place. With 2 weddings, additional repair to the photostat machine, renewing of insurance and road tax for the old car and motorbike, and many other additional expenses, all the income runs dry. Furthermore, the daily sales dropped as most of the college students went back home for their 2 months holiday.

Praise God we did not starve to death. Just that I was really hoping to clear my business debt as soon possible. Now praying that the daily income would increase and no more wedding cards to give angpau's to.

RM 1,000,000.00 question

"Dear, if you have RM1M, what would you do?" I asked my wife.

"Give people lah", came the immediate answer from her. After a quiet pause, she asked, "Can I use the money?".

Hahahaha... I guess we have always been thinking of giving to people but do not have much to give now. It would be wonderful to have RM1M in the bank account. Imagine how many smiles that we can bring out from people who receives monetary gifts from us. We want to bless the missionaries. They are always in our hearts and we hope finance would not hinder them in their work for God.

If you are thinking that we will be giving all of it to people, then the answer is No. We will use some for investment so that we can give more in the future. We might use some of the money to buy buy gold bullion for long term investment. Landed property would be another good choice. Well, let's see whether that dream will become a reality.

Which heart you would choose?

The preacher told this story to the congregation.

There was a man who needs a heart transplant. One day the surgeon called him and told him that he can be operated and have a new heart. The man was excited to hear the news. However, the surgeon told him that there are 3 hearts available and he has to choose one. One is from a young athlete who died in a car accident. The second heart is from a businessman who died in a plane crash. The third heart is from an old lawyer. The man without any hesitation told the surgeon that he wants the old lawyer's heart. The surgeon was surprised and asked him why. The man said, "Because the heart has not been used".

Okay, if you laughed, then you know the joke. I guess the reputation of lawyers are not so positive. Well, not all lawyers are heartless. The way they handle their cases may seem heartless but that shows that they are trying their best for their clients. Take for instance those who suffered from Mesothelioma Disease have found that their Mesothelioma Lawyer or Mesothelioma Attorney have a heart for them in their efforts to find justice and compensation. It is good to know that while we are suffering the disease there are people out there who are concern with our wellbeing. Whatever the perception may be, there are kind-hearted lawyers out there.

Rambling - Dreaming away

Day dreaming all the way. Can be very tiring too. Anticipating and hoping that somehow, in due time, in His time, things will change for better. But then again, how many of us can wait patiently. There's always the anticipation, the what if's, if's this, if's that. And time passes so ssssslllllllloooooowwwwwwlllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

But then again, that indicated a heart that is not with the Lord. For in God we have peace, tranquility of heart. Remembered Peter when he walked on water. Everything is okay and fine when he focus on Jesus. But when he shifted his focus to the waves, his peace waver too and as one who has no firm foundation, he starts to sink. Imagine that Peter, a fisherman, cried out to Jesus to be saved. Hmmm...shouldn't a fisherman like Peter already an expert swimmer. An expert swimmer became afraid and cried out to Jesus to save him. Well, at least Peter has Jesus to rely on at that time. Who do you have when the waves of this world overwhelm you? I do hope you have Jesus in you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

My boy Ezra

Its been a year and I haven't write much about him. I guess I was busy at the shop and left all the taking care to my wifey. Anyway, he has grown much, much to our surprise. Just at the age of 1, he can already recognize my motorbike sound and would want to walk out from the room and greet me when I come home. Once he saw me at the door, he will walk quickly and open wide his arms for me to hug him. It seems he learned that from watching his other siblings. And he is such a huggable baby.

Red eyes

On Saturday, I woke up with a dry eye. Didn't look at the mirror, just assuming that lack of sleep is the cause of it. Went to work and by lunch time, the condition became better. On Sunday, again I woke up with a dry eye. When I look at the mirror, I saw my eyes red and it felt dry. Even my pastor noticed it when she spoke to me. After church service, I went home and look at my home medical supplies to see whether there's any eye drops that I can use. I normally use Eye-Mo or Optrex as these are the more popular ones in the market. Unfortunately there is none in the first aid kit. In the evening, we went to the shopping centre nearby and bought one eye drops. Now my eyes are much better and improving.

Mother is coming back

Received an sms from Bro Chai saying that he will be back this coming weekend. And he will bring Mother back. It's been a long time since Mom stays at Bro Ann's place. Not sure whether she will stays back here until her next eye check-up or she will follow Chai back on Sunday. Do hope that she will stays back.

Set mindset

My wife hold up an advertisement of a slimming package and told me, "Haiya, this kind of women also can enter slimming advertisement." I asked her, "Why?". "Look lah... the girl is fat."

Aiyo, its not necessary to be so slim and sexy to be in an advertisement. As long as it is real and not exagerrated, then it should be okay to put the girl's picture in the ad. Just add a touch of make-up like the way they teach in the cosmetology school in Ohio, then it should be okay. I just don't like to see some pictures in the advertisement that are really not "real", where a lot of photo editing being done. It is just so unreal. A little editing is okay, not too much until the readers know that it is impossible to achieve such beauty.

Don't have a set mindset. And don't let your mind set according to the pattern of this world. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

My Annabelle entered coloring competition

I don't remember entering into any competition when I was 7 years old. I think I would freak out if my parents enrolled me for any competition. Why? Because at the age of 7 back then, I don't even know my ABC. Yes, it was the reality back then. No pressure from the parents for me to know my ABC. Just learn whatever the teacher teaches in school. Now, at the age of 4, the child is expected to be able to recognize ABC. Just too much pressure lah nowadays.

Okay, today 17 April 2010, my Annabelle entered into a coloring competition. Organized by Hong Leong Bank, Malim Branch and held at Malim Kindergarten. And to our surprise, she managed to get 2nd prize. Not bad. Wifey said that she could get first if only she takes her time to color the picture nicely. She said she don't want to waste time! Aiyo... my dear girl. Don't be lazy lah. It is not who finish first competition, it is who colored it best.

Oh ya... you want to see the picture...hmmm...I'm sure my wifey will upload it on her blog. Go there lah... if you can find her blog.

Death overcomes us all

As I drove to my MIL's place, I remembered my father. I told my wife, "One generation has pass us." She looked at me, her expression asking my explanation. "My father. His generation has pass away. All his brothers and sisters have passed away", I told her. She nodded. We are now the next generation, and we too will pass away.

My father was the second to die among his siblings though he is the youngest. I remembered that the village people come and donated for the funeral expenses. We never heard of Funeral Insurance before so we had to depend on the donations of others to cover the funeral expenses. And my father did not have any Life Insurance taken in his name. It was "unknown" for a farmer like him to buy life insurance. Maybe there are one or two who gave him Life Insurance Quotes but I'm sure he did not buy one for himself.

We would be the next generation to pass away. Death overcomes us all. Well, let it come for it would be the day I will see my Lord face to face. Oh, what hope and joy awaits me.

Must take care of health

The weather is erratic nowadays. It can be very hot and an hour later it rains heavily. This is not good for the body. Michelle is down with flu and so is Ezra. Praise God that the other children are still in good health. As for me, cough is crouching on my throat. Must make sure my immune system is operating smoothly. Body must be warm. Not to stay in aircond places for too long. Take a bit of wine for it is good for the body. And must have enough sleep.

Gold price going down again

For the past few days, the price of gold has been going down. From the price of RM122 it has gone down to RM119 per gram. This is indeed good news for people who wants to buy buy gold coins or invest in gold. I wish that I have the extra money to invest in gold. It has proven track records that the price of gold has steadily increase over time. And mind you, the returns that you can get is much more than putting your money in fixed deposits or in government bonds. So if you are thinking of long term investment, go invest in gold or precious metals. As for me, it is more as an investment for my children future needs.

Cross over to Malaysia lah

CROSSING THE BORDER

If you cross the North Korean border illegally
You get 12 years hard labour.

If you cross the Iranian border illegally
You are detained indefinitely.

If you cross the Afghan border illegally
You get shot.
If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally
You will be jailed.
If you cross the Chinese border illegally
You may never be heard again.
If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally
You will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.
If you cross the Cuban border illegally
You will be thrown into political prison to rot.
If you cross the British border illegally
You will be arrested, prosecuted and sent to prison and deported
If you are an Indonesian and cross the Malaysian border illegally
You will get:
- My PR (Permanent Residence)
- A driving license
- Voting rights
- Job reservation
- Special privilege to be consider as a bumiputera
- Credit cards
- Subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house
- Free education
- Free healthcare
Oh Malaysia ! What a great country!

"A Strong Woman Versus a Woman of Strength"

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape ...
but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape...

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything ...
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear...

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her ...
but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone...

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future...
a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be God's blessings and capitalizes on them...

A strong woman walks sure footedly...
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls...

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face...
but a woman of strength wears grace...

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong...

- Marta S. Hardy

Caribbean Vacation

Yup! The all inclusive vacation. That is what I am dreaming about right now. I really dreaded Chinese New Year day. If not because of the hot sun, Chinese New Year would be more enjoyable. The nieces and nephews prayed that it will snow on Chinese New Year day. :lol: If it does not snow, let's make our own snow by shaving as much ice as we could, they said. I doubt it can be done because the ice will melt within seconds!

We must plan for a Caribbean vacation during the Chinese New Year one day. Or a getaway to somewhere cold during this hot festive season. It would be nice to break away from tradition once in a while. ;) Furthermore, the all inclusive vacation package isn't that expensive; if you earn in USD. :lol:

As for this year, we bear with the weather and pray for a cooling evening soon. Then maybe, we will go out visiting again.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis.

920212

Wifey drop by at the shop after sending Belle to her Art class. When she wants to go back, she asked me, "Where's my roses?". I was like "Huh?" with a blur expression on my face. She smiled. My mind did a one hundred meters dash, trying to figure out whether I've missed out something. No, Valentine Day is only in two days time. Hmmm...

Suddenly I remembered the date, 920212. The year 1992 in the month of February on the 12th day. No, it is not our destination weddings date. It is our official date of the beginning of our relationship. Today, it has been 18 years since then. Time surely has pass by so fast. 18 years of relationship....Wow!, I can't believe it. Seems like only a few years ago.

Promised my wife that I will send her roses...online... facebook farmville roses... hehehe... times have changed.

Dear, I love you always lah.

No room for CNY

The family members are coming back. It is indeed a blessing to have a large family. My mom have 11 children, 3 girls and 8 boys. And all of them except one are married and have children. If all of them converged in our house during CNY, there would not be enough place for everybody to sleep. Most of the time, the younger ones would pitched their tents at the house compound and enjoy the starlight sleep.

We did thought of using our apartments for the others to stay during CNY but most of them wouldn't want to go there. Firstly, it is quite a distance from our main house. Secondly, we want the closeness and togetherness during the CNY. CNY is the time to strenthen the family bond. It is also a time to catch up with one another. And we need big space for a big family like mine. An apartment would definitely be too small.

Talking about apartments, we bought the apartment because we want to rent it out to students. It is in a good location similar to University of Arizona apartments and the demands would always be there. Furthermore, the price of the apartment would appreciate when the surrounding areas are developed. So we figure it would be a good investment to buy one apartment there. After a year we bought another nearby apartments. So far we have good return for our investments.

So it looks like this year like previous years, many of my family members would enjoy the cooling breeze in their tents at night. Praying that it would not rain.

Business closed on CNY

CNY is the only time of the year when I'll close the business for more than 2 days. I guess it is one of the public holidays that I observes beside Christmas day. This year, the business will be closed for at least four days from Saturday till Tuesday.

To all my Chinese customers, Happy Chinese New Year. Time for me to rest.

Gold price going down

Last December, the bank clerk told me that the price of gold price will normally go down before Chinese New Year. I was abit skeptical about her prediction as I'm not sure of the basis of her prediction.

The gold price went up to as high as RM140 per gramme before it went down again. Now the price of gold is hovering at RM116 per gramme. I would say that if you have extra money to keep, now is the time to buy gold bullion. Or you can also invest in gold account with certain banks that provides such services. Who knows, after Chinese New Year, the price of gold might go up again.

Installing Husband

I received this in an email. Couldn't resist to post it for my own record.

ENJOY!

…

A woman writes to the IT Technical support Guy

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and I noticed a distinct slowdown in the overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly underBoyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NEWS 5.0, MONEY 3.0 and FOOTBALL 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?

Signed,
_______ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________
Reply

DEAR Madam,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme. Html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5..

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Silence 2.5 or Beer 6.1.
Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.

You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.
We recommend: Cooking 3.0 and Good Looks 7.7..

Good Luck Madam!

mere ramblings

in the shop now. mind not working much. so thought of letting my fingers do the typing of what come across my mind... which is not much.

Chee the new part time staff is at the counter, discussing his course lessons with a friend of his. There's only a few customers left, quite quiet now, except for the online Christian songs from the server computer. Chee Chung Ee is his name, from Johor and now studying in KYM. He said that he has a year before his practical assignment and he can work part time night time. As he is also a Christian, I feel a bit comfortable to accept him to work in the shop. So far so good.

the project paper has yet to be done. and I has yet to set the date for the final exam. and worst of all I have yet to do my revision. the Church from Reformation to the Present has a lot of facts to remember. too many until I pening kepala.

also still donno what to preach on 21 Feb. the HS has yet to whisper to me on what to share on. thinking of preaching in BM. hahaha.. maybe will use the word Allah. I pity the Malay Muslims who are so ignorant and becomes the victims of Umno's deceitful schemes. But I pray that many more Malay Muslims will come to realise that only Jesus is the only and true way to Allah.

will I be able to finish the project paper????.. hope so. arghhh... really don't like studying and exams. tensions habis.

a group of Indian boys came in... to play CS. Today a lot of Indians came to use the computers. Just now a group of Indian girls came to use the internet. Wish Ramesh was here... can hear more of the language.
Andy worked until 6pm just now. At least I got a chance to rest and spend time with family. Went to fetch Belle from her school for the first time today. Glad to know that she likes school.... not like me. I cried and cried every morning for the first few weeks. At times I refused to go to school... don't want to go up the bus school Patt Hup. still can remember my Dad had to forcefully pull me into the bus while I struggle to pull away from him. haha... those were the days.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Do you believe in love at first sight? Some of you may disagree with me but I believe love at first sight is an impossibility. Why? Because genuine love is not simply a feeling of romantic excitement, or sexual attraction, or the desire to marry a potential partner, or the thrill at having captured a highly desirable social prize. These are the emotions that are released at first sight, but they are primarily selfish in the sense that they're motivated by our own gratification. When we feel this way, we've not fallen in love with another person, we've fallen in love with love. And there is an enormous difference between the two.

Real love is an expression of the deepest appreciation for another human being. It's an intense awareness of his or her needs and longings - past, present and future. It's unselfish and giving and caring. And these are not attitudes that one falls into at first sight. Indeed, there is a spiritual quality to the bonding of two unique personalities into a committed relationship that will last for a lifetime. And that does not occur on some enchanted evening across a crowded room.

-by Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family.

Invitation to set up a display booth

I received a letter from the IKIM (Institut Kemahiran Industri Malaysia). They are planning to have an expo in one of the villages. They want me to set up one trade show booths. Wah, at first I thought it is a good idea. I never have a chance to set up a booth before. I was imagining how my booth would look like with the tables, chairs, and banner stands all perfectly arranged. I would make sure the pipe and drape at the booth make the booth outstanding. It would be the most attractive booth in the expo.

The imagination burst when one customer came in requesting to use one of the computer. Suddenly, it occurs to me that I do not have much to display at the booth. I'm just operating a cybercafe. What can I put up on a trade show booths? Nothing. I have no computers for sale. At the most I can display is information on my business. You don't need a big booth to do that.

Maybe when I diversified my business into other types of business I would take up the offer to set up a booth. As for now, thanks for the invitation but sorry lah, nothing to show.

Diversify

Last Sunday, Pastor Goh Lee Neo preached on Ecclesiastes. Solomon advised those who do business to diversify as one does not know which business/venture brings income/profits. The message struck me as I too was thinking of diversifying my business. There are plans to takeover other cybercafes or maybe opening a new one in new area. At one time, I was thinking of doing agriculture but that did not materialized as the business demands most of my time.

People who says that doing business is easy are all ignorant and liars. Or maybe they just see the good things in a business but not the hard part, the beginning part of building up the business. They did not know that every fiber of the body and every thoughts of the mind have to be wired to plan and to ensure the business' success. And the most important thing of all is the principle that man can plan but ONLY GOD can bring success. No matter how clever your plans may be or how conducive the location and environment may be, surely one have to acknowledge God in everything. Not to do so is foolishness to the highest degree.

I have another year to go (or less than a year) before I'm planning to "move" or before my "transition" period is over. In the meantime, the business would be my focus/responsibility. Would I be able to diversify by then? Only God knows. In His time, not my own.

Patience

I reminded myself almost everyday. Patience and wait. Wait, wait. In His time.

There are times when I felt frustrated coz I don't want to wait. I want to do this, want to do that, and this and that. I want to get this and that and this and that. Haiyo... everything also I want but then cannot. Now, don't get me wrong here. Most of what I want (more than 50%) are legitimate i.e. for the business but then there is not enough savings to buy those things. So I have to make do with whatever shortage (lack of computer peripherals) until I have the means to buy them.

And worst of all is the lack of honest full time workers. They say "Once bitten, twice shy". In my case it is "Three times bitten, fed up already". So now, I'm very choosy in who is going to work in my shop. So I "sufferlah" coz nobody can replace me when I need to rest or there is emergency.

Patience, patience.

New Year Resolution

Didn't even occured in my mind about having New Year resolution until I read it in my wifey's blog. She decided that she would not make any resolutions as most of the resolutions are unachievable. I guess many of the people out there are experiencing the same. Excited when making new resolutions but end up in despair when it is not achieved.

I've given up on making resolutions long time ago. No point making resolutions especially when you are not accountable to anybody. I've substituted resolutions with prayer. I pray that the year 2010 would bring me closer to God, having a close intimate relationship with God, being a child and a friend to Him and fulfilling His plans for me.

Well, what do you want God to impact on you this 2010?

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Christmas come and Christmas went. Things went on as usual. To me, Christmas is just another day like any other day. In the words of Paul, "...one treats one day as special while another treats it as just another day...". What makes it special is how we treat it unto the Lord. Saying that, I guess we must treat each day as special. Be thankful to God that you can wake up every morning or evening (depending on when you go to bed)and see the sunlight or clouds.

This year Christmas was a busy one. Went to church in the morning and thereafter had lunch with Bro Daniel and family. And at night we had a Christmas party with Eastern types of food together with Asian desserts. The children would have their food and then watch their favorite show on tv. Wished that there is cable tv available. Maybe when we moved to another place we would be able to have direct cable tv. I know if you are in New York you can subscribe to Direct TV in New York . It was a wonderful time. The children enjoyed it very much especially when they received their presents. I don't remember receiving any presents. Well, that's okay as I too did not give any presents personally. My wife did all the giving. I thought of giving her a present but then due to busyness, nothing done.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this year Christmas celebration. With the Singh's family back and mother around, there were an abundance of food. Really enjoyed the delicacies and mouth watering gourmet prepared by the Singh's family. Till next year, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody.

ABC for Christmas

Bought one ABC machine through Mudah.my. No, not a machine that makes ABC alphabet. It is a machine that makes Air Batu Campur (Grinded Ice). The moment I saw it on sale in Mudah, I know I have to buy it, knowing that it would be useful during all the celebrations. I'm sure the other family members would enjoy a bowl or many bowls of ABC when we're together.

Well, I was right. The ABC machine was a hit during the Christmas dinner. (Though I had to fix it a few times before getting it really fixed). So for this Christmas we had icy cold bowlful of ice mixed with corns, jelly, and whatever stuffs they can think of.

Wedding invitations abound.

As expected the wedding invitation cards came. The months of November and December are so called "wedding months" because many couples decided to get married on these two months. I'm not so keen on receiving wedding invitations especially from those kampung people. They tend to plan their wedding dinners at Chinese restaurants where the place are crowded and the music is too damn loud. One can hardly talk to each other during the dinner because of blaring sounds/songs.

Okay, okay, I don't want to spoil the moods of those newly wed or going to get married. I'm sure most of the couples are anxious about their weddings. Some even plan to have cancun destination weddings as they want something extra special for their special day. I guess wherever they plan to have their wedding, both parties must be happy about it. Weddings are supposed to be a happy occasion, not a time to fight and quarrel about minor details.

To all those who are gettng married, "Have A Blessed Wedding".

Have time to rest now

Now that I have another part time staff, I can rest a bit. No, I still can't go back home and leave my new part time staff alone in the shop, at least not yet. Maybe in a few weeks time when she is able to manage the shop confidently without me being around, then only will I be able to go home and spend time with my family. Looking forward for that day to come. As for now, whenever there is not much activity/needs in the shop I can take time to rest and maybe update this blog.

Thank you Lord.

Missing wifey online

Wifey is not feeling well today. She vomitted a few times and was feeling dizzy when she walks. So she went to her mom's place to rest. So I didn't see her online today.

I miss seeing her online. Sudah lah I have to be at work the whole day, I'm deprived of communicating with my wife.

Sex with Robot - morally wrong

Why Sex With Robots is Always Wrong: The Impending Demise of the Human Species
by Rich Deen

Introduction

FACA?

This page is going to seem rather far out and unrealistic, given today's moral standards. However, the standards are rapidly changing, and within a few years the human race will be in a position in which sexual immorality could exist on a widespread scale.

Brian was 28 when he bought his first FACA (female anatomically correct android). They had been around since the early 2020's, but had been much too expensive to personally own. Now that the price had dropped to around $80,000, Brian had thought that he would buy a car every 8-10 years, instead of every 4-5 years and new FACA in between. Besides, the new FACAs were much more realistic than the old ones, since the technology had developed to provide cooling to all the internal computers and simultaneously make the robot warm to the touch by providing fluidics through the computers to dissipate heat through a network of "capillaries" located just under the "skin." Yes, the new models were friendly and warm. Brian was introduced to FACAs in college, where the fraternities would rent a FACA during the weekends and go on binges of drinking and sex. The rental prices were rather high at first, since these FACAs were million-dollar machines, but eventually the supply caught up with demand and almost everybody could afford to rent or buy one.

Early FACA design

Early attempts to create human-like robots were forced to reply upon microprocessor technology with large, heavy batteries that required frequent recharging. ASIMO, produced by Honda, was the first robot to display human-like movement, but was capable of only an hour's operation before recharging its 17 pound battery pack. However, the invention of carbon nanotube-based computers increased the computing power, reduced power consumption, and decreased the weight of computing electronics. Coupled with rapid increases in speech recognition, the first human-like robots were soon being manufactured. Instead of magnesium frames covered with thick plastic, the robots were eventually designed using lightweight carbon-fiber composite designed to mimic the structure of human bones moved by pulley systems to generate the full range of human motion. The hard plastic was soon replaced with fabrics that felt like real skin. Thus, the transformation from machine to android was nearly complete.

From good to bad

Not content with merely an online presence, the adult entertainment industry soon realized that androids, properly constructed, could earn them billions of dollars in additional revenue. Top programmers and engineers were hired away from the automakers and computer companies with offers of up to ten times their average salaries, similar to what had been done with their movie businesses in the late 2010's, when they had hired away Hollywood's best CG programmers to turn out realistic-looking virtual pornography movies. Of course, the acceptance of pornography as legitimate entertainment had rapidly escalated in the late 2000's, especially after Generation X had raised their own families.1 Although the newly designed FACA looked good, they were still somewhat clumsy and had trouble with all but the most common colloquialisms. For the average male college student, this was not a major problem, since conversation was not his major intent. However, when companies tried to market MACA, the male counterpart, to the female college crowd, the acceptance was less than stellar, although some women insisted that they weren't any worse at conversation than the average male. However, in the 2020's prices were way too high for all but the wealthy to purchase their own android.

Life in the 2030's

The breakthrough in computing came in the early 2030's when software engineers finally were able to design computers that could learn and interact in the way the human brain works. Coupled with individual nanotube computer-controlled joints, and the androids were nearly indistinguishable from average human beings. Money from the adult entertainment industry, in their push for realistic motion and conversation, had accelerated the technology in what would have taken decades to only a few years. Mass production of FACA's rapidly brought down prices, and competition with mainstream entertainment providers, who didn't want to be left out of the rapidly expanding market, pushed prices further down. However, what had begun as merely weekend binges in college dorms and fraternities was brought to the mainstream. Acceptance among the male population evolved rapidly as men realized they could get an ideal "woman" whose only goal was to serve him. Entertainment companies became more bold as FACA were advertised as being "better than sex." In addition, FACA were adept at gourmet cooking, cleaning, and household chores, so that could always be used as an excuse to get one.

Opposition to FACA

As more and more men were able to purchase their own FACA, marriage rates dropped precipitously and women who were unable to find a real man turned to MACA or homosexuality in order to maintain relationships. The Church was inconsistently opposed to the whole FACA idea. After all, it wasn't like there was a specific commandment against having sex with a machine. An added bonus was that abortion virtually disappeared and out-of-wedlock pregnancies (in addition to any pregnancies at all) became very rare. Sperm banks sprang up all over as women who wanted to have children were forced to pay exorbitant prices, since very few men were interested in donating (even with the enticement of a free FACA rental for the purpose of donating at the sperm bank). Population control groups and environmentalists were thrilled that the human birth rate was now rapidly declining well below replacement levels. Several women's groups formed an alliance in an attempt to outlaw the sale of FACA. Virtually all attempts to legislate against FACA were either blocked by male legislators or in the courts as restricting freedom of speech. Finally, in the much watched case, city of Provo vs. FACA Entertainment, prosecutors attempted to get the practice outlawed on the basis of anti-slavery laws. In attempting to prove that FACA were intelligent beings that deserved protection from oppression under the constitution of the United States, it seemed that the lawyers for the city were going to be able to prove their point, as they cross examined a victim of FACA abuse. However, the defense brought in their own FACA to cross examine. In the middle of the examination, the defense attorney suddenly grabbed the FACA and slammed it to the ground, scattering pieces of the machine all over the floor. Suddenly, the facade of humanity was gone, as the lawyer asked if anyone was going to charge him with a crime. The last challenge against the widespread use of FACA had been crushed.

Acceleration of perversions

Initially, all FACA had been designed as young adult versions of their human counterparts. However, emboldened by their sweeping victories in the courts, FACA were soon designed as young girls and boys, and even animals, to meet every possible sexual perversion of their intended markets. Even those men who bought the adult FACA versions found their attitudes changing, since there were no consequences to anything they did with their FACA. After all, it didn't matter if you swore at your FACA or spoke harshly to it, since it always did exactly what you wanted. Over time, men who owned FACA became more and more rude to their human counterparts as the degradation of society accelerated. Men who owned a FACA disdained the company of real women, with all their incessant demands and mood swings. The sexual revolution was complete and we were all the victims.

Not going to happen?

Yes, the above scenario should bother you, whether you are a Christian or an atheist. Before you say that the scenario above is unlikely, I would like for you to consider some facts that led me to write the story and come to the belief that it is entirely possible that our societies could be headed in that direction. First, there are no legal barriers to the scenario playing out in full. The Supreme Court has ruled that nearly all forms of pornography are first amendment "protected speech." There is no reason to believe that a machine would not fall into that category. So there are no legal barriers.

Moral acceptance

The data underlying the "radical" predictions laid out in this page come from scientific studies that have examined the pervasiveness and effects of pornography upon men and women. In particular, recent data show widespread acceptance of pornography among today's young adults as "an acceptable way to express one's sexuality."1 For males the acceptance rate is 67% compared to 37% for their fathers. Among young adult women the acceptance rate is 49% compared to 20% among their mothers. So, the rate of acceptance of pornography has doubled in just one generation. When those young adults raise their own children, the acceptance rate will probably be greater than 80% for both males and females. The step between watching pornography through technology and engaging in sex acts through an attractive technological object is not that far, especially when the object acts as if it were a real human being.

Degradation of attitudes and morals

The idea that sex with robots will radically effect the attitudes of practitioners also comes from studies of those involved with pornography on a regular basis. Studies have found that viewing of pornography results in:

-increased callousness toward women

-trivialization of rape as a criminal offense

-distorted perceptions about sexuality

-increased appetite for more deviant and bizarre types of pornography (escalation and addiction)

-devaluation of monogamy

-decreased satisfaction with a partner’s sexual performance, affection, and physical appearance

-doubts about the value of marriage

-decreased desire to have children

-viewing non-monogamous relationships as normal and natural behavior.

Pornography portrays an unrealistic view of relationships and persistent viewing enforces those views. An android that always does what it's told, despite bad behavior, enforces that behavior. In real relationships, bad behavior is thwarted through unpleasant consequences related to that behavior. With pornography and android sex, there are no consequences, so bad behavior goes unpunished, reinforcing the behavior.

What can I do?

The age of just accepting pornography as a harmless pastime has ended and people need to get serious about their personal and corporate responsibility toward opposing the spread of this evil and its soon-coming technological replacement. Revenue from pornography in 2006 was $97 billion worldwide. Every time you go online and view or download pornography somebody gets paid. It is time to stop that behavior and work toward the eradication of pornography. The Church must speak out forcefully against casual acceptance of pornography among its members. Get your pastor to speak about it. Have him read the above story in church. Yes, in church!

You atheists can't just sit around and snicker at it. Where are all the atheist organizations against the spread of pornography? You hold the truth in high esteem? Pornography is bad for people! As a seeker of truth and justice you should oppose things that are bad for people. Get it? Read the story to people among your groups. Report inappropriate content on mainstream websites. Get involved!

Conclusion

Sex with robots is coming and it's going to happen soon - probably within 40 years. The only thing holding it back at this point is the technology. Legal barriers do not exist, and moral barriers are eroding rapidly. Its advent will signal the impending end of the human race as "perfect" mates replace the imperfect ones we now have. In order to stop this perversion from destroying the human race, we must act now to change attitudes toward virtual sex of all kinds, including pornography.

It went up

On 15th October 2009, the price of precious metal like gold and silver went up high as the market saw the weakening of US dollar. I was tempted to sell the gold I invested and pay up my business loan. If I sell it at the price at that time, I would have made some profit which is definitely much more than the meager bank interests collected if the same amount were to be deposited in the fixed deposit for less than a year. However, knowing that the price will go down a little the next day due to profit taking (which it did), I decided not to sell it. If you are looking for long term profit, then it is best to invest in gold or silver.

Snobbish girls

Saw a girl who looks snobbish. She is one of my customers. Can't help but to look at her a little longer. Somehow I'm attracted to such girls. I wonder why.

A smile on my face as I remembered the time I met my wife at RP. Now I know. She was snobbish too. No smiles on her face; though she looks attractive to me (tomboyish). *..sigh..*

Death of a vision

From the way things are going on, it seems that there will be a death of a vision. Things have indeed changed. And I doubt (there seems to be much doubts nowadays...) that the vision(s) will resurrect(s) in near future.

Hmm... maybe I should not doubt for he who doubt is like the waves of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. He is a double minded man, unstable in all he does. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. - James

Paintball game

It is not yet popular in this part of the country but I hope in a few years time there would be a permanent site for paintball game. From the promotionals that I've seen, the game seems exciting. It is not just about shooting other people but also about planning and strategy. Even in Giant Hypermarket I've seen a different version of paintball game set being sold. The only problem with wanting to buy the game set is that you need to have a big space to play it.

Hmm, maybe when my children are much older and can play this game I would definitely bring them to play the game. I might even buy some of the Smart Parts Paintball Guns one at a time until I have the full set. Who knows, I can even operate the place as a paintball game site for the youths to come and play. It would definitely be much better than playing CounterStrike 1.6 computer game.

The students are back

Yes, they are back from the Hari Raya AidilFitri break. Well, not all of them but some of the regulars are seen back in the shop. Well, it's good to have them back. It means more income for the business. Maybe most of them will be back by next week. I wonder whether I need to add in more new computers to cater to them. Hmmm... .

Johny's for lunch

Wifey requested to go for Johny steamboat for lunch tomorrow. Or is it for dinner? Well, since MIL paid the money for the 3 bars of Eumora soap, wifey wants to use the money to have a treat for our family. It's been a while since we ate at Johny's.

Hmm... I remembered that there are something that we should not order in Johny's but can't remember what it is. Of course we will definitely order the red colored water chestnut in coconut milk. That is one of their delicacy which I can't seem to find in other restaurants. I know the Thai restaurants do have that but there's no Thai restaurant in Melaka (or not that I know of lah).

So, after church tomorrow, we will go to Johny's Restaurant.

Family Vacation

Wifey read about my SIL's blog post about them going to Penang and Kedah for holidays. My brother has that habit of spontaneously making decision to go for a holiday and off they go. In a way, I wished that I could do the same. It has been a long time since we had our family vacation. But I guess having your own business makes it difficult to plan for a holiday. Maybe, when the time comes when I would have the time and means to go for a long family vacation, I would go for the sandy beaches at one of the Riviera Maya resorts. Then I can really de-stress and relax, not thinking of the business. As for now, there is time for everything.

Riding Nitro Classic NE 150

At last, I had the opportunity to ride the Nitro bike to work. The ride was exciting and the feel is different too. Riding a classic like Nitro makes you want to just enjoy the ride. If I ride my other bike the Yamaha RXS, I would always want to ride fast, just want to reach my destination as fast possible. But when I ride Nitro, it is more for the pleasure of riding. I hope there would not be any breakdown as it is quite heavy to push. I guess I will be riding more of the Nitro if I do not have anything to bring to work.

Caning - it is effective

Proverbs 20:30, "Blows and wounds cleanse away evil and beatings purge the inmost being."

Barnabas has been loved without much disciplining done by his mother. And it shows in the way he shows his tantrums. He likes to throw away things when he shows his tantrums. And when scolded he will cry. I guess I too did not discipline him much unlike his two sisters.

Last Sunday, he did it again, showing tantrum by throwing down his toothbrush. I took the cane and cane him hard on the buttock, twice. I can't remember when was the last time I caned him that hard. It must have been a long time ago. Of course he cried because of the pain. Asked him to pick up his toothbrush, which he did. And then ordered him to go back to the bathroom to bath.

After a while, I went to the bathroom to check on the children. Amazingly, there he was together with the two sisters, bathing, no more crying. And he can even talk to me, telling me about... something lah... which I forget ade, with a smile on his face. I was really surprised that the caning brought him closer to me. And I has not yet seen him show his tantrums again for the past two days. Indeed the word of God is true, beating cleanse away the evil in my son's heart and purges the inmost being.

Medical marijuana

Woa! Wait a minute. Marijuana, you are talking about marijuana the drug? Are you serious?

Well, yes, I'm talking about marijuana the drug and yes, I'm serious.

I would not be surprised if I received many responses like this when talking about marijuana. The general perception is that marijuana is all about drug abuse and drug addicts. Well, do you know that when cocaine was "discovered" by doctors, it was meant for good to relieve the pain and suffering of patients. However, improper usage and lack of regulatory laws caused it to be misused by the public and thus the problem of drug addicts. Now, doctors and health practitioners are using the so called "drugs" to treat patients in a prescribed way that is beneficial to their health. Medical conditions like cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS positive, cachexia, severe pain, severe nausea and seizures can be treated with marijuana. No, in most cases it would not heal it totally but marijuana helps to alleviate those debilitation medical conditions. If you think that you can benefit from the proper use of marijuana, consult your doctors or check out Medical Marijuana Colorado and see whether your health conditions requires such usage.

Marijuana is not evil but the misused of it leads to many evils.

Missing church service again

Been missing church service for the past 3 weeks. The first two Sundays was due to sending maid & Mother to LCCT and then outstation family members came back. Last Sunday, there's the church camp in PD where I am able to go.

Tomorrow, will not be able to attend the service again. Makkoh Pantai's burial will be tomorrow Sunday 12 Sept 2009. She passed away on 9th September 2009 at 9.05pm at the age of 90. A lots of 9's. She is the dearest Makkoh to most of my family members. I remembered playing at her house when I was young. Her hospitality and financial support to my family members will be remembered always.

Thankful to God

For the lunch and dinner today. Wifey cooked Ayam Masak Merah today. Had it for lunch and dinner. Love it very much. Delicious... better than the normal Chicken Sambal. Thankful to God that today my stomach is full.

Religion and bigotry

I feel sad yet angry. Disgusted yet despair. What is becoming of Malaysia? As much as I hope that the situation would change, it looks like it is worsening. What is it that they (the ulama and so called teachers of the religion) are teaching the young ones? That their race and religion is superior than others? That they should not come in contact with other people of different faith and race? I'm digusted with having such thoughts appearing in my mind.

These are real life events that happened to me.

1. Two girls came in and asked me whether I do repair laptops. I said I do. One of the girls told me that she stays in a certain place but she does not want to repair her laptop at the computer shops there because the owner is Chinese. I do not want to embarrass her by telling them that I'm am Chinese too.

2. On student studying Islamic studies came in to photocopy a few pages of document. He asked me whether I can give discounts if the number of pages is high. Since the number is high and there is a shop nearby that can give better rates (RM0.035 compared to my RM0.05 above 500pcs), I told him to go to that shop. He asked me whether that shop is owned by Malay or Chinese. He said that some of the students does not want to photocopy their books at Chinese owned shop. I almost wanted to ask him whether all Malay hands are always clean and holy all the time.

Tell me and prove me wrong on this. I sincerely believe (though I may be sincerely wrong) that though Islam may have good principles but the interpretation of it by their teachers is do damn sickening.

It's time of the year again

Where the church is organizing its' yearly church camp. This time it will be back at Bayu Beach Resort. The place is a nice place with beautiful front beach. We went there a few times for our holidays and we certainly would recommend it to others. Well, I guess this place is a substitute for romantic cancun vacation for this part of the world. The place is well maintained and of course the rate is reasonable.

I know my family would love to go there this year but unfortunately I has yet to find a full time staff to look after the business. We have to forgo the camp this year. Well, it's time of the year again when we are reminded of going for holidays. Looking forward to be able to take a break from the business.

Routine sets in

It has been 2 months since the last full time worker left (or being forced to leave). Having no full time staff means that I have to be there all the time everyday. The only rest day is on the Sabbath, which is on Sunday. Working from 10am till midnight is very tiring. Mental tiredness. As for now, the routine has sets in. Day in and day out. The only thing to beat mental tiredness is to commune with the Holy Spirit. And sometime, God blessed me with busyness at work, which really helps to "fasten" the time. Things would not change until I get a full time staff.

Nitro

Saw an advertisement online about a big. Nitro NE150 Classic. Wow, it's the kind of bike that I wish/dream of having but couldn't because of the high price. However, this big bike is being sold for a cheap price, which is within my means to buy. I couldn't believe my eyes when I see the price. Immediately tried to contact the seller by phone and couldn't reach him. Then emailed him of my interest on the bike. Well, hoping to be able to close the deal by this week, God-willing.