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blog gal’s long awaited come back post evoked some dormant childhood feelings in me today. now i admit, not all people recall their childhood clearly. i, on the otherhand, can remember stuff since i was pretty young, much to the amazement of my family members. bittersweet memories, almost seems like yesterday yet so far away.

some of you may think this is going to be an introduction to my childhood, but i prefer to leave that bit alone. so let’s talk instead of my most treasured things as a kid. i have the list at the top of my head and i think it would be best if this went down in a list format. so here goes folks:

1) Lego!!! - this had to be the most awesome mind-building gift a parent could bestow on their kid. i had a few different sets, which amounted to hours upon hours of fun filled brain activity. at the end of the day, i would have a robot, which could transform mind you, but with little scratches due to the somewhat sharp edges of the blocks. not to mention some injured gums trying to pry some of them apart using my teeth. hey, if the fingers ain’t working, the next best thing are teeth! although sorely missed, i parted with them due to a close family friend’s sake. treat ‘em well, my young Padawan. i sense the Force is strong with this one (sorry, i just had to add a little Star Wars innuendo here)

2) Transformers!!! - oh yeah, robots in disguise. nothing could pry my eyes of the telly when it came to this. i mean, it was every boys dream to have his dad’s car or something transform into a cool talking robot. i used to wonder if my fridge was one secretly. hehe. again, this novel toy was given to the same Padawan, whom my Legos found a new home with. lucky dude

3) Books - i had and still have a tonne of books. i’ve read nearly everything in the Enid Blyton series, but thanks to my cousin sister. i am now a Fantasy enthusiast. plus and minus the occasional recommended readings based on bookworm buddies.

4) MTB - mountain bike, need i say more. to a wee young lad, a mode of transportation other than my lil feet is the most awesome thing to have. sadly, it was also the many reasons for scars here and there. also, the source of many home groundings

5) Super Famicom - way before the days of computer games, there were TV games (if you could call it this) such as Atari, Nintendo and many more. i was introduced to the addictive world of Mario Brothers. another extreme source of punishments, due to the fact is was constantly abused. hehehe.

there, my Top 5 treasured items as a kid. now it’s your turn. what was your most treasured item(s) as a kid? come on, don’t be shy. it can be as ordinary as colour pencils and rubberbands. let’s hear about it.

i tried obtaining the definition, of the word sacrifice, from the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary (R). the result was somewhat unsatisfactory and i decided to pen it in my own words instead.

sacrifice = act of selflessness (i.e. being the bigger person), the giver. hope this definition is clear.

i have come across many people, articles and what not, talking about sacrifices in life, relationships, principles and so forth. i sacrificed my spare time to take my wife out shopping. she sacrificed her life to save her only son from the burning wreckage. the list just goes on and on. i will focus on the relationship aspect of sacrifice today (surprise surprise). some people comment that they ‘give’ more in a relationship. they love more, they care more, they ’sacrifice’ more. in return, they sometimes take less or nothing at all. this can be painful and burdening to the person, who ’sacrifices’ more.

in my opinion, the word sacrifice is not supposed to be included along with the word, relationship. some of you maybe going “Oh my God! what rubbish”, right about now. well, here is my justification for my statement above. a relationship requires a lot of give and take. a lot of COMPROMISE (not sacrifice). if you give and expect the same measure back, then you are not being realistic. give because you love and give because you want to. not because you want something in return. you will end up hurting less, i can safely say. try changing your mindset from:

I sacrificed my time…. to something more positive like, I made time….you made a compromise, not a sacrifice. you did it for love of the other person. do you see the light bulb glowing brighter now?

i will use a little scenario, to further explain my point. Jack and Jill are in a relationship. one fine day, Jill is offered a scholarship to go abroad and study. Jack and Jill did not want to part, but it was in the best interest for both parties. after all, it was Jill’s dream to study abroad and hopefully secure a better future for herself, her family and the family she might start with Jack. usually we would think that Jack had to sacrifice and let Jill go right? and if we take a look at Jill, she has to leave everything she holds dear and familiar behind. so, she would also be sacrificing right? so in the end, they both sacrificed in the relationship for a greater cause/purpose. *bzzzzzzzzt* wrong…they both made a compromise in this situation. not a sacrifice.

i guess this is all my ramblings for now. hope the message has reached across and made you think about the word, sacrifice. till the next issue, hasta luego

someone asked me this morning, “am i that scary?”. i guess that depends a lot on the person, who happens to be on the receiving end. some like it hot, some like it cold. some like it in the pot, nine days old. it’s funny how the answer can be derived from a nursery rhyme.

do you see yourself as a social and approachable person? when you walk around, are you paying attention to the faces around you or are you concentrating on the walkways? i’m more of a look straight ahead and ignore people kinda person, which has sometimes earned me the reputation of being an arrogant, pompous prick. i can’t help it sometimes, people. i have never been popular or anything, so why should i seek recognition or acknowledgement. let me go about my business, please? if you really are a friend, then by all means, do say hi. this will awaken the ‘helloness’ in me and you will get a big HELLO and a smile in return. it’s the least i can do

another thing i have to add, never judge a book by it’s cover. some people may look un-approachable at first glance, but once you know them, all hell breaks loose. it takes some time for them to warm up to people. Even moreso, if they are total strangers. i happen to fall in this category. some people maybe talkative and all, but deep down inside, they actually treat it as a job or chore. as mentioned in my previous blog quite some time ago, onions need peeling to remove the obstinate layers. it may take some time to get to the core. sometimes it’s worth it and sometimes you find it rotten. it maybe a painful and teary process, but you will definitely know if it is a good or bad onion. all this talk about food is making me hungry now. chow time folks.

the past weekend has been a massive heart attack after another, if i may say so. the biggest paintball event on Malaysian soil. the Asian Cup 2005, with over 10 countries participating in the event. and guess who was a part of it? yes, mua.

i met many great people in my course, as the Player’s Manager. so what did i do? everything under the sun, i guess. mostly, team related. kinda like a Public Relations person attending to their needs and also managing the teams on the field and also the referees. was it fun, hell yeah, but it was serious work. picture having only 30 minutes sleep from Friday to Saturday and surviving the whole day with a can of Red Bull in the morning. i swear that thing saved my life.

there were some major hurdles along the way, but a little flexibility and a little miracle saves the day. allan phang…you owe me one for that miracle i delivered! it’s no joke getting all the teams ready in like a minute. team boonie dogs, thanks for your friendship. team global guts pinaaaayyy, sorry i kept getting the team name incorrect. my tagalog sucks. you gals rocked! team infernal extend and top gun from Thailand, Chok Dee Na Krab. there are sooo many more that i wish to thank and greet, but it would be ages till i posted this.

oh yeah, can’t miss out Mhay and Leone. thanks for all your support ladies. Mhay, hoped you liked your Coke and Red Bull chilled (that was for teaching me some tagalog; maganda umaga) sorry i could not attend the party at the waikiki bar. i was dead beat.

last word, safe journey to all the teams leaving Malaysia.

in the end, it was a great success and i am looking forward to Asian Cup 2006 in Thailand.