Life For Rent

I ate raspberry tarlets purchased from Millenia Walk’s Candy shop this evening.

What’s the significance? Nothing much really. They were gonna expire soon anyway. They aint my favourite anyhow. Then why did I buy and eat it?

Ah.. I can’t answer 2 questions in one.

In fact I aint gonna answer that at all. I’m bushed. Major implementation at work tomorrow. Bright and early. I shall recharge for it now.

Adios amigos.

Opinions people. What can you get, in return for the value of a pair of rings. Not the 10 dollar a piece, nor the diamond studed ones mind you.

If you could barter trade, and you wanted something for yourself, what would it be?

My female boss asked me why I didn’t have a butt, today. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. Cuz I used to be fat and had a huge butt! Kristi and Colin called it the cobra butt cuz I used to wear a pair of jeans with a pic of a cobra at the back pocket.

Was hilarious over all.

Time to share a couple of mails I have received. I have read the following before but found it meaningful and worth a second read so I am sharing it with all, especially if you haven’t read it before.

Thanks Lim Lee for the following :

One day, when I was a freshman in high school,

I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.

His name was Kyle.

It looked like he was carrying all of his
books.

I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his
books on a Friday?

He must really be a nerd.”

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game
with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and
went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.

They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and
tripping him so he landed in the dirt.

His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass
about ten feet from him.

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he
crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his
eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, “Those guys are jerks.

They really should get lives.

” He looked at me and said, “Hey thanks!”

There was a big smile on his face.

It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.

As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had
never seen him before.

He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my
friends.

He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the
more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of
books again.

I stopped him and said, “Boy, you are gonna really build some
serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!

” He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors, we began to think
about college.

Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I
was going to Duke.

I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would
never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on
a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak

Graduation day, I saw Kyle.

He looked great.

He was one of those guys that really found himself during high
school.

He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.

He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech.

So, I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll
be great!”

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful
one) and smiled.

“Thanks,” he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began

“Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it
through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a
coach…but mostly your friends…

I am here to tell all of you that being a
friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.

I am going to tell you a story.”

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story
of the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom
wouldn’t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

“Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular
boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same
grateful smile.

Not until that moment did I realize it’s depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person’s life.

For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each other’s lives to impact one another in
some way.

Look for God in others.

You now have two choices, you can:

1) Pass this on to your friends or

2) Delete it and act like it didn’t touch your heart.

As you can see, I took choice number 1.
“Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have
trouble remembering how to fly.”

There is no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history.

Tomorrow is mystery.

Today is a gift.

–

The following is from Deon. I think Rach and Lim Lee can relate to it the most now. Have a good remaing week. Mine is so packed I doubt I will even realise when it is Sunday. Later!!

–

What’s the most important part of our Body?

My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body.

Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct
answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I
said, “My ears, Mommy.”

She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I
will ask you again soon.”

Several years passed before she asked me again.

Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.

So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it
must be our eyes.”

She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not
correct because there are many people who are blind.”

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother
asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No.

But you are getting smarter every year, my child.”

Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was
crying.

Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the
second time I saw him cry.

My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my
Grandfather.

She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”

I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game
between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me,

“This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in
your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were
wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to
learn this important lesson.”

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with
tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”

I asked, “Is it because it holds up my head?”

She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved
one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my
dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always
have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one.

It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did.

But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.

- The End –

If I could have one wish. And one wish only. I’ll like to see my sista and dai si fatt resolve their differences once and for all and get back together once and for all. I’m very drained from a lot of things happening. I am distracted. If I could have one good thing happen, would like it to be just that.

I think the two of them and I are in the same predicament now. We really ought to stick together and support one another. No one else is going to. All the 3 ‘hims’ are all useless in that department. If the 3 of us stand together, I would seriously like to see what can possibly take us down. Apart from internal war.

Sashimi appointments coming up. Will I have time for it? That remains to be seen. And it certainly won’t be at places where I used to go.

And yes I still think the fries at Carls Jr sucks. Chilli or plain.

On the flip side, I have been trying to polish up my lil kangoo a little. It is not mine, but it is under my charge. And I dislike driving in dirty cars and windows.Clothes make man. Or something like that. The car speaks for the driver too.

Busy as a bee for the next few days. Is movement always good? Perhaps. I can’t think of any negative aspects. All the nasty nonsense always come when I aint moving.

And thank you Deon for your kind words and friendship. You’re still young but I think you have it all sorted out already. Good on you, cause you’ll have a huge headstart among your peers.

Watch out world. The bitch is back! With a vengence!

Am I so obvious these days? Anyway I out myself to my colleague. She’s a kaki..and get along pretty well. It could have been a risky move, but I pondered carefully before hand. Yup she was worth it.

I also had my virgin try at changing a car tyre today. My boss’s car had a flat mid way along keppel road! Geez. But I am happy it all went well. Ah army did something for me hah hah.

Too bad my virgin change wasn’t on my own car. And that was because that car didn’t have a spare. It had no room to take in a spare so it was never catered for.

Dealing with a nasty browser hijack trojan at work, among other ’stupid’ events. But one tends to see more and more of the kinds of people who are out there, learn how to deal with them and learn as one grows..

Tomorrow is another day…

If you see me jetting around in a yellow renault kangoo, wave at me.

What is this thing in the world that can take you back in time, in 3 minutes or so. What is this thing that reminds you of a person. An occasion. An event. Sadness. Joy. Milestones in life. What uniquely identifies a person? Is it his nose? Or her hair? Or the way he walks?

To me, its the music the person listens. The one song that he or she singled out as a favourite. The one song you listened to on your graduation night. The one song you cried to sleep with each night for months. The one song that represents a union of two people perhaps. The one song, that is all about you.

Can anyone identify a better time traveller, then The Song?

For me, I can’t.

Cuz between The Song and I, We Belong Together…

Carl’s Jnr has an outlet near Lao Pa Sat!

Another couple I know have succumbed to the test of time. The long distance relationship. I sorta saw it coming but then again perhaps it is just with my pessimistic view of it all.

I chatted with one half in the gym and the other half online and I can see where they are coming from and it was a big blow to the ‘her’ for she did all she could and put in her best. The other guy, though younger, has the ability to maintain a relationship very well. But perhaps the test of time, coupled with the need to perhaps explore, everything all came at the wrong time.

The way things look, perhaps I may have to go through that very same test as well. How many will make it through in the end? I do not know. Nor do I wanna think bout it much.

Hang on dai si fatt, for you will never know someday I may have to turn to you, and my peeps over the same issue. You guys are stronger than you think you are, and I can tell you that cause I can see what is happening. In terms of such emotional strength, I am not half as strong. Be proud of it.

Anyway quite frankly, for those who know me well enough, I have nothing much to lose, do I?

So when are we setting up the nunnery and monestry?

Lelong lelong. My mandarin color peugeot 206cc is on sale. 4 years old. Highest bid so far is 55k. If anyone can beat that quickly let me know!

I drove my company car to a manual car wash at a petrol kiosk near my place earlier for a wash. Gawd the previous employer didn’t bother to wash it probably. The stains on the vehicle is literally impossible to remove through conventional washing, regardless of if its auto or manual wash.

They have a few washers. Some look very young, 16, 18 maybe? The rest are older. They are all of the same race, of which I will not mention because I do not intend to imply anything in that area. Not the point at all. However at 6 bucks a wash, by hand, I had mixed feelings. As I sit in my car, I am very thankful I am not one of them. Washing cars one by one throughout the day and night. However, since the topic of service has been in the news of late, I really thought they did a good job with their customers. Simple yet polite gestures, saying “six dollars please” and “thank you” after they gave me my change. I wasn’t expecting anything at all as deep in my mind as I sat in the car waiting for them to be done, I consider myself fortunate that I am abled bodied (just like them) with enough education to do something a little better. Car washing isn’t anything bad at all. It is proper honest work, and they do keep themselves pretty fit .

The issue is that, most of us would say “What service do you expect for 6 bucks? If you want service, go and ask your maid or mariam to wash it for you!”

However this is not the case for them and I respect them for that. Knowing how tired it can be to wash cars, I told them not to bother drying up my van. It doesn’t mean much to me anyway. But the whole incident left quite a huge impression on me. I wouldn’t say it was extraordinary service, but it was polite and I left the place knowing they tried their best at what they do. The only grumpy face came from this youngster who was probably really tired from it all, and the guy washing my car said something to him (while I was in the car so I couldn’t hear) but the youngster soon changed his t shirt and got ready to leave. I suppose he was told that he could go already.

For those of you reading and have kids and all, please don’t tell your kids “See if you don’t study hard, you will end up like them.”

I really hate hearing that. Sometimes I feel like telling them, better a car washer than a person who was jailed for rape or murder or snatch thief etc. Or even, like someone who goes around telling his or her kids “Don’t be like them.” Who are you to look down on other people and their profession? You wanna look down on people, look down on terrorists. And mind you theirs is not a profession.

I am someone who has very high standards in service. The service level I set for myself is the same that I would wanna be treated in return, though I do not automatically expect that. I look at others, and learn from them. How to improve my own way of providing service. I am not exactly in a service provider industry but the company has clients and it is part of my job to handle their system issues. The world will be very much a better place if everyone’s nicer to one another. This extends to the road as well.

Take a look around. Sometimes you may find good service in places where you least expect it, if you open your eyes mind and heart.

By the way, how many of you have washed cars before? And how many sorta ‘gave up’ after washing one car. Too tired, you say. These people work round the clock in a wet, hot (car engines running) humid environment, non stop. I suppose the non stop part is good, as it implies good business (hopefully). Just like traffic, and what I always say, movement, is always good.

If you ever pass by SPC along Dunearn Road in front of Kheam Hock Road and have 15 mins to spare, you might wanna stop over and have a wash.

I’ll say again, it’s not fantastic, but at least for me, it was heart warming.

Guess I am kinda emotional today eh? Ah well…

My private anti-hacking discussion group and I were discussing some issues. Wonder if anyone around has any insight or knowledge on the below :

1. Are there any residue data left in a system that has accessed a wireless network? This is because there are tools available to disable SSID at router level. ie, systems which are scanning for APs will not see the wireless network (in windows it can’t be done, but with tools it can still be done). Assume all systems can’t, but a system that has authenticated with the network before seems to be able to access the network, as if there is some private communication between the 2, or some residue data left somehow.

2. Why is it when we telnet into another system through an open port, with connection established and echo set, we cannot run commands like dir on the accessed machine? I don’t bother bout sending files through the open port, and assuming it is a switched network, no routers involved. We telnet in, set echo, determine connection, but cannot run commands like dir. This was via a tcp/ip connection. Have not tried UDP yet. Anyone has any opinions?

3. Is there any way, in a wireless network, for someone to determine the exact location of another comp within the same network. Eg, in a classroom environment, would I be able to tell exactly who is on. Note that the IP and MAC details are not relevant. You will need to check every system to look for one that matches the details, not something we were looking for. As far as I know there isn’t any way someone can pin point another user on a wireless LAN, but perhaps there is and if so I would love to hear bout it