After 27 years ...

After a couple of months of "booking", our belian (iron wood) doors finally came to replace the aging 27 years old door imported from WM.
I found out only a couple of months ago that one of our doors facing the outside was completely rotten. A punch on it would have made a huge hole. So, I temporarily put on some reinforcement.
Finally, the belian door replaced the not-so-good kitchen door...
and also the upstairs back room door. Now we think that these belian doors should last for another 50 years! The cost is RM340 for each door including installation and a set of stainless steel hinges. This is excluding painting which I need to do it myself!

Riam Road Secondary School Sport Day

The annual Riam Road Secondary School sport day got off to a colourful start today.
The venue was at the outdoor stadium in Miri.
Drummers from the Lion dance troupe.
.. Students ...
... one of the official school photographers, Terence
One of the 44 lions!

All photos uploaded to my Facebook! Click here.

Saturday walk around - Krokop 5 Market

Ok, this first photo has nothing to do with Krokop 5 market. It is ...
... ah Jon's "office" or rather workshop! We went to see him there to deliver some pau for him. His boss gave him a new proposal today so that he can continue to "cooperate" with him. I think this is a good idea.
Ok, this is at Krokop 5. I used to shop there for a few years until a year ago. So, we knew quite a lot of people there. He is Mr. Kong, a butcher. I seldom buy from him but never mind, we are friend. I think he is 65 but still very healthy! His advise.... don't neglect exercise.
I saw this familiar face, he is from China, ie, our "Chinese friend". He is a courier to Brunei and drop by Miri to see his old friends. I met him there. So, I drag a chair over and chatted with them!
...and I look around to snap some photos. A place to gossip, relax, chat and order something to eat. Surely they all enjoyed this carefree life!
My long time church friend, Ai Hee, a veggie seller there!
You can take away if you need to feed someone else! But see the wrapping...in newspaper but with lining!
She is Yong Hee, ie, Ai Hee's sister. She prepare cooked meals, especially noodles.
I forgot his name... one of the only 2 butchers at Krokop 5. His stall is next to Mr. Kong!
Naturally we get to meet acquaintance. She is currently under medical treatment for some chronic problem. Do pray for her. Ask God to heal her and restore her health. Oh, pray for Ah Jon also. The good thing is that we encourages each other! Praise the Lord!

Unique traditional Business

I was at Chop Chin Leong over the weekend to buy traditional biscuit and I found the people there busy making all kind of cookies/biscuit. So, I take permission to snap pictures to put it on record this very unique trade which is still very labour intensive. I figured that this trade may not last forever unless the younger generation shows interest to continue ... or if there is automation to help in the production.
I call this "old hands" or expert at work!
The classic name... Chop Chin Leong.
Red Bean pastry.
No idea what is the English name but the filling is white.

Peanut sweet...my favorite
Packed and ready for distribution.
Red bean puff...another favorite
They also sell their own sweet puff/pastry at their own shop.
Group of experts at work
Shaking of excess sesame seed from the peanut sweet.
This is where the red bean paste is cooked.
One of their young and handsome workers!
Pastry going into the gas fired oven for baking.
By the way, can anyone tell me the correct term for all these? Chinese pastry, sweets, puff or something else.

Close up view of rabbit mouth

Rabbit hates most if you try to open its mouth for "examination". So, I never have a good look to see how the teeth look like, etc. But I was a little surprised when I examined my photos...
The split upper lip is very obvious. In fact, I never knew how the lips actually look like as he simply won't let us see! Next surprise is the teeth on the upper jaw...they are perfectly arranged!
So, now you know how the mouth of rabbit looks like!
Forgot to mention...he is now back to jail as he has broken rules while he was free to roam his little kingdom! Perhaps, we will let him out again later.
Anyway, supervised freedom is always there!

HSBC Miri 2010 Annual Dinner

I was invited by my friend, Angie, to do photoshoot for her company's annual dinner.
Angie ...
Arrival of lady Gaga... she is so sporting!
The advantage of a small company is that everyone is like a member of a family!
Game time...she was imagining that her finger is a lipstick!
...and a happy moment as they received their prizes!
... they were also very happy even when there was no prizes to be given out!
A group photo...
Lucky him!
They could really pose very well!
Thanks for inviting me to record this event for you all. They were a great group of people and the evening were so relaxing and filled with laughter throughout.

I have included Photoscape 3.4 in the DVD of photos so that you can all "play" with the photos! Have fun!

Victoria Cocktail Bar and KTV

I visited Victoria Cocktail Bar and KTV (in Eastwood) last night after a night of shooting for HSBC staff. That was my first visit to that place.
The exterior of the place ...
The interior ... it was rather dark... with lots of laser lights ...
... the counter was nice...
The laser display was nice also! But the music was thundering! It is definitely a health hazard to work in there as the sound level is far too high. In the long run, deterioration of hearing is definite. I hope the employees wear ear plugs.
This is the group of new friends from HSBC...

Note: The photos may be grainy but the lighting condition was challenging. ISO was at 256K/F2.8.

Exercise - the stress buster

Churchill said...

"The price of LEADERSHIP is RESPONSIBILITY."

...and part of that responsibility is to STAY POSITIVE whether you feel like it or not.

Managing your attitude is a very personal thing. However, the most important factor is exercise. Attitude and energy levels are directly tied to exercise. I can be doing everything else right, but without regular exercise I can feel my attitude heading south.

Exercise, more than anything, is a "stress buster." And, don't kid yourself, stress is a killer. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that 80% of all illnesses are directly or indirectly caused by stress. Therefore, if you're not proactive in busting stress, it's very likely to come back and bust you!

Be motivated

This article is essentially about our attitude and behaviour when we meet/contact others. Although it talks about leadership behaviour but I think one very important quality for each and everyone of us is summarised in this statement: "Every moment, every contact, must be as pleasant, and as memorable as possible.". This also applies to our daily life - when we meet others, talk to our own parents/siblings, colleagues, man-in-the-street, over the counter, etc. Is your body language or facial expression sending out a positive signal about ourselves? Be motivated, be happy simply because we are still breathing!

An excerpt from

You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School

by Mac Anderson

In 1982, Jan Carlson had just been named the CEO of Scandinavian Airlines. His company was in trouble. They had just been ranked by a consumer poll as the worst airline in the world. Last in service, last in dependability, and last in profits as a percentage of sales. Yet one year later, in the same poll, they were ranked number one in all three categories. What happened?

Carlson had decided to focus on what he thought was the most critical issue...serving the customer. He wanted to keep it simple:

Identify every contact between the customer and the employee, and treat that contact as..."a moment of truth."

He set out to let his people know the importance of that moment...the captain, the ticket agent, the baggage handler, the flight attendant.

"Every moment, every contact," he said, "must be as pleasant, and as memorable as possible."

He figured that he had approximately ten million customers each year, and on average each customer made contact with five of his people for approximately fifteen seconds apiece. Therefore, in his mind, these fifty million contacts, fifteen seconds at a time, would determine the fate of his company.

He set out to share his vision with his twenty thousand employees. He knew the key was to empower the front line. Let them make the decision and take action, because they were Scandinavian Airlines during those fifteen seconds. He now had twenty thousand people who were energized and ready to go because they were focused on one very important thing...making every moment count.

"A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization, not as it is, but as it should be."
-Jack Welch

Locally Produced Grape

When I was young, my neighbour had a grape tree and it managed to bear some fruits. I still remembered that they were very small and sour.
My friend in Miri planted a grape tree and it is bearing fruits all the time... not a lot but they are very "tasty". They are small in size and the bunches are quite small. It must be a combination of weather, soil, etc which causes this problem.