Photogenic

Have been passed this compliment, “Juan, you’re very photogenic ar...” numerous of occasions. This morning, I’ve decided to look up the meaning using various sources:

• Meriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary: Suitable for being photographed.
• Compact Oxford English Dictionary: Looking attractive in photographs.
• Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: Having a face that looks attractive in photographs.
• Wordsmyth Dictionary: Attractive as a subject for, or appearing attractive in photographs.

Uh-huh…

Juan’s Translation: You don’t look that nice in person :P

But err… don’t need to stop the compliments just because I’m complaining, k? Maybe if I hear it often enough, I might start believing it *gurgle* - Tough luck. *hahahahaha…*

Golden Screen Cinemas 1U: The Island

Finally. Finally, I experienced the much-talked-about GSC at 1 Utama Shopping Centre. Carpets leading from the escalators towards the cinema, it kind of reminded me about Crown Casino, Melbourne, Australia. It felt really classy – comfortable, spacious, with high ceilings. Thumbs up to the seats; Leathered head rests, the old ones were those velvet-like textures which tend to stink after awhile; Lots of space between the knees and the seat in front; and Great support for the backbone. Think our airlines engineers could learn a thing or two from the GSC seating design – we wouldn’t mind traveling long distances if they’re in place.

Golden Screen Cinema, 1 Utama

“Wanna watch The Island 9pm tonight?”

Had absolutely no idea what I was in for. From the movie title, I figured that it was going to be some kind of horror movie. Sigh… that’s alright. I’d probably enjoy the company anyways. Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise.

The Island

The world has been contaminated. The only survivors from the contamination were living in a facility. Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) like all the other survivors, live for only ONE PURPOSE – the chance to live on the last uncontaminated spot on Earth; The Island. The residents of The Island were determined via lotto, where all would gather expectantly for their names to be chosen. Lincoln Six was happy for his friend, Jordan Delta-Two (the extremely hot Scarlett Johansson) when she was chosen. It was then that he uncovered a great lie... Without disclosing the plot much further, allow me to share some thoughts about the show:

Why I didn’t like the movie:

• GSC and TGV websites has revealed too much of the plot. The official website holding the trailers practically gave away the whole movie without one watching it. Word of advice: if you’re reading about this movie for the first time NOW, don’t surf to those sites. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting though the movie without even knowing what genre the movie was.
• It’s genetically not possible to inherit memories via DNA. They could’ve NOT included this part of the plot, hence not lose credibility of its practicality.
• Vertical drop from what seemed like an above 30-storey building was cushioned by an extremely flimsy looking net *giggle*. Sigh… a BIT unbelievable, that. But, the suspense factor was definitely there.

Why I liked the movie:

• Wonderful script teamed with great action, WOW! If one did not read any summaries prior to the movie, he/she would be glued to their seats trying to figure out what the show was about for the first hour.
• Gory scenes, lots of slime and blood - not for the faint hearted. A few shock factors included when one least expects it to.
• Great futuristic, kick-ass mode of transportations. Makes me want to rush right up to the screen and grab one of those flying motorcycles.
• I loved the fact that there were two very big ‘feel’ contrasts between the first and second half of the show. The first half builds the plot whilst the second half is action-filled. Not many movies are unfolded that way,but it’s exactly how I love to write my own scripts – totally contrasting beginnings to the ends.

Student ID can stop truancy

THE Education Department has been asked to make student identification cards compulsory for secondary school children to stop them from playing truant and hiding out at Cyber Cafés. Subang Jaya Municipal councillor Aftar Singh said during a joint raid with police recently, 15 students were caught playing truant at a cyber café. “The cyber café owner when queried about their presence at his outlet said he did not know that they should have been in school in the afternoon as none of them were in uniform,'' said Aftar Singh. - The Star

I'm guessing that these identification cards would indicate whether the student is from the morning or afternoon session. Otherwise, our Malaysian Identity Cards would be sufficient in telling our age, right? So if I'm a student playing truant, would I actually admit having a Student ID on me? Would I go, "Yeah... I'm supossed to be in school now. Here's proof - my ID. So, err... yeah. I'm not supposed to come in here."? I would most probably admit to have forgotten my ID, or if I'm lucky and look slightly more mature than 17 years of age then I'd be off the hook.

This wouldn't be targetting cyber cafes only, right? So, does this mean that any commercial establishments be it fast food parlours, supermarkets, or theatres will be held accountable for not checking the ID of every individual entering its premises?

I've got loads of friends who looks like they're students but in fact are well over their 20s. So, how would this new rule affect us 'young-looking' adults as well? *ponder ponder* Sigh... I have my apprehensions whether this would actually take off or not :P

My first national Missions trip

A little Orang Asli village, our very own Malaysian indigenous group village in Ulu Langat…


The villagers blessed us with some duku langsat and cempedak (local fruits).


A time of worship … aih, too bad the pictures didn’t turn out too well. Was tough trying to catch a sharp shot with everyone jumping up and down :P


Story-telling of Naaman the Warrior using some really cute pictures. Naaman was supposed to have diseased skin, but he kind of looked like he was going through puberty and had a load of pimples *giggle* The kids were so cute as they role-played with the characters.


Ahhh… coloring time!!!


Chow time. Those packets of nasi lemak looked hot hot hot!!!

So, how did I get involved in this? Well somehow early this year, I didn’t feel released to go for Missions overseas. ‘Strange, it was loads of fun doing Missions in India previously’, I thought. Then, during the Soul Survivor Festival, I met up with an old high school tuition mate who was with FGA. After meeting up for a drink later, he told me about this ministry to the Orang Aslis that they were doing, and everything kind of fell into place after that. NOW I know why I didn’t feel the peace earlier – cause THIS was what He had mind for me this year. *oooohhh…*

One extra soul was added to the kingdom yesterday :D I felt like that I was reaping what I had not sowed *bweh*. They’ve been reaching out since a year back, and now have a service attendance of about 20+ people - mostly ministering to the children. Every fortnight, a service on Sundays and a visitation on a weekly basis during the weekdays. Apparently, most of them can’t be categorized as ‘free-thinkers’ cause they worship stuff like rivers and stones *shrugs*. So, what did I find really challenging?

To converse and pray in Malay – sigh. “Semua Bahasa Melayu sudah bagi balik cikgu.”

Word that encouraged me as I went today – John 4:41, 42 Many more believed because of his message, and they told the woman, “We believe now, not because of what you said, but because we ourselves have heard him, and we know that he really is the Savior of the world”. Yeah, we just need to ‘GO!’ and be a messenger. It’s up to Him to meet with the people face to face *encouraged!*.

Wow! Missions in my own backyard. I don’t even need to hop on a plane and spend hundreds or even thousands of ringgits. Instead, it’s just an hour car ride away. Cool eh? Want to me join me the next time – 7th of August? *wink!*

90,000 Christians to fast and pray

About 90,000 Christians from 500 churches nationwide will be participating in this year’s 40-Day Fast and Pray Rally. Themed “Turn to Our Father in Heaven”, it is a call for all Christians to remember to turn to the Lord in an age where evil and violence seem to be norm of society – The Star

Finally received the prayer booklet on Sunday. The fast is going to be from the 22nd of July till the 30th of August. Since a week back, I’ve have been thinking about how I should fast this year. Two years ago, it was a ‘non-meat’ fast; last year it was a ‘skip breakfast and lunch’ fast; so based on the progressive trend, this year should be a full fast, right”?

Well…

After fasting for a couple of occasions this year, somehow the idea of fasting from food doesn’t quite cause me to yearn for it as much anymore *like, not challenging ar*. Furthermore, with this, it was difficult to really commit to the purpose of fasting whole-heartedly. At the back of my head, the statement “Kill two birds with one stone” keeps popping up every now and then. I keep on thinking, 'The call to fast is so timely, can lose weight at the same time'. *ARGGGGHHHH!!!*. So how?

*open up prayer booklet*

Fasting brings a sacrificial dimension to prayer. Biblical fasting is most often the abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose; and there are various ways to fast. Some people also fast from non-food items.

• Partial food fast refers to giving up either a meal or two or a type of food over a period of time
• Full food fast refers to giving up all food except water and/or juices over a period of time
• Absolute food fast is refraining from both food and drink, but should only be done for 3 days
• Non food fasts include giving up something (for e.g. television) that interferes with your spiritual life

Hmm...

Did some serious soul-searching after the sermon on Sunday and after reading a friend's entry - Addictions. The question lead to two conclusions - for me, more difficult than abstaining from food is (1) to abstain from television (2) to abstain from manga and anime *brrr.. sooooo scary*.

Little by little the TV has slowly took a foothold and I realize now that I’m addicted to serials (TVB or Korean) and reality shows. It causes my daily timetable to revolve around the show times of these programs and at the end of the day, does absolutely NOTHING to my brain after the idiot box is turned off. So, no more TV serials and reality shows for forty days. Instead now in replacement, I'll go out with some friends; or go to the gym; or go home, do some reading and some praying *nods*.

Ditto goes to manga and anime. Being in between projects and back at the main office at the moment, I really should focus on expanding the knowledge of my field instead of downloading all these stuff to pass my time. So, will resist downloading and work on getting the standard SAP template up. Err... I had a plan to document down standard SAP configurations so it can be used as a Blueprint template for projects to come. Then my clients can select which ones they want to retain and add whatever they want to add *sorry, thoughts side-tracked a bit*.

So, for 40 days I’m going to give up TV serials, reality shows, manga and anime cause it’ll distract me from prayer and spiritual pursuits. Lord, give me strength *sigh*. Hey... don't judge, k? Maybe to some of you, it might be a piece of cake to abstain from these items. But, it's gonna be really tough for meeeeeeee....

Healthy Living

Body Mass Index/BMI (assess weight relative to height) : 23.7
Basal Metabolic Rate/BMR (min energy for body functions) : 6037 kJ
Height (I think the nurse was short, should be 1-2cm taller :P) : 170 cm
Blood Pressure : 110/63
Pulse (normal-75/90min; athletes-50/60min) : 65/min
Fat % : 34 %

Err… wait… run that by me again. Fat percentage 34 %!!!???!!!??? *urgh* OK, clearly something is not quite right. Since I’m already taking pretty good care of my body; I mean… I’m exercising at least once a week and also keeping a careful watch to what’s going through the mouth. I’m practically eating like a hamster – cereals for breakfast; 3 times a week of cucumber, carrots and tomatoes for lunch; yeah, perhaps the ‘going to sleep after a full dinner part’ is the culprit.

Nevertheless, hey… I’ve lost 5 kg since the beginning of the year… and I’m still tagged with 34% fat?!?

FINE - it’s time to get serious. Decided to create an Excel spreadsheet (can’t get more serious than THAT :P) laying some ground rules, keeping in check the food intake, plus exercise records. Hmph! Ground rules… ground rules… let’s see:

• No eating after 8 p.m.
• Minimum intake of treats (ice-cream, chocolate, or cake) to once a week.
• Minimum intake of fast food to once a week.
• Minimum intake of sweetened drinks to once a week.
• Minimum cardio exercise to twice a week (yup, upping it from once to twice a week).

I’m also giving it a go to change the method of consuming dinner – will start off with fruits; then soup; then to the solids (vegetables and meats). MMmmm… somehow the tummy starts to get a bit full after the soup *grin*. This might work…

It’s not so much about wanting to look good or trying to get slim. But I believe I’ve got a responsibility to keep my body fit and healthy. That’s the least I should do for my own health, right? *nods to self*. As for the ground rules, I’m not going to kid myself – if I totally cut out fast foods and treats, there’s NO WAY this healthy living is going to last. So, I’ll still indulge once in awhile :) Hey, you can get your BMI ratings at caloriesperhour.

I’ve been giving this idea some thought – that I don’t want to be the only one who get the kicks out of this new ‘healthy living’. So, to make things a little bit more fun, I’m going to donate RM100 for every kilogram loss. To start off, no matter what the outcome will be… there’s already RM50 in the donation piggy bank. It’s not much, but it’s the thought that counts, right? *smiles* So, on the 18th of December, I’m going to step on a weighing machine and see how much the contribution will be. As for the who or what’s the donation receiving party? Well, we have 5 months to figure that out. :D

Starlight Cinema

Floor mat in the car boot?
*check*
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KFC dinner for 5 bought?
*check*
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Free passes in wallet?
*check*
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In time to meet up with friends at 7?
*check*
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.

Movie magic under the stars!!!!! *smiles excitedly* ‘Should be fun…’, I thought. Had 8 passes to watch any show from 22nd June till 16th July – decided we were going to be watching Batman Begins. Wheeeee!!!! And then… it RAINED!!! Actually, it POURED!!! 4 grown adults (1 cancelled last minute) had KFC at home; on a FRIDAY night *raise eyebrows*; whilst watching Malaysian Idol. How pathetic is that? *sigh*

For those that has done this before, please tell me:

• It was hot and stuffy
• The uncut grass causes extreme case of itchiness
• Mosquito infested
• Aromatic dog pie found every 3 feet

*sigh…*

Food for thought...

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"It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride".

Medical Checkup

Back-track to 3 years ago…
Doctor Quack: You have two cysts in your womb.
Me: ???
Doctor Quack: Don’t worry, I can even cure cancer.
Me: Cancer???!!!???

Two days later at Megah Specialist Centre…
Gynecologist: All seems to be normal…
Me: Whew! *wipe sweat from forehead*
Gynecologist: Since you’re here, would you like to check breasts for lumps?
Me: Err… urm… ok…? *embarrassed*

Doctor Quack’s analysis 3 years ago prompted my first thorough medical checkup. Looking back, the situation was kind of scary having to receive such news and as if the shock factor wasn’t quite enough, the quack doctor proceeded to talk about cancer treatments *gurgle*.

Last Saturday I went for another checkup again :) Figured it was about time to get it done, considering the family’s history (Mum had fibroids, cysts and her womb removed, and sis just recently had an operation). So, it was *glug glug glug* 1.5 Litres of H2O. Went into the clinic, and the doctor wasn’t satisfied with the erm… ‘expansion’ of the bladder and I had to chug down another 1.5 Litres *urgh!*. Ultrasound results seem fine. Then it was:

*POW!* A hit to the head.
Doc: Hey! Why did you eat breakfast? Not supposed to eat before blood tests…
Me: I forgot… everytime when I go to donate blood, they'd ask me to eat.
Doc: You're not here for blood donation. After foods, how to check sugar level?
Me: sob sob… *rub head*

God wants spiritual fruits and not religious nuts

Scenario: Man trapped on rooftop of his house because of flash flood. Neighbor in small sampan rows over to rescue him.
Neighbor: Hop on and I’ll bring you to higher ground.
Man: No worries. God will save me.
Neighbor: ?!?!?

Water continues to rise. A policeman in small motorboat nears the rooftop.
Policeman: Hop on and I’ll bring you to safety.
Man: That’s alright. God will save me.
Policeman: ?!?!?

The water has risen to a critical level. A fireman in a large motorboat nears the man.
Fireman: Get on. The water level is dangerously high.
Man: I do not fear. God will save me.
Fireman: ?!?!?

Final Scene: Man meets with God.
Man: God! Why didn’t you save me?
God: I DID! THREE TIMES! :P

The above is a really just an old joke; it was 5 years ago that I’ve first came across it. Firstly, I’d like to clear the air that in NO WAY I’m saying that signs, miracles and wonders have ceased to exist. Actually, I have faith that given the situation above, God is perfectly more-than-capable to (1) stop the storm; (2) zap the man to another location like some Star Trek transporter; or even (3) part the waters while the man walks to safer grounds.

In our lives, we will go through trying and difficult times where we will seek for answers. The point that I’d like to bring out is, ‘Not every answer which SOUNDS religious is from Him’. I believe that we need some sort of balance - Yes, to believe that all things are possible through Him, but on the other hand to also know that He is practical in many ways.

Such extremisms should not be taken lightly, as many have twisted the essence of the Word of God. For example, there is this cult that does not believe in taking medication or going for blood transfusion because they believe that God’s hand is upon everything, God has allowed the sickness to happen. And if the sickness is to be healed, the healing will come through Him and Him alone *shakes head*.

The example above is quite extreme in nature. But before you say “But that’s not me” … has this ever happened?

• Have you spoken to someone when they are ill and they ONLY want to rely on faith healing? You just immediately clam up about recommending a doctor because you did not want to talk against the ‘faith’ that the person has.
• Have you spoken to someone who wants to join ‘full-time ministry’ just because they are dissatisfied with their job? You then choose not to comment that the situation just calls for a change in environment for fear of it not sounding religious.
• Have you spoken to someone who has been out of a job for many months and believes they are ‘trials and tribulations from God’? You then choose not to point out that their expected salary does not tally with their resume of experience and that’s probably the reason why they’re not getting any response from employers.

Yes, I believe in faith healings, calling to full-time ministries, trials and tribulations from Him. But in a situation uniquely for you, is it really what God wants and is it really from Him? Does solving a situation through practical methods make us less a Christian and prove that we have less faith?

God wants spiritual fruits and not religious nuts.

Thank You

Finally, back to work after a three-day break! Apologies for the long hiatus cause have been really busy wrapping up the project to go for the break. This is going to be my last day with Alam Flora – thank God for a successful go LIVE. However, think I might be back for a week at the end of the month, just to be around just in case there are any glitches during the July payroll run. My first independent HR assignment; my bay-beee! *grin widely*

Thanks to all (you know who you are) whom have fasted, prayed, given words of comfort and encouragement through phone calls and SMSes. Thanks for all the love and care – big hugs and muaks from Juan *sniff sniff*. My darling sister had a successful operation thanks to Dirt Buster Prof. Eugene, whom zapped all those little buggers into infinity and beyondddd… I wish I brought my digicam along, then I could share how the cysts and fybroids looked like :P She has since been discharged and is now recuperating under the pampering eyes of mum and dad. But most of all, I thank God for His faithfulness, His presence, His comfort, His strength, and His healing power. *big bear hug for Papa in Heaven* ;)