Geezzzz...I am always for a month.
Busy as it is expected. More projects coming in. It seems like a never ending work for me.
Luckily there is Labour Day so I received 3 days off. But behind the 3 days break, I was actually working at home. Hardworking has never appeared in my personal dictionary. Human tends to grow lazy. I am one of them.
Out of these 3 day break, my parents came over for a visit. Had dinner with them and it was quite a pleasant gathering since I have seen them for 2 months straight.
Time to me now is really precious. To me, my work has occupied most of my time. I can't find any slot for my favourite past time. Yes not even a slot of time for internet surfing.
So as I surfed through out the weekend, I managed to search a song which I have long forgotten from Tanya Chai called "Imaginary Enemy". Man, this is the song that stuck in my head at moment, hope to share it out. Enjoy!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Jimah work update
The data acquisition work from Jimah is completed today. I feel so happy because i need not have to drive 1 hour + to get to that place again.
When I passed the tested info to the Japanese Commissioning Manager, he felt so grateful to my "hard work". (It doesn't involve a lot of hard work because it is not rocket science. All that required is just to be careful in monitoring the SCADA system when it pulls out the tested data from the digital meter). With a firm hand shake, he thanked me for my patience and consideration throughout the test period. Here goes my first ever assignment accomplished with this power plant!
Tomorrow, I will be resuming my previous job in Semenyih. From the discussion that I had with my boss Jeff just now, I learned that there will be a FIRE UP ceremony for the boiler. This test seems very important as it is the main functional device in the solid waste power plant.
So I will be witnessing the first ever project commissioning in my life. And I think I will be taking over some of the left over job by Jeff as he will be going off on cruise for a week. Sweat, again I will be all alone to explore the remaining process of this project. Man...all the will-be's...Anyway, I am looking forward to it.
When I passed the tested info to the Japanese Commissioning Manager, he felt so grateful to my "hard work". (It doesn't involve a lot of hard work because it is not rocket science. All that required is just to be careful in monitoring the SCADA system when it pulls out the tested data from the digital meter). With a firm hand shake, he thanked me for my patience and consideration throughout the test period. Here goes my first ever assignment accomplished with this power plant!
Tomorrow, I will be resuming my previous job in Semenyih. From the discussion that I had with my boss Jeff just now, I learned that there will be a FIRE UP ceremony for the boiler. This test seems very important as it is the main functional device in the solid waste power plant.
So I will be witnessing the first ever project commissioning in my life. And I think I will be taking over some of the left over job by Jeff as he will be going off on cruise for a week. Sweat, again I will be all alone to explore the remaining process of this project. Man...all the will-be's...Anyway, I am looking forward to it.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Jimah Power Substation
This week I am given a project in Port Dickson dealing with Power Performance Test.
The venue is the newly constructed, partially operated Jimah Power Plant.
Overview of Jimah Independent Power Plant.
This is where I work - a Control Relay Room. It is mounted with Control and Protection panels. Above shown is one of a kind for PQ2 Bus Bars.
This is the main control panel for PQ2. Load test will be carried out in the GenSet site, while I will be pulling data related to the power factor from this control panel.
500kV Power Quality Panel. Performance Engineer will use this panel to monitor the power harmonics, unbalanced voltage and total voltage/current distortion. It is also my job to make sure that this system works by logging the power factor every 10 minutes for 24/7.
Site view from the Control Relay Room that I am working in. Beside is a step-up transformer.
A closer view of this giant Mitsubishi Transformer standing at 25 metres high.
A giant Step-Up Transformer is connected to the site pylons in 3 phase wiring system.
The 500kV supply is then fetch to these bus held by the site pylons before it is distributed to other pylons by means of cables.
More Pylons
The electricity is later bused to other pylons to be distributed for various uses.
I saw this gigantic monster beside the canteen - Coal Conveying Machine. I thought I could only see this in Discovery Channel. Cool...!!!
The venue is the newly constructed, partially operated Jimah Power Plant.
Overview of Jimah Independent Power Plant.
The plant is currently co-managed by electrical specialists and most of the electrical technology inclusive of the GenSet, Transformers and Relay Protection Units are designed mainly by Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electrics.
Upon reaching the final phase of the project, they are now performing power and system evaluation.
Upon reaching the final phase of the project, they are now performing power and system evaluation.
So just before the hand-over, a group of Japanese performance engineers have arrived to test run the station with various load tests. I am assigned to the team under the supervision of its lead engineer Kawamura san for the data acquisition role in the Control Relay Room.
This is where I work - a Control Relay Room. It is mounted with Control and Protection panels. Above shown is one of a kind for PQ2 Bus Bars.
This is the main control panel for PQ2. Load test will be carried out in the GenSet site, while I will be pulling data related to the power factor from this control panel.
500kV Power Quality Panel. Performance Engineer will use this panel to monitor the power harmonics, unbalanced voltage and total voltage/current distortion. It is also my job to make sure that this system works by logging the power factor every 10 minutes for 24/7.
Site view from the Control Relay Room that I am working in. Beside is a step-up transformer.
A closer view of this giant Mitsubishi Transformer standing at 25 metres high.
A giant Step-Up Transformer is connected to the site pylons in 3 phase wiring system.
The 500kV supply is then fetch to these bus held by the site pylons before it is distributed to other pylons by means of cables.
More Pylons
The electricity is later bused to other pylons to be distributed for various uses.
I saw this gigantic monster beside the canteen - Coal Conveying Machine. I thought I could only see this in Discovery Channel. Cool...!!!
Overall comment: Not bad at all working in power station. It might be dangerous when dealing with high voltage source. But if safety measure is taken seriously, the job could be interesting and educational. Looking forward for the next assignment as such, if there is any.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Circuit Breaker Explosion
Finally something that I try to prevent from happening has occurred before me – a Circuit Breaker exploded!
Our engineering team was scheduled to do a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) on the motors with a supply of 415V. As a safety protocol, a Circuit Breaker (CB) is installed to make sure that if any overloaded situation such as current surge occurs, the Breaker can end the power supply immediately to protect the rest of the electric drives from getting burned.
My boss initiated the test by switching on the CB while I was by his side taking down some values from the meter for analysis. Shortly after the switch was pushed, CB was on as the current flowed smoothly. As we were about to walk away from the CB to the back of the panel to control the motor from the VDS, the CB suddenly exploded.
It freaked me out as I was barely 5 feet away when I heard the thundering ram. The next thing I saw was smoke coming out from the panel. Without hesitating, my boss and I rapidly shutted down the main incoming power supply to prevent further damage to the CB.
Man, I have never sweat that much before in my job. The current job doesn’t compromise carelessness. Any fault can easily kill anyone working on or in the vicinity of the switchgear panel. The consequences either you get fried into ashes or simply blasted into pieces.
No wonder my boss always tells me to maintain high level of awareness and discipline while dealing with the subordinate workers who work on site. It is important to understand that I am not only answering to myself but to the victims when accidents caused by carelessness happen.
I am glad that I am alive and still in one piece.
So, need I say more? Safety comes first!
Our engineering team was scheduled to do a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) on the motors with a supply of 415V. As a safety protocol, a Circuit Breaker (CB) is installed to make sure that if any overloaded situation such as current surge occurs, the Breaker can end the power supply immediately to protect the rest of the electric drives from getting burned.
My boss initiated the test by switching on the CB while I was by his side taking down some values from the meter for analysis. Shortly after the switch was pushed, CB was on as the current flowed smoothly. As we were about to walk away from the CB to the back of the panel to control the motor from the VDS, the CB suddenly exploded.
It freaked me out as I was barely 5 feet away when I heard the thundering ram. The next thing I saw was smoke coming out from the panel. Without hesitating, my boss and I rapidly shutted down the main incoming power supply to prevent further damage to the CB.
Man, I have never sweat that much before in my job. The current job doesn’t compromise carelessness. Any fault can easily kill anyone working on or in the vicinity of the switchgear panel. The consequences either you get fried into ashes or simply blasted into pieces.
No wonder my boss always tells me to maintain high level of awareness and discipline while dealing with the subordinate workers who work on site. It is important to understand that I am not only answering to myself but to the victims when accidents caused by carelessness happen.
I am glad that I am alive and still in one piece.
So, need I say more? Safety comes first!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
方大同 - Sing along song
Introducing Khalil Fong, a new star arises in Asia.
He is a music composer and producer. Very talented in Blues and Jazz music.
Here is "Sing along Song". Let's sing along.
He is a music composer and producer. Very talented in Blues and Jazz music.
Here is "Sing along Song". Let's sing along.
Wei Lan - My Cookie Can
Came across this song from Wei Lan - My Cookie Can.
Though the lyrics is not really fantastic but I love the melody. It's definitely the song to play on a long drive back from work.
Though the lyrics is not really fantastic but I love the melody. It's definitely the song to play on a long drive back from work.
Site Inspection and FAT in Semenyih
A week of commence for my first project which I didn’t expect to take.
The project site sits in a middle of a jungle in Semenyih. Its main function is to process the solid waste produced daily to useful energy to assist TNB to generate power for industrial and household use.
The termination and commissioning time for the overall power system came in so sudden. I still remember that my boss just received this deadline a week ago from his main contractor. Since it is our customer’s request, we have to fulfil what our customer wants.
Site visit helps to educate me from what I have read in the project documents passed down to me. I have a chance to experience the Field Acceptance Test for the functional motors.
To supply power to them, we need to first bring up the Circuit Breakers for the power surge / short circuit protection. Now we come to the most important part of the procedure - to switch on the Circuit Breaker (Fig.1).
Fig. 1 Switch Board.
Some of us might think that turning on the breaker is like switching on a light. Right? Wrong...!!!
It nearly freaked me and my other colleagues out when my boss attempted to power on the breaker. Once the switch is moved to the ON position, the magnetic circuit immediately attracts a steel bar to connect the high voltage circuit. And due to the dust collected on the Bus Bar (Fig.1), all of us witnessed a huge electrical sparks.
Full of sweat, I was told later that this is normal. Imagine touching a 22kV(live) Bus Bar, I will turn into dust in a matter of minutes. I really feel a bit nervous with my job now. Adding to a few stories of my colleagues getting electrocuted for several times, I am still yet to recover from a slight trauma.
Apart from the danger of high voltage devices, the construction site condition is also a threat to the workers there.
Just check out the few pictures that I have taken below. The platform (white) is only 1.5 feet wide. One mistake and I will land straight to the ground from 2nd floor.
Fig. 2 Narrow walk way with a hole beside.
Fig. 3 Closer look of the hole. SWEAT!
Man really pray hard that I survive through out the commissioning period.
Till then, sign off from Puchong.
The project site sits in a middle of a jungle in Semenyih. Its main function is to process the solid waste produced daily to useful energy to assist TNB to generate power for industrial and household use.
The termination and commissioning time for the overall power system came in so sudden. I still remember that my boss just received this deadline a week ago from his main contractor. Since it is our customer’s request, we have to fulfil what our customer wants.
Site visit helps to educate me from what I have read in the project documents passed down to me. I have a chance to experience the Field Acceptance Test for the functional motors.
To supply power to them, we need to first bring up the Circuit Breakers for the power surge / short circuit protection. Now we come to the most important part of the procedure - to switch on the Circuit Breaker (Fig.1).
Fig. 1 Switch Board.
Some of us might think that turning on the breaker is like switching on a light. Right? Wrong...!!!
It nearly freaked me and my other colleagues out when my boss attempted to power on the breaker. Once the switch is moved to the ON position, the magnetic circuit immediately attracts a steel bar to connect the high voltage circuit. And due to the dust collected on the Bus Bar (Fig.1), all of us witnessed a huge electrical sparks.
Full of sweat, I was told later that this is normal. Imagine touching a 22kV(live) Bus Bar, I will turn into dust in a matter of minutes. I really feel a bit nervous with my job now. Adding to a few stories of my colleagues getting electrocuted for several times, I am still yet to recover from a slight trauma.
Apart from the danger of high voltage devices, the construction site condition is also a threat to the workers there.
Just check out the few pictures that I have taken below. The platform (white) is only 1.5 feet wide. One mistake and I will land straight to the ground from 2nd floor.
Fig. 2 Narrow walk way with a hole beside.
Fig. 3 Closer look of the hole. SWEAT!
Man really pray hard that I survive through out the commissioning period.
Till then, sign off from Puchong.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
7th day of work
I have finally passed my 7th day of work. I must admit that working on this job is not an easy task.
So far, apart from swallowing loads of electrical facts and drawings, I have visited various sites which I will be working in very soon after my training session.
There are a few projects in hand at the moment. Out of the potential 4, I have 2 which will boost up my experience from the ground right up just like a rocket blasting to the air. My bosses do not really look forward to a slow and steady take off. To them, only by forcing me to utilise my capabilities to the max, I would perform better.
And today I just got an update about my new job scope. I didn’t know from the beginning that after installing and commissioning the SCADA system for our customers, I still need to follow up with a list of trainings for the personnel involved for the monitoring and maintenance team. Just because of this, my boss bought me to TNB, purposely to show me the way to conduct trainings.
To sum up the training for today, one word…SWEAT! Picture myself getting bombarded with technical questions from the experience engineers and senior management…Alright…I think I will just stop here or else I will just carry this forward endlessly.
Tough job often means work that is so hard to implement that you need overtime and a bossy superior to guide you toward the accomplishment of your task. That sounds like an equation for a science freak. To work on the math out of this equation will often cause young engineers to sigh in depress.
It definitely means a tough job to me. But by subtracting the mean boss out of the equation, I am getting good food as a reward for a couple of nights since the first day of work. Seeing that I am not entitled to overtime allowance, my two bosses often buy me lunch and dinner in return for my hard work. To even dine in TGI's Friday, to be honest I would never indulge myself to the food there and I have clearly remembered to have done so only once in Penang with my parents. So after all, not bad for the tough job that falls at my feet. Mind not the pain, but the food...lol...
That’s it for the update for now. Hoping for more exciting hand-on jobs that I can write down to as a historical log in the future. And not forgotten about the snookering session my bosses invited me to. Will post some picture on that on the next entry. Till then, work hard.
So far, apart from swallowing loads of electrical facts and drawings, I have visited various sites which I will be working in very soon after my training session.
There are a few projects in hand at the moment. Out of the potential 4, I have 2 which will boost up my experience from the ground right up just like a rocket blasting to the air. My bosses do not really look forward to a slow and steady take off. To them, only by forcing me to utilise my capabilities to the max, I would perform better.
And today I just got an update about my new job scope. I didn’t know from the beginning that after installing and commissioning the SCADA system for our customers, I still need to follow up with a list of trainings for the personnel involved for the monitoring and maintenance team. Just because of this, my boss bought me to TNB, purposely to show me the way to conduct trainings.
To sum up the training for today, one word…SWEAT! Picture myself getting bombarded with technical questions from the experience engineers and senior management…Alright…I think I will just stop here or else I will just carry this forward endlessly.
Tough job often means work that is so hard to implement that you need overtime and a bossy superior to guide you toward the accomplishment of your task. That sounds like an equation for a science freak. To work on the math out of this equation will often cause young engineers to sigh in depress.
It definitely means a tough job to me. But by subtracting the mean boss out of the equation, I am getting good food as a reward for a couple of nights since the first day of work. Seeing that I am not entitled to overtime allowance, my two bosses often buy me lunch and dinner in return for my hard work. To even dine in TGI's Friday, to be honest I would never indulge myself to the food there and I have clearly remembered to have done so only once in Penang with my parents. So after all, not bad for the tough job that falls at my feet. Mind not the pain, but the food...lol...
That’s it for the update for now. Hoping for more exciting hand-on jobs that I can write down to as a historical log in the future. And not forgotten about the snookering session my bosses invited me to. Will post some picture on that on the next entry. Till then, work hard.
Monday, March 02, 2009
First day of work in Puchong
A long anticipated time has arrived. The first day of work, as expected, is relatively light and easy.
The initially work for me is to run through some paper works such as the project documents and the layouts of the electrical design for the control systems. But later I found out the laptop given to me was not able to boot up properly. Without any solutions to assist me to run the OS in the normal way, it left me with the only method – reformat the OS.
After receiving the nod from my boss, I started off to reboot from the Microsoft OS disc. The configuration and installation of the necessary programs took me 5 and a half hour to get my laptop ready for work. The engineering programs occupied most of my time in the process of installation. Due to the incompatibility of the some engineering software built on the Windows platform, I need to fix the problem manually in the System32 kernel folder. So basically, my first day of work is spent on getting my laptop to operate. I was briefed on my projects only after I put the laptop back to life.
I feel a bit pressured now having to get involved in 2 major projects – Petronas Methanol Plant ENMC and Bank Negara Communication System. The biggest challenge for me would have to be learning in the shortest time frame for the project application. As a newbie in this field, to kick start is difficult as the inertia will tend to prevent me from moving forward. However, once I pick the speed, the momentum will give me the boost to flow faster. Now I will rely on GOD’s strength to carry me on my demanding job.
Small thoughts:
So how strong is GOD that He is able to meet our needs? In Numbers 11, Moses questioned GOD for His ability to provide his people (approx. 600,000 heads) with food for the whole month after they departed from Egypt. The LORD answered in verse 23: “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” Doubts in GOD’s ability will aggravate our trust in Him. To worsen the case, the monotomy of the daily routine lulls us into forgetting how powerful GOD can be. So take our time off to be with GOD and we will discover that His strength is always available.
The initially work for me is to run through some paper works such as the project documents and the layouts of the electrical design for the control systems. But later I found out the laptop given to me was not able to boot up properly. Without any solutions to assist me to run the OS in the normal way, it left me with the only method – reformat the OS.
After receiving the nod from my boss, I started off to reboot from the Microsoft OS disc. The configuration and installation of the necessary programs took me 5 and a half hour to get my laptop ready for work. The engineering programs occupied most of my time in the process of installation. Due to the incompatibility of the some engineering software built on the Windows platform, I need to fix the problem manually in the System32 kernel folder. So basically, my first day of work is spent on getting my laptop to operate. I was briefed on my projects only after I put the laptop back to life.
I feel a bit pressured now having to get involved in 2 major projects – Petronas Methanol Plant ENMC and Bank Negara Communication System. The biggest challenge for me would have to be learning in the shortest time frame for the project application. As a newbie in this field, to kick start is difficult as the inertia will tend to prevent me from moving forward. However, once I pick the speed, the momentum will give me the boost to flow faster. Now I will rely on GOD’s strength to carry me on my demanding job.
Small thoughts:
So how strong is GOD that He is able to meet our needs? In Numbers 11, Moses questioned GOD for His ability to provide his people (approx. 600,000 heads) with food for the whole month after they departed from Egypt. The LORD answered in verse 23: “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” Doubts in GOD’s ability will aggravate our trust in Him. To worsen the case, the monotomy of the daily routine lulls us into forgetting how powerful GOD can be. So take our time off to be with GOD and we will discover that His strength is always available.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
My return to Malaysia for a year
Today marks the 1st anniversary of me returning to Malaysia.
It also commemorates the first day of my arrival in Puchong - which is the place I will start working tomorrow.
It's so sad that I have to leave my parents once again due to work this time. Can't describe how i feel when I saw my dad for the last time before I went. He was speechless seeing me leaving and i knew it's hard for him to face this. As usual, he hid his face from me as he went on shedding tears in the living room.
It was the same day last year when i had to part with my friends in Leeds. I cried so much in the boarding room and led the attention to the rest of the passengers. At that moment, I didn't mind the shame crying in front of so many people anymore. The only thing that's in my mind was the picture of wonderful moments I spent with my friends - especially those from the Church. After the crying stopped, my mind went blank again and anxiety took over. I was so afraid that I might not be able cope with the life in Malaysia. And the main issue is how would I lead my spiritual life from then on. But praise the LORD, His grace is always upon me that I managed to live the life with happiness despite a difficult career seeking process.
Time really flies. One whole year had passed. And I am moving into a new phase of life. Really hope that GOD will continue to guide me in this new job and help me to get inspired and to inspire those around me. To those who have prayed for me and helped me along the way, thanks very much. My prayer will be with you too. Praise be with the LORD.
It also commemorates the first day of my arrival in Puchong - which is the place I will start working tomorrow.
It's so sad that I have to leave my parents once again due to work this time. Can't describe how i feel when I saw my dad for the last time before I went. He was speechless seeing me leaving and i knew it's hard for him to face this. As usual, he hid his face from me as he went on shedding tears in the living room.
It was the same day last year when i had to part with my friends in Leeds. I cried so much in the boarding room and led the attention to the rest of the passengers. At that moment, I didn't mind the shame crying in front of so many people anymore. The only thing that's in my mind was the picture of wonderful moments I spent with my friends - especially those from the Church. After the crying stopped, my mind went blank again and anxiety took over. I was so afraid that I might not be able cope with the life in Malaysia. And the main issue is how would I lead my spiritual life from then on. But praise the LORD, His grace is always upon me that I managed to live the life with happiness despite a difficult career seeking process.
Time really flies. One whole year had passed. And I am moving into a new phase of life. Really hope that GOD will continue to guide me in this new job and help me to get inspired and to inspire those around me. To those who have prayed for me and helped me along the way, thanks very much. My prayer will be with you too. Praise be with the LORD.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Farewell Markus
I was impressed by your truthful sharing in my first Malaysian Christian Conference (MCC).You amazed me by showing yourself to be a God-fearing and faithful servant in the House of GOD.
It’s unbelievable that the then 21 can be as insightful and sensitive to the society’s need. And I was touched to see the unfading desire of you endeavoring to bring the Gospel to those who yearn for it.
Being one who is caring, kind-hearted and selfless, you earn my respect as a senior to you.
I will deeply miss you as a great leader and motivator. The legacy that you left behind will always be testimonies for all.
Finally, allow me to say thank you, for you have brought us memorable times and wonderful memories.
Rest in peace my friend, in the palms of our FATHER.
To Markus with love,
Wayne TW NG
Memorial website in memory of Markus Ng (1985-2009)
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Just a little bit...
I have been missing in action for days since CNY first started. Having to celebrate my first CNY for the first time after 4 years in England, I no longer have this sense of anticipation for it. I have seemed to lose this kind of feeling after my departure to England.
There is no way that I can feel the atmosphere of the Chinese celebrating New Year in that foreign state. I remember vividly that once I had to attend my final exam during the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. It’s supposed to be a day off for Chinese to usher the New Year. But it turned out that most of the Chinese were either in the state of fear or in the moody swing, for their last walk of the first semester course evaluation. Not too bad for me that time as I still managed to put a smile on my face, pretentiously to cover up the fear and anxiety to be called into the exam hall.
To adduce a more sensible reason of me losing the anticipation for CNY, I personally think that it is because of the change of my faith. The tradition and customs that my family used to practice are no longer bringing any excitement to me. One of the most spectacular events is worshipping of the deities for those practicing Taoism.
The event of worshiping the deities is often celebrated along with fire crackers and beautiful fireworks. And this is how the excitement comes in. Leaning that I am no longer practicing the same faith that I used to embrace, I have gradually lost my interest in the traditional events that still remain as a part of the customs maintained by Chinese community in Malaysia till these days. The only thing which is more relevant for me to be cheerful about this festive season is the togetherness of my family members. Nothing could be more important than a healthy and happy family that comes in a close bond.
Being a Christian doesn’t stop me from celebrating CNY apart from other Christ related festivity. I am still a Chinese and I am proud to be one. I am now a Christian and I am grateful that GOD has chosen me to be one too. My prayer for this New Year, no other than having more soul saved under the Grace of GOD. I hope that my career will have a great start this year despite of the economic slowdown.
To all that I know, wishing you all a prosperous year ahead and hope that you have double or more of what you had last time as your harvest.
Happy Chinese New Year!
There is no way that I can feel the atmosphere of the Chinese celebrating New Year in that foreign state. I remember vividly that once I had to attend my final exam during the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. It’s supposed to be a day off for Chinese to usher the New Year. But it turned out that most of the Chinese were either in the state of fear or in the moody swing, for their last walk of the first semester course evaluation. Not too bad for me that time as I still managed to put a smile on my face, pretentiously to cover up the fear and anxiety to be called into the exam hall.
To adduce a more sensible reason of me losing the anticipation for CNY, I personally think that it is because of the change of my faith. The tradition and customs that my family used to practice are no longer bringing any excitement to me. One of the most spectacular events is worshipping of the deities for those practicing Taoism.
The event of worshiping the deities is often celebrated along with fire crackers and beautiful fireworks. And this is how the excitement comes in. Leaning that I am no longer practicing the same faith that I used to embrace, I have gradually lost my interest in the traditional events that still remain as a part of the customs maintained by Chinese community in Malaysia till these days. The only thing which is more relevant for me to be cheerful about this festive season is the togetherness of my family members. Nothing could be more important than a healthy and happy family that comes in a close bond.
Being a Christian doesn’t stop me from celebrating CNY apart from other Christ related festivity. I am still a Chinese and I am proud to be one. I am now a Christian and I am grateful that GOD has chosen me to be one too. My prayer for this New Year, no other than having more soul saved under the Grace of GOD. I hope that my career will have a great start this year despite of the economic slowdown.
To all that I know, wishing you all a prosperous year ahead and hope that you have double or more of what you had last time as your harvest.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Pre-CNY Family Dinner
Remember the time my paternal family used to gather at the "old house" for Chinese New Year. My dad's generation were heavily indoctrinated with the fact that every individual must come under one roof to show the sign of unity among the family members. Therefore, every year without fail, all my relatives would travel home to meet up in this "old house".
The house stood there for 50 years and in the year between 2003-04, the local government decided to take over the land for development of new housing estate. The "old house's" life has finally succumbed under the force of a bulldozer.
I always thought that this custom will end like this since both my paternal grandparents have passed away and also the loss of venue for us to meet up. But, somehow, my second uncle managed to come out with a plan, which is a pre-Chinese New Year dinner. Since we can no longer meet at a proper venue, we have chosen to meet in the form of dinner instead. And this is the function which I have just come back from.
There is a strange feeling as i haven't seen my cousins for years. We have a lot to share among ourselves but just did not know where to start. To my surprise, some of my cousins, nephews and nieces, who were once cute and tiny have all grown up. These 4 years have taken the longest time in my life. What else do I missed when I was away?
Cousins are all doing good despite of the economic turmoil. I guess I am the only who got affected so far. Majority of them are pursuing the "sales" track. What amazed me is, they have changed to become more mature in their thoughts than before they entered into this field. Even the cousin who always claimed to not have the brain to study also speaks like a sales person now. I think he has emulated me. Man....he is just a High School Certificate holder and look what his job has changed him. Well, after all I am glad that everyone is still healthy and vibrant as they were before. Praise God.
Time was indeed short to allow more sharing. However, I really enjoy the night over the craziness and high-spiritness of my relatives. I am looking forward for more gathering like this.
The house stood there for 50 years and in the year between 2003-04, the local government decided to take over the land for development of new housing estate. The "old house's" life has finally succumbed under the force of a bulldozer.
I always thought that this custom will end like this since both my paternal grandparents have passed away and also the loss of venue for us to meet up. But, somehow, my second uncle managed to come out with a plan, which is a pre-Chinese New Year dinner. Since we can no longer meet at a proper venue, we have chosen to meet in the form of dinner instead. And this is the function which I have just come back from.
There is a strange feeling as i haven't seen my cousins for years. We have a lot to share among ourselves but just did not know where to start. To my surprise, some of my cousins, nephews and nieces, who were once cute and tiny have all grown up. These 4 years have taken the longest time in my life. What else do I missed when I was away?
Cousins are all doing good despite of the economic turmoil. I guess I am the only who got affected so far. Majority of them are pursuing the "sales" track. What amazed me is, they have changed to become more mature in their thoughts than before they entered into this field. Even the cousin who always claimed to not have the brain to study also speaks like a sales person now. I think he has emulated me. Man....he is just a High School Certificate holder and look what his job has changed him. Well, after all I am glad that everyone is still healthy and vibrant as they were before. Praise God.
Time was indeed short to allow more sharing. However, I really enjoy the night over the craziness and high-spiritness of my relatives. I am looking forward for more gathering like this.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Bak Kuk Teh - the main suspect
Really sick today and it was that delicious Bak Kuk Teh that contributes to the ailment.
I was lazy on Wednesday night, wanted to spend sometime talking to sister online. So I requested my mom to pack some food and she bought this famous Bak Kuk Teh for me.
The overall taste of it, excellent. The soup was so thick and I guess the cook must have put a lot of herbs to boil in together with the pork bones and ribs. I didn't finish the whole bowl of soup at once but saved it for consumption the day after.
Before I went to bed that night, I felt a bit sore around my throat and I knew it was coming. The next day, my throat was in pain and immediately I recalled the Bak Kuk Teh soup in the fridge. By the time I have the bowl of soup on my palm, I discovered that the soup was solidified to a form very similar to jelly. That time only I realized that the soup was highly concentrated. Normally, if you put a low density liquid in the fridge over night, it will still be watery just as the time you inserted it into a fridge. As for concentrated liquid, it will become solid until it reaches the ambient.
Well, my sorethroat is worn off now but some how i still feel the dizziness in my head. I think i am having a slight fever. Not going to continue to hold on like a hero. Off to bed now.
Dream...dream...Bak Kuk Teh.............scream!!!!!
I was lazy on Wednesday night, wanted to spend sometime talking to sister online. So I requested my mom to pack some food and she bought this famous Bak Kuk Teh for me.
The overall taste of it, excellent. The soup was so thick and I guess the cook must have put a lot of herbs to boil in together with the pork bones and ribs. I didn't finish the whole bowl of soup at once but saved it for consumption the day after.
Before I went to bed that night, I felt a bit sore around my throat and I knew it was coming. The next day, my throat was in pain and immediately I recalled the Bak Kuk Teh soup in the fridge. By the time I have the bowl of soup on my palm, I discovered that the soup was solidified to a form very similar to jelly. That time only I realized that the soup was highly concentrated. Normally, if you put a low density liquid in the fridge over night, it will still be watery just as the time you inserted it into a fridge. As for concentrated liquid, it will become solid until it reaches the ambient.
Well, my sorethroat is worn off now but some how i still feel the dizziness in my head. I think i am having a slight fever. Not going to continue to hold on like a hero. Off to bed now.
Dream...dream...Bak Kuk Teh.............scream!!!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Wedding Reception in KL
Congrats to L & V again for their wedding.
A sudden flash back for all the ex-LCCC members who were there to celebrate the wedding, when the powerpoint slides were showing the life of L & V in Leeds together with us last time.
I am sure all of us would want to turn back the time to live the past again for the unforgettable moments. Thinking back of my university life - no worries at all except my course works. Housemates and church friends are reachable in a stone throw. The excitement of fellowship was always there as if it doesn't end. All the sweet memories overflowed our minds and we shared them over the dinner itself.
Very much delight to learn that many of the ex-LCCC members are doing pretty well in their professions and also their spiritual lives. Even though they attend different churches, but they do have their own gathering once in a while to check on each others conditions( I mean those people in KL). The kind of love that never fades that is so appealing to me. It makes me want to hold a gathering like this in Penang as well, if there is enough attendance.
Time was so precious for me in KL this time as brothers and sisters-in-christ from Borneo were there to join us. Many of us didn't really treat the dinner as wedding reception. For us, it's more like a small reunion for all the LCCC members. I even get to meet the batch of leaders before WL's era. Each of them shared their experiences during their times in the church. And what feels good about it, is LCCC is still there and the church just celebrated its 40th anniversary. May it continue to be a blessing to the people in its vicinity. My hope is to see more LCCC people to join us in our next gathering.
To end this entry, i give my best wishes to all my brothers and sisters-in-christ in this new year. Will be glad to listen to greater testimony from you all next time. Until the day comes, God bless and be strong!
A sudden flash back for all the ex-LCCC members who were there to celebrate the wedding, when the powerpoint slides were showing the life of L & V in Leeds together with us last time.
I am sure all of us would want to turn back the time to live the past again for the unforgettable moments. Thinking back of my university life - no worries at all except my course works. Housemates and church friends are reachable in a stone throw. The excitement of fellowship was always there as if it doesn't end. All the sweet memories overflowed our minds and we shared them over the dinner itself.
Very much delight to learn that many of the ex-LCCC members are doing pretty well in their professions and also their spiritual lives. Even though they attend different churches, but they do have their own gathering once in a while to check on each others conditions( I mean those people in KL). The kind of love that never fades that is so appealing to me. It makes me want to hold a gathering like this in Penang as well, if there is enough attendance.
Time was so precious for me in KL this time as brothers and sisters-in-christ from Borneo were there to join us. Many of us didn't really treat the dinner as wedding reception. For us, it's more like a small reunion for all the LCCC members. I even get to meet the batch of leaders before WL's era. Each of them shared their experiences during their times in the church. And what feels good about it, is LCCC is still there and the church just celebrated its 40th anniversary. May it continue to be a blessing to the people in its vicinity. My hope is to see more LCCC people to join us in our next gathering.
To end this entry, i give my best wishes to all my brothers and sisters-in-christ in this new year. Will be glad to listen to greater testimony from you all next time. Until the day comes, God bless and be strong!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
陈慧琳 - 完美关系
Remember this song which my sister intro to me a few years back.
Looking at the MV, it is like an advert theme to me.
The whole video portrays Kelly Chen with different jeweleries. The whole thing fits in very well in the fantasy world. How many girls can get diamonds as beautiful as these?
In their dreams may be. Anyway, I present you this song from Kelly Chen - Prefect Relationship.
Looking at the MV, it is like an advert theme to me.
The whole video portrays Kelly Chen with different jeweleries. The whole thing fits in very well in the fantasy world. How many girls can get diamonds as beautiful as these?
In their dreams may be. Anyway, I present you this song from Kelly Chen - Prefect Relationship.
Learning Japanese
It's getting more and more interesting learning Japanese.
My sister left me a copy of self-learning guide for Japanese Language 3 years ago but I just didn't really bother learning it. Most of my time spent on my research which left me little time for entertainment, fellowship and church activities.
Since some of the character looks like those we can find in Mandarin, it helps a lot for me to define the actual meaning of the statement. The only thing that I am still having trouble in, is to correct the pronunciation of the Mandarin character written in a Japanese statement. Mandarin characters have one syllable each but when it is pronounced in Japanese, they have more than one syllable, sometimes up to 3.
Although it posts certain level of difficulties, but I am sure I will be able to tackle the problem well.
This gives me my first resolution of year 2009 - complete elementary level Japanese course.
頑張って下さい！
My sister left me a copy of self-learning guide for Japanese Language 3 years ago but I just didn't really bother learning it. Most of my time spent on my research which left me little time for entertainment, fellowship and church activities.
Since some of the character looks like those we can find in Mandarin, it helps a lot for me to define the actual meaning of the statement. The only thing that I am still having trouble in, is to correct the pronunciation of the Mandarin character written in a Japanese statement. Mandarin characters have one syllable each but when it is pronounced in Japanese, they have more than one syllable, sometimes up to 3.
Although it posts certain level of difficulties, but I am sure I will be able to tackle the problem well.
This gives me my first resolution of year 2009 - complete elementary level Japanese course.
頑張って下さい！
KL over the weekend, yet to happen.
We have entered into a new year this week and hopefully everybody is getting a better treatment this year with lots of blessings and good news in waiting.
I have a total of 3 wedding invitation this month. The first to come around is Vince and Liz's. I am pretty excited about the whole thing as I'll get to meet ex-Leeds people again out of the busiest time for those at work. But suddenly I had a bad feeling about the arrangement of accommodation.
My friend promised to accommodate me at his place when i reached KL this coming Friday. All I knew was, he is inviting my friend,Will, to stay over but something that he hid from me is, he is also accommodating another 2 people. This will lead us into trouble as we will flood his whole living room.
Actually i do feel bad to reject him since he is so sincere in inviting me and the rest to stay over. He always wanted everybody to go over to his place so that he could have a small gathering, something equivalent to a small pillow talk. I am not against pillow talk session, to tell the truth, i love it and I miss it the most when I was in Leeds. But the main concern is on his house mates. With a full load of 4 people, we will be conquering his living room and there will not be any space for his house mates to move around, and not to mention, their space to even watch TV at night. Man, I am starting to get nervous about the weekend.
My mother suggested that I should look for a hotel nearby to the restaurant itself to make traveling easy. Finding the right hotel is the hardest thing. Until now, I still haven't found a hotel which offers a cheap rate around PJ. Perhaps there is no cheap stuff around this province. I mean cheaper options, to be precise.
Hope that the stay in KL for this coming weekend would be a smooth one, if all of us had to stay at my friend's place. GOD, I need a shelter!
I have a total of 3 wedding invitation this month. The first to come around is Vince and Liz's. I am pretty excited about the whole thing as I'll get to meet ex-Leeds people again out of the busiest time for those at work. But suddenly I had a bad feeling about the arrangement of accommodation.
My friend promised to accommodate me at his place when i reached KL this coming Friday. All I knew was, he is inviting my friend,Will, to stay over but something that he hid from me is, he is also accommodating another 2 people. This will lead us into trouble as we will flood his whole living room.
Actually i do feel bad to reject him since he is so sincere in inviting me and the rest to stay over. He always wanted everybody to go over to his place so that he could have a small gathering, something equivalent to a small pillow talk. I am not against pillow talk session, to tell the truth, i love it and I miss it the most when I was in Leeds. But the main concern is on his house mates. With a full load of 4 people, we will be conquering his living room and there will not be any space for his house mates to move around, and not to mention, their space to even watch TV at night. Man, I am starting to get nervous about the weekend.
My mother suggested that I should look for a hotel nearby to the restaurant itself to make traveling easy. Finding the right hotel is the hardest thing. Until now, I still haven't found a hotel which offers a cheap rate around PJ. Perhaps there is no cheap stuff around this province. I mean cheaper options, to be precise.
Hope that the stay in KL for this coming weekend would be a smooth one, if all of us had to stay at my friend's place. GOD, I need a shelter!
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