HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So......what does 2012 have in store for the Kumars??????

Since Malaysia is clearly heading nowhere with BN or PKR, we have decided to move over here permanently. Yup! We'll be applying for our PRs. With the PR will also come the intent to purchase our own home too. (Guess there's no turning back now!! hehehehe!!)

Of course, once the house is sorted then the other needs will be addressed too......

Have a good 2012 everybody!!! hehehehe!!

The Malaysian Expat in KL

After declaring Malaysia being no longer suitable for myself and my family, Perth became home. (As detailed in my previous posts)
So it did come as an interesting surprise to be posted back to KL as an Expat!!

Spent the last month and a half in a nice executive apartment, AUD$ allowances and expat treatment in KL. My Aussie employer ensured that I was well taken care of, my family provided for and that we were all happy with the assignment conditions. Life as an expat in KL was really good.

Hard to imagine that this was the same place where I fought to get a raise, was denied my bonuses and basically where I was treated like crap by my own fellow Malaysians!!

It was nice to see friends and family again but after a while, the reasons why I left started becoming clear again.
- Cabs that don’t go to where you want to go.
- The horrible driving and traffic
- The non-existence of pavements or ramps for the kids in their buggy.
- The constant hassle of “out of order” stuff…i.e ATMs, Government office computers, etc, etc.
- The horrible heat followed by the crazy storms.
- The constant fear of your safety and security
- The political racist crap in the media everyday

Guess the list above could go on and on but the point is, sad to say, I really wanted to go home….to Perth!!

Perth - we now call it home!!

The move is complete.

Yup. Mary, the kids and I have our daily routines and chores.....I have tennis and diving.....Mary has running and yoga......Maya has dance and kiddie yoga classes.......and Rohan has....hmmm....loads of attention!!! hehehe!!

We got a good bunch of friends and life is really fun again!!

We're just waiting for Rohan to get a little bigger and then we'll start to explore Australia!!

Perth, Australia - Part 2

Part 1 ended after week one and now…….part 2……2 months later…

The basics are DONE!! We now have a beautifully furnished home with all our stuff from KL and all the heating, internet, phone, etc hooked up. Banking, bus route, driving, etc, etc,…..all sorted out. Although it all took quite a while.

Well....that’s what they say.....WA (Western Australia) stands for……WAIT AWHILE!!

My parents arrived and we’ve never been happier to see them. (The kids were driving Mary to the brink!! Hehehe!!) Mom has taken to Rohan and he adores her too!! Maya has both of them wrapped around her fingers and gets away with everything….almost.

We’ve found our favourite stuff as below:

1. Shopping mall has to be Garden City Mall. It has everything that Mary wants!!
2. “Local shop” in Kong’s in Vic Park. It has everything I want for my “Masterchef” kitchen!!
3. Milk, fruit and veg get delivered to our door by Aussie Farmers Direct.
4. Fish, Prawns and scallop from Sealanes in Freo are awesome!!
5. The nearby playground by the Esplanade is Maya’s favourite.
6. Walks around Mount Pleasant keeps Mom and Dad so happy.
7. Little Indian/Sri Lankan shop in Willetton is great.
8. Bunning Hardware is my one stop centre for my DIY.
9. Carnegie’s is my new Backyard!!
10. 92.9fm keeps me company to and from work.
11. Masterchef Australia is what we all sit around to watch after dinner
12. With mum & dad around....Mary and I get a little time to check out the night life too!! (Not much in Perth though!! hahaha!!)

Yup….life in Perth is all about balance and we got it going on pretty good. My fitness regime starts next week with tennis at the Blue Gum Tennis Club…..but that will be stories for part 3!!

Perth, Australia – Part 1

The adventure began weeks before we arrived on the 29th of April 2011. Selling the condo and cars….packing…..settling bills, loans and banking…..phone lines, Astro and internet to cancel, meeting friends and family.....We were misplacing documents, forgetting stuff to do……..just plain crazy!!

The company I work for really helped make the shift great. Crown relocation took great care of our stuff for the move.

With flight tickets, visas and passports in hand…..we were off!!! Flight went well….with Rohan sleeping quite a bit and Maya enjoying her own TV!!

We cleared immigration and custom with easy……having 2 cute kids goes a long way…hehehehe…

The usual “Indian” cab driver helped us get to South Perth. We decided on a quick stop to get the essentials (Was told that Perth shuts down at 5pm) like bread, milk, etc so we pulled over at a little roadside shop….just our luck…..run by Malaysians!!! When we got to the apartment, we were pleasantly surprised that the office had already stocked up for us. We had Milk, juice, butter and cheese in the fridge, bread and biscuits……Nice.

Our temp home was a fine 3 room service apartment in a really nice suburb called South Perth. Oak trees along the nice clean roads….fresh air with the view of the river…..Nice.

The next week was a fun filled exploration ride…..ferry across the river….drives around town…getting the bus to work…..shopping….just getting our feel of this new place we now call home.

We have some great friends here that really helped us get into the groove of things.

Next week….phase 2….new house and new car and our own stuff has arrived from KL!!!

TIME TO GO......Again!!

The first time:

I left Malaysia in 1991 to pursue my Marine Engineering in Singapore and was off sailing all over the world for the next 11 years. Almost everywhere I went, I was asked the same question, " Are you indian?" and my response use to be..."No, I'm Malaysian. Not Indian."

It's now coming to the end of 2010 and it's been 5 years since I started working in KL for a government linked company. They have, time and again, made it clear to me that "No, you're not Malaysian. You're Indian."

Sad, huh???

IN MY OWN COUNTRY, I'M A FOREIGNER/NON BUMI/PENDATANG. EVERYWHERE ELSE, I WAS A PROUD MALAYSIAN!!!!!!!


Well, if I'm always going to be Malaysian INDIAN, and be treated "officially" 2nd class, I might as well be Australian INDIAN and be treated "unofficially" 2nd class, right????

I guess that is what it's come down to. Which is better, officially 2nd Class in your OWN country or "unofficially" 2nd class in another. (Australia, Canada, US, UK, NZ, etc, etc)

Well, my normal point form explains my reasons:

1. Better job with better salary.

2. Better quality of life for me & family.

3. Better education system.

4. Better future for my kids.

What will I miss when I go???

Food??? But I do cook pretty well so I doubt I'll be missing much.

Friends??? Well, we seem to be in contact electronically more than physically anyway so no worries there.

Family??? Guess this will be the hardest part especially for Maya who's so so close to her Tata & Ava. (Grandparents.)

If/When we head to Singapore.......45 min flight away.

If/When we head to Perth...........4 hours flight away.

I guess it was a sign....."WHEN THE BEEMER GOES....WE GO!!!" HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE!!!

Well....it's been a good 10 year partnership but every good thing must end....

This baby is on sale now!!

My tip top condition BMW dream car!!

A little history about this machine......

I had this obsession with BMWs when growing up and promised myself that "ONE DAY", I will own one.

With my sailing career doing well and the USDs rolling in, I decided to get my Beemer in 2000. The Millinium Beemer!! The idea was to get a second-hand unit but the interest rates were terrible while a new 2000 model E46 had 4.25% (And this was great in those days!!) financing. Price tag on the new E46.....a whooping RM 206,000!! (But only USD 54,200 la........that's what I said!!)

And in August 2000, I drove this baby out of the Auto Bavaria showroom. At age 28, it was the ultimate party machine........

For 6 months of every year from 2000 - 2005, it was my dads "pasar malam" and "around the town" car. (While I was away.) When I was back on holidays, it was my "clubbing" car!! It only did 30,000 kms in those 5 years!!!

It also spent a lot of time parked outside "Broadwalk" pub in Phileo Damansara!!!!

For the next 5 year, when I started working in KL, it was the daily commute from Klang to KL that raked up the miles......an additional 150,000 kms.

It was our wedding car 2007 and the car that brought Maya home from the hospital in 2008.

Now, in 2010,..... the babyseat just doesn't go with the 17" M3 sports rims, the rims won't handle the bumpy potholed roads of Dutamas/Solaris and eventually.....the space won't fit the "additional" family member expected in 2011!!

My honest opinion........it looks and rides better than it ever did but.....sadly......

All sentimental value aside, this machine will have to make way for something bigger and stronger........

So.......coming soon:

Hahahaha!!!!

My 1Malaysia




Our country is about to celebrate its 53rd year of independence. What does it all mean to me??? Well, I wouldn’t really know as I was not around for the “troubled” years. I didn’t see British rule, the fight for independence, MAY 13TH, the split with Singapore, communist insurgents, Japanese occupation, bombs, war, famine……nope….none of that.


My Malaysia was comfortable. Grew up in a nice neighborhood, nice house, nice car(OPEL CADET was a nice car back then!!! Hehehe!!), good food and a pretty normal life. Dad was a teacher (Government job!!) who felt every cent he made was owed to the kindness of the “government”. “We should be thankful for what we have. People in India are starving”, he used to remind us.

I went to school knowing there was a quota system. I knew my Malay friends will get better deals for education. I knew my Chinese friends had to do even better than me if they wanted to succeed. I spoke better English than Bahasa Malaysia, better Bahasa Malaysia than Tamil and better Tamil than a few “white” Indian friends!! We played together, studied together, ate together, hell… we did everything together. That was and still is my Malaysia. (Regardless of what the politicians try to tell me!!)

I left in 1991 to study in Singapore and it was a country that I never warmed up to. It was cold, heartless and just felt fake. It was like LEGO land. Just too perfect to be real. I knew why I was there and what I had to do. Get a good education. Period. I longed to leave as soon as I could.
From there, it was off to sail the seven seas!! Across the continents, across the oceans, across borders I went for 11 years. In all those years, in all those different countries, I was always Malaysian. “But you look Indian”, was the standard response. And there I was, explaining my Indian origin time and again but always insisting I was Malaysian and NOT Indian. My Malaysian Chinese buddies had to endeavor the same fate.

So for 11 years I fought hard to ensure I was respected as a Malaysian outside my country but only to realize when I came home in 2005, that I had to fight equally hard to be considered Malaysian at home!!!

Where have we gone so wrong???? I guess that long story is everywhere on the net so I’m not going to bother even remotely trying to explain that one!

I love this country not because it’s 1Malaysia……it’s my 1 and only Malaysia!!! Whatever ethnic background I may have, I know my stand. It may be different for some politicians but I’m surely MALAYSIAN FIRST, INDIAN SECOND!!

So to all my Malaysian friends, let the politicians say whatever they want…..This is our Malaysia so let’s make it the best it can be!!



SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA MALAYSIA!!! Someone still loves you!!

PLAN FOR A NEW RIDE

It's finally time to let my last remaining "toy" go....yup.....Nanda's all grown up and it's time for the family car to take over.

First, I'll have to say goodbye to the German engineered dream machine which kept me company for the last ten years. (At times, I even thought it drove me home all by itself like KITT!!!)

So what comes next???? Well... below are my options:

Option 1: Chevy Captiva - RM 160K, 2.0 Turbo Diesel 7 seater SUV

(The standard model doesn't come with lowered suspension and 20" rims as above, though!! Hehehe!!)

Option 2: Mitsubishi Pajero Sport - RM 166K, 2.5 Turbo Diesel, 7 seater "Bad Ass"!!

(Again, version above is what I'll make it look like!!!)

Option 3: Volvo XC 90 - RM 355K, 2.4 Turbo Disel, 7 seater "Luxury SUV"!!

(If I spend RM 355K on this, it gonna look pretty standard as I won't have any money left!!!)

If anyone has better rides to suggest or comments, let me know!!!

FOOTBALL AND GOD

FIFA has recently warned Brazillian players to comply with the FIFA ruling that does not allow t-shirts worn under the jerseys of the players to have religious, political or any other slogans or messsages.

Interesting.....

I really don't understand how GOD fits into the whole world of sports anyway.

Asamoah Gyan, the Ghanian striker was praising GOD for his winning goal againts USA in the post match interview. It was GOD that wanted Ghana to be in the last 8! It was GOD that made him shoot like that, he said. PRAISE THE LORD!! (GOD wasn't a USA fan, I gather.....!!)

What really suprises me is that, we don't see him in a similar post match interview where he says GOD made him miss the penalty and therefore he should not rely on this GOD anymore!!!

As i've always said, "GOD is a fantastic product as it can never fail!!"

Yup!! If your team wins...THANK GOD!!

If your team loses....PRAY HARDER AND GOD WILL REWARD YOU THE NEXT TIME!!!

Is there just no accountability for this GOD????

GOD that we spend time and money on.......a GOD that humans have gone to war and died for......a GOD that huge monuments, churches, mosques and temples have been built for......

And bookies have better control over match results!!!! (I love the Chinese for their simplicity....it's all about the money....!! Assuming that the bookies are Chinese la....)

Yeah! Yeah!.....heard all the "faith" arguments before but really....come on la.....

100,000 people in the stadium...all praying to their own GOD for a win.....somebody's GOD has to lose, right???

I honestly feel, if there is a GOD.........he/she/it really should/would be looking at more important things in this world rather that the games we humans play!!!

But if you have to watch the World Cup.......thank GOD for HD!!!! hahahahaha!!!!

AVATAR – THE MOVIE


I went to see this movie with Mary (Left Maya with our great babysitter, Kakak Mia) at GCS premier class in 3D.

WOW!! The special effects was seriously mind blowing and…….well….that’s it!

For the millions (Or was it billions??) that James Cameron spent on the effects, he could have spent a little more time and effort on the @#$@# story la!!
Let me give you the run down on the story…. (Since everyone I know has seen the movie and I’m only putting this post up now….shouldn’t spoil it for anyone, right?)
The American want to mine a particular metal on Pandora and don’t give a @#$% about the local tribe, the Na Vi. (Trying hard to mirror the conflicts in Afghan and the Iraqi war but failing miserably!) Then one particular disabled “low ranking” army guy decides to save this poor tribe from the “clutches of the oppressor” something along the “Last of the Mohicans” storyline. (Because of some….predictably…. GIRL!!)
The battle scenes are so so spectacular that the producers hope that they can blast logic out of your head and keep your brain disconnected from your eyes. If they did not manage or failed to do this, these are a few things that you may have thought about during/after the movie:


1. The humans cannot breathe on this planet. Shouldn’t the Na Vi look at messing with their air supply to get rid of them? Terrorist style? Rather than taking on the entire “high tech” arsenal of weapons which the American had, on a civil war approach!!
2. The NaVi took their attack strategy from a private in the army of the Americans???? Haiyo…at least if the $%#$$#@ was a general…ok la. And he was only there for a couple of days/weeks!! What the @!#$ does he know about your talking trees and “multiple connect” tails that can feel (This was a little corny to me too but ok la…) the dragons, etc??
3. The main battle scene was the attack on a huge tree where the radiation/magnetic flux prevented radar guided missiles to be used. This doesn’t mean that the Americans had to hover directly above the tree and drop the bomb from the back of a truck, right????? Even in medieval times there were catapults that could launch rocks some distance away la….AARRGGHH!!



Honestly, after the first 2 hours, the movie was getting painful to watch and at the end, as we left the theater, we said that this will be the last James Cameron movie we’re ever watching…unless he makes the Mahabharata in 3D…with 1 blue dude we all know soooo well!!! Hehehehe!!


Note : Avatar is derived from the Sanskrit word “Avatara” meaning incarnation. Cute huh?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009 gone…..hello 2010!!

So…what was 2009 for me….well…..

1. Maya turned 1 year old in March.

2. Mary and Maya went off to Ireland for the summer..without me!!!  (Which ensured that I was at Backyard on most days!!! hahahaha!!)

3. Became my own boss after my boss got suspended (until now still status quo) in July. Same salary though!!

4. Managed to sort out most of my credit card bills. (Still got some la…)

5. Bought a new ride for the wife. (Although the 4WD function was more in my interest for dive trips…hehehe!!) Still managed to keep the Beemer. (Hurray!!)

6. Certified 10 open water divers and 2 NITROX divers. (Not bad for a part time instructor.)

7. Got diagnoses with heredity high cholesterol so on 20mg of Lipitor every day.

8. Got my snoring/sleep apnea problem fixed with a throat operation that hurt like #@$% for 2 weeks!!

9. Spent our first family Xmas in Malaysia. (Last year was the “pandi” fest in Ireland!! Damn..I missed the black pudding and superb pints of Guinness!!) Was really fun here too with our own turkey and ham dinner.

10. Turned 37 on the 31st!!! (Uncle already la….)



Plan for 2010……

1. Get a better salary…hopefully ASAP.

2. Head off to Ireland for Mary’s sis wedding.

3. Have some good family holidays.

4. Have some good dive trips.

5. Fix up the condo with any money left over after doing the above….hahaha..which means this will happen in 2012!!! Hahahaha!!!

CAMERON HIGHLANDS HOLIDAY!!

We headed out on a bright and sunny Saturday morning (A day before Hari Raya...hmmm...not too bright, huh??) and were pleasantly suprised by the smooth flow of traffic on the PLUS highway until we got to a "Hentian sebelah" or rest stop, near Tapah. Stuck here for an hour, just to move 200m!!! (Why Malaysians behave this way during the holiday season will be another posting!!) It was a better drive once we got off the highway and started our accend through the trunk road from Tapah to Tanah Rata. It was a great drive up to the top from there. (Maya slept through the entire winding climb!!)

We stayed at the Old Smokehouse Hotel (Pretty pricey but worth it la...) and it was impressive. Built in the old Tudor style with multiple fireplaces and an amazing garden. Actually, as I turned into the driveway of the hotel, it felt like I was somewhere in the UK. (Or pulling into the driveway at Mary's parents in Portloise in Ireland)


The garden was their best asset and Maya just ran around all day, even when it rained.

And then there were the scones!!! Emmmmmm...

The scones, jam and Devonshire cream were seriously the best I've ever had. (RM 8.50 for 2 of them.....good things never come cheap, do they?)

The temperature was a chill 18 Degree C so the fireplace was the place to hang out in the evenings. (The bar had a fireplace too!!)

Oh...almost forgot to mention a very important fact......the food is NON HALAL!! (So all you "bacon, eggs and bangers" people....the English breakfast is a REAL English breakfast!!)

We did do the regular tourist route of the tea plantation, bee farm, butterfly park, etc but we did some other pretty weird stuff like helping a Punjabi bunch of kids with their "amazing race" around Cameron Highlands, lunch at Starbuck's (Why??? Becos it's there??..duh.??) and a full blown "Mutton Peratel" banana leaf dinner!! (Maya loved the papadams!)

Overall, Cameron highlands still has it's charm as colonial hill station and staying at the Old smokehouse did indeed deliver that experience.

MY NEW RIDE!!

Been a while since I did this bloggin thing but I'm back!! hehehe!!

This is my new ride. (Coming soon la..) The Perodua Nautica 4WD 1.5L.

It's a cute 5 seater that handles well, and is ideal for my dive trips to Tioman, etc as well as cosy enough for Mary. (The X5, XC90 and gang are just tooooo hugh!!)

FYI, this unit is a CBU from Japan. (Toyota Rush)

And YES.....I'm still keeping my beemer la........hahahaha!!

GADOH – The movie

Amrit got this DVD at the launch in Laundry, the Curve on Sunday. He brought it over to my place and we watched it over a couple of cold ones.

Directed by Brenda Danker and Namron, it is produced by Big Pictures Production for KOMAS, a Malaysian human rights organization.

Damn! This was an “In your face” movie about racial tension in our schools.

It did play along the lines of the movie, Freedom Fighters. (I had an earlier post on that one) The plot revolves around 2 school gangs (Malay and Chinese with the lone Indian kid stuck in the midst.) and how they work out their differences by the strength of their similarities.
The script was well written and the acting of most of the cast was decent if not good. It is nice to see Malaysians finally saying stuff on the big screen which they say everyday at the mamaks and kopitiams.

It’s truly worth all 70 minutes of your time.

Let me know what you think if you do find time to catch it. To watch the trailer check out their site:

http://komas.org/gadoh.

I think it’s available via download as well.

The Indian Divers + 1 crazy Aussie



Finally got around to posting our dive trip to Tioman. The weather was good and the diving was great. The duty free status of Tioman Island was the best!!! Hehehe!!
The trip started out with the 5 hour drive. KL – Ayer Hitam – Kluang – Mersing. No bemmer this time but instead we had the brilliant CHEVY CAPTIVA 4WD courtesy of my Indian expat buddy, Siva!!

This was my first time driving a 4WD diesel driven vehicle and man, it had some horses under the hood. We were doing 160km/hr at 2000revs!! (Max revs were at 5000, I think.) It handled the winding road of FELDA NITAR like a pro.
We (Prem, Siva, Adam and I) spent the night in Mersing and crossed over to the island early the next morning. Diving began after lunch.
We did 2 dives on Friday and 3 on Saturday and my gang was certified!!

Let the party begin. Salang is a pretty nice stretch of beach with a bar and a couple of restaurants. We had a good dinner (Siva, our Brahmin diver, ate fish for the 1st time in his life!!! He swears it’s better than chicken!! Hahaha!!) and headed off to the bar. To make the long nite there a short story, the party ended at 3 30 am. (I , of course, had to pay tribute to MJ with some moves la…)
The dive the next morning was just Siva and me. Wonder where Prem and Adam were??? Zzzzzzzzzzz

Overall, we had a superb and much needed holiday. Can’t wait for the next trip!!

Ps. The nonexistent MAXIS signal, no sound of traffic and just the pure sound of wind in the trees and waves crashing on the beach…ahhhhhh.....and then some underwater yoga......

Taiping & Penang Holiday

Managed to carve this holiday out of our busy schedule and we were off!!
The drive up north was scenic on a nice sunny morning and Maya being asleep all the way was a bonus. With daddy next to me (watching the speedometer) and the rest of the gang (Mom, Mary and Maya) bundled in the back, we still had a comfy ride. (Was quickly up to 140 – 160 km/hr when daddy wasn’t looking.)
We spend 2 days in Taiping and stayed at Kamalodge at the foot of Maxwell Hill. (or Bukit Larut) It had a nice pool and was just next to the Lake Gardens.

Parents were at my aunt’s in Kamunting. So…what to do in Taiping??....EAT la…. The food was really good and just like our “Ireland” trip, we looked for all the nice “panddi” stuff. The roast pork for breakfast was nice!!
While my parents chilled in Kamunting, we (Mary, Maya and I) headed north to Penang for a night.

A pretty “classy” night at the E & O hotel. (This is my attempt to copy the E & O "artsy" photo)

Now this hotel was something else. The classic look, the services, the bell boys dressed in Khakis, the “English tea”….. I was looking around to see if someone was going to say, “Hey boy, leave the white lady and child and be on your way!!” hehehe!!"

(Decided on the classic shot!!)

The room was so impressive that we actually spend more time in it then out.

So what to do in Penang???....EAT again la….the “nasi kandar” and “kambing sup” was awesome!!

(Note the "licin" plates in the background!!)

Although our trip was only for the weekend, it was a much needed break.

Now back in the city, I do miss the slow traffic and clean air.

Well....I'll be off diving soon so that a relief!!!

RELEGATED...AGAIN!!!


Well, it's happened again.

Will we fair better in League one? Will we ever see the premiership again?

As Metallica said, "SAD BUT TRUE!!"

At least they can count on 1 Malaysian fan who'll still follow his team as the Saints go marching on!!!!

THE 11TH HOUR

Watched this documentary last night and it had quite an impact on me.

It had all the usual, " How humans are screwing up this planets' resources, how it is just unsustainable and how we drastically need to change the way we do things."

The only difference was that it showed how dependant we are to all these consumer products. How we are unable to move without vehicles, have food without grocery stores or just have fun without man made gadgets!!!

A lot of the blame seems to be going to the Oil & Gas giants like ExxonMobil, Shell, etc, etc, who have recorded a profit of USD 33 Billion last year.

Although I do agree that this is an absurd sum of money, shouldn't we also see that their products ensure we have fuel for the cars we drives and the planes we travel on???

I strongly feel that the entertainment industry is far worst. We pay million or even billions to subsidize entertainers with their extravagant lifestyles. what is their contribution actually worth???

Footballers, NBA & NFL stars, actors and actresses, SEGA, PLAYSTATION, XBOX, etc, etc. What amount of our income goes to stuff like this?????

Our world is slowly becoming unreal.

Humans shed tears for the likes of Liverpool and Man U but barely blink at death tolls of a major disaster. (Unless it's football related!!)

We play futsal on artificial grass under floodlights.....Why????? Toooo hot la in the day time!!! Too busy working to make money la!!!

I do agree that I too spend a considerable time of my day to "make ends meet" but are my "ends" too far from reality???? Do I really need to renovate my house??? Do I really need another car????

Well, the answer for me as of yesterday is NO!!

Me and Mary, for the benefit of Maya and her generation, are going to start to do things different from today. This is our plan and hopefully, it will be adopted by my buddies too!!

1. Reduce the use of lights, fan and AC.

2. Use my balcony to plant food. (My mom used to do this in our garden in Klang so I don't see why I can't do it.) Plants that can be grown are chillies, herbs, brinjals, tomatoes, etc, etc.

3. Spend more time together with my family and friends without TV and other gadgets.

4. Play outdoors more. (I do play tennis and my diving does get me outdoors too.)

5. Eat organic and buy products that are from sustainable sourses. (Fish, furniture, etc.)

6. Get my condo to have recycling facilities for plastics, metal and glass products.

7. STOP SPENDING MONEY ON LUXURIES!! (Yup! I'll just keep the beemer as the one and only luxury item!! But it's already 9 years old so I doubt it's a luxury item any more!! Hehehe!!)

Well, that's all I can do for now but I'll be looking into other means of reducing my "Carbon footprint" on this planet and will keep you guys updated.

"SAVE THE TREES, SAVE THE WORLD!!!"

DADDY FOR A YEAR NOW!!!

Maya turned 1 on the 25th of March and it just made me want to look back to see how far I’ve come from the crazy sailor boy to being a responsible “grown up” daddy.

My artsy “bachelor pad” is now a multi colored theme park where you can just name a color and I’m sure I have it strewn across my living room floor in the form of a ball, block, etc, etc.!! My chairs and tables have “fenders” (Like the rubbers tires around a tug boat!!) for collision protection and my plain, light purple, velvet sofa has so many food stains that it now resembles some exotic animal!! Gone are the cool table top decor....replaced by stuff that is either chewable, washable or throwable!! I do occasionally get to see my IKEA carpet...or glimpes of it when the toys are put away......

That my living room, version 2009.

What about my bedroom, version 2009??? Well, it depends….Is it the room that used to be my bedroom or the “spare” room that I’m in now so that my snoring doesn’t wake up Maya???? Yup…just like Southampton…I got relegated too!!! Hahahaha!!

The TV, version 2009??? Channels available have drastically reduced to channels beginning with 6xx. Honestly, I find POCOYO and THE YOUNG EINSTEINS pretty entertaining!!

My precious Beemer also now comes with a 2009 baby upgraded version. Baby seat with all boot space taken up by the pram. The 2009 version also comes with rattling accessories (multi colored, of course) and massively annoying, nursery rymes emitting, electronic devices!!

So…a full year of a constantly changing baby, constantly changing schedules and constantly changing lifestyle….opps...almost forgot....and constantly changing nappies!!!!

The reward…..

That SMILE!!!

My little "nutcase" (That's what I call her as she is usually hysterically happy to see me when I get home everyday!!) and all that she gets up to!!

I believe this parenthood thinggi is gonna be a great ride!!!