cheque for safety

I am so shocked ! A friend told me last week that a cheque she sent by mail went missing but it was shown as cleared in the bank statement. Anyhow, she reported this to the bank and just now, I received an email from her. The cheque was actually drawn by an individual person. Her bank has provided her with the name, identification (IC) and telephone number and a scanned copy of the cheque. How can such things happen lah ? We write the cheque, put it into the mail and assume that it will arrive its intended recipient safely. None of us expects our cheques to be hijacked right ? And how could the bank allow an altered cheque to slip through the system ?

WHO DUNNIT ????
Postman
Postal Staff
Individual public nuisance
Bank staff

Like I said to my friend...there must be a millionaire or billionaire in the making somewhere here in Malaysia !

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to live and die for a reason

The developer of the condo where I live is increasing the probability that I may die without a reason ! Not too many days ago, the fire alarm at my block's main lobby was triggered but I never heard a sound. A neighbour whom I know living on the 1st floor called the fire department as soon as he heard the alarm. Had it been a real fire, I would have died without a prayer ! I have one of those "BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" thingy BUT it has NO glass. What it is, is a casing with a block of wood inside. So what am I supposed to do in case there's a fire ? Touch wood, say a prayer and hope for a painless death ? That's assuming that I know that there's a fire ! Since I've asked the developer too many times and they have not bothered, I have now decided to write directly to the Fire & Rescue Department (BOMBA). I live for a reason and will die for a reason ! I am nobody's fool !

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and the happy pet for today is.....(drum roll)

Ain't he charming ?

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...today's happy pet is ....

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this week's funnies - 2nd installment

It is a myth when a son gets married and a new daughter-in-law arrives in the family that everything changes. Some daughters-in-law are well trained and well mannered. They don't come to change the family, they are there to....

The new wife was being welcomed at the husband's home in a traditional manner. As expected, she gave a speech...

"My dear family, I thank you for welcoming me to my new home and family", she said. "Firstly, my being here does not mean that I would want to change your way of life or your routine. No. I will never do that. Not in a million years".

"What do you mean my child ?" asked the father-in-law

"What I mean is (looking at her father-in-law), those who used to wash dishes must carry on washing them. Those who used to do the laundry must carry on doing it. Those who cooked should not stop on my account and those who used to clean should continue cleaning."

"Then what are you here for ?" asked the mother-in-law.

"As for me, my job is to entertain your son !"

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this week's funnies - 1st installment

Ask the good doctor.....

Q : I heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is that true ?
A : Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer, that's like to say that you can extend the life of your car by driving faster. Want to live longer...take a nap !

Q : Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables ?
A : What does a cow eat ? Hay and corn. And what are these ? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain ? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q : Should I reduce my alcohol intake ?
A : No. Not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means that they take the water out of the fruity bits so that you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up !

Q : What are the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program ?
A : Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is NO PAIN...NO GOOD !

Q : Aren't fried foods bad for us ?
A : Your are not listening !!! ... Foods are fried in vegetable oil these days. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you ?

Q : Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle ?
A : Definitely not ! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach...

Q : Is chocolate bad for me ?
A : Are you crazy ? Hellooooo cocoa beans ! Another vegetable ! It's the best feel good food around !

Q : Is swimming good for the figure ?
A : If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q : Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle ?
A : Hey ! Isn't "round" a shape ?

LIFE SHOULD NOT BE A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE INTENTION OF ARRIVING SAFELY IN AN ATTRACTIVE AND WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS - CHARDONNAY IN ONE HAND, CHOCOLATE IN THE OTHER, BODY THOROUGHLY USED UP, TOTALLY WORN OUT AND SCREAMING "WOO HOO...WHAT A RIDE !"

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our furry friends make us laugh !

These morning walks are killing me ! Ooooh...I just can't seem to get motivated. I said, "GO TO SLEEP !"

I hate it when this happens...... I'm getting too darn fat ! I can hardly scratch my own ass !!!

Hey you....gimme back my ball ! Don't you move buddy, I am sooooo comfortable

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here's what our pets do when we're at work !

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the passing of a colleague

Saturday morning was a sad day. A fatherly and kind man with whom I've known for the past 13 years and worked with for the past 5 years passed away peacefully in his sleep. My bosses, colleagues and I were shocked. On Friday, he was his usual self and we were still joking about happenings during the day. The last time I saw him was at our office lift lobby and I bade him a pleasant weekend before he left. He was 62 years old at the time of his death and wall well-known and respected by those who were fortunate to know him. I dedicate this post to Sharma, for the kind, helpful and loving colleague, friend and father that he was to all. We miss him terribly. May his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you Sharma for all that you've shared with me. I am indeed fortunate to have known you as colleague and friend.

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is your credit card safe ?

...I mean your credit cards. Are your credit cards safe ? Are you safe from identity theft ? Are your credit cards open to abuse ? It happened to me recently and Mastercard claims that the chip-based credit cards cannot be cloned. Bullshit ! There are 2 simple principles to remember - that money is the root of all evil and that anything that's man-made cen be certainly un-made. Last year (2008), Hari Raya (Eid) was a long weekend break for us working folks. I preferred staying home because I know how well traffic and packed shopping centres can spoil my day. That's exactly what I did. The only time I left home was to drive out to the nearly stalls to ta pau (take away) breakfast. The Monday following the weekend break, I was out with my family having lunch when I received a call from the bank asking me to confirm certain credit card transactions. I have many (too many in fact) credit cards. Some I have retained for sentimental reasons while others are free for life. My wallet used to be really "fat"; not because I had loads of cash but because I had a lot of "plastic" ! I discovered that once your wallet expands (from all the "plastic") that's the size it would remain and stuff tends to fall out of the wallet compartments without realizing it happens. So...I bought myself a leather cardholder and stuffed the less used cards inside and left them at home in a locked drawer. Back to the story.......I was shocked to learn from the bank that I had gone on a spending spree from Tesco, to Carefour until Guardian Pharmacy. In fact, I even had a "party" that cost over RM200 at Kentucky Fried Chicken. "My" weekend spree came up to almost RM2,500 !!! How was that even remotely possible when I had been at home the entire weekend ? Since I did not have the credit card with me, I told the lady on the other end of the line that I would have to get back to her BUT I can confirm that I did not make the purchases. I just had to confirm if my credit card was stolen. As soon as I reached home, I headed for my drawer and it was still locked ! My credit card was still in the leather cardholder ! I called the bank and immediately notified the lady of my discovery. This is when my nightmare began. I was questioned over and over again by the bank and it was implied that I was a liar, an irresponsible person and my colleagues and family members were thieves ! I was downright insulted ! When I received my credit card statement, I picked out charges that I had made and immediately made payment to the bank. I sent letters explaining the situation, stating that whatever charges remaining were fraudulent charges and that I would not accept any penalties. The bank, in their reply insisted that I was liable and I told them that if they thought so, then let's settle it legally. Meanwhile, the bank kept calling me a few times a day, diffrent times, different persons and I thought to myself, "this must be how it feels like to be a loan shark victim". The word "legal" must have rattled them because a few days later, a manager called me for yet another "interview" but this time I told him that my credit card was with me so how could it have been stolen. CCTV footage and copies of the charge slips were given to me by then. The person was definitely not me and the signature certainly not mine ! This manager arranged to visit me to collect my credit card (of course I made him sign for it) so that he could verify my signature and to proof to the vendors that I was NOT that person whom they allowed to pay for the purchases with my credit card. Who knows what informationwas embossed on the faurdulent card. It could have been Ah Meng, Muthu or Ibrahim ! Anyway, there was a total of 4 different signatures so how can the bank justify that their merchants had been diligent in verifying the cardholder ? Are there 4 fraudulent cards out there that supposedly belongs to me ? Shit ! This were my argument points...

• What's the point of asking cardholders to sign the card when the signatures are never verified by the cashiers ? (do you recall how the cashiers will immediately tuck the charge slips into the cash register and return your credit card as soon as its signed ?)
• Are the merchants absolved from any fault in such an instance ? (The cardholder signature and name is there for a reason and if the merchant doesn't check, it's our fault ?)
• Don't the banks train their merchants on what to do ? What their responsibilities are ?
• Why not a photo of the cardholder on the credit card if it's so difficult to verify a signature ?

All these happened at the end of October 2008. I finally received a credit for these fraudulent charges at the and of April 2009 after 6 long months of waiting, corresponding and being harrassed. BUT I am still left with the penalties and here the finger pointing begins. How long more will I have to wait for this problem to be fully resolved is a question.

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"mat rempit" a.k.a. malaysian road bullies

First they were a group of bikers who would meet in groups. The can usually be seen loitering around 7-Eleven outlets and roadside stalls. If it happened to be a weekend, they would take part in illegal racing around. Then they progressed. They became bold. They became a nuisance. In the past, these mat rempits would only try to escape from the law but now, they will cause injury if it means their escape. I believe some of them do it just for fun - just for the sake of doing it. At about the same time, there were many rumors going around that they had progressed to drugs and the flesh trade. Taking things a step further, these good for nothing idiots even bet their girlfriends in races. We Malaysians are dark haired otherwise these sily women and girls would certainly qualify as "bimbos" or "dumb blonds". Where is their dignity and self-worth ? Until a time, I stopped reading about the mat rempits. I refused to give them the attention that they were seeking. I just listened to what friends and colleagues told me. Progress was never far from the minds of these mat rempits. Next, they started victimizing road users. Especially if you are a woman and driving when the roads are quiet, these idiots will surround the car and break the windows or windscreen with their helmets or some handy object and rob you. And when you think about all the things they've done, driving becomes a frightening task especially if you're a lone female driver. When I'm driving, I usually don't stop at traffic lights when there are no other cars around. But I do slow down to make sure that there is no oncoming traffic or traffic from other directions. I leave for work very early and many roads are still quiet and without traffic.

What would I do if I came face to face with the mat rempits ? Honestly ? I'd go all down on the accelerator and if the mat rempits are in my way, I'd mow then down. If any one of them come after me, I'd just knock them all down. Since they've not shown and respect not love for life, I will assume that there's no worth to their life. Needless to say, I'd drive to the closest police station. They might be faster than me but they're also lighter, less stable and at least, I am protected by the shell of my car, right ?

A few days back, I read a letter addressed to the editor of our local newspaper. This writer goes on to mention that these mat rempits are "crying out for attention", "listen to what they're saying". I began to wonder if this was one fool that needs to be knocked really hard on the head ! Oh yes, they are indeed crying out for attention but the more attention we give them, the worse they become. They have since become a terrifying menace to society. And what are they saying ? They are telling me that they're a lazy bunch of assholes who prefer not to work and resort to crime as a means of living. They're likely to blame everything on their hard life (whatever that means) and as soon as they're caught, I am confident that they will beg for leniency because they have dependents. Should have thought about that earlier right ?

Somewhere in mid post, I said that these idiots support progress but are we going to allow them to progress to murder and other life threatening crimes without doing anything. Is the law going to be kind to them ? Throw these assholes in jail and throw the keys away ! Let them rot in hell.

This morning, I started to laugh when I read "Minister awaits Mat Rempit Report" where the RTD (Road Transport Department), suggested (amongst others) that these "terrorists" should be made to pick dog poo from public places, scrape chewing gum off roads, do community service, wear T-shirts with the words "I am a snatch thief" and introducing heavier penalties such as making them pay their victim's medical bills ! Does the RTD think that the T-Shirts will be taken seriously ? Many will think that it's just one of those T-Shirts just like those that read "I Want Money...More Money...More More Money". Aren't these suggestions just a feather-like slap compared to teh trauma that their victim's have undergone. And have they forgotten that not al mat rempits are snatch thieves ? They are robbers, murderers, terrorists....! And it goes on to say that "no time frame has been set for the study". Helloooooo....waiting for what some more. The durians have fallen but not yet on your head right ? I feel that the only time this issue will get the government's fullest and undivided attention is when it happens to someone of importance like our Transport Minister !

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soup kitchens

Soup kitchens are a God sent to the poor and the needy. Soup kitchens do not discriminate. Anybody who walks in are equals and treated the same. I thought that I would share this information here in case any of you know of persons or families who are desperate or are in need. The following is extracted from an email that was sent to me.

The Soup Kitchen
So far, the feed-the-poor program has a lunch menu that varies daily. Food-supplies are stocked up by generous donors who ensure that they have a constant supply of vegetables, meat, rice and other cooking ingredients like herbs and spices. The Soup Kitchen in Jinjang which is run by four staff members serve close to 200 people daily. It began operations on Jan 15 this year and is the second such outlet in Malaysia. The first outlet was started in June, 2005, in Alor Star. The program was founded by Clarine Chun, who is in her 50s and runs a network of charitable homes and organisations for children, mentally-challenged adults and terminally-ill children. Incidentally, Chun is the head of Sri Nobel, a kindergarten and is the initiator of the FunGates learning system which has been implemented in over 60 kindergartens nationwide.

The Soup Kitchen is at
2181, Jalan Limbang
Jinjang Utara.

For more information please contact
Angeline at 03-7983 8827
The Kechara Soup Kitchen (Anna Tan) at 012-6140861
Pastor Clarine Chun at 04-7319189

Damansara Utama Methodist Church
The Street Ministry reaches out to the homeless, hungry and needy by extending a hand of help and friendship. We seek to let them know that there is hope and a future for them and that God is waiting to give them a new lease of life. We actively reach out to them through our various programmes such as food sharing on Fridays and Saturdays, and through operating our Drop-in Centre in Petaling Jaya old town area. In Kuala Lumpur, we partner with the Street Fellowship (which is a network of churches working together) to run a Drop-in Centre and to assist in the Jalan Sultan food sharing programme on Saturdays. Our latest initiative, Employment Point seeks to provide simple packing work and teach living skills inorder to assist in placing people back into the workplace through referrals.

1. Employment Point & Drop-in Centre
1A Bangunan Pasaraya Kota (Klang Bus Station terminal)
50000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : (03) 2070 3661 / 8663
Operating Hours : Tuesday – Friday (10.00 am – 5.00 pm)
Operating Hours : Tuesday – Friday (10.00 am – 6.00 pm)
Street Fellowship : Saturdays (10.00 am – 10.00 pm)
Medical Services : 1st and 3rd Sundays (1.00 pm – 4.00 pm)

2. Drop-in Centre
1 Jalan 2/36 (PJ Old Town)
46000 Petaling Jaya
Tel : (03) 7784 2519
Head of Ministry : Steve Yew (016 289 1603)
Movie Night : Thursday (6.30 pm - 10.00 pm)

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*THOUGHTS*

1. A leader is not a person who can perform better than his men but the peson who inspires them to perform better than he can.
2. "I am thankful to all those who said NO...It's because of them, I did it myself" (Einstein)
3. Whenever there is a hard job to be done, I assign it to a lazy man. He is sure to find an easy way of doing it. (Bill Gates)
4. Prefer being a loser in the company of winners rather than being a winner in the company of losers.
5. Never say you know everything. Never say everything you know.
6. Whatever we do we must remember our aim at every moment. If you wish to fly with eagles, don't waste time swimming with fishes.
7. Success is when your signature becomes an autograph.

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making sense...

1. When I was born, I was given a choice - a big dick or a good memory... I don't remember what I chose !
2. Your birth certificate is an apology letter from the condom factory.
3. A wife is a sex object. Every time you ask for sex, she objects.
4. Impotence : Nature's way of saying, "No hard feelings !"
5. There are only two 4-letter words that are offensive to men - "don't" and "stop" unless they are used together.
6. There are 3 stages of sex in a man's life - Tri-weekly, Try weekly & Try weakly !
7. Virginity is not dignity, it is lack of opportunity.
8. Marriage is the only war where you get to sleep with the enemy.
9. Despite the old saying, "don't take your troubles to bed", men still sleep with their wives.

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a prayer for the work place

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want

He gives me peace when chaos is all around me

He gently reminds me to pray and do all the things without murmuring complaining

He reminds me that He is my source and not my job

He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor Him in all that I do

Even though I face absurd amounts of emails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gosipping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an ageing body that doesn't cooperate every morning

I still will not stop for He is with me

His presence, His peace and His power will see me through

His retirement plan beats any 401k there is

When it's all said and done, I'll be working for him a whole lot longer and for that

I BLESS HIS NAME !

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a lovely poem...to my child

This poem was sent to me by email. I found it meaningful and touching and wanted to share this with you.

Just for this morning, I am going to smilewhen I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying

Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear and smile and say how perfect it is

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry and pick you up and take you to the park to play

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephoneand keep the computer off and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice-cream truck and I will buy you one

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up and second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies and I won't stand over you trying to fix them

Just for this afternoon, I will take you to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours and miss my favourite TV shows

Just for this evening, when I run my fingers through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children

The mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms

The mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly and screaming inside that little body

And when I kiss you goodnight, I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer

It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day.

This poem was written by a 29 year old Zimbabwean father. Both he and his wife share a wonderful life and have been blessed with a daughter named Rachael. She is 10 months old and was diagnosed with cancer not too long ago.

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in the arms of comfort

This is the very same puppy that you see on the tree. And the lady carrying the pup is none other that Sabrina Yeap. This is what TV Smith has to say about her.

Sabrina is a Buddhist. She was an abandoned orphan and grew up in a temple. She drives an old car, battered further by the daily long drives to her shelter. She also works at a day care center for autistic children. Why? Because she wouldn't want to use any money donated to the shelter for her own wages or for car maintenance. Every single cent collected must go to the animals. But money is never enough since she is now sheltering over 100 furry kids at her "no kill" sanctuary. Go visit and adopt some of the kids if you can.

Sabrina, I salute you and your team for your courage to face these abandoned animals, the strength to achive each mission no matter how hard it has been and the unconditional love and kindness you have shown them. I feel better knowing that these animals will not only know abandonment and hatred but will also know love and kindness through you and your selfless team. I don't know how you all manage to achieve so much in so little time. It's just amazing. I will click on http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/updates.html at least once a day to see how everyone is doing. Each time, I say a little prayer for every person and animal. I pray that every pet owner will forever love and appreciate his pet and for every pet to be loved and love his owner unconditionally. I wish you all the good health to keep you safe to carry on with your selfless mission, wealth so that your mission may continue and abandoned pets will know love and kindness and the longivity of Furry Friend's Farm so that abandonment will be a thing of the past and every pet will have somewhere to call home.

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rendang tok

My colleague gave me a cookbook by the famous Chef Wan for my birthday. Last weekend I was feeling ambitious and decided to try the recipe for Rendang Tok. Rendang Tok is synonymous with the state of Perak in West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Rendang is a much sought after dish and is available throughout the year in Malaysia. There are many types but amazinly only one way to cook it. The main ingredient is either chicken or beef, chili paste, tumeric leaf, pounded fried coconut (kerisik), lemongrass, galaghal, ginger, shallots, garlic and tumeric. Some recipes have more of this and less of that or some additional ingredients here and there. For me, tumeric leaves are a MUST in rendang and I will add this ingredient even if the recipe does not have it. This is what I did...

RENDANG TOK

(Extended Version !)

1 Kg beef (Topside or rendang cubes)

1 Tsp powdered fennel

1 Tsp powdered cumin

1 cup kerisik

Milk from 2 coconuts

Ingredients A

4 Tsp chili paste

12 shallots

2 large onions

6 cloves garlic

6 stalks lemongrass

1" galaghal

1. Place ingredients A into a blender and blend to a fine paste. Transfer to wok/pot.

2. Add beef

3. Add water to coconut milk enought to make-up 1 litre of this mixture. Add to wok/pot.

4. Simmer on medium heat until liquid is reduced and meat is tender.

5. Add kerisik, powdered fennel, powdered cumin.

6. Add salt and sugar to taste

7. Continue to cook on low heat until dry.

Tips

If you cannot get gresh grated coconut, you can use desicated coconut as a substitute. Kerisik is very simple to make. It only needs patience and a lot of care. Over medium/low heat, slowly fry the freshly grated coconut until brown. You will have to constantly stir it so that it does not burn (and it easily will). Whe it's done, put it into the food processor and process until fine. You can make more of this and store it in the refrigerator. kerisik can also be used in fried rice.

Have fun.

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..what a bugger - malaysian income tax submission

30th April was the day all Malaysians were required to submit their taxes and many did this online. Many who submitted at the last hours experienced a website "time out" and became frustrated. It's not that we wanted to do it at the last minute but our wonderful government gtanted is tax exemptions that many of us could claim but (as expected), most of us were clueless. There were hardly any specifications or proper guidelines and many of us were running around looking for answers. Could we, could we not, how, how much, what if.......and the list went on and on. Even the professional tax agents such as Ernst & Young were at a lost. There were just too many grey areas that left taxpayers feeling insecure. Having no more time to spare, I submitted mine to the best of my understanding. Honestly, I hardly knew what I was doing and took the statements issued on the tax exemptions per say. Many of us were logging in and out of the website as if there was no tomorrow. Some unlucky taxpayers were on the verge of tears and insanity. This is something that our government needs to look into - preparing the agencies for public enquiries. Me ? I sent them an email and even called since their reply only led me back to what I did not understand. It was a "copy-paste" job that any fool could undertake. It's not uncommon nor was their reply unexpected. I can only hope that this act of foolishness, unpreparedness and ignorance will never be repeated. At least not at the taxpayers cost !

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please help the dogs

For pictures and the full article please go to http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/

Where is our compassion for another living being ? I am saddened that this happened and will continue for centuries to come. Getting a pet is not a joke. It involves lots of TLC (tender loving care), money and time. There will be lots of frustration and times when you just wished you hadn't. Unexpected illness and trips to the vet may bust your pockets at times. Visits to the vet costs loads more than a trip to your family doctor. There is a lot to consider - not just having a nice cuddly pet in your arms to show-off. Think, think, think ! Pets are members of your family but will never demand nor ask for much. Their love and adoration is unconditional. So please, I beg of those wannabe pet owners to think if you can commit or not; otherwise don't. You don't have babies and decide later that you changed your mind do you ? If you think that having a pet is any different, think again please.

A pet deserves the respect that you would offer another family member. They are creatures of God too. Love and cherish them always - they are afterall MAN'S BEST FRIEND !

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...dogs

Whenever I come across a TV series or movie that allows a dog in an apartment, I would wish that it was acceptable in Malaysia. Sadly, dogs especially are frowned upon. We are an Islamic country and in general dogs are not an acceptable pet. Recently, I met a Muslim couple staying at the same condo where I live and they have 2 pups ! I was sooooooo happy. This very nice gentleman told me that he loved dogs and he had no problem managing his religion, family and pets (in no particular order). He's a really responsible person; takes the pups out for morning walks with a plastic bag to pick the puppy poo. Later, I found out that some other owners have lodged complaints about him with the condo management. That's stupid and the excuse given was because the pups would drool in the lifts and he would step on puppy drool ! Absurd ya ? As I was told sometime back, dogs were frowned upon by the Muslims because they carried the rabies virus or some call it "mad dog disease". What ignorance not to realise that rabies can be transmitted by any warm-blooded animal !

Information extracted from Wikipedia
Any warm-blooded animal may become infected with the rabies virus and develop symptoms, including humans (though birds have only been known to be experimentally infected[5]). Indeed the virus has even been adapted to grow in cells of poikilothermic vertebrates[6][7]though natural transmission has only been documented among mammals.[citation needed] Most animals can be infected by the virus and can transmit the disease to humans. Infected bats, monkeys, raccoons, foxes, skunks, cattle, wolves, dogs, mongoose (normally yellow mongoose) or cats provide the greatest risk to humans. Rabies may also spread through exposure to infected domestic farm animals, groundhogs, weasels, bears and other wild carnivores. Rodents (mice, squirrels etc) are seldom infected.[8] The virus is usually present in the nerves and saliva of a symptomatic rabid animal.[9][10] The route of infection is usually, but not necessarily, by a bite. In many cases the infected animal is exceptionally aggressive, may attack without provocation, and exhibits otherwise uncharacteristic behavior.[11] Transmission between humans is extremely rare. A few cases have been recorded through transplant surgery.[12] After a typical human infection by bite, the virus enters the peripheral nervous system. It then travels along the nerves towards the central nervous system. During this phase, the virus cannot be easily detected within the host, and vaccination may still confer cell-mediated immunity to prevent symptomatic rabies. Once the virus reaches the brain, it rapidly causes encephalitis. This is called the “prodromal” phase. Once it reaches this point, there is no treatment. Then symptoms appear. Rabies may also inflame the spinal cord producing myelitis.[citation need]

So is it safer to have cats and hamsters as pets ? Dogs have been known to be man's best friend. Their love is unconditional and so long as you love them and treat them well, your love will always and unconditionally be returned a million times over. Their needs are simple and never demanding. They guard and protect you with their lives and would never intentionally cause harm. They have no voice but they speak to us through their eyes and their wagging tails. The very same wag and welcome that awaits us at the end of a hard day's work.
"My best friend, you give everything yet asks for nothing. The little that you ask, I give willingly from my heart. The love I see in your eyes make everything so worthwhile. What I see is far worth a million words. You ask for nothing yet you give me everything. You have a heart more worthy than gold, deeper than any ocean and higher than any mountain. It's no wonder that *all dogs go to heaven*."

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the 3-day weekend

Our achievements at work and as people who have succeeded in many ways are celebrated on the 1st day of May each year - Labour Day. Some countries celebrate it on a different day, but all the same, the hard work and achievements are honoured. Isn't it simply grand how we are honoured each year ? All the same, if you're an employer, employee, housewife, studen or kid, we all work to achieve different goals. Be it monetary gols or not, it's still work and more work. Even upon retirement, we "work" to make sure that we have the financial resources till we reach death's door. That's the reality. This year, Labour Day fell on a Friday and it was a 3-day weekend for us. I was absolutely lazy. Finally on Sunday, I decided that I would bake something easy for myself and my neighbours, so here's what I did...

SUPER EASY CHOCOLATE CUP CAKES !

This recipe is so simple and it only took 30 minutes including time needed for baking ! Here's what you need.

120 gm self-raising flour

120 gm butter

100 gm castor sugar

3 eggs

7 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

Chopped almonds

Just dump everything into a mix ! The consistency is rather thick. Makes about 6 regular size cup cakes. Spoon into cups and sprinkle some of the chopped almonds (or other nuts or just leave it) on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 170C.

Enjoy !

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