My little space on the web

Here's one thing I hear a lot about these things...

"Why bother lah? Not like anyone follows these things. A week or two and we all stop following it, some don't even last a few days."

(Note: The lah here is optional, depending on whether you speak Manglish. Manglish is supposed to be Malaysian English, but I prefer my own definition: Mangled English)

So, that leaves us with the question. Why bother?

Why, indeed?

I have to reply...because we must.
For those people who do not bother with resolutions, no matter how unrealistic or how idealistic, for those people I have one thing to say...

For those people who do not dare to dream, who do not dare to place goals for themselves, I have only one thing to say...

I feel sorry for you.

Resolutions are something I look forward to. And while I know that around 50% of them fail through, I find that it is important for me to set something new for myself.

The end of a year is not the end of something...but the start of something new. This is what I constantly remind myself, whenever I look at the first sunrise of a New Year. (Something I do without fail, every single year)

A new year brings with it the promise of hope. Of adventure. Of change. Of things to come, and things that will pass.

A new year comes with sadness and joy, comes with regret and fulfillment. But it comes when it comes, and we must make the most of it. How often are we reminded that a year has passed? How often is there someone or something reminding us that...'Hey! A year has passed. What have you done this year'?

And so, without any further adue, here are my resolutions.

Resolution #1: I will not be pushed around by circumstances around me.

To often I find that things change our decisions. Take for example, my diet. I wanted to remain strict to it, and while I do so under my own supervision, when pulled around by my friends I somehow ended up eating fried chicken. I wanted to keep my budget, but because of the people around me, I ended up going clubbing and spending up more than I should have.

I am not a pawn of fate!!

I will control my own decisions, or at the very least, influence it as much as I can. I no longer want this regret of everything that I do. This year, I resolve to maintain control over my environment, no matter what.


Resolution #2: Enter something competitive.

I miss the feeling of combatative sports! I miss having the knowledge that my fist can break faces.

There's a certain power in the knowledge of having fought before, and you walk and talk a little differently with that knowledge. It's addictive and probably not healthy, but I want that feeling back again.

Its the knowledge that no matter what happens, you'll be alright. And definitely I want that feeling back.

And so, for this year, I resolve to enter something combat-related. Be it kendo or kenjutsu or something with my bare hands, I resolve to be trained in the art of kicking ass.

After all...I am warrior!


Resolution #3: Build a home for myself. This new apartment business that I've found for myself in February. I want this to be a place I want to live in. I want to look forward to coming home...not avoid the dang place.

I want it to be filled with friends and people I'd call 'family'. I want there to be games and things to have fun, and a place to kick my feet up after a tired day.

And most of all, I want it to be filled with memories.


And with that said, those are my resolutions for the new year's. Hope these simple three works out just fine for me.

Judging from the these blog posts, one must think I have a very unhealthy diet...

...one would probably be right in that assumption...

(much throat clearing later)


In any event, Bak kut teh is probably my favorite 'local' dish here in Malaysia. The meaning of the words Bak kut teh, taken word for word, is Meat Bone Tea, and that's literally what you'll find here. Lots of fatty pork and bones in a herbal tea soup.

Apparently Bak Kut Teh IS a local dish, despite it being eaten outside of Malaysia. It was apparently 'discovered' in Klang, for the chinese dock workers who had very meager diets. The belief was that the soup would vitalize them, and make them stronger for hard labor.





To compliment this already unhealthy diet (There's a shimmering sheet of bubbly oil on top of the soup), there's strips of fried dough...Yau Char Koay? Reminds me a lot like a freshly fried donut, to dip into the soup.


And of course, one can never have this meal without rice. And what a way to blow a diet, than to have it with Yam Rice!

Overall, the Bak Kut Teh next to Peng Hua school kicks butt. With a decent tasting soup and good meat (it was pretty much fat free with not so many bones), we had a very decent tasting meal.


I will of course, be kicking myself for it later.



For now however, I shall simply rub my belly in content.

Why oh why, do I abuse myself so?

Despite all the constant workouts and the harsh dieting, I find myself sitting here with a large McDonald's value meal. The amount of calories, fat content and sodium in this thing constitutes an entire day's consumption (probably more), and this is just ONE meal of the day.

So why do we do it? Not people like me, but everyone that consumes McDonalds. Is it the fries? The burgers? The nuggets and the bbq sauce?

To be honest, the food isn't very phenomenal. The burgers are probably the worst part of McDonald's ( The nuggets or the fries being the best. Its a close tie).

Truth be told, Ramli burgers are much tastier, and KFC's Zinger burger is a much better chicken sandwich than the McChicken.

And while the fries are good, its about 1000 calories for a large box.

The soda's always de-fizzed or watered down from the ice by the time I drink it. The nuggets are great...when they aren't stale (because they've been sitting there all day).

So why do we do it?

Convention? I suppose. I will say that I am definitely guilty of that. I could have driven out and saved myself a ton of money. A ramli burger would have cost less than 4 bucks with an egg inside it, but my prosperity meal (Some ridiculously over-peppered sandwich) cost me 20 bucks...with delivery, service charge, and etc all included. Good stuff.

Moral lesson of the day? Avoid the fats, avoid the burn in the wallet. Or if you want to get fat, get dressed and go down for a Ramli burger.


...Cause at the very least, you'll burn calories just getting dressed and going out.

It's funny how we always tend to make up the stupidest mistakes and then end up regretting it later.

It's funny how at one point of time, we're not thinking the straightest, and suddenly later onwards we realise what a doofus we were.

It's funny how we can let our emotions guide us sometimes, like our temper, or worse. Our selfishness.

To whomever who reads this and understands, you have my condolences. I've done a grievous mistake, and I hope the person I've hurt knows that I care for them so very much.

With a name like 'The Mansion', you can clearly expect it to be posh. Or attempt to be, at any case. Which was the case here.

DETERMINATION

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.

Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great; all things give way before it, soon or late.

What obstacle can stay the mighty force of the sea-seeking river in its course, or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?

Each well-born soul must win what it deserves. Let the fool prate of luck.

The fortunate is he whose earnest purpose never swerves, whose slightest actions, or inaction serves the one great aim.

...Why, even Death stands still and waits an hour sometimes for such a will.

I just had to include this poem in here.

Everytime I read it, it just puffs my chest and makes me want to roar. Time and time again, whenever things are down, I read this poem and find myself inspired by it.

'Struggler'...A fitting label, no? For someone that consistently fights what is fated to be.

It's a little difficult to maintain this mentality, particulary in a chinese environment where people always say such things like:

"If its meant to be..."

"Leave it to fate..."

"Some things you can't control. It's all about timing."

Is it now? Such sheep, I scorn them. Yes, scorn them I do. Little do they realise that every choice we make, every step we take, every course we decide upon...these are not fated. God does not decide these things.

After all, did he not give us free will?

I realise that such thinking (which many label as arrogance), has often cast me aside from the mainsteam crowd. It is a lonely path, I will grant you this.

But one thing I will live with in my life in satisfaction.

I chose the road less traveled...

So I've been wanting to have a blog for a while now. Or to make it more precise, I have had a slew of blogs in the past that have all been left unattended, perhaps because I got tired of the setup or because of something else. But whatever it is, like a new year's resolution I am determined to keep and maintain this blog.

(Hopefully, unlike a new year's resolution, this won't die out in the first two weeks)

So, Huzzah for this new blog. It will be a method for me to keep track of my calories, my workout routines, my daily life, my rants, everything and anything.

And so, like a storybook, here goes nothing...