Foodprints: Ah Loy Thai

Foodprints is back! Comeback post on Thai food.

http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.sg/2013/01/ah-loy-thai.html

Beautiful Words

Just two weeks back, a friend said to me, "I am now seldom moved by what people write. I guess maybe I have turned cold after all these things."


I felt... sad, after hearing those words.


I always enjoyed writing. I believe that it clears the mind and allows me to express some of my inner thoughts that I probably  could not express as well if I had verbalised it. Writing frees me. It transport me to this world of my personal thoughts and allows me to see, reflect and express them. It represents emotions that may otherwise remain hidden. And most importantly, I strongly believe that words, or being able to choose the right kind of words to communicate my thoughts and emotions, is one hell of a personal endorphine high.


And words, beautiful words, can warm and lift a spirit. It is also those words that brings men to unimaginable emotion highs, unifies our fellow men to fulfill dreams, ideals and even war. Those powerful, beautiful words.


Maybe we are too caught up in the rat race. Maybe we are seeing witnessing less emotions. Maybe we are mastering the poker face too well. Maybe.... just maybe, we have turned less human.



Take some time. Write a note. Share your joy. Give praise. Love.

And maybe, just maybe, my friend will rediscover that warmth, that fluttering feeling in the heart when words like these are read.

Your Best Investment! - Yourself.

Been awhile since the last entry. Many exposure and thoughts these couple of days and I thought I should sought to crystalise them here.

The concept of investing in yourself is not unfamiliar to many but how many do really understand it fully. During a weekly meeting this month, the topic of discussion was financial investment and a couple of attendees mentioned that their priority is investing in themselves at the moment.

This intrigued me. The first time I was exposed to this idea was back in 2009 where I attended a seminar. "Invest in yourself first!" the facilitator would scream. "It's the only asset that will be with you, no matter what happens. Nobody can take that away from you." Wow. At that point, a revelation.

Investing in yourself as against investing in your business (business owners and self employed) is vastly different but yet easily overlapped (or confused). Investing in your business includes buying a car, hiring people, optimising processes, training staff, marketing, purchasing inventory, etc.

In my books, investing in yourself can be simply split into two categories: Improving yourself and Pampering yourself.

- Are you buying books every now and then?
- Are you attending seminars?
- Are you signing up for workshops?
- Are you always curious and asking for answers?
- Are you feeding yourself the right food?
- Are you exercising?
- Do you have a gym membership?
- Do you reward yourself?

While we need the creature comfort of life: good rich food, a massage perhaps, buying the bag that we always wanted, taking a holiday, etc, we still need to always seem to be improving. Always feels like taking a step forward as a person.

You know, sometimes when the stars align, you just have to enjoy the ride. Right after the said weekly meeting, we were back in office and a video was being shown as part of the video screening program in the office. The speaker was talking about Happiness and Pleasure.

Happiness as defined by the speaker is permanent. It trickles from the innate nature of us. We feel happy when we do something for our loved ones. We feel happy when we felt that we had made a difference to someone's life. We feel happy when we have acheived something.

Pleasure on the other hand gives us that sense of satisfaction in that particular time and place. Usually, it don't last as long as happiness. Eating a superb dinner, enjoying a session in the spa, buying that bag. These gives us instantaneous joy, but usually fleeting. 

Happiness creates lasting memory while Pleasure creates a good feeling. Don't get me wrong. Both are important, but what is your balance. And which one are you investing yourself in?

My Last GrandParent.

29.Dec. This date used to hold only one significant event in my life. Now it holds 2. The birth of my baby brother and the passing of my paternal grandmother. One's a beginning of a life chapter, the other a closing. Both mark the 'last', a sibling and a grandparent.


I was too young to know what was going on when both my paternal and maternal grandfathers passed on. I was first year in uni when my maternal granny passed on. During the wake, Sep 11 2001 happened. And now my paternal granny decided that we should count down with her for 2011.
I realised I look at death of a loved one very differently, at least compared to 10 years back.

"Family and friends, we gather here to grief... and celebrate the death of a great woman. My grandmother. We grief for the loss of her company and the chance to physically love her and hold her. But we are also here to celebrate. Celebrate 86 years of life well spent. My grandmother didn't grow up in the most cushy environment. Having gone through the war, bringing up a hoard load of kids and painstakingly going through the passing of her husband, three sons, one daughter-in-law and a grandchild.

Nevertheless she soldiered on.

I had the priviledge to go through her notes. Notes she made herself. Her innermost thoughts, and her documentation of signigicant events. Events like our weddings, her birthday celebrations and her favourite festival, Chinese New Year. Though her words were short, and simple, I could feel the love that flowed as she wrote the notes down.
What made me tear, she had Qingyou's wedding dates noted in it too. She sat through one, but unfortunately, she will miss the other one.

Her love and care, though sometimes shown as tough love nurtured her children and whom brought up the bunch of grandchildren, whom she is very fond, and proud of. Standing amongst us are teachers, professionals, engineers, financiers and many many more, whom in our own right and established ourselves and in some way or another added value to the people around us.

Isn't this a testimony of 86 years well spent?
So while we grief at the future love and comfort we would have given and received from her, let's at the same time celebrate her past 86 years. A lifetime well spent."

In 1986, my youngest brother was born. But throughout my almost 30 years of life, I had made many many good friends whom I call brothers. So in 2010, 29 Dec, comes the passing of my last Grandparent, I am consoled to know that I will, like the many brothers I made, have the fortune of having and meeting grandparents of life.

New Food Entries!

Nando's: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/10/nandos-bugis-junction.html

Suriya Curry House: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/11/suriya-curry-house.html

Prego: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/10/prego-again-fairmont-hotel.html

I know where I want to be.

Image Credit: Knockturn

I know where I want to be, do you?

Walk with me, will you?

Professor Brawn Cafe

Professor Brawn Cafe is also known as a social enterprise. They provide jobs, showcase talents and raise awareness for the special needs community.

Full post here: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/09/professor-brawn-cafe.html

V-Blog: Light is the new Awesome!

Drawing with light... the new awesome-ness!

V-Blog: Your map is not my map!

Classic example of assumption and imposing our map of the world on other's maps. Or just that the girl is exploiting what she learns in cognitive studies. :)

Happy video! Enjoy!

V-Blog: changing lives, creating jobs, fueling growth.

Singapore Mooncakes 2010

Mooncakes round-up.

Full post here: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/09/mooncakes-singapore-2010.html

Eden Sanctuary Floral Cafe

Wholesome, healthy and natural cuisine. Special Floral Cuisine.

Full post here: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/09/eden-sanctuary-floral-cafe.html

V-Blog: NDP 2011?

Amazing. I love the diagonal running part.

Food Prints: Tom's Palette Ice Cream

Full post here: http://eatreadlive-foodprint.blogspot.com/2010/09/toms-palette-ice-cream.html

V-Blog: If it's in the heart, your dream is still alive.

Another video that made me tear. How apt.

V-Blog: World's Greatest Dad

Dick and Rick Hoyt. World's greatest Dad. Team Hoyt.

This is worth your 10 minutes. Please watch it. This is the third time that I watched it and it still stirred emotions up in me. The display of the immensity of a father's love is beyond anything imaginable until you had seen it yourself.

This is another moment of awwww... inspiration at its purest.

V-Blog: What is success?

What is success? The secret to happiness is how you define the terms that you use. Today we talk about, success.

Happy Teacher's Day. John Wooden talks about success and his inspiration from poetry and his father's wisdom.

This especially caught me eye (ears):

No written word, no spoken plea,
Can teach our youth what they should be, 
Nor all the books on all the shelves, 
It’s what the teachers are themselves.

Beautiful isn't it?

V-Blog: Think, When you were a kid...

Isn't it amazing that the things we did as kids are the boldest, purest and most imaginative? We were once fearless and the courage to dream big, to fantasize. So, did we become more realistic or are we setting our own barriers to success as we grow older?

Touch base with the younger you again. You may discover more than what you thought you had. :)

Balancing Act.

Currently, I am in a situation where I identified the paths but undecided on which to choose. For the past half a year or so, I had experienced two seemingly similar environments but yet they are worlds apart. And through this period, I had discovered a lot more about myself.


I find joy in interacting with the students.
I find satisfaction seeing them grow.
I am filled with pride when they attain enlightenment on things.
The feeling of having added value (or dis-value, and so a negative eg) to someone was the key driving force in living to the fullest.


But while doing all this, I cannot live my conscience intact while doing magic to meet requirements. I can see why, but I do not agree to it.


And then I became realistic. It is a classic case of “You won’t know until you done it yourself.” I remember bitching back in hall that how come the younger generations just had to go through the path that we had done, and learning the same lessons all over again. While in the later stage, we did conclude “This is the only way that they will learn. At a low cost.” And so now I am, walking down the same path. And I learnt. Luckily, at a low cost.


Well, I did gain something more than just uncovering the little bits in me. The whole process had given me the motivation to push new frontiers. Places I never had thought of in my entire life. Borders which I solemnly kept to be safe, and thoughts I never even entertained before this. I just wanted to be safe, previously. And now, I am eager to go. Even to the extent of taking the leap.of.faith. “It is now or (probably) never!” screams my bestie. And he is right.


Now, I had narrowed things down to typically two paths. Incidentally (and very proudly, so) they stem from the same intent and basis of adding value to people’s life. Simplicity in reason had ironically, led to complexity in decision.


Option A: The chance to carry on the legacy and at the same time, able to pursue and further develop the passion. The potential is great. And with another joining the fray, it would go beyond the level 1 that it is at now. Is it a long term prospect? It could be.


Option B: A unique opportunity. The invitation was given since a year back. Impressed by the plan and all, and intrigued by the possibilities. The confidence and insistence of the maestro in the plan is impressive, though somewhat undeserving for someone like me who had no track records.


Simply put, I will enjoy both options immensely. The long chat had given some visibility to both ways and both still tilts evenly on the balance.


“Go with your heart!” But both are from the heart! So how now brown cow?


The wife had been very supportive. Her willingness to take care of the backyard had indeed made my internal struggle much easier. So too, my parents’ and family’s support had been massive. At least I have the luxury of only fighting one war. And I am immensely grateful for that.


I realize things get clearer as I talk in depth with people. The refinement of thoughts comes with conversation. How true.


Crystallise my thoughts, anyone?

V-Blog: It's my choice!

Another video that touched me. This reminds me of the story of Nick Vujicic, the author of "No arms, no legs, no worries." Another demonstration of the human will and the power of belief.

Perception. And how they will shape you. The simple, yet powerful "You are no different from others." from his mum simply shaped his life. Don't you love it when you learn of the stories of these heroes of life?

Many many quotable quotes here too. And coincidentally we are in the midst of YOG Singapore 2010. The true Olympic spirit shines through here.

"It is my hobby; my passion. Whatever I want to do, I have to do it till the end." - Do whatever it takes to reach your goal.

"I think that in my life, there are only 2 paths. Either I die quickly, or I live my life splendidly." - Make a choice. It's your choice and nobody's else can decide for you. Grab the power of this choice and use it to realise your greatest potential.

"No one stipulated that the piano must be played by hands." - The only limits are the limits you set for yourself.

"A real talent uses life to demonstrate his potential." -Embrace life, Enjoy it. 

Be the Olympian of Life.