A Prayer

A Prayer that I need to remember (adapted from Paulo Coelho-Like the Flowing River).

Dear God, protetect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. An in order for this to be possible .....

God, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be a way choose between one road and another. Many our YES always be a YES, and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible .....

God, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be result of the very best that we carry within us. may we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible...

God, protect our dream, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible ....

God, give us enthusiasm, because enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the heavens and to Earth, to grownups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally commutted to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible ....

God, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory. Amen.

Angel & Devil

hah ... this little punk really make me want to crying out loud, my goodness ! This one little punk, it was this little kid, who always hang out in my cafe doing nothing other that bullying me around. This little punk will drop by after his tution class and always ask for a glass of cold water before rush off to catch the school bus. And he was on to me, this kid. This relentless child would come and sit by the counter every day and demand, "Lucky ... what is this, what is that ? You should smile more ! Lucky .. can I have a glass of water please. Do you have a boyfriend ? You should wear more pink colour. You should tie you hair like this and that ? and every each and single of personal question ....

I was like back of kid ! What are you - my angel or devil ?

Every day I would try to smile at him kindly and send him away with a polite gesture, but he wouldn't quit until he got a rise out me. And inevitably, he always got a rise out of me. I remember bursting out at him once, "Hello kid, you nasty little punk, I know what I'm doing - now go Away ! He ran away laughing. Every day, after he'd gotten me to respond, he would always run away laughing. I'd usually end up laughing, too, once he was out of sight. I dreaded this persky kid and looked forward to him in equal measure. He was my only comedic break during a really tough day.

Saint Anthony once wrote having gone into desert on silent retreat and being assaulted by all manner of visions - devils and angels, both. He said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils. When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left your company. If you are appalled, he said, then it was a devil who had visited you. If you feel lightened, it was an angel. I think I know what that little punk was, who always got a laugh out of me.

I guess that so many people came in and out of our life. If that somebody make me want to became a better person than you are my darling Angles ....

Like the Flowing River

This is one of my favourite email from Prof, I’ll just post it here as it is !

The Great Yangtze River, China flows to the Pacific Ocean passing Himalayas as a source at 5000km. The meltwater of Himalayas becomes springwater a forms a small lake.
Though it is a river like the baby, it advances in a China continent by a faltering step.

As for the river water, it doesn't understand where to go first.
It never halts though it staggers. As for water, it doesn't know how to be used though it doesn't know where to be going to flow in the future. A lot of brooks are taken while it advances in a Chinese continent and, in addition, it grows up.
It is the same as in our life. It advances without halting when the baby grows up.
It leaves, it doesn't take a rest, and it keeps flowing when the direction of the flow at which my life should aim is found. The necessary one is the one found the destination ahead if leaving.
We grow up while flowing. All of us were given right at birth to start the journey of life to flow like a river.

The success is neither tomorrow nor next year.
The future, no one is 100% predictable.
The success is NOW. The journey to success will never end.
The success is to grow up while flowing every day.

The following three appears when luck comes ….
1. It can be actually felt to have grown up tremendously because it keeps flowing.
2. The difficulty and the trouble can be overcome, and stoutness be actually felt.
3. Luck can be given to the surrounding, and it can be actually felt that gratitude is expressed.

Hmmm… felt like to transport myself to Guilin and take the Li River scenic journey, but in the mean time I’m reading “Like the Flowing River” - a collection of reflections from Paulo Coelho.

A Poison Tree

A few points to ponder ......

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret

(Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914, American author and critic)

In Germany they say, 'write an angry letter - but don't send it'

A Poison Tree

I was angry with my friend :

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,

Night and morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine.

And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

by William Blake (1757 - 1827 - London, England)

Boleh Burger !

We need to create the Kids Menu for the weekends special. I suggested the Hamburger ! for the kids. Every kids love Hamburger .The story of Hamburger begins in October 1885, near the small town of Seymour, Wisconsin. A friendly and outgoing fifteen year old boy named Charlie Nagreen was driving his family’s ox cart down a dirt road amid wide open field. Charlie was going to Outgamie Countty’s first annual fair, where he wanted to earn some extra money selling meatballs. What happened next was the unlikely origin of a delicious sandwich that one day change the world.

As Charlie sold meatballs at the fair, he noticed that customers had trouble eating the and strolling at the same time. People were impatient. They wanted to visit Mr. John Bull’s popular beehives (encased in glass), to see the fancy new harvesting machines, and to enjoy all the other thrilling attractions at the fair. They didn’t want to waste time eating meatballs. Charlie suddenly had an idea: if he squashed the meatballs and put them between two slices of bread, people could walk and eat. And so Charlie invented the hamburger.

German immigrants lived in Charlie’s hometown of Hortonville, Wisconsin, and he later claimed that the new sandwich was named after the German town of Hamburg, long famous for its ground beef steaks. Charlie continued selling burgers at the Outagamie County Fair until 1951. By then he was an old man who liked to sing this rhyme while flipping burgers on the grill :

Hamburgers, hamburgers, hamburgers hot !
Onion in the middle, pickle on top
Makes your lips go flippity flop.

That the story of world famous food ! So we want to make our hamburger a wholesome and nutritious for the kids so we add up with a lots of mince vegetable and we are using the bun mixed with a lots of pumpkin seeds. Also, the size is small for the kids decorated with Malaysia Flag on Top !

And …. we named it Boleh Burger (literally translated as Yes You Can Burger). Taken inspiration from Mr Obama and Tun Mahathir. Yes you can do it !

Spoilt Brat !

Kids - Excuse me, do you have a caramel latte combo with decaf mocha and please put a whipped cream with the vanilla toppings in regular please.

Me - I'm sorry we only have the regular latte with whipped cream, is that ok with you.

My goodness, being a small cafe we can't afford to have so many choices for out customer. Our coffee is regular hot / ice with or without milk. However we proud that our coffee of special house blended our original brand.

It used to be if you wanted a cup of coffee that's what you asked for and that's what you got. But being in a 1990s the commercialization of coffee, offered choices that we never have before - espresso, latte, caramel latte, breve, macchiato, mocha, espresso mocha, black forest mocha, americano, and goodness knows what else - in different sizes.

The abudance of choice not only makes every transaction take ten times as long as it ought to, but in a strange way actually breds dissatisfaction. The more there is, the more people crave, and the more they crave, the more they, well, crave more. We become among millions and millions of people needing more and more of everything, constantly, infinitely, unquenchably. We appear to have created a society in which the principal activity is grazing through retail establishments looking for things - textures, shapes, flavours - not before encountered.

What do you want anyway ? A coffee that taste like vanilla shakes ? Gosh .....

Cheerleader !

Hip Hip Horay ! Yes you can ! Go ! go ! It's OK it's Alright ! Come on Dragon !

Fight ! Fight ! Fight !

I'm now at Little Dragon place doing the cheering for her. She a little bit depressed nowadays so my inner diva kicks in. I grab a pom pom and now jumping up and down and trying to acrobatic split to cheer her up. Thank god that Yoga class help a bit !

Everybody need a cheerleader. When one of us a little bit stress up we call up each other to cheer each other up. That what a true friend are for right !

In every game there will be a tem of cheering to support the sportsmen to win a match. Strong cheering can give that extra push that is necessary to win a game. It will lift their spirits to keep their focus. We all need the cheering from time to time to keep our focus.

I guess that happiness is the most important thing in this life. If you are not happy you are no use to anyone else. Look, no one is happy all the time but if you are at least in the pursuit of happiness then that is what ultimately will make you appealling to people that not only wants to stick around but also fun to be with. The point is you have to figure out how to be happy no matter what the cost. It will come from the tiny victories and the big goals. That's why you need a good cheering to uplift you spirit !

Lool like Little Dragon back to her normal self and we are now eating a bucket of vanilla ice cream after my acrobatic cheering. Hip ! Hip ! Hurray ! In the pursuit of happiness !!!

Roaring Tiger !

I'm soo flat down ...... exhausted ! We were so very busy during Chinese New Year Holiday. This year Chinese New Year fall on 14th Feb. While most of the Chinese restaurant is close for holiday we open our cafe as this is the opportunity to generate double income ! Furthermore, most of our customer is the expatriate in Bangsar and during the holiday is the time for them to hang out to catch out with few friends in our cafe.

2010 is Tiger Year for Chinese. The year of metal element, Chinese called is the year of White Tiger. Well, looks like the Year of the Tiger is a year for goal achievements because of the assertive characteristic of the Tiger.

According to Chinese Feng Shui this year, the industries which would do well are those related to wood, water and fire, while earth and metal industries would face challenges.

Wood industries are those related to education, agriculture, forestry, horticulture, paper and pulp industry as well as furniture. Water industries are those related to river management , fisheries , shipping lines, travel and communications. Meanwhile, industries related to energy source, charitable activities, healthcare, hospitals, religion and unconventional businesses are classified as fire industries.

Metal industries are those related to finance (banking, wealth management, currencies and mint), shipyard, scrap metal and weapons.

Industries related to property, building infrastructure, spas, insurance and trust are classified as Earth industries.

Hmm ... we are in the Food Industry which I believe is the Fire Element as it provide the source of energy. Look like it will be a good year for us. Roaring Tiger !!!

HOMERUN & STRIKEOUT

Busy as bee..... January is a busy month for all of us. We tried everthing we can to bid for a tender with the Ministry ofTourism to supply our desserts for their events. Unfortunately we unable to get it due to stiff competition. Well as everybody not in their cheerful moods, I kept busy with the daily operation to balance the checkbook. Pretty occupied these days, hardly to read an email from Prof. But ! still remembered one of his interesting remarks ....

LIFE IS A GAME. It is normal to make mistakes. The difference between success and failure os being able to learn fro our mistakes to become more discerning. If you want to hit HOMERUN, the chances of STRIKEOUT goes up dramatically. If you want to run fast, then your chances os falling also increase. The secret of success is to get up and keep going. You can do it. Once it happens, you will look back and realize that it happened at the right time for you.

Well even though we unable to secure the tender but we learn a lot from it. So we strategize for the next coming. Hopefully this time we can hit HOMERUN !

1110

Happy New Year !!!

Last night we ended 2009 and welcome the New Year and the new begining today. Scientifically the New Year can be described as the earth had completed the circle around the sun in 365 days and will start the journey again today. Opted out from all the party, I dragged Little Dragon to spend a quite time to say goodbye to 2009 by watching the Blue Moon.

Once in a Blue Moon ..... . A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. This year's eve are very rare, occuring every 19 years. The last time was 1990; the next time won't come again until 2028. I got this tips beforehand from James in the Astronomy Club.

Luckily enough the sky was so clear after the rain in the evening and we actually can see the moon with the faint blue in colour. So farewell 2009 and welcome 2010 with the new resolution.

Appreciate the present time but don't ever forget to dream of tommorow for the better.

Merry X'mas

Hello everybody !!!

It's X'mas. Have to get a headstart today as this year X'mas is my turn to cook for the CREWS !

Wondering what will be their comment on my beef stew. Need to rush to market early morning now to get some other fresh ingredients as this bunch of people have a highly trained palate with no tolerence for commercially manufactured packed in the box stuff. Everthing need to be fresh and cooked from the scratch. Ok catch with you all later ya ...

So, wishing you all happiness and be merry from sunny Malaysia.

lucky lucky

GAIA

Eyes of the world are on you ! COP 15 (UN Conference on climate change) marked the defining moment in history when all the leader in the world get together to broker “the most complex and ambitious ever to be undertaken by the world community”. The summit aims at sealing national pledges to curb the heat-trapping carbon gases wreaking havoc with Earth's climate system, and set up a mechanism to provide billions of dollars for poor countries facing worsening drought, flood, storms and rising seas. Unfortunately, at the end of the summit the NO DEAL agreement was adopted as Copenhagen Accord. Greenpeace quoted the summit as Floppenhagen !

The situation was that everybody pointing finger and blaming each other

Rich country A to Rich county B : You go first, tell them how much money you can give ?

Rich country B: No ! you go first ! You the biggest polluter. You have to take the responsibility!

Developing country: Hey people we are all in the same boat. It will sink fast ! Yes we want to take some action but we need the fund ! Show me the money!

Poor country: Please agreed on something, whatever it is so we can move forward !

Despite all this, the summit raised the interest of civil society, 60,000 people from NGO, Activist, volunteers come together to act. 100,000 people marches together and plead to push for the right deal. This movements creates the biggest campaign for social behaviour to change, people power will move political power. The clock is ticking !!! Time is running out !!! The positive outcome is that more and more people stand and act together and desperate for a solution. The time to act is now !

My plead is

Dear Leader of the World

There are lots of good brains out there. Please utilize this and act together to create solution. Put aside the selfish national interest. Stop talking Start Acting !!!

By Lucky

Dear citizen of the world
Let’s act together to save our beautiful planet as I heard is not going to be as much fun to live on MARS !

Leftover Turkey

Me and Aunt was invited for a Thanksgiving Dinner organized by Madam Betty, the charming American lady who had been living here in Malaysia for more over than 20 years. Americans love Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general.

The traditional Thanksgiving menu often features turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. What we get at Aunty Betty Thanksgiving dinner is exactly as per mention. Being true American she roasted a big, fat, American Thanksgiving Turkey. The turkey was enormous, the stuffing and everything, and the lovely pumpkin pie. Looking forward to the end !

Aunt Betty start the toast and the feast begin. Soon after we followed a nice American custom by joining hands and in each in turn saying what we are most grateful for.

Aunt Betty starts saying she is grateful being here in Malaysia, the food, the culture, the people here had taken good care of her for more over than 20 years. My Aunty saying she grateful that she’s surrounded by old and new friends that had been supporting her, she thanks Aunt Betty for how warmly she has taken care of her through difficult times.

When it comes my turn to speak, I begin with a simple Thank You.
I’m grateful to be mostly tonight. Grateful that I surrounded by loving people, and pray to God that I’ll have more many many occasion that I’ll be able to Thank You from now onwards.

After a lovely dinner Aunt Betty insisted that we packed back the leftover turkey for breakfast tommorow. Hardly say No to Aunt Betty, we packed back a considerable amount of the leftover !

This morning I wake up figuring what to do with the Leftover Turkey. Turkey Sandwich, Turkey salad or may be Turkey soup. Above all I need to think of the strategy on how to persuade Aunt Betty to give to me her delicious pumpkin pie recipe. Mission Impossible begin !

Pickle

The pair of blue eyes came again to the café.
Hi there ! can I have the curry rice please, with extra pickles ! umm… sure. (Wow, this guy like pickle so much, actually they are my favourite too !). My heart is fluttering, it is his eyes that captivate me. They are deep blue and they twinkle. I stare at him hypnotised. Oh dear. I think I am falling in love. I come over all light-headed. I do hope I don’t faint. Sigh ….. since I haven’t got the guts to ask his name I’ll be calling him pickle !

Speaking of Pickle, Asian really obsessed with pickle. Most Asian dishes will have pickle with rice as side dishes, and sometimes with drinks as snack. The most common kinds a pickled in salt or brine. White radishes, turnip, cucumber and Chinese cabbage are among favourite to be eaten with rice as an accompaniment to a meal. Ginger is used between dishes of sushi to cleanse the palate. Pickle is often served with Japanese Curry. Pickling was one of the fundamental ways to preserve foods. Typically, all that’s needed to make pickle is a container, salt, and something to apply pressure on top of the pickle.

The most popular pickle in the world is Korean Kimchi. It is national obsession. It is madness, you can have Kimchi everywhere. The Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul has documented 187 historic and current varieties of kimchi. Kimchi is so ubiquitous that the Korea Aerospace Research Institute developed space Kimchi to accompany the first Korean astronaut to the Russian-manned space ship Soyuz.

Kimchi is very spicy and can also be exceptionally sweet. Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories. One serving also provides up to 80% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and carotene. Most types of kimchi contain onions, garlic and peppers, all of which salutary. The vegetables being made into kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in Vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium and iron, and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria.

The magazine Health named kimchi in its list of top five “World’s Healthiest Foods” for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possible reducing cancer growth.

I really like any type of pickle. I like cucumber and gerkhin pickle in burgers, Japanese garlic pickle with sushi, the Indian pickle Achar with curry and of course Kimchi. I need to make a trip to Ampang (the Korean Town in KL) to buy the home-made Kimchi from the lovely Korean lady. Anyong ha seyoo… Kimchi Issoyoo ? Kamsahamnidaa …..

Tonight dinner will be the fiery Kimchi Stew to boost up my immunity. Kimchi Power !

Open Sesame !

Open Sesame ! The Magic words that open the treasure cave in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

The sesame seed has a long history in Eastern cuisines. In Asia you can find sesame in almost every cuisine, sesame seeds added to bread, baked into crackers, sprinkled onto sushi and salads. Sesame soup, sesame paste called Tahini, Sesame is so versatile ! I like the Japanese Goma-tofu (tofu blend with sesame paste), it’s so tasty !

Chinese cuisine like to used sesame oil in their dishes, you can have a delicious dim sum & sesame seeds balls. Most of the Korean cuisine used Sesame to marinate meat and vegetables. Sesame everywhere !

Women of ancient Babylon would eat halva, a mixture of honey and sesame seeds to prolong youth and beauty. It represents a symbol of immortality. External beauty Cleopatra secrets lies in the tiny little seeds of sesame!

Indian Ayurveda use sesame oil for massage and health treatments of the body. Ayurveda views sesame oil as the most viscous of the plant oils and believes it may pacify the health problems associated with Vata aggravation.

The mighty power in sesame, the seeds contains a nutrious emollient oil, all the while being very low in carbohydrate. They are extremely high in iron, calcium, manganese and copper. They contain the vitamins B1 and E and lignans, estrogen-like chemical that have skin plumping and anti oxidant effects.
Prof. recommended we should take at least 60 mg of Sesamin (the mighty molecule in sesame) daily.The unique content of Sesamin which are antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Sesame seeds also contain phytosterols associated with reduced levels of blood cholesterol.

1 sesame seed contains 1% of sesamin means we should take equivalent to 6000 sesame seed daily ! Wow!

My confession of the day, actually I’m addicted to Black Sesame Ice-cream. Invented by Japanese I believed so. Should I eat it every day to fulfill the daily intake requirement as suggested by Professor ???

My pleasure … hmm … yummy

Hakuna Matata !

Dearest Lucky ….

Don’t worry be happy !

The simplest message I got from Prof. Simple but very true. It is something that we sometimes forget. Oftentimes we worried about the every single detail in our daily life routine. Worries bring misfortune. The only way to bring out the luck in your life is not to worries, when you have a road block try to recompose yourself and find a solution. Take a detour.

Sometimes we were tired. Really tired. Tired of trying. Tired of giving things your all. We wanted to stop racing round like a nutter trying to do everything and getting nowhere fast. We wanted to just stop and do a whole big hunk of nothing. We always have our schedule, to do list and everything. It took a long time and much effort to go where it is, and we organize ourselves as best as we can; it isn’t ideal, but we rub along.

Yeah ! bad thing happens and you can’t do anything about it – but you got to put the past behind you. Give your best shot. No matter how hard things get …. No matter how fed up you are …. Make sure you don’t give up.

Hey buddy ! Always believe that there is a force that will make you happy.
Hakuna Matata ! It’s means no worries for the rest of your day. Hakuna Matata ….., it’s a problem free philosophy. Hakuna Matata !

I need to see the lion king again today ! See you later !

RAIN

It’s rain heavily today from morning until now. In Malaysia we have only 2 season, dry and rainy season. Now we are entering a rainy season where you’ll have rain most of the day. Compared to bright sunny day, rainy day is always associated with sadness, like the whole world crying with you. Many song lyrics is written on the event of rain to reflect sadness … such as this …. So sad …..

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain

Telling me just what a fool I've been

I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain

And let me be alone again

The only girl I care about has gone away

Looking for a brand new start

But little does she know

That when she left that day

Along with her she took my heart

Rain please tell me now does that seem fair

For her to steal my heart away when she don't care

I can't love another when my hearts somewhere far away ......

But for me rain is the blessing, there will be always something new after the rain. The most delicious mushroom will sprout after the rain! And the grass seems greener after the rain. The sky will be brighter too ...

The customer in the café is very less due to the heavy rain from the morning and my thought wandering what should I cook for dinner tonight. Suddenly I was interrupted by the pair of blue eyes! I gaze into his radiant blue eyes …..

Excuse me. Would you mind if I borrow your umbrella! I’m running for the meeting. I’ll return it tomorrow. By the way, I really like the curry rice. I think it’s one of the best !
Me : Thanks …ok, go ahead. (Damn! the cat get my tongue ! sigh! )

The pair of blue eyes ! Shall we meet again tomorrow…

hmm ..... the best thing to do on a rainy day is sipping a hot chocolate and listen to the music. My favourite song on a rainy day by BJ Thomas.

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red

Cryin's not for me'

Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'

Because I'm free

Nothin's worryin' me

It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me ……

Dream Catcher

Dream, when you’re feeling blue. Dream, that’s the thing to do. Just watch the smoke rings rise in the air. You’ll find your share of memories there. So Dream when the day is through. Dream, and they might come true. Things never are as bad as they seem. So dream, dream, dream …..
JOHNNY MERCER (1944)

Dream ! wow …. We often asked little kids what is you dream ? What you want to be when you grow up. Surely you’ll get an immediate answer, I want to be a Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, Business Owner and so on. But, have you ever recently asked to yourself what is your dream ? Do you have a dream ? Or are you forgotten what was your dream as you go through your busy daily schedule ? Or do you have a stack of memories in the past that exceed you dream ?

Imagination is more important than knowledge. – Albert Einstein

Dream make you look forward not back. Let us measure ourselves by looking at this point of view, you are in trouble when you tell me how good you are in the past. Yes you don’t want to forget your achievement and I’m glad, but that was then and this is now. When memories exceed dreams, the end is near. The bottom line is are you willing to abandon what made it successful and start fresh.

Of course there were bad memories that we had gone through that create fear and paranoia. You got cheated and manipulated by your trusted partner. But there is a fine line between precaution and paranoia, oftentimes we crossed it by shutting the door to an opportunity because of bad experience. We need more dreams, naivete and optimism to shed those fear. It is the one that help keep the world spinning on its axis.

Analyst have always tended to measure a society by classical economic and social statistics: its deficit-to-GDP ratio, or its unemployment rate, or the literacy among its adult women. Malaysia under Najib’s Administration had introduced the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) on government and corporate sector. Such statistics are important and revealing. But there is another statistic, much harder to measure, that I think is even more important and revealing. Does your society have more memories that dream or more dreams than memories ?

In societies that have more memories that dreams, too many people spending too many day looking backward. If we stop our mind to create “dream factory”, we will make the world not only a darker place but also a poorer place. So let’s start focus to create more dreams rather than cling to the past memories, imagining a better future and acting on that.

My dream is to work on the conservation project but, I know the Conservation without money is only Conversation ! I believe this dream make me work harder to contribute the money I earned for the cause of it. Hmm..... Where did I put the Dream Catcher earrings, I need to wear it to catch more dream and start acting on it !

Lucky Virgin

Hmm… I tried to bake the cream puff for the second time after my first successful attempt the other day. The first time I tried it come out perfectly fluffy. It was crunchy outside and soft inside. I’m very proud of myself. Well done !
Then I try it again today ….but HORROR ! It came out flat like the flying saucer. Even kodomo chan, our beloved Rottweiler don’t want to take a bite of it. Why ?? I’m very angry and frustrated, I’m very sure I used the same ingredients with exactly the same recipe.

Take a deep breath and try to figure out what wrong with it. The first time you try something new you will surely success. The Beginner Luck (Lucky Virgin). In the Alchemist, Paulo Coelho describes a principle of ‘favourability’. He says : “When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner’s luck … because there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny: it whets your appetite with a taste of success.
Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victors being severely tested.

The Second attempt, it will be a disaster. The failure served to test your persistence. There is a hidden force whose duty is to test people through all sorts of discouraging experiences. Those who pick up the defeat and keep on trying, arrive and then the world cries ‘Bravo ! I knew you could do it !' The hidden force lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the Persistence Test.

So, I arrange everything in order and start again. Precisely measure the ingredients and follow step by step through the recipe. Yes, this time it came out as par to the standard. Pretty Good ! Although not perfect, but I’m quite satisfied.

Cream Puff was originally from France. In French it’s called Choux a la Crème. Choux is a cabbage in French. It because the outside crust resembled a cabbage! The outside of it was crispy yet curiously tender, and you need the perfect custard cream and layer of whipped cream for the filling, the cream would burst inside the mouth when you bit into them. They were just heavenly delicious to me.

I know to bake the perfect cream puff will takes a years of practice. I need to pass the persistence test to make it perfect. Aunty had been baking this for many years. That is why the Cream Puff is our no. 1 bestseller dessert in our café. Come and give it a try !

Oracle

Oh my God ! what am I thinking. How can I let Little Dragon put me into this. I’m in the room with fortune-teller and he is reading my destiny. It like in the Matrix when Neo met the Great Oracle. You in the right path of your life ….. so on and on ….

Little Dragon become very spiritual nowadays, a great believer in karma and stick to the practices religiously. In Asia superstition is still very much part of everyday life. Astrology, chiromancy, the art of reading the future in a person’s face or the sole of his feet or the tea leaves in his cup, play a very substantial role in the life of people and in public affairs, as do the practices of healers, shamans and the master feng-shui, the cosmic geometry. The name to give a child, the purchase of a field, the sale of a portfolio of shares, the repair of a roof, the date of a departure or a declaration of war, are governed by criteria that have nothing to do with logic. Those criteria determine how millions of marriages are arranged, how thousands of buildings are planned and constructed. Political decisions which affect whole populations are based on the advice is individuals expect in consulting the occult.

Fortune teller, shamans, bomoh, they all came in shapes and sizes. Many of the fortune-tellers were just colourful characters, the Sifu I’m seeing right now really surprise me. I’m kind of imagine him as a Buddhist Monk in a traditional orange robe but not! He really cool ! kind of fun loving guy but when he got down to business he was truly remarkable, an unusual psychic gift that enabled him to read other people’s mind. He left me wondering if indeed he had an extra sense. Is it possible ?

People have always searched for the meaning of life, trying to comprehend its mystery and find a key to the future, and to influence their fate. That is why the East, with its aura of exoticism, has again become a source of inspiration for many people, who look to Eastern religions and practices for the answers they no longer seem to find in schools. More that the great philosophers of the home-grown variety, Oriental mysticism, Buddhism and Asian gurus seem to be able to help those who want to escape the prison of consumerism, the bombardment of advertising, the dictatorship of television.

I find fortune teller prophecy is kind of interesting, chance to learn about the different ways in which people seek this kind of advice, to explore new paths of knowledge, to look into the mysterious world of intuition and suggestion that so often beckons to us but is seldom taken seriously. To be part of the ‘mysterious East’ is kind of cool to me. It offered something that can’t be explain in facts & figures. Perhaps in this world not all the problems are supposed to be solved by science alone. People are more perplexed that ever about their destiny and look for solace, understanding, friendship and hope wherever they can find it.

Anyhow in every possible way, the best is yet to come! by Sifu to Lucky.