Marking the passing of time...

Another half hour or so and 2007 will be no more. The new year beckons with new hopes and promises. As I sit here in front of the new wide screen LCD watching a concert telecast live, I can't help but wonder, where have I been and where am I going ? Blergghh, too deep that it gave me a headache.

2007 has been a year littered with personal markers the most significant of which being the fact that I forgo the safe and secure salaried life to delve into the commercial world. It was and still is a scary proposition. Why did I do it ? There was a push factor, there was a pull factor and then there was also a bit of escapism thrown in for good measure. All three factors contributed to the change.

It has been a quarter year and I am still grappling for a secure foothold. Hopefully 2008 will see me finding that secure footing. What else ? Hmmm, 2007 has also shown me how unpleasant it was to be the object of an obsession. The bitterness of unwanted adulation and attention.

My plan to write is still on hold - even the update of this blog is sporadic. My photography is also on hold. There just isn't the luxury of time to indulge. On a positive note, I did manage to sweat a bit more, though the mountain bikes are still gathering dust.

Farewell gift from 2007

Woman drivers.... what can I say ? My dear wife says that the gate post came at her too fast that she did not have time to react. The gate post is definitely to blame !!! Luckily no one, especially the kids were hurt in this mishap. Oh, and she is definitely not getting the keys to the GTI...

Temporary measures to take it to Ah Chiew's workshop in Subang Jaya. Nice guy Ah Chiew, good workmanship and reasonable price. He repaired the bumper, replaced the grill and painted the thing for RM1,000.00. A new bumper from Honda would cost twice as much, to seek one from the cut shop is nigh impossible as its a relatively new model.

From there to here

This photo was taken in 1984 if I am not mistaken. The year when I decided to leave Malaysia in pursue of a career travelling the world with a salary that has no limits - yeah right, great advertising by MISC. Originally there were 23 of us but only 18 completed the one year course and sailed as cadets. Now there are only a handful left at sea.

Maybe one of these days I'll run down a list. Would be interesting to dredge up the old memory and see where it leads.

Can you guess which is me ?

That is what I looked like more than two decades ago.

It has been good nonetheless.

Picture courtesy of Petra and his new Nikon D300 + Nikkor 18 - 135mm. I love the tone it produces, if only I have the time to use it....

Got the time....

...but not the words nor the pictures to post up here. So much going on, so much to ponder yet so little time to translate it all from mere thoughts to words.

May the new year be a better one for all of us.

Back to basics

Recently I had the opportunity to impart some basic navigation knowledge to a group of seafarers on Mahsuri's island of legends. A diverse muddling of men with the need to acquire a piece of paper officiating them as legal seafarers. Ironic when you realise that they spent most of their breathing moments with the sea yet somehow all those experiences does not count - a piece of paper does.

45 men registered with 43 turning up. From late teens up to those reaching their 6th decade. Some can't read, some can't see (but refused to wear glasses), some can't speak proper English or Malay and one who came in an "S 320". It was challenging, yet their enthusiasm carried the class on till past midnight. Imagine two days to teach buoyage systems, rules of the road, basic chartwork, first aid, safety, seamanship, stability with a touch of Malaysian law.

6 of them failed the mandatory oral exam. I am sure, not for lack of knowledge but either the inability to express themselves or becoming overly nervous when facing the examiner. They should be able to re-sit the oral exam with a nominal fee. Good luck guys.

Some macros...

Some shots culled from last month.

Taking responsibility for yourself...

Phew, things have been so hectic that I have had to ignore my blogs. I did not even have the luxury of taking photos. Missed quite a few photo op, Penang, Langkawi, Melaka not to mention the numerous eating places and glorious food that I gorged on. The camera was there, yet the situation does not permit...

In the middle of this, a little bird whispered to me saying that people thought I have changed and am no longer the person I was before. That friendship to me is a tool to move forward, once used to be left behind if not discarded. Then it flew away before I could ask what the @3#@^?* this is all about. Lucky it did or it might end up stuffed and hanging on a wall somewhere...

This post is not a defence, just a little rant to give my side of the story. Not specifically for you but for me, perhaps in time to come I would look back to this and learn a thing or two. First and foremost, everything changes, even time. There is no reverse. You age, you wrinkle and you die. Its a human fact. With that progression, other things change too. I weigh a bit more, my hair is beginning to have speckles of white in it, I can't eat as much and I sleep less. So, yes, I have changed. But that statement about friendship being a tool is something that I definitely cannot accept. I have been used as a tool but I have and never will be a user. If that is what you thought of me, I am sorry, not for you but for myself. Its sad to think that people I accepted as friends thinking of me that way.

Anyway, you might ask, what has this little rant got to do with the title ? Well, in a round about way, what I am trying to say is that, we should each look at ourselves first, examine our actions and habits before we point fingers and start saying so and so is a snob, so and so is getting arrogant, you get the drift.

Finally, I am still here (errr, in Malaysia...for now) so call me. If I don't answer, SMS and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Otherwise lets just get on with our lives and see if time will bring us back together.