The Path of Time

Greg had an out-of-state business meeting for a few days at the end of the week. Greg is the country coordinator for his company's marketing division, so traveling around the country is very much 60% of his work time. Since this year, Greg hadn't had much time with his wife, Sue and she wanted a break from the kids for a few days, she followed Greg on this business trip.  They left the kids with their usual babysitter. A very reliable one they have been hiring for a couple of years now to look after his son and daughter. The trip was supposed to be from the Thursday to Sunday that week. The meeting did not go so well and Greg had to prepare some paperwork to report on the unfortunate outcomes of the meeting so Greg decided to leave for home a day earlier.  Plane touched down on the local airport, Greg and Sue checked out their luggages and drive for home. Nearing their neighbourhood, they suddenly saw a lot of smoke coming from a few blocks away. Greg makes a turn for that dire

Caroline graduated with a degree in medical and secured an above average paying job in one of the most renown hospital in the city. She eventually scored a high profile heart operation on one of the country's richest entrepreneurs. Caroline was never lacking in medical cases and she was always busy.  At 28 years of age, Caroline married to an every-girl's-dream-guy, Mason - handsome, toned body, well mannered, respected his woman type-of-guy architect. Friends and family had only one thing to say to those two love birds - match made in heaven!  4 years down the road, Caroline and Mason had their first son, Tom. Becoming a parent was anything but easy, especially for first time parents like Caroline and Mason. Everyday was a rush for either one of them to get off work to fetch Tom from Mason's parent's because Caroline's parents were from out of state and Mason's played an active role in a charitable organisation and could not take care of Tom anytime after 6 o&#

The Piggy Bank, from the eyes of a boy named James............. I remembered when I was a kid, dad and mom always had a piggy bank by the bed in the old wooden cottage we used to live in. Any lose change and coins would go in to that piggy bank. It wasn't any normal piggy bank, it was made from wood, something my grandfather taught my dad when my dad was a kid. Dad was a rubber tapper, and mom worked as a tea lady for a nearby law firm not far from where we lived. Back in the early 60s, wages were earned by the hour. Mom didn't really get much because she worked a fixed 8 hours a day. Dad earned a bit more since he used to worked till late at night to get a little extra. Every night before I cuddled up with them to bed, we would count how much coins we had for the day and put the coins into the piggy bank. Every time we drop those coins in, I could hear the coins hitting each other. Dad would always say, "Your mommy and I will make sure you get a good education and won'

Robby had only one dream, one vision when he grew up as a boy. He wanted to be a high flying successful businessman. He never thought about anything else since he went to school right up to getting his MBA. He did not want anything to get in the way of his concentration - no relationships, no entertainment, cut back on movies, no time even for casual reading. Robby's daily schedule for seven days a week was to get up 6am in the morning do pre-read up on whatever lectures that was going to come up for the day. After lectures, he goes straight home freshen up and do post-read up on his lectures. Achieved his dream he did! Robby is now a well known person in the business of trading of seafood. Robby actually shifted away from home to a different state to keep his focus. To Robby, nothing mattered more than the future. Managing his business was always a top priority and he hardly spent time with his wife and daughter. While in his office on a Monday morning, Robby's hand phone ring

Bill is a middle-aged man, earning a substantial salary, working as a CEO of multinational corporation. He's unmarried, lives in a mansion with wonderfully designed swimming pool, sauna, imported Italian tiles, French chandeliers, $55,000 music sound system and custom designed interior decorations with canvas paintings he purchases off high street auctions hung creatively around his mansion. Bill's substantial salary is really substantial! But the thing about Bill is this - he hardly has friends because he is always fearing for his life someone might be out there to cheat him. At work, he doesn't give instructions to his subordinates but he fires orders at them and expect things done yesterday. Among the very few friends he has, all of them know that getting him to buy them lunch, even if it is a cheap lunch is like searching for the holy grail. Most obvious about Bill was that, he never failed to find fault in anyone, in anything they did. From his sectretary being late to

Mike was born a handsome child but unfortunately, without a pair of outer ears. When he was given birth to, his parents were worried whether he would have any hearing problems. Thankfully, as Mike grew up as a boy, it was clear that he would have no problems with hearing. His child hood was anything but normal. Frequently dubbed a "freak", he would come running home after kindergarten and primary school with tears in his eyes. Without having to ask him, his mother would already know what had happened. Mike, with tears in his eyes would let it all out to his mother, "They called me a freak boy!" or "Why do I have go through such things, mom?" Mike's mom would always hug him close to her and gently say, "You are not a freak Mike. You don't look any different to me. In fact, you are more handsome than other kids out there." Sometimes at night, Mike's mom would take a peek through his room door in the middle of the night while he is fast

Back during the Vietnam war, there was a very successful fighter jet pilot with amazing success rates. We are talking about 65 out of 65 successful missions. Like all good things, it had to come to an end and on the 66th mission his plane was shot down by enemy anti aircraft guns. Thankfully, he managed to hit the eject button in time and parachuted out of the burning jet. Unfortunately he landed in enemy zone and spent the subsequent 8 years as a prisoner of war (not a very nice thing despite the free board and lodging). Guts, patience and a whole lot of prayer helped him survive the ordeal. He now lectures on the lessons learned from the horrible experience.  One fine afternoon, while having lunch with his wife in a normal down town restaurant, a man about the same age as him walked up to his table and said, "You're Jeff right? You flew the F-4 Phantom nicknamed the Thundering Hawk! You were shot down!". Startled, Jeff asked, "how on earth did you know that?"

Back during my primary school days, I didn't get much for pocket money for a day. I think it was a dollar day. But, of course money back then had a higher purchasing power. A dollar a day even during those times were some times hard to get buy and I had to settle for lesser food items because other more luxurious food like canteen chicken rice would cost a dollar fifty. Some days, I'd not spend the money so I can snowball the money for the next day to get a bigger meal during recess. There was one day, while waiting for my mom to pick me up from school I saw this guy sitting by the roadside. He didn't look like he had any bad intentions, neither did he look like he was really mangy. Although I never really noticed but many of my schoolmates see him around often and he'd be sitting at the same spot by the roadside everytime he's around my school. On that day when I saw him by himself, sitting by the roadside, I decided to just approach him and ask him why he'd si

After 6 months, I finally finished reading this book. I finished last night before I knocked off for bed. 6 months for my standard is very unusual considering it usually takes me less than 3 months to finish a book as thick as this one. No, it is not because this book was not a good read but due mainly to the fact that I lack the relevant knowledge on such a topic. I am certainly no clergyman and do not think I am under the category of a God fearing person. Personally I believe there is a God who is constantly around us.  I constantly seek knowledge on this elusive topic because I think there is much for us to understand about God. Who, where, how, to answers these questions. Out there in the world there are many religions, beliefs and faiths all centered on one Almight Being - God. Ironically, there is no one person that can clearly tell or explain this God, and this one God of all these faiths may have stemmed from the same starting point. After all, a close study will point out that

Global recession has kicked in with many strong economies being brought down to it's knees, and for most of us the term 'lavish' does not quite exist in our vocabulary. Spending is kept under tight control and saving is our main priority.  Hard times come and go but there is one thing all of can do to make the hard times feel less painful. Be thankful! :) Being thankful has worked wonders for me probably because I never had much to begin with, so being thankful was really all I could do. How I feel thankful: 1. I start by searching for things I can be grateful for - I've got my car albeit it is 20 years old, I get decent food everyday, I've got clothes to cover me, I've got a roof over my head during the rainy and sunny times. 2. Spread the joy of being thankful by sharing how grateful you are about something with a loved one or friend. You will probably find yourself smiling by the time you are done sharing about it.  3. There's always more to be grateful f

My road isn't your road, my pain isn't your pain; Each person has hidden abilities to go forth and face any challenges. My tears are not you tears, my pain isn't your pain; Under the same skies with different glorious moments embeds the same feeling. There is no need to feel fear or guilt. Instead, we need to stay calm and keep running forward. Tell yourself, "I can do it!" Everyone is No.1! No matter the circumstances, never question if you can do it or you can't do it. Just take a deep breath to refresh yourself and embrace the future for it will not wait. Everyone is No.1! The secret to success lies in your willingness, where the hottest sweat flows from the most sincere heart; Everyone can truly be number one. My hands are not your hands, my mouth is not your mouth; As long as you have a heart, through the strongest winds and rain, we can all be best of friends. There is no need to feel fear or guilt. Instead, we need to stay calm and keep running forward.

Our days never really gets easier as we grow up and mature. From the day we are given birth to as a tiny toddler, as we go into kindergarten, primary school, secondary school then into tertiary studies and then finally coming out as a graduate to look for a job to make ends meet. For those who have been in the workplace would understand how tough it can be, having to deal with a myriad of complications from an unreasonable client, to having an uncooperative subordinate, to working for tough bosses; some if not all of us usually end up getting some sort of combination to the above complications and sometimes some unfortunate ones end up having to deal with all three misfortunes. Forget the workplace, some of us already have a load of other problems at home - car loans, kids' education, house loan, etc...... and the list goes on. Some people even have to deal with the death of loved ones. Times liks these, when one is dealt with tough reality blows really can really steam roll one

Today's announcement of Obama's electoral success, I believe was no surprise to many of us. One's success also means another's disappointment - McCain has my respect having fought hard and tried hard during the electoral campaigns. Obama being elected as the President of the United States of America is not just about having a 44th President of USA. His election into the White House creates history - first black President, also the youngest ever person to be elected as the President of USA. Having missed his maiden speech as the President, I had to settle for a transcript of his speech although I really would have loved to see him giving the speech live. Having witnessed his debate with McCain, I really like his charisma and his innate ability to speak sounding with confidence yet not sounding pompus, his unique ability to stay on the very fine line that divides confidence and arrogance. Having the majority of Americans vote him clearly spells out one thing - they are re

Yesterday was my birthday but, I don't really celebrate my birthdays for reasons I myself do not know. Anyway, at the office my boss decided to celebrate my birthday after she found out that yesterday was my birthday. I was called into her room for a short discussion. While talking to her, her room door suddenly opens and I get a group of people singing a birthday song for me. I think I was so happy and surprised I ended up blushing...... It's almost 11pm now and I am so happy I can't seem to find what words to put into this blog entry. I guess I'll just keep it short by saying thanks to all those people who arranged the surprise - you know who you are...... thanks also to those who sang the birthday song as well....... I was very happy and the cake was very tasty too. THANK YOU all from the bottom of my heart!

Many a times, we often see things from our perspective (i.e. from one viewpoint). There was this one time when I had a small discussion with a friend of mine and of course we couldn't come to terms on the subject matter. I could be wrong but I think, we were debating on the ever famous topic of "whether the egg or the chicken came first". After about half an hour of back and forth comments, my friend finally just stopped and said, "you know what, I'd be more than happy to look at things from your point of view, but I simply cannot stick my head that far up my own rear end!". Both of us ended up laughing at the comment he made so spontaneously, but I have to admit there is some element of truth to his statement - we hardly look at things from a different perspective unless we are forced to. My maternal side grandfather passed on about five years ago. He did not die from any disease in particular but simply from the expiry of his bodily functions. He literally

Sitting in front of my laptop tonight, I find myself trying to figure out what I should write today. It is probably one of those mental block days when ideas do not pop up like they usually do. Anyway this evening, strangely as I drove into my home porch, I find myself thinking about the unusual quietness tonight. I guess, tonight no one is home since my parents are out for a function. I find myself strangely missing the usual conversations I have with my dad. Usually when I get home, he'd be back already, other than the occassional nights he gets back later than I do because of business dealings. The TV is placed fairly close to the porch so if he hears my car driving up the driveway, he'd usually try to get the gate for me although I'd rather he didn't get the gate for me because I'd feel bad about it. We'll usually greet each other and ask how has our day been. And I guess being a chip off the old block, I find myself naturally going for a bucket of water and

I have had some friend readers of mine asking me why I chose the name ~Path of Time~ and what got me started on this 'project'. After so many blog entries, I am finally going to give people a low down on why I started ~Path of Time~ Hi, I am Mick. Growing up with an innate liking for writing, I decided to blog about my life (not the most exciting of lives but it'll do for me) :) The ~Path of Time~ showcases my walk of life - life as what I see, hear and experience. Why I chose the name ~Path of Time~? To me at least, living life is very much similar to walking through time. From the day of my birth to a walking child, teenager, then gradually transitioning into adulthood. Much can happen in one's life, ranging from happy moments to the sadest of times when one is down and out. ~Path of Time~ records my walk of life, sharing my experiences with everyone else at large with the hope that i might gather comments from people who have seen more than I have and hopefully learn

Blog Action Day 2008 is tomorrow with this year's agenda on the subject of poverty. For this blog entry, I am going to write without doing any prior research like I always do because this time around, I will try to write bending towards what I feel deep down inside. The subject of poverty, I believe is a subject not touched often and probably does not even come across our mind and therefore requires an opinion from the heart and not the brain. For starters, poverty as I far as I know is when a person earns less than USD2 in a month. Personally, I believe poverty is not something that can be measure solely based on monetary values. Having no proper shelter, water, food - that is poverty as well. For most of us, poverty would not be on our minds. We have the Internet, good food, roofs over heads, a comfortable bed, air conditioning. Hence, there is probably no reason for us to think about poverty right? Showered with all the blessings of a comfortable life, we more often than not for

During this week, Wednesday to through Friday because of the festive seasons for our Muslims friends. Sadly, work got in the way of the holiday and I had to put aside all other plans I had for the three days and use the time to rush out some urgent matters for my superior. I expanded a fair bit of energy and effort to turnaround everything by the end of Friday so I could still have the weekend to myself. Saturday evening was surprisingly cooling and I decided to had of to a nearby park to take a sit and enjoy the quietness. I haven't been fishing to close to a year now after my fishing mate went overseas to further his studies. At the park, I shared the bench with a middle aged man who looked intently over this girl of maybe 5 or 6 years of age, who was cycling around the park. To kill boredom I thought I might as well break the silence and asked him, "Is that your daughter?". He replied with a nice smile, "Yup! That's my girl!". It was reaching about 6 in t

I caught the flu some time end of last week, which turned into a fever over the weekend, and I lost my voice at the same time. End of the year, is usually the flu season for many countries especially with the rain that comes and go frequently causing a quick shift in the cold and hot weather. So I am going to share some quick dos and don'ts to stay away from the FLU: 1. Always make sure you stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and ocassionally get help from isotonic drinks (Gatorade, 100 PLUS, 7 Up Revive). Our body like engine need requires some cooling. In addition, a hydrated body is more effective in loosing up mucus thereby avoiding nasal congestion. Don't forget, mucus is a very good medium to attract the flu virus! 2. OTC medication can be a quick fix for the flu but make sure you do not have any form of allergy to these tables, and remember to read the instructions at the back of the box. At any point you are unsure of how to take those tablets, please ask a pharmacist

Couple of days back while driving back home from class, I passed by a fish shop. Strangely, I decided to turn back to the fish shop and I found myself walking into the shop to browse the fishes they had for sale. I always reared fishes since I was child but my fish rearing hobby went into hiatus as I had progressed into my tertiary studies due to time commitments and more assignments to do. Personally, since my younger days I always felt that fishes had a calming effect on me. But I didn't really go into a complete hiatus since I still kept my giant guorami which I started rearing since it was just as tiny as 8cm. Now it is about a good 50cm! This year will be the 8th year since I first bought it. The picture above is some new additions of fishes in one of my old two feet aquariums. While browsing the fish inventories in the shop I decided to get some Tiger Barbs since they swim in schools and they are always full of live. It might be difficult to see thee fishes in the picture si

Yesterday was the Chinese moon cake festival and I got a pleasant surprise from a close friend of my mother. It is really normal and usual to get moon cakes from friends and relatives, but the moon cakes I got this time were really special and how should I say........ CUTe! "Must be the usual lotus paste moon cake like every year". That's what I thought but I was wrong when I opened up the box. I saw the cutest moon cakes in my life!! Small tiny moon cakes in the shape of a piglet, rabbit, porcupine and a mouse. If you are wondering where you can buy them, you cannot buy them because they are 100% homemade, with absolutely no preservatives. I tasted one of them and I could really get the taste-from-home feel right in my mouth............ although it does lack some body in terms of it's flavour but homemade food made with love and effort always gives you the satisfaction when eaten. Happy moon cake festival to everyone out there!!!!!

Very often, we face troubles and find ourselves being bombarded with all sorts of external pressures ranging from work load, relationships, financial, etc.... Our natural reaction would most likely be "SH@#!!!!!!", when faced with problems. I guess, and I am pretty sure I will be right if I were to say that we will all say, "it's one of those bad days", "sucky day!", "crappy day!" or a a very famous phrase from a Stephen King book, of which I believe it is Dreamcatcher, "SSDD - Same Sh@# Different Day" [P.S - kids, don't pick that phrase up please. :)] So now, this brings me to my point that we are always so concerned about today, the now, busy trying to catch the moment or busy trying to be the center of the cockscrew. In the midst of all the trying, we end up losing our sight on the big picture. The big picture is not only about the now, it is about the past, present and the future. There is nothing wrong about focusing on the

Let me see... how should I start this post........? Every now and then, we are dogged by our desires (i.e. wants rather than needs). However, we are often unsure of where the line is drawn between knowing what are our wants and what our needs. Not surprising, that we find that satisfying our wants will more often than not lead to a selfish decision. Purely out of curiousity, I was browsing through some self-help books and I bumped into this story that describes how selfishness can become the very button that leads to losing the things important to onself. Once upon a time, there was a foolish boy who had a bag full of beautiful marbles. Now this boy was quite proud of his marbles. In fact, he thought so much of them that he would neither play with them himself nor would he let anyone else play with them. He only took them out of the bag in order to count and admire them; they were never used for their intended purpose. Yet that boy carried that coveted bag of marbles everywhere he went

All of us make little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run - simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by a lot of us. Crossing our legs Do you cross your legs at your knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the lady-like elegant way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don't want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs and compromise your health, uncross your legs every time you realise you have one knee on top of the other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like! changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is a classically elegant way to sit, and is far better for your legs and your health than sitting with your legs cr

Interpersonal skills are by far the most important skills one will need to hone in order to get around easily socially. I think I do lack certain key skills in trying to be better at socialising. Being Asian, socialising always seem to be a problem not only for myself but for many others who are Asian as well. As usual I like browsing the web for self help tips and hopefully find some ideas to improve myself. I found 8 great simple tips that may help me improve myself in building. Check it out!!! ____________________________________________________ The Gift of Listening But you must really listen. Don't interrupt, don't daydream, don't plan your response. Just listen. The Gift of Affection Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends. The Gift of Laughter Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you." The Gift