The Path of Time

Couple of days back I saw a couple taking a walk with their child at a park nearby house while I was taking a walk by myself trying to get some fresh air and just let my mind wander about the peaceful moment in a park. I noticed something about the child - he found it difficult to communicate to his parents. I saw the family take a sit on one of the benches nearby and as I passed them I decided to just start a conversation with them. As I spoke to them, they talked about how much their little kid John loves walking in the park. I tried making some monkey faces and he seem scared, and close to tears. I realised I might have frightened him and was quick to apologise to the parents. As I apologised, little John's parents explained to me that he was autistic and had trouble mixing with strangers. At 5 years of age, John could speak but lacking fluency but I could see this young lad trying to communicate with his parents. I was touched by how much love his parents were giving him, with ...

Eyes as clear as the sky… That is the mark of a Contractor who has formed a bond with the Wind Spirit Lord… Stigma of the Wind… The Kannagi family has a long and proud history of being a family of fire elementalists, whose members have the ability to summon and control fire. However, the family is one that places strict emphasis on strength and ability, which determines a person's rank and position within the family.Four years ago, Kazuma was banished from the family due to his lack of aptitude with fire and eventually departed Japan for places unknown. Now, Kazuma has returned. In the intervening years, he had somehow become a powerful wind elementalist, and he intends to prove his strength to the Kannagis. Coinciding with his return, a number of Kannagi family members are murdered. It was quickly determined that the killings are the work of a wind elementalist and suspicion quickly falls upon Kazuma.The rash and impetuous Ayano, heir apparent of the Kannagis, rushes off to bring ...

Around KL at least, I am pretty sure there are many who drive cars older than 10 years like myself. In most cases, most of us just end up getting 3rd party insurance coverage for the car since it is old and assumed to be less likely to be stolen. Friend of mine over the weekend had a bad accident. She owns 1991 Daihatsu Charade, some what like my '88 model but with slightly different signal lamps and equipped with power windows. Anyway, she got careless coming out from a junction and was hit from the side. Because it was her mistake, 3rd party insurance coverage does not cover the damages for her car. Those who work in KL will know how bad it is to not have a reliable means for transport especially with our 'wonderfully efficient' public transport system. Since she does not know anyone in the car fixing line, she rang me up for some dire help. Damage of the car: 1. Completely out-of-shape left front fender; 2. Smashed head and side lamps; 3. Damaged front bumper; 4. Front c...

"Of all the women in the Bible, perhaps no one's presence has been as constantly reinterpreted as that of Mary Magdalene. Was she a prostitute? A prophet? In Margaret George's epic historical novel, Mary, Called Magdalene (Geroge's previous subjects include Henry VIII, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Cleopatra), Mary comes alive as one of Jesus' first believers, a woman of infallible visions and a faith that earns her the title "Apostle to the Apostles." With numerous biblical and scholarly texts serving as the core of this intriguing woman's story, George recreates the world of Galilean fishermen and the oppressions of the Jewish people under Roman rule. Cast out from her family after Jesus expels the demons that have ravaged her mind, Mary follows the man from Nazareth until they receive attention from the skeptical hordes and the Roman magistrates controlling Jerusalem. Mary, from beginning to end of this giant undertaking, is a woman who struggles to r...

It's a Sunday morning and my mind is a little mugged up with stressful thought, hence I cannot really sleep. So what the heck - let's write a bit about business today. Globally and through the passage of time, many business concepts have been derived with the very goal of making a business more sound and to aid those charged with governance to improve the management of a business entity. One of the most fundamental and reknown business concepts - the PESTEL analysis. PESTEL is the acronym for P olitical, E nvironmental, S ociological, T echnological, E cological and L egislative analysis. In general, PESTEL analysis is used for external analysis of a company (i.e. to see what's happening around the company), otherwise also known for being used in conducting environmental analysis. So how does PESTEL help? Here's how - one starts analysing a business environment by identifying factors related to the subtitles of PESTEL (i.e. whether political, environmental, etc) and the...

It's the time of the year auditors suffer with all the tight deadlines, massive accounting issues and the dire need for manpower. Of late, many have resigned for greener pastures and leaving many of us to pick up where they left off at work. Most of us are far from having a good time. Businesses are getting more and more complex but audit teams are getting smaller and smaller. To my fellow colleauges going through peak, all the best with the current peak ! Trying to get enough sleep will be a novelty so at least get enough healthy food during lunch breaks to give yourself the energy. Remember, don't fall prey to stress and negative thoughts since such thoughts only make you feel worse than how you are already feeling!!! Finally, God bless of you all this peak........

The start of 2008 for the Malaysian political arena was some what unique this time around. Arguably, the biggest news in politics is the resignation of the now ex-health minister. If you keep up with the news, the resignation was due to a sex DVD in which he was caught in the act in some hotel. Much speculation has been drawn on this political assination. Clearly, someone, somewhere really wanted to get him out of the political scene. Surprisingly, the people involved were able to hide 4 cameras in the hotel room. Anyway, I am not going to speculate on it further! Issue here is about the violation of people's privacy. Looking at what he did at a marriage point of view, one may say he was wrong. Then again, it is not our prerogative to judge him because that judgement should be passed by his family members. What I found disturbing was the reaction of the general public at large. Was it really necessary for people to react with such anger and dissatisfaction? Personally, I have seen ...