What New Delhi Taught Me About Gratitude

There is a Sunday school song that goes something like this "Count your blessings one by one". Too often, we forget to do that. It's only when we see others less fortunate than ourselves that we are reminded of how much we have been given.

On my first trip to India, I saw first hand how the poor in one of the world's largest populated nations live. It's not something one forgets easily - families building make-shift homes on the sidewalk. I was told that some of these people have to pay "rent" for the sidewalk space. Livestock and strays forage for food in piles of rubbish. Horses, cows and donkeys that pull carts filled with supplies look mal-nutritioned. People cram into buses, three-cycle motorcyles, trucks and tractor or animal pulled carts, some hanging precariously. Children have to work, be it in the paddy fields or selling souveniers to tourists.

Of course, not all of India is like that. But during my 5-hour car ride from Delhi to Agra, home to the magnificent Taj Mahal, I saw these scenes repeatedly. After an experience like that, I'm not likely to be complaining about the "hardships" of life anymore. My troubles compared to the daily struggles of these people and animals just to survive day to day seems insignificant. If there's one thing my experience in India has taught me is to count my blessings one by one.

"Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have, we will not be happy - because we will always want to have something else or something more."

Brother David Steindl - Rast

The Taxi Phenomenon in Singapore

It's been years since I was last in Singapore. Last night I experienced what I would call the "taxi phenomenon" in Singapore. M & I decided to go to Vivocity for dinner at the Serenity Spanish Restaurant. After a delicious meal of paella and tapas, we decided to head back to the hotel. We followed the taxi signs in the mall. As we had no trouble catching a taxi there, we did not expect any difficulties for our return journey. After all, we saw a long line of taxis queuing for passengers when we were dropped off. Boy,were we in for a surprise!

Once we were outside, we saw people scattered around the curb, sticking their heads out looking out for taxis. There were a couple of taxis, which had the hired signs on without passengers. We were puzzled. So, we asked someone where the taxi queue was and was told it was further ahead. Later in the queue, we discovered from a local in the line that the taxis we saw earlier were pre-booked. We soon learnt the hard way why people pre-book the taxis - after one hour of being in the queue, which by all intents and purposes wasn't really that long, the lack of available taxis at 9.30 pm became very clear to us. As visitors to the country, we were caught unaware by this phenomenon. We were so desperate that we even considered taking the limousine across the taxi queue. The $40 quote stopped us. The wait - 1 hour, the journey - 10 minutes.

The question is - does the lack of taxis at the stands cause more pre-booking or does the increase in pre-booking perpetuate a shortage of taxis at the stands? Or maybe, they just feed each other. Whatever the answer, I have now programmed the phone number of a taxi company on my phone - just in case!

British Humour

And what a property it was...


Anyone fancy a game of giant chess?

Can you read this?

I received this in my e-mail today. I thought it was a really interesting experiment. I could read it. See if you can read this too.

Fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Sick as a Dog

I just posted this phrase on Kess' blog for the Dog Series, so it seemed appropriate to use the same title for this post.

Who would have thought that a little thing such as a tooth can cause such pain and agony and bring a grown person to their knees? Having gone through the experience recently, albeit as an observer of a loved one (LO) suffering, I can testify that being "Sick as a Dog" from a tooth ache is no fun at all. It is even more frustrating when the root of the problem cannot be traced accurately as one can't really pinpoint where the pain in the mouth comes from.

The problem first started with sensitive tooth-like symptoms when LO experienced a stinging sensation when consuming cold or hot drinks, ice-creams, etc. So, LO went to the dentist who, like a detective had to perform tests to figure out the problem. X-rays came back negative but the dentist was able to test via the use of cold air to identify the sensitive tooth. He also recommended the removal of a wisdom tooth as it was starting to impact on the other teeth. LO postponed the wisdom tooth removal due to work commitments but took the doctor's advise to chew gum (to stimulate saliva which is one of the most powerful defense mechanisms in the body), apply tooth mousse and use sensitive teeth toothpaste.

A couple days later, the tooth ache became unbearable and LO had to see the dentist again. As with the last visit, x-rays did not reveal any problems. So, the dentist had to go via a process of elimination to try to detect the problem. Physical examination of each tooth also could not reveal the cause of the pain. The wisdom tooth had to go. The next day, during a follow up visit after the tooth extraction, LO complained of short bouts of sharp pain when consuming liquids. The dentist used infra red tooth by tooth and this time, discovered a hair-line crack. This time round, LO experienced pain during physical examination unlike the previous visits. Like a split durian, the crack probably became bigger over time. As a temporary measure, the dentist did a draining procedure to alleviate the pressure and the pain. Next, the root canal and crowning treatment will begin over the the next couple of weeks.

So, was the wisdom tooth extraction in vain? I guess we'll never know. But what we do know is take care of your teeth! The 32 small whitish structures in your mouth deserve all the care you give them. So visit your dentist regularly and practice good dental hygiene. Oh, and don't crack your teeth or you'll really be sick as a dog.

Italian cuisine at Il Padrino Restaurant

J & I are always on the lookout for good Italian food in Kuala Lumpur. Having lived in Bangkok for almost 2 years, we've been spoilt by the wonderful selection of hams and sausages served at our favourite Italian restaurants there. When we came across a review on Il Padrino, we knew we had to check it out because it actually serves Parma Ham (or Prosciutto di Parma), thinly sliced dry-cured ham, a rare treat in Malaysia since most Italian restaurants are halal.

Since we were there to celebrate a special occassion, we decided to splurge and go for the full works, starting with the appetizer "Antipasto Misto Il Padrino, a platter consisting of Bresaola (air drief beef), Tomato Buffalo Mozzarella, Calamari, Parma Ham with Melon and Grilled Vegetables. The menu states that the portions are for two people but if you intend to order one main each, you can request for a half portion, which is a great way to taste a little bit of everything. What a wonderful way to start off the meal. The Bresaola was so tender it literally melts in your mouth. The slightly salty parma ham was balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the melon. The plum tomatoes complimented the mozzarella whilst the calamari and grilled vegetables added a warm touch to the cold appetizers.


For the mains, we opted for the Pizza Il Padrino (comprising parma ham, tomato slices, buffallo mozzarella cheese and rocket salad served on a thin crust pizza) and Costolette Di Agnello Scottatido (Grilled rack of lamb served with roasted capsicum, potato and rosemary garlic sauce). I had high expectations for the parma ham pizza as it's been a year since I've last eaten it in Bangkok. Whilst it did fulfill my craving for parma ham pizza, I have to confess that I was a little disappointed at the amount of parma ham on my pizza. I also didn't quite enjoy the rocket salad on my pizza and would have prefered basil instead.


The grilled rack of lamb was a winner in our books. Cooked to medium well, it was beautifully browned on the outside and was a lovely shade of pinky red on the inside. Because it was medium well, the meat was juicy and tender.


At this stage, we were already quite full but could not resist the classical Italian dessert, tiramisu. Not only was it a treat to look at, but it was a sweet finish to a very satisfying meal.


The Il Padrino is definitely worth a second visit. Next time, we hope to come with a bigger group so that we can try a greater selection of food. Service is attentive and its Godfather-themed ambience is welcoming. We'll be back.


Il Padrino Italian Restaurant & Bar
50-G-A, Ground Floor
Wisma UOA Damansara
No. 50, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, KL
Tel: 603-20938596

A Time For Me

I woke up this morning to a brilliant blue sky - the kind that we've not seen for a while in light of the haze we've had. It reminded me of the same beautiful day I spent in the Andaman, Langkawi earlier this year. And like that day, it would have been a waste to spend it indoors. So after my regular morning walk with Kess, I decided to pop by the park for a brisk walk to get my heart rate up (Kess tends to sniff every tree, branch, hydrant and electric pole so we usually end up with a leisurely walk). Later in the morning, I took my parents for a follow-up visit to dad's cardio and then had lunch with them at a popular Hakka restaurant. I got home just in time to catch a bit of the hunky "Take Home Chef" on the Asian Food Channel. After all that food, it was time for a quick nap.

Refreshed and awakened by a strong cup of Ipoh white coffee, I decided it is time to update my neglected blog, which brings me to this very moment in time. The very fact that I can do this today, on a weekday, is a gift - a gift of time. Ever since I started working from home last year, I've really cherished the flexibility of working from home. Sure, it requires an incredible amount of discipline because unlike working in an office, there isn't a punch-in clock or a sign-in sheet or a raised eyebrow from the boss to keep me on my toes. What drives me is deadlines. Yes, I can choose the hours I work but sometimes my choices mean I have to work nights or weekends to get the project done. For today, it is good enough that I can choose to take this weekday off for myself.

Tomorrow, it's back to work. A deadline awaits.

"Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow."
~Denis Waitely