Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in Penang

This morning I had the privilege of attending a special convocation ceremony to honour Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam with a Honorary Doctorate of Science by USM. I was looking forward for this day especially hearing the address by Dr. Abdul Kalam.

For those who do not know who is Dr. Abdul Kalam, here is some background of him. Dr. Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of the Republic of India and one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 34 universities and institutions. He has made a significant contribution to develop India’s first indigenous satellite launch vehicle SLV-III. He was also responsible for the evolution of ISRO’s launch vehicle programme After mastering launch vehicle technologies in ISRO, he took up the responsibility of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defense Research and Development Organisation. To know more about Dr. Abdul Kalam, visit his website at http://www.abdulkalam.com/

This morning, he gave a lecture on a topic called "Evolution of Enlightened Citizenship". It was really good lecture...in fact the best lecture I ever went for. His lecture covers lot of areas such as Social Science, Biotechnology, Medical Science, Humanity and even religion. I was amazed with the depth of knowledge and the authority that this man has in the subject that he was delivering.

On a sad note, there was a group of faculty heads who was sitting on the stage busy chatting away and playing with their mobile phone. I am surprised with this kind of unprofessional behaviour show by the head of the faculties (or whoever they are) who are sitting on the stage. I wonder what kind of respect this so called "leaders" or "educators" are giving to such a great man like Dr. Abdul Kalam. Well, in a nutshell, this clearly shows the kind of materials that we have in our nation. Oh well, if they can't even stand properly while singing the national anthem, what else can we expect from them especially in developing the future generation. Anyway, this doesn't mean that because there are few bad apples, the whole basket of apples is bad. I know there are great professors and lecturers in USM who are passionate in what they are doing.

On a positive note, credit goes to the Pro Chancellor, Chairman of Council, Vice Chancellor and some head of department who, in my observation, giving close attention to the speech delivered by Dr. Abdul Kalam. The end note speech given by our Pro Chancellor and Vice Chancellor was excellent and with substance too.

I am also sad that there is no standing ovation given to Dr. Abdul Kalam after the great speech delivered by him. I wonder whether this is a standard protocol of USM of not giving a standing ovation for a great lecture by a great man. Who am I to question the protocol?

Whatever it is, I want to thank USM for allowing the public to view this memorable occasion. Hope that the comment above would be taken on a positive note and improvement would be done in future.

To Dr. Abdul Kalam, you have inspired me today and I am so blessed with the lecture that you have delivered. Thank you so much for spending time with us. God Bless You.

Tasting Big Mac as a Hobby

All of us have different kind of hobbies. Some are common hobbies like collecting stamps, currency collection and etc and some are unique….. I know of a guy who collects Coca-cola cans (or the American called it Coke) manufactured in different countries.

As for me, tasting McDonald's Big Mac in the various countries that I visit has been one of my most favourite past time. I have been traveling abroad due to work and study for the past couple of years. During my travel, I make it a point to look for a McDonald's outlet and taste their Big Mac.

It is pretty interesting to note that Big Mac looks almost the same in all the different countries I have visited. But from the taste perspective, it differs from one country to another especially the beef patties…..and do you know that in India, the beef patty is replaced with lamb patty and in Israel, there is no cheese served due to the kosher requirement. The best Big Mac I have enjoyed so far is in New Zealand. You will feel the freshness of the beef patties. Maybe it is due to the freshness and goodness of NZ beef meat. In terms of price, it differs slightly from country to country (without any currency conversion used). One thing to take note especially for us Malaysian is that don’t expect McDonald's to serve free chili sauce in countries like Germany. In Germany, you got to pay for your ketchup (tomato sauce) and don’t ever dream for chili sauce. Bring some from Malaysia.

It is also interesting to note that some country has their country specific burgers that you can’t find in other countries. When I was in New Zealand, McDonald's over there use to serve Kiwi Burger….please don’t be misguided by the name…they are not using any Kiwi Bird meat patty. The Samurai Pork Burger in McDonald's Thailand is also something interesting to take note off. And in Malaysia, we have the good old Prosperity Burger during a specific period of time.

So, the next time you are on travel aboard, stop at a food outlet which is common to your home country and taste the food.

Maybe it is time I receive the appointment to be the Ambassador for McDonald's especially after having tasted Big Mac in couple of countries.

Before I leave today’s post, let me encourage you that life is not just about tasting the physical food but it is also about tasting the goodness of the Mighty One in your spiritual life. For the Bible says in Psalms 38:4 “O Taste and see that the Lord is good”.

Be blessed and have a great weekend.

Driving

There are much said about driving and accidents in a "certain" land. Oh well, I for one, have lots of interesting experience while driving in this "certain" land. Anyway, a lot of measures have been taken to reduce the number of accidents. Recently, I got an email from a friend on the joke below. Had a real good laugh.....It is so funny..... Just want to share this with all of you.

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Subject: New Transport Department Regulations!

Transport Department has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt. Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 45% when the belt is properly installed. Correct installation is illustrated below.......

This is very Important, please pass onto friends and family. THIS MAY SAVE A LIFE!

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This article is only meant as a joke and not to discriminate anyone.....you know laughter is good medicine. It will be interesting to do a study on how vehicle passengers can be responsible for causing accidents. Maybe just purely looking at the ratio between accident happen when a person is a driving alone and driving with some passenger would shed some information.

My New Gadget

Do you get phobia when driving to some unfamiliar places? I personally have difficulty navigating around places like Klang Valley. I always need to call my good friend Eddy Law for help to navigate me through the roads and alleys of KL.

Anyway, after much taught and saving, I decided to get myself a GPS device.

Bought a Garmin nüvi 270. Pretty cool device. Lots of easy to use features. It just took me less than 20 minutes to learn how to use the device without referring to any user guide or manual. And also much thanks to http://www.malsingmaps.com/portal/, a community portal that provides latest GPS map for Malaysia & Singapore.....the best thing is it is FOC. You just need to contribute actively to this portal and you will able to get the latest update. There are lots of advice and instruction given.

Looking forward for my next trip to Klang Valley. Hopefully I don't have to call my good buddy, Eddy Law for the direction.

Anyway, GPS is only able to help us to navigate through the road and alleys of the physical world. We still need our Mighty One to lead us thru in our spiritual walk and through eternity. For Jesus said in John 14:6 (NIV) - "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". Think about it!!!

Fish SPA

The world is getting interesting every day. There is a new hype of Fish Massage going on in Malaysia. Out of the blue, the island of Penang has 3 outlets providing this service.

I visited one of the outlet in New World Park, Penang last weekend together with some good friends…and of course having my wife around too…..what a good husband. . . I wanted to find out and experience what Fish SPA is all about. It is pretty interesting and unique adventure.

The moment, you put your feet on the pool, the small Garra Rufa fish (imported from Turkey) will come and nibble & molest your feet….I presume eating all the dead skins…..I wonder how my skin tasted...hot & spicy….salty…..sweet…..4 season??? Emmmm…..hope the fish had some finger licking good experience of ViveAlive and did not visit dr. Lau or dr. Pang after the good meal…. :-) (dr. Lau = Lau Sai & dr. Pang = Pang Sai)

The first few minutes is the most tense moment, when man kind and fish has to build their trust…….I for one, laughed a lot due to the ticklish feeling generated from the process of nibbling. After a while, it become normal and I just enjoy the moment. Apparently, the fish-nibbling effect creates some tiny electrical jolts activating the nerve endings and it also creates some micro massaging effect that simulates blood circulation…….The only effect I had was a good night sleep……hopefully it is not my brain trying to convince me of my ROI after visiting the Fish SPA.

Relaxing and Fun Filled are the few words that I can describe about the whole adventure of Fish SPA….So try it out and experience it.!!!!

To all husband, if you are looking for a “Wife Friendly” SPA, this is a safe place to go for SPA….definitely no funny stuff…anyway, what can a tiny fish do to a man unless it is a piranha….??

One pretty interesting observation of the place that I visited is that right opposite the Fish SPA outlet is the famous Manhattan Fish Market……what an interesting supply chain setup.

A GOD Who Cares

This morning I was reading Jeremiah 12. In this scripture, Jeremiah talks to the Mighty One on the topic of justice and he was bringing forward his case. I love the opening verse that says “Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you.”

I am so blessed that being a Christian, I have a channel to bring my life struggles, my disappointments and my brokenness down at the feet of the Mighty One. Learning from Jeremiah, I know the Lord will give justice in His time.

Many times, we are like Jeremiah. We wonder why the wicked are prospering but the righteous are suffering. During Jeremiah’s time, it was due to the disobedient of the God’s people, that they have to suffer in the hand of their enemies.

But verse 15 of Jeremiah 12 says that God Jehovah will have compassion on all of them. I believe this takes place when the people of God repent.

Jeremiah 12 talks a lot on the personality of the Might One. He is a God whose door is always open to His children – He is ever ready to hear out petition. He is a God who hates sin. He is a God of compassion. He is a God where I can find justice.

An Awesome Week

It has been a great week!!!!...... Lots of church related programmes was on my schedule since 19th August 2008 till today (24th August 2008).





It all started with the concert by Paradise Worship from Adelaide Australia. It was an experience to see the Paradise Worship band live in Penang.

They are on their Asian tour and was in Penang for couple of days. Just for your info, Guy Sebastian (1st Australian Idol) use to be one of their worship vocalists at Paradise Community Church. We have been blessed with excellent song and music from this band who give their heart out in worship in front a crowd of over 1000 young people. Rev. Matt Heins brought the word of God with such clarity and fun. I am particularly touch with testimony that he shared of the experience that his wife had in forgiving someone. Awesome testimony. That night, over 30 youths give their life to Jesus.....I believe Heaven had a great celebration on 21st August 2008.

Couple of days earlier, I had the opportunity to get to know the band members at a dinner hosted by the organizers. The band members are a bunch of lively people. There are so much life in them and they are very passionate on what they are doing especially in worshipping the Almighty One. I thank God for bands like this whom God is using mightily to reach out to this world that is looking for hope and direction.....especially in the last days.

So to Rev. Matt Heins & Paradise Worship, thank you for coming to Penang. We are blessed. To the organizers, may the good Lord bless you abundantly in all ways.

The other highlight of the week is the 3 days of evangelistic meeting with Rev. Luis Cabral at our church, Tabernacle of Praise. He is an amazing man of God. He shared with us how God saved him from grenade attack and how God called him to full time ministry. He is a living testimony that we serve a God who is Alive and interested in our lives. Had the opportunity to know him better today over lunch and coffee. Over the short period time, I learn how simple is this man of God. Despite his heavy itinerary, he makes it a point to spend quality time with his family. That is an example to us who is always so occupied either in the rat race or in our ministry. Rev. Luis, thank you for sharing your life with us at Tabernacle of Praise. Hope to see you again in Penang.

Welcome

There is a beginning for everything in life...... So, here is the beginning of my world of blogging - ViveAlive.

Talk about blogging.....questions like, what is blogging? and what makes someone a blogger? always plays in our mind......Today lots of people are joining the bandwagon of blogging.....both young like me (vivealive.blogspot.com) and old like my good friend Ivan (ivanfoo.blogspot.com).

Looking back, I believe blogging exist for a long long time.......in the good old days, we use diary to pen down our thoughts and our feeling. Interestingly it used to be something personal and private.....can you imagine how we react in the good old days when someone read our diary.....But globalization added with technology advancements is indeed taking it's cause and changing the way of one's mindset.......Today, what seems to be private is turning around becoming public in an open world....People openly share their thoughts in the world wide web....and some goes without any censorship.....I guess it all depends on personal choice.

Anyway, ViveAlive is about the thought, the dream and the heart of a young lad who believes there is more to life than daily routine.....there is a Mighty One who is in control of the universe and interested in our lives. So enjoy the blog and be blessed.