The Video Launch.

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In the afternoon before the guests arrived, as part of my video shoot, I cooked some pasta and Karen was glad to be the guinea pig as this was the first time I was trying out the new recipe. It turned out good, but the pasta was a little too aldante.

Karen helping out in the wet kitchen

We had about 15 odd people who turned up for the video launch cum interview. My dad being a pastor opened the time to dedicate the project unto the Lord. Each of my friends took turns to be interviewed for a short video clip at the garden while the rest had a great time of fellowship with literally breaking fresh bread together.

Breaking bread together

My former teacher, Lim Kok Yen and prodigy young drummer, Arthur Kam entertained the crowd with songs and explosive solos while my band lead them in a time of sing along/ worship. My close friend Karen was such a sweetheart; she helped serve my guests and helped wash the dishes without me even requesting for assistance.

The Big Moment

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It’s not like everyday that a producer approaches you to make a video on you. Well this is probably going to be the first drum instructional video to be made in Malaysia (I think). The detailed preparation was time consuming and today will be the soft launch at my home. The weeks have been hectic preparing for the materials and the details. The shoot will begin today in sporadic fashion and towards the end of the month will be the full-fledged shoot of the main contents of the video.

Sometimes you don’t know where to start and what to make of the whole program. You may have so much to share but what and how much will really benefit the person watching the video? This is where planning of only very important materials come to play as we have only very limited time in the video. I believe even books are written with this in mind.

From the fruits of his mouth, a man is filled with good things

When I come to think of all this, I wonder what we talk to others on a daily basis which sometimes has little or no meaning at all.Shouldn't we take stock and plan to speak only what benefits and encourages others. Let's speak as if we are writing a book or making a video of ourselves.

American Idol

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In the recent American Idol telecast, I was amazed to see the finalists sing the song, “Shout to the Lord”. Darlene Zschech, the worship leader of Hill Songs In Australia, composed the song. The lyrics of the song are filled with praise and honor to God. The amazing thing about the song was that Darlene composed the song when she was at the lowest period of her life.

One way or another whether we believe in God or not, we are created beings with the need to worship. Just like our body needs food, air and loving touch, the soul needs information, understanding and emotional needs, our spirit needs to worship the creator. If it is not God we worship, then we will resort to a poorer substitute such as worshiping self, money, work or material things and the sort.

Shout to the Lord

Some worship God out of a requirement to meet their needs. What is the greatest form of worship for our spirit? It is when things go well with you or the opposite?

Father Abraham, when God asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham obeyed God and he, before taking his son to the mountain to sacrifice him said to the servants “we are going to the mountain to worship God and will return”. (Most of us know the story that God stopped Abraham when he was about to kill his son and God said he now knows that Abraham honors God) Why did Abraham say to his servants we are going to  “worship” God, when he was about to do the most saddest and confusing thing in his life?

What does worship really mean to us?

Making it Simple

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Most of us do a 9 o 5 job and it may not be practical to cook most of the time or have your lunch brought from home. Even though some do. Here are a few guidelines as to a wholesome eating guide that can keep you functioning better, live healthy and longer and probably bring down those excess fat.

Your daily meal should include some fibres, (fruits/ salads ) , some complex carbohydrates ( whole meal breads, high fiber meals such as oats etc ) and protein (preferably fish and chicken).

Soupy noodles and salads as a side dish goes real well.

You can start of the day with having a whole meal bread (not the ones with preservatives) or hi fiber oats or muesli for breakfast. Don’t avoid breakfast, as it’s the most important meal of the day. If you can afford it, just do yourself a favor and buy a bread maker. It will save you a lot of money and you can decide what goes into your bread and not a stranger who will put anything into it to increase shelf life. To make your oats taste better, just add some seeds, raisin and some good quality honey.

Lunch should be moderately filling so you will not binge on dinner. Eating outside can be difficult. Avoid all forms of fried foods. If you really must have them, limit them to only one meal a day and twice a week. The older you get, the lesser of such unhealthy foods, the better. Soup noodles are safe but they are not really filling so have some fruits after that meal.

Keep dinner as light as possible, have a serving of fresh organic salads as a side dish to you main meal. This will keep you from overeating and at the same time it provides some real good source of vitamins. Finish you meals the latest by 8.30pm. Try not to eat after that, it will give your liver a break and help you shed those extra pounds.

Eating Healthy and Living Well

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There is a direct correlation with your health, complexion and youthfulness with the food you eat. Of course the other factors are regular exercise, fresh air, clean water, proper nutritional supplements and a reduced stress life.

Lets approach all of the above with the KISS method (Keep it simply simple) starting with nutrition as the first subject in the next blog post.

I believe I can impart a few ideas and suggestions as I have a background in running a gym, being a nutrition and fitness consultant, worked as a medical technician in a holistic health centre for treatment of cancer, heart disease,prevention medicine and also as a writer for Men’s Health magazine. I may not be an expert in all subjects relating to health but my experiences will hopefully put some of your doubts to rest and help you follow some simple advices, which could make your life better.

So, is this good for me?

I am not going to go into the pyramid food structure and all that food advices you have heard so much from the media and other sources. I will tell you what to have on a daily basis and what to minimize or avoid. You may want to loose some fat or just go on a healthy diet. Other topics would include what causes cancer, diabetes and heart problems, how to prevent and avoid exposure to external environments and certain foods.

You are more than welcome to ask any questions relating to the subject matter. I have a few close friends who are Physio Therapists, doctors and nutritionists whom I will consult if I can’t answer some of your questions.

So well that’s all for the introduction. I can’t quite figure out how many parts this will take but let’s play by ear.

Creating a Mark

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Nothing pleases me more than the work I do, be it marketing consulting or Drum teaching, drum consulting, you name it, even right down to the nuts and bolts of tuning a drum kit. I believe you must do it with the utmost excellence of what you are passionate about, especially your work. When God created Adam, the first thing he did was to put him in the Garden of Eden to work it, not to laze around or bum around.

I believe work is a divine appointment from God and it brings focus, passion and meaning into our lives. I once was out of work for three months and when I go for a gathering with friends on Sundays I feel so depressed when they start discussing about their work for the next day. I know I will wake up the next day and have no work and envied my friends who were working then.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your heart.

Sometimes we have the toughest challenges at work, but face it and overcome it with the right attitude. Don’t dread working, as it’s the greatest gift of expressing your inner creativity designed by God.

Excel in what you do, and you will find meaning to your call and purpose on earth.

Trip to Laos

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I just returned from a one-week trip in Laos last Saturday. I was quite surprised as I never expected Laos to be such a wonderful Country. I generally spent most of my time in the capital city called Vientiane. I heard  from someone that Vientiane had developed quite rapidly over the last 3 years.

Having noodles at the famous shop

The interesting thing about their local food is that they don’t add MSG, preservatives or all those additives you normally find in Malaysian hawker foods and all of Laos’s foods are organic. Which is a health paradise for me. A few of my friends and I went to a famous beef noodle shop. When you order a bowl of noodles you get a side plate with a large serving of fresh organic herbs and vegetables, which you can eat them raw or add them to the soup.

You get a large serving of fresh raw organic vegetables and herbs as a side dish

There are number of excellent bakery and cafes around Vientiane which serve some of the finest pastries and breads I have ever tasted. The French who have settled in from the French Colonial days run those cafes.

The freshly brewed coffee and carrot cake at a cafe called "Joma", is to die for!

I found the Laotians to be very polite and simple mannered people. They are kind and are very hospitable. Most of the women wear a kind of wrap around skirt called “Sin”, which looks really cute.

Passion With a Purpose

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We all have various pursuits and passions in life. Some like extreme sports (I once tried sky diving and decided it was not for me), while some have a passion for academics, reading, traveling, collecting, music, you name it.

Life without passion can be dull. Mine is drums. (Anything to do with the modern drum set.) Just a couple of days ago I was invited as one of the guest drummers to do a 30 minute session along with 4 other professional drummers. Talk about the stress of having to do a drum session among some of the finest drummers in Malaysia.

Sharing some ideas with the drum audience

The event was called Shed Session where drummers from all walks of life were invited in the early part of the evening to bring their drum kits along to jam with the other drummers. Talk about the noise!

The evening session was where they had an invited guest band and the professional drummers doing their thing. It was an exhausting day, but one that brought various drummers together to share ideas and get to know each other.

Question and answer session

 I love incorporating my  passion with a purpose.

What’s your passion?

Responsibilities and Anxiety

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When we face some major tasks or responsibilities, we get stressed and are anxious of the outcome, which can sometimes lead to depression.

The most common form of anxiety can be at work, new tasks, getting married, new partner, you name it. When the anxiety is not dealt with, it will lead to depression.

Depression can have adverse effects on your health. It’s best to avoid worrying about anything as much as possible. One good way to look at a problem is to break it down into manageable components, which you will find easier to solve than expected.

Don't worry about tomorrow, tomorrow has enough worries of it's own

They say 90% of the things you worry don’t come to pass. The reason is, our future is so complex and unpredictable that no one can really determine its outcome.

Well, we can guess to an extent of its outcome but not the details. But one thing for sure is we can make the outcome a positive one if we make the effort to solve it rather than worry over it. If you can’t do anything about it, leave it alone. By worrying you cannot change the outcome.

What doesn’t break you, makes you.

Opposites Attract

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Studies have shown couples that differ in their interests are more attracted to each other compared to ones who have similar interests. For example one may love sports and the other may not. One may love cooking while the other can’t even boil an egg right. There is unity in diversity.

"I love traveling,..how about you"?

My ex and I had similar interests in almost everything such as cooking, the movies we liked, etc. We were almost like a carbon copy of each other when it came to likes and dislikes. Our relationship didn’t last long. I really thought that since we had so much in common, we were the perfect pair and were made for each other. Well I was wrong!

So if you fall in love with someone who has and desires things that are contrary to your interests, learn to accommodate and don’t criticize one another. That was the catalyst that brought the two of you together in the first place. You will not only grow in love but  will also eventually learn to appreciate the interests of your partner.

If you are facing some challenges in your relationship, find out what is the core problem? Are you bored with the relationship? Is it a diversity of interests or too many common interests?

Consider your differences a blessing.