Table Chat

A pleasant evening.

It started with an intention to help a friend. I thought it'd be good to take her away from her problem for a while. So, four of us, all ex-BJlians were sitting in a restaurant, chatting away.

While waiting for the food to be served, came a couple sitting next to our table. First impression, the guy was quite obnoxious. He was telling the girl something about his leg. His action was rather big in the limitted space, so I looked over. He noticed that, and said, "Oh don't worry, I'm just stretching my leg. I don't have AIDS." At that moment, I thought wow, what a thing to say to a stranger!

Over the meal, I overheard the guy mentioning volleyball. Me being my usual self, I don't mess with strangers. Towards the end of our meal, the conversation from the next table somehow over flowed to our table. The guy, still seemed quite obnoxious, claimed that he'd seen us before. He started mentioning big names in sports, claiming that he's famous, and flashing his ego relentlessly.

It's a small world. Apparently he is the CEO of a sport attire company, and he's sponsored a great deal in big sports events. He also revealed that he had sponsored the whole Kuala Lumpur contingent in the 2000 SUKMA, which I was a part of the team. Between 6 of us (4 us and 2 them), we actually know quite a number of same people.

Well, I think people that have a lot of money (not necessarily rich, because rich in money doesn't mean rich in the soul) tend to have big ego. They speak as if money is no substance, as if they do not have to be responsible for the words they say. "You just name it, I'll sponsor it!", "You want me to sponsor? Give me a title in your sports association. I only want vice president and above.", "Why not I sponsor a tournament? You guys organize it for me?", "How many of you in a team? 12? ok, what about I sponsoring you 2 sets of attire each year? Enough?"... An hour into the conversation, he did not seem so obnoxious anymore. I figured it was just habit that the ego constantly needed stroking. Beneath all that, he seemed quite sincere; OR he's got great acting skills, probably accumulated throughout the years in business.

The conversation became very interesting when he mentioned that he would like to hire a designer to design the next official attire for the Malaysian athletes in the 2012 Olympics in London. Obviously we are no designer, but it is one of my dreams to be able to design my own line of sports attire. If only I could be the designer he is looking for...

We exchanged name cards ;)

Currently Reading: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

My recent book shopping was quite fruitful. I end up buying 2 books, one of them is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.
I've been watching the Oprah Show almost daily after work, as it comes on the Hallmark channel at 8pm on week days. The episodes are usually good (it's Oprah!) and inspiring, and I love listening to other's sharing and experiences. Recently the big thing on Oprah is about this book called A New Earth, also listed on Oprah's Book Club. Oprah and Eckhart Tolle had launched a series of online classrooms to cater for worldwide audiences, discussing on the book chapter by chapter. On the show, Oprah interviewed many that had read and was inspired by the book. I was curious. How could a book have that kind of impact on so many people?

Needless to say, that triggered me to grab the book from the shelf, and I got the very last copy in the store. The book keeper had to remove the last copy from the display window for me hehe.

I'm now only 50 pages into the book. I would say it is quite intriguing so far. The book aims to help us in awakening to our life's purpose. To me, it is a whole new philosophy of looking at life itself-- the conscious and unconsciousness; the form and formless. The content is very philosophical, so I can only absorb and comprehend when I'm reading without distractions. I can't quite summarize the chapters here, I'd say it is quite impossible. Even if I could, I wouldn't risk misinterpreting the content, so I won't even try.

Foods for thought...

"A large part of many people's lives is consumed by an obsessive preoccupation with things. This is why one of the ills of our times is object proliferation. When you can no longer feel the life that you are, you are likely to try to fill up your life with things. As a spiritual practice, I suggest that you investigate your relationship with the world of things through self-observation, and in particular, things that are designated with the word "my". You need to be alert and honest to find out, for example, whether your sense of self-worth is bound up with things your possess. Do certain things induce a subtle feeling of importance of superiority? Does the lack of them make you feel inferior to others who own or show them off to increase your sense of worth in someone else's eyes and through them in your own? Do you feel resentful or angry and somehow diminished in your sense of self when someone else has more than you or when you lose a prized possession?"

Club Med Cherating Countdown

Company trip countdown. Can't wait for the breather.

Selangor League: MBSA vs. SSBJ

A 5 setter. Nothing too nerve racking, but I had fun watching the game.

Well, MBSA used to be like the Real Madrid FC; wealthy bosses acquiring good players, national players mostly. It was usually an all-star affair. I have to say, now the stars are fading away. The shiniest of all, WK, is now more active in his money earning quest. Occasionally I still see him popping in for a game or two. When playing, he still possesses great aura on the court. Great personality and mentality make a great athlete. Though not half as fit as his prime, he still dominates.

Back to the current team. T had recovered enough from the "torn pinky" to fill in the middle spot. Although the pinky firmly wraped together with the next finger, it still hurts coz men vb is always violent (to me at least). They had to face the young and raw lads from the SSBJ, the sports academy that I attended for 5 long years. Young and fit versus old-er and seasoned. Young players have the advantage of strength and endurance, but tend to crumble with pressure. Whereas, seasoned players know when and how to play the critical points, but of course lack the stamina to perform consistently.

End result: SSBJ 3-2 MBSA. MBSA's setter sprained his ankle in the 4th set and the substitute didn't quite click with the spikers.

The Triangle. These beings are related to me one way or another at some point, each has a long story behind. It is actually a little weird to see them brushing shoulders, skipping me in between. Nonetheless, I gain deeper insights in every encounter of this sort. At least I can take a step closer to the reality.

Phuket Trip Counter

Till then... I shall devote myself to work :-/
After all, it will only make the vacation sweeter.

先苦后甜
Recently reminded by a wise man.