Evangelina wrote a comment in my blog: The Stark Beauty Of Nature - The Pinnacles And Lancelin; "I have a wish, I would really like to go to one place that is on the Heritage List of every country I visit and have a photo from here". I told her that I never thought to visit those kind of places, but then tt reminds me that in nearly every country I've ever visited, I always visit their famous markets. LOL

So here, I want to share with some of you market places that I've been to.

1. The Floating Market, Bangkok, Thailand

It's one of the must visit places in Bangkok. Though it becomes too touristy, it still retain some of its authenticity and local flavours. These kinds of floating markets are common in Thailand and really serve the local communities.

2. The Central Market (Mercato Centrale), Florence, Italy

You can't help from wanting to buy everything there is in the market. From fresh produce, to dried products. Though we, my friends and I, faced a language barrier, we don't speak Italian, we managed to buy a few fresh fruits. 

3. Bunburry Farmers Market, Perth, Australia

I had to admit that my friends and I were went a bit crazy when we visited this market. Every thing looked so delicious. Since we stayed in an apartment during our stay in Perth this time round, we bought fresh produce to cook, and I bought all kinds of fruits. I just went a little bit nuts. LOL

4. The Night Market, Malaysia

The night market is very common in Malaysia. Normally it starts as early as 5pm and ends around 10pm. Normally it happens once every week at various residential areas. You can get all kinds of things from fresh produce, dairy products, accessories, dress and other stuff. I love visiting these kinds of markets to get fresh produce and food. (sorry for the not so sharp images. LOL.)

For me, visiting a local market when I was in a foreign country was like immersing a lit bit of myself in the local culture. It's the cheapest and easiest way to know the local. Maybe you can share with others about your local market.

When my friends and I decided to go to Perth for our holiday, I told them that one of the places that I want to visit is the Pinnacles. The last time when I was there, we didn't have enough time to drive further to North of Perth.

So, a day before our departure from Perth (this time we decided to be there for 8 days), we drove to Pinnacles. Unfortunately, that day was one of the hottest days in Perth. The drive to Pinnacles roughly about 3 and half hours. As usual, my friend Dilla and I decided that we will take turn for the drive. I was fascinated with view for a while. The outback was littered with stunted trees and bushes, with some big farms in between but after a few kilometres, the view was getting mundane. We also getting restless because the weather was getting hotter the more we went further up North. Even with the aircond at full blast, the temperature at one time reached to 44 Celsius (about 111.2 Fahrenheit). I don't know how we survived confined in that car with five girls no less. Haha!

But it was all worth it when we reached the Pinnacles. The entrance fee was AUD12 per car and we were allowed to drive through the Pinnacles. Though like I've said it was one of the hottest days, we braved the temperature and walked a few time on the desert. It was eerily beautiful and yellow, like you were watching the area with yellow tinted glasses.

Standing under the blazing hot sun, I just can't help marvelling at the endurance of the nature. Through million years being pounded with all kinds extreme elements, it still can give us such a stark beauty. Nature is really a good example to all of us that no matter how hard and harsh the reality us, if we endure, we will stand strong.

After the visit to the Pinnacles, we took another route back to the South and made a stop at Lancelin. Lancelin is such contrasting to the Pinnacles. The sand dunes were as white as the snow. At first we were thinking to have a go at snow boarding, alas, the temperature was just too hot, and two of my friends already having headache. So we ended up stopping there for a few minutes and continue our journey back to Perth.

If any of you thinking of going to Perth for a holiday, do check out these two locations. 

Note:

This blog is dedicated to Evangelina because she was the one who asked me to write more about the Pinnacle. Thanks Evangelina for giving me idea and a bit of nudge to write again. 

Chapter 1 : My Name is Ninos

Chapter 2 : Viola! I'm a Male Cat

Chapter 3 : Wake Up And Smell The Roses

Chapter 4 : I Am A Brilliant Blogger

Chapter 5 : Tiramisu, Black Forest and Cappuccino

Chapter 6 : I Am One Lean Mean Machine

Chapter 7 : Life Is Not A Bed Of Roses

Chapter 8 : Under The Weather

Chapter 9 : Life Is Full Of Cappuccino

Chapter 10 : It's A Scary Scary World

Hello! Hello! Hello to all the ladies and of course gentlemen of MyEC. How are you guys? Oh! How I missed writing to you. There are a lot of things that I want to share, and yet, I don't know where to start. It's all Mom Noas' fault. Like Lady Mary said, she was too busy running as if a fat bear was chasing her. 

Anyway, I think running is not only making my mom too tired to think, but instead of turning all those yucky fat into muscles, running is also eating my mom's brain cells. Now she is getting more forgetful. I don't mind her being forgetful and all, but I do mind that her forgetfulness is jeopardising my health and well being. I hope after you have read my story, some of you can convince my mom to stop running. It's really not good for my health.

A few weeks back, when my Mom Ayu went back to see her mom, my Mom Noas had to take care Cappuccino and me on her own. I was a little bit sceptical whether Mom Noas can really take care of us, after all, she's always in a mess herself. Anyway! Since they didn't ask my opinion, so we were at the mercy of Mom Noas. 

Everything was running smoothly (excuse the pun) in the morning. As usual, during weekend, we were allowed to go and roam the neighbourhood. Cappuccino as usual will try to follow me, but come on! It's really getting tiring to be saddled with such a noisy pest. 

On that day, after roaming the neighbourhood I came back to my house before the night time. I didn't see Cappuccino anywhere near me or in the house. Ahhhh! For once. Peace and quiet in the house. I was really enjoying the tranquillity of the house and it's not my duty to remind my Mom Noas that Cappuccino is still not back from her excursion. Furthermore, I never thought that Mom Noas will ever forget that annoying pest. How wrong I was! She indeed totally oblivious to the fact that Cappuccino was not in the house and left her on her own the whole night outside the house.

The next morning, when Mom Noas realised that she had left Cappuccino outside of the house, instead of admitting that she was getting forgetful, she blamed me for not reminding her about Cappuccino. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! But I didn't think too much about it. I thought she was just had a rough day the day before, that's why she didn't realise her mistake. Furthermore, at least I had a good night sleep.

Then a few weeks after that, after she came back from one of her night runs, she knew that I had left the house just to check on the surrounding, she accidentally locked me out. Mom Ayu told her that I was outside, but I don't think she registered anything. 

I knew I shouldn't have left the house well after midnight, but then, Mom Ayu had informed her that I was still outside. Now I know how Cappuccino had felt before. The outside world after midnight is really a scary place. But I knew I could endure it because I'm a big cat already. If Cappuccino survived being left alone for one night, I know I could do much better than her.

Furthermore, when Mom Ayu knew about me being left outside, she showered me with so much kisses that I nearly suffocated with it. She also made Mom Noas felt so much guilt that she gave me so much food. However, as I've mentioned before, I'm getting worried about Mom Noas' well being. I think she really needs to stop running if it means she is getting more forgetful every time she run. I hope you guys will help me in convincing her, otherwise, I'm not sure I will be able to log into MyEC and write my adventures after this.

Bye for now. Hugs and kisses to all the ladies of MyEC especially Lady NotAClue. This blog is dedicated to her because she is just one strong lady. She is so strong that she is also known as a Can Opener. When I was left alone that night, I remembered about her and that made me knew that I can survive.

Last Saturday, on 5th November 2016, I took another event to challenge myself. It was a 20km trail with 20 obstacles challenge called the Viper Challenge. Though I've entered a few trail runs and on the road runs, this is the first time that I ever tried an obstacle event. This event was also a team challenge, thus, I was quietly confident that we can go through all the obstacles with team effort though none of us had any experience participating in the event.

On the morning of the event, due to the fact that our challenge was slotted at 10 am, we decided to have our breakfast first before proceeding to the event venue. This was the first for our team because normally we didn't take any breakfast. Later, we would be very thankful for taking the breakfast.

We encountered the first obstacles after about 1km into our trail run. Due to the monsoon season, it was raining quite heavily at night time, and the it was drizzling in the morning too. The obstacle was basically jumping into terrains that had turned into muddy pits, and we had to crawl our way up out of the terrains.

In the next obstacle, we had to basically swing our hand from one rope to another to reach the end point. Though I tried it, but I failed miserably in this task. I ended up jumping into another muddy pit when I can't hold the rope, let alone trying to swing my body. Hahaha. Though I have no issue with running, but I didn't do any gym training to condition my hand and shoulder for such strenuous activities.

I managed to do some of the obstacles with little difficulty, and some of the obstacles were more difficult to perform. One of the most 'fun' obstacles was crawling through a muddy pit with barb wires on top and some wires with electrical current running through them. Even though I managed not to touch any of my body parts at the electrical wires, but when even someone else accidentally touched the wires, you still can feel the electrical jolts because of the water in the pit. It was terrifying yet electrifying experience. 

Some of the obstacles were so tough that strangers were helping strangers. Throughout the day, we walked, we ran, we went through various obstacles while it was drizzling. I was thankful for that because it was not so hot. We managed to finish the event in 6 hours and 40 minutes. Throughout the day, we only drank water and some energy drinks. Though my body was not conditioned to do some of the obstacles, I was lucky that I didn't cramp or incur any injury. One of my team members had to be assisted a few times when he started to cramp, though he too managed to finish the event.

The Viper Challenge motto is "Forget Fear, Worry About Addiction" truly resonate to my team. Though I was aching all over the next day with some body parts were black and blue, now I am looking forward for next year's challenge. It is really addicting event.

Hello guys

This is my note. Hope it's not too hard to read, though sometimes I too having hard time to understand what I've wrote. LOL

Last Saturday, 17th September 2016, after more than 16 events since I started running in 2016, I run for 21km (13 miles). It was a momentous decision for me to enter the half marathon event. But I was lucky that I have a group of friends that keeps on pushing and supporting each other.

I still remember when the first time I entered my first run, it was only for 3 km fun run. I thought it was hard, but at the same time when I finished it, the feeling of accomplishment was really awesome.

Then I started to register more events, but the longest distance was only 15km. My aim for these runs was to run with better time than the previous ones and to finish each run. It's just a self-accomplishment knowing that I can push myself to be better.

When I was asked to register for the 21km run, I was hesitant at first. Though I managed to finish a 15km run successfully, I know 21km run is a different ball game altogether. I'm not sure I have the energy to finish it within the stipulated time period. But then, the guys in the group kept on encouraging me, and even one of the guy promised to run with me throughout the whole course.

The hardest part of all this was the preparation, mentally and physically. It was hard to fully focus on the training because after the end of the day, normally I was a bit exhausted with all the office work. Normally I will jog on my own, but for this run, I decided to jog with my group. 

On the day of the event, as usual, we had to drive to the location very early in the morning. The run was supposed to be flagged off at 6:30 am, but due some adverse weather a few hours before, it was postponed until 7:00 am. Flagging off the run late in the morning was a bit hard for most runners because at that time, the sun was very bright, and it was really humid.

I was glad during my run, two of the guys in my group accompanied me. I managed to finish it within 3 hours and 27 minutes. I know it was nothing to shout about, but when I crossed the finishing line, I knew I managed to push myself beyond my comfort zone. Though I will not run any 21km events anymore this year, I was glad that I did it.

Chapter 1 : My Name is Ninos

Chapter 2 : Viola! I'm a Male Cat

Chapter 3 : Wake Up And Smell The Roses

Chapter 4 : I Am A Brilliant Blogger

Chapter 5 : Tiramisu, Black Forest and Cappuccino

Chapter 6 : I Am One Lean Mean Machine

Chapter 7 : Life Is Not A Bed Of Roses

Chapter 8 : Under The Weather

Chapter 9 : Life Is Full Of Cappuccino

Hello! Hello to all lovely EC members especially to all the lovely ladies. How are you guys? How I missed all of you, but alas! Nowadays Mom Noas seldom allows me to check into MyEC especially during the weekend when she is busy with her runs. It's not fair that she has other hobbies and yet didn't allow me to write my wonderful adventures in here. 

I have so much to tell you guys, and yet I don't know where to start. My adventures are definitely more colourful than the famous 1001 Arabian Nights story. When Mom Noas finally allowed me to write my story in here today, she told me with her stern voice; "Milo Ninos a/k Serai, I want you to share the story of Cappuccino in your blog. It's not fair that no one really know her. So, this blog should be about you and Cappuccino, or otherwise you will never write anything anymore in here young man!".

Don't you just hate it when your mom called you by your full name? You know it means you're in trouble, or she's going to give you some kind of Royal decree that you can't wriggle your way out of it. Now not only I have to withstand her annoying mew all day long, but I have to tell you her story as well. Huh! Sometimes I just want to tear my whiskers out because of her.

You know from my previous blogs, that sometimes Cappuccino is as annoying as those fleas on my back. She always put herself into trouble and dragged me along with her. She always chasing bugs and left them all over the house. One time, Mom Noas screamed her lung out when she found a dead lizard on her bed. She told both of us off. Come on! She knew it was Cappuccino's doing, though I have to admit, both of us chased that lizard. But it was Cappuccino's idea to leave it on the bed. She just like to show off to Mom Noas and Mom Ayu.

A few weeks back, she was really in a deep shooootttt... literary!!!!! She was chasing some kind of bugs in the drain and ended up fell head down into the dirty water. Then her problem started. Some of the dirty water lodged in her left ear and infect her ear. To be honest, she deserved it. But then both moms started to fuss over her. Come on! I meant, she was the one who was being too curious and ended up with ear infection, but instead of being scolded at, no... moms lavished her with attention. Thank God after some medicine it was not too long before her ear healed. Otherwise I think she just milked the attention for what it's worth.

Life with Cappuccino is not all glum and gloomy I have to admit. Sometimes it's just so much fun to have someone else to play with and chase all those bugs. And sometimes moms not sure who had left some dead souvenirs on the sofa or the floor, so both of us will not be reprimanded. And sometimes when moms were sleeping, it's nice to have someone else to play hide and seek in the house. I just wish that sometimes Cappuccino is less annoying, that's all.

Anyway, I think I will stop here for now. I don't want to strain my brain but instead of writing my adventures I have to write about someone else. At least I've done what my mom had instructed. I hope she will reward me with some yummy food. Bye for now. Take care. Hugs and kisses.

Reading Mary and Onee-chan's blogs about MyEC members makes me wondering what had happened to a few older members of MyEC. Once upon a time, their presence coloured MyEC with their blogs, forums and even chat room. Now, hardly any members remember them. They are no longer the flavour of the month. How flitting their presence in this virtual world it seems.

I wonder, does anyone really know anyone in this parallel universe which we call virtual world? When, and not if, we leave MyEC, does anyone miss us? Did we leave profound footprints in here, that one year from now people will still talking about us, let alone five or ten years down the road?

So, instead of asking questions of which you need to match their virtual characteristics with their names, I want to you to put what you remembered the most about them. Let us try to remember them.

They are (the list is not exhaustive):-

1. T Mal - He likes to use intricate words in the chat room (Batuhan). Awesome person (Serene). A good English teacher (Mary)

2. Mickey -written awesome letters to Captain (Serene). Funny to chat with (Mary)

3. Sima

4. Dimas - seems like a nice guy (Mary)

5. Tim New - very interesting to chat with. He always have a great conversation (Mary)

6. _Sera

7. Jack Daniel's - likes to share beautiful photos and from the same country as LUCinka (Onee-chan)

9.  AH_TK

10. Sewar

11. Asif Ali, Zindani

12. Bala From India - a very nice member (Mary)

13. Viviana D'Oria (Mary) - 

14. Eric (Mary) - a cool guy (Mary)

15. Izanami (Mary) - a good chat friend and likes to tease people (Mary)

16. Tony Hawk (Mary) - a nice guy (Mary)

17. Beethoven (Mary) - a cool guy (Mary)

18. Tara Benwell (Mary) - an active admin who was always trying to keep EC people busy with her activities and challenges (Mary)

For me, MyEC is similar to a port. Some of us stopped for a while and left our marks and may not return at all. Some of us will keep on coming back and hardly leave any ripples, and yet some of us stopped and becomes a permanent fixture, yet hardly anyone remembers us. We become the glorified wall paper of MyEC. It's up to us how we want people to remember us by.

These are just a few names that I can think of at the moment. You may add anyone you wish that you think had left their marks some sort in MyEC.

Chapter 1 : My Name is Ninos

Chapter 2 : Viola! I'm a Male Cat

Chapter 3 : Wake Up And Smell The Roses

Chapter 4 : I Am A Brilliant Blogger

Chapter 5 : Tiramisu, Black Forest and Cappuccino

Chapter 6 : I Am One Lean Mean Machine

Chapter 7 : Life Is Not A Bed Of Roses

Chapter 8 : Under The Weather

Hello! Hello! How are you guys, especially to all the ladies of MyEC? Fly wet kisses from here. Opps! I shouldn't do that. At the moment, over here, the vet said that there's a virus attacking cats and killing them. I don't know the name, but it made my moms very worried.

You see, I was not feeling so well last week, or you can say I was under the weather. Out of the blue, I felt so sluggish. I lost my appetite and just wanted to sleep. At first my moms were so happy, because they thought I was just getting fed up with the antics of annoying Cappuccino. To be honest, I do sometimes just want to ask Cappuccino to go and play somewhere else. She is really one annoying little, (well not so little anymore, she is getting fatter everyday) cat.

Anyway, like I've said, at first my moms were happy. They thought my rumbustious days are over. I've tried to tell my mom Noas that I was not feeling too well. I would glide in between her feet, but she would shoos me away. I would purposely fall asleep in front of her, but she thought I was just too lazy. Even mom Ayu had to bring me down to the kitchen to eat. But they were wrong! Only after two days that they realised I'm not just pretending or just getting fed up with Cappuccino. 

So, my moms brought me to the vet. Well thank God I didn't contract any deadly virus. You know how moms like to give food to stray cats that come to the house. I think I should ask my moms to stop welcoming stray cats, they are not good for my health. Hmm... I'm thinking of ways to tell my moms, please give me a few suggestions.

The vet identified that I had a mild case of ulcer in the mouth. That's why it was hard for me to eat my food. How I missed my fried chicken. The vet also wrongly informed my moms that I was an overly spoilt cat and moms readily agreed with her. HEY! I think vet was not being professional in here. And she also used two long and big needles, as long as the arms and as big as Cappuccino, to put some medicine. I really hate it when they stuck a needle to my body. But as usual, I was being a gentleman, and didn't make any fuss over it, though I roared at the vet when she wanted to stick the second needle to me. Come on! Even a Batman will not willingly endure such treatment.

I'm glad the vet told my moms that I just need to take my medicine, and hopefully don't have to have a follow up. Now whenever Cappuccino tries to disturb my beautiful slumber, I already have the energy to take a swipe at her. But on the not so good part of it is that the vet adviced my mom not to allow me to out from the house until the virus die down. Now I'm stuck playing with Cappuccino all day long. 

I hope I will be as good as the old me, and will be able to roam the neighbourhood soon. In the meantime, virtual hugs and kisses from me to you.

For those of you that has a Facebook account, I'm sure once in a while you will be caught by surprise when certain 'Memory' being shared by your friends, or even being reminded by Facebook. Yesterday was one of those days for me. While browsing through my Facebook, I was taken aback by a 2011 photo shared by Facebook. 

Oh God! It was such a major throw back for me. It made me want to flip through the old photo albums (yes, to the young people, we the older generations have the hard copies of our photos enshrined into photo albums). What stopped me was because they were stored in boxes, and I was too tired after my run to ransack the store.

So, I did what most the young generations did, just browsing through some of photos in my Facebook gallery. It's a double edged sword browsing through those photos.

I almost forgot with what I've been through and how I managed to go through some of them. Well, though I was not so young back then, but that time I was still looking at things with rose-coloured glasses. Am I more sceptical with things nowadays? It's hard for me to answer.

It's funny to be looking at the younger version of yourself and suddenly remember certain things.

Does age and time make me wiser? I guess the answer is still a big NO!. I'm still repeating some of the mistakes, over and over again. I guess I'm still gullible sometimes. It makes me think how far I've come and how much, or not, I've changed since then. 

Reminiscing can be be difficult, painful, happy and downright sad sometimes and hence the double edged sword. Sometimes, you can't help from wishing you could turn back the time, and go back to the good old days where life had all these endless possibilities. Where your head and your heart mostly stuck in the clouds with your big dreams. Or maybe when life was a little bit difficult then, you wish that you were living the life of others.

"I'm not going to change the world. You're not going to change the world. But we can help - we can all help" - Cristiano Ronaldo - footballer and philanthropist

I always think that we, as an individual can easily destroy the entire planet without the help of others. But to reverse or cure our Mother’s Earth it takes more than a community and yet with little result. People always say, we are just like a small drop of water in the blue ocean. No matter how much we put our effort, the impact is too small to be noticed.

But I guess this man Jadav Molai Payeng from Asam India didn’t read the script. He single handedly for the past 30 years had transform a coastal sandbar of river Brahmaputra into a forest. He had been planting and tending trees for an area of about 1,360 acres.

Now it’s called the Molai forest. Not only he had transform a sandbar into a forest, but he also created a new eco-diverse system where wild animals such as elephants and rhinos can come and roam freely.

After reading about this remarkable man’s life and effort, now I believed as an individual, we do can make a difference to our society. 

In this blog I want to share with you one of the Youtube videos about this incredible man. You may also just Google his name and can read various articles about his accomplishment.

The Hispter

Enna is what people in her country call a ‘hipster’. She always wants to be the first person to be up to date with the pulse of modern lifestyle. She wants to be the first to post a new opening of café or shops. She wants to be the first person to share the ‘in trend’ news in her Facebook feed. She likes to be seen patronising stylish café of which a cup of coffee is 3 – 4 times more expensive than a simple cup of coffee in a shop.

She likes to portray herself as to be up to quality as famous local celebrities. However Enna is not from a well to do family. She is just working as a Sales Executive in a local company. Thus, in order for her to be seen as to be up to the mark, she is using a lot of credit cards.

She is maximising the credit limit of her credit cards to feed her obsession to be seen as a cool and hipster woman. Now she is up to her neck with debt. One by one, her credit card is being blocked and the banks are chasing her for payment. She can’t focus on her work because she is up to high doh with worry on how to repay her debts.

She is so worried that she contacted her ex-boyfriend, Johan and told him her predicament, though she knew that Johan is of unsavoury character and always up to no good in his business dealings. She knew Johan will come up with something to help her. However she was unprepared when Johan called her a week later and lay out the plan for her to pay off her debts. She never knew Johan could concoct such devious scheme. Now she is pinned between a rock and a hard place, and she feels hapless.

I'm reposting this previous blog because today 20th June 2016 is the World Refugee Day. Unlike many other commemorative days, I believed this day should not be happening again in this day and age. But as some statistics indicate, maybe about 60 millions people are displaced, either as refugees, asylum seekers, migrants or internally displaced persons.

According to UNHCR, World Refugee Day is to commemorates the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees. 

There are so many questions plaguing my mind. Why is this crisis still happening? What can we, as an individual do more? When will it ends? There are many more questions, but no answers. I feel hapless. 

So, this blog is dedicated to all the refugees out there. May we will never commemorate this day anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I seldom read poems because of my lack of understanding of the beautiful words that those poets tried to partake. However, a few poems left me with profound effect and this poem, "Home" by Warsan Shire made me teary. 

HOME

No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark

you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well

your neighbors running faster than you

breath bloody in their throats

the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body

you only leave home when home won’t let you stay.

No one leaves home unless home chases you

fire under feet

hot blood in your belly

it’s not something you ever thought of doing until the blade burnt threats into your neck

and even then you carried the anthem under your breath

only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets

sobbing as each mouthful of paper

made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.

you have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land

no one burns their palms under trains
beneath carriages

no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled means something more than journey

no one crawls under fences

no one wants to be beaten

pitied

no one chooses refugee camps or strip searches where your body is left aching

or prison, because prison is safer than a city of fire and one prison guard in the night is better than a truckload of men who look like your father

no one could take it

no one could stomach it

no one skin would be tough enough

the

go home blacks

refugees

dirty immigrants

asylum seekers

sucking our country dry/[foreigners] with their hands out

they smell strange
savage

messed up their country and now they want to mess ours up

how do the words

the dirty looks roll off your backs

maybe because the blow is softer than a limb torn off

or the words are more tender
than [the attacks]

than rubble than bone than your child body in pieces.

I want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark

home is the barrel of the gun

and no one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore

unless home told you to quicken your legs

leave your clothes behind

crawl through the desert wade through the oceans

drown

save

be hunger

beg

forget pride

your survival is more important

no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear saying-leave,

run away from me now

I don't know what I’ve become but I know that anywhere is safer than here

I just want to share this powerful poem looking from the eyes of a refugee. I'm not trying to make any political views, nor do I trying to thrust my view to anyone in here. But I like to quote a sentence from this poem; "that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land". 

The tragedy that befell many refugees in this world, Syrian, Rohingya, Palestinian, and others, should not be happening, but it did. Sometimes, it's hard to understand the reasons, but as a human being, I hope there would some kind of solution soon. Otherwise, it's a tragedy of humanity.

In my blog 'Running Towards Happiness', I told everyone in here that I'm changing my lifestyle and started to enter some fun run. It was in February. Mohammad in his comment said that he will ask about my running four months later because like he said, starting is nice work, but to continue that work is more important.

Though it's not yet four months after that momentous date, I'm glad I'm still running. So far I've registered for 12 runs, until November this year. I've completed 6 runs totalling 53km. I've entered from 3km fun run to 13km trail run. 

My first trail run was on 8th May 2016. At first I don't want to enter the run because it's a 'trail run'. A trail run is different from a normal, on the road' run because normally it's involves high elevation, going through muddy track, running through creeks and such. But my run buddies convinced me that I could do it.

My 'training' involved hiking through hills in my area. I tried to condition my body especially my heels and knees on the rudiments of elevation run. However, the week before the trail run, I had to stop my training because I had to go to another state because of my sister's convocation ceremony. Thus I was getting nervous because the drive was about 7 hours, and I know I will be tired before the race.

The run was on Saturday, and I had to rush back to my house on Thursday to ensure at least I had a good day rest. On Saturday morning, my friends and I agreed to meet up at the usual meeting point at 2:00 am. We agreed to drive to the race area around 2:30 am since we were not familiar with the location. This was the earliest that I had to wake up for a run Normally we will meet up at around 5:00 am.

The run was flagged off at 7:00 am. At the start of the run, it was on the road. But after about 1 km, we had to run across some muddy and hilly track. We even had to cross a few creeks. It was hard to run all the way through the course because of the track conditions. So, sometimes I just walked. 

After 2 hours and 50 minutes, I finally reached the finish point. Though the time was nothing to shout about, I was glad that I managed to finish the run within the prescribe time frame.

Note :

I tried to post a few photos of the said run, unfortunately I was unable to do so. 

Chapter 1 : My Name is Ninos

Chapter 2 : Viola! I'm a Male Cat

Chapter 3 : Wake Up And Smell The Roses

Chapter 4 : I Am A Brilliant Blogger

Chapter 5 : Tiramisu, Black Forest and Cappuccino

Chapter 6 : I Am One Lean Mean Machine

Chapter 7 : Life Is Not A Bed Of Roses

Ninos.

Hello again all members of EC, especially to all the beautiful ladies.

I'm sorry for not writing for so long. I hope by the end of this blog, you will understand and forgive me. In my not so short life, I've learnt the meaning of 'life is not a bed of roses' very early on. Looking back at the moment still gives me the shiver. That's why for the longest time I can't even see myself writing this story. Then my mom Noas agreed that she will write 'the Event'. I know some of you may think it's better for me to write it down myself, as a form of therapy, but for this part I have to disagree with some of you.

Noaspls.

My sister and I had been contemplating whether to undertake the biggest decision in our lives which affect the lives of Ninos and Cappuccino. Though for Cappuccino it was a bit easier, but for Ninos, it was very tough. We were contemplating whether to spay Cappuccino and neuter Ninos. 

For some people, maybe it was an easy decision. But for us, it was heartbreaking because we know there was no turning back for all of us if we decided to go ahead and send both of them to the vet for the surgery. Like I said earlier, for Cappuccino it was easier. We don't want to add more cats in the house. As for Ninos, we thought since he's a male cat, we don't have to neuter him.

But then, we noticed Ninos started to act differently towards Cappuccino. He also wanted to go out at night all the time. Since during the day time, we left Ninos and Cappuccino freely roaming in the house, we don't want to accidentally realised that Cappuccino is pregnant, Or even if Cappuccino had been spayed and we spared Ninos from the surgery, he will attack Cappuccino. Therefore, we decided to send both of them to the vet for the surgery.

I had to admit that my sister was the one who diligently browsing through the net and study on the preparation needed for cats after such surgery. One time we asked a different vet on whether such surgery is dangerous to Ninos and Cappuccino. He told us that for a male cat, the surgery will be very simple. However, he caution us that spay is a bit complicated and some cats didn't survive such procedure. 

So on that Saturday afternoon, we sent both of them to the vet. The vet told us to come back for them the next day. On Sunday afternoon, both of us were very nervous when we went to pick them up. I had to admit that I shed a tear or two when I saw them in the cage. Both of them were very groggy. Cappuccino looked very frail while Ninos looked very confused.

The vet adviced us to ensure that both of them didn't lick their wounds. She also cautioned us that Ninos would be frail for a few days whereas Cappuccino would take longer to recover. We bought neck guards for both Ninos and Cappuccino to ensure that they didn't lick their wounds, but as usual, Ninos was telling us who was the boss, and refused to wear it. 

Though we read so many articles which telling us that cats would be frail after surgery, I think no one ever encounter Ninos. He was up and running like his old self the next day. He also started to ask us to let him out from the house at night. As for Cappuccino, though she was very frail for a few days, but I think she started to chase Ninos soon after.

However, a week after the surgery, suddenly Cappuccino stopped eating or chasing Ninos. I had to bring her to the vet. Apparently she licked her wound and it was infected. However, it was not too serious and after some pills, she was fully recovered. 

I'm happy to tell you guys that both of them are fully recovered from the surgeries. And both of them are still as naughty as before. We hope we took the right decision to have them spay and neuter. I can understand why Ninos doesn't want to write about it. Maybe he think that the ladies of EC will think differently about him, but I assure you that he's as charming as before, and naughtier than before.

Ninos.

So now you know the 'Event' that I had to endure. I guess my moms were thinking about me when they decided to go ahead with the 'Event'. I'm glad that since the 'Event' my moms are more indulging in my demand. Once in a while, they will give fried chickens to me. I'm also being spared from having to have bath every two weeks. I guess, life is beautiful though it's not always a bed of roses.

It's been a while since I posted a blog in here. I missed writing, but after some time not writing anything, I guess my brain became stagnant. Thus, I just want to share a very poignant story which I read from the net. It's a poignant reminder to some of us, especially me, to seize a moment, even if it's a trivial thing. Sometimes, we never know if that small decision alter our perspective of lives.

Maybe some of you have read the story, but I hope you don't mind me sharing it in here. The original title of the story was : A Taxi Driver Was About To Ditch His Customer - He Would've Regretted It For The Rest of His Life. 

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. ‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’

‘Oh, you’re such a good boy,’ she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’

‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly..

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.’

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in a soft voice..’The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now’.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse.

‘Nothing,’ I said.

‘You have to make a living,’ she answered.

‘There are other passengers,’ I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware – beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

[Source: Galactic Channelings]

http://idealist4ever.com/taxi-driver-ditch-customer-wouldve-regretted-rest-life/

I guess 2016 really brings out another side of me.. In my last blog, Running Towards Happiness, I said, maybe I'm facing a mid life crisis of which I'm changing my lifestyle. Hmm... come to think of it, I think I'm having a mid life crisis at the cross road of my life. Not only nowadays I love running and hiking, that's already a total alien experience for me, but I started a new hobby, 'colouring for adults'. 

Some people say it's a form of therapy, a stress release mechanism, but for me, it's just another interesting thing to take up at this point of my life. I'm not an artist, but I love to doodles. I always admire how some painters can paint so realistically with less effort. How they can glide the brush through the canvass like a ballerina glide through the stage. 

During my schooling years, I always love art classes. I won't say I was good at painting, but I was the girl that never coloured within the circles. There were not many opportunities for me to appreciate 'arts/paintings' during those times. To own a complete set of coloured pencils was a luxury itself. But I always admire people who can transform a blank paper with something beautiful, be it a landscape, a portrait, or just some simple doodles and they called it abstract.

So a few weeks back, I bought a colouring for adult book, a set of 48 colour pencils and a set of coloured pens. The book is by Johanna Basford and it's called 'Secret Garden - An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book'. When I was choosing the book, I deliberately chose the most intricate and difficult drawings, in the hope that I only have to finish the book within this year, rather than within a month. Looking at the progress that I've made so far, I think maybe I will still colouring the same book in 2017 or even in 2018.

Like I've said before, this book is said to be another form of stress release therapy. But for me, it's just for me to enjoy doodling away after work while relaxing in the house. So, tell me, did any of you take up a new hobby in 2016? If yes, please share about it.

P/s : I wonder how can I smuggle this colouring book during those long meetings and pretend to be taking notes. Any idea? :D :D 

At the start of 2016, I said to myself to take simple things in life and be happy. I never thought that it will involve changing my life style. I never thought that I could find happiness in running and hiking too.

Like many women, I always bemoaned about my weight, while chugging down a lot of yummy food. Diet is just a fancy word, more like a myth rather than a reality. After my surgery last year, exercises are too few and far in between. Don't get me wrong. I'm not obese, though I'm not at my ideal weight. My excuses, as long as I'm happy, I don't care what other people think.

It all started to change a few weeks back. Call it a midlife crisis, call it chasing a lost youth, or just a fleeting fancy, but I started to join a running group from my company. I started to jog more seriously, well, it's more like waddling rather than jogging. And during the weekend, I will go hiking at the hills within the vicinity.

My first run was on 21 February. It was just a fun run, and it was only 3km. Maybe for some of you, 3km was just a walk in the park, but not for me. It was a big step for something new and interesting. Due to the medication that I had to take, sometimes I will have heart palpitations at inconvenient time. So, I will always try not to exert myself too stressfully.

After successfully completing my first fun run, on 28 February 2016, I joined another fun run. This time it was a 10km Shamrock Run. The track was around the Botany Garden and it was a hilly track. It was a hard run, and harder still when all my friends were very far ahead of me. But like I've said, I don't want to exert myself. I need to listen to my body. 

I'm trying to challenge myself to enter more fun runs in 2016. I don't know where it will bring me, or when I will stop. It may not going anywhere besides just some fun runs, or it may change into something magical. Whatever it is, I'm going to enjoy the journey. The main thing is, I'm trying to find another form of happiness to be enjoyed.

Chapter 1 : My Name is Ninos

Chapter 2 : Viola! I'm a Male Cat

Chapter 3 : Wake Up And Smell The Roses

Chapter 4 : I Am A Brilliant Blogger

Chapter 5 : Tiramisu, Black Forest and Cappuccino

Chapter 6 : I Am One Lean Mean Machine

Happy new year EC members. I hope you won't think it's too late to wish you guys the new year, after all, there are 365 days in 2016, so I can wish any of you happy new year at any time and day.

It's been a while since I post anything in here. In cat's years, it's like a lifetime already. Anyway, too many things had happened to me so I don't know what to share with you guys. So, please bear with me if I seem to be rambling a little bit. I just so eager to share with you guys everything.

But, wait! Wait! How presumptuous of me that I assumed everyone already know me. Let me introduce to you a little bit about myself. My name is Milo Ninos a/k Lemongrass. Since it is a bit mouthful, you may call me Ninos. But according to Lady Evangelina, I'm Ninos VIK (very important kitten). But then, since I'm no longer a kitten, I think I will not use the VIK moniker any more.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back in EC. Like I said earlier, it's been a while since I post anything in here. While I was away from EC, I found out that I have so many talents, not just gardening and chasing bugs. By the way, I think the number of cockroaches in the house is diminishing so I need to chase other bugs. Hmmm!

Back to my unexplored and hidden talents. I found another use for my sharp claws. Not only can I sharpen my claws with my Moms' sofa, but I can use them as a shredder machine. But as usual, my Mom Noas can never appreciate my talent.

She said I was destroying her new sofa. Truth to be told, I think I am adding some very unique characters to her boring sofa. She also said I'm teaching Cappuccino a bad habit. I think I'm just being a good brother. Guiding along through her formative years. 

Lately, my Moms called me Ninos Edward Scissorpaws. I think my Moms really need to stop changing my name according to their whims and fancy. I meant, come on, my name is already a mouthful. Now they want to name me Milo Ninos Edward Scissorpaws a/k Lemongrass. Don't you think it's just too ridiculous?

Though, come to think of it, maybe it suits me. After all, I had shredded I think three rolls of kitchen tissues. Hmm... I think my Moms are hiding those kitchen tissues because nowadays I can't find them. Really! They are just a bunch of party poopers. 

Maybe I think they are getting scared that I'm showing them that I'm one lean machine, not just their cute cat. 

First and foremost, this collection of courts' transcripts is definitely not mine. This collection was shared through the Facebook. Apparently it was copied from a book called Disorder in the Courts by Charles M. Sevilla. These conversations or interrogations by the lawyers/attorneys towards the witnesses sound too ridiculous that they could only be real. These transcripts were taken words for words by the court reports. 

So, I hope this collection of courts' transcripts can brighten your weekend, some how. 

Case 1:
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!

Case 2:
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Case 3:
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

Case 4:
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.

Case 5:
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.

Case 6:
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget..
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

Case 7:

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?

Case 8:

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.

Case 9:
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?

Case 10:
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid

Case 11:
ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?

Case 12:
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.

Case 13:
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.

Case 14:
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

Case 15:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.

Case 16:
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral...

Case 17:
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.

Case 18:
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?

Case 19:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Note : autopsy (noun) means perform a postmortem examination on (a body or organ). 

          postmortem (noun) means an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death.