Nineteen Day Fast Begins

2 Mar marks the beginning of the annual 19 days fast. This is also the first time I am fasting as a Baha'i. As long as I observe proper eating before sunrise, fasting throughout the day should not be much of a problem.

I just had butter this morning and was not tempted by the food and drinks in front of me the whole day. Dinner was 3 pieces of chicken from KFC. Intended to boil soup but the shopping took longer than expected.

As they say, this is a spiritual fast. I hope to be a better and spiritually richer man by the time we celebrate Naw-Ruz.

Water Heater Installation DIY

As a curious guy, I attempted to replace the damaged water heater myself. I could have just replaced the damaged motor pump but decided to get a new one instead. After checking the old unit, I happily negotiated for a good price and bought a brand new water heater.

When I got home, the installation was more complicated than I expected. The location to mount the screws and the water inlet and outlet are different from the old one. Not having a drill, I tried to poke some holes by hammering a nail. I gave up in less than 5 minutes.

Next, I went looking for some renovator doing work nearby to save cost. Found myself an Indonesian worker and brought him back with a drill. Perhaps it was communication breakdown. Instead of drilling a hole, he drilled the wall. I was stunned for a moment and stopped him before further damage.

He clearly did not know what to do. In the end, he also use the hammering method to make the hole for screws. After mounting the water heater, we need to connect the pipes. That was also a semi disaster. To cut a long story short, the pipes was connected but with leakage. Now, I have to go and find some waterproof tape to stop the leaking.

After sending him back, I asked him how much does he want for the service rendered. He said any amount will do. I still paid him a fair price although the job was not well done. I felt sorry for him for having to leave his wife and child back home in a village. He had to sleep in the houses where the renovation is done and earning only a meager wage. I feel that in many ways, he is being oppressed and enslaved.

I don't think I'm kind because I only treated him the same way I wanted to be treated. I, too, want God to be always be merciful to me and forgiving towards my shortcomings. Besides, I would never want to be in his position; living his life.

O CHILDREN OF MEN! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh

Motor Treasure Hunting

Had a treasure hunt yesterday and got the best results so far with 96 points. The hunt objective remains the same; to get perfect score. I still long for the day when we will get perfect score in a treasure hunt.

Life begins at 30

So, I have reached 30 and keep saying life begins at 30. To a great extent, I feel that I’m at my peak and things are still getting better. There are a lot to look forward to.

2013 had been a fulfilling year and 2014 look very promising as well. I can’t wait to achieve more this year!

A Leader's Quality

Couple of days ago, uncle Edmund shared with me that one of his down-line who left pinched another negotiator from his office. At first he thought that this person's action was unjustly. However, he changed his mind and thinks it is nobody but the leader's fault if someone is to leave to follow another person.

When I heard this, I could not agree more. As a leader. we must always add value to our followers. I can only expect the best talents to follow the best leaders. If the leader is no good, the follow will leave sooner or later. If the leader only know how to blame others for pinching his people, he cannot be a good leader.

Minimal carb diet

Recently, a closed friend spoke about zero carbohydrate diet. I thought it was interesting and decided to try to minimize the intake of carbs.

Cooking meat dishes proven to be much easier as I don’t have to cook rice anymore. To begin, I cooked Bak Kut Teh and stir fry beef. Both sessions have been very encouraging.

Bak kut teh with pork, lettuce and mushroom

Onion stir fry beef with carrots and mixed vege

2014 Thaipusam at Batu Caves

This is the second year I join Nim and his family to serve others during Thaipusam. According to Nim, every year, they serve about 10,000 devotees who thronged the Batu Caves.

This time, the number of volunteers have increased significantly compared to last year. What a good sign! On my way back, I saw a banner in one of the booth which says, "To serve humanity is to serve God." How true is this!

The hall can cater 250 people each cycle

Much of the cooking are done using firewood