Latest update on my Up Beat endeavour!

A PC alternative for those who don’t have Guitar Hero!

Up Beat Keep the rhythm and rock the party!

Play this free game now!!

Special thanks to Adino for getting me addicted to this game! LOL

One of the things I find most intriguing and mind boggling at the same time about life, is how two people, unique and of the opposite sex, brought up in varying environments under various influences, can live life harmoniously together as life partners. For a spectator, it may appear to be something pretty amusing. But for those in the thick of it – no small matter. Issues ranging from individual habits,

Be it Hollywood-churned ones, or real-life testimonies, we hear and see various kinds of relationships and their results. While on the silver screen it takes at most 3 hours to bring a relationship to a happy ending (or in some other cases, otherwise), in real-life it takes much more time and effort. After all, these relationships as life-long. One of the most important ingredients if you ask me, is commitment towards each other and commitments towards the relationship. To me, that translates into never giving up on each other and continuously working on the relationship together.

In Mark Gungor’s article Same Argument, Different Day, from which my thoughts and this post spawned, he starts off by laying down the fact that:-

… one of the greatest problems that couples face in marriage, whether you have been together two years, 20 years or 40 years, is the fact that we have to deal with issues over and over and over… People get so frustrated when they keep circling around and coming back to the same arguments continuously and they never get resolved. Husbands and wives become convinced that there is something wrong with their marriage (or at least the other person!) and it can lead to great discouragement.

So where do we go from here? We keep at it of course! Mark Gurgor likens  this to being a diary farmer cleaning up after his cows. Farming can be very profitable, but the farmer also has to contend with the mess! He goes on to say that we have to keep on cleaning the barn… even if it’s the same mess over and over.

For me, the most important thing I picked up from this article was this little gem

People live under the delusion that because they have talked about something or tackled it once, that it should be done, but it’s not true. Often problems arise from differences in temperament or just ingrained habits. But honestly, so much of what couples are faced with in marriage has a lot to do with pure selfishness on our parts. And because dying to self is a life long process, so is dealing with all the stuff that happens in our relationship in the meantime.

Don’t grow weary; don’t give up. Readjust your expectations and know that it’s ok. Maybe you “can’t do this anymore” today, but regroup. Take a deep breath, face the issue yet again and remember that it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with your marriage because you are arguing about the same thing for the 547th time. Be like the dairy farmer and just clean up the mess and enjoy the “in the meantime” until you have to face it again.

Here’s to working towards successful relationships!

My latest purchase – a pair of Adidas running shoes! I’m usually very hesitant about making purchases above RM100 (food not included) – but so happens my previous Power shoes gave way at a time which I was gung-ho about playing squash with Lydia.

I started my hunt by checking out what promotions were available at the time and found out that RSH was having a promotion, offering 10% discount for purchases above RM100 and 20% discount for purchases above RM200 on selected brands. For Adidas, I was only eligible for the 10% discount even though I spent well above RM200. But lucky me, I was also eligible for a 15% Cash Back with AMEX! Effectively, pending my rebate from AMEX, I would have saved close to 25% of the original value of the shoes.

So how did I end up picking this particular pair? Well, it was the best fitting pair for within my budget Here’s more about the Adidas Supernova Sequence.

]]> http://erictjh.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/adidas-supernova-sequence/feed/ 2 erictjh http://erictjh.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/offers-offers-offers/ http://erictjh.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/offers-offers-offers/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:58:06 +0000 erictjh http://erictjh.wordpress.com/?p=234 ]]>

I’m pretty much a sucker for deals. Not in the sense that I get ripped off, but I like checking out items and services on discount/promo/sales – be it walking around in a grocery shop looking for food items on discount, checking out a credit card company’s latest offers for it’s card-members or just strolling around in a shopping complex during sales periods.

So when I chanced upon Offer Station some time back, it proved to be a real gem! It (somehow) pools together offers of all sorts and organises them into categorises i.e. Offers, Warehouse Sales and Dining, amongst many. It really is practical. On a personal note, I’ve already made some savings (mostly on food) by checking out Offer Station first. Most recent was when I was looking for a place to eat Thai food – of which we ended up dining at Celadon, where I was entitled to a 10% discount plus a 10% rebate. Also, not too long ago were visits to One Utama’s Dockers and Levi’s store, which were offering discounts up to 50% and 70% respectively.

This coming weekend, I’ll most probably be paying a visit to The Summit USJ to check out the Metrojaya Shopping Carnival with Lydia. Who knows, we might be able to find something neat at a discounted price

I must say, 4 years back I knew nothing about golf and had no interest whatsoever in getting myself involved in the sport – whether as a player or spectator. My first real exposure to golf, as a spectator at least – was during my tenure at one of my previous jobs in which one of the responsibilities of my group was to transmit the latest scores of ongoing golf tournaments. It was through this responsibility that I eventually understood what birdies, eagles, pars, unders and overs were.

In the latest development involving myself and golf… just yesterday, I played golf for the very first time. It was at the driving range, and using a 9-iron I (only?) managed to hit the ball some 50 metres. Apart from that, what do I have to show for my first hand at golf? A nasty blister.

All in all, I’m quite happy with my first experience at playing golf. I have to say that it is a sport that involves not only strength and speed, but also precision and focus. Quite an interesting combination if you ask me. Having said all that, I know that there’s a certain someone extremely exhilarated at the prospects of me picking up golf – even if it’s just the occasional trip to the driving range with her

This morning I stepped into my car half wet from the rain only to hear the “click” sound as I turned my ignition. I tried it again – and to my dismay, no sound of a revving engine but instead – “click”, followed by my car alarm going off. Battery flat, I thought to myself. Sigh…

I quickly typed a sms to my boss informing him that I would definitely be late, with a possibility of taking half day off. It was after all raining quite heavily and my housemates were still alseep – no one to help me push the car. After sending the sms, and as I was about to get out of the car – I decided to say a quick prayer. As I ended my prayer, I turned the ignition one last time, and to my joy, the engine started! Not in a jerky manner or seemingly half powered – it started as if there was no problem to start with! Boy was I thankful.

By the time I reached my office, the rain was already stopping so I decided to check my battery for possible reasons why my battery failed this morning. Battery water was sufficient and no residue was found on the terminals. I continue to wonder why I couldn’t start my car this morning, but my primary thoughts are on the power of prayer and the reality of God answering our prayers.

Saying this prayer at my workplace now…

God grant me the serenity,
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

I’ve had WGN9304 for around 5 years already. It has served me well in that period. Needless to say, we’ve had our fair share of accidents and repairs – but nothing that really got me hurt badly, nor my wallet hurt badly – not until the most recent event.

Last Friday, on my way to Cineleisure Damansara to get tickets for transformers : revenge of the fallen (another post on this later) after work on a rainy day, WGN9304 skidded when i applied my brakes (lets just say it was neither abrupt braking nor was it my normal gradual braking). My rear wheels locked and my car did a mini side drift. Thank God, I was able to bring the car under control with ample space between me and the car in front.

However, I was not as fortunate the following morning. a similar situation resulted in my crashing into a Honda Accord. The Honda Accord suffered damages to the rear bumper and reverse sensors, while WGN9304 took damages to the front bumper, both headlights, front grille and hood.

Cutting the long story short, I had already made up my mind to purchase a new car before the end of this year. Due to this fact, I settled this issue without making a police report and/or making insurance claims so that I could keep my NCP (non-claim policy) discount. This meant that  that repair costs for both the car I hit and for WGN9304, would have to come from the pocket of yours truly.

Nonetheless, I am reminded. As much as this accident could have been avoided and losses not incurred, the accident could have been worse given the fact that my brakes weren’t working as they should – and that I might have suffered even more losses more – more than that of the financial nature.

2 grand poorer, but still in one piece,
Eric Tan

200g Beef Tenderloin
200g Pork Chop
1 Portobello Mushroom with Cheese and Bacon Bits
1 bottle of Stonier Pinot Noir
1 Chocolate and Cheese Cake
(all at Jarrod & Rawlins – Purveyors of Fine Food & Wine)

… ingredients for an unforgettable night

Today was a day of sorts. I was out for breakfast at Coffee Bean Ampang before headed to Guitar Store Cheras to check out a Godin and a few Faridas (sweet!). This was followed by a search for Stevie Wonder’s latest – “Live at Last”. The search for that album took us to Leisure Mall Cheras to Pavillion KL. Sadly, no purchase made as the album was not to be found.

Anyway, I’m actually blogging about instant noodles today. Why? Coz while I was at Coffee Bean Ampang reading one of their free magazines, I came across a very interesting article/advert on Cintan’s latest – Nutri Noodles – 100% steam-cooked and air-dried, low in fat and cholesterol free, has less than 3g of fat, 7.5g of protein (equivalent to one egg), 362.5 mg of calcium (equivalent to eight tablespoons of milk powder) and… you get the point. To be honest, it sounds to healthy to be tasty! HAH! Anyway, I plan to give it a try – I mean, if it really does taste OK – it’d be a good substitute. I guess.

Well, having a late late Korean BBQ Lunch in Pavilion around 4pm, it was no surprise that I opted to have my favourite instant noodles for dinner – Myojo Spicy Noodles! Complete with vegetables and two slices of ham