A lot of people aspire to be authors but the sad truth is that very few authors actually make a living from writing. Most authors begin by writing only on the side while working at a full time job and most totally give up on their dreams after awhile. It is very tough to remain positive while facing rejections after rejections. The hugely ...

These are my little happiness boosts Watching birds returning to their evening roosts Start my day with a good dose of gratitude Fill myself with an positive attitude Approach every day with optimism Conquer negative thinking and pessimism Eating almond chocolate Weekend sleeping late A colourful butterfly perched on a flower Instances of people power Going on holiday Celebrating a ...

A little angel has captured my heart Right from the very start She dazzles me with her smile For her I will go that extra mile. She is the apple of my eyes At only one year old she seems so wise Sometimes she sheds some tears I know she is overcome by fears. She is a cute little lass ...

Bird watching and photography is a great source of happiness for me. The joy of photographing a bird that I have never photographed before gives me a sense of thrill and joyful glee. On my January 1 2022 trip to the Kuala Baram Wetlands, I was able to capture sharp images of a lesser adjutant and a stork-billed kingfisher.  The ...

It was on the January 1 of this year that I encountered a lesser adjutant (秃鹳 in Chinese or Burung-Botak Kecil in Malay) for the first time in my life at Kuala Baram Wetlands. I viewed that as a great start to 2022! The Lesser Adjutants (Leptoptilos javanicus) are large wading birds in the stork family Ciconiidae that are found in South and South-east Asia. They ...

Guy Lafleur succumbed to lung cancer yesterday in palliative care in a suburb of Montreal. He was 70. Lafleur was someone I have a great admiration for. I was studying in Montreal when Lafleur was playing for the Montreal Canadiens and I had watched many of his games in the National Hockey League (NHL) on television. On nights when Lafleur ...

I could not believe my eyes when I saw this on Ebay. This Malaysian first day cover has just been sold for USD43,278 in an Ebay auction by an Italy-based seller named Lirpa Loof. The first day cover was issued in 1963 in commemoration of the inauguration of Malaysia but what makes this particular first day cover so special is ...

I see many dead trees all around Miri and I used to wonder why they are not cut down. But now I know why. Standing dead and dying trees are called “snags.”  Such trees occur as a result of disease, lightning, fire, animal damage, too much shade, drought, root competition, as well as old age. Many dead trees remain standing without posing a threat ...

The Seventeen Second Miracle by Jason F. Wright is a heartwarming story about loss, tragedy, forgiveness, healing, love and the joy that comes when you reach out to make a difference in the life of another. Small kindnesses can lead to  life-changing miracles. Rex Connor learned on a summer afternoon in September 1970 that seventeen seconds can change a life forever when, ...

Election fever is in the air, everywhere I look around Election fever is in the air, every sight and every sound But I don’t know why there’re so many candidates Some of them will lose their deposits as a matter of fact They’re there to make up the numbers Caught up in the more-the-merrier fever   Election fever is in the air, ...