Moving On A Narrow Road Less Travel

It comes to a time in one's life where the enormity of living through a constant living condition, albeit manageable, but rather a deadend juncture. Either one just prodding on and hope for the best in the world full of uncertainties, or carved ones own slip road, towards a newfound mind binded goal deemed destiny.
I have carved that slip road, and gingerly wading through, with the littlest motives I had gathered all these years. Somehow, I was a little perplex, with realization that there existed people, old collegues, previous acquaintainces, friends and even old foes that has grasp the 'pay forward' mentality. Helps, advices comes in threes and fours form the most unsuspected sources.
For that, I thank you all.
GodSpeed

Dan Bila Esok... (When Tomorrow Comes)

End of June

New challenges takes up most of free times nowadays. Not to mention the path crossing experience of once considered lost interest. Happier inside, and more freedom to chart my own course.
Reflections, although at times sounds trite, seemed befitting my current situation. Make the best out of it, better late than never and take the risk when it matters most. Happiness

Free Publicity

While there's a great deal to learn from warriors past, one does run the risk of hearing, ad infinitum, about the good ol' days, when the "real" [insert sport here] players had to practice in sub-zero temperatures (even in summer!), played through amputations and death, had off-season jobs in Malaysian garment factories, and were paid only in chawin' tobacco.

There you go folks, another 'facts' about the country. Hmmm will that made the Yankees rushed to Google 'Malaysia Garment Factory' better than Malaysian Tourism Board could? Comparatively Competitive with China, Taiwan, India and Thailand in the world garment industry.

Gratifying Compliment

Received a surprising call from a former acquaintance.
Avoiding the usual 'guess who am I' line, she went ahead and re-introduced herself, which I was rather glad she did because I would have guessed one girlfriends after another and still wouldn't have nailed the right one.
Straight to the point, she was calling from a company she had just recently joined, which I had attended an interview quite sometime ago. She told me that she was tasked a mission by the owner to try to persuade me to join the company to head the design department. I was honored but at the same time had to politely decline.
The call had built up my own valuation of self worth a notch or two.

Yank -Wali

" I'm processing..."

Those were the words uttered by my lady boss when I finally spoke to her of my resignation. I was honored to have worked alongside a steely and determined person whom at the same time showed such compassion and respectable attitudes towards her charges. I'd told her that its time to move on since there is not much 'future' in staying put and also put it clear that a counter offer is not expected.
Reminiscing the past 3 years, it was a great ride and a transitional experience.
"I am resigning..."
"I am processing..."
"You didn't hear me right i guess, I am resigning..."
"I am still processing..."

5 Riddles

5 Riddles you are unlikely to be able to solve...

unless you had come across them before.


1. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires. The second is full of assassins with loaded guns. The third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

2. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

3. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it and gray when you throw it away?

4. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday or Sunday?

5. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching!







Answers:

1. The third room. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead. That one was easy, right?

2. The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry (shot; held under water; and hung).

3.. Charcoal, as it is used in barbecuing.

4. Sure you can name three consecutive days, yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

5. The letter e, which is the most common letter used in the English language, does not appear even once in the paragraph.

Intersection

Many things has happened since my last blog. Intentionally, I took a 'sabbatical leave' from writing any entry for a while. As life changing moments took turns that demanded slight shift of my priority. Life goes on as they say. New lights of life seemed to have emerged from long (but not forgotten) past. Been kept safely deeper inside, sometimes wondered out loud, but left to fate.
Fate intervenes, and here I am, looking forward to new lease of life. Perhaps more determined, braver, stouter and leaner.
Like the movie of the same titled entry (1994; Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, Lolita Davidovich)

Favre proves a point (or two)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Mock him. Rip him. Despise him. But while you're at it, remember to respect him.
Brett Favre has earned at least that much, right?
If you're still wondering why Favre unretired for seemingly the billionth time, the Minnesota Vikings' 34-3 invasive surgery on the Dallas Cowboys is a nice place to start.
Scalpel, please.
Favre and the Vikings first cut out Dallas' heart, then Tony Romo's arm, and then removed the remaining body parts of the Cowboys from the playoffs. The Vikings advance to the NFC Championship Game. Organ donor Dallas advances to the offseason.
"No one's more surprised than me with the way the game unfolded," Favre said late Sunday afternoon.
It didn't unfold so much as it crashed on the Cowboys. The designated "hottest team in the playoffs" was extinguished by its own big mouth (thank you, strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh), by its inability to pass block (a jittery Romo was sacked six times and committed three turnovers) and by four Favre touchdown passes (a playoff-tying record three to wide receiver Sidney Rice).
Sometimes you have to remind yourself that Favre is 40 years old. His beard stubble is as gray as the T-shirt he wore to the postgame news conference, but his right arm is college sophomore and his enthusiasm is Pop Warner.
"He don't look no 40," said Vikings nose tackle Pat Williams, at 37 the second-oldest player on the Minnesota roster.
"Forty going on 25," said Vikings offensive tackle Phil Loadholt.
Favre completed 15 of 24 passes for 234 yards, those four TDs and no interceptions. But those are just numbers. To appreciate what he really did, watch a replay of the 47-yard precision bomb he threw to Rice late in the first quarter. And let's hope Sensabaugh watches it too, since he missed it the first time.
"I don't even think he knew it was thrown," Rice said of Sensabaugh, who had popped off earlier in the week about beating the Vikings.
TD Pass No. 2 was better. Not better thrown, but how many times do you see a 40-year-old quarterback juke a 26-year-old defensive end out of his sani socks? That's what Favre did to Marcus Spears moments before finding Rice for a 16-yard scoring throw.
TD Pass No. 3 was another perfect throw to Rice for a 45-yard score. And TD Pass No. 4 came on a fourth-and-3 from the Cowboys' 11 with two minutes left in the game. Favre threw it. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe caught it. Dallas linebacker Keith Brooking hated it -- and showed great closing speed to the Vikings' sideline so he could tell Minnesota coach Brad Childress exactly that.
"It isn't our fault [Shiancoe] got open," said Vikings guard Anthony Herrera.
Favre didn't apologize for the pass. Then again, he wasn't the one who called it; Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell did that. Was it another shovel full of rock salt in the Cowboys' wound? Sure. But it doesn't change the essential facts: Favre, Rice and the Vikings' offensive and defensive lines played well … Romo, the Cowboys' O-line, secondary and field goal kicker didn't.
Afterward, a beaming Zygi Wilf, the Vikings' owner, lingered in the locker room. He's the guy who OK'd the free-agent run at Favre and wrote the check. The payoff for the QB codger has been enormous.
"I'm approaching 60, so [40 is] young to me," Wilf said. "But the excitement he brings to everybody, the fun that he has with the players makes it a great time for everybody."
One more win -- next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome -- and the Vikings are in the Super Bowl. Just spitballing here, but Favre versus Peyton Manning isn't a bad storyline.
"This is why he was brought here," Williams said. "To prove a point to everybody."
And the point?
"Basically everybody was saying he was too old, [saying] 'Why you coming back?"' Williams said. "But he showed everybody why he came back."
So far during these playoffs, Favre has outlasted the other golden QB oldie, Arizona's Kurt Warner (38). He has outlasted his longtime employers, the Green Bay Packers, and his replacement Aaron Rodgers (through no real fault of Rodgers', though). And on Sunday, he outlasted the supposedly "new" postseason Romo.
"He's playing the best he's played his whole career," said Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin, the NFL offensive rookie of the year. "He's just one of those anointed guys."
First of all, Harvin is 21. Favre has boxer shorts older than that. But he's right: If Favre isn't playing the best football of his career, it's close to the best.
Of course, the Vikings didn't know what to make of him before he arrived last summer.
"If everything they were saying about him was true, as far as him not being a good locker room guy, I didn't want him," Herrera said. "But from the first day here he was nothing like everybody was saying. The Green Bay Packers were trying to make him seem like a bad person. [And] whatever they were saying about him in New York -- they were trying to make him seem like a bad person.
"None of it's true. None of it, at all. I'm happy to have him as one of my teammates."
At this point, everything is playoff gravy for Favre. He wants to reach his third Super Bowl. He wants to prove 40 is the new football 30. And yeah, maybe he wants to stick it to Packers management.
But for now, love him or hate him, you can't deny what he's accomplished this season. Favre is channeling 1990s Brett.
"I was actually thinking about it last night," Favre said. "I'm like, 'OK, now I know when I look back at my career I will remember the 40-year-old year. No doubt.'"
Everyone will. The Vikings. The Packers. And now the Cowboys.

Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com. Hear Gene's podcasts and ESPN Radio appearances by clicking here.