Sometimes, we want a game that doesn't have to be taken too seriously. Sometimes, there is nothing quite as satisfying as having fun than winning.

It's exactly what our family did this Friday night. Three days ago, my wife bought a basketball. What better time to start exercising? I reminded myself to return home earlier, in order to head for the sports ground soon after dinner.

We discovered that the basketball field was too crowded to practice shooting. Our enthusiasm to exercise didn't

During this time of the year, we find ourselves going through the ritual of spring cleaning. Some of us wish to get our houses in shape for visits. Or simply a matter of embracing a new year with fresh beginning.

Chances are you'll clean out the old to make room for the new furniture, new calendar, new wardrobe collection, and new you.

And, to this end, I am grateful to have four dining chairs delivered from abroad last week - after what seemed like an eternity. We

It's now definitely one of our favourite times of the year to make a fresh resolution. But there comes a question we're never quite prepared for - how to pick the right resolution.

While we wish it were otherwise, most of us don't know what yardstick to measure a successful life. One might a specific and measurable goal. A number. Focus on a number and make the number go up (say, money), or down (think body weight). That sounds simple and

Everyone finds that vacation offers a quantum leap in happiness.

Taking a two-week vacation, according to a German study of teachers, is an ideal way of handling stress at workplace; it increased work engagement and decreased burnout for up to a month. I know how it feels: the vacation makes you feel like Popeye after a can of spinach.

But hear me out. The truth is, we can't justify overwork simply because we have had a trip. The researchers found that too much stress after coming

It may seem strange, this whole idea of shopping for Christmas presents and wrapping them - but by just looking at the facial expressions of the recipients, one comes to realize that nothing comes close to the joy of giving out (and receiving) festive presents.

One of the great things about Christmas in my family is that my wife has been orchestrating the tree decoration and gift preparation. I have very little to worry. This is, I must admit, the usual question on my mind: will I be found guilty

Every time I arrive at a new destination with opportunity to run, I let out a whoop of jubilation. Something in the air is so immediately liberating, so full of the promise of runner's high.

Listed as one of Malaysia's priority sites for ecotourism, Fraser's Hill is formed by seven rolling hills with undulating terrain, with almost 92 percent of land covered with virgin forest. The steep trails look challenging for running, but the cooling fresh air provides just perfect getaway from the hot and

I woke up at a place called Fraser’s Hill - a classic, colonial-era, high-altitude bird-spotting destination, somewhere on the Selangor-Pahang border in Malaysia.

Within a split second, we had devoured our English-style breakfast, before we joined an incredibly eagle-eyed naturalist, Mr. Durai, named one of Malaysia's top birding guides by Lonely Planet.

To say that our guide Durai was a bird expert would be the most banal of understatements. He practically spotted the

Buzz.

My heart pounded with each passing of the mosquito buzz sound.

It was our two-hour walk through the jungle at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, spending time to get to know numerous species of trees. A forested enclave about 45-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur. As soon as we started our hike, we heard the buzz sounds, first from cicadas and then the mosquitoes.

Argh, mosquitoes! My daughter wasn't wearing long-sleeves or full-length pants. Suicidal attire , I

After a hectic week of hospital duty, meetings and appointments, I experienced a brief repose, granting myself a few days of vacation and family time.

Looking back on the week, I yawned and reminded myself the story of Monday coffee.

Every Monday, there is an offer of buy-one-get-one-free-coffee at my hospital’s convenience shop. I seldom miss this opportunity. I did that too last Monday. And then it hit me with a jolt: the sudden realization on Monday

We've been living in a world of rules. Mostly a black-and-white binary paradigm. It's very common for us to fall into a stereotype - either you're tough or you're tender.

It sounds pretty uncomfortable to let people hear me swear (and I did) when I'm supposed to be a kind-hearted person. At the end of the day, we might end up pretending to fit with the stereotype. Oh, man. That means I can only