My Own Happiness Project

My Own Happiness Project
because happiness begins inside and flows out...

20111030

a chat with the yogi........

Second week at yoga, trying to make it a habit to come every weekend. I had this conversation with the Yogi while lying on the floor, legs raised straight against the wall, and having the blood gushed back to the brain. He was making a remark, that in this position, with the ribs sticking out and the abdomen sucked in, we don't look too good but it's good for our internal organs. I kinda uttered under my breath that I don't mind my ribs sticking out and my abdomen flatten in for a change, haha. And he heard me...

Yogi:   Did you join yoga to lose weight?
Arteo:  No, for flexibility. (fingers crossed)
Yogi:   If you want to lose weight with yoga, I'll teach you. Every night, you must eat only raw food.
Arteo:  Sushi?
Yogi:   NO! Uncooked food!
Arteo:  Ah, I see...
Yogi:   Just vegetables and fruits. And you must do this every night.
Arteo:  Okay...
Yogi:   Daytime, you can take anything you want.
Arteo:  Can try...
Yogi:   Only fruits and vegetables you know....
Arteo:  Okay, I'll try....
Yogi:   No soft drinks, no tea....
Arteo:  Okay, I'll try.....
Yogi:   No coffee.
Arteo:  OH NOOOO!!

20110725

newest recruit to asrame budi.......

Newest - Baby Shawn, and Not So New - Baby Tua YihYi

Baby Shawn - recruitment date July 25, 2011

a long while...........

Nothing beats the excitement of getting an email from a dear old friend first thing in the morning, and surely nothing beats the excitement of getting an email from a dear old kindred whom I've lost touched with for a bit ;o)

I'm so happy I have to post this up!
FROM:
Sherena Nair

TO:
arteo@yahoo.com

Monday, July 25, 2011 3:41 AM

a long while.....

Dearest Roddy

First of all, congratulations on your MPH!!! What are your plans at the moment and where will you be based? I hope that you are well.

I know it has been an immensely long while since I last corresponded with you - but something happened today and the first person that came to mind was you. I have been reading your blogs on and off and I too do think about the Fuzzy Project, about all the things that could have been and I should have done....and for some reason, these last few weeks, my mind has been feeling so very unsettled about the future.

Life has obviously changed for me, married, and doing the everyday-things that married people do, but there is constantly a void - that void that can only be filled with the doings of a JR, or the christmas list for kids, etc.....

So what happened today - I am not sure if you are still a church-goer or not - but I have been a relatively luke-warm catholic these last few months. Partly because of events that have taken place in my life, but today I went to mass. And as I sat down during the homily, something came over me and I felt this pit in my stomach - and I thought I was going to be sick for a moment, and then it passed. But throughout the entire service, I had this resounding nagging in my soul - of needing to do something different with my life. I still have no idea what I'm going to do.

Hence, I was wondering what your Red Nose plans are - what are your intentions? What do you want to achieve? How can I help - financially perhaps, or brainstorming? I don't know. I want to rekindle that spirit of vigour and passion that we had when we sat around the table for a much-needed debriefing session...... to feel that exhaustion after a good day's work, but most importantly, I think I need to start fighting the good fight again.

I am terrified of what this change might bring about. The path that I have to walk, feels very uncertain, yet much needed, with a million unanswered questions. All I know is that I have to make a start, and perhaps with everyday that comes, the universe will unfold itself.

I really hope that you are happy Roddy, and I wish you all the best. Do drop me a line to let me know how you are doing. Take care.

love and God bless
Sherena xx
Dear Sherena, Congratulations on your Wedding, I'm truly happy for you and Paul ;o) I wish the best for both of you! I'm just doing these entry to tell you I've received your email and was euphoric to get it on a Monday morning ;o) I'll be replying your email properly soon ;o) I'm posting your email here because I think it may re-sparkle some old amber in some of us old kindreds ;o)
Hope to catch you when you come back to Malaysia, buzz me your dates again please ;o)
Love, arteo

20110723

this i like.........

Interpretation #01
Fit man trapped in the body of a Fat man (original)

Interpretation #02
I just swallowed a man and I'm trying to flush him down with some sort of beverage

Interpretation #03
A man playing a Japanese Gameshow "The Wall"

not so cute statistics............

I've done some calculation in this time of self-hating motivation to lose weight, and it seems that I need to give birth to 14.3 babies in order to achieve my (ideal) weight at BMI 23.

14.3 DROOLIN', KICKIN', CRYIN', BARFIN', POOPIN', SUCKLIN' BABIES!!

That's a friggin' lot of epidurals. Feck!

no eye candy.........


If I see an obese person outside I look at them in disgust. I hate it when I see them eating at buffets, pigging out, and at fast food restaurants. I especially hate it when I’m at Wal-Mart and I see some fat lady riding around in one of those automatic wheeler cart thingies. JUST GET UP AND WALK! I know, I know. This seems insensitive. I’m fat so I know what it feels like to be in public and be stared at. Or not even being stared at but feeling like everyone is looking at you because deep inside you hate the fact that you are fat and can’t or haven’t been able to control yourself.

But while I have been fat, I have been disciplined as well. I know I can attain my goals if I stick to the plan. So I use that as a way to separate myself from other fat people, in my mind at least. In my head, I am not the same as them. I am different. Better. But that’s where it gets kind of crazy because I AM fat. I have used the same excuses they have. Done a lot of the same things they have. Eaten a lot like they have. Worn over sized clothes like they have. You get the point.

I’m fat, have been for most of my life....
Quoting Israel Lagares in his blog.

Suddenly the little pebble of dysmorphia that has been snowballing throughout this week came crashing like a boulder.

I am just wondering... I usually get in the mood to shape up only when I have enough self-hatred to fuel the weigh loss motivation, and even after hating the mirror image for almost all my post-puberty life, I've not been able to keep it off. How much more do I have to hate myself to make it work? I do wonder.

A friend just reminded me about the 'buying a new pants you want to get in' trick to keep up the weight loss motivation. Maybe I should go shopping for smaller pants tomorrow.

20110721

lesson on happiness #001..........

What does it take to keep a little girl happy? Nothing much but a felt tip marker, a piece of paper and some colour pencils...

But I guess more than anything else, is someone to sketch some bears and lions and fish and hearts on demand, and someone to look over her shoulder when she does the good work of colouring within the lines ;o)


We do not seem to have enough of happiness from material possessions because of s phenomenon called the Hedonistic Treadmill that we subconsciously run on. As we gain more or have more possessions in life, we will take our current standard for granted while our aspirations get ratchet up. It becomes a continuous cycle of aspiration for the next level, which will again fail to satisfy.

Stop for a while, and enjoy the wonder of a 4 year old's wealth of imagination in colouring a fish red, green and purple.

dad's 60th birthday bash.........

20110713

got fuzz?...............

  1. November comes early again this year. Currently having this nudging feeling that I've not been doing enough (or rather not doing anything at all) to leave any significant footprints behind.
  2. Whatever I've had few months back on the Red Nose Project seemed to have been buried deep with priorities given to passing the master degree and do well in the exam. Well, passing it I did, but doing well is subject to interpretation I guess...
  3. In the moments of anxiety I might have bargained with God that if I manage (or rather, if He miraculously) pass me on that exam, I'd dedicate efforts towards charities that I've abandoned. I guess a promise is a promise, and I am a person of principle. Red Nose Project must be revived!
  4. For the past few days I've been (fondly) taking a walk down some distant memories back at the times when the gang was together and we were doing things to evoke this happy-fuzzy kinda feeling among the people we come in touch with (and ourselves mostly it turned out to be). Projects were called Fuzzy Projects. Those were the best times when everyone believes in making a difference and there are no such thing as stupid ideas.
  5. So now, my idea is this, I'll gather a group of kindred spirits (God help me in finding more of them!) and dress ourselves in red noses. We'll plan out activities for charities, and sit down to discuss philosophy. I'll be telling them about my version of the philosophy on Fuzzy Project, and we'll always have an empty chair in the gathering to honour a fellow kindred who believes in this so much. Keets, this chair is reserved for you, come back and join us please!
  6. Yeah, it's about time we get busy to work on spreading the fuzzy feeling in the world again ;o)
  7. So you with us? Where's your Red Nose?

20110710

bersih: gangsta in da haus.......

Once when I was little, I remembered an occasion when a monitor lizard sneaked into our house one weekend evening. We were terrified with the visit of such monster into our house. A neighbour who is an auto mechanic (I think he is) came to the rescue to capture that not so little uninvited reptile. There was a short struggle between them and finally he subdued it by pressing it on its neck and catching it by the tail.

This picture evokes the same terrible feeling from that childhood memory. I don't know was it the cop's face or the poor guy being pinned down, but surely this isn't a nice picture to look at.

Here's another unsightly picture to look at.

Sheer EVIL. Goosebumps!


e.p.i.c.f.a.i.l...........

There should be a law to regulate the extend of stupidity allowed in the media in this country. An example of how a backward civilization trying to imitate the technology that is so freely available and still failing to do so, the notion they are even called a 'civilization' should be taken back.

This is an online version of one of the 'mainstream' news media in Malaysia, trying to tweak the truth by pasting up a picture of a terrorist onto the Rally scene in Kula Lumpur yesterday.


Maybe a few pointers would help them do a better job next time:
  1. Check for the shadowing, make sure it's similar angle with the rest of the background
  2. Make sure the sharpness or the contrast isn't too different between subject and the background
  3. Always check for anatomical accuracy, don't make people stand on the medial aspects of the feet, that's too unnatural
  4. Go with the general theme of the occasion, perhaps getting a terrorist wearing yellow shirt would make it more identifiable

P/s: Mr Effendy Rashid, putting such a lousy photoxed picture online only shows you're in need of more education, perhaps we can sponsor your classes in LimKokWing or something... This time it's forgiven at the expense of our laughter on a Sunday afternoon, next time it's a crime!

EPIC FAIL!!!



clean up at work.........

Malaysia witnessing the movement of people power in action, something that is essential in a democratic nation but rarely acknowledged here as the ruling party has had their own definition of democracy for the past 54 years. Typical of the men in the cave looking at their shadows analogy, those who are not used to this will be screaming and kicking at the idea of real democracy.

Pictures taken randomly from websites showing the scene of Malaysia finally getting its true freedom, congratulations to those who braved the obstacles during the rally. The journey has just begun, my friends. This is indeed a moment in the history of a reformed nation in the making ;o)

20110708

t.r.a.f.f.i.c.j.a.m..........

  1. Stupid road blocks everywhere causing massive traffic jams all around Klang Valley. The stupid blocks were for nothing significant in particular, just having those gongbin policemen and policewomen (now that's a call for equality -- sama sama bodoh) flashing a torchlight into the cars to spot what ?? supposedly people wearing yellow shirts. Bodohnyerrrr....
  2. The route that I take from Kinrara back to Bukit Jalil after work took 4 times longer than usual. And it definitely didn't help at all when some bodoh babi Malaysians decide to cut queue and use the emergency lane to create a third lane to suffocate an already bloody suffocating bottle necks at the road blocks.
  3. Now if this is not infuriating, I don't know what else is... But apparently I am not angry at the Bersih protest. It's the other zhu-tiew-piang at the other side. Bodoh babi!

c.l.e.a.n..........

  1. Police road blocks all over main roads bottle-necking 3-lanes roads to single lanes causing crazy jams all over the place. Funny the gov was talking so much about threat and inconveniences caused by the protesters, but up to now the only inconveniences I see are caused by the gov anyway..
  2. First patient came in at 2111h, probably due to the police commotion on the road causing terrible jams, and the gov centered media propaganda that instilled fear among the people of the possible 'evil' that the Yellow Rally is up to. Guess they will never realize that their air headed message and deeds are the ones causing so much troubles to the people.

20110704

d.e.l.i.b.e.r.a.t.i.o.n....

  1. The only recipe for getting things done for procrastinators like me is -- deliberation! There's no other way but to force myself to do it.. Like writing this blog entry. I'm doing this throughout the day, let's see how long can I last ;o)
  2. No matter how much practice we get, it's never going to be easy to break bad news to the patients, especially for primigravids who just experienced bleeding with clots well into the end of their first trimester. I've had mothers who seems strong and accepting when I tell them of the probability of miscarriage, and they really do make the job done easier. The one I had this morning cried on the ultrasound couch when I couldn't find the foetus via scan. Yeah, losing a baby even as young as 12 weeks old can be very depressing. And doctors had better equip themselves with soothing words to say should they get trapped in such situations.
  3. Early weekday clinics are kinda shittey to run. I guess 7 out of 10 ends up with MC, and ore often than not, they will spin up some symptoms that don't really tie up with their conditions, and I end up pressing my mind unnecessarily trying to figure out the logic of their symptom reporting.
  4. Learning how to write my name in Thai ARTEO (อาเตียว)... cool... but somehow it is back-translated to Ming Zhang by Google translate, god knows what that means... RODDY is (ร๊อดดี้).
  5. Got to know that one is allowed to become short term monk in Thailand, where he will spend the mornings and evenings in prayers and the day time attending Dharma classes. So one can choose to become a monk for 7 days, 15 days or 30 days. Thought that's kinda fun. The head shaving isn't optional though...
  6. Have not been able to be disciplined with taking Aviance Slym pills... Got to find other motivation to do it, since paying a huge bomb for it doesn't seem to pinch anymore.
  7. Ah... can't wait for Transformers III later. Tickets are sold out for all the nearby cinemas and there are no seats further than the 3rd row from the screen, that's absurd! Lastly I had to make do with watching it at Tropicana, on a Monday night. It had better be worth it!
  8. Blogging stopped at 1740pm approximately...

20110620

pausing and reflecting on my desert walk........

  1. Been pestered by so many of my friends about going back to Church. It has been a while. Four years perhaps?
  2. Something stirred back when I was watching Glee (Grilled Cheesus) that reminds me of that yearning to yield to a higher and greater power I used to think I was chummy-chummy with.
  3. Maybe it's time to drop by for a visit... ;o)

20110606

evidence that arteo's still alive.....

  1. It's been a while, yeah. I've been meaning to jot down notes on my less than interesting life events but every time I signed in and opened the notepad programme, I'd be overwhelmed by things to write and in the end I'd lose the mood and start facebooking away.
  2. As I was just reading a post on a friend's blog, I am reminded that writing things down may not necessarily mean I am assuming that people are interested with my life, rather it be a black and white evident just in case of amnesia or suffering such consequences of old age.
  3. Currently doing locum at KDA Kinrara, trying to recover from the damage done at Bangkok. Guess I'll be talking about Bangkok in another post.
  4. I've since passed my Master, and now continuing to do the Doctorate part of the deal. Starting only in September, these 3 months would be a pain to pass. The Uni is entrusted to keep us occupied and each one of us are assigned for a project to do. Other than that, I still have a thesis proposal to submit and impress the panel with, since I screwed up one of the core subjects by getting a B-.
  5. I thought being such a people person, I'd have no problem getting through Society and Behavior in Health module. Maybe I'm not so much a people person after all. Maybe I'm an anti-social unknowingly!
  6. Anyway, the clinic's closing and so I have to finish this sentence and log off. I can hear the admin staff crunching the cash register outside, this is my favorite time of the day -- getting paid! ;o)
  7. If I'm lucky, the Chinese kopitiam nextdoor would still have some bakchang left. Happy bakchang day!!

20110503

a depressing conversation.....

I was just walking out of the faculty, head hung low from the trauma I got in the exam hall when I saw my lecturer, from Health Management department.
Dato':So Roddy, how's your exam?
Arteo:Not too good, Dato'. It was depressing...
Dato':Owh, what paper was it today? Epidemiology?
Arteo:Yes, Epid, Dato'.
Dato':Is Epid elective?
Arteo:Yes it is.
Dato':Good then you asked for it! (sinister laugh, a cross between Dr Evil's and that of Megamind)
Arteo: ... ... ...
Now I'm depressed!

20110424

exultet - praeconium paschale........

Happy Easter! I may have missed the whole Lent and Easter (again, yeah) but I'll remind me of that by posting up the exultet, first time heard many (many many) years back by Fr Simon of SFX, PJ. Loved it since. Let's see if I am able to post up the mp3 version of this prayer in Gregorian style ;o)
Dominus sit in corde meo, et in labiis meis, ut digne et competenter annuntiem suum paschale praeconium. Amen.

Exsultet iam Angelica turba caelorum: exsultent divina mysteria: et pro tanti Regis victoria, tuba insonet salutaris.

Gaudeat et tellus tantis irradiata fulgoribus: et aeterni Regis splendore illustrata, totius orbis se sentiat amisisse caliginem.

Laetetur et mater Ecclesia, tanti luminis adornata fulgoribus: et magnis populorum vocibus haec aula resultet.

Quapropter astantes vos, fratres carissimi, ad tam miram huius sancti luminis claritatem, una mecum, quaeso, Dei omnipotentis misericordiam invocate. Ut qui me non meis meritis intra Levitarum numerum dignatus est aggregare: luminis sui claritatem infundens, Cerei huius laudem implere perficiat.

Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum Filium suum: qui cum eo vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Dominus vobiscum.

Et cum spiritu tuo.

Sursum corda.

Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.

Dignum et iustum est.

Vere dignum et iustum est, invisibilem Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Filiumque eius unigenium, Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, toto cordis ac mentis affectu, et vocis ministerio personare. Qui pro nobis aeterno Patri, Adae debitum solvit: et veteris piaculi cautionem pio cruore detersit.

Haec sunt enim festa paschalia, in quibus verus ille Agnus occiditur, cuius sanguine postes fidelium consecrantur.

Haec nox est, in qua primum patres nostros filios Israel eductos de Aegypto, mare Rubrum sicco vestigio transire fecisti.

Haec igitur nox est, quae peccatorum tenebras, columnae illuminatione purgavit.

Haec nox est, quae hodie per universum mundum, in Christo credentes, a vitiis saeculi, et caligine peccatorum segregatos, reddit gratiae, sociat sanctitati.

Haec nox est, in qua destructus vinculis mortis, Christus ab inferis victor ascendit. Nihil enim nobis nasci profuit, nisi redimi profuisset.

O mira circa nos tuae pietatis dignatio!

O inaestimabilis dilectio caritatis: ut servum redimeres, Filium tradidisti!

O certe necessarium Adae peccatum, quod Christi morte deletum est!

O felix culpa, quae talem ac tantum meruit habere Redemptorem!

O vere beata nox, quae sola meruit scire tempus et horam, in qua Christus ab inferis resurrexit! Haec nox est, de qua scriptum est: Et nox sicut dies illuminabitur: et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis.

Huius igitur sanctificatio noctis fugat scelera, culpas lavat: et reddit innocentiam lapsis, et moestis laetitiam. Fugat odia, concordiam parat, et curvat imperia.

In huius igitur noctis gratia, suscipe, sancte Pater, incensi huius sacrificium vespertinum: quod tibi in hac Cerei oblatione solemni, per ministrorum manus de operibus apum, sacrosancta reddit Ecclesia.

Sed iam columnae huius praeconia novimus, quam in honorem Dei rutilans ignis accendit. Qui licet sit divisus in partes, mutuati tamen luminis detrimenta non novit. Alitur enim liquantibus ceris, quas in substantiam pretiosae huius lampadis, apis mater eduxit.

O vere beata nox, quae exspoiliavit Aegyptos, ditavit Hebraeos! Nox, in qua terrenis caelestia, humanis divina iunguntur.

Oramus ergo te, Domine: ut Cereus iste in honorem tui nominis consecratus, ad noctis huius caliginem destruendam, indeficiens perseveret. Et in odorem suavitatis acceptus, supernis luminaribus misceatur. Flammas eius lucifer matutinus inveniat. Ille, qui regressus ab inferis, humano generi serenus illuxit.

Precamur ergo te, Domine: ut nos famulos tuos, omnemque clerum, et devotissimum populum: una cum beatissimo Papa nostro N. et Antistite nostro N. quiete temporum concessa, in his paschalibus gaudiis, assidua protectione regere, gubernare, et conservare digneris.

Respice etiam ad eos, qui nos in potestate regunt, et, ineffabili pietatis et misericordiae tuae munere, dirige cogitationes eorum ad iustitiam et pacem, ut de terrena operositate ad caelestem patriam perveniant cum omni populo tuo.

Per Christum Filium tuum: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus:

Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

20110403

sunday is pizza day.........

All set to improve the prototype hawaiian pizza tuna from yesterday, here's a step by step footage of the whole process. Yumm in the making!

The ingredients: plain tortilla, canned pineapples, sliced mushrooms (RM5.99 @Cold Storage)

Shredded mozzarella cheese, canned tuna in light oil...

First, to ease the spread of tuna chunks, mix it into the pasta sauce

This makes it easier to even out the layer of tuna than to put them on separately.

Squeeze the syrup out of the pineapples by pressing them in between two spoons. This will prevent the tortilla from becoming soggy from the syrup. distribute evenly on pizza.

Then layer down the mushrooms, in my case, as much as possible! ;o)

Next, the mozzarella cheese, all over.

Bake at 230 degree Celcius, for about 10 minutes or until the mozza has melted over. If the oven hasn't been preheated earlier, it may take longer.

Finally, to make it authentically seafood hawaiian tuna pizza, some bits of nori seaweed to complete the topping ;o)

Estimated preparation time: 20 mins.
Estimated survival on plate: about 5, or less.

Next try out, substituting the pineapple with Italian herbs and low fat mayo.

Just as yummy. Now move aside, Jamie ;oP


gasp.... starbucks has gone instant........

Don't be too excited yet guys, this is in HongKong...

20110402

lazy guy's hawaiian tuna pizza..........

Okay, I've got the wrong type of cheese going on here, but nothing that a short trip to Cold Storage won't rectify. Pineapple needs to be drained before topping to prevent sogging up the tortilla. Maybe a little of olive oil on the edge of the tortilla will prevent it from crisping too much. I'll post up a better looking result next.

20110401

tuna pizza........

The lazy guy's tuna pizza.
  1. Canned tuna in oil
  2. Tomato based pasta sauce with fresh mushroom and herb
  3. Mushroom
  4. Tortilla bread
  5. Cheese
  6. Canned pineapple
  7. Italian herbs mix
All set. I've decided lunch for tomorrow.

20110319

yihyi reposted...

Emme was reporting about YihYi's progress earlier, about how she can now recognise colours and knows the meaning of traffic lights. And YihYi keeps on asking when will I come back from school. Kasian semua...

Feeling Maximus Missimus right now... :'oS

breaking the silence.........

  1. Phew. It's been a while. I'd love to say that I was extremely busy caught up in studies and work, and have no time to blog, but that wouldn't exactly be true. But then again, it isn't exactly untrue either.
  2. The second semester in MPH is kinda crazy. I probably won't be alone in saying that even at this stage where we're 3/4 on our way to getting a master degree in Public Health, many many of us are still floating on a limbo about what's happening with studies. The thought scares the shit out of me, especially at night when I'm about to sleep and I have that few minutes to reflect on my life.
  3. Thank goodness for actifed pills, which I occasionally (more often nowadays) abuse for its side effect, those thoughtful reflections are cut down to few minutes only, then I'd doze off to a beautiful uninterrupted slumber, and wake up fresh the next morning so I could procrastinate some more ;o)
  4. There's so much in my mind right now. The exams. The seminars. The debate. The weight loss. Or the plateau of weight loss rather.
  5. CNY has done some damage I've yet to salvage. I've conveniently dropped out of GX classes due to the mismatched scheduling, but I've leveled up my cycling effort on the stationary bike to max and burn off 500kcal every session. I suppose that's not enough. The last trip to the body-stats machine left me pretty depressed again. Sigh.
  6. Maybe I shouldn't be looking at the ideal weight at this point. I guess my intermediate target should be to get off the obesity BMI zone. That sounds more doable. Short term goal may help build up some self esteem here ;o)
  7. Red Nose Day Malaysia unfortunately has to be postponed. Not an easy thing for me to swallow, involving a lot of dying of the ego before I admit defeat and had to let it be postponed. Feel like venting much, but I suppose that would be counter productive, so I'll just take it positively, after all, I need to be focusing on my exams ;o)
  8. The new date for RNDM is tentatively 12th June 2011, the day before school reopens middle this year. After that I'll be planning the trip home for dad's big birthday ;o)

20110317

what's hanging from your tow hook?


I've been noticing some peculiar trending among mini / compact car drivers in KL, hanging some sort of plush toys (usually same colour as their car) from the tow hoof at the rear end. I was curious so I did a little bit of googling, and found this explanation. Think I'm hanging something from my tow hook soon too ;o) or maybe I'll just hang a bucket.

"For some reason, it has become some sort of trend for people to hang toys or other items of their cars' rear tow hook, but the origination of this trend came from the Bosozoku (street gangsters with fixed up cars) in Japan. It was a Bosozoku trend to hang a small tin bucket from their rear tow hook to show off how low their cars were- they got the idea from seeing cement trucks in Japan, which always had a bucket hanging off the rear of the truck. The cement trucks used the bucket as a "catch can" of sorts, so that excess cement from the truck wouldn't spill onto the pavement. Inspired by this, the bosozoku trend setters attached small buckets to their rear tow hooks to show how low their bucket could hang- if your car was so low that the bucket could scrape on things as you were driving , they thought it was cool as hell."

Then Ben told me about the truck deco that looks like human testicles, and I think I'm getting these instead, haha....

(wikipedia) Truck nuts, also known as truck balls, BumperNuts, BumperBalls, or truck scrotums, are accessories for pickup trucks and other vehicles. Capitalizing upon the association of trucks with machismo, truck nuts resemble human testicles inside scrota of various colors. This trend began in the United States in 1998 and first sold on the internet in 1999. Truck nuts are used as a statement by the car, truck, ATV, and/or motorcycle owner to boast/amuse/shock him/her self and others. Truck nuts are installed at the rear of the vehicle in such a way that they are suspended in full view of motorists, motor cyclists, bicyclers, lorry drivers, bus drivers, pedestrians, and others behind them.

So cooool!! Where can I get these?