Thursday, January 29, 2009

Back-stepping...

Thur 29th Jan 2009

Well, today is the 4th day of the new Lunar year of the Ox. More water has flowed under all our bridges. Hopefully this new year will bring better days for one & all, considering the bad predictions that one continues to read in the media especially about the worsening economic situation in the world!

For Lot 10, celebrations started the night before CNY eve ie 24th Jan. Yup, a surprise early arrival by our fav grandaughter, KL, and her family! A real late night arrival. A great start to a new year. A happy start.

A pic of KL, now 3 yrs old ( 4... if one counts in Chinese years!), as pictured on 25th Jan. More pics in the slide show on the right of this Blog under "The 2009 KL".


As KL has been all these years, her energy is no match for these 2 old inmates of Lot 10! Phew! So, a happy but tiring 250109 passed without our even realising it.

CNY eve came along & a small but sumptous family re-union dinner was held with KL & fmly to make up the guest list. Our "chef" whipped up the ever-popular delicacies reminiscent of the old days. Everyone really & truly tucked in until there was no more room for more of the goodies still laid out on the dining table.

And yup, Happiness is when hearts are sincere & loving...no false pretences nor any of the "kiasu" or "aibeen" takes that one performs for the general public. This is HOME! A place where family togetherness, love & respect count more than anything else! This is what Life is all about... FAMILY.

Outside, in one's working life, one may be a manager or an accountant or whatever....In the family, there are NO such positions. Just the Parents, their Children and Grandchildren, etc. No pulling one's weight around... like "me am now manager, you only retiree"... nor any "kor bin chui" (save face) stuff!

Or... what I could so clearly remember being told at one time...
"...that when one gets married, one's family only includes the spouse & their own kids!"
Parents, siblings...they are no longer part of one's family from the moment one says, "I do!" Period. What are they then? Strangers? Outsiders? Outcasts? I have always understood that marriage extends one's family - makes it bigger & better...not dispose of it or make it irrelevant...worse still, non-existent? Is this what ppl meant when they say the new generation is the X-generation?

Let's get back to happier things...

And, so it was soon after...the 1st day of the new year of the OX arrived! Not with much fanfare in Lot 10 but with happy hearts...with unhappy thoughts well & truly out of the way! Memories of trouble-makers kinda fade into the background. The numerous thunderous fireworks & firecrackers that were let off in the vicinity well & truly chased away all bad "chi" to welcome in only the good & happy spirits...

A piece of happy news also greeted us this CNY. Our cousin, KS, received God's blessings and was still conscious & breathing easier. We had thought we wouldn't be able to see her so when we got word of her worsening condition just a few days before CNY. Thank God for keeping her safe & for all to be able to spend more time with her this new year! We've planned to visit her again when she's back home. Be strong, KS!

Well, our CNY day#1 was the usual. After the formalities with KL & family, we had a simple breakfast and after KL's early lunch, we were on our way to Penang. As in past CNYs, it started with a Meet @ our fav niece's place. Lunch followed. Then it was the "tour" of our fav relatives. Started with Aunt#5, then it was Aunt#2 and the day's round ended with Aunt#7. Hot & tiring but full of happy moments & feelings! KL also did not leave any room for this ole man to catch his breath throughout the "tour"!!

We passed the night at our fav niece's place. Thanks a meg, Amy! And thanks a lot more for your overwhelming generosity! You've done more than what one could ever expect to receive. May God bless you always...

We packed our things & left for our final "tour" late in the morning of CNY Day #2.

First stop was at Penang GH Oncology ward. To visit KS, our cousin. We felt happy to be able to see her & convey our CNY greetings in person...but at the same time, we felt so sad for her to be now in such a weakened condition. Our consolation is that she's at least breathing much easier &, hopefully, relaxed most of the time. We stayed at her bedside for as long as permitted ie till visiting hours were over. Now we look forward to seeing her again when she's back "home"...

Lunch was @ KFC somewhere along/near to Batu Lancang Road. We enjoyed a previous meal there some time back and my other half suggested that it would be good for a 2nd visit. Ha ha!
It was. We had the Chicken Rice Combo & a Snack Plate. Me was truly all filled up after the meal.

One final stop before we start on our journey back to Lot 10...my bro-in-law's place. And yup, his place is near to the KFC outlet where we just had our lunch. This time around my "bil" was also in a better condition compared to when we saw him last. A really good start to this CNY. We also met up with 2 of my nephews & a niece. And a few of their kids.

Very soon it was time to end the Penang CNY "tour". The trip back to A/S was pleasant. Traffic was smooth-flowing in spite of the heavier stream of vehicles all the way.

A quick visit to answer nature's call @ Lot 10 and it was off to Tesco Mergong for dinner. Picked by my other half cos the venue offered room for passing some time after dinner...yup, another walk-walk session! Ha ha!

Dinner was, however, not without incident though...her ordered Mee Java did not appear even after me had finished my ordered sandwiches! On checking, the waiter somehow forgot her order! Trust such ppl! My other half was so disappointed with the kind of service. Me can't help feeling that that would be our last patronage of that outlet at Tesco! Bye...

Day #3 was spent "recuperating" in Lot 10...Guess one can always say "we're as young as we feel..." but our ageing bodies can never be as young again! Sad but true...

Well, how was your own CNY holidays? Happy? Good.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

Thu 220109
This is a special entry to wish one & all a very Happy, Prosperous & Healthy Chinese New Year of the Ox...


Gong Xi...Gong Xi...

Have a great time with family & friends...



CU all when life returns to normal again...hehe....
Be safe whenever on the road, ok?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

To follow the heart or the mind....?

Tues 200109

Bad times are here again! Sun 180109 was a great day...as noted in my earlier post. However, the night did not end well...the inmates of Lot 10 had another one of its emotional "incidents" that somehow dragged on till today...like a "damocle's sword" that has been hanging over our heads since March 2008...

A really dark cloud hung over Lot 10 the whole of yesterday (190109)...

And due to the past 2 late sleepless nights, I could only get up late in the morning this morning...lots later than 9am! Yup, it's that bad...

And of all times, me received a call for help! In the "blur-blur" state I was in, I regretfully could not respond positively as me was not my normal self! Now that I am feeling better, I feel the remorse of turning down that call for help...although my reply was genuinely true! Sometimes it is not the time to tell the truth...esp when one's help is needed. In my "blurry" state, I was really not thinking. Anyway it's kinda too late to do anything about it..."crying over spilt milk" frankly does not help anyone! Agreed? I now sincerely hope that whatever it was finally turned out ok...

To add to the above, we (actually my other half) found out that her cousin who had metastasis of her breast cancer (detected & treated years ago) was hospitalised last night! She was one of those VIPs at the Bday dinner of the cousin on last Sunday evening. We sincerely hope & pray that somehow she will pull through this time around & be with us for as long as possible. Life is so precious & every day counts...Be strong & may God bless you, KS!

Thur 220109 is the Bday of our fav grandaughter, KL...just 2 days away from CNY eve & 3 days from CNY itself! Normally, I am one who shys away from travelling at such "traffic-busy" periods. Traffic jams & all kinds of impatient & inconsiderate drivers are so prevalent out on roads prior to such major festival days. On the one hand, we have yet to miss any of KL's bdays. On the other hand, the mind tells one that there is always a first time for everything.

Now comes the question that I had posted as the topic of this entry...
"Should I follow my heart or what the mind dictates?"
Yup, for a start, under normal circumstances, I would, without hesitation, follow my heart...I will make a special trip to visit KS in hospital. Her condition being what it is. No doubt about that. No second thoughts. But now...at this time of the year...the mind keeps telling me, is it wise or necessary? Or as put by Unc L whom I called to enquire about KS's condition, "there's nothing one can do at this stage...we are already giving her all the moral support..." The good part is that we had just spent some hours of value time with her last Sunday.

So do I need to make that trip? Should I follow the heart or the mind?

And secondly, KL's bday...should we make the trip to celebrate her 3rd bday (as in previous years)? We had been there for her at her birth, 1st & 2nd birthdays. Should we be there on her 3rd bday? In spite of reasons given above, namely possibly bad traffic conditions & proximity of CNY (KL & fmly are supposed to be coming to Lot 10 for the Re-union Dinner on CNY eve ie just 2 days later!)?

So here again, do I need to make this trip? Should I follow the heart or the mind?

If you were me, what would you do? Under the above conditions & in my shoes, do you follow your heart or your mind?

Before you answer, one must also bear in mind that me am not that young now and my ole junk is not that young either...actually >16 years old now! Moreover, I've not been able to maintain my ole junk in pristine condition as I used to...due to very much lower financial resources. Every long distance trip these days has been kinda risky & full of undisplayed worries...although during each trip made, me tried not to think too much about it. Or else me would never go anywhere outside A/S! As is, we cannot afford to get a new replacement vehicle...even maintaining the present ole junk can be pretty draining on resources in times of need!

That is my "migraine" now! And me not have much time to decide...cos both trips have to be made by tomorrow morning...

Wonder if me can sleep tonight...so sorry to have to unload my problems here...
Thanks a meg for reading thus far...

UPDATE : Decision was finally made @12:50am on 210109...a really very difficult decision...and only after considering all aspects & factors. Not a decision we would have made years back. Yup, we decided to let the mind be in control. As such, the decision becomes a rational & logical one made...not emotion-based. Sincerely hope all parties involved would understand & accept it with an open heart...TQ.

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Weekend that was...

Mon 190109

Believe it or not...another weekend is over! Phew! How time really flies...

To recap...

Sat 170109 started as a normal COD ( Chef's Off Day to the uninitiated... ) A planned visit to our Auntie SHK had some "twists" to it. We drove to her house for a normal visit...assuming that she had been discharged from the hospital as expected a few days ago. However, we're surprised to find her not home...but supposedly still in hospital, having beeen re-admitted after the expected discharge. So we proceeded to the hospital but while we were attempting to find a parking place, me got a call on my hp that she was home already! Yup, good news! She was discharged & left the hospital as we're on our way to the hospital! A nice surprise, it was! Good for you, Auntie SHK!!

So, as it turned out, after some happy chatting, we went out for lunch with SHK & her family members. And guess what? Lunch was on the house! Thanks a meg, KSC!! It was a great happy & nice lunch!

Dinner was decided by the "chef" to be a new "adventure". At a place we haven't been nor tried before. Right next to the place we had tried previously but this one has its own parking area. Well, as it turned out, our "chef" was pretty happy with the meal! Looks like there's gonna be a 2nd visit soon...hehe...

As it was still early after dinner, we decided to go for a walk-walk session at AS Mall. And, as it turned out, there was to be a special stage show to be held soon. Chinese cultural dances & a Magic Show. As we had time on our hands, we stood with the crowd that had gathered and guess what? It was worth our while! Great colourful special dances with a surprisingly short but revealing magic acts! Here are a couple of pics to share... of 1 of the dances...Not bad, eh? Maybe a video capture of part of the dance routine would be even more enjoyable? So...Enjoy lo...
There was another dance after this before the Magic Show. The enjoyable part of this Magic Show was when a member of the audience was practically made "topless" by the performer...a shock to him but greatly enjoyed by the crowd!! Ha ha! Luckily his wife wasn't around...

Sunday 180109 was finally allocated to a trip to Penang...to share in the birthday joy of my other half's cousin. What we didn't know nor expect was a planned 2-table dinner at a popular restaurant in Penang, near to The Ship in town.

Dishes were great & more than what all present could take in. Company was good and a great time & enjoyable meal were evident that evening. Here are pics of part of 1 table with the birthday girl present & a few happy family members celebrating the happy occasion! Many happy returns of the day, CP!! Well, such weekends make life worth living...happy events, happy faces & happy feelings!

Sincerely hope & wish for more...hehe...

1 more week & it's Chinese New Year...of the Ox! So once again, my wishes to one & all...GONG XI FA CAI!!

Wishing everyone a very Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year!!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Yum Yum!!

Thur 150109

Yup...good days are here! For a change.

And yup, it started the evening before. I had the itch to check online if the promised "angpow" from our "Kay Pa" would be given early this month. Most importantly is if that "angpow" would even materialise. World economy is worsening...and Malaysia is definitely not excluded! And yup, CNY is due soon (260109) and, as is the usual practice, pensions would be paid early. And for this time around, it's announced that payout would be on 150109...ie today! Banks would normally do their updates the evening before that due date.

And yup again, the $$ was all in there! As promised! A 20% increase for all civil servants who had served a minimum of 30 years. A recalculation was done & that "angpow" came in time for this year's CNY! The bull really came charging in with a great gift!

And since we've been kinda "imprisoning" ourselves for some time already, it called for a little bit of freedom and a small treat, so to say. Ha ha!

And so it was...a roasted duck rice meal treat at our fav restaurant in Sungei Petani! However, when we reached SP, it was still too early for lunch. So a detour to Giant SP was in order.

And when lunch time came, yummy it was...the roasted duck dish! The skin was well roasted and glistening when the dish was served! Have a look yourself (pic below)... (note. : a few pieces were gone to uknowhere when lil ole me decided to snap a pic for rememberance sake!)

Nice, ain't it? The dish comes with its own gravy (in the small blue bowl at top left-hand corner of pic) & soup (not in pic).

If only such a dish is obtainable easily here in A/S itself, then we wouldn't have to travel all the way to SP!
But then, we would never visit SP, right? And miss our walk-walk sessions in Parkson's, Giant, Tesco & even Village Mall...no way! Ha ha!

Plans for this coming weekend are temporarily on hold...just in case. In this case, however, it's just plain uncertain. Confirmation would be needed by tomorrow for the weekend plans to go smoothly...

Yup, life can be pretty frustrating at times...and yup, it is due to that 10% of the 10/90 philosophy of life! But sometimes, me feel that 10% can be eradicated & such uncertainty removed. If only....

Well, me am looking forward to happy times ahead. According to Jet Li the actor, in an interview, he believes that there are NO UNhappy times! Yup, he believes & accepts that there will be what we others call "bad" times...because to him, those are not "bad" times but things we actually know can happen to all of us. And so, if we accept them as expected happenings and that we have to deal with them, then there are no such things as "bad" times! Get it? Maybe Jet Li did put it in a clearer & even humorous way than me am doing here...hehe...

As an example, he said that when we buy a car to enjoy driving it around...taking ppl we love out to enjoy, we must also know, understand & accept that we have to pay taxes for its use, pay for petrol & replacement parts...that we may even be involved in accidents & have to pay for repair, etc, etc. Correct? So when we meet with an accident, we cannot say it's a "bad" or "unhappy" thing...because we know it can happen because we drive a car! See?

Well, if we all can be as positive as Jet Li is, then life will always only have happy times...

The least we can do is try...won't you?

Have a happy weekend!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Dented...

Fri 090109

Dented. Yup, my ole junk got dented! What a New Year happening...another lousy feeling...

How did it happen? Looks like my eyes need an examination lo. It happenned as I was about to park our car in the basement carpark of Star Parade here in A/S. We both felt a sudden "thump" and I knew I'd hit something! Just didn't know how it happened...'cause I was just easing the car into the parking lot.

On coming out to investigate, me saw that the rubber bumper strip was kinda loose and then it was evident that the bumper had hit the corner of the pillar of that parking lot! Thank God it was just that...a dent roughly the size of a ping-pong (table tennis) ball. Pic below shows the dent & the surrounding area after me had done some touching up...

Yup, just a superficial "wound". No freaking out!

So it was decided to let it be. Taking off the bumper to knock out that small dent isn't worth all the dismantling, etc. It will be a reminder of sorts to pay more attention when parking in future...not as if it's an automatic feature! On an automatic car. Ha ha!

That's what bumpers are for, right? To take bumps? Haha again!

Well, another bonus week is about to end. Tomorrow's another Saturday. Another COD. Another Cine Nite. Our small pile of unwatched DVDs is slowly but steadily being exhausted. Wonder what movie our "boss" is gonna pick...

A piece of good news though. Our aunt, SHK, is on the road to a good recovery. We visited her again a couple of days ago and she was alert & doing well. However, it's more of her mental & emotional recovery that we are more worried about. Be strong & "Chai Chai", SHK...

After that visit, we decided to try out having lunch in the Pak Hainan place nearby. Atmosphere? Cool. Not bad. Prices of menu items? Reasonable. After some browsing, a Rice Ball Chicken set & their Pak Noodles dish were ordered. Well, both turned out rather disappointing...taste was real flat. Had to look for & add soy sauce to both. The rice balls were hard & dry, too. Bad first experience. Don't think my other half would welcome nor support a second visit there.

One last grouse. The new pension payments are still not available in the Pensions Dept webpages as of this morning. And it's only 6 more days to go before the first payment in 2009! C'mon, guys! Show that you ppl are earning & deserve your upgraded remunerations & perks...

With that, it ends this entry for today. Have a great weekend...

Thursday, January 8, 2009

A Story of Everyone

Thur 8 Jan 2009

Hi...In my dull, boring life, not every day is a day of happenings. But I've come to accept & appreciate that a normal routine day, with nothing interesting happening, is truly a good day. Peaceful, tranquil & happy to be able to enjoy another no-stress day of life.

So, while we relax, here's a nice little story to share...one that me received via email...a Story of Everyone, so to say. Enjoy...

THE BOY AND THE APPLE TREE

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday.
He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow.
He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by, the little boy had grown up
and he no longer played around the tree every day.


One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
"Come and play with me", the tree asked the boy.
"I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more" the boy replied.
"I want toys. I need money to buy them."
"Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money."
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.


One day, the boy who has now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited.
"Come and play with me" the tree said.
"I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"
"Sorry, but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house". So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.


One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted.
"Come and play with me!" the tree said.
"I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" said the man.
"Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy."
So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.


Finally, the man returned after many years.

"Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you", the tree said.
"No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite" the man replied.
"No more trunk for you to climb on".
"I am too old for that now" the man said.
"I really cannot give you anything, the only thing left is my dying roots," the tree said with tears. "I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years," the man replied.
"Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come sit down with me and rest."


The man sat down. The tree was glad and smiled with tears.


This is a Story of Everyone. The tree is like our parents. When we were young, we loved to play with our Mum and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them; only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.
No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could just to make you happy.
You may think the boy is cruel to the tree, but that is how all of us treat our parents. We take them for granted; we don't appreciate all they do for us, until it's too late.

True? Have a great day...

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

What's left of January 2009...

Tues 6th Jan 2009

Yup, good news...for a change! My other half is now 100% fully recovered from her bouts of diarrhoea due to food poisoning after a meal during the last week of 2008. Thank God for her return to good health!

Well, so far we've been taking it easy. Mainly cos the 2 bouts of diarrhoea kinda weakened her a bit. And... a little bit was due to fear of a repeat event! Ha ha! We had our usual walks around the local Malls though...he he...

Anyway, this month is gonna be kinda eventful...soon...

There is going to be a birthday do of my other half's cousin in Penang which we had kinda promised to be there to celebrate the day. 18th January is the day.

And...luckily for these 2 pensioners, it appears that the payment of pensions for Jan 2009 would be early...listed as on 15th Jan in the Pensions Dept webpages. Just nice, right? Great timing, I would say! Ha ha!

However, info about how much the new pensions for 2009 would be is still not available on the Pensions Dept website. I tried to access the info via the allocated icon but got the info for 2008 instead!! C'mon, ppl!! Do some work! Such info should have been made available latest by Dec 2008. A 20% increase, as previously announced by our PM in mid-2008, would be a great angpow for the Year of the Ox! Hope it's not a case of counting chickens before they are hatched...

Great timing? Yup. Especially so when the big event in the Chinese calendar is due on 26th Jan! Yup, it's the Chinese New Year! The Year of the Ox will be replacing the Year of the Rat on that auspicious day!

As in previous years, the Tan Family will be having its Re-union Dinner on the eve of CNY ie on the evening of 25th Jan. However, this time around there would be a difference in who'll be attending since there is still an outstanding & yet unresolved serious family issue involving one member. So, as previously stated in an earlier entry, there is now an "Only By Invitation " ruling for family members who intend to visit Lot 10 OFH.

And that member is definitely NOT invited!! Why? You may ask...
(Note : If you had been following this Blog's happenings since March 2008, you'd know...& understand...hehe...)

Since that very dark day in March 2008, the shock, heartaches, turmoil, pain & despair, disappointment & frustration that he had subjected this family to, will go down in the family history as totally uncalled for & undeserving for someone who had cared for, protected & supported him throughout his entire life, to say the least... even up till the time he had kids of his own!!

The worst part of it all is that he was still...after 9 months then but now almost 10... ( & we believe... even to this day...) just as adamant that he had done no wrong...that the person he so openly disrespected, was even portrayed in his mind in such a manner that that person was even supposed to make the trip (rather than the wrongdoer) to patch things up with him!

Just imagine that...the person he'd wronged had to be the one to make the effort to meet him to patch things up? How ridiculous can one get? We had tried to give his IQ more credit that what his words & actions had shown him to be...so sad to have all the hereditary theories & norms proven so untrue here!

How low can one's IQ be... to so adamantly say that

"What I am today has nothing to do with the issue at hand?"

What is the "issue at hand"? Simply this. His utter & shocking disrespect of that elder compounded by his issuance of a direct threat that if that elder were to say another word, he would leave instantly! This literally means that no elder of similar status should ever criticise nor advise someone when it is felt that this someone is doing wrong eg can't a father do just that? Is what a son is today that makes him beyond criticism or advice by his own dad?

Now, where would he be today or what would he be today...if not for that elder's love & commitment to his welfare & safety...providing him the pillar of strength, financially, morally & spiritually, to carry on with his life when faced with such adverse obstacles that he almost lost his family...when he could have lost his job...when he thought of even taking his own life? I could go on & on. What he is today does NOT give him that right to threaten his own elder (of that status) nor say those words to that elder. Frankly, one wonders what he would be today if not for that elder...

And, for him to say further...

"I'm a father that is why I don't want to turn out like you and make my children's life miserable..."

My, my, my...why didn't you say so when you were "crying on his shoulders", when he was there for you each time you were down, etc, etc. If you had told him so then, I'm very sure that he would have left you in your own miseries so that you would not put the blame on him now being the father he was to you then! Wonder if you would even have remained a father to this day...history reminds us that you actually almost lost your son at 1 point in time!! Can you remember who saved the situation?

In another sms, he even went to the extent of calling that person a "loser"! Maybe he's right...that person might be a "loser" to have brought him into this world & picking him up each time he falls till he could stand on his own 2 feet. Who are you to him now? Just a nobody...whereas he's a somebody now, you know!

Btw, previously I could only put forward my personal version of what feelings that family member had towards me (now you know that elder, referred to all this while, is none other than yours truly, lil ole me!) ...what he had uttered... since that dark day. My words against his. Everyone tried to console me...that he not have such feelings nor mean what he'd said, etc., etc. But now, what he sent to me in a recent sms session the other day... one sms after another from him... confirmed all that me said were true. And now, all that is in black & white...his own words on paper! His sms-es printed out. Me even backed up the sms-es from my HP into my PC. Let him try to deny all that. Period. I rest my case...

Frankly, on that "sms day", my other half & me still had a tiny glimmer of hope that our "fren" could have finally seen the light & would take the right path to a happy conclusion. Alas, because that was not to be. As each sms from him came in, that tiny glimmer was extinguished bit by bit till finally, there was only darkness...

There is one thing that he said in 1 of his sms-es that I fully & whole-heartedly agree with...

"GOD is fair and will know..."
Nope. Me not gonna let such a person spoil my CNY joy. Sorry...not if I can help it. Feel no one in his right & capable mind would allow so. As a very common saying goes...
"Enough is Enough..."
Life must go on...and with happier thoughts. We (my other half & me) started our lives together happily as two. And we intend to spend whatever time we have left together happily...as two...with God's blessings.

Now let's prepare to usher in this CNY of the OX in a happy mood.

The 1st day of CNY, as practised in past years, would be spent in Penang visiting our relatives there. The usual rounds. Sadly though, the number of stops has diminished through the years as the elders in the family circle took their leave of this world. At such times we miss them so.

However, along that line, another not-so-good news is that our aunt, whom we call our SHK, who was recently admitted to a local private hospital, has been re-admitted again...for the same reasons. The good news is that she's slowly recovering. It is sincerely hoped that she will fully recover soon. And be her normal self when we visit her this coming CNY.

The outside world is not at peace either. Both the Palestinians & the Israelis must realise that no one gains in continuing with such a prolonged conflict. In war or any military action, both sides suffer unnecessary hardship & losses of life. Esp the innocent civilians...of both sides. The world does not belong to any one people. Moreover, the world is big enough for all...

And, hopefully, 2009 will be a better year with less problems & less sadness for one & all. Let us all pray for & look forward to a much more enjoyable "rollercoaster ride" this time around!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Hello 2009...

Fri Jan 2, 2009

Hello 2009!! Looks like our 1st day of 2009 is a continuation (kinda unfinished bsnes) of the last couple of days of 2008...

Yup, not-so-good start to this New Year. And yup, my other half's food poisoning episode is, as yet, not ended. Yesterday itself...Jan 1st...she felt her diarrhoea coming back! Not as bad as the first time but like it's gonna start again. And that was at dinner time!

And so, it was, luckily, our fav family doc was still available! A short visit & with more med in our hands, we were ready to face the night! Thank God, it was a good night!! And, thanks to our doc's med., my other half passed the night without incidents...it was peaceful.

Well, this morning is definitely a better morning. My other half could hold down her porridge well. No visits yet to uknowhere. And that's a good sign...

Btw, today is our 40th Wedding Anniversary. However, in & with her present condition, both are not, & cannot be, in any mood to celebrate. Wishes of a "Happy Anniversary", although well-intended, would not bring any happiness with this little "dark cloud" hanging over our heads.

The good point about our Wedding Anniversary is kinda odd. You see, we were married according to Chinese customs on Jan 2nd but our marriage was only legally solemnised on Jan 4th!! So, we actually can pick either Jan 2nd or Jan 4th to celebrate the occasion!
Yup again... I'm hoping that by Jan 4th, my other half would be 100% back to her own good & healthy (as can be) old self & we can then have a jolly happy but simple Wedding Anniversay celebration then...probably doing what we both enjoy doing best together! Ha ha! Now, don't get smart with those wild thoughts going through your heads...cos it ain't anything like what you are all might be imagining...hehe...

Sincerely hope all you guys out there are having a better & happier start to this new year than me lo. Life is truly a "rollercoaster ride" & mine is just moving down slightly before picking up speed to go up & up & up soon...I truly hope & pray so...

Today is Friday & another weekend is here. So, do have a great 1st weekend in 2009...

Money, as we are constantly being reminded these days, makes the world go round...but Love makes the world a happier place to be & makes Life a better one!!