Gong Xi Gong Xi, Everyone!

Sun 30th Jan 2011

Yup, it's really that close to saying "Gong Xi Gong Xi" to one & all! And yup, it's only just 3 days to Welcoming the Year of the Rabbit on Feb 3rd!!

So one update here of events of interest (at least to muah...hehe...) to post and before a long leave of absence cos of the festive holiday atmosphere!!

For one thing, the Pedilanthus plant so kindly donated by our #8 neighbour has grown steadily and very recently got an added stem...a cutting off its own self! Haha! Now me just waiting for this small bush to flower....hopefully lots of pinkish red "Hsiao Niao Hua" soon...

Pic on left shows its present status. Not bad eh? Do compare it with what it was on Jan 14th.

And yup....during our recent stay in Penang, both inmates were so well-treated...even to a sumptous lunch at the Miraku Japanese Restaurant in G-Hotel!
It was truly an honour & privilege to feel so very a part of the family. Thanks a meg, Amy!!

We will forever cherish such warm & pleasant memories....

On our return to A/Star ie on 27th Jan, our #8 neighbour was also generous and offered us a LIVE...mind you, a LIVE...Tilapia fish! He hooked 4 of these at a friend's pond.


Well, as it was the first time Lot 10 inmates had to deal with a real life LIVE fish, me tried "Googling" for how to kill a live fish! Thanks to Google me got a list of how to's and finally decided on the most humane way to do so...using ice & ice-cold water (since we do have enough ice at hand!)
One suggestion, including a video, even suggested slamming the fish onto a hard cement/concrete floor!! Phew!

Above...our very first "Tilapia" after cleaning & marinading...ready for the frying pan! Haha!

Well, what can I say? It was indeed a very fresh & tasty dish to set before this "King" & his "Queen" at dinner time! An enjoyable, nonetheless unforgettable, event!

Next, on 28th Jan, we saw an advert in The Star re a new product by "Dettol", namely an Auto Handsoap Dispenser! It was being intro by Tesco. Well, as you know, me always had an attraction for new tech-related gadgets & esp so for home improvement. Moreover, this one was definitely affordable @RM19:90...a complete set with dispenser, 250ml of hand soap & 4xAA batteries! Pic on left shows the installed gadget.

Nice? Worth it? For these 2 ole folks, it certainly was and is! No more pressing/pumping of hand soap dispensers! We just need to put our hand below the spout & out comes a measured quantity of hand soap. Just the right amount, too! Truly pampered...

And finally, this is what Lot 10 looks like now at night...externally, in preparation for the Year of the Rabbit...a small fairyland of lights & more lights...

As most of the light are so-called "twinkling" lights...the latest being of the LED kind..., not all the lights were, however, captured by my trusty ole iPhone.

Anyway, the mood is set for a Happy & Healthy CNY come 3rd Feb!

And for the first time in 3 years, Lot 10 inmates would have the whole family (Godwilling...) back home on CNY eve ie Feb 2nd.

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Everyone! Have a great Rabbit Year...

Second page of Year 2011...

Fri 140111

Yup, this is gonna be the 2nd page for year 2011 in The Middle Lip!

And yup, how time flies...it's already mid-month for the 1st month of the New Year...

Well, Life in Lot 10 OFH has been kinda nice...most of the time anyway. As is, Life, as I've come to realise & accept, is never all nice. We thank God for His blessings for each & every day we see the sun rises in the morning and the pleasures ( & pains, too!) of another day of Life As Is...

For a start, my 2-doors away neighbour was kind enough to offer me a successfully cultivated cutting of what was last CNY's (Chinese New Year) popular plant, namely the Pedilanthus Bracteatus aka "The Tall Slipper" plant or locally nicknamed the "Xiao Niao Hua" aka "Little Bird Flower".
Well, this cutting has yet to bloom...but the flowers would look like little green birds then....beautifully-shaped flowers! I had further made 2 more cuttings which now appeared to have taken root. So, instead of a solitary plant, I now have THREE stems!!

Heard of this plant? Pots of them were selling like "hot cakes" for CNY 2010!!

Anyway, dunno if mine would bloom before this coming CNY...in abt 2+ weeks... ?

Anyway, like me said earlier, Life is never all nice....And yup, me had my fair share of misfortunes to start this New Year!

Somehow or other, me was careless enough to put my specs next to me while I was doing some re-wiring of our lounge area TV & sound system. And guess what? I stepped on the specs & got my first shock of 2011! The screw on the RHS part of the frame holding the lens broke...the frame was distorted & the lens dislodged! My heart practically dropped!

It was then a long, long night. Misfortune couldn't have knocked on the door @ Lot 10 at a more unfortunate time. Luckily, I finally found a way to put the specs back together, albeit only satisfactorily, with a bit of delicate re-adjustment, a string & some araldite glue! A temporary delay until finances are in better shape? Thank God for that!

Slept like a log that night...

As promised, these 2 ole inmates would be leaving for Penang on 17th Jan to be with our fav niece... to spend abt a week with her & family.

Frankly, there is a deep feeling of calm, peace & contentment to feel so honoured that one can still be of service to others...more so to be so much appreciated. For nothing much more than just our presence. And more so, to be able to share the same, coupled with close & happy feelings, at this point in our lives.

If only our very own "flesh & blood" could find it in their hearts to realise that they do have such ppl in their midst who have that much love in them but had to shower it somewhere else...simply because they do not see what they do have right in front of them. Unfortunately, they do not know how to appreciate what they have but would only realise & feel what they have lost when it's too late...too late to turn back time!

My comment to them had always been that they are " also a parent now... ". However, sad to say, that had been pitifully misinterpreted...

As is... I am, nowadays, always ready with this very simple piece of "advice"...to the young... :

"NEVER grow old... "

That's Life As Is....

Well, that about makes up the ending of this entry...

Me will be "off the air", so to say, till both inmates are back in good ole Lot 10.

Until then, do have a good first month in year 2011! Be happy...

First week of 2011...

Wed 05012011

Yup, it's day #5 of the New Year 2011!

And yup, the days have been happy, peaceful & nice...what more can one ask for?

The main event in Lot 10 during the past few days had been a kinda re-location of our favourite pastime "tools". Yup, those "tools'" are, in fact, our quite new 32" LED TV & Blu-ray Player!

Why? It was felt that with them in our bedroom, we were indirectly being "imprisoned" in that room!! As is, being "couch potatoes" have been, without a doubt, our favourite pastime do's. And yup, that meant hours & hours within the walls of a 17ft by 10ft room! A bit claustrophobic, don't you agree?

And so it was that me decided (& my other half concurred...heheh...) to move the LED TV & the BD Player down to our so much larger Lounge area, with an open adjoining Dining area. A few other re-locations of a couple of other related items were inevitable to bring about a new ambience to the Lounge area and, of course, in the process enhance its capabilities.

A minor spring clean was also inevitable! Phew! Didn't realise the amount of "uknowat" that had accumulated over the years...so unsuspectingly & so well hidden!

Pic on left shows the LED TV now occupying the prime position of our ole Philips 29" CRT TV in the Lounge area.

The following pic shows how slim this LED TV is... lots slimmer than LCD TVs! Phew! The wonders of technology never cease to amaze me...

Conclusion? It was a good move indeed! Both inmates now can enjoy modern amenities in a better environment...no longer so cooped up as it was pre-2011!

A great start to a great year ahead...I sincerely hope that the days & months ahead will continue to be so! May God bless this OFH & its 2 ole inmates...

Btw, the Year of the Rabbit isn't very far off...less than a month to go...Feb 3?

So, in the event, this ole man kinda forgets to make a special entry to make the wish, here's wishing one & all, especially all Chinese visitors to this Blog, a very Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year!!

"GONG XI FA CAI"... "KEONG HEE HUAT CHYE" in the Year of the Rabbit!!