Merry Christmas!

Sunday 23rd Dec.
Yup, it's that time of the year very soon...a couple of days away now! Christmas in hot hot Malaysia? Feel the only Christmas atmosphere one gets is at hotels...esp the international ones! Those would be gaily decorated & spiced up for its international guests.

Anyway, my other half has got her Xmas "present" earlier than expected! Yup, it's the Pixel watch I was rambling abt in my earlier entry.

Here are a couple of pics to share :

Pics show the Pixel watch itself when received and the watch sitting snugly on my other half's wrist!

Fyi, the jumbo electroluminescent display only lights up on pressing the button. It's a single button for all functions...to show display of time & date as well as for adjusting purposes. Simple but one can accidentally change the time settings...just a difference of a short press & a long press! Reading the display can be a problem until one gets used to it tho.
Frankly it's more of a cosmetic bracelet watch...a fashion watch!

Last night was our usual Cine Nite...as we have been calling it. The movie? Rush Hour 3. The antics? That of who else but Jacky Chan & his kinda irritating sidekick in the series, Chris Tucker! It was a truly entertaining movie...not a dull moment & time just flew by...

Today's Sunday. A hot day from the looks of it. Gonna be a quiet day tho. The usual. Routine. Maybe Cine Nite #2. If both in the mood for it. Lots of movies on DVDs that we have yet to watch. Ha ha!

Me just now casually mentioned in passing how time flies. It was already noon then. My other half replied, "You've got all the time in the world!"
Yup, in a way, I do. But in reality, I don't. I just have whatever time there is left for me... :)

Merry Christmas, everybody!!

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink...

Friday 21st Dec.
Well, it hasn't come to that yet! Sincerely hope it never does tho! Yup, it's another season of floods. In the South, the East & now even the North!! Supposedly due to the North-east monsoon. But the North? The South? Yup, in the past, it has been an annual affair for the states of Kelantan, Trengganu & Pahang but since last year, Johore suffered too! And now, Kedah in the north is affected as well.

According to the Meteorological Dept, the worst has yet to come. A 2nd wave is forecasted to be on its way. Till 29th Dec. Due to the expected high tide. Let's hope and pray that all will be safe.

Weather here is sunny but kinda cloudy. Forecasted rain in the afternoon/evening. Hope not too heavy tho. Water in main drain outside is stagnant...bad. May signal a return of minor incoming water as before...

Lot 10 is quiet. Normally so. No visitors. No nothing. Routine. In a funny tho positive kind of way, routine is good.

Me? The usual. Actually did a small purchase in our local auction site after a seemingly long period of inactivity. Item is a Pixel watch. A new fad in Japan & HK. With a Jumbo Electroluminiscent display & an expandable coloured polycarbonate bracelet. RM45 + RM10 delivery charges. What those watches look like ( I chose a pink unit...for my other half.) :Supposed to have got it yesterday but that was a public holiday. Hari Raya Haji or Hari Raya Korban, as it is now called. Today is a Friday...weekend here...also an off-day for civil servants. So no Poslaju courier service. Gotta wait for tomorrow lo. Hopefully...

More importantly now is our worry of a health hazard. The on-going construction opposite is producing a constant dust content in the air. I mopped our floors yesterday morning and immediately after, the floors were covered with a layer of fine brown dust! What a waste of my efforts! Also our car has also a brown "skin" over its normal silvery surface. Not forgetting tho, one can just imagine the amount of dust in the air to have produced that effect. Wonder how much we had already breathed in...bad!

Unfortunately there is no cheap simple solution to that problem. Guess we'd have to tolerate all that comes with development for another 2 years. Housing project expected completion in October 2009!!

Wish us luck...and good health! We do need both! To survive...

Hot & Sunny...at last!

Yup, it's a hot & sunny day today! 18th Dec. A great change from the cold & wet days before. If it wasn't raining, it was cloudy & overcast. Floods are affecting the southern & eastern states of Malaysia. Thousands have been evacuated. Thank God we are ok here.

As such, it was a great reason for the construction opposite our place to pick up. And it did! Workers are everywhere...catching up on lost time!Pic above just taken shows the activity at the site!

Also someone in our fmly is celebrating her Bday today...our daughter-in-law, AN. She's spending this bday with her own fmly in KL. So, our warmest wishes go to her on her special day today...Have a great day & a great year ahead, AN!

The warmth, love & bond in a family should never ever be broken...unless they themselves choose to, for their own reasons. The sanctity of a family is God's greatest gift to Man. And to break that sanctity is a great sin. More so to deny anyone of their love. devotion & access to their families. Respecting one's elders has been a great teaching of Confucius, the great Chinese scholar. His famous one being the Golden Rule stated in the negative form, often called the silver rule:

子貢問曰、有一言、而可以終身行之者乎。子曰、其恕乎、己所 不欲、勿施於人。
Adept Kung asked: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?"

The Master replied: "How about 'shu': never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?"

Analects XV.24, tr. David Hinton

Another good teaching to note :

厩焚。子退朝，曰：“伤人乎？”不问马。
When the stables were burnt down, on returning from
court, Confucius said, "Was anyone hurt?" He did not ask about the horses.
Analects X.11, tr. A. Waley
The anecdote is not long, but it is of paramount importance. In his time horses were perhaps 10 times more expensive than stablemen. The passage conveys the lesson that by not asking about the horses, Confucius demonstrated that a sage values human beings over property.

Back in the real world, here in Lot 10 OFH, 2 great dishes are in store for muah. "Kim Cheoh Hu" or Golden Pomfret/Ikan Bawal Emas...my fav fish, and also, chicken marinaded in special belacan/prawn paste mix. Really makes my mouth water now...and it's still more than an hour b4 lunch! Phew!

As I continue to ponder what is life, I have found it boils down to counting our blessings...that we are still alive & independent, having clothes on our body & a roof over our heads AND being able to enjoy whatever is placed on the table!

In less than a month another year would have passed. May you & me continue to enjoy God's blessings & to have another day to share with our loved ones...TC always! Be happy...and by counting our blessings, we will be happy!!

Merry Christmas & a very Happy New Year in 2008!

The recent past...

Dated Dec 17, 2007.

Let's go down Memory Lane...the recent past...

On 6th Dec, our niece down under had a healthy bouncy little kid, Wes! Arriving @12:05am, little Wes weighed in @2.675kg. Cute little Wes on 10th Dec below:Congrats, J & J! Have great times with Wes in the years ahead...we will always share in your joy!

Our grandaughter, KL, & fmly came visiting on 15th Dec. For the weekend. She's now very vocal but we all had a hard time trying to guess what she's trying to say! Maybe we should learn "baby language" as in Baby Geniuses, the movie...hehe...

The many faces of KL during the weekend: Abt 1 more month to go b4 KL is fully 2 years old! How she's grown from the tiny little bundle to what she is now. Guess her mom ( and in all sincerity...all of us, too!) are impatiently waiting for her inquisitive side to come out with all the non-stop barrage of questions that kids of that age start to shoot forth...esp the infamous "why?"!!

Now, ze ole Lot 10 OFH is all quiet again. On the positive side, maybe a temporary breather for the inmates? The spirit may be willing but somehow the body just isn't the same anymore. Age does really tell on our capabilities. A matter now not of what we want to do but what we really can do. That, once again, is not for us to want but whatever is our destiny.

Sincerely hope all of you are doing well & fine - whoever you may be & wherever you may be...

I'm back!

Tues 11th Dec.
Yup, me back in Home Sweet Home...since Sunday actually...haha! Have been taking it easy after a "hectic" weekend, compared to my usual quiet sedentary lifestyle...hehe...

Here goes a review of that weekend passed...

Sat 8th Dec : Left AS after breakfast. 1st stop @ Carrefour, Prai. Spent abt an hr there b4 crossing the Pg Bridge for the island. Next stop...Island Plaza. More of Metrojaya located in Island Plaza. Haven't been there like for ages! Food court is gone! Finally decided to have some Jap food dishes which turned out ok tho. RM33.88 for both.

Then it was a short drive over to our fav niece's place. Catching up on latest "news" & thereafter preparing to attend the wedding reception at Copthorne Orkid Hotel.

As expected, the actual dinner started after an hr's delay. Food was in large servings & tasty. No complaints there. A little bit of catching up with some friends & relatives. A few pics to share...below:Pics ( clockwise from top left) : View of stage at reception; little Matt & mom and our fav niece in group snapshot.

Dinner ended @abt 10:30pm. Went to bed late...after 1am. Ha ha!

Sun 9th Dec. : Had breakfast @Anson Rd market stalls. Hawker food. Not bad. Then dropped into Tesco, Pg. You'd never guessed what was on the shopping list...toilet rolls!! Ha ha! Me? Got a box of Almond chocs! My fav.

Next stop was at our 7th Aunt's. Paid her a visit coz we heard she just had another knee op. The visit was further enhanced by visits from a couple of my other half's cousins. Had another updating session of recent developments. Neighbour brought over "Bee Ko Moi" for all. One of my fav., too! That replaced our lunch...hehe...

Finally it was time to go back but we detoured for our missed lunch...now tea. Stopped at coffee shop along Batu Lancang Rd. Then it was back to our lodgings to pack up and make our trip back to AS.

Arrived back in Home Sweet Home in time for a delayed dinner. Bread! Ha ha again!

Sounded like nothing? Sorry but had to leave out the"hot" details of all that we enjoyed during that weekend...not for sharing lo...hehe...

Have a good week, everybody!

3 more weekends to go...

Yup, weekend#2 for Dec is here. Tomorrow is Dec 8th. Time to spend weekend in Penang...mainly to attend a wedding dinner. Maybe some window shopping, in the process?

Weather has been wet since yesterday. It was raining on & off. Today it has been drizzling...also on & off. No heavy stuff tho. What me learnt in Geog & theoretically is that this is the North-east monsoon period. But it's raining in the North & South of the Malaysian peninsula! Flooding has started in Johore. Maybe they should rename this the "North-South"monsoon! Ha ha!

B4 me forget, our heartiest congrats to our niece down under who gave birth to a healthy beautiful baby boy...Wesley HC. On Dec 6 @12:05am. Both Jaz & J deserved their long-awaited little bundle of joy...and proud loving parents they will be for little Wesley. Wish we could hv been there to share your joy. Tks a meg for sharing that moment with us over here then.

To turn a bit to current issues, kinda feel everyone should cut down on rhetorics on the Hindraf issue. Like the saying goes...the less said the better it is for everybody! Cos that's how issues get heated up, views & perceptions get blown out of proportion and matters get out of control. Politicians trying to gain politcal mileage by making themselves heard...trying to be the champions they are not.

Imagine the issue now becoming as serious as this...as reported in The Star today... :

There are signs lately that the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is trying to garner support from terrorist groups, the police charged yesterday.

And in Sun2Surf, this was reported to be said by the Sec of the Police Force :

... that Hindraf had fleeced Indians who turned up at their illegal rally on Nov 25 when they did not hand over a petition to the British High Commission although they were given the opportunity to do so by the police.

Hmmm...

Would some right-thinking calm but strong leader come out and put a stop to all this? If Hindraf is really doing what they are doing and if there is concrete evidence of it, just take action. Simple as that. Everybody who feels they are somebody is shooting at anybody whom they feel is against them. And the innocent ppl, the common ppl, are now caught in the crossfire. What's thus happening now is getting no one no where...

Have you tried to listen to or watch the national news channels for the past 1 week or so? You got it right!

I remember a famous quote that goes something like this :

Let he who has not sinned throw the first stone.
Well, politics will be politics. Not something nice. My 2sen. Let's have the opportunity to enjoy what God has given to Man...

PEACE.

Btw, me opened up the timing belt cover of my ole junk just now & did a visual chk of the condition of the belt. Appears ok...to my inexperienced eye, that is. Had planned to change it this morning but my other half felt it's too near in time to our Pg trip scheduled for tomorrow. More risky in case of any untoward problems arising from the change ops. Now resheduled to after the trip...
Wish me luck there! No news would be great news! Bye bye...

ps. Me will be offline for the weekend & maybe more...hehe...

Current issues...to the Man in the Street...

A different perspective altogether today. Yup, abt current issues at hand. What matters to the common little guy...

And of great interest is this announcement in The Star today (Dec 5th)...a warning...from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to Malaysians who continue to illegally download songs, videos and the like.

If you download material illegally from the Internet, be prepared to fork out a minimum fine of RM250,000.

Acc2 Deputy Minister Datuk S. Veerasingam : “We will also very soon make Internet download offenders our priority.” He also added that the maximum fine for downloading material illegally from the Internet was a whopping RM500,000.

Now, how many of you out there can afford to pay that kind of fine? Who will be the scapegoats of this new venture? Cos me feel pretty sure there is No way the govt can take action against each & everyone who is downloading such materials! A lot of hot air or what...?

And so we wait...again...

This (in Sun2Surf online) also caught my attention..dated Dec 4 :

Chairman of Asean's Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Tun Musa Hitam said as Asean now recognised this principle, it is important for governments to be more tolerant and positive towards feedback.
"I pose a choice to them. If you want to have good governance, democracy and human rights, you must be more tolerant and very positive to enable governments to get feedback , however bad, intense or critical, and use them to improve yourselves.
"That is a very important ingredient. If you are intolerant, democracy cannot work. Freedom has no meaning. You must be able to manage it," he told reporters

And he further added :

Musa said democratic governments must have the capacity to be tolerant enough and use all the criticisms for the common good of the community.
Otherwise, he said, it will be an anti-democratic system.

How true...

One other interesting so-called clarification by a Msian MP, as reported in Sun2Surf :

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 4, 2007): Syed Hood Syed Edros (BN- Parit Sulong) has defended his Oct 29 debate in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) in which he questioned the display of images of Jesus, Mary and crosses in mission schools.
"I was merely voicing the concerns of the public at large.

The "public"? Who is he trying to kid?
He even added :

Malaysia is a free country

Now what is he trying to say...? YOU tell me.

And worse still, such distressing news are on the increase...The Star Dec 5 :

Man jumps from building
JOHOR BARU: Despite efforts from firemen, a man jumped off a building and committed suicide.
Ting Bin Soon, 55, jumped from the 10th floor of the LKN building in Jalan Wong Ah Fook at 6.40pm despite repeated attempts to coax him down.

Another one here :

In MALACCA, a 56-year-old unemployed man committed suicide outside his home along a busy street in Banda Hilir here yesterday.
Teoh Cheng Liat, who was said to be a heavy drinker, told his wife at lunch that it would be his last meal.
He then hanged himself from a tree outside his house.

I, for one, has been & still is, very much against such means to an end. Life is precious. We have only but ONE life...given to us by God. At the same time, there is a need to understand what drives a person to that decision...to end his own life.
For a person to take his own life...to go much earlier than due to..., he must hv felt there was nothing left for him to live for...nothing at all! No care, No love from those who mean most to him. Life is now empty & meaningless. Only way out of his misery & suffering. Also removes the burden from those who view him as such. End his pain & theirs, too, in the process. A simple step. The light at the end of his tunnel, so to say.

Finally, on the home front, things appear to be improving esp as regards my other half's condition as mentioned yesterday. The med & the rest she had appeared to have good results. Thank God for that. Me was quite worried for a while then.

As for the sudden backfire/misfire of our ole junk, appears to be a 1 time affair. None this morning. Which is good news. Probably a minor hiccup? Just as in the case of my other half? Sincerely hope so. As many would say...it's fated. Or as Muslims view it...takdir la...

Weekend will soon be here & so will be our trip to Pg. Keeping my fingers tightly Xed for an incident-free & enjoyable time. Out of this OFH. A different scenario. Different atmosphere. Different ppl. A complete change. Feel we kinda need that. Bye!

Pollution & all that in the name of development!

Tues Dec 4th.
Yup, looks like construction of houses opposite our humble dwelling is now going at a fast pace! Nearest lots in front of us are having foundations laid with pillars soon to be erected. Piling is still ongoing in the distance tho. Pic below : What the view is like today...So pollution of the 1st degree is the norm. Dust, noise, heavy vehicles & everything else one sees at a construction site. Me just tried mopping out floor in the morning and in less than a couple of hours, the floor was found covered in a thin layer of light brown dust! Phew! Imagine the amount we would be inhaling throughout the day...in the days, weeks, months & years to come!

The next few days gonna be quiet days. Days of rest. My other half is not in good form. Had bouts of giddyness. Also a probable viral infection on the way. Consulted our doc just now. Re-assured us that it's probably nothing to worry abt. Giddyness possibly due to an ageing condition of nerves in neck vertebrae. Inevitable...unless one does not grow old. Ha ha! Gave some med as symptomatic treatment. With rest & the med, hopefully she'll be fully recovered by the time we need to go to Penang to attend the wedding dinner on Dec 8th. Would be staying the night in our fav niece's place.

Actually we have another invite. Dec 22nd. My other half's 1st Aunt's Bday do. Her 94th, if not wrong. But to be held in KL now altho orig planned to be in Penang. Pg would hv been no prob for us to attend. KL by car is not an inviting not comfy trip for me. Can be traumatic even. A long story. To fly there is beyond our budget, being on financial constraints as is. So we had to politely & regretfully turn it down...we do sincerely wish her all the very best! Our thoughts will be of her on that day.

Well, porridge is the in-menu for today. And for the first time we are trying out the Porridge auto-cook menu in our microwave oven. No try No know, right? Yup, most modern gadgets have lots of functions which we hardly ever use. But, like we always tell ourselves...when we need to use them, they are available. Agreed?

Btw one surprising thing happened this morning when I started the car. For the 1st time in my car ownership, this car had what sounded like a "backfire"! A misfire? Also had a funny kind of smell. Dunno why. Guess probably the fuel? Will be doing some Googling to find out soon. Hope nothing serious. Gotta live with it. Cos this ole junk is all me got. No hope of getting another. So need to preserve it till me cannot drive no more...hehe...

My day didn't start too well tho but sincerely hope you're having a good day...at least a better one! Maybe mine will end better...

Last month of year is here...

Yup, Dec 1st is here! 1st day of last month in 2007. Wonder what it will be like after this...in 2008.

For one, me found out the housing development opposite us is only scheduled to finish in Oct 2009. 2 years min. of noise, dust, problems & God knows what else. Well, all in the name of progress & development. Residents here are just waiting for it all to end. Their suffering to end.

Today's view...workers marking the boundaries of the buildings to be constructed. :Yup, today is also a Saturday. 1st day of weekend. Also our weekly Cine Nite. Home movie night...watching a DVD movie on the Big screen...hehe...got a few unwatched ones.

Also our day of meals out. A day of rest for our Chef...my other half, of course! Now...where shall we eat? For lunch...& for dinner. Well, we'll let the Chef-on-leave to decide.

As for expected toll hikes, it now appears most of the main highways & the Penang Bridge will be retaining the old rates. Yup, you heard it right. Many have taken this as an election ploy...elections appear slated for early next year. Now, that this uncertainty of toll increases is over, next in line are the fuel price increase expected also in 2008. Will the Govt increase the fuel prices directly or in some other form eg road tax of vehicles? Ppl in the Govt have been harping on making those who can afford pay more & not affect those in the lower income group. The main question now is how to separate that when dealing with prices at the pump...? You tell me.

If & when fuel prices are increased, it will trigger a chain reaction of price increases in other sectors. In transportation, goods...frankly every other aspect of our lives. Civil servants (incl pensioners) can thank the Govt for their recent pay revision...an indication of sorts that the Govt foresaw the future of things to come?

Our niece in Australia will be delivering her first baby pretty soon. All the very best, Jaz & J!! May the Stork bring both of you a healthy bubbly bundle of Joy...Best wishes from both here in Msia!

One month more & we will find out what 2008 has in store for us. Let's pray for good tidings amidst the Season's Cheer...yup, Christmas is just around the corner!

Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year to one & all!!