Under the new Admin...

Tuesday 27th May 2008

It's been...what...almost 3 months since Kedah had a change in who's in control of the state govt. Previously under BN (Barisan Nasional) but now, since the "Political Tsunami" , under PAS...the Islamic Party!
Ever since that day, everyone in Kedah, esp the non-Muslim population, has been waiting & waiting to see what changes would be made to their existing lifestyle. Would it be like it has been in Kelantan, another state that has been under PAS's rule for quite a while? Or would it remain the same? Most felt that changes are but surely to come...

Yup, it appears that Kedahans are in for changes...slowly but surely! Changes for good & changes for what the present Admin feels it's for the good of the Kedahans...a swing towards similarities in Kelantan.

The good?
So far there has been a couple of monetary gains from the change in Admin. Those who had past summonses from the City & Town Councils would have their fines issued before the recent elections rescinded. Not everybody gained from that! Kinda tells everyone that it does NOT pay to settle your summonses early...not pay to be law-abiding citizens!
In reality, that has been what Malaysians have been kinda indoctrinated to feel...from police/traffic offenses (those who pay promptly had to pay the full sum whereas those who only paid when there is a special operation, get a discounted sum!) to now council summonses...that it does NOT pay to pay promptly any fees/fines due...one might be offered a discount when the number of offenders increase overwhelmingly!! So maybe one should hold on to one's hard-earned cash? Be brave? You might be rewarded for your patience...Haha!

The other was an announcement by the new Admin that Quit Rent (Land Assessment Tax), which was raised by the BN Admin before the elections, would be lowered! Ours had been going up from its original RM18.80 in 1980 to RM25.80(1986) to RM33.80(1995) to RM53.80(2007) and finally, supposedly to an announced RM60 in 2008!!
With the takeover by the PAS Admin, there was an election promise to lower this Quit Rent payment. Everyone has been patiently awaiting the reduced sum.
This morning, we went to pay our dues...for 2008. RM48.80 is now our land tax. So it was a mere RM5 from our last paid amount. A savings of only 8.5%! Not much, considering it's a whole year but still something...and considering the fact that there was supposed to be an INCREASE by the old BN Admin! Btw, I happened to overhear exclamations by someone there at the payment office that he had a reduction of RM20!! Probably a business premise...they had tentatively larger increases.

The bad?
It has been announced that the PAS Admin is considering implementing the separation of the sexes at tourist spots around the state. This kind of action has long been taken in Kelantan. Even separate counters for males & females were set up at Malls & Hypermarkets. If not mistaken, separate buses for men & women is being implemented there! As if one can live without the other...Phew!

Well, that is a taste of what is to come...more to be expected in the coming months. Probably the progressive cancellation of existing licences for previously legalised betting establishments eg Magnum, 3-D, Toto, etc. Sincere apologies to those poor Kedahans hoping to get something through the little "back door" of riches...
However, to lil ole me...same diff la...hehe...but there's gonna be lots of "underground" bet-takers in the making soon! Without legalised betting, the "good" ole days of my parents' time are gonna be here again!

Anyway, as the morning was still "young" after paying our Quit Rent, we took the opportunity to have breakfast at another of our fav coffee shops...Boon Lee...for Hokkien Mee!

Well, it's mid-week now and with a few more days to go before the next weekend. How the days would turn out is as good your guess as mine. Sincerely hope life would be kind to us...the usual would be good enough for me!

UPDATE : Later in the evening...

Just took an evening walk around our "garden" and first to catch my eyes was the latest development of the new orchid blooms! Looking good...see for yrself...No more buds but blooming orchids!! Nice, eh?

And the not-so-nice view the moment one looks out in the direction of our gate...a concrete jungle in the making!

To the right & to the left...same concrete structures...gone is the serene greenery that used to greet us every morning & evening! Gone is our view of Gunung Jerai on clear days...

Well, what can I say...but progress is not all good. However, life is...accepting the bad with the good, right? Can't complain tho...me enjoyed that nice view for the past 29 years liao! Yup, we should "enjoy the moment..." before it's taken away from us!

Busy...busy...busy...

Sat 24th May 2008

So sorry but me appears to have been bz these past few days...And yup, what can an old retiree cum pensioner be so bz with...you might ask...hehe...

To be really frank, I myself do not really know...but somehow the time and the days seemed to pass me by and before I knew it, it's already the weekend!!

To recap, namely what my memory (in its present state) can recall...ie...we ( who else but you know la...) went on our usual monthly "escapade" to our "hometown", namely Penang Island, of course! And this time around, it was felt Queensbay Mall would be more attractive with more to be explored.

However a stop was made before we crossed over to the island...at Car4...also a place left out of our itinerary in most of our trips out of Lot 10. And it was a change from what we knew it to be...kinda re-renovated! A new entrance was now in place. Not forgetting also how the display areas have been re-organised. We spent abt an hour...and, of course, paying our "dues"...so to speak! Not that much though. Luckily...

Queensbay Mall was, anyway, just as cold as ever...cool to most but cold to us! And esp so, becoz there was no crowd. It was a working day for most esp Penangites. We paid impromptu calls in & out of the shoplots...mainly in the South Wing. And in the process, my other half was attracted to a necklace at Bonita's.

Lunch was at The Chicken Rice Shop. Tried out both its set menus. The usual Roasted Chicken set and a special Grilled Butter Chicken set. Must admit it was worth the experience. In quantity & most of all, in quality! Esp when compared to the outlet we had tried in Sungai Petani before.

After lunch it was a walk-in into Jaya Jusco...and as always me zoomed in for the Electrical & Electronic Section while my other half went straight for the Household Section. Paid our "dues" for the month and left at around 3pm.

The Qbay rounds was followed by a visit to some close relatives. Had an enjoyable 2 hrs there, updating info and sharing value time with them & the kids. And soon, it was time to head for home. It was decided to end the day with a nice meal at one of our regular spots in AS Mall. It was Yam Rice, Hong Kong Glutinous Rice & Ginseng Stewed Chicken..accompanied by White Fungus with Almond Jelly and my other half's fav hot Milo! If only every day was like so...

And yup, in between all that, we had been patronising our "New Sundry Shop". Yup, it's the latest Tesco Mergong branch in A/Star. Today was like the 5th time. Being a Saturday, the crowd was inescapable. Me had to drive around and up to the first floor to find a vacant parking bay! Payment counters were kinda busy, too, and that deterred us from any notion of buying any item...as if there were any...haha!

Well, somehow we didn't leave the place empty-handed...bought a cheesecake and a couple of fake lotus flowers! Here are the flowers adorning our "fountain" in our little garden plot...

Looks nice, huh? Rm3.90 each at Living Cabin. And guess what...No la, not the flowers but abt our hanging orchid plants...

One pot with like some kinda impoverished orchid is abt to bloom! 2 bud are getting bigger by the day! Dunno what kind of orchid it is tho. Appeared like it was dying earlier...drying up then. Here is what it looks like NOW....

Can you see the 2 buds?

Well, guess you must be bored by now with the endless ramblings of this ole man...haha! To end off your misery, here's something more refreshing...the latest pic me got of our grandaughter, KL...now at abt 2yrs 4mths...seated at her new electronic keyboard...

With that, it's time to end this post...Have a great weekend!

Ps. It's Cine Nite in this OFH. Got a few new DVDs earlier today. Showtime is at 9pm.

A Pensioner & Goodies from "Kay Pa"...

19th May 2008

A time for reflections and look back on how it has been to be a "thoroughbred" Pensioner...

Yup, since my retirement in 2000 or more affectionately known at that time as the year Y2K, I have gone through a lot.

Before the day for my retirement came, I was literally counting the days...that becoz the working life of a teacher was turning into a nightmare made up of meetings & meetings of all sorts, including post-mortems of all functions held, combined with lots & lots of paperwork! Teaching in the classroom appeared to have faded into the background. What was given prominence then was how a teacher prepared his Record Book, what he wrote inside and how he had been contributing to the school environment in his free time besides his external activities. Not the actual teaching. So when the day came for my retirement, I really heaved a huge sigh of relief! And guess what? It even showed in my following medical exam...my BP reading was the best ever, namely NORMAL!! Phew!

Most of my colleagues who retired earlier or at abt the same time as me, had applied for contractual teaching...open to retirees for another 2 years. There were also a few private offers of jobs of a different nature. But, after consultation with fmly members & deep thought-over, it was felt that the extra $$ would not be worth it...an advantage maybe materialistically but definitely not for my personal well-being & peace of mind that I've yearned for all these long years. And, so from that day, me was a 100% retireee & pensioner!!

Well, apart from being kinda limited in the flow of funds (a pensioner has only half his last paid salary as his monthly income), a retiree & esp a pensioner is completely free of all stress and pressures of a working life. No deadlines to reach, no targets to achieve and esp NO one to answer to...except to God Himself...

In my case, as both me & my other half are pensioners, it just boils down to as though only one of us is the only breadwinner...2 for the "price" of one...so to say. And the best part of our retired lives is that our pensions had not been "idle". We have been enjoying little "presents" from our previous govt under Dr M. There was a 10% adjustment in our pensions when those still in service were given a payrise, coupled with a couple of annual "bonuses" of RM200 each.

However, none could beat the recent 25% adjustment in 2007 made possible by a marked revision in salaries of civil servants! That came, just in the nick of time, for the worldwide increase in fuel, food prices & other goods and services. Pak Lah is considered by many civil servants and pensioners as a "great kay pa"...a rare (probably unheard of) boost by a govt for its civil servants & pensioners! Like as if he could predict what was in store for the country...

And, on 10th May 2008, at the Majlis Perhimpunan Hari Pekerja Sektor Awam 2008 ( Workers' Day Rally of Civil Servants), our "Kay Pa" made another great announcement...one with many goodies for the presently employed civil servants as well as specific ones for pensioners. The one that is going to be welcomed by ppl like me, namely pensioners, is :

”... kerajaan bersetuju untuk menghitung pencen mengikut formula berasaskan tempoh perkhidmatan sehingga maksimum 30 tahun bagi semua pesara dan penerima pencen berkuatkuasa 1 Januari 2009. Sebelum ini, pencen pegawai perkhidmatan awam dihitung dengan mengambilkira tempoh perkhidmatan sehingga maksimum 25 tahun. Dasar baru ini juga meliputi persaraan dan kematian dalam perkhidmatan sebelum tarikh kuatkuasa. Walau bagaimanapun kadar pencen yang dihitung semula akan dibayar mulai 1 Januari 2009 tanpa bayaran tunggakan."

In short, the above means that pensions would be effectively calculated based on a max of 30 years of service. Instead of the former 25 years only policy. Well, both of us qualified as we had served for MORE than 30 years! To be exact, me & my other half served 429 mths & 329 mths respectively.
And what does that mean? It means a further 20% increase in our pensions! That would certainly go a long way to fight inflationary effects by 2009 as it would be implemented wef 1st Jan 2009. Pls see extract below...

Menghitung pencen mengikut formula berasaskan tempoh perkhidmatan sehingga maksimum 30 tahun.
Formula pengiraan pencen berasaskan tempoh perkhidmatan sehingga maksimum 30 tahun merangkumi juga mereka yang telah bersara sebelum 1 Julai 2008 dan kadar baru hanya akan dibayar pada 1 Januari 2009 tanpa tunggakan.
Dasar baru ini tidak memberi kesan kepada mereka yang mempunyai tempoh perkhidmatan yang boleh dimasukira tiga ratus (300) bulan atau kurang.
Contoh 1 : Pegawai mempunyai tempoh perkhidmatan yang boleh dimasukira selama 365 bulan dengan gaji akhir sebanyak RM2000.00 :
Pencen pada 31.12.2008
300 bulan/600 x RM2000.00 = RM1000.00 sebulan

Pencen mulai 1.1.2009
360 bulan/600 x RM2000.00 = RM1200.00 sebulan

(*) Pegawai yang mempunyai tempoh perkhidmatan yang boleh dimasukira selama 300 bulan atau lebih akan menerima tambahan 20% daripada pencen yang dihitung mengikut dasar lama.
Contoh 2 : Pegawai mempunyai tempoh perkhidmatan yang boleh dimasukira selama 322 bulan dan gaji akhir yang diterima ialah RM2000.00
Pencen pada 31.12.2008
300 bulan /600 x RM2000.00 = RM1000.00 sebulan

Pencen mulai 1.1.2009
322 bulan/600 x RM2000.00 = RM1073.33 sebulan

NB. Above quotes are taken from http://www.jpapencen.gov.my/

Although it's a bit early to be counting our chickens before they are hatched but as is, A BIG Thank You...to our kind & understanding "Kay Pa"... Life as a pensioner had never been this good...& rewarding...

Come January 2009, we would certainly know if those chickens are in our baskets or not...hehe...

In the meantime, it certainly is a nice thought & a dream of things to come! Sweet dreams...

My new "Sundry shop"...

Thurs 15th May 2008

Yup, we now have a new & bigger "Sundry shop"...

"Sundry shop" #1 was TSB Superstore...then along came #2 - Billion...and until recently, it was #3 - AS Mall.

Now wef today 150508, our focus is now drawn to "Sundry Shop" #4, namely TESCO Mergong!! Yup, the long-awaited (best?) shopping centre is now finally open. Our plan was to just take a slow drive, roughly 3+ km from Lot 10. And if...only if...a parking lot was available, it was supposedly to remain just a drive...My! What a crowd! Thought it had to end as just a mere drive...

However, Lady Luck was smiling down upon us...we found lots of parking bays...bays not for the ordinary ppl but ppl with kids/babies! And so, taking advantage of the crowd situation, we just confidently took up 1 of those bays - as if we had a baby in tow...right in front of the main entrance! Ha ha!

Well, a few pics to share what our new "Sundry Shop" looks like...





These are pics of what we saw on our way out...hehe...
And these are the "internals" of Tesco Mergong...A few more to whet your "appetite" for more views...the Escalator area...& the Food Court...What do you think? Looks like our "Sundry Shop" has really grown...hehe...much more to window-shop...

Both spent almost 4 hrs this first visit! Including lunch 4two (RM24.15 incl govt tax) at the Noodle Station.

Well, guess Alor Star is no longer a sleepy hollow now...but am wondering how the other Malls are gonna keep up with this new Tesco branch...only time will tell...

Happy shopping, everyone!

A different kind of weekend...

Monday 12th May 08

A new week has just started. Saturday 10th May had Lot 10 inmates awaiting the arrival of a small VVIP...little Kye Lee. With her parents, of course!

Main purpose of visit? To celebrate Grandma's Day! Mother's Day to most of you la...hehe...officially only on Sun 11th May but as the next day was a working day, it had to be celebrated a day earlier...

Guess KL now finds Lot 10 no longer a strange place but a welcoming place for her...a happy place to be! She was, like instantly, feeling right at home on setting foot within Lot 10. It was one quick look at the chime and then she went straight for her fav colourful magnets on the walls of our fridge!

Wondering how KL looks like since her last visit? Not need to wonder any longer...have a look-see yrself, ok?

Well, what do you think? Above are pics snapped during the weekend. Via my trusty ole N73 cellphone. Bonus : A short video of "Wild West KL" here...

Anyway that evening, our daughter & fmly treated their mum to a nice Mother's Day dinner at her "fav" place...a name too long for me to quote here. Simple food but with a cosy cool atmosphere. KL had a great time roaming the vicinity of the restaurant...both within & without! Haha! A pet-shop in the same block became her primary target!

After dinner, an attempt was made to view a car audio competition held by Proton in the Stadium Darulaman area. However, the slowness of preparations by the organisers tested KL's patience to its limits and had us taking everyone home first. Then both me & my SIL went back for a second look. What was supposedly hyped as an event by 250 cars turned out to be 10X LESS!! Me read in the papers on Sunday that reportedly "more than 100 cars" and a "5000 crowd" graced the event...sorry but we didn't see anything anywhere near to those figures. An illusion? Or maybe we were dreaming....haha!

A short video clip of the area while we were there...taken with my simple N73 cam phone...

Everyone had a good night...

Sunday came and we made the usual rounds of the local Malls. Guess pretty soon KL's gonna b a "water baby"...hehe...yup, KL got her first "wet suit"! Wonder when's her first wet dip.....

Not long after lunch when the special visitors left, Lot 10 returned to its normal routine scenario. So did the inmates...hehe..

That's life, right? Have a great week ahead...

Happy Mother's Day...May 11th 2008

May 8th 2008

2 more days & it's that day of the year when the focus is on Mothers...Mother's Day this year falls on 11th May.

Frankly, a mother is a mother 24/7. No such thing as a day off. Thoughts are of her family esp her children. Of course different mothers behave differently to their kids...and in the eyes of their kids. But all mothers (the loving kind, of course! As there are those who are mothers not by choice or from love...) have only one aim in their lives...namely to bring up their kids the best way they could & to see them mature to be happy, successful parents of their own kids.

So, what is Mother's Day for then...since a mother is a mother 24/7? Don't tell me that one only remembers that one has a mother only for ONE day in a year? Nope, our mothers are there for us 24/7 and, as we grow up & leave the family home, our mother is out of our sight and probably, too, out of our minds most of the time! Sad to say but true, right?

In my case, it only struck me deep inside that the one person... who had selflessly looked after my welfare all my life... is going to be gone for the rest of my life, when the funeral home workers started to put in all the screws tightening the lid to my mother's coffin!! That feeling has stayed to me till even today... I had lost then ALL opportunities to do anything more for her...lost all possibily to make her life better or happier...and esp to say to her I do love her so...

And to witness even today...that there are ppl who still believe that burning paper-made replicas of items for their mothers/loved ones, would reach them...when they did not even think of doing so while those ppl were still alive, with them and could share the happiness with them? The irony of it all...sad to say but true...again...

Look around us...the sight that greets us early every morning on every school day. What do we see? Mothers here, there...everywhere...waiting with their kids for the school bus, helping their kids cross the road, holding their hands, etc. What we don't see...mothers preparing breakfast for their kids, dressing them up, fussing over them...before school, after school ...pampering them from head to toe...fussing over them...even till bedtime! Probably even when they are asleep, too?

Now, let's flip the coin...look at its other side. The kids are now grown-ups. How many such adults do we see holding their mum's hand...helping her cross the road, up the step or over a drain? I am constantly reminded of the common saying among old ppl...that water in a river never flows upstream! But, we are not water. We are human beings...supposedly with feelings. Have our mothers become so detached from us...no more the mothers we looked up to...loved...respected...depended upon at every stage in our growing up years? Are we so shy or maybe, so ashamed to let others see us (now all grown up??) holding our mother's hand?

I have personally heard such grown up "kids" kinda "shouting" back to their mothers...Why are you walking so slowly? Walk faster la! Haven't you, too? Or maybe you have seen a young couple holding hands, walking so far ahead of an elderly couple or just an old lady or old man...so oblivious even to the fact they (he/she) are there...just behind them? And the old couple (old man/lady) trying ever so hard to catch up? Picture yourself...when your time comes and you ARE that old lady or old man...

Is this the kind of world you would want for yrself? Pls don't forget that everyone grows old...everyone with NO exception. Of course, unless one "goes" b4 one's parents.

Flashes of a story being taught to students in a Moral lesson in schools repeated itself in my mind. That story about a kid requesting his father to keep the basket being used to carry the father's aged father up the hill (to be left there to die) so that he could use it when his own father's time came.

Or that of a video clip played over & over again on approaching festive occasion via our satellite TV channels. The video clip showed how a couple's kids re-enacted the behaviour of that couple towards their aged parents...how they treated their parents worse than their pet cat!

Well, Mother's Day is one of those days...a day for each & every one of us, cos we all do have mothers...a day for us to find a way to show our mothers that they are not forgotten. That they are still our mothers. That, if not for them, we wouldn't be here today...nor be what we are today. No one is without fault. No mother is perfect. Just look at ourselves in the mirror. All mothers will try to be the best mother they can be and know how to be. If you yourself are a mother, you would know what I am trying to say here. Or don't you?

And there is no one else we can call, "Mother". Is there? A mother who is REALLY your very own mother? I don't believe so. Impossible, to be exact. Yup, there are others one may have the capability (guts?) to call "mother" but is she your mother? More of just a word...no feelings whatsoever that you would have for your own mother. Pls correct me if I am wrong.

I remember an article in a local paper recently. A girl was so unhappy with her mother for not being able to provide for her every need...like what her friends could have. To cut a long story short, the mother told the daughter that she would pack her clothes, etc and take her to 3 very wealthy families. The mother said she would ask her daughter to choose which family her daughter would want to have as her family and then ask if that family was willing to take her as their own daughter. She could then choose to stay with them and be their daughter. That action by the mother woke up that girl...made her realise that no other woman can ever be her own real mother. That no other woman can ever have the love her own mother can give her...altho others may provide the materialistic items of the world!

Do love yr own mother...she's the only one you've got...the only one you'll ever have! And you do NOT have like forever to do so...

Hope it's NOT too late for you...like it was for me...

Happy Mother's Day!

An Evening to remember...

4th May 2008

The evening that was...yup, the evening of Sat., 3rd May, was truly a great & memorable evening! It marked the culmination of months of hard work & tons of preparations by the organisers. The day finally arrived and the getogether cum dinner held last night at the Cinta Sayang Golf & Country Resort in Sungei Petani, says it all...

The atmosphere that met me & my other half, was truly literally & figuratively HOT !! At the time of our arrival, a continuous photo-taking session was in progress. And the air was filled with excitement - of nostalgia...feelings which resulted from a long separation of 25 years!

Yup, it was the Grand Re-union Dinner for former students of SMKH, A/Star...those of the batch of 1978-1983...hence the name synonymous with the event, namely kh7883 !!

My very own Rosette for the evening...

With the photo-taking sessions over...there were 10 of those, if not wrong..., it was time to file into the Rajawali Ballroom where the main event, the Dinner, would be held. The teachers were greeted with continuous applause, similar to that which is normally given to a bride & groom at wedding receptions. Ha ha!

And then it was...let the magical evening begin...the Welcoming Speech...part of it anyway...hahahaha...
Now, who is that whitish "holy" figure on stage? Well, those of you who were there, should know, right? Maybe you can recognise the voice?

The first dish of the evening was even brought in by a group of former students...marching in with candle-lit dishes in a row! And specially for the guest tables. Phew! And, last but not least, we were treated like true VVIPs...served at every dish!! "Paiseh" lo...hehe...

I don't want to bore you with all details of all the events of the evening but suffice to say, it was definitely a well-planned & well-executed occasion. A time when all present relived those young happy days in school. To summarise, there were the usual speeches...even lil ole me was not spared! A Lucky Draw made sure some went home with more than others...everyone had a hamper bag full of goodies incl a souvenir mug.

Me? I got the best Lucky Draw item of all...the Lucky Draw Bowl itself...complete with the all the remaining undrawn names!! Here it is :

And, towards the end, a specially minted buttonhole badge (pic below) to mark the occasion was presented to all who turned up for the Dinner. There was entertainment throughout the evening...from videos on a projected screen to LIVE entertainment by talented kh7883 members.

Here are a few pics that me managed to snap with my N73 phone cam...sincere apologies for the not-so-good results...Above pics show (top to bottom/left to right):

1. The Main Stage area.

2. Speech by former SMKH Principal, Mr Yong Ain Tai.

3. View of Ballroom from my seated location.

And below is the group presentation of the final song of the evening...

Like all good things do, the evening had to come to an end...time for goodbyes & well wishes. And it was time to go back home, but with our hearts filled with memories of a great evening ... memories that will keep our hearts warm for years to come!

Thank you, kh7883! Do continue to keep the KH spirit strong & the KH feeling alive. May God bless each & every one of you...

A short update of sorts...

2nd May 2008

Remember how me had to make trips to Sungei Petani...70+ km away...just to enjoy a "better" shopping experience, once in a while? Yup! And remember what a relief & satisfaction that came with the news that Tesco was setting up a branch here? In A/Star itself?

Now officially named Tesco Mergong, it is in its final stages of completion! Huge signboards indicating its distance from different points around A/Star, as well as banners showing the way to reach it, are UP! The words "Akan Di Buka" were very prominently displayed on those banners...

So, it was with curiosity that both here took a drive to see for ourselves what is truly the situation...namely, is Tesco Mergong ready for its grand opening?

Well, like they always say, a picture says a thousand words...Have a good look for yourselves...3 pics that me took just a while ago...hehe...

View from side of main road...
And this one pic from the other side...a new housing development is also underway to its right...

The white rectangular patch with dark blue background is gonna be where the BIG "TESCO" name would be displayed...as in all Tescos, right?

Now YOU tell me...when would be the Grand Opening Day? In 1 month? Or more....?

Finally, too...the Big Reunion getogether by the kh7883 group of former SMKH students will be held tomorrow ie 3rd May. At Cinta Sayang, SP. Both will be going as invited guests. Frankly, a teacher's greatest & most invaluable "reward" is the great indescribable feeling & that of the utmost pride, that he gets whenever he is remembered by his former students! Heartiest congrats to the organisers for a job so insurmountable but finally achieved with great success. Well done, kh7883! CU all tomorrow...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Past before the Present...

01 May 2008

A new month is here! To reminisce, we made an unplanned trip to Taiping on 25th April. Excuse? To collect the 1 GB memory card for my PC that I had ordered. Real reason? An excuse to spend time with our lovely grandaughter, KL. Here is a pic of KL enjoying a ride at Giant, Taiping, on 27th April...the morning b4 we came back to Lot 10...

And, yup, you might ask...how could we go there when our car was undergoing repairs? Yup again...the answer is simple. We already got our car back...in a way, our ole junk appears none the worse after the minor incident ( It did looked major at that time!). After finished our 4D3N "jail" sentence and paying the RM350 "fine", our trusty ole jalopy was released back into our custody...with a few minor "hiccups"? Pics below hopefully shows those obvious ones...

Pics from top to bottom :

1. Pic of bonnet - uneven spraying visible...contrasting bands.

2. Pic of side fender near to car door - overflow of clearcoat due to overspraying...just above the 1.5I badge.

3. Pic of front end of side fender - a few fingerprint indentations - someone left his trademark while paint was still wet!

On closer examination, a spring clip was missing from the replaced headlamp ( 6 clips hold the glass headlamp lens to its main body)...no big deal tho cos there were 5 other clips in place - 3 upper & 2 lower. Felt not need to make a fuss of it.

One last notable event was our attendance, on 29th April, at a special birthday dinner gathering for our Jee Kor...on my wife's side. It was a close family do & we felt truly honoured to have been invited to be part of the happy occasion which was specially put together by her daughter, Sally. Sally came back all the way from England to do so. If not wrong, JK is in her late eighties now. A pic for rememberance...JK is seated in front, on right of pic...

Happy Birthday, dear JK!! And many many more to come...