Happy New Year 2011!!

Thu 301210

Yup, just a short posting...probably the last entry for the year 2010!

And yup, this is mainly to wish every visitor to this humble Blog...a Very Happy & Prosperous New Year in 2011!!

It's just one more day before we call it a year...Time really flies!

So do keep all the good memories of the good times that you've had during the year and may you have another year of good happy memories to last a lifetime!

Just to share...

A few good suggestions or should we call it "advice"? A pick of a few...from the many that I came across. Not my own though...read it somewhere....in the Net! What do you think...?

1. Do not over-rate what you have achieved, nor envy others. He, who envies others, does not obtain peace of mind.
2. Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future; concentrate the mind on the present moment.
3. Health is the greatest gift; contentment the greatest wealth and faithfulness the best relationship.

And let us rise up and be thankful...for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learnt a little; and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick; and if we got sick, at least we didn't die! So let us all be thankful!!

That's it!

Finally, to end the year on a good note, my Blu-ray disc collection expanded by 2 more titles, namely "The Resident Evil - Afterlife" and "The Expendables".

So do have a great happy, peaceful & healthy New Year in 2011 soon....PEACE.

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year 2011!!

Fri 24Dec2010

Yup, it's that time of year again...

Here's wishing all friends & visitors to this Blog a very Merry & Blessed Xmas & a very Happy New Year in 2011!!

My...oh my...time really has flown!! One whole year now...

Well, these 2 ole inmates had been pretty busy recently...to recap, here are a few of those happenings. However, the order might be kinda different from the actual sequence...

Well, for one, on Dec 9th, these 2 itchy hands started going into our local online auction URL & got this item...a set of Wireless A/V Transmitter & Receiver. This was a sort of experiment to find out if such devices do really work since we now had a spare 21" TV in our son's bedroom w/o Astro connections. To connect another cable would be a hassle...

Got the set on 121210. Total cost? RM193 including Poslaju charges. Here are pics of the set as installed ie the Transmitter unit at our Astro decoder and the Receiver unit at the TV... :
On left : The Transmitter unit on top of the Astro decoder.

Comments on the new gadget? It works!


Other impressions?

Watchable in a tolerable way...better than none, of course! However, the picture quality leaves a lot to be desired... Maybe the receiver unit was too far away & on the upper floor with the transmitter on the ground floor? If both were on the same floor...?
Maybe when I have the time & in the mood, I will "play around" with various options?

Btw on Thu 16th Dec, we also were given the honour & privilege of being invited to be part of the Wedding Anniversary dinner for our fav niece & her hubby. Happy Anniversary to both Amy & her other half...& of course, many many more to come!!!

Then there was this revival of interest in plants for Lot 10...kinda like need for a change, perhaps? Frankly it's more of additions...haha!

Yup, we got a couple! There was this plant with nice red inflorescence type of flowers...appears to be able to last with not much care...according to the "exhibitor/seller". And so we got a pot of it! RM18 only. Frankly, we are now kinda confused as to its real name. Maybe someone out there can help when you see a pic of it?

We were told the name is "Costus Spiralis" or "Spiral Ginger" but on Googling, I found the colour of the flowers (described as orange) does not match what we now have on the plant (red)! The species that match the flowers appears to be the "Costus Woodsonii" or the "Red Button Ginger".

So which is it?

The other plant that we got was the "Hydrocotyle Leucocephalia" (now in doubt if that's correct or not!) or what is locally known as "Daun Pegaga". Only RM3! That has been planted in our square plot outside in our porch area.

Last but not least, both inmates have been invited to a wedding eve dinner of our next door neighbour's son in his house compound on Christmas evening. Our warmest wishes & Heartiest Congrats to the happy couple!

Once again, hv a Merry Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year 2011!!

Gonna be away...

Sat 111210

Yup, yours truly will be away from Lot 10 for a few days from tomorrow ie Sun 121210. And yup, as such this Blog would be out of my view during this absence from the virtual Net world!

Since my last entry, nothing spectacular has happened.

Me had tried to upgrade to Astro Byond but queries remained unanswered. Moreover, Astro appears to be facing problems in the activation of new Byond upgrades. This situation had been expressed in forums pertaining to it and many had been waiting for weeks for activation. Dunno if it's due to present court case against Astro over its alleged "unauthorised" use of technology for its new satellite dishes or system upgrade problems.

Anyway, to find a solution to my own Astro connection problems, I've decided to invest in a set of Wireless AV Transmitter & Receiver set. I've already made a purchase online and item is expected to arrive today. As it is the first time that I've made such an online purchase from this new source, I am sincerely hoping that I've not been conned/duped!!

I will keep you guys updated on this venture...in due course....

As is now, Life goes on...we thank God for his blessings...

Do have a great weekend & new week ahead!!

Last month of the year...

Fri 031210

Yup, it's now the last month of the year, 2010! Fast, huh? And yup, time does fly...as the saying goes...

Well, last month ie November, was a truly hectic month for both inmates of Lot 10. So full of events...both good & not-so-good ones. As always, good memories are for cherishing and bad ones are best forgotten...

This month has started well and hopefully, it would end well, too.

For starters, our niece, KP, & her hubby were blessed with the arrival of their first baby...a boy!! On the morning of 1st Dec itself...weighing in at 3+kg! Congrats to both Michael & KP !!

Next came our Kay Pa's "gift" for the new year 2011! Yup, a special allowance of RM500 each for all civil servants including Retirees!! TQ! TQ! TQ!

November was a long, long month as the previous pension payment was made very early (9th Nov) and the next payment would be only on 17th Dec. So this special "gift" was kinda well-timed and very welcomed! Haha!

As is, me am toying with the idea of upgrading our Astro SD reception to an HD-capable one, namely what is now known as Astro B'yond. However, there are a few issues that need to be ironed out before that move can be made. The main one being how we can still enjoy the transmissions on every single TV that we have in Lot 10! A facility that we have been enjoying all these years...not an easy one to just "surrender" without a fight!

A better option, at the moment, is to "sacrifice" the very few HD channels which are now only available and to keep on enjoying the pleasures of enjoying all our popular channels/shows wherever we may be in Lot 10!

PEACE.

ps. BTW Blu-ray discs collection in Lot 10 has been steadily increasing since the day a Panasonic Blu-ray player was added to its "arsenal"! To date, there is a library of 14 titles, with the latest additions being Mission Impossible II & III.

Farewell to a good ole friend...

Mon 291110

Yup, it was a very sad day yesterday...a former fellow colleague & good ole friend left us. And yup, it was my very good friend, Mr L (Mr Leong Cheong Phak) or more fondly known as "Pak Leong"... Pic above : The late "Pak Leong".

Pak Leong had been fighting a very long hard battle against Primary CNS Lymphoma since early this year. After numerous chemos & radiotherapy with periods when hopes were high that he was winning the fight, he finally succumbed to it on Sunday, 28th November, 2010 @6:50am at SJMC, PJ.

The wake & funeral service will be held at the following location :

Gui Yuan Funeral Parlour
Jalan 229, Section 51A,
45100 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.

Room 7

Wake : 28 & 29th Nov.
Funeral Service on 30th Nov @ 10:00am

NB> Pls chk out Map to location below. TQ.

** If you cannot see the map clearly, here's a link : http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.streetdirectory.com.my%2Fmalaysia%2Fkl%2Ftravel%2Ftravel_id_95099%2Ftravel_site_194179%2F&h=08eaf

To his family members, we sincerely offer our sincere heartfelt condolences on their great loss...

May he Rest in Peace in God's loving arms...

ps. To all those who know him including his former students in SMKH, A/Star and esp those in the Klang Valley...do try your best to drop in & say a final "Goodbye" to a good kind man & dedicated teacher...TQ.

More Blu-ray...

Wed 171110

Yup, it's more Blu-ray Discs for Lot 10 Collection! And yup, they're also original ones but bought via our local online auction site...

It's the X-Men Quadrilogy set of 7 Blu-ray discs for the four X-Men movies! All for only RM206 including delivery charges. I saw one of them for sale at Tesco Pg for already RM99!! So an original set of all their movies for only RM200 is value for money!

Here are downloaded images of them (saves me time & effort to snap them, right?) :

Well, what can I say? Frankly, once one has watched a BD (short for Blu-ray Disc) movie, one would want more of the same! Yup, there is a great difference between the good ole DVD movies and BD movies. Kinda like not having 20-20 vision while watching DVD movies. Try it out & you will know what I mean, ok?

However, as a note of warning...we got kinda "cheated" by a shop @Midlands 1-Stop for what they called "copied BDs". In actual fact, those discs turned out to be nothing more than DVDs converted from BDs...for playing on DVD players but not on true BD players! They are, in reality, only clear DVDs...

I had a number of such discs bought in A/Star for only RM8 whereas those from Midlands cost RM10! That's why me felt kinda cheated...

Anyway, there's nothing like originals...Agreed?

Of course, until the day these "copycats" come out with true copies of the originals in its BD format...

BTW here's wishing all our Muslim friends out there a very happy Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha or Selamat Hari Raya Korban/Haji today!!

A new month...

Thur 111110

Yup, a new month is here! And yup, almost half of it has passed, too...

This month is truly a very "full" & hectic month for both inmates of Lot 10. For starters, there was the recent floods in Perlis & Kedah...started in Alor Star around 3rd Nov? Luckily though, for Lot 10 & its surrounding areas, the flood waters did not reach them. We were spared! Thank God for His mercies...

However, owing to the floods, our water supply was cut for 2-3 days! Even our 400 gallon storage tank dried up! Phew! Imagine...lots of water everywhere, but not a drop to drink! Water is truly precious...

On 7th Nov, we had our 1st invitation to a close relative's son's wedding with dinner at Holiday Inn Resort in Batu Ferringhi. It was a happy & cosy buffet-styled dinner function. Congrats to the happy loving couple!!

This coming Sat (131110) will see my other half attending a rare meet cum dinner @Berjaya Georgetown Hotel, Penang, for ex-MGS students. For convenience sake, we will be staying for the night in the hotel itself. Sincerely hope she has an enjoyable evening then...All the very best, MDB!!

Next would be another wedding invitation. On the 18th. My other half's cousin's daughter ie her aunt's grandaughter. We'll be attending the wedding dinner on that evening with the Chinese Tea Ceremony on the next day. Our congrats to KGS!!

On 191110, the SMKH Retirees would be having their End-of-Year Dinner. And yup, a great chance to meet up with former colleagues & friends. It was planned for 121110 but was postponed because of the flood situation.

Finally (might not be the last...) ie for now, we'd received a personal invitation to attend a former colleague & good friend's son's (a former student, too) wedding dinner to be held @Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Penang on 27th Nov. Congrats to the happy & loving couple!!

Now that's a lot for these 2 ole inmates after all these years! Sincerely hope December would be a quiet peaceful month for us to re-energise...haha!

Have a great weekend soon...

A nice ending to a great month!

Sat 301010

Yup, a very short post here to make it a great ending to a great month! My Birthday Month! October 2010.

And yup, it was a simple, yet very meaningful addition to all the purchases (gifts) this month from my other half...an original Blu-ray disc pack!

And it was decided that we should get the latest available here, namely Iron Man 2 Special Edition (2-disc pack).

Cost? A whopping RM149! Now we really have a genuine original set of discs to view to our ultimate entertainment pleasure...

Like me said before, a fitting & great ending to a great month!

Thank you all for all the good wishes...no wonder I got to be so happy this time around! TQ...TQ...TQ!

That's it for now. Have a great weekend!

A good match & companion...

Mon 251010

Yup, a good match & companion...for our latest Samsung UA32C4000P LED TV!

And yup, it's a Panasonic Blue Ray Player, Model DMP-BD45GA-K! What can I say? It's simply that the HD Ready LED TV is kinda incomplete w/o a Blue Ray Player ie what's the point of having a HD Ready TV when one does not have any way to watch HD movies on it? True?

That particular BR player model was found to be on offer for RM499 ie down from its original price of RM999! As the offer was only till the end of this month, me had to make a fast decision then. It was a BIG "Yes!" And fully supported by my other half...Thanks a meg, MDB!!

Here are a couple of pics...the box in which the unit came so that you can see the item more clearly; and of course, the slim unit itself installed just below the LED TV (Check out the display on the TV!!) :
Don't they look so well-matched?

And of course, the unit by itself with its remote. ( This pic was courtesy of one of the reviews in the Net.)

Well...again...what's the point of having a Blue-Ray Player & a HD Ready TV when there are NO HD movies to watch?

And so it was that a special trip was made to Star Parade where I knew there were video shops selliing "fake real" BR discs! Just can't afford originals! The latest original BR discs of "Iron Man 2" is selling for RM149!!! Other old movies cost around RM70+ each!! Phew! Now where can I ever afford throwing such precious & hard-saved $$$ for just ONE movie? Could have even gone to the cinema to watch it on huge screens for at least 18 times & that even with $$ left over for snacks!!

To cut a long story short, I managed to select a couple of movie titles which we've not watched yet. And these cost me only RM25 each!

Well, that should last us at least a couple of weeks till we go hunting for new titles...hehe....

To end this post, Lot 10 had 3 visitors last weekend, namely KL & family. As always, such times spent with KL were hectic...especially for this ole inmate. Watch out for new pics that me took of KL recently in her slide show...sincere apologies for the delay...this ole man needs time to recover. Haha!

October this year has been a great month for Lot 10 inmates...if only it lasts & lasts so...

So here's me wishing you guys a great week ahead!

When I was 56...

Wed 201010

Yup, when I was 56 only for yesterday...

And yup, it was yours truly's special day in the year! And yup, I turned 56 or was it the other way around? Frankly, if only it was the reverse...haha!

The day was just great!

However, so as not to bore you with all my probably so-called "exaggerations", here's a brief summary of that nice day...

1. On waking up, me found a nice angpow on my work table! From my other half! With great, sincere & loving wishes written all over it. A truly fat angpow. Tks a meg, MDB!!

2. A special trip to mark the day. "Pak Tor-ing" at SP. Toured Giant...had favourite Roasted Duck rice with Fried Kangkong with sambal prawan...then toured Tesco, SP.

3. Had a surprise call from our fmly doc...a new loaf of my fav "Stupid Bread"!! Reached A/S in time to collect it lo...Tks a meg, Doc!!

4. Went shopping...my other half had so happily & graciously consented to getting muah an item to add to our Master Bedroom...as a special Bday present! A huge one...fulfilling my latest "dream" to bring our common interest up2date...to an even higher level, namely a new LED TV! Not the usual run-of-the-mill LCD, ok?

Yup, we finally decided on a Samsung UA32C4000 unit. It was a close fight between it & a Philips 32PFL5605S/98. Specs wise, there was a huge difference.. eg the greatest diff was that the Philips was a Full HD set whereas the Samsung was only an HD Ready set (Resolution wise)! Price wise it was even RM50 cheaper for the Philips although it was a better specs model!

Decision was only made after about 2 hours examining both models & viewing changes in views at different settings...using Astro B'yond channels as the source of HD signals. Ultimately the Samsung won!!

Reasons why we chose the Samsung? It's ultra slim & modern design with its very friendly UI including its many other useable features which the Philips did not have. Besides those, we had a very satisfying & great year with our now "old" Samsung 22" LCD TV. And many many more plus points...

Well, here it is now sitting so cosily where our former Samsung 22" LCD TV was...

Nice? Yup, and big enough for our Master Bedroom, too! Really nice in real life!

Muah finally got every setting needed fully set up & going by 1:30am!! Phew! My Bday was a really long day...a day that me just refused to let it pass!

No way, right? Yup, it has passed...

Well, what can I say? A day that me will remember for years to come!

Happy Happy Bday to me!!

ps. And what would be my wish for my next Bday? ATM it would be a Full HD LED TV for our lounge area...hehe...wish me luck!!

The proverbial "Last Nail in the Coffin..."

Fri 151010

Yup, the proverbial "Last Nail in the Coffin" has been hammered right in...today!

And yup, that literally meant that it's now 100% confirmed that none of our children nor their families would be visiting these 2 ole folks @ Lot 10 OFH to celebrate this ole man's special day of the year which would fall sometime soon...

And yup, as that special day falls on a working day, it had been ( and now, too ) wrongfully assumed that Lot 10 would be privileged to receive at least a visit from those "kids". But, alas, like all OFHs & their residents, such visits are never the norm but considered a rare "luxury" which their kids feel only possible at their whims & fancies...and yup, certainly not a matter of the heart nor feelings associated with their blood ties.

Sad? Pitiful? Unbelievable? Probably all those BUT true!!

If you've read the story that's been circulating in the Net for quite a while.... "The Boy & The Apple Tree"??....then you would be nodding your head in agreement.

And how true...Parents of such "kids" are taken for granted, used to satisfy their needs at every stage in their lives...until their parents have nothing left to give! At the extreme end, such parents are even "non-existent"! As if being parents, they have no needs, no problems and eternally healthy & will live forever! How we, as parents, really wish if only that were true...

Well, like it or not, that's Life As Is...

Ever since my realisation of this "Reality of Life As Is", I've always advised the young to "NEVER grow old..." As if that is humanly possible...if you get what I mean...haha!

Let them then look into the "Mirror of Life" at themselves when they do reach our age & situation...

And so I end this entry with the hope & prayer that your Life As Is has not been, is not & will not be even near to what is narrated above...

ps. On a more positive note, maybe it's God's way & His blessings to these 2 ole folks to have their lives back...to be as they were during those good ole "Pak Tor" (dating) days of yesteryears? Would be a happy thought to cherish, wouldn't it?

To those who had been following this Blog, it was the exact same situation during my other half's birthday in August. And with God's blessings, we both had a memorable day doing what we do best...spending time together...happily!

I will do my best to count my blessings...to remind myself that I am still of sound mind, independent and in reasonably good health...still mobile! And with a great "Kay Pa" to take care of our financial aspects.

Thank God for His kind blessings...Amen.

After 10.10.10...

Mon 111010

Yup, it's after 10.10.10 today....it's 11.10.10 already...

And yup, it was a quiet & peaceful 10.10.10...my wish come true in my life these days! This ole heart isn't built for any more of those heartaches & stresses of younger days...

Anyway, the previous weekend was another wish coming true...my 2010 birthday wish!

What was that wish? To make my other half happy...

And it was doing for her what would make her happy, namely to spend time with our grandchildren...just like what me did for her many years back.

Well, first stop planned was in Taiping on Fri 8th Oct with an overnight stay to Sat 9th Oct. We arrrived in time for dinner with KL & family. And guess what? KL was all smiles & happy to see & have her grandmother around...and those smiles practically lasted our whole stay!! A very rare sight to behold on a child's face...all lit up throughout the evening & the next day! Not forgetting the shrieks of delight & happiness in the air...

It was really, really worth my efforts making that special trip!! I certainly wished that my body was not what it is today....because making that trip was no easy task!

My only regret for that weekend was that part 2 of what was planned for that weekend did NOT materialise!

Yup, it was supposed to be a visit (Sat 9th Oct - Sun 10th Oct) to our other grandchildren in Penang. To cut a long story short, it kinda fizzled out because it was supposedly NOT the "right" time to visit. A few reasons were given...easily rebuttable though. It's not like we have been visiting or staying in their place so often...it's like the FIRST time in about FOUR years!! And even so, I was the one "offering" to visit & stay...sad but true.

Well, what can I say? Normally, when one's kids grow up, marry & start their own families, their families, in reality, are extensions of the original family...growing larger. Alas, it is not so, unfortunately & sadly in my case which has seen not the gain of new families but losses!

Karma? Fate? Destiny? Call it whatever. Same difference. Life as is...one just has to accept and move on. I've learnt that in Life, especially when one grows old, one only gets hurt if one does not go with the "flow"....the ole "fighting cock" has to die or will be killed...literally!

Frankly, one cannot ever hope nor wish for what is not in the heart...and yup, the word "family" has different meanings to different ppl. Moreover, as ppl often quoted... "Times change...People change..."

Life as is...

ps. For a change & as part of my "giving" happiness theme, this Bday me gave my other half a special present...new specs c/w progressive lenses of the "modern tech" kind, namely Essilor Physio lenses! Total cost? RM1790...with a true full Titanium frame and a "cover-up" design Polaroid sunglasses! Her smile & happiness were like the whole world to me...if only I could do more for her...

I truly & sincerely thank God for opening my eyes...to Life As Is...

A month full of birthdays...

Fri 011010

Yup, October is a month full of birthdays...of my friends & former colleagues!

First on the list is Ms Theresa...the first of the "OKT" gang to celebrate her birthday. So here's wishing her all the very best with special wishes on her special day (today, 1st Oct) in the year...Happy Happy Birthday, Theresa!!

Next would be our Mr L's birthday ie on 3rd Oct. As you all know (those who've been following this Blog...), Mr L is presently in hospital fighting the dreaded "C". To him, our wishes for a successful fight with God's blessings!! Our hopes & prayers that you'll recover well enough to enjoy your special day...Happy Happy Birthday, Mr L !!

It would then be Yours truly's turn ...soon after that...hehe...

Only time will tell what's gonna happen when that day comes...maybe another back to "Pak Tor" days "Blast from the Past" happening? Haha!

And finally on 30th Oct, it would be another fellow "OKT" member...Mr LBH's turn! So another round of good wishes to our LBH for a very happy day with family & loved ones! Happy Happy Birthday to you, too, Mr LBH!!

Well, that about covers that!

Btw the drain repair works appeared to have been completed. Now we just need one heavy downpour for at least 30 minutes to confirm that that was the true & permanent "cure-all"...of the periodic flash floods in our area.

Have a great weekend!!

Action...at last!

Tue 280910

Yup, ACTION...at last!! And yup, it was just 2 days ago that concrete drain structures were seen being unloaded at the far end of Lorong Teratai Jingga. Why?

It was presumed then and now confirmed that the pieces of pre-cast concrete U-shaped structures for a big drain were for repairing the collapsed section of the drain (For more info, pls refer to 24th March 2010 entry...TQ.) leading out to the main Western By-pass main road. To cut a long story short, we had heard "rumours" of a pending repair with an allocation of RM50k quite some months back, to alleviate the flash flood problems of our area. However, nothing "concrete" came out of that...

Until 2 days ago, that is!

Now...today...I could see an excavator and a couple of workers putting the pieces of pre-cast concrete in place...to replace the collapsed section of the drain there.

Pic on left shows the activity from a distance...from Lot 10, actually! Can you see the excavator? NB. With 5X digital zoom on my iPhone...

Well, what can I say? Except that now, hopefully, with the path cleared for rain water to flow out from our area, it would sound the end to our flash flood woes each & every time it rains heavily...even for just 30 minutes! Only time will tell...

And this shot is a close-up when me picked up enough courage to "investigate" further...haha!It, being the rainy season now (raining almost every evening!!), we should see some improvement with the "repair" although only in progress. Last night, the waters rose but did not proceed further than the rear wheels of our car in the porch! Normally, the waters would have reached our main house door...

Also yesterday & last night, me got not-so-good news about our good friend & colleague, Mr L. It appeared that he's not showing any signs of improvement after an ops to put a shunt to drain fluid from his brain earlier this month. And last night, they had to give him another blood transfusion as his haemoglobin level was pretty low.

We sincerely wish & pray that Mr L would, with God's blessings, overcome all odds and make a turn for the better...Stay strong & have faith, Mr & Mrs L !!

And, before I forget, a belated Happy Birthday to our son-in-law on his Bday yesterday (270910)!! It was good to hear that you & family had a great & special dinner to celebrate the occasion. Sincere apologies for being unable to be there in person to join you all, though...you know la...old man, old car, old body & all the rest... :(

Well, that was a longer post than I'd planned to make! Somehow me got carried away...hehe...

So have a great week, everyone!!

Just a short note...

Fri 170910

Yup, just a short note...just to let it be known that latest pics of KL are now up in the The 2010 KL slideshow just on the right of this Blog...

And yup, our KL got a new pair of boots on her recent trip! Kinda nice, huh? Princess-like, maybe?

Well, that's it! Short & sweet...Bye!!

In "Recovery Mode"...

Tue 140910

Yup, me in "Recovery Mode" now...for this old aching body...me not believe anymore in the saying that "one is as young as one feels...". I feel young in my mind but my body keeps on reminding me that I am really & truly OLD!

And yup, me need to...hehe...after almost 3D2N of KL!! Haha!

And yup, KL is just as hyperactive a kid (if not more so...) as she was when we last spent time with her!

So me will write more & post recent pics of her in this Blog's slide show (which is dedicated to her) in my next entry...soon...give & take a couple of days!

Other than that, Life has been routine for these 2 inmates of Lot 10.

Our good friend & former colleague, Mr L, who has been battling primary CNS Lymphoma since early in the year, recently had a downward slide in his battle. A shunt was put in to relieve the pressure from fluid building up in his brain and, in spite of that & coupled with running a temperature due to a chest infection, he has succeeded in getting out of the ICU! This guy is a really a great "fighter" by any standards! Keep it up, Mr L! We will look forward to seeing you back in A/S again...soon...

Our country will be celebrating for the first time (?) "Malaysia Day" on 16th Sept. We have been celebrating "Merdeka Day" or "Independence Day" since 1957. For once, the whole country ie including Sabah & Sarawak in East Malaysia, we will be ONE on this special day which has been officially declared a public holiday!

So here's wishing all Malaysians a very happy "Malaysia Day"!!

Just updating...

Tue 070910

Yup, just to keep all who pop in here updated nia...

For one, me still around lo...hehe...kinda silent cos nothing spectacular nor very interesting had happened...

However, there was one step forward in the achievement of family unity when our son & family came to Lot 10 for their first one night stay ever since the patch-up some time back. We sincerely appreciate & thank him for making the effort to cross that "bridge" towards being a family once more...

Like I've always emphasised to both my kids all this while...

"Lot 10 will always be their home as long as they feel it's their home in their hearts..."

With that over ( that was last weekend - 4th to 5th Sept), Lot 10 had a couple of visitors this morning! Yup, our niece in A/S came with her daughter, Jocelyn, for a visit as Jos would be leaving for further studies soon in UK. We sincerely wish Jos a very safe & pleasant flight on 230910 and a successful study period there!! Don't forget to keep in touch, Jos!

This weekend, the Raya weekend, would see our KL & family back for another visit/stay. Lot 10 inmates are looking forward to seeing how much our KL has progressed in various aspects of her development since undergoing some formal help to improve her capabilities as an ASD kid. From what we've heard, KL has been steadily improving since we last saw her. Keep it up, KL & mom!!

Well, dat's it for now.

To all our Muslim friends, we sincerely wish you "Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri!!"

To other friends, we do wish you "Happy Holidays!!" Be safe, ok?

Happy Happy Birthday, MDB....

Fri 270810

Yup, today is MDB's Birthday! So here's wishing MDB a very very Happy Happy Birthday!! May all that you're wishing for would be fulfilled soon...with God's blessings!

And most importantly, may you have many more Happy, Healthy & Loving years ahead...

And to share, here's a pic of her Bday present...from yours truly....simple but full of uknowat...

Well, what can I say...today was like going back to the past...travelling back in time to those wonderful "pak tor" (courting) days of olde! Yup, we were back to those days when there were just the 2 of us, starting life together...like nothing else mattered but just the 2 of us in our own world!

And thus it was today...now, it's just like the same...just the 2 of us...just a couple once more! Ha ha!

Now we'll step a bit forward (???) in time...to Fri 20th Aug. That was when it was decided that Lot 10 needed to move forward. What exactly do I mean? Ok...pray do allow me to explain a bit...

Lot 10 had been finding it an increasingly, literally & figuratively, growing problem to find reliable sources of RO (Reverse Osmosis) purified water. Most of those RO water vending machines are NO longer "spitting" out such high quality RO water but in most places, the supposedly RO water was worse than our home filtered tap water! That is, the water which was supposed to have a TDS (Total Dissolved Solutes) value of less than 5ppm, had a TDS value of 60 ppm & above!! Just imagine having to pay for such poor quality of water...

Many, I feel, (maybe even you guys) had been duped into paying good money for water which you would have easily & conveniently got from your very own filtered tap water at home!! Actually, no one could blame you guys...because you do not have the means to test the water quality. And, of course, the water looked clean to you (and so it did to me at that time, too!). And so does your own home filtered water, right?

Anyway, our recent "best" source of good quality & true RO water was from Tesco. At RM2.89 per 5.5L bottle. However, the empty bottles have been piling up in our storeroom...practically reaching the ceiling & more!

Even the "recycling" or "Surat Khabar Lama" guys had started to refuse accepting those bottles for recycling!! Their excuse? The bottles occupied too much space in their vans...more newspapers could be collected in the same amount of space. We understood.

So it was that when we were given a very tempting offer & great repayment terms of a Coway RO Water Purification system unit, we grabbed it without any hesitation! And the unit was installed & has been working well since Tue 24th Aug.

Here it is, sitting nice & comfy on top of our kitchen cabinet...neatly & well-installed! Of course, the extra power point is courtesy of yours truly's DIY handiwork...haha!

Well, this unit supplies RO water (tested & confirmed to be such with the TDS testing meter that we had all these years) in 3 forms, namely "Room (room temp)", "Ice Cold" & "Hot (approx 98 deg C)" modes.

Now, isn't that just great & extremely convenient? No more trips to Tesco just to get stock of our RO water supply...thereby also providing savings re cost of petrol? And at times, the frustration & disappointment when we had to come home empty handed? Just because there was no stock of such bottled water @ Tesco?

Best of all is now both inmates of Lot 10 need not worry about more & more empty 5.5L plastic bottles stacking up towards the "sky"! Going "green" & thus contributing to saving the World...reducing Global Warming, etc., etc.?? Haha!

What's more? Our electric kettle & electric air-pot have been packed & kept. The Coway unit has replaced the functions of both these items! More savings?

Costwise? It amounts to less than our monthly cost of purchasing the RO water from Tesco...and we have our very own "water purification plant" in Lot 10! Ready to use...at room temperature, ice cold or hot at a press of a lever....at any time!! 24/7.

Ok...it's time to stop all that "blabbering" and to let you guys have a welcomed break! Haha!

Have another great weekend!

Now which can be true?

Tue 170810

Yup, which can be true? "The Death Clock" or "The Life Clock"?

And yup, in my previous entry, I found the website for "The Death Clock" and Oh no! I was expected to die on 19 October 2011 ie with only one more year to go!!

And now, I've found another website for just the opposite ie "The Life Clock..."

Btw, I've also found another death-predicting site...quite a number of them, actually...

And these are the results :

1. At another so-called "Death Clock" website " http://www.medindia.net/ ", it tells me that .... "Your Probable year of Demise is... 2015"

2. At the website of a "Life Clock" ie " http://www.bellaonline.com/", I am told... "Given your current habits, you are likely to die on: 4/19/2026
That is in:16 Years188 Months5724 Days137367 Hours8242004 Minutes494520207 Seconds
You will be 81 Years Old."

Now...which can be true?

Am I gonna leave this world in 2011...2015...or 2026?

I really don't know...am just hoping that it's the last one though...me more interested in the life than the death part...haha!

May we all have a long, healthy & happy life! That would be ideal, right?

Anyway, as most believe, our lives are in the hands of He who is upstairs...

May God bless us all...Amen.

Can this be true?

Mon 160810

Yup, can this be true? A site called "The Death Clock" gives one a very easy way to determine when one would die... http://www.death-clock.org/

I tried it out...just for fun...

And yup, I have only about ONE year to live!!! Pls check out the result on the right of this Blog...

Btw you can also click on my results to get to the website.

Well, only time will tell, right?

However, what I can say is the information that one has to supply is minimal...just one's date of birth, sex, body mass index, confirm if one is a smoker and in which country one lives! The worst part is my country, Malaysia is NOT listed as a choice. So I had to choose Thailand, the nearest. Moreover, the calculator for body mass index does not allow accurate info to be keyed it...so mine was another "nearest" value" thing!

Anyway, what I believe is that none of us knew when we were born (did you have any memory of your birth?) and we would not know when we would die!

All that is, if you believe, in the hands of He who is upstairs...agreed?

So, maybe I'll still see you all on 19th October 2011? Haha!

NB. There is a note at the bottom of the webpage which states :

" should be used for fun only, this calculator is unlikely to predict your actual date of death."

A new addition? Nope, a replacement!

Fri 060810

Yup, it appears like a new addition to my list of so-called "toys" but it's not! And yup, it's actually a replacement...

It's a replacement for our very old JVC mini CD player cum tuner in our room. And yup, in early June, that ole unit appeared to have reached the end of its useful life! It kinda KO-ed ever so suddenly one fine day...no warnings whatsoever! Just died on us.

Now that was a really good set. It cost us RM1k plus then. It was even used in one of Tom Cruise's movies. Years ago. So it was felt any attempt to repair it would cost at least a couple of hundred if not more! Worst of all, we wondered if there were anyone around who could repair it nor find the parts available eg should it be some proprietory chip...?

So an unofficial "hunt" for a replacement started. And a simple, functional & affordable (to a poor ole pensioner) unit first caught my eyes at our local Giant hypermarket. Only for RM 299. And it was a more up2date unit c/w even a DVD player! Not just a CD player only like the old one.

As the timing (financially) was not right, we had to wait. However, when we went again, the price shot up to RM399! In just about a week. Phew!

Then on 17th July, 2 of the same units were on an offer shelf at Tesco! Without any hesitation, me grabbed one! Haha!

Here it is....the Haier MDV-809U, a DVD micro system supporting DVD, DivX, USB, Kodak Picture & Karaoke functions c/w AM/FMTuner!The second pic shows the bottom section that has a panel which opens up to reveal the USB port and the 2 Karaoke jack terminals.

Sitting on top of the unit is a "newcomer" to our room...a "sense & spray" air freshener unit by Glade. Sprays only if it senses any movements in the vicinity & only at a minimum 30 min in-between! Convenient & economical. Cost? More than the usual auto-air freshener units though. RM26.90. Refills are at RM12.90 each. We chose the "Lavender" fragrance.

Was it worth it? Yup, the usual "sour-sour" smell that one associates with an "inhabited" room has completely disappeared!! Now a fresh Lavender fragrance greets us each time we go into our room. Nice.

Well, life has been pleasant with entertainment completely back to like normal in our master bedroom once more...& especially so now with a freshly fragranted atmosphere...

Have a great weekend, everybody!

All's well...

Thu 050810

Yup, all's well @Lot 10 & to my knowledge & @places of ppl I know & care for...

Our grandson, J, has been recovering well (from his recent appendicitis ops) @his home now. Happy for you, J!! Enjoy your long rest/holiday...

Re our good friend, Mr L, who had recently undergone 10 radiotherapy sessions for his CNS Lymphoma, no news is always good news!! Have faith & continue to be strong...the "fighter" we know you are!

The strange & worrying smell of burning plastic that we had smelled in our car for some time already, has finally been identified and, most importantly, has been eliminated! Thank God! It was traced to its air-con switch which could not bear the full electrical load at its age now.

A relay switch added in-line to the original main switch, solved the problem. Just cost me only RM25. TQ, Mr T!! Mind you, the air-con now even felt cooler than before...Phew!

Well, a new outlook on "Life As Is" is in the making. God has been opening my eyes since a number of years back. I now see & believe things differently from what I did then. Part of the credit also goes to my other half...my "sifu" of sorts...

In short, Life is not about wasting time in trying to understand what it is nor trying to find out why...

Life is about making the BEST of what we have AND living it to the fullest within our capability!! No more whining...No more self-pity...No more regrets...No more feelings of frustration or disappointment! No more nothing!

Dreams are purely just Dreams. Period.

A simple solution. Just LIVE LIFE! Life As Is. And, of course, count our blessings...Be Happy!! :)

Bz...bz...bz.....

Mon 260710

Yup, it's been a busy, busy, busy past few days...end of the previous week and weekend, too!

And yup, both inmates were caught up in the "rollercoaster ride" of Life!

On last Thursday ie 22nd July, our good friend & former colleague made his first trip back to his home since he left for KL for treatment. Yup, it was Mr L. He had just finished his radiotherapy sessions and missed his home so much that his family decided to make a special trip home. And yup, it was just great to be able to meet up & just chat with him & family! A simple visit ended being a 2-hour + "marathon" chat session!!

However, Mr L & fmly are on the way back to KL at this time, if me not mistaken...sincerely wish Mr L & fmly a safe & pleasant trip...and may God bless you & family!

Late on Friday (230710) night, an unexpected call brought not-so-nice news...our grandson was diagnosed as having appendicitis!! Admitted to Island Hospital in Penang. As it was late & being reassured of his being in safe hands, we decided to leave for Penang the very next morning after breakfast.

When we were about to leave Lot 10, another call told us that the young boy had been prepared already for immediate surgery. And by the time we arrived at the hospital, he was already out from recovery and placed in the Children's ward. The operation to remove his infected appendix was successful and, fortunately, in time, too!

To cut a long story short, we left our grandson in a happy mood late on Sunday evening ie last night. He enjoyed a reasonably long session playing "Doodle Jump" on my iPhone. Although each smile/laugh brought him some pain, it was what we nicknamed "Happy Pain"!! Keep smiling, J...

Thanks, too, to our fav niece for allowing these 2 ole folks to inconvenience her & fmly in her beautiful home...again! All in all, it was a weekend that ended well. So kinda like the saying..."All's well that ends well..."

Well, as my other half was kinda deprived of her weekly COD due to our Penang trip, it was "declared" that today (although a Monday) would replace the missed COD last Saturday...

And so it was...a trip to our fav place...Tesco Mergong! Lunch was at its Food Court.

As is, it's "siesta" time now in Lot 10...

A quiet start...

Tue 200710

Yup, it's a quiet start to a new week...

And yup, Peace & Happiness, not forgetting reasonably Good Health...all that one could ever wish for...at this time in our lives!

One good thing that has happened in the vicinity of Lot 10 was the sudden realization that a new street lamp was installed practically almost right in front of Lot 10! Something we sort of had been wishing for all the while since moving into Lot 10. And presto! There it was shining brightly one night when we looked out of our bedroom window!! Its installation had gone unnoticed...showed how "unexciting & mundane" our lives had been & thus our ignorance of changes to our surrounding...

Pics to share...


Left: the new lamp on the previously installed bare lamp-post. ...and a close-up of the new lamp! And of course, the lamp shining brightly at night!!

Like ppl say...Better late than never, agreed?

In the meantime, me have still been fiddling & enjoying my not-so-new "baby". Yup, my iPhone 3GS! Latest Apps addition is Meritum Paint, a free apps. This Apps allows one to create such beautiful abstract finger-printing pieces of "Art", which can then be used as the wallpaper for the phone.

Here is a sample of my creativity...

See? Not bad, huh? For a first time "finger-painter"!! Haha!

Finally, both inmates are gonna have a so far "rare" item for our lunch! And for many more days to come. Yup, it's our fav "Stupid Bread"! Haha!

Thanks to our fav doc...Thanks a meg, Doc, for remembering lil ole us...


Well, our "Kay Pa" is due to literally "enrich" us tomorrow but we just could not wait! And so we had to go "rob" our nearest Petronas ATM so as to fill up our pockets to continue with our lives. Like one popular quote..."No petrol how to move..." Haha again!

Well, a million thanks to our "Kay Pa" who is now so indispensable...and so much a part of our lives now! And yup, where would we be now if not for his kind, generous & never-failing on-the-dot support...month after month, year after year!

A surprising discovery?

Wed 140710

Yup, surprising ( maybe even frightening? ) discovery? In our backyard garden.

And yup, my other half, in her not-so-regular maintenance of her potted plants in her very own "garden" in our backyard, unearthed 6 whitish eggs in one of her pots!! Each egg was about 2 cm long...

Feeling somehow that those eggs not look like normal kinda eggs, she called lil ole me to confirm. And true enough, those were NOT eggs of the normal kind! Too big for normal lizard eggs. Could they be snake eggs? Cause shells were of the soft type...reptiliean?

Only one way to find out, right? Yup, me cracked one of them OPEN!

And this was what met our eyes...

Does that look like a baby lizard? Yup, at a glance.

Now...look a bit closer. Magnify the image. Now, is that a lizard or....?

Yup, it's a baby iguana? Monitor lizard?

And, believe it or not, the young mother paid a visit the day after...phew!

Wish I had snapped a pic of the young mother...sorry but me was so surprised then that me could only watch till she plopped into our back drain and swam away...

No worries...me had already crushed all six eggs and thrown them into our rubbish bin. They have all now gone to the great "hunting grounds" of all monitor lizards....haha!

Before I take my leave in this entry, I would like to ask you all a simple question. Are KFC products eg their Hot & Spicy Chicken dishes, of the same quality sold in all outlets?

Well, my answer is a definite NO!! How did I know for sure? We went to take the Chicken Rice Combo & Snack Plate set at one outlet last Sunday and then because we were surprised at the items we had got, we then went to have the same items at another outlet today!

And guess what? We got products of such noticeable size, quality & contents!! Try it out & prove so yourselves, ok?

Have a great day!

Me still around...

Fri 090710

Yup, me still around...haha!

And yup, still alive & kicking! But not so hard liao...age kinda catching up...

However, it's been a week of events but not of the exciting kind though...

The first week of July saw a few relatives celebrating their birthdays. Me did call them to wish them then but for the record...

Happy Birthday (030710) to my bro-in-law, KY!!

And also Happy Birthday (050710) to our fav niece, KI!!

Then on Wed 070710, it was time to fulfill my other half's 2nd wish ie a trip to Penang to visit a few families. And so we did. It was a happy day out. We even had time for a short look-around in Gurney Plaza! Moreover, we were treated to sumptuous meal (lunch) by our fav niece! TQ, KI!!

That day also marked our first visit to our son's flat since that dark day in 2008. Sincere thanks to him & family for the special effort made, the time spent & hospitality!

Well, what can I say? All's well that ends well!

And tomorrow is another COD...if you know what that means...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Latest KL pics...

Wed 300610

Yup, for KL fans, latest pics me took of her are now up in "The 2010 KL" slide show to the right of this entry. Those pics were taken during KL & family's belated visit for "Father's Day 2010".

And yup, those pics were picked from the numerous snapshots that me took of her...KL is still the same very active girl as before! Getting a good pic of her is akin to striking a 4-D prize!!

So do enjoy those few "ok" ones which me managed to snap...with my iPhone 3GS (now upgraded to iOS 4.0)...

That's it for now. Sincere apologies for sudden exit...me still kinda "sour" all over me ole body...

A happy but tiring weekend...

Mon 280610

Yup, it was a happy but tiring weekend for both inmates of Lot 10!!

And yup, on Sat 26 June, we got a call from our daughter late in the afternoon ( almost evening in fact...) that she & family would be coming for a night-over visit then. And so, COD was put on hold...

The rest is now history. Owing to the short time, whatever activities that could be done, was all cramped into the so few hours before KL & her family had to go home. Believe it or not, but those ever-so-common visits to their fav places eg AS Mall & KL's very own fav place, Tesco, were all successfully carried out before it was time for the family to leave Lot 10!

Well, me would post pics of not-so-little KL captured on me ole though not-so-new iPhone 3GS as soon as this ole man has got over the stress & strains of that hectic episode...do pls wait, ok? TQ!

COD was re-instated on Sun evening with dinner out at Lot 7 where we savoured our monthly Sate meal taken with "Kuih Chap" & "Lor Mee". The evening ended with Cine Nite movie of "It's Complicated" starring Merryl Streep & Steve Martin. Good storyline but slow & kinda dragging though.

For me, the night ended after I caught the scene of the F1 crash with somersault by Mark Webber onto the back of Kovalainen in the delayed broadcast of the race over NTV7. F1 cars are so well-designed & built such that the driver could walk away from such a high speed crash with hardly any injuries!! If only my ole junk was so safe....

And so it was... Lot 10 has returned to its former quiet & peaceful atmosphere but with nice memories of our fav grandaughter still fresh in our ole minds...

Still bz...

Sat 260610

Yup, this ole man is still bz with his not-so-new iPhone 3GS ever since Tues 220610! And yup, all because of the new iOS 4.0 that was released then...a totally new world out there! Or rather in the phone...hehe...

As announced before its launch & thus expected, there are many applications that I have that do not work completely or do not work as they should. Given time, it is hoped that those developers would make modifications to their codes so as to be fully compatible with the new OS. Or else it's "bye-bye" to their apps from iPhone users worldwide!

Anyway, to be on the safe side, me am not gonna download nor install any new free or paying apps for some time. That would save a lot of headaches & heartaches esp for the not-free ones!

Well, it's Saturday once more! And it's, of course, COD once again!

So far it's been the usual lunch out ( our fav KT Soup at "3 Hills" coffee shop) and followed by a walk-walk session at the local Tesco. Donated a bit to stock up our fresh milk & RO water supplies...

Dinner? Still a mystery...

As for our good friend & former colleague, Mr L, we are very sad to get the latest update of his condition. He'd his 7th chemo but from the update, it appears that the family is preparing for "Hospice" services upon discharge.

Well, at such a point in time...as long as there is life...one can but still hope for a miracle. Who knows? God almighty might find compassion for one of his creations...

Our hopes & prayers have been, are & will be with Mr L & his family. May God shower His blessings on this good family...Amen.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Another quiet, peaceful week...

Wed 23 June 2010

Yup, another quiet, peaceful week had just passed...

And yup, here's a belated very "Happy Father's Day" (Sun June 20) to all fathers & fathers-to-be!!! Sincerely hope that you had a great time with your loved ones...and, of course, hopefully, your children remembered that they still had a father around...hehe....

Lot 10 did get a visit from our son & family but it was before June 20th. The visit finally materialised in spite of a looming "threat" of possible cancellation of the planned trip. As believed these days, "if something is gonna happen, it will happen!" Fate? YOU tell me...

Well, "going with the flow" should have been & now is the best philosophy in Life for inmates of Lot 10. More happiness to gain this way, agreed?

Anyway, on the same day ie Fri 180610, we attended a wedding reception on the occasion of the marriage of 1 of our ex-colleague's son @Star City Hotel. Congrats, CSM!! And of course, congrats to the happy & loving couple...Andrew & Bernice!!

A pic to share :
Thanks, guys, for a great evening!!

And yup, it was an evening full of memories...an opportunity to meet up with old friends & former colleagues.

Such occasions are always reasons to celebrate but at the same time, they are also simple reminders of how time has passed...like in the blink of an eye!!

Well, as often quoted, each & every day one gets to pass now is truly a bonus from God....

Oh...Father's Day 2010 was celebrated not with our kids but by these 2 ole inmates by themselves! We went to have our fav roasted duck rice @SP and rounding the day up with a "tour" each of Giant & Tesco nearby...a happy day indeed! Another of those "walking hand-in-hand happily together" outings. Lunch was savouring combo meals at the Chicken Rice Shop in Tesco.

The last item of interest was when me got up by myself at about 2am on early Tues 220610 morning! Why? That's when the new iOS 4.0 was released for my not-so-new now iPhone 3GS!!

Owing to the huge number of hits at the Apple servers, it took me 70+ mins to DL the new OS and a further few more mins to install it! However, it was worth the time & loss of sleep! The effort gave new life to my iPhone 3GS!!

As in all new things, there are and will always be pros & cons...one just have to accept the bad with the good, correct?

And yup, this time around our "Kay Pa" was very early with our "pocket money"...2 days earlier than officially gazetted! Probably to be in time for Father's Day, perhaps?

Have a great week ahead! Bye!

For the sake of continuity...

Mon 140610

Yup, just for the sake of continuity...of this Blog...

And yup, to let one & sundry know that me am still around but leading a kinda quiet & peaceful life in Lot 10...

It's been an uneventful past week or so. Now isn't that normal for 2 ole pensioners? Anyway, most days had been routine day to day activities which included the following :

1. COD (Chef's OFF Day) on Saturdays has been modified & broken up into 2 parts. The first is the usual "meals out" section where both inmates have lunch & dinner out...simply cos of the meaning of COD. The usual Cine Nite session is now on Sunday evening.

The last movie watched during last Sunday was "Wolfman"...the run of the mill kind of werewolf storyline with a different twist! The father was the werewolf who in turned bit the son & thus turned his own son into a werewolf! And, as always, it was the man's sweetheart who released him from his curse...

2. It was time to replace my spectacles which had broken a short while back after a fall from the table, but which me kinda "repaired" (to be exact, super-glued!!) to be temporarily useable again. So, on Saturday, it was at the Optometrist's where me had my eyes examined for a new replacement pair.

As it turned out, the test for glaucoma turned out negative...a value of abt 20. However, the condition of my eyesight has changed! Surprisingly, my right eye's "power" had gone down a bit more! -3.75 instead of the old -4.50. But then, the astigmatism value of both eyes seemed to have increased albeit slightly. Total cost? RM330...after discount.

That was on last Saturday. And this morning, me got a call from the shop that my new "glasses" had been delivered & ready for collection! Great news!

3. Yesterday we got some not so good news that our little KL was down with fever! Above 38 deg C! Since it was a Sunday, her mom was not working & she was given the loving care a mother only could give!

And just before I started on this post, we learnt, via Skype chat, that our fav grandaughter's fever was under control, most probably due to a mild infection cos a sore throat condition was detected this morning by CA Hospital's child specialist as a probable cause. The last body temperature reading was 37.3 deg C only. On the way down. Sincerely hope that she'll be normal soon...

Well, those are just snippets to just fill up this entry....

Sincere apologies if I had bored you...Have a better week yourselves, ok?

A happy evening...

Sun 060610

Yup, it's a happy evening...that was last night.

And yup, both inmates of Lot 10 attended the wedding reception of a former student of mine (taught her in Form 3 like eons ago...hehe...). And my! There were lots of balloons & confetti being shot now & then! Not forgetting the entertainment provided by the non-stop "karaoke" guests...

Congrats once again, TWA & LKY!!

A pic to share of the happy loving couple...

May their love & care for each other be ever overflowing...just as symbolised by the ceremony they were performing in the pic...

And guess what? It rained after the reception started and the rain stopped before the dinner ended! Just great, huh? Keeping one & all cool & cosy in the reception hall...

That was last night.

This morning was a different story. It's been raining heavily early in the morning but luckily the rain stopped for a while. However, it's raining once more as me am making this entry.


A minor flash flood had brought the rain-water into our porch but not as bad as the worst that had occcured previously. Both inmates were ready to put up our prepared "barrier" parts (pls see an earlier entry) but which we didn't have to....yet! Can you see my little "boat" sailing on the "lake" waters? Haha!

Sincerely hope we really don't have to....

Well, so far so good for this weekend. Owing to the wedding reception last night, Cine Nite for Sat evening of this weekend was postponed to tonight. Wonder what movie our "boss" gonna pick to watch....

Latest news re our good friend, Mr L, is encouraging. It appears that his mobility & speech has improved. Moreover I was informed that he does not feel so tired now as he was a few days back. We are praying hard for you, Mr L....you are not alone in your fight!

Let's all hope & pray that there'll be better & more happy news in the days, weeks & months to come...

Do have a good week ahead!

2010 - A year of "more" unfortunate incidents...

Thur June 3rd, 2010

Yup, the month of May brought some more bad tidings & happenings...main reason for my absence...

And yup, the worst of them was on the night of June 25th which saw the passing away of my son-in-law's mother! A tragic case...an unexpected premature departure. It was a shock to family, relatives & friends, to say the least!

Above pic is of the late Mrs E (Taken from a newspaper cuttng). Our most sincere & heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives & friends...

Besides other minor unfavourable but tolerable events, in that month, we heard of one other piece of very sad news, at the end of May...a shock, in the very least!

Our very good friend & former colleague, Mr L, (pls refer to earlier posts) suffered a couple of "serious" infections after his 5th chemo session recently! He had to be warded for treatment.

The worst piece of news came last night when it was learnt that the results of an MRI scan taken yesterday of his brain showed a three-fold increase in the size of the tumour in his brain besides the appearance of other new lesions!! All that had affected his mobility & his general well-being.

Being faced with only 2 options, our brave friend chose to go for the final chemo today with a much higher dosage, with the hope of destroying or at the very least stop those cancer cells from growing!

We respect & honour your decision, Mr L,...that took great strength & courage to decide.

On behalf of all yr friends in A/S, we wish, hope & pray for every success in this brave attempt of yours to fight the odds!! May God bless you & keep you with us for many more years to come....Amen.

Not wanting to end this post on such a sad note, here is an update on the new housing development in front of Lot 10. Yup, it is no longer called "Taman Berjaya 2" as originally planned! It seems, according to what was passed from mouth to mouth, (or rather...mouth to ear?) that that name was not approved by MPAS.

Instead it is now known as "Taman Teratai Jingga Fasa III"...as shown in the plague (pls see pic) erected at its main entrance...

And now, here's a really happy piece of good news...

One of my former students, TWA, whom I taught in Form 3, would be getting married and the wedding reception planned for A/S ppl will be this Fri 5th of June. Well, WA, Godwilling, I'll be there!!

So, Heartiest congrats to the happy & loving bride & groom!!

New leather jacket...Viva World Cup!

Fri 210510

Yup, with the World Cup 2010 drawing near, the fever is ON! Even for my now not-so-new iPhone...

And yup, it was advertised that Maxis was offering a series of leather protective holders, with microfibre material on the inside, for the iPhone 3GS, me was truly tempted to be with the times! To Quote : (For more info, pls refer to http://www.maxis.com.my/personal/iphone3gs/rewards.asp )

The Viva Flip Caso World Series 2010 encases your iphone3gs perfectly for a classy, secure fit. There are 10 amazing designs to choose from, each one inspired by your favourite 2010 FIFA World Cup™ football teams!

Vibrant Dual-Strip design with real stitching
Top quality microfiber inner lining protects against scratches
Screen cleaning function
Front cover folds back to act as a desk stand
Thermo-formed rigid front provides easy to use clip closure and guards the LCD screen

And so it was...a trip to the A/S branch of Maxis and walla! There they were, the whole series of World Cup teams colours up for the choosing... @ RM83 each (special price on offer - Normal price RM119)! At http://www.vivacases.com & stated in the video below, the price is USD29.90 each! Now, you convert that into RM. So, is Maxis giving us a good offer?

Both me & my other half simultaneously agreed the best was to pick the South Africa colours cos of its significance! Real colourful...see?




Have a look-see yourself below here...it's my iPhone in its new leather jacket, cheering for World Cup 2010!!The first pic shows the new Viva leather jacket with South Africa's colours alongside the old plain black vinyl one...the 2nd is the iPhone cosy inside its luxurious new leather "jacket"! The new holder makes the iPhone so much more slimmer...compared to the old.

Well, the price is more than double that of my old fake leatherette one but quality is something that comes with the pricing...don't you agree? Anyway, a good phone needs a good cover to complement it, right?

Watch this video from YouTube to see up close...a video review of these special covers!


By the way, that's all made possible cos today our very own "Kay Pa" was right on the dot! It's Pension Pay Day!! And yup, our pockets were no longer that empty...& that somehow made the fingers a little wee bit itchy...haha! And so a little "pampering" was in order! And my little ole iPhone baby was the truly lucky recipient! Me just happened to be its owner nia...haha!

So Viva World Cup 2010!!

Back in Action!

Tue 180510

Yup, me back in action! After a couple of extra days of "recuperation", me am back to normal! Or so I feel...

Well, to recap, our recent outings were to Taiping & Penang.

The Taiping trip was good. As before, both stayed at the Flemington Hotel in the Taiping Lake Gardens area. Previously we were allocated Room No. 203 but this time around, we were 1 floor up, namely Room 304!

The medical appointment for my other half was brought forward to 13th May itself as there was an opening and so we grabbed it. Liver & Kidney function blood tests done came back great...no sign of any problems! Hurray!!

The change in appointment date to one day earlier, gave us one whole free day on 14/5 to ourselves. Most importantly, it gave us an opportunity to spend some value time with our fav grandaughter, KL, besides other enjoyable moments in Taiping. As it was, we took KL to her fav place...Tesco Taiping! Will post a few pics of her in her Slide Show on the right of this Blog...a bit later...pls give this ole man time...TQ! ( Edit: The pics are UP! Enjoy.... )

On 15th May, we left, after buffet breakfast at Flemington, for Penang. And oh yes! Before we left, we went hunting in Taiping town for a hair salon to enable her to have her hair done! And yup, that was because we would be attending a wedding dinner that night at the posh G Hotel in Penang! And guess what? We found one...a good one, too! Her hair was done up so nicely for a mere RM8 !!! Wasn't that extraordinary? Such a hair thing would have cost her at least RM15 in A/S!

Well, the Penang event was special & gave us a chance to update on fellow relatives & families. The Bride was radiant and beautiful. Congrats again, Michelle! And to you, too...James!!

Here are a couple of pics, snapped with my kinda still new iPhone, of the happy loving couple...

Well, we wish both of Michelle & James a very happy & loving future together down under!!

And yup, me almost forgot! At Flemington in Taiping during our previous stay, we were so attracted by the simplicity, robustness & design of their in-room electric jug kettle that we decided to find out if we could buy one this time around. Our enquiry bore fruit! The front office had new ones in stock! And so we now have the same jug kettle in Lot 10! A "Grelide Stainless Steel Electric Jug Kettle". Cost? RM100.

Here it is now, sitting comfortably where our old jug was :

What do you think? Nice & Neat, right?

Feel it should serve Lot 10 inmates very well since it could do so for the patrons of Flemington that well....

The best part of its design is that the inside is so clean-cut....nothing to obstruct cleaning nor collect dirt! No old-type heating element nor tubes of any kind! An inside view here...taken previously during our first stay:

Looks like we're gonna be boiling lots of water from now on...hehe...

Have a great week, everyone!

A thousand apologies (2) ...

Wed 120510

Yup, a thousand apologies...once again...for the next few days or so...

And yup, me would be MIA from 13/5 to at least 16/5.

Both inmates of Lot 10 OFH will be leaving for Taiping tomorrow (13/5) after late breakfast to be able to keep an appointment (scheduled for 14/5 morning) with the Physician @ CA Hospital there for (hopefully) a "final" review as a follow-up since my other half's extraordinary bout with a mysterious fever in early April.

It's gonna be another 3D2N stay at the nice Flemington Hotel...a room with a view of Taiping Lake Gardens! However, this time it would be with a not-so-grave atmosphere compared to the last time. Hopefully, we'd get to enjoy more of the hotel, its facilities & its surrounding area.

And, of course, both would get a chance to spend some time with our fav grandaughter, KL, too! Maybe not much, though. As her mom's working and her dad is down with, of all things & at his age, chicken pox!! Hopefully a miracle would happen and her mom wouldn't be the next one down... (Fortunately, KL had been vaccinated against it!)

After breakfast & check-out from Flemington, it would be another drive down..., or rather, up to Penang. This would be to attend a wedding dinner that night @ G Hotel of 1 of our fav nieces. Her actual wedding was held earlier in Australia. Congrats, Michelle!!

Then it would back to good ole Lot 10 the next day, ie 16th May. And maybe a couple more days to re-energise (a nice way of saying "recover"...) before me back online once more...hehe...

Until then, here's wishing 1 & all a great weekend and a great new week ahead, too!!