Welcome home.

My daughter Tasya is coming back from Sydney for a week of Christmas holidays break.
Although we do not celebrate christmas, we are looking forward to see her and her husband Marwan again.



Here's Bella waiting anxiously for Kak Sya and Abang Marwan to arrive at the front gate, amidst the gloomy weather of December.

In loving Memory

If my father is still alive, he will be 80 today.


My late father, whilst approaching 70, was a man in a hurry to meet his creator.
I didn't see it then but I realise it now.

Once my hubby wore a brand new sandal with reflexology function on its sole which Pak took a liking to. He said that he would like to have one. Hubby promised he'd get one for him, but, Pak said he may not be able to try it on if he was to wait until later. So, hubby gave away his sandal to Pak and went back home in a pair of rubber slipper instead.

He was constantly nagging my brother Amir, who lived and worked in Perlis to come down and live somewhere nearer, 'incase I die, you can come and visit me earlier' he said.
To Pak's delight, Amir and his family did just that as soon as they got the opportunity to do so.

At age 69, he had a minor health problem and was hospitalised.
His days in the hospital ward were always crowded with children, grandchildren and relatives. Despite his pain and discomfort,he was so happy and told us it was like a time for a huge family gettogether.

A day before he was to undergo surgery, he requested another brother, Hisham, to bring a barber to the hospital ward. He said he needed a haircut. I felt strange then, but Hisham, bless his soul, relented. An act he was to remember with no regret as my father passed away the next day without recovering post-surgery.

I was of course consumed with misery and sorrow of Pak's unexpected demise, when on the 100th day of his passing on, he came in my dream to tell me not to be so sad as he was at a better place now. He held my hand and gave me a tour of his spacious red earth abode with a beautiful garden, and helpers in green robes offering me juice to drink.
I asked if there's anyone who would be envious of the way he is going about, he said (and I still remember them):
"Here, you'll only get what you've asked for in your lifetime".

Reminded me of the simple dua we do after each prayer of:

"Allahumma, Rabbana atina fiddunya hassanah,
Wafil akhirati hassanah, waqina azabannar...."

Wahai Tuhan kami,berilah kepada kami kebaikan didunia
dan kebaikan diakhirat,dan peliharalah kami dari azab neraka....

Happy Birthday, Pak.
May your soul be placed together with those loved by Allah.

Merhatun

I believe my maid Asnah has quite an impressive vocabulary consisting of English words which she chooses to pronounce on her own terms.

One such word is "Merhatun".

When Imran came back from camping with a bagpack of damp soiled pile of clothings, she'll say:

Hai, esok merhatun lah kakak basuh baju!!!

When the bungalow owner behind ours continuously renovating his house, Asnah will complain:

Kontraktor tu merhatun pecah sana pecah sini, pening kepala saya dengan bunyi bising nya!!

I figured what she meant to say was actually 'marathon'!

Yesterday evening I finished dinner early and told the kids:

OK then, mama nak merhatun tengok Drama Korea!!!...

'Saranghaeyo'

All over again....

All over again??
That's my daughter Dilla's remark to me yesterday as Imran and I entered the house.

My youngest son, Imran is going to sit for his SPM next year!
He is a better student than his brother, based on the fact that he scored As in all 8 subjects during PMR (my version of LCE) which he sat for last year.
So he thought that it will not be too difficult for him to tackle this year's syllabus at school and therefore he does not need to go through the same torture as his brother with additional tuition classes.

However, a year in form 4 has passed and he was not too happy particularly with his understanding of Additional Mathematics.

Day before yesterday he asked if he could get the assistance of Mrs. Radha.
Since he is the one who volunteered to be grilled by Mrs. Radha, it must be a sign of him giving up on his present method of studying Add Maths.

I immediately made that vital call to Mrs. Radha.
She asked Imran to come on the very next day!!

mama: same house, same cat?
Mrs. Radha: Oh, MI, I don't want to talk about the cat, it's so sad!

segarang2 Mrs. Radha, she still cares for her cat. That shows she has compassion, I consoled Imran.

So, yesterday Imran trapped himself for 2 whole hours with Mrs. Radha, the first of many more mathematical sessions till SPM next year.
But he knew it is for his own good, seeing how much his brother had improved under Mrs. Radha's tutelage.

When we arrived home, both Imran and I were talking in Mrs. Radha's lingo and quoting her favourite quotes.

That's why Dilla said sympathetically, it's All Over Again, eh mama?

Tui Na Therapy

I went for a traditional Tui Na therapy yesterday.
It's a form of pressurepoint massage which originated from China.

Lily, the lady therapist from China, put her fingers on my neck and shoulder, started to accuse me:

NO GOOD!!! YOU NO SLEEP!!!!!

I was breathing heavily with my face stuffed in the hole of the massage bench, looking down to the floor, thinking loudly:

Yeah what else is new??

She sort of mutilated my back, neck and shoulder.
When I went to bed, bruised, at 10pm last night, I was shocked to be awaken only at 7am by Imran to send him to school.

Wow, Tui Na, that worked!!!

Insomniac wreck

Sleep defies me nightly since Papa took a new job and based elsewhere....

It has got something to do with a certain sense of insecurity, so much so that I'll be wide awake in the middle of the night even at the sound of a falling leaf in the front garden!

Luckily, so far, Papa managed to fly home on most weekends, otherwise, I would be carrying 2inches of sag under each of my eyes.

The children, bless them, are concerned about my situation.

Dilla have been buying loads of DVDs for me to watch at night when I can't sleep.
Ikram, for the first time in his life got me a book to read:
'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini.

I started on the book and could not put it down. Finished reading it in a day and unfortunately when I finally dozed, I dreamt that I was in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, just like what was described by the storyteller.

I realised then that reading myself to sleep is not exactly a good idea!
I woke up more tired and sweaty from dragging the Burqa, walking on the streets of Kabul!!!!



I will probably watch 'Mamma Mia' tonight. See if I will be dancing and prancing instead in my brief elusive sleep......

Oblivious

Economic slowdown??
What economic slowdown, I still get meself a new toyhouse.....
....Qeira.

Throdding on......

Why does life has to be difficult?

I have just started to be sane again when Asnah returned from Medan and completely sanitized the entire house off dirty laundry, smelly bedsheets and catsfur...

Then Papa decided to accept a new joboffer and stations himself offshore with immediate effect!!


Crap!!!!

Raya Joy

Hari Raya to my mum, the family patriarch, is everyone must be home. Home is Kampong Pulau Pandan, Kuala Pilah in N. Sembilan.

On almost other days, she lives alone, out of her own choice.

So it was last Raya when we made that important trip with various tales of traffic jams, angry with children who could not take a day off from work before the Eid, cats left alone with a buffet of catfood in the kitchen, etc.

Mum had her wish came true when ALL of us turned up, 8 children, 8 children-in-law, 28 grandchildren, 3 grandchildren-in-law, 6 great grandchildren and 38 handphones.



Selamat Hari Raya, mak! Ampun kan semua dosa saya ya!!!!

Maidless in Mutiara

Asnah, my Indonesian maid left for Medan last Saturday for a month long H/Raya break.

I sent her to Port Klang to take the 10 am ferry. At 2pm, she called, I thought she had arrived at her kampong but she said she had just boarded a rescheduled bigger ferry which will take 6 hours to reach Tg. Balai.

I advised her to be patient, nak berHari Raya dengan keluarga mesti lah kena berkorban!!

I pun berkorban jugak!

Now I have to sweep and water the garden, clean the house, do the laundry, cook for the family, feed the cats, bunnies.....etc,etc, etc, (exaggerated to add drama) besides, of course, managing a business.

Just the thought of them make me very distraught when all I want to do is...




sleep,





...and looking good....

Itchy twitchy palm

Last night I experienced a sudden involuntary itch on the centre of my right palm.

It's a malay superstition that if the itch is not due to eczema or scabbies, it's a sign of money coming to you through unsuspected ways. However, if it happens on your left palm, it's the other way round, money's going to flow out of your pocket instead!!

I was watching the stockmarket index closely this morning and at 10.12am was practically holding my breath when it plunged to 1,000.43 point, a skin away from turning 3digit. I am of course waiting for the right time to accumulate.

When charts and analysis elude me, I can't believe that I actually attempt to use superstition as one of my investment tools.

Oh, what a pathetic looser I am!! I think it's time to get a life!!!!!!

Hari Raya Goodies.

My supplier has delivered some simple Hari Raya goodies, which I ordered to be distributed to my clients who have been supporting us generously for the past one year.



They are so cute, Hari Raya cookies in the buckets.















These bigger ones containing a few types of Hari Raya cookies are for our more important clients.













Ramadhan is indeed a month full of rezqi but I am not creative enough to prepare these gifts myself.

Ooops!!...

Tasya!!!!!!!!!!



Do you want






To know





what happened




to




YOUR CAR????????

At the groomer's

Simba, my Angoran rabbit has been with me for 3 months now.

Everyday, I'm doing battle with his blonde long fur. I did badly so far because Simba ended up with tangled-up and matted bottom!

Hari Raya is coming, so, I decided to bring Simba to the groomer's.

Here's Simba being introduced to his groomer, Selena.






Simba had pedicure, manicure and since it took so long for the hair to be done, I left him to Selena's expert hand.























I picked him up 2 hours later, smelling great, neatly coiffured, he even had a ribbon on his head!

Blessed Ramadhan.

Wishing every muslim a blessed Ramadhan, the month of intense worship and prayers...
May the divine blessings of Allah fill our lives with peace and happiness....

An-Nyeong Hasseyo

We are back home, an inch richer with experience but a few thousand Won poorer in the pocket.

We were at par with the South Korean in the 80's, alas, as a nation, we are so far behind them now.....

The kids enjoyed the trip to the land of many bridges.
















Soaked in the beauty of the city,


















Braved the food.

















Up close and personal with the beautiful sceneries from Korean dramas.





'Winter Sonata'




'Spring Waltz'





'Autumn in my Heart'




'Stairways To Heaven'









Back to reality, we realised that South Korea is actually a whisper away from war with The Fellow North!


















And we could not tell the original from the copies, so, we shopped at the Duty Free Incheon International Airport instead....
















wish you were there.

Land of Kimchi

Am so excited to go to our next family vacation:




We are going to Korea.



With my weak stomach, I think I'll pass on the Kimchi!!!




However,the last I checked, I'm still not allergic to shopping.

Rebate on rebate.

I find it difficult to understand the idea behind giving out cash rebates to vehicle owners, as compensation due to withdrawal of subsidy on petrol price.

If the government needed to stop the subsidy in the first place, why then does it need to dish out another subsidy in the form of the said rebate, which to me is more unfair, since only vehicle owners in the country stand to benefit.How about the poor who does not own any vehicle but has to now pay for more costly everyday consumer items as a result of higher petrol prices?

I mean, who are the goons behind this noble idea of a rebate? If those running the Malaysian government sorely sympathise with vehicle owners in the country, why can't the road taxes be waived instead? It is more humane than making us all beg in line at the local post offices for the cash rebates which is not unlike collecting welfare money!

Pity the people of Malaysia!
I'm sure we deserve cleverer group of people to decide on things governing our everyday lives.

Anyway....(like Ellen Degeneres way of saying it),

Since the rebates are actually there for the picking, we decided to check it out yesterday.
Papa had the day off as he has just returned from a trip to London and I was so free in the evening, so we drove to the nearest local Post Office, armed with 4 already renewed road taxes of vehicles registered under our names.

The Post Office was rather crowded. It sure was additional work for the already overworked postal clerks, though there is rumours flying around which said that actually certain corporation stood to gain billions of RM from the commission paid out of handling this rebategiving service.







We took our queue number and waited with the rest of the crowd in the pungent sweatsmelling airconditioned room.





After an hour, our turn came. One look at our first application form, the tired looking clerk said in a loud voice:

"kereta 2000cc keatas tak de rebate kat sini yer!!!! Pergi JPJ!!!"

Malu tau, Yeop!

Hah? Tak boleh sudah lah!!!

However, the other 3 cars qualified and we went home at 4.30pm, with RM1,875.00 cold CASH in our hands!!!!.

Now we hear that the petrol price is going to come down in Sept. Is the rebate going to be stopped for the rest of you who have not renewed your road taxes yet?
Or do I have to return this money which they have given to me?

I never can predict what's going to happen next, after all I am now living in the era of 'flip-flop'!!

Home Alone 3

I'm so gonna be home alone with the cats tonight!

Reason: Everybody is going to the Stadium to watch star-studded Chelsea thrashing the Malaysian National Soccer team tonight.

Enjoy yourselves comrades (read: RM103 X 4, of daddytime)!

Stressed

Suddenly we discovered that Puts, our eldest cat, developed bald patches on both sides of his lateral hinds.







Alarmed, we took him to his vet not without growling protests. Dilla had to be at the backseat of the CRV to pacify him.

MEeow.....ya Puts.
MeEOoww....yes Puts...
MEeOoww.....It's OK, Puts...

WE understood Puts' protest when the Vet inserted the thermometer in his bottom as a matter of routine procedure upon entering the treatment room.
(How could that guy bear it when he claimed 'it' was inserted 8 times in his bottom?), never mind.

The good Vet told us not to worry as the balding patch is a sign of stress.
We were stressed ourselves when we paid the consultancy charges for nothing but told to go home and make Puts feel like a prince to prevent him from further stress.

Ha? Puts??? Betoi ka hang stress?

Yang nak retire next month and probably end up jobless IS Papa!
Yang kena adjust to new life in Sydney IS Kak Sya!
Yang menggigil tunggu result MICPA IS Kak Dilla!
Yang takut kena strangle incase his A level exam result is a gonner IS Ikram!
Yang asyik kena kawad Kadet di sekolah IS Imran!
Yang memerhati Index BSKL IS Mama!!!!!

Yang hang pulak tak pasai2 stress tu, kenapa?



Stay cool, darling, you don't require petrol to walk in the garden!

pantun BSKL

Hendak gugur, gugurlah nangka,
Jangan menimpa sibatang pauh,
Hendak jatuh, jatuhlah Bursa,
Jangan lagi bertangguh tangguh.....

Sked to death.

I had the chance to chat up with Ikram over the weekend.

I asked how he is feeling now that his A levels exam result will be out in 3weeks.
(yep, I AM counting!)

Ikram : Sked to death.

mama: so, how's life at an F&B business? (referring to his sandwich-making parttime job at O'Briens)

Ikram: getting on fine. I enjoyed the good company of my fellow part-timers.

Ikram told me that the other day a senior staff asked about his future plans.
Ikram informed him that if his result is excellent, he will continue to work until February when the intake into the Medical College starts.

Senior: If your result is no good??

Ikram: then, you look up on the front page of the newspaper, if you see 'Ibubapa membunuh anaknya',....that will be ME!


.

'Kegatalan yang melampau?'

I like this guy.
He wrote exactly what I currently hold in view,
Let me share with anyone and especially as a temporary reminder to self during this challenging times, the wise words courtesy of Bursa Trading Ideas.


Should I Bargain-Hunt Now?
Posted on Tuesday, July 08 @ 00:21:01 MYT by admin




Must you buy stocks now? Are you looking for quick returns?



If the answer to both the questions above is “No”, you should just sit tight and let the market take its course right up to December. It is not a question of buying and then risking a loss; it’s a question of whether you could get a better bargain later in the year.


Analysts have many research reports to share with you, especially during these hard times. They have all the numbers to justify their claim. Just let them do what they do best which is crunching out the numbers. As for you as an investor, you must do your very best to let chance work on your side. Sadly, many investors always miss this important rule of thumb.


Unless you are certain the stocks you buy are cheap and are prepared for more declines in price, just stay on the sideline. What is there to lose by being inactive? Of course "none" you say, but the “kegatalan yang melampau” is tempting you to make the move.


As of today, we’ve seen prices that tempt us to use our current fund. Resorts at RM2.50 range, Tanjong at RM12.50 range, YTL Power at RM1.70 range; who could resist it? We are still resisting them but can we make it after forty days and forty nights?


When it comes to withholding, some tell themselves to reserve “bullets”; we just simply call it “fund management”. The saying that human has two problems when it comes to money is very true. “Problems when money is insufficient and problems when there’s too much”.


At the end of the day, winnings from investment are only one part of your heritage. Building a great characteristic and right mentality are the ones that would take you through the many cycles of the stock market.

-unedited.







Thank you, I'm staying here, at the sideline.



note to that buddy remisier of mine, please don't care to get intouch even after forty days and forty nights. (wah, begitu jitu semangat ku!!!)

Tough Times, Good Times.

When I decided to close for business on Saturdays, perhaps the most delighted members of my family are Simba and Qeira!!!

Since I'll be at home, they get an additional morning to be in their play pen at the front garden.




Simba and Qeira frolicking on the lawn....







...with my bigger pet, Imran..

NO, I don't have All the answers, darling!

Imran asked why are there so many angry people around nowadays.

From his teachers, the lab assistant, the canteen operator, his tutors.....to the man who sweeps the road.
EVERYBODY is complaining.
About harga minyak, about barang barang naik harga.....

Why is the anger, mama?

Well...............
........
........
........

You may look at it this way:

mama buat nasi lemak,
mama jual nasi lemak,
But if you need my nasi lemak you have to pay for it, regardless of you being my own son.
and you pay at the same price, may be more, than other people who bought it from me.
and the price is not getting lower.

When you protested, I said, it's for the sake of your next generation. I can't be subsidising you anymore.
But at the same time, you do notice that I'm not being prudent in spending whatever amount that I said I could save from squeezing you!

Imran: If I am already angry with you because you made my life so tough, what is the likelihood that I raise my next generation not to be angry with you too, and that their lives will not be as tough?


Thats a tough question, it's easier to prove e=mc2
Do you want to eat nasi lemak? It's free for you, my son, anytime!

The State of Confusion

Imran told me that almost everyone in his Form Four class in the school talked about the sodomy allegation against Former DPM Anwar Ibrahim.

mama: ...and what did they say?

imran:....They think that Anwar Ibrahim is being framed because he is connecting Dato Seri Najib and his wife to the Altantuya murder case!

mama: ..Hey, hey...that's sub judice!!

imran:..what's that?

mama: I'm not sure, everybody clever in the country seems to be saying it, besides the infamous 'Statutory Declaration'. They are like the 'words of the month'!
I'll feel so left out if I don't mention them in my blog!!!!

'The Power Of Good Food'

Almost every other day, Ikram would return home from College with a brown paperbag of O'Briens sandwich for his dinner.

Now that he has finished his A levels exam and awaiting for his results which is due in August, what better job to do than work at his favourite sandwich bar to while away the time.

Dilla thinks that her brother is going to spend his daily wage by ordering different types of food served at OBriens for himself.

I don't have a clue of what's going to happen to my son on his first day at work as I sent him there at 'The Curve' earlier this morning.

G'luck, mate!

Shopping, anyone?

The manager at my Travel Agency alerted me that we need to acquire some luggage bags as gifts for our Commercially Important Passengers who are about to travel this week.


Untuk pengetahuan my 3 readers, itulah satu-satunya tugasan yang amat digemari oleh Managing Director ini!!!!!!

Maka berangkatlah saya ke One Utama Shopping Mall where my favourite luggage shop is located.

Guess what greeted me at the mall today?





kosong...





Kosong 'yang, tak percaya???





KOSONG, ILEK, takde orang.....












Akan tetapi ada satu store tu seolah-olah melambaiku datang. So, ku rembat ler beberapa helai baju kerana terdapat 5 orang salesgirls membantuku membuat pilihan.


.
















Sorry, Dill, they don't have a single piece in your size there! :(
Finding an item in size 0 at Ms Read is like Pak Lah getting airticket for his entire Government entourage from my company instead of from his sis-in-law's!!!!:((

(pastu pulak, sempat nak bergossip ni, the blardy MAS Govt sales officer tu siap nak compare2 my sales performance dengan company tersebut, do you need a mathematical model to figure that out???......)


Err...did I say I was there to get luggage bags?!?

Introducing....

My very own Angoran Baby "Simba"!!!!!







And his roommate, Lop-eared "Qeira"






They live happily, munching together...



With a standby volunteer baby sitter,