Merepek

Holidayssssss...

2008-05-31T02:04:00.009+08:00

The initial holiday plan was to travel to New York in December last year and then to visit a relative in Canada and then to come back together with her for Chinese New Year but tak jadi lah. So gua not very happy loh – I already psyche myself that I’ll be going for a holiday – so…so….mati-mati I must go somewhere.

So end of January, I called up the tour agent and booked for a packaged tour for March 7 2008. Manatau, our PM then decided to hold the 12^th General Election on March 8 pulak. Aiksss…..This resulted in many of the people in the travel group to opt out of the tour…me included. So, tak jadi jalan again! Still determined as ever to go jalan-jalan, I then booked for the next date, that is April 24 and just kept my fingers crossed that there will be no more cancellations. I told myself that if the agent were to call and say that trip cancelled because of insufficient pax, then this year 2008, gua tak mau pigi sana lagi….next year baru cerita liao.

Anyway, the travel agent called on April 9. “Ms Tan ah…I am Joe from YYY Tours. I call to let you know we have confirmed your hotel booking for 2 nights extension in Hong Kong ….bla…bla….bla…”

“You mean the packaged tour confirmed jalan ar? Enough pax ar?” I asked.

“Of course! Early-early also enough people ledi. We now have 22 pax.” he answered.

YIPPIESSSSSSSS……………….Finally…Finally….I would be going on a holiday.

So on April 24 2008, I boarded flight no. CX 724 KUL/HKG; transit in HKG for 2 hours and then flew non-stop HKG/LAX for 13 hours. No joke lar….the 13 hours cooped up in Economy Class…..body ached…legs ached…arms ached…and I think I walked out of the plane head 'senget' to one side too. First stop at Immigration and the guys there had to take a photo of my oily-face with panda eyes peeking out from under a dishevelled mop of hair.

Cleared Immigration and collected our bags, we then walked out of the terminal building into the nice, cool night air of Los Angeles…temperature at a comfortable 16 degrees or so. Very seronokssss.

The drive from Los Angeles International Airport to our hotel in Anaheim took about 50 minutes. As it was already close to 11.00pm local time, our accompanying guide asked if we wanted supper and she would then get the bus driver to stop over at Carl’s Junior for tapau. One Uncle in the group asked to stop by a mini-market. He wanted to buy bottled water and Maggi Mee. Soli, Unker. So late liao, mini-markets closed already.

Since most of the people in the group felt tired more than hungry, we went straight to the hotel. By the time we got the keys to the room it was close to 1.00am. And our morning call was 6.00am, followed by breakfast at 7.00am and then on the bus by 8.00am.

It was a glorious Friday morning…clear blue skies with temperature of 19 degrees …..wonderful weather for Disneyland. As we were quite early, the crowd was not that heavy yet so, the queue for the rides was a breeze. At first, I said I will only go for those ‘milder’ ones lest the poor old heart cannot tolerate the other head-spinning, heart-thumping, stomach-churning, adrenaline-rushing and mind-blowing rides. But then, it looked like everybody else would be going and I did not want to look like a spoilt-sport. So I closed my eyes, said my prayers and joined them. No regrets…. I enjoyed as much as I did when I visited way back more than 10 years ago. I won’t mind visiting again…..but then, first let me get over and forget the ‘trauma’ of long-distance economy flight. Or pray that I strike it rich and can then afford First Class comfort.

It was a long, fun-filled day. By dinner time, I was already very tired. Could have gone back to the hotel but then I wanted to stay back to watch the fireworks display. To keep myself awake I went for the leisurely train ride. Bad move! I fell asleep on the train. Cannot blame me mar….cool, night air blowing on the face and with the gentle rock of the train….I visited Snoozeland. The show started on the dot at 9.00pm and it was spectacular…the night sky came aglow with glittering sprays of colour and there was Tinkerbell flying across the night sky waving her magic wand. Yes, it was pure magic.

Saturday – Universal Studios.

Got to sleep-in a little bit longer. Wake-up call at 7.00am; breakfast at 8.00am and on the bus by 9.00am.

Breakfast was same-same like the day before except they replaced the French toast with pan-cakes served with butter and syrup, potatoes, scrambled eggs and crispy, fried bacon with juice and coffee/tea. No fruits.

Wah…..morning temperature was already 26 degrees and the weather forecast said it was going to be hot day…may reach 32 or more. By the time we reached Universal Studios, the sun was already shining bright in the cloudless sky and ya, it was getting hotter by the minute. We went for the back-lot ride first…all of an hour or so riding on a tram going round the studios and movie sets.

After that, we went for the rides and I tell you, it was no fun queuing under the scorching sun…..the temperature rose steadily and I can safely guess it to be around 36 degrees or even more. It was that hot and I was being burnt to a crisp! There are not many trees and shaded areas in Universal Studios, unlike Disneyland, so walking and standing in queue took a toll on me. Plus, jet-lag decided to kick in. By late afternoon, I was practically withering away…..the head throbbed, the injured foot hurt, eyes blood-shot and sore and I needed to shut-eye so badly. What to do? I found an unoccupied table outside a food outlet and I just plonked myself down and slept for an hour.

So all in all, I did not cover a lot in Universal Studios because much time was wasted in the queues. Next time, must visit in February…cooler weather.

...........to be continued

P.S.

I may not have time to reply to comments as I will be away for another really, really short break next week. Here's wishing you all a great weekend! Stay beautiful, always. Cheeersssss.....................

Ta-Taaaa.......

2008-04-23T17:40:00.008+08:00

Sometimes I can be so ‘free’ with nothing much to do and I can just laze and procrastinate. And other times, the plate is just too full; not that I am complaining though. To me, got work to do means good lar. If no work hor, then 'jialat' liao. Betul tak?

And when I am trying to push as fast and clear as much outstanding work as possible so that I can go enjoysss cukup-cukup my holidays, I had to fracture a toe 10 days back which kinda ‘immobilise’ me– can hobble but cannot drive; I had to have blocked nose and sore throat since 2 days ago; and a small but none the less painful ulcer decides to take position in the mouth. Arrghhhh.......Murphy's Law!

The handphone too, chose to 'misbehave' - it had some minor software problems causing me to lose my playlist and pictures but luckily the contacts list was spared. Had to send it in for rectification and for the few hours that I was without the phone, I felt kinda lost but come to think of it, it was actually quite a peaceful few hours. Weird or not? I just got the phone back and it has been beeping non-stop. aiksss…….Looks like all of them decided to call me at the same time and … and….they want their things yesterday. Geezzzzzz.....

Nevermind. Let them wait a while…I wanna put up a short update here before I fly off tomorrow for my short horniday. Shall be back in 2 weeks.

To all my friends here……have a great day and stay beautiful, always!

Look Before You Kick

2008-04-13T15:22:00.006+08:00

Clumsy me kicked on the leg of the bed…OUCCHHHHH…ADDOIIIII…….NIAMAHHH....%$@#*&^%.....and I instantly fell forward onto the bed, hands reaching out for the injured foot. OMG....my foot looked something like this…..

The fourth toe bent something close to 70 degrees towards the little toe. Seimou!…It looked so weird and on impulse, I gave it a push and I heard a soft ‘SNAP’ and the toe settled back into position. Ahh…looks as good as before. A cold compress and some Voltaren gel and then to roll it up in grib-bandage should do the trick.

Woke up this morning and I realised the foot is unable to bear my weight and there is swelling at the base of the toes. Went to the doctor's and had imaging done…oh…oh….there is a phalange fracture. Doctor’s prescription – a buddy splint and some oral medication to relieve pain and swelling and to rest the foot.

Lesson learned - 'Look Before You Kick.' And this has to happen when I am going off for a break in 11 days time. WAAAAAAAaaaaaa……….

Color Me Red

2008-04-10T01:29:00.004+08:00

My favourite colour is red…ya…solid, bright, vibrant red in all shades. I have many things in red…dresses, blouses, t-shirts, footwear, bags, phone pouches, a squiggie pillow and I just noticed…..even that humble langyard is also in the brightest red.

Red attracts me….when window shopping and browsing through the stores, I am somehow drawn towards the color red. I know…I know, a couple of my friends have been telling me ever so often, “Aiyoh…why so red? You looked like an over-ripe tomato lar.” And my response would go something like this, “Cantik lar….gua suka lar…..'ang-ang' very swee lar…” hehehehe…..

The 2 boys are as different as chalk and cheese where their choice of colors is concerned. No. 1 likes plain colours….his wardrobe consists mainly of whites, blues, greys and browns. Aiyah…kinda dull lar, if you ask me. As for No. 2, he is the exact opposite…..he takes to bright and loud colours and you can certainly find the full spectrum of the rainbow and more in his wardrobe, neons and metallics included. hmmmm…can be kinda 'jarring' at times.

And when I came home from work yesterday evening, I saw this on my bed…......

From my no. 2

Waaaah…..I was thrilled to bits. A red-red t-shirt with a handmade card. Momma sukaaa…….sooooo red…..soooo 'kelip-kelip'……soooo me…. I melted like ice-cream.

Thank you, Son. **muakssss.....**

Ding-Dong Bell

2008-04-09T01:56:00.004+08:00

As the workers had to tile up that postage-size excuse of a garden, the external ‘rocket’ water filter would have to be re-located first. So when they came in yesterday morning, they turned off the water mains, saw off the old pipes, shifted the filter to one side and then proceeded with the tiling works. By late afternoon, they then carried the filter to the corner, fixed it up and then turned on the mains. Lo and behold! No water came out….only hissing sounds from a dry tap. Die lar…what happened? What got blocked? The filter malfunctioned already? Quickly ran in to the house to check on the other taps which connect to the reserve tank Alamak….just a very slow trickle and then it all went dry too!

A call to the Water Supply Department confirmed that there was a burst pipe somewhere in the neighbourhood (nothing new, actually...happens all the time) and repairs were underway and would be expected to be completed by 10.00pm or so. So how? I have not a drop of water in the house; the workers had used up all the water in the spare tank. So no need to cook lor…no need to wash….no need to bathe…no need to do laundry.....

Then at about 11.00pm, supplies finally came back in spurts. The water was dirty…yellowish-brown in colour but what the heck! I needed a shower. After that, I wanted to start the washing machine but it was a no-go. The pressure is so low, it’s gonna take maybe 4-5 hours to run the full cycle if it's gonna run at all. The water is still yellowish and it’s sure to stain the laundry.

**sighssss....**

Perhaps, digging a well is not such a bad idea afterall……"Ding-Dong Bell....come and help me dig a well....."

hmmm.....Simply Slurpilicious....

2008-04-02T01:02:00.005+08:00

Ice-creams….my indulgence on a lazy weekend…my reward for a job well done on a weekday…and my comfort food for just about anytime of the week. Whether on a stick, or a thick slice held between 2 pieces of thin wafers or plain scoops in a cone or cup or multi-scoops in a glass bowl with the full works…I’d lap it all up….slurpsssssss….I just lurrrve ice-creams.

So, the 31^st day of the month will find me at one of the Baskin Robbins outlet to stock up supplies and just 2 days ago, I was there, standing merrily in the queue. Normally, it would not take more than 20 minutes or so but this time around.whoaaa…….20 minutes passed and the queue didn’t seem to move at all. What happened? Well, as I inched closer to the counter, I saw a few of the customers testing out the myriad of flavours. Point…point…point and then lick…lick…lick and then shake, shake…shake their heads and then point…point…point again and then lick…lick…lick..Aisehman….apparently they could not decide which flavour they wanted and they appeared oblivious to the people in the queue who were getting agitated by the minute.

Seriously, can you actually taste the difference when you are like sticking more than 6 little spoons, albeit with different flavours, one after another into that trap? I dunno, but for me, I cannot tell them apart beyond the third spoon…..all would somehow taste the same…just sweet!

Anyway, back to the main story. This time, it took close to an hour to have them finally call out my number. Chihsin,….gila…..mad or not? Actually halfway through, I had thought of walking off but then, no lar…how can???...how can walk away empty handed when I have already 'invested' 30 good minutes in the queue? Mati-mati also must get something, right? So I shove them my number slip with my order written on it. Then the chap said, “Sorry, Ma’am. We ran out of covers for the half-gallon tub.”

So how, holy cow? “Nevermind”, I told him to just pack into 2 x 1 quart tub per flavour.

“Then you gotta pay RM29.67 x 2 instead of RM55.20 for the half-gallon”, he said.

As I was not willing to pay the extra RM8+, I told him I’d pay for the order and collect it the next day. Not too much trouble really, since the outlet is just walking distance from my house and I am happy as punch that I saved a princely RM8.69. That would be good for another slurpilicious scoop.

I Am So Indiciplined

2008-03-27T00:52:00.007+08:00

It has been a long day. The sky was clear the whole day and I managed to move about more freely and covered more appointments, unlike past few days of inclement weather when the morning sun got covered quickly by dark storm clouds and then followed by lashing rain in the afternoons. A half an hour of heavy downpour is good enough to cause pools of water along the roads …a solid one hour and flashfloods is not uncommon. Driving can be treacherous.

And it was just one of the few evenings when I had to sit down and sort out the stack of paperwork I brought home. I don’t normally bring work home and the few times that I did, the papers just stayed where they were…in the bag. I would then bring it back to the office the next day for completion. Carry in and carry out. Silly, isn’t it? Honestly, I planned to finish the paperwork that evening but somehow, I got distracted……I’ll read the papers first lar…I’ll read the comics lar…..I’ll chat on the phone lar…..I’ll fixed the loose button on the shirt lar……I’ll catch some food reviews on the TV first lar…I’ll check my emails first lar…I’ll blog-hop a little lar...etc..etc.... Well, it’s everything else except opening my workbag and by the time I remember the work, most times my eyes refused to stay open and my brain just turn cottony. shuckssss……I am so indiciplined.

So I forced myself. Past couple of hours, I sat down and diligently completed my work and now I am wide awake….eyes big-big and brain sharp-sharp…good enough to bang the keyboard to string a few words for this post. And now, I think I should go and start counting sheep.

F1

2008-03-21T00:36:00.004+08:00

For how many years already, we have been hosting this F1 thingy at the Sepang Circuit? If I were to be asked to answer this simple question to win some free tickets, I know for sure I won’t win any because I just don’t know the answer. I am not a fan and it does not bother me at all who drives what and who races for what and who wins what and who races where and whatever…whatever lah. I don’t follow the news and I don’t watch the races on the box but of course now, names like Schumacher, Coulthard, Raikkonen, Alonso, Hamilton do ring bells in my head. I know lar…they are world-class racers, right? Other than that, I know nuts. Would you believe that long, long time ago, the first time I heard someone mentioned Formula 1, I thought it was a brand of infant milk powder? hahahahaa....Gua big-time 'suakoo' lor. BTW, back those days, there was this well-known brand of infant formula called 'S-21'. Perhaps, some of my friends here would have heard of it or used it.

All my life I have only been to a Grand Prix once. It was eons ago in Penang and sad to say, I did not enjoy it one bit. The noise was deafening and half an afternoon in the scorching sun left me looking red like a cooked crab and followed with horrible peeling skin days after. To suffer like that for something I don’t know how to appreciate and enjoy…gila or what?

Funny F1 Cartoon - The funniest movie is here. Find it

And from the time since having the races at Sepang, I remember being offered a couple of times, free tickets which I have not once accepted. And I am invited to go for this weekend’s races too. Kamsiah very much. No point lar…..I don’t know what’s going on except to see those sleek machines zooming past fast and furious with a deafening roar round after round. Just imagining it gives me a headache already. And I am also not keen to be roasted to a crisp or drenched to the bone (the weather past days has not been too promising).

And also the huge crowds at this type of events is deterrent enough for me. I cannot handle being in too crowded a place...believe me…..a super-crowded LRT is enough to make me feel all faint.

Nevertheless, I wish all those F1 fans a most enjoyable weekend! Cheeeeersss..........

Chicken And Duck Talk

2008-03-19T00:09:00.007+08:00

The phone conversation with my friend went something like this:-

Me : Woei...whatchoo doin'?

She : Washing the cabinet.

Me : Why?

She : Wash oni lar...nothing to do mar.

Me : New one ar?

She : Ya lar.

Me : New oso wash. Make sure they fix them up properly, k?

She : Ya...ya...betul....those not working one, kasi keluar...

Me : What??? New and yet rosak liao ar?

She : Huh? Rosak? What rosak?

Me : Your cabinet lar. Kena conned liao lor.

She : HAHAHAHAHA.....Apalah lu!!! Am talking 'bout Pak Lah's new Cabinet lah.

Me : HAHAHAA....Apalah...Gua talk 'chicken' and you talk 'duck'...HAHAHAHAA... And can talk so long summore....hahahaha

** She said 'watch' but I heard it as 'wash'.

A Weekend Getaway

2008-03-16T19:07:00.007+08:00

We arrived early afternoon but as the rooms were not ready, we opted to go for tea and some snacks. The weather was hot and humid and I felt uncomfortably sticky. Sitting around the open reception area did not provide any respite; it was a ‘breezeless’ day and I felt myself drifting off to the land of the nod. If not for the occasional shrieks and burst of laughter coming from the swimming pool below, I would have fallen asleep there on the armchair.

Only managed to get to the room at about 6.00pm and after a quick wash to wake the sleepy face, I took to the pool. It has been ages since I last swam and OMG, my stamina is zilch. A few strokes here and there and my lungs felt like it’s gonna burst. I am so unfit. A few strokes again and then rest and then a few more strokes and rest….I began to get better after a while.

That night I slept like a log and when morning came…ADOOiiiiiiii…I nearly could not get up from the bed. My whole back was sore…I felt as if I had been whacked by a wooden paddle….the muscles were aching so bad I felt as if I was gonna bend over double….my lazy muscles protesting….OUCHhhh…..

“No…no breakfast until after another swim”, I told myself. Just have to work on those underworked muscles. After some serious paddling and kicking in the cold water, I felt very much better and refreshed. Had a relaxing shower and then breakfast and then did some reading and then……..

Zzz...Zzz...Zzz...Zzz...Zzzz...Zzzzzz.......

And in the evening I had the opportunity to attend a corporate event….something different…..dinner was served sitting on the floor ala kampong style…….and music was by a very talented young man performing contemporary pieces on the 'angklung'.

close-up of table setting

There Goes $$$$$$.....

2008-03-06T19:45:00.004+08:00

When the water meter shows lower than ‘normal’ readings, you can bet you don’t have to do anything and the Water Supply Department will send their guys over in no time at all. No need for any phone calls from your part….No need to make any reports….No need to feel flustered to being pushed from pillar to post. You can be quite certain the workmen will come by to change the faulty meter than gives ‘abnormal’ readings.

But when it is the other way around…when the meter reads abnormally high readings…ahhh….you gotta call them up and make a report and then they will send their guys over. Despite leaving them your contact number and giving specific instructions in the report for them to call beforehand, some how or other, they prefer to come by when everybody is out of the house during the day. You come home to find a note in the mailbox saying the guys were here at what time..what time and that the gate was locked and that nobody was around. The Water Supply fellas do that, the guys from Telekoms do that…the chap from Electricity Board does that…..sighhhhhssss……

And they said the water meter works fine. So, they suggested that only Syabas approved plumbers be appointed to determine the cause of the high readings and the plumber came by this morning. What else? The piping has to be re-done. There goes another bundle $$$$$.....

Learning from Ah Beng......

2008-02-27T00:48:00.005+08:00

If you want to know what they are talking about…… here are some useful words from Ah Beng’s Dictionary of Geographic Terminology …..

GORGES

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * adj. stunningly beautiful

Eg. “That guy is gorges!”

BEACH

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * noun. A derogatory term for a disliked woman.

Eg. “That Nancy is such a beach, man!”

CANOPY

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * a phrase as in impossible, unlikely, cannot be…

Eg. “He got a new gerfren???? Canopy!”

CIRRUS

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * adjective. Certain

Eg. “Cirrus or not? Dun bruff!”

CORAL

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * verb. To bicker.

Eg. “Where got coral? &#@%$...”

CORAL REEF

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * verb. To argue with.

Eg. “Want to coral reef me, issit?”

DAM

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * noun. A swear word to express disgust or dismay.

Eg. “Dam it, call her go Zook, she dun wan.”

LATTITUDE

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * adjective. A disagreeable demeanour.

Eg. “She really got latitude ploblem, man!”

THERMOMETER

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * phrase. Meet the next day.

Eg. “Ah Lian say thermometer at Led Box.”

VALLEY

Ah Beng’s dictionary meaning * adverb. Extremely

Eg. “That ChiowChiow Amani shirt valley nice!”

Do I Look Like A BIG LULU?

2008-02-22T13:36:00.009+08:00

The car battery died on me when I was at the tint-shop to collect the car. Aisehman, I can remember clearly that it was not too long ago that I changed a new battery and a quick call to the motor workshop, CITIREAN AUTO SERVICES SDN BHD at Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya confirmed that the battery is less than a year old and still under warranty. The guys at the tint-shop helped to jumpstart the car so that it can be driven straight to the mechanic. Test..test here and test, test there….okie….the battery is faulty and the warranty stands.

Then the lady boss of CITIREAN AUTO SERVICES SDN BHD said that they no longer carry this particular brand of battery and that I leave the faulty battery there for her to claim a new unit from the HQ of the supplier. And as she now no longer carry/sell this brand, she suggested that I buy another new unit of another brand from her at RM320 per unit and then she will claim the replacement unit from the supplier.

“Wah so expensive ar this new brand?” I asked

“Aiyoh…batteries increased price a lot loh.” she answered.

I told her I remember I bought the existing one at RM280 only.

“That brand also increased price now. It should be RM320 or thereabouts liao”, she said.

I then asked her what am I suppose to so with an extra battery. She said that she will give me a cash refund for the faulty unit and then she will sell the new unit. Okie. But then I asked here how much refund she is giving me? I expected nothing less than RM280, so that means I will have to pay her RM40 if I were to take the new XX brand. Wah. …she twisted and turned and spun a tale and was non-committal on the price. I pushed on and she said she will refund me the price that the supplier charged her, which is her cost price lar….which is definitely is very much less than RM280.

“Hey, mana betul lidat?” I asked.

“Okie, lidis. I get credit note from supplier and I refund you the amount.” she said.

She wants to refund me the cost price and then sell the replacement unit at a marked-up end-user price. She thinks she is the only one with brains ar?

HAHAHAHHAA.........Adooiii....hahhahahaa

Preposterous!!!! Kepala otak dia ini…..she already profited when I bought the battery last year. And now when it is still under warranty she tried to pusing-pusing around and make from both ends. Warranty means replacement one for one and this cunning woman wants to profit from 3 ends - the old unit, new XX brand unit and when she sells the new replacement unit.

Do I look like a BIG LULU? hahahahahah..........

In the end I decided to deal direct with the HQ and I got a brandnew unit for free and without fuss. Thanks to CENTURY AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTS SDN BHD.

Addendum: Can you all see the BIG NAME up there? hehehee.....

I DUNNO, Really!

2008-02-16T14:12:00.005+08:00

Two mornings ago, a woman called my mobile:-

Woman : Ms Lim izzit?

Me : No.

Woman : Can I speak to Ms Lim?

Me : Kenot.

Woman : Err….I’m from XX Water Filter Co. Our records show your filter element is due for replacement…bla…bla….

Me : Lemme tell you and you go and tell your whole ofis again that I am Ms Tan and I have been telling you all that for the past 20 years! Can you just amend your records immediately, please?

Woman : OK...K...K......

Then this morning another fella from the Company called:-

Man : Ms Lim ar?

Me : No.

Man : Ms Lim, please?

Me : There is no Ms Lim.

Man : Ehh…..? I am from XX Water Filter Co….bla…bla….

Me : Aisehman…what does it take for your kongsi to update records? I have told your kongsi ten thousand times liao…I am Ms Tan…it's T-A-N.

Man : Err…arrr…err….dunno lar…..bla…bla….

Me : Dunno????? T-A-N larrrrrr…..Please get that right, OK?

That poor chap was trying to explain that he is merely the store-hand and that record-keeping is not his purview,etc..etc. I have heard that line a million times…”That this one is not done by me…it’s a different department…I am new here la...bla…bla…...” And the one that always gets my goat is “I DUNNO.” That’s the problem with many companies. The training of their staff, more so those who deal directly with customers, leaves much to be desired. If the bosses DUNNO that ‘I DUNNO' is not an acceptable answer, then they have no business being in the business. Whoever will have faith and confidence in ‘I DUNNOs’, anyway?

Sitting on the sofa reading the newspapers, he overheard me giving an earful to the chap and he just couldn’t contain a chuckle.

He : heee…heee…..Kesian that fella lar….seven-early eight-early, you kena him lidat.

Me : Told that stooopid kongsi berapa kali liao…gua mia nama Ms TAN.

He : Small matter nia lar…

Me : What??? Change my name…..change my ancestors’ name..bla..bla...

p.s. I think I need help with paragraph indentations. :P

Year of the Rat

2008-02-06T01:32:00.000+08:00

Past week was sheer madness. There were just so many things to get done…the ‘TO DO’ list somehow got longer with new items added just as I ticked off the numbers one by one. And Momma Mouse decided to spring a surprise on me.....a not too pleasant one, I must say. Last Friday, I saw this outside my gate. Grosssssss..........

*taken using a borrowed phone....picture quality not good*

And Saturday morning, I found this next to my car. It was alive and rolling on the grass and it squeaked too when I used a piece of paper and grabbed it up. The 2 little mousies must have dropped out from the car. Eeeeekkkksssss!!

OMG, Momsie Rat chose to nest in my car and for the past few days, I was at my wits end trying to find the nest. My car stank to high heaven…I suspected there must be a few more dead and rotting somewhere. Ewwwwww…….

Sent the car to the normal car-wash for them to jet-spray them mousies out but nopes…tak jalan langsung…the stench got worse by the day. Tak boleh tahan liao…I drove the car straight to the workshop at the dealership and begged them to get the carcass out. After 2 days there, they finally found half of a rotten baby mouse stuck in the fender. And despite the vacuuming and washing, the horrible decaying smell is still there. I just got from the kind satay lady 3 pieces of charcoal to put inside the car to absorb the foul smell.

A Momma Rat nesting in my car! The mechanics laughed……"Go buy numbers!" they said. My clients laughed…."Can lidat one ar?" they asked. My friends laughed......"Never seen before wor?" they chorussed. I also laughed.......

HERE'S WISHING MY DEAR FRIENDS

KEONG HEE HUAT CHYE.

'Kalah Mahjong' Mood

2008-01-27T18:15:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year is round the corner and now we are experiencing Chinese New Year weather….blue, cloudless sky, terrible headache-inducing scorching heat. The sun is relentless…it is very, very hot outside and I am all cooped up inside the house. A quick dash outside to bring in the crisp laundry is enough to cause momentary blindness the minute I stepped into the house. So instead of going out jalan-jalan and look-see-look-see, I stayed home and just laze around…upstairs to downstairs to upstairs to downstairs…..It’s sooooo hotttt…..makes me so lethargic. And I am bored to my eyeballs.

And yesterday evening, I thought of taking a drive up Gentings for some cooler air. In my haste, I dropped my handphone….OOOOPSSSS…..into water. Arrrrrghhhhhh…….it is not water-proof....

Okie, mood spoiled liao…..sour-faced already......like 'kalah mahjong' lidat....don't want to go anymore..........just stay home and mope.

Adoooiiii....Sakiiitt.....!

2008-01-22T00:04:00.000+08:00

My friend would make hell of a lot of noise each time her car is due for road tax and motor insurance renewal….not so much for the road tax and insurance itself but because that would be the time when she finds out the value of her wheels. Noise or no noise, the issue is usually forgotten soon enough and she continues her love affair with those beauties. …changing to new models whenever she gets tired of the old one.

Those early days, she moved around in Japanese models but is now into German technology. She bought new a 2006 model in February 2007 for close to RM270,000, discounted RM20,000 from the original selling price of about RM290,000. What a steal! Now, just a mere 11 months down the road, she discovered that the current market value is nothing more than RM225,000.
**gasped...** A whopping RM60K+ loss in value for a 11 months old car! Adoooiiii.....sakiiiitt....!

"Ada betul kah?" she asked in disbelief.

Betul…more than betul…she was told. In the motor trade, cars are valued based on model-year and in her case, Year 2006, is now considered 2 years old eventhough she has been driving it for 11 months only. Based on an average of 20% depreciation rate per year, the RM60K+ loss is about right – [RM290K x 20%] x 2 years.

She can afford the car but it is painful nonetheless ….”RM60K wor!” she wails.

I know...I know.....buying and maintaining a car has burnt many holes in my pocket too. **sighs…** If only I am brave enough to learn to ride a motorbike.

Something To Chew On

2008-01-18T00:06:00.000+08:00

The article by Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK)* read, “Too many of us are spending money we haven’t earned to buy things that we don’t need to impress people we don’t like….”

hmmmmm…..something to chew on.....

* This agency is set up by Bank Negara Malaysia to provide free financial education, credit counseling and debt restructuring services to individuals. To help individuals who wittingly or unwittingly fell into the deepest end of the debt pool.

Easy-payment schemes, zero-interest plans, 24-hours approval soft-loans and flexi-financing, wallet-full of credit cards and the most creative of what-have-you plans for anything and everything tempt us and it is just not too difficult to go overboard and spend beyond our means. Oooohhhh….that pair of the most lustrous pearl earrings…. that elegant pair of stilettos that sure made us walk taller …..that sexy number that accentuate our curves at the right places….. that classy handbag that complement so well….that watch that we must have on the wrist……gifts/angpows for that big gang of relatives and friends…..that new set of wheels to replace the old-banger….a vacation to places far and wide that we have only dreamed of visiting…..new pad at a nice address, if not, to re-style our current nest….a new this and a new that. Wahhhh…..all also want…..

It is so easy to spend and spend and spend more. Every item, edible or not seems to be calling out to us to buy, buy and buy. At the malls, you see people walking with arms laden with shopping bags….at the food outlets, you see tables fully taken and it is so common to have queues waiting for seats, snaking out onto the walkways….at the hypermarkets you see people pushing overflowing trolleys and waiting patiently in line to ring up their purchases. We are being enticed left, right and centre and it sure takes great effort to reign ourselves in….and a steely resolve to only spend the money available in the pocket.

For starters, I think will I need to learn to go out with not more than RM30 in my purse.

How Come So Busuk?

2008-01-14T00:03:00.000+08:00

The no. 1 walked into the house, wrinkled his nose ** sniff…sniff..** and then asked, “Ma, you cooking salted fish ar?”

“Errr…no lar. Kitchen's closed today.” I answered.

“Then how come so busuk? Smells like dirty socks or something….hmmmm…” he continued

“Err…maybe neighbour’s cooking lor…”, I replied and then carried on with my reading. A couple of paragraphs down and I too, began to sniff something unsavoury. I walked to the kitchen, opened the back windows wide but there was no ‘fishy’ smell. I then walked back into the living room and instantly, that funny smell wafted into my nostrils…something a bit burnt and something kinda putrid.

No mood to continue reading already…..I must go look for the source of that offending odour, same time praying that not another rodent has decided to commit suicide atop the ceiling boards. I recalled a horrible experience years ago when, after enduring a few days of horrible stench coming from dunno-where, live maggots started to drop through tiny crevices on the ceiling boards into my bedroom….ewww….geli betul….I was home alone at that time…kids were in school and I had just woken up bleary-eyed and all and was toddling towards the bathroom when I saw small white clumps along the floor skirting. I walked closer, bend down and rubbed my eyes and I freaked out. OMG….help…tolong…..kiew miah…kow meng….Aitelyu…..I raced down the stairs, reached for the phone and practically dialed all the numbers that came to mind for help, short of calling 999!

An inspection up the ceiling boards revealed more crawlies and a huge clump of hair and a long tail….yucksssss…..the carcass had rotted away. Don’t ask me how they cleaned the place….I was outta house by then and only returned home late evening when confirmed 201% that everything is betul-betul bersih and thoroughly disinfected.

And back to my story of the latest episode of putrid smells. I checked the whole house…drawers, cupboards, the pantry, the fridge, behind the chairs, underneath the beds and just about any other place that I can think of but was unable to locate the source. However, I noticed there was no smell upstairs…somehow the smell was stronger in the living room. I turned out the shoe cabinet to check for any unwashed socks but nopes….it's not there either.

Woke up the next morning and the minute I opened my bedroom door, I was instantly greeted by that offending smell. I quickly went down to the living room, opened the door and switched on the ceiling fan at full blast to blow out the foul air. Standing near the switchboard I sensed the smell was stronger...more pronounced…..some kind of a funny burning smell…..I reached out to touch the ELCB and gosh! it felt warm and then I saw this....

Melted ELCB cover on the outside and a burnt ELCB on the inside.

**shudderssss...**My whole family could have been roasted alive, no thanks to slipshod work done last year by a supposedly reliable and qualified wireman.

It Has Been Ages Since.......

2008-01-11T00:02:00.000+08:00

Two evenings ago, we decided to take a drive from PJ to this place in Jalan Pahang, KL, said to serve one of the best hokkien-mee this side of the planet. Yup, those sinfully delicious, lip-smacking noodles that glisten in thick and black soya sauce. I like it when it is presented with generous amounts of meat, prawns, white sotong and vegetables.

We left PJ at about 8.00pm, thinking that the afterwork traffic would have eased up by then, but we were soooo wrong. Main roads and highways were chocful of vehicles after the earlier downpour and a couple of fender-benders along the way only made the crawl worse.

So after something like an eternity, we finally arrived in 'mum-mumland' and by that time the tummy was already growling. Heard that it is not uncommon to have to stand around and wait for seats but we were lucky…managed to get a table along the five-foot way so, it was alfresco dining for us. I quickly waved the chap over to take our orders. Err...not too friendly…no smiles…no hellos, no menu, just stone-faced, so I just asked him for recommendations. He mumbled something and I thought I heard him speak Cantonese that sounded kinda foreign. Not too sure if he is an orang asing from Myanmar, Tibet or Vietnam, I switched to bahasa pasar, only to have him respond loud and clear in Cantonese. Ahh….so he found his voice. And I thought I saw him rolling his eyes too..hehehheee…

As we were already very, very hungry by then, I looked to the table next to us and simply indicated to Mr Stoneface that we shall have just that. Service was reasonably fast and the food arrived soon enough…..piping-hot fried fish cake, a plate of sweet-and-spicy lala, a plate of greens and of course, the hokkien-mee. Then I eyed another dish….not sure what it was but it looked delicious so, I signaled to Mr Stoneface that we shall have that as well. Ahhh….I was pleasantly surprised……

This is pek-kueh fried hokkien style and it has been ages since I last tasted it. I like its chewy texture and I think it is made from rice and tapioca flour dough, cut into thin, thumb-length strips and then boiled. The cooked strips are then fried hokkien-mee style or served soupy-style with minced meat, gizzards or seafood.

3 of us cleaned out the plates and bowls in no time at all…**burrpssss….**

Tummies filled, we then decided to go for a spin.....slow and comfy…..no worries about my face turning green and then regurgitating the hokkien-mee. And it has been ages since I last went up on a ferries-wheel.......

Noodle Lessons

2008-01-08T00:13:00.000+08:00

The other day I had a craving for ‘pan-meen’ and a kind friend directed me to this little shop carrying some unmemorable name which reputedly serves some mean bowls. After going round and round the blocks of Kota Damansara shophouses, I finally found it nestled among a newer row of shops a couple of roads further up.

Already famished by then, we walked in and were happy to find an empty table. A smiling waitress plonked the menu down, mumbled something and then bolted off to help clear the other tables. An ‘Excuse Me’ with a wave of the hand brought Ms Waitress running back to take our orders and she rattled off in rapid-fire Mandarin. Aisehman….”Sorry, I cannot understand Mandarin.”, I said in Cantonese. Ms Waitress gave a toothy grin and signed to me to wait while she go get someone else.

Another lady came by but before I could even say 'Hi', she mumbled something and just as quickly, she walked away to attend to another table....wrong order or something like that. I needed help with the menu as I can’t read Chinese and the English translation, well….left me scratching my head. How do you read this word on the menu….’Teared'’?

And what in heaven’s name is item no. 204....‘LOR TEARED NOODLES’?

Addendum 1:

Farang Teared Noodle.....errrr....."HAIMEHLEIKAR?" hahahahaha......

Angeles is right...'Farang' in Thai, refers to orang putih/angmoh. And according to Chev, the Chinese words read 'Kuei Lou Pan-Meen'....so, I think it is pasta or something similar.

Addendum 2:

Pan-Meen shops are sprouting like mushrooms after the rain around the Damansara area and last weekend, I saw one shop appropriately named 'MEE PAPAN'. I should have taken a picture of it.

Addendum 3:

I went to the famous Kin Kin Restaurant in KL for chilli pan-meen today....and endured a 'hot' tummy for the whole afternoon resulting from an overdose of chillies. :P

Sin Nien Lai Lohhhhh.......

2008-01-04T16:54:00.000+08:00

I was walking pass the shops and I just could not resist stepping in. Wah….all the vibrant reds and golds; the sparkles and the twinkles of the lights; red lanterns of all shapes and sizes hanging from the ceilings, decorations for the house, from flowers to vases, streamers and banners and the unmistakable accompanying loud music…clanging of cymbals and banging of drums and the songs which we all know so very well…..”Sin Nien Lai Lohhhhhh……Chai Shen Tau..Chai Shen Tau…..Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni….” blaring away in the background....announcing that the new lunar year is round the corner. We get ready to usher in the Year of the Rat, the beginning of a new 12-year cycle.

And the Year of the Rat is especially meaningful to me......I have an adorable rat at home. Love you, Son. **muakssss.......**

KEONG HEE HUAT CHYE

Pengsanssss......

2008-01-03T00:27:00.000+08:00

First, I read of an 18 year-old Singaporean girl doing brisk business by putting up pictures of her worn-unwashed thongs, panties and bras as well as pictures of her posing in the undies, and selling the items online.....her ingenious way to raise money to finance her studies....

I was kinda incredulous when I read the above until I read something else…of a hawker’s helper by the name of Hong who actually called up the Press to find out where to buy the used/soiled panties. He was reported to be willing to fork out RM690 to buy a pair of worn and unwashed panties in the hope that it would change his luck. Apparently, his friend had won RM230,000 in a lottery after putting such panties on his head (this takes the cake!) six years ago. The friend spent RM460 to buy the panties.

Tolonnnnnggg....gua mau pengsanssssss liao........kedeboommmm....

**pengsansssssss**

A New 366 Days For Us

2008-01-01T18:27:00.000+08:00

I was scrolling through the in-box on my phone reading all those lovely and heartwarming New Year greetings when I saw these 2 messages, I am quoting here word for word:-

“Congratulations! Anda memenangi WANG TUNAI RM15,000 from Celcom prepaid. Info sila hubung Perkhidmatan Celcom prepaid. 006 285880339216 http://www.xpax.com”

“Pengumuman dari PETRONAS MAS. TAHNIAH SimCard anda bertuah memenangi undian hadiah cek RM14000. Sila hubungi esok pagi 00628157018729 Terima kasih.”

Wah…..A windfall!!!! Durian Runtuh!!!! Money for nothing!!!! Sounds too good to be true lar! Then I remembered my momma’s wise counsel, ”If it is too good to be true, then it can’t be true.”

So okie…no such thing as a free lunch….stop dreaming....better lift the bum from the couch and get back to work….This song is dedicated to all my friends here. A new year....2008.. a totally new 366 days for us to make the best of it.

***”She works hard for the marneyyyyy…so hard for it honey...she works hard for her money...so you better treat her right...."*****

Wang Kertas Baru Spesel

2007-12-29T14:55:00.001+08:00

I managed to get a set of the RM50 banknote issued by Bank Negara Malaysia to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of Malaysia’s Independence Day. It comes complete with special packaging/covers and only 20,000 sets are up for sale to members of the public. Nice or not?

These new notes will be distributed through commercial banks effective January 30th 2008....in time for 'angpows'.

And I did some ‘koreking’ in my drawers and found these old coins (in denominations of RM25, RM5 and RM1) which were passed down to me by my dear momma-in-law many, many years ago. Remember seeing them before? They are more than 30 years old...older than some of my friends here.

obverse

reverse

Happy Tang Chek

2007-12-22T00:08:00.000+08:00

It is Tang Chek/Winter Solstice once again. I follow tradition and I prepared these colourful kueh ee aka tang yuen. Come my friends….help yourself….count the number you are to take…the number of colourful glutinous rice balls to correspond your age this coming new year.

HAPPY TANG CHEK

Hooray, Hooray, It's A Holi-holiday.......

2007-12-16T18:42:00.000+08:00

’Hooray, Hooray, It's A Holi-holiday…..’ this song by Boney M kept playing in my head and I have been humming to it past few days.

Ah...... I like this magic word…’HOLIDAY'. Who doesn’t? Holiday means no need to wake up early; instead I get to roll a bit longer on my comfy bed… savour my morning cuppa instead of hurriedly pouring it down my throat…. take my time in the shower instead of the 1,2 3 and go…put on the most minimal of make-up and don something light and cool and forget about those jackets and power suits…no need to get stuck in the early morning and evening crawls to and from work. I can laze to the max.

After slogging for a good part of the 365 days in the year, I certainly look forward excitedly to the year end holidays. I need a break from the everyday pressures to maintain my sanity. Whether I get to travel to the most beautiful and happening places or just some time at home to touch base with kith and kin, I treasure my holidays. Holidays are for me to rest, relax and re-charge. Holidays are for me to unwind and to forget about work. Ah…to forget about work…this is the easy part. I know I am very adept at it because I have experienced forgetting even the password to enter the office after a mere 3-days weekend break.

After some decadent rest and relax, I am supposed to come back all re-charged and ever ready to take all the bulls by the horns. Step into the office the first day after my break and within hours, I’d sure to feel as if I have been trampled by a herd of buffaloes instead. A blank and empty brain will find it difficult to conquer a mountainous pile of work. But nevermind that. Work is work is work and it’s never finished, anyway.

It’s the holiday season now, let’s just take in the mood and enjoy. And I wish all my beautiful friends here

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My 'Kedekut' Genes

2007-12-09T18:52:00.000+08:00

“A 19 year-old girl purchased a pair of Japanese jeans that costs a cool RM2,600 for her boyfriend….". I remember reading something to that effect somewhere in the local dailies last week. Wow…wow…wow…..I think I gasped out loud….I think I blinked and rubbed my eyes few times…I think I said something to myself, “Lucky thing she is not my daughter…” I would have strangled her if she is.

Apparently, that particular brand of jeans is touted to be so smooth and comfortable and uses high quality denim. That would be expected, right? You don’t pay close to a month’s salary (yeah, for many, that is) for a pair of denims with colour that runs with every wash or a pair so uncomfortable as to make you sit, walk and talk funny. And of course, with this price, it promises exclusivity somewhat.

And coming back to the issue of paying RM2,600 for a pair of denims, yeah…you would have guessed it. I will not pay. Number 1….gua no money…Number 2…..IF I have the money, I’d rather spend it somewhere else. And if I ever buy that pair of jeans…woooow…it would be the most expensive item in my whole wardrobe.

hmmmm....Let’s just say, if I actually do lose my marbles and went out to sign my life away for that pair of cool denims, I will need to get a matching top…a cute number with a price tag of RM500 or so. I will need a pair of top-brand shoes …okie, just sign on the dotted line for another couple of thousand ringgit, perhaps. And a new branded handbag to hang on the arm or to sling on the shoulder…I eyed one the other day…just about RM8000 a piece, I think. And to complete the look a new pair of shades…Oh yes…I remember the lady at the optometrist’s showing me a fabulous pair the other day…she said…”It’s cool….it’s chic…and it’s only RM2.500..” or was it RM3,500 she said? Sorry, I was not paying attention because I was busy holding up my jaw.

Sei lar….flicking the plastic and sign and sign and sign summore. Like this, I would have died a few deaths. Lucky thing, I have good nyonya genes…good ‘kedekut’ genes…original mia from Penang and have been trained since young to be careful with money and that have helped to keep my feet firmly on the ground. Thrift is the operative word in nyonya households. And I am not brand-conscious… it can be a RM5 a piece T-shirt or a RM50 pair of pants or a RM200-a-piece pencil skirt …most importantly, it has to be comfortable and that I look good in it. Like these very, very cheap T-shirts…..it’s so very, very comfy…gua sukaaaaa……

I bought 6 pieces of different colours!

Poket Kosong

2007-12-01T17:59:00.000+08:00

I googled ‘Retail Therapy’ and found this:-

Retail therapy is shopping with the primary purpose of improving the buyer's mood or disposition. (1) Often seen in people during periods of depression or transition, it is normally a short-lived habit. Items purchased during periods of retail therapy are sometimes referred to as "comfort buys."

When you EFNTD and you are bored stiff and have had too much sleep, the next best thing to do would probably be shopping…yeah…hopefully, some retail therapy to bring cheer and put a smile back on the face. What with the year-end holiday mood and the deluge of SALES and more SALES all over the place…. the stores are stretching themselves max to pull in the crowd to SPEND and SPEND some more. Cool comfortable surroundings, breathtaking displays, enticing discounts and freebies, eye-catching, heart-melting and ego-boosting stuffs….wahhh….all also I want….I want…I want…

BUT……..

One look at the price-tag followed by another look into my purse…Waaaa…..WAAAAA….I wanna go home and curl under the comforter. How can it be therapy when the prices give me heartburn and makes me feel unwell? How can it be therapy when it did not improve my mood or disposition but instead makes me feel so lousy? How can it be therapy when I am ‘diagnosed’ to be afflicted with ‘money-not-enough’ syndrome?

**Yankee, Yankee....thao mor chang-chang, tay-yar khang-khang....chiak pah ore phi-khang.......** ( an old Penang Hokkien rhyme poking fun about someone being 'hip'....Yankee pants, spiky hair and all, but poket-kosong......)

A Hungry 'Suakoo'

2007-11-25T20:49:00.000+08:00

I passed by the shop at about 6.00pm and saw a queue and told myself, “Nevermind….come back later, say, 9.00pm or so." It should be a better time...the dinner crowd should be gone by then and I would be able to enjoy my meal in peace sans people with hungry faces standing round my table willing me to finish up quick. I just hate that.

9.30pm and this was what I saw….the narrow street was practically dark and quiet, save for this corner shop. Just look at the queue spilling onto the road. Holy Honey! What is so special about the food that people are willing to risk life and limb standing patiently at the roadside by a dirty drain? The only way to find out…I go join the queue myself.

After 25 minutes or so of waiting, the young ‘hostess’ pointed out a table that was being cleared. She told me that I can go fill up my food tray while she gets ready the sauce pot. By that time, my tummy was already growling and I was in no mood for niceties. .... I went straight for the food counter and returned to my table with this to be dipped into a pot of boiling spicy peanut sauce sitting on a stove.

A ‘suakoo’s’ first taste of Satay Celup Melaka.

Taste-wise, bolehlah. It is similar to ‘lok-lok’ in KL and Penang….only difference is the cooking style. For 'lok-lok', we dip the skewers of food in a boiling pot of water and then into the different bowls of sauces, as per preference. For Satay Celup Melaka, we ‘celup’ the skewers of food in a boiling pot of thick peanut sauce. hmmm...made me wonder what they do with the leftover sauce after each group are done with their 'celups'.

Price-wise, cheaplah……flat rate @ 60sen per stick only, irrespective of meats, gizzards, seafood, fishballs, sotongballs, eggs, taufoo, foochuk or vegetables…. all….semua…hampalang pun 60sen per cucuk nia.

And oh ya….even those sticks of good-sized prawns, which normally go for about RM50 to RM60 per kg at wet markets, are priced the same, a mere 60sen per stick. BUT these extra-large prawns are never displayed at the counters but only offered to patrons who eat a lot of the other types of 'sticks'. The towkay and his assistants will walk around the tables and see how much you have eaten. The more ‘cleaned-out sticks’ you have on your table, the more big prawns he will send your way…...a ‘bonus’ of sorts.

Me? I was rewarded with only 2 big, juicy prawns because I did not polish off that many sticks of the other foods. Suakoo or no-suakoo, I still gotta look after the waistline, right?

Smelling Roses

2007-11-18T17:24:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends,

I have been absent for such a looonnnnng time that it is not surprising that many, if not all of you would have forgotten who this clueless nyonyapenang is. Nevermind….it’s ok…..it’s my fault anyway, for being AWOL and MIA.

Well, nothing is new actually. I was and am still held up by work which is piling up faster than I can clear…no thanks to my slow-moe style of doing things and also I was distracted along the way…..errr…errmm…there were just too many beautiful and sweet-smelling roses enticing me to take in their lovely scent…mmmmmm….ahhhh…..mmmm….aaahhhhh……mmmmm…..ahhh…..

Oh sorry, sorry….where was I again? Oh ya, I was talking about smelling roses and yes, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet….just bring them on. And for the past month or so, I have indulged and smelt not too few….I have been taking short trips here and there and aitelyu, the ‘overseas’ trip to the Land of The Hornbills with a group of wacky friends was a blast. It’s not merely the destination…it’s the wonderful travel companions I found in Angel, Winn and Sengkor as well the kind hosts, ben-ben and Kenneth and the camaraderie we shared over the weekend that made everything so memorable.

Along the highways and by-ways and the nooks and crannies, I paid a courtesy call on one famous blogger, a taikor in the blogging fraternity. I walked straight in to AhPek’s shop and said to him, “Guess who?” heheehee… Of course lar…he was unable to guess right….he somehow had a mental picture of me wrapped in a sarong kebaya and hair neatly pulled into a 'sanggul' and if I may add, with stained lips too, from chewing 'sireh'. ^o^

A few others too, I believe, also have mental pictures of me appearing in blogger meets looking something like this:-

A couple of months back, I was to meet with this genial gentleman, suituapui. There he was sitting in the restaurant, table facing the door, waiting for a sarong-kebaya clad middle-age nyonya to ‘joget’ through the main entrance. I, instead, waltzed in through another side door dressed in simple work clothes. I guess he was not able to place me then, but I certainly could identify him right away. Believe me, he really is 'sui-sui and pui-pui'.

Sg Petani…..I am not to sure if I have ever visited this place. If at all, it must have been more than 40 years ago. And just recently, I rolled in and met up with Dr Bernard Chan. Thanks Bernard, for the yummylicious dimsum breakfast.

And in Penang, while browsing in Queensbay Mall, I chanced upon another top-notch blogger. I had actually walked passed this table of 5 when I realized the lady and the cute little boy looked sooooo familiar. Ahhhhh….she is the famous 5xMom. Okie…okie…I made a quick turn around…..I must go shake her hands…nevermind, if she doesn’t know who I am. Hehehehe…..It’s a pleasure meeting you, Lilian. And oh yes…..I am guilty of not updating my blog. I plead LAZINESS.

And smelling roses can be sooooo...intoxicating.

Have A Great Week Ahead....Cheersssssss....

Make It Easier

2007-10-14T01:32:00.000+08:00

Each day in our dealings, we would be presented with many instances whereby we need to interact with others and ‘negotiate’ so as to finally come to a mutually acceptable conclusion with as least trouble as possible. We ‘negotiate’ with people in our family, our friends, our acquaintances, our colleagues, our clients, our suppliers and just about anybody else we come into contact with. It is actually either we are ‘SELLING’ to someone or that someone is ‘SELLING’ to us.

It is supposed to be a buyer willing, seller willing situation BUT most times, we notice and we know that this formula is never balanced…it is ALMOST ALWAYS tipped to one side. Our need/want to have that item/commodity is greater than what that person needs to sell/offer, so we are holding the shorter end of the stick, so to speak.

I have faced many instances whereby the ‘seller’ gives me the signal loud and clear - 'TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.’ It’s a Hobson’s choice, really. So, I would just focus on the task at hand and do what I was supposed to do and move along. And occasionally, a few curse words under my breathe once I am out of earshot, do make me feel a wee bit better.

Say, you need some information on certain things and you know that the shortest and fastest route to get what you want is to see a certain Mr A and this dear Mr A is known to be a pain in the neck. How would you approach this situation? Grit your teeth and smile your sweetest smile and do some polishing if need be, and get going with your objective and then scoot? Or do you show him that you can be an equal or worse pain?

I would chose the first – I’ll stick to my objective, that is to get what I want as fast as possible and with the least of hassles and I am out of there. I do not fancy wasting my time debating and arguing with Mr A eventhough I may find him obnoxious or whatever. Nevermind that. For selfish reasons, I shall bear and tolerate just for the sake of not wanting to spend any extra minute there and to allow him the pleasure of making things difficult for me.

A few of my friends and relatives do not share my views. It is akin to ‘groveling’, they say. They believe in always standing their ground and pushing their case. This, I fully understand and I know where they are coming from…..to stand firm , lest be seen as a weakling. But I have observed scenarios whereby they went on the ‘offensive’ - instead of gently explaining their case, they took a harder stand and in the process, rubbed against the grain and got the man’s goat instead. And it is funny to see them come back hopping mad that they did not get what they want. They cry unfairness….they cry injustice…..they cry victimization…and they can cry until they turn blue. If only they realized that the length of the stick they were holding was never equal to begin with, and neither was the playing field level, perhaps they would cry less and be more proactive. And it never hurts to be a wee bit more humble and polite and things may just turn out smoothly and pleasantly….and better than expected too.

We cannot always get everything we want but we can always try to make it easier to get what we want. And hopefully, we get to go off with a smile instead of a growl.

*********************************************************

And here's wishing all my Muslim friends
'SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI.'

Power To Me!

2007-10-05T13:25:00.000+08:00

Past 3 weeks, I have been running around like a headless chicken and it would seem like there has been a sudden avalanche of work or there is soooo much work that I had recklessly allowed to pile up and all are deadlined ‘YESTERDAY’.

Just now, I flipped through my diary to see what it was that has been making me breathless. New business? Yes, the numbers are there but nothing out of the ordinary. Follow-ups and day-to-day work? Hmmm….The usual and expected numbers too. So, how can it be that I have piles of papers and un-closed files all over my table, on the cabinet-top and spilled on the floor?

I scrutinized a few of the detailed entries in my diary and now I see it……I had spent a lot of time unproductively. Hours and hours were wasted with me sitting in the car inching along the roads and highways, under the relentlessly hot sun, face burnt a crimson red. Time spent on appointments - 40 minutes; travelling time to and fro and time spent looking for parking space - anything from 1 hour to 2 hours. Geeezzzz.....

Roads have been widened, new highways completed and more are being built as I am typing this. Toll gates have sprouted at every conceivable place and we have to pay so much toll that it is already bleeding me pale and yet, we have to endure the horrendous crawl day in and day out.

Makes sense to you? But then again, many, many things don’t make sense, right? I guess the most sensible thing for me to do now is to get off this blog and go tackle the mountain load of work that is threatening to pile over me whole.

Power to me! Cheeerssssss…….

Tomorrows

2007-09-30T21:05:00.000+08:00

I have known Auntie Molly, for a long, long time and throughout these years, she has allowed me peeks and glimpses into her interesting life.

Now in her 80s, and widowed just about 3 years ago, she is still a sharp and sprightly lady blessed with good health. She enjoys food and she eats anything and everything; nothing is too ‘cooling’ or too ‘heaty’ or too fat and she does not bother too much about cholesterol or uric acid or whatevernots. Her motto, “Eat Also Die; Don’t Eat Also Die. So, Eat lar.”. I call her a ‘jet-setter’ - she travels frequently to visit her brood of 8, (one passed on last year) and her own brothers and sisters scattered all over the world. Auntie Molly is an accomplished musician too – she plays the electronic organ and the Chinese table harp, the guzheng. Besides, she also fills her days with church activities and her taichi classes.

Life was not always wine and roses for Auntie Molly. With her basic education at the local Chinese convent, she managed to secure a job as teacher in one of the small privately-funded Chinese primary school in her hometown.

Auntie Molly then met and fell in love with a fellow teacher and got married after a few years of courtship and soon the children arrived; first a set of twin girls, followed closely by five other sons and another daughter. She continued teaching for a short while more and when the brood grew too fast she had to give up her job to be a fulltime mother and housewife. It was tough, very, very tough…bringing up 8 children on one small salary but somehow, husband and wife pulled through very successfully and all the children have done well. Now, in her twilight years, Auntie Molly is enjoying life to the fullest, adored by her children and more than a dozen grandchildren and if any of her elder grandkids decide to get married and start family now, she will be a great-gramma many times over. Life is good and life is beautiful for Auntie Molly.

And I met with another old friend, Auntie Yin this morning. Auntie Yin is in her 70s, widowed much earlier when she was only in her early 40s and left with 8 hungry mouths, aged between 5 to 15. Being illiterate, she took on laundry jobs – she would go house to house to collect the soiled clothes and bring them home to wash and then send back the fresh laundry house by house on foot. She never learned to cycle and she walked to save on bus fare. When her ‘clients’ bought their own washing machines and some shifted further away, Auntie Yin saw her income dwindle. Auntie Yin then took on house-cleaning jobs and that was how I got to know her in the late 80s. Auntie Yin helped me with my cleaning for many years until I got a stay-in Filipino helper and I had to let her go. We kept and touch all these years and became good friends.

Now Auntie Yin is ‘retired’ from her cleaning/washing jobs and is a devoted grandma babysitting 3 grandchildren. But Auntie Yin is very unhappy, if what she confided in me is anything to go by. She is having financial difficulties having to pinch bit by bit from her own meager savings which is fast depleting. I asked if her kids (all working) are giving her some pocket money and almost instantly, I saw tears weld up in her eyes. Initially they gave her a little when they started work but slowly one by one claimed their own financial constraints and stopped giving her altogether; even the daughter whose kids she is helping to babysit. This daughter had pleaded with Auntie Yin to give up her office tea-lady job to help look after the grandkids, paid her erratically for a few months and then the money just stopped and Auntie Yin’s infrequent requests for money to spend is always met with a scowl. And whenever Auntie Yin needs to go somewhere and asks the kids to send her, they would yell at her, calling her a troublesome old woman. She would rather take the cab, she said, even though it can be costly and a rip-off at times. She told me that each time she had to go to the dentist (she had to go many trips to make her dentures), there would be a lot of unhappiness around – her son will ask the daughter and the daughter will ask another son and they will play merry-go-round and pass-the buck games; no one is willing to pick the tab. Auntie Yin is hurt….very, very hurt and her tears rolled as she poured her heart out to me. I truly feel sorry for her.

Two of my old friends …..One living it all out and welcoming all the tomorrows; and the other just wished tomorrow never comes…….

Sleepzzzzzzzz.....

2007-09-26T00:02:00.000+08:00

Those days when the boys were in primary and secondary schools are all long gone. Those days when I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 5.00am to prepare breakfast and get them ready for school…I don’t miss them days at all. 5.00am is the time when I find it best to curl and snuggle under the cosy comforter dreaming the sweetest of dreams and on mornings when it rains, ahhh….it makes it all the more difficult to get out of bed.

I am not a morning person but rather, a night-owl. Rise and Shine, they say. Sure, I will Rise and I will Shine, albeit a just a wee bit later and I shine best when I awake at 8.30am or after. Of course, there are days whereby I have no choice but to wake up much, much earlier…even before the cock crows, say, when I have a plane to catch or have some extra-early morning meetings, but then, these are far in between, so its fine with me and I would normally get to catch up with the sleep deficit later in the day. I need my sleep to stay sweet and pleasant and coherent.

And whenever I hear someone telling me that he has not slept the past 48hours or more or that for the past 2 weeks, he had been only able to catch 2 to 3 hours sleep per day, my heart goes out to him. Aiyoh...I’ll never be able to survive this torture. Sleep is very important to me. Period.

I have many friends whom I know are habitual early risers and they cannot sleep a minute too late. Bless them. They wake up like clockwork at the same unearthly hour each morning, nevermind if they had crawled in to bed only a couple of hours earlier and are none the worse for it - they would be wide awake and alert and as chirpy as a bird that had found a big fat worm….Amazing! And these perpetual cheerful souls have no qualms about calling you on the phone at 6.30am,.. gawd…. in their most bright and cheery voice, “You’re still sleeping ar?”
As if it’s the most unnatural thing to do. Geezzzz….

Sleeping-in a while longer is a little luxury I shamelessly indulge in and on days that I don’t go to work, I’ll wake unfashionably late. A friend once commented, “How can you sleep so late? As we grow older, we need less sleep one lar.”

A quick retort from me, "Hey, puleeezzz speak for yourself. Thank you."

See, when I am not sleep-deprived, I am sharp as a needle. Okie, I go sleepzzzzzzzzzzz....now.

"Huh?......"

2007-09-20T23:55:00.000+08:00

I was at the mall with no.2 just now to get some greeting cards and then decided to have dinner at one of the restaurants. The waiter brought the ala carte menu as well as the set dinner menu. Famished, both of us just picked from the set menu, aptly named ‘Buka Puasa Set’ which comes with iced-lemon tea, a small square of brownie for dessert and also with complimentary dried dates. The drinks came first and while waiting for the main dish, I asked the waiter if he could bring us the dates. He nodded but he came back shortly with the menu in his hand, pointed to some wordings on it and said, “Sorry, the dates are ONLY for those who buka puasa. So we are not giving you.”

I was like,‘Huh? Okie….” and had wanted to ask for the supervisor or something but then, what the heck, nevermind, I think I should feel sorry them. I dunno if you think this is the proper way to treat a customer.

Addendum:

I was with a friend at Guardian Pharmacy just now and when my friend paid for her purchase, she was given a miniature gift box...very cute and inside, were some dried dates. See, how people do business? Just purchase RM20 and above and you get a small gift, irrespective of whether you are breaking fast or not. It's a kind gesture and given in the spirit of the season.

Man Are Born Good

2007-09-17T00:30:00.000+08:00

I had just alighted from my car and was walking towards the parking ticket machine when I saw this man, gingerly pushing his trusty bicycle with a plastic pail of clean water on the metal carrier and another 2 smaller pails hanging on either side. In front, was a basketful of assorted plastic bottles of car shampoos, cleaners and whatnots. He approached me and asked if I would like to have my car washed. I asked how much and he replied RM5. I glanced at my car…it sure could do with a good wash. I then dug into my purse and paid him the RM5 and told him I had just put the parking ticket for an hour and that he should get the job done by then.

I hurried off …walked across the road to my client’s place another block away. From across the road, I turned back to look at him and saw him pushing his bicycle down the corner, away from where my car was parked. Aiksss…..What was he up to? Have I been taken for a ride? Did he take my money and then trying to scoot away without doing his work? I was so tempted to turn back and run after him but then, I told myself, “Nah…have some faith. Expect him to be honest and know to keep to his side of the deal and to deliver what he had promised.”

Then another voice…a cynical one, reminded me, “Hey…how many times have you been conned into parting with your money under similar instances? And each time, you said that will be the last, and you will trust no one, remember? Will you ever learn?”

Oh, at that very moment, I felt so gullible and kinda upset with myself and I could almost feel my temperature rising already and really, I just wanted to turn on my heels and go get that fella. BUT I chose to HAVE FAITH, and to TRUST HIM. Ahhh....a good feeling came over me and I went on my merry way.

After my appointment and as I was walking back to my car, I told myself to expect to see a clean car and I was not disappointed. He did a much better job than I could do myself….the car was gleaming under the sun. I trusted him and he did not fail me. And to have even entertained the thought that he might have scuttled off with my money, I felt so small…I felt so ashamed.

It was a good day – my faith restored ...
'Man Are Born Good….only challenging circumstances made him otherwise..’

Sweat!

2007-09-12T20:33:00.000+08:00

I don’t cook everyday. My irregular work hours and activities see to it that my home kitchen opens only 2 days or the most 3 days out of a 5-day workweek. So on the days that the kitchen is closed, we eat out. It’s easy – go sit down and order and the dishes would be served in a jiffy but of course, at times, we gotta wait quite a while. Simple and easy….no need to worry about buying the foodstuffs…clean-clean and cut-cut and chop-chop and cook-cook and then the thing I dislike most…wash-wash all the utensils and pots and pans and plates and bowls and forks and spoons and then mop-mop the floor. **pheewww....** BIG SWEAT!

BUT the problem is this…after eating out for a few days straight, I get weary and tired of the outside food and I crave for my simple stir-fries and home-boiled soups. I am a lousy cook but somehow a plain fried egg with a sprinkle of pepper and a dash of soya sauce on hot rice tastes yummy; add a dollop of sambal belacan and it’s heavenly. Greens? Just freshly sliced crunchy cucumbers or some seeds of petai. No lar….I don’t eat like this all the time…..lidat, the bank account will be healthy but I will be not-too-healthy.

And when I am home early and in the mood to cook, then I’ll go get the ingredients. I only buy as and when I want to cook. Been throwing away potatoes and shallots that had sprouted. So just now, my appointment finished early and I decided to go get some big prawns, fish balls and mushrooms for tomyam. Fried some SPAM turkey ham dipped in beaten egg; made an onion omelette and stir-fried some french beans and tofu. Simple, short-cut dishes but we wolfed them all down. **burrrppp…**

Simple dishes but it is not much cheaper than eating out at the ‘tai chow’ shops serving Chinese food. I totalled up the cost of ingredients I bought earlier and it came to about RM40. Well, the good-sized prawns itself cost RM22 and the can of SPAM, if I remember right, cost something like RM12 or was it RM10? A ‘normal’ no-frills meal at the ‘tai chow’ averages RM40 or so, too. So sometimes, I do my maths and I will justify not opening my home kitchen. Just take a drive to the shop or restaurant we fancy, place our order, mum-mum, pay up and go home. No messing up the kitchen and no cleaning up needed…NO SWEAT!

BUT, being caught in the traffic crawl is another matter all together..…this one, I SWEAT BEADS. Geezzzzz…..

Write Right

2007-09-09T01:43:00.000+08:00

Through blogging, I have the good fortune of making many, many great friends…a few I have met and had the pleasure of enjoying ice-creams, kopi-oh and yummylicious food and of course, good company. A few more, I have spoken to, but never met and many others, never spoken and never met but we ‘connect’ in our blogs…..just like some old friends. I always look forward to read their updates (and then will try to give my 5 sens worth of comments) as much as I look forward to their comments in mine.

I am no writer and I have to confess that doing essays was not one of my favourite subjects in school. Gimme my folk dancing class and I’ll be more than happy to be hopping and kicking and twirling around with my dance partner in the school hall. But writing essays? Oh gawd…help me! Teacher would write a title on the blackboard and I would be stumped….head bent down, pen in the hand…doodles and more doodles and before I knew it, class was over.

Thank God, I had good and dedicated teachers then. Teacher repeated a thousand times…..read and read and read summore. Books, magazines, newspapers…just grab something. Read for content, read for structure and read for styles and always keep it simple and sweet. The easiest to ‘grab’ then, was the daily newspapers and I found a column that I like very much and I read without fail – a dose by the late S.H. Tan. This prolific writer….. his keen observations…his wicked sense of humour…his quick-witted repartee - one of his favourites was “include me out” hahahah….his hilarious takes and fluid style, all make for good light-hearted reading. He wrote about simple everyday things/events that we could relate to and he was good in his words what our present Datuk Lat is good in his sketches.

S.H. Tan had a few books published but I have none in my collection and for the past couple of years I have been looking for his books. Imagine my elation when a very kind friend recently sent me a copy. So I have been indulging myself these past few evenings thumbing through the book and enjoying S.H. Tan’s writings once again…savouring his every word and letting out a few hearty chuckles and hope that it may help to jolt, inspire and motivate me to write a little better.

And of course, I am learning lots too, from my more experienced blog friends here. What will I be without all of you guiding and helping me along? Just keep them coming, ya! I may be slow but I am learning...okie, I promise to be a good student and I wanna WRITE RIGHT.

Say Nothin'

2007-09-03T01:35:00.000+08:00

Someone commented that of late, I am kinda missing-in-action…have been inconsistent and erratic in my updates and almost non-existent comments from me over at other blogs.

My a million apologies.

On the first part of inconsistent and erratic updates, I plead guilty. The first excuse would be work and more work, and with my less than perfect time-management skills, I slack in my updates. The second poor excuse of an excuse would be that the computer is less than co-operative at times. And the third, a thin-veil of an excuse is that sometimes, I do not have topics which I would feel good to write about and also worth your time to read. I hold by this rule – If I Have Nothing to Say, then, I Say Nothin'.

Going on to the second part of almost non-existent comments from me over at other blogs…..I recycle the above 3 excuses. But another fellow commented too, that commenting at other peoples’ blogs cannot be that time consuming, right? After all, it’s just 2 lines and not that you need to write an essay for a comment.

I agree, yes, a 2-line comment is as much a comment as a 3-paragraph comment BUT I beg to differ thenceforth. Past months, I have learned through personal observations of how people comment and respond and I have the good fortune to read some very sincere, honest-to-goodness-from-the-heart and thought-provoking comments and replies. Those were truly engaging, to say the least. And of course, there are those 'courtesy' and 'show-of-support' comments too, not any less appreciated though.

I have picked up valuable pointers from more experienced bloggers on commenting etiquette – do not comment for the sake of commenting and please, to shut the gap if there is nothing good to say; follow that golden rule – If I Have Nothing To Say, then, I Say Nothin'.

When time permits, I do blog-hop but I do not always leave my comments. For me, I’d like to give it some thought and I will try to give a meaningful and topic-related comment and sometimes, I have to admit that the subject matter really makes me scratch my head a little and often times too, I am lost for words. The words chosen, the sentence construction, the punctuation marks, the cheeky symbols (frownies and smileys) and the ‘tone’ of the words, etc….makes or breaks the comment. Even commenting on a hilarious and funny posting requires some thought to come up with a witty remark and come to think of it, it is not any easier because, ‘WIT’, like ‘STYLE’, you either have it or you don’t. Push the envelope and it may just reflect poor taste.

Have A Great Week Ahead!

Hang Loose

2007-08-30T23:35:00.000+08:00

Just made myself a hot drink and I am at the pc, trying to type out this post as quickly as I can because in a short while, I want to catch the spectacular fireworks display…a burst of sparkling magic in the night sky. I won’t be joining the boisterous crowd out in the open but I’ll enjoy the beautiful scene from my bedroom window. In the quiet of my home, I’ll watch and say a silent prayer for my country…..I will pray for peace, harmony, prosperity and abundance.

Happy 50th MERDEKA!

And for the long weekend, I’ll stay home and HANG LOOSE.

To de-stress and re-charge.

Have a great and relaxing weekend. Ya, just HANG LOOSE, friends!

Some Things OLD

2007-08-26T18:35:00.000+08:00

I was flipping through some old photo albums when a small angpow dropped onto the floor. Ooooh…..ang pow, huh? I cannot even remember how the angpow ended up among the pages of the album – opened it and found this :-

A ONE CENT note issued ‘IN THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS AND MALAY STATES’ dated 1^st JULY 1941… This makes it 66 years old!

And I found this too:-

A ONE RUPEE note issued by the GOVERNMENT OF INDIA dated July 1972....this makes it 35 years old. I remember this note and 2 pieces of unusual-looking plastic 3-D stamps from BHUTAN were given by a friend who was studying in Chandigarh, India at that time.

And I like to show this not-that-old ‘SA-PULOH RINGGIT’ note too. Just about 10 years ago or so, I was back in Penang to clear momma’s cupboard and accidentally found a small stack of 10 pieces of this red-coloured notes neatly wrapped in old and yellowed newspaper and hidden among her beautiful sarongs and exquisite kebayas. RM100 those days, was a lot of money and I guess momma saved and hid the money for emergency-use.

Momma passed on in the early 70s and for many, many years after that, I just could not bring myself to clear her possessions. Each trip I was back in Penang, I would unlock the cupboard, looked at the contents and then locked it back. And when Poppa finally left to join Momma in the mid 90s, I decided to do a thorough clearing of their cupboards….and more than 20 years after she left me, momma still had something for me. I miss Momma and I miss Poppa.

Disney Dollars

2007-08-22T13:17:00.000+08:00

The few times that I go overseas, the foreign currency exchange rate would somehow be at its highest and when I return, it would somehow be at its lowest. Dunno jinxed or what. So when I am back, those left-over foreign currencies would be chucked unceremoniously into the drawers and kept there until the rates improve to my favour, which usually takes a long, long time. The loose currencies just stay there until….until.... I completely forgot about it.

I was looking for my old passports the other day when I found an old purse and I was about to throw it into the bin but I decided to open it up to check and found this:-

Disney Dollars! Cute or not? ^O^ So colourful….so nice….I like it very much.

Ahhh…….another trip down memory lane. It brought a smile to my lips…the fun times I had with my friends visiting this magical wonderland many, many years ago. If I remember right, I think I got 10 pieces of this special American Dollar note. I was told then that it is legal tender but of course, I did not plan to use it at all. I did once showed it to a money-changer though, and he told me, “Tak boleh pakai.” No problems…I have no intention to use it anyway.

I had exchanged for it to be presented as a gift to a few of my friends and relatives and now, I cannot even recall who I gave to. Hope they are still keeping this lovely momento.

Chill Out

2007-08-17T23:04:00.000+08:00

What am I doing now? I am chilling out listening to some golden oldies…..songs that my boys find not their cup of tea. Nobody is at home and I have the pc all to myself and I let the media player entertain me with beautiful music and songs… some of my favourites:-

I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Ace Cannon (On Sax)

Harbour Lights - The Platters

If I Give My Heart To You - Doris Day

Just Out Of Reach - Patsy Cline

Careless Hands - Dottie West

It Was Almost Like A Song - Johnnie Mathis

Green Green Grass of Home - Elvis Presley

Return To Me - Marty Robbins

Let Me Call You Sweetheart - Slim Whitman

Take These Chains From My Heart - Ray Charles

They soothe and calm my nerves, much frayed by quite a crazy work week. Thank God, it’s Friday. I need some time-out now…I don’t want to think of anything….I just wanna lie down and let the beautiful music bring comfort to my body, mind and soul.

Have a most pleasant weekend, friends. Miss you all lots.

My First Savings Passbook

2007-08-13T17:20:00.000+08:00

I was rummaging through the drawers for some documents when I found this - my very first savings accounts passbook from BANK SIMPANAN PEJABAT POS, issued in Pulau Pinang, all yellowed and dog-eared. I flipped it open and oh my, the first entry was dated Mar 13 1973 and....and that makes this book 34 years and 5 months old! Oh my God, I cannot believe it…hahahah…some of my friends here are very, very much younger than my passbook. I showed the book to my boys and they remarked, “Aiyerrrr….so ancient.” Hahahaha

A look through the entries in the book – active movements from Mar 13 1973 till the last withdrawal on July 24 1981 and of subsequent entries of only interest payments till Aug 27 1991. Thenceforth, no further entries and I believe the balance of a paltry sum has long been transferred to the Unclaimed Monies Account.

I did go to one of the Bank Simpanan Nasional branch to enquire and was told that I would have to surrender this book, fill some forms and then wait for don’t know how long and then I only will be re-issued a new book and summore don’t know what else, I cannot remember now. Hmmmm….Too much trouble and I decided to keep this book as a momento and I am glad for it.

As I went though the entry one by one, it brought back so many memories – of how I diligently saved my pocket money each day and when I have a princely sum of RM3 or more, I would cycle all the way to the tiny Post Office 3 miles away to deposit the money into my account. Entries for the first few years were small amounts…I was in school then and as the years passed, the figures grew slightly bigger both for deposits and withdrawals; the dates corresponding with times when I got paid for giving private tuition to a primary school kid and also when I worked part-time during year-end school holidays. It was sooooo long ago but each single entry brought back memories so vivid.

I always believe in savings and I try to inculcate this habit in my 2 boys. Ancient or whatever, savings never go out of style.

Peace

2007-08-09T17:17:00.000+08:00

Past few days, I have only one pc working at home…the other unit decided to play some tricks every few minutes or so and this leaves 3 of us fighting over one unit. And this partly explains my lack of updates and non-bloghopping.

Last night, my no. 2 decided to knock off to bed early and graciously allowed me the use of his pc in his room. Yippies…..Late at night, and I turned on some relaxing golden oldie songs and then sat myself comfortably next to the computer to reply some emails and read some blogs.

A few feet away, that boy was tossing and turning on his bed…one minute he pulled the blanket over his head and the next minute, he pulled down the blanket and then covered his head with his bolster. He was so restless on the bed and then he stood up and reached for the volume control on the media player and turned it to ‘0’.

Me : Hey, what you doing?

He : Cannot sleep lar.

Me : Don’t bluff. You can sleep like a log with loud, head-banging music.

He: Ya lar…I can sleep with MY kind of music.

He : The songs you are playing now? **roll eyes** aisehman…so ‘slow-moe’ and so last century mia songs. **ting-tiang…ting-tiang..pee-pee…poorr-pooorr** your guitars and the trumpets and the singers…adoooi….how to sleep lidat?

Me : Funny fella you. My kind of music is soooo soothing and calming.

He : Okie, can you use the headphone, puleezzzz…?

Me : Cannot! Music coming to me through headphones are ALL HEAD-BANGING. Just like bashing my brains to a pulp….makes me all nauseous. I’ll go crazy lidat.

He lifted his sleepy head from the pillow, stretched to reach for the volume-control button and cranked it up to no. 1, pulled the blanket over his head and stuck out his hand like this, and said,

"shhhh....Pulezz don't bang so hard on the keyboard. Good Night!"

......zzzzzzzzz.....zzzzzzzzz......zzzzzzzzz....

The BIG Hairy Tarantula 'Chiak' The Tiny Spider

2007-08-03T13:50:00.000+08:00

As I read and re-read what I last wrote, memories of so many events and experiences of my childhood which I thought were lost in the cobwebs of time came flooding back. A smile and a chuckle as I busied myself clearing some papers in the office or while on the road to my next appointment. I feel so good.

I smile as I remember the old Indian barber on his trusty Raleigh bicycle who came around the kampong every 6 weeks or so. He would park his bicycle underneath the huge jambu tree just beside my house and then open up his small rectangular rattan chest containing all his tools of the trade. Mothers would then call out loud for their boys…."Kar thau morrrr…Come quick…" and within minutes a small queue would form. Sit the boy on the wooden stool, tie a piece of white cloth over the small frame and Raju went **krricck…kricck…krricckk….** expertly wielding the manual clipper through the head of thick hair. Next…next…next and next…over and done with the kids, it would be the adults’ turn. As my buddies had their hair cuts, I’d be squatting nearby observing and sometimes, when curiosity got the better of me, I’d be poking my hand into the rattan chest - a treasure trove to an inquisitive 6-year old. Wow…such cool stuff in there…brushes, razors, and extra pair of clipper, combs, talcum powder, creams and some bottles with colourful liquid – those were cologne and aftershaves, I was told. “Ahemmm…..jangan…jangan…”, Raju would admonish me for meddling with his stuff. Finished with the haircut, my friend would reach underneath the leg of his short pants, untie the rubber band used to secure the coins in his pocket and retrieve the 30sen to pay Raju.

I remember following momma on her shopping trips to the ‘Mola’ (a localised variation of the Malay word ‘Murah’) Bazaar along Penang Road. I remember it as a very crowded maze…walk through the nooks and crannies to buy anything from ready-made clothes, fabrics, shoes, school bags, accessories, cosmetics, etc. etc. I remember momma’s favourite stall…the haberdashers. Momma was a fussy shopper and she took ages to select her threads, buttons and sewing supplies. I would be so bored and I would then amuse myself by running my hands through everything on display and then mixing up all the buttons on the trays. The shopkeeper would then smack his forehead in exasperation, “Alamak…you got itchy hands…how am I going to sort out this mess huh?” I would do my famous ‘jeling mata’ and go hide behind momma. Hahahaha….

I smile as I recall joining the boys catching spiders walking through the daun kadok patch next to my house. Our trained eyes look out for 2 leaves stuck together and then clasped the leaves with both hands and walk out to an open area…ah…I’d gently ease my prized catch into and empty matchbox or an old tobacco tin. Uncle Lee was surprised I dare to handle spiders and he commented that it would be fun to have his hairy tarantula eat up my tiny spider. **bawlsss…..**….Uncle Lee bully kechik….bully kechik….” Hahahha…

Spiders and cockroaches – no problems at all. I can catch them with my bare hands and I was the official spider catcher at home. Remember those grey-coloured spiders with long spindly legs and sometimes carrying a white egg-case the size of a 20sen coin, crawling on the wood beams in the house? See one and my sis would scream and run out of the bathroom, nevermind the shampoo still on her hair. Hahahah….But worms, snakes and caterpillars…I’d run a mile. I remember the huge white powder-coated caterpillar found rolled in a banana leaf…eeekssss….and the other caterpillars of about 4 inches long and covered with long spikes, found camouflaged among the tree trunks and branches…. eeekksss..eeekks… Also those clumps of thread-fine worms found along the ditches….some of my friends would scoop them into empty tins and taken home to feed their pet fish….yucckkss….

I remember once I followed my friends to go catch tiny fishes from the ditches. I had been warned by momma never to go near the dirty ditches but that particular afternoon, after much coaxing from my buddies, I went along. It was pure excitement just to scoop the fish using the small nets and then carefully empty the catch into glass jars we brought along. I was thrilled to bits with my fishes. I covered the mouth of the jar with a piece of newspaper secured with rubber bands and then poke some holes to allow the fish to breath. I hid my fishes in a shed outside the house and each morning I would peep at them before going to school. Wow…my fishes grew fast and after a few days, it grew legs…my fishes got legs!!!! "Those are tadpoles lar, bodoh.” my wise buddy laughed at me. My home-schooling science lesson.

I remember buying those tubes of resin for blowing clear bubble-like balloons. Wrap a tiny glob of the coloured resin on the tip of a small straw and blow…out comes a thin bubble balloon. Its fragile, but leaky ones could be easily repaired by sealing it with your lips. And there was another type of paper balloon…its folded coloured paper…just blow into the hole to fill it up. Besides, we also folded our own paper balloons and paper sampans to sail down the ditch whenever it rains.

I remember wearing 'kha kiak' at home – everyone had a pair. No thongs, please. Momma said the 'kha kiak' would mould elegant feet unlike the thongs which she believed would cause the toes to spread out. Hmmm…not dainty at all, like that. Until today, I do not feel comfortable wearing thongs…my toes hurt. And I have always kept a pair of 'kha kiak' for use at home, even now.

I remember listening to Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Elvis Presley, Robin Luke, Skeeter Davis, Ricky Nelson, Chubby Checker and many others in the 60s. My sister and her friends would play their LPs and EPs on the gramophone and they would dance the Cha-Cha, Rhumba, Jive, Twist, Rock-And-Roll and I remember seeing them doing the Limbo Rock too. And at Malay weddings in the kampong, my brother and his gang would be doing the ronggeng and joget.

Then my sister left for college and the gramophone became silent most of the time, unless poppa decided to play his favourite record or two once in the blue moon. Then a neighbour convinced momma to subscribe to Rediffusion, a sort of private radio channel which played from 6.00am till 12.00midnight 365 days a year…all for RM6 per month. Rediffusion introduced me to Mandarin and Hokkien songs and for a few years, I only followed Chinese songs. I was a bathroom singer and could sing many songs by heart.

And every few months some temples or clan associations would hold celebrations and there would be stage shows. Earlier days, it was the puppet show on a make shift wooden stage and later the singing troupe, ‘koe tai’ became popular. My friends and I were crazy over the ‘koe tai’ and each night, we would cycle on our colourful mini bikes for miles just to catch the shows. Show over and we would feast on the food sold by the roadside..’lin chi kang…lor bak…oyster porridge….kueh teow soup…laksa….muar chee…pohpiah…curry mee…**burrpp..** and then pedal home. On couple of occasions, we were stopped by the 'mata-mata' because someone rode pillion on the bicycle or if the headlights conked out. Once we were chased by stray dogs too.

Late 60s, and the inevitable happened. Development came to the kampong. All the attap houses squatting on the BIGtime landowner’s property were paid some compensation and told to leave. The bulldozers came and the old kampung houses subsequently demolished. The big hairy tarantula chiak the tiny spider……...

It's A Different Era

2007-07-30T11:55:00.000+08:00

I was reading Uncle Lee and this storyteller extraordinaire had me laughing out loud at his naughty teenage pranks and escapades. He sure helped bring back many memories of wonderful playtimes I had with my childhood friends a long, long time ago. There were no telephone, no television and no computer at home; no malls to hang out at and movies at cinemas cost money. And I don’t remember seeing toys at home, save for the one plastic doll or two and some cheap masak-masak sets bought from the little Indian store next to the bus stop.

Mornings in the kampung were usually quiet times as most of the kids were at school. Come afternoons and the cheerful voices singing -“La La Li La Tampong….” /" One, Two Som.." / “Chooi Loh Chooi Peng-Peng….” /“Pa Pa Lang…Lang Ting Tang….” /‘Ting Tong Tiang….” and happy shrieks of kids out at play would be heard. Loud crying too, when someone tripped and fell and got hurt and also the screams and yells when there were the occasional fights, pulling hair and pounding at each other, especially when caught cheating in the games. Some of the games we had so much fun playing everyday - ‘Police and Thieves’/ Hide-And-Seek,/ ‘A.E.I.O.U’/ ‘What Is The Time Mr Wolf’ /' One-Leg Hop and Chase'/ ‘Skipping Rope/High-Jumping’ /‘Hop-Scotch’/ ‘Kali Toay’/ ‘Catch the Baby Chick', etc..etc...

Rainy days would see us playing indoor games such as 'seven stones' and congkak and draught....all homemade sets using items such small river stones, coconut shells, assam jawa seeds, checked cardboard and old bottle caps. Even when playing such supposedly 'quiet' games would not stop us from yelling at each other, "Hey! You cheating wan...I saw you cheating.....", followed with a fierce and loud rebuttal of "WHERE GOTTTTT??? You are the cheater lar....You stoooopidddd....Dowan to play liao lar..." and with one flick of the hand, boards and seeds and everything else would be sent flying to the ground. Split as arch enemies for the day....tomorrow comes, and we would be best of buddies again.

Tired from playing, we would go pick fruits or climb up our favourite hideout, a huge assam jawa tree for some relaxing chats. The kampong was like an open orchard with abundance of fruit trees of every kind - mangosteens, buah seten, bachang (quinine), petai, Indian drumstick, ampra. starfruit, rambutans, durians, ciku, coconuts, bananas and many others. I cannot recall all the names but there is one I like very much - buah keriang or something – it’s a small purple berry that I used to pick from the ground…it is sweetish and it leaves the tongue all purplish. I have not seen these berries for the long, long while already.

We made our own toys. Nail a wooden broom-stick to a milk tin cover and we would have a roller of sorts that we pushed round racing each other down the dirt track. Hammer some F & N bottle caps, puncture 2 holes and thread a rope through, spin and pull and spin and pull and you have sort of a windmill. Go collect some rubber seeds, drill some holes into the seed and thread the same. And oh ya. rub the seed on the floor and touch some bare skin…I tell ya…it sting and burn. I remember my naughty cousin….he rubbed the seed and then crawled quietly next to the mahjong table and touched the calf of an old nyonya aunt causing her to ‘naik lata ' "…$#@** jatuh...jatuhhh...@#&^%...jatuhhh...." Aiyoh-yoh....such colourful expletives!

My cousin brother is a very creative guy. He was into ‘weaponry’ at that time and his ingenuity fascinated me. He could easily fashion a wooden gun/rifle out of a piece of wooden plank salvaged from wooden crates. Tie some rubber bands and then for ammunition, just cut up empty cigarette boxes and roll it tight. And sometimes, he would cut up some pieces of planks, hammer them together and make a crude wooden sword. Weave some coconut fronds and you get a belt/holster and a matching headgear to complete the look.

Anyone here remember the bamboo-pop? It’s a length of bamboo, diameter of about a 50sen coin and 10 inches long; put into the small hollow of the bamboo an unripe cherry fruit and it fits just nicely, take aim and then push hard with a thinner stick of bamboo or wooden chopstick and the projectile will hit the target. My naughty cousin aimed at me once and until today, I think he will never forget the spanking he got for making me cry. It was very, very painful.

Also the Y-shaped lastik (catapult) fashioned from a small Y-shaped branch of a jambu or tembusu tree with a length of used bicycle inner tubes tied to it. This weapon can be lethal. I have seen my brother and cousin used it on some monitor lizards and stray animals that wandered into our backyard and had seen them brought down some fruit bats from the trees too. I pestered my cousin to make one for me but momma found out and threw mine away. **bawlsss...** He then taught me to use a simpler version – just a thick rubber band between the thumb and fore-finger and to use cut-up vines as ammunition. I was quite clumsy and I accidentally hit a friend on her cheek and that sent her howling in pain and oh my, the red welt that appeared. I sure regretted it and that caused Momma to leave a few rotan strokes on my legs too.

And my children? Toys by the basketfuls when they were small and now, on-line games. Cartoons on the TV when they were small and now, movies at cineplexes.

IT'S A DIFFERENT ERA.

'SOON'

2007-07-22T00:16:00.000+08:00

Kak Teh asked:-

“…have you ever wondered abt children's concept of time? For example
- Get off the phone! - In a minute! (read- half an hr later)
- Do the dishes! - In a minute (half an hr or an hr later!)
- When are you coming home? In a minute . (three hrs later.)

Has time really changed that much since we were young?”

**********************************************************************

Hmmm…….I don’t get answers like those above from my no. 2. His usual would be the flexi-and-all-convenient ‘SOON’.

- Please mop the floor. - Answer : SOON

- Can bring in the laundry, please? – Answer : SOON

- Go and shower. - Answer : SOON

- Have you posted the letter? - Answer : SOON

Arrrghhh…he drives me round the bend with his non-time specific answer. He is the ‘hang-loose’ type whereas I am the ‘hold-the-clock-to-your-face’ type and often times, we clashed because of this. Last time, he would tell me he’ll get certain things done or come home by a certain hour and when I don’t see the things done or see him come through the door within 15 minutes grace time, I get all wound up and was ever ready to spring on him. And sprang on him, I did, many times too! He smartened up and came up with a literally correct but to me, a technically flawed answer - 'SOON'.

My no. 2 has some ‘unconventional’ and 'skewed' views. For one, he does not understand why would I be so willing to part with good money to get some overpriced mechanism on my wrist. And do I really need to be reminded of the time through out? You sure don’t need to know the time every other minute, right? So why carry something on your body, as if your life depended on it?

You guessed it. He does not wear a watch now and I don’t remember when I last saw one on his slim wrist. But when he was little, besides his Lego and Transformers, he wanted a watch. Everybody else he knew had a watch. He pestered and badgered me for one and I finally relented and got those mickey mousey types for him and of course, he initially could not read the time. We would be traveling back to the kampong and he would be asking repeatedly, “Are we there yet?”/ “How long more before we arrive, Momma?” and I would reply, “In another 3 hours.” And then he’d come with, “Oh, but how long is 3 hours, Momma?”

I would hold his little hand in mine and patiently point to the watch face. He could read the numerals, so I’d say, “Okie, its 8.45am now and we will arrive at Gramma’s when it reads 11.45am.” This would make him happy for a while until he comes again with, “But Momma, the number takes so long to jump.” He learned fast and soon enough, he picked up the concept of time….how time is measured and how we are controlled by time, so to speak. He must have found it stifling and then thought he could just get away with his smart-alec answer, ‘SOON’.

The Hand Being Faster Than The Mouth

2007-07-14T17:55:00.000+08:00

“Got homework or not?” yelled the mother from the kitchen as she was busy preparing the evening meal.

Another 15 minutes or so later, she went “Hey, I ask got homework and have you finished them, huh?” This time around, the voice a tad louder.

Some 10 minutes must have passed when she boomed,“Aitelyuuuuuu…..turn off the TV NOWwwwww….” her face a crimson shade and the veins on the neck all raised.

“OK larrrrr…..enough larrr….I am not deaf lar….”, the boy finally got up from the bean bag and dragged himself to the small study table.

That’s my friend’s daily tune – mother and son ‘top of the charts duet for the day’. **tsk..tsk…tsk….** aiyoh…INSOLENT, OBSTINATE and dared to TALK BACK summore! Kalo kena my mother or kena me for that matter, herrh.…he’d be toast.

My momma was a hard and tough taskmaster. She had a soft voice but she sure had a ‘loud’ presence. She hardly ever raised her voice because the mighty rotan ‘spoke’ for her. Every evening after dinner, momma kept me company as I struggled with my school homework on the multi-purpose dining table. Momma with her sewing and needlecraft, would be sitting just a few feet away and she seemed to have more than one pair of eyes. I would be perched on the hard wooden kitchen stool, pencil in hand and scribbling furiously away and quite often, my mind would wander and on a few instances too, I stole 80 winks. **twackkk…** goes the rotan on the floor like she was swatting some imaginary fly or something and I’d jump.

Though she could not read what I wrote, momma sure was one sharp lady and if she saw some untidy or out-of-line handwritings, there goes one sharp pinch or smack on the chubby hand **oucchhh…** and God save me if I brought home exercise books and workbooks which contained crosses more than ticks. And for the revision of the day’s lessons, momma insisted I read out loud. Ya…real LOUD so she would know that I was not nodding away to dreamland. Eventhough she could not make out what I was warbling about and whether I got it right, she nonetheless believed that if she made me read 10 times, at least once, I would have got it right. Try playing the fool and bring back colourful report cards and I can be assured of some torturous ‘rewards’.

Momma was also a great motivator and she used case studies to good effect. Her usual repertoire of threats and reminders - ”Hey, if you don’t like school and don’t perform, you’ll end up a domestic help, just like so-and-so.” OR her favourite “OK, I go to school tomorrow and strike out your name from the register. "

That would ensure instant theatrics from me,“WaaWaaaWAAAaaa….DOWANnnnn…. I want to be a teacher.” I suspected that was music to momma’s ears then. Those days, there were many girls, some as young as 12 years old, who ‘prematurely graduated’ from school because of poor academic performance and in some cases, the parents were unable to afford the monthly school fees. I had one classmate who had to leave school to work as a stay-in babysitter for a mere $25 per month. I felt sooo sad for her…I cried for days!

Looking back, I wonder if my momma had it easier bringing up kids compared to what my other young friend is going through today. Were the kids more obedient and mindful then? Or were the mommas of those days more fierce? Me? Oh, sometimes, my hand works faster than my mouth. **piakkkk..piakkkk….**

Competition is HEALTHY and Rejection is GOOD

2007-07-08T19:21:00.000+08:00

Doing Sales and Marketing is tough, they say. The competition is stiff and it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. It sure is. Sales people are trained and re-trained and trained and re-trained over and over again and reminded that…Competition is HEALTHY and Rejection is GOOD!

When the answer is a ‘YES’, thank your Client for giving you the business. And when the answer is a ‘NO’, thank your Prospect for giving you his time. Be a true professional and never ever speak ill. Embrace these simple timeless rules and you will be rewarded manifold. All these sure make a lot of sense to me - and nothing too much and too difficult to follow.

Like an eager beaver, I dived into my new vocation full of spirit, drive and boundless enthusiasm. Soon, I was to find out the hard way that many don’t play by the rules. It seemed every single rule in the book was made to be bent, if not broken. I felt dejected and depressed. It was totally unfair, I wailed. It hurt and on a few instances, I almost crumbled. Fortunately, I have a good mentor – he is patient and he is kind and he is wise. He counsels well. “Just like anything else, there sure would be some who have different ideas and chose to do it their way, dirty tactics and all and it will be to their detriment. Honour your craft and honour yourself. Garbage belongs to the garbage dump”, my mentor drummed into me.

Over the years, I have heard just too many words spoken by others that got back to my ears. Oh, words that never fail to make me cringe in embarrassment. They sure don’t play by the rules and I bet it was a sad day for them when they opened their mouth :-

1. “You bought from her last time. So now you buy from me.”

The Client WILL buy from me. He believes in loyalty.

2. “Please give me this order. If not, I’ll be dead meat”

The Client will come to me. He DOES NOT want to deal with dead meat anytime now or in the future.

3. “She’s an old-hand already and don’t need your support. Please support me.”

The Client will buy from the confident ‘old-hand’.

4. “She has too many Clients. She is too busy and won’t have time to see you often.”

The Client will buy from a BUSY me rather than deal with someone who has nothing to do.

5. “She is soooo old-school.”

Thanks, dude. You just lost the order. ^O^

And a couple of days ago, a new client paid me a compliment. “Ms Tan, I was looking for this product and have met with many other sales people. They confused me. They harassed me. And they frightened me. But you impressed me – you kept it straight and simple, you gave me time to think and I appreciate lots. Thank you.”

Wah….what a soothing balm for any bruised spirit and a great boost for any sagging ego. I stepped out of the office with a spring in my step, a smile on my face and a song in my ear. Thanks Robin, you made my day!

Have A GREAT and INSPIRING WEEK, FRIENDS!

I Don't Spare The Rod

2007-07-02T00:20:00.000+08:00

On my recent trip back to Penang, I saw one of my relatives spoon-fed her young grandson, a mischievous and bright-eyed 2 year old. The small tyke was placed on a rattan chair and grandma sat on a low wooden stool facing him; bowl of rice on one hand and spoon on the other. On the floor was a long, thin rotan, about 3 feet in length and one end coiled into a handle of sorts. Ah….ha….I saw the rotan and I was transported back to the time when I was the one on the rattan chair and my momma on the wooden stool. My lips curved into a smile.

Momma brooked no nonsense during meal times. Small brats and little cikus were not allowed on the dinner table. Momma would scoop the rice on a plate or bowl, add in the dishes of the day, mixed them all up and with 2 twacks of the rotan against the wall to signal feeding time and I would obediently climb onto the rattan chair. No ‘ifs’ and no ‘buts’ and I only got to get down when the bowl is cleaned of the last grain of rice. A gentle swish of the lethal rotan was all it was needed to remind me to focus on the task at hand.

When I was old enough to be ‘promoted’ to a place at the dining table, I was initially not allowed to scoop the dishes for myself. I would have to politely asked Sis or Poppa or whoever was next to me to oblige me and had to observe the etiquette on the table. No messy spills of soups or rice or dishes would be tolerated and I could only get down from the chair after every grain of rice is wiped off from the plate. It’s bad manners to be untidy and messy and shows disrespect for the elders, momma would extol. Count our blessings that we have food on the table and to waste and throw away food is a sin. Don’t make the Gods unhappy and ya, thunderclaps and lightning are signs of God's displeasure. And worse, a messy eater will marry a spouse with pocked-marked or ‘crater’ face, momma often foretold. That was more than enough to train little babas and nyonyas to be neat, clean and tidy. If at all, the little ones were still untidy, they would be quickly removed from the dining table and 'demoted' once more to the sidelines…..back to the rattan chair and the accompanying long and thin rotan.

I recall too, that the lethal rotan was often proudly displayed in most households - hung up on the kitchen wall or on the wooden door. It was a formidable weapon used to ensure the little ones toe the line….from instilling discipline and manners to 'rewards' for bringing home colourful school report cards. Who has ever heard of child abuse and mental and physical torture and human rights or whatever, then? I for one, had my fair share of feeling the thin rotan landing on my bare lower legs which left red welts that stayed for days and I am none the worse for it. The stinging pain of the rotan on my bare skin is nothing compared to the embarrassment of walking around with the angry red marks that took days to fade.

I used the rotan on my boys too, when they were little. A couple or so of swift flicks on their legs and then making them kneel in front of the family altar to ‘confess’ their wrongdoings were all that was needed to straightened them up. Both of them learned fast and remember well.

I am an old-school momma….I Don’t Spare The Rod.

Taken For A Ride?

2007-06-29T10:49:00.000+08:00

The other day when I went to Penang, my nephew was unable to pick me up from the Sg. Nibong bus terminal so, I had to take a cab. The driver asked for RM20. Wah…..how come so expensive I asked him and I then tried to haggle with him. Nope, he was not interested. I looked up the sky and it did not look promising at all…..the clouds were thick and heavy and threatened to break any minute and left with a Hobson’s choice, I climbed into the not-too-clean excuse of a cab. The driver was a chatty fella and he was telling me that here in Penang, nobody uses the meter and they would be put out of business if they go by the meter and bla…bla…bla… I then told the driver that my bus fare from KL to Penang in a big and comfortable and clean air-conditioned bus only cost me a mere RM26.80. Aisehman…how can he charge me RM20 for a journey of about 10km. He thought it was a funny joke or something…he just laughed. Nah…he was not interested in what I had to say.

I came back to KL by bus too and at the bus terminal, I was approached by a cab driver – he asked for RM25 to send me from Bangsar to PJ. I said thank you and walked away. I finally managed to hail another cab, a more honest one…the fare was only RM10.

Yesterday morning, I sent my son’s car to a car workshop in Shah Alam to do up some small dents. Ya, it’s a bit way out from where I live but this place comes highly recommended by a good friend. The clerk at the workshop then offered to call a cab to send me back to my office in Petaling Jaya. Wah…..the asking fare was RM40! I gasped….wahh….this one, the mouth as big as the buaya lidat. No thank you….I decided to just walk a short distance to the main road to hail another cab that would be more willing to use the meter. Then I saw the familiar RAPID Bus..the public bus that charge a flat rate for a whole day’s ride. I hopped into the bus and paid a princely RM2 for the comfortable ride back to PJ. I felt very pleased with myself.

Now, it looks like you got to have some money and more to be able to afford to ride on a cab. And it's sure gonna make the wallet much, much lighter if the fares they asked for is anything to go by. Taken For A Ride?

Honour Thy Word

2007-06-24T16:59:00.000+08:00

Very so often, I have been chided by family and friends for being too trusting, for taking things at face value and not doing enough of thorough questioning. I have been chided too, for always choosing to see things in a clear black and white – no ‘greys’, please; and always looking for answers to be just a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ – please cut out the ‘maybe’.

I am told too, that I am just too simplistic to expect things and situations to be so clearly defined and that I am looking for disillusionment and am a good candidate for endless hurts and pains. Perhaps…perhaps…

But why not, may I ask? When I say ‘YES’ to something, I can assure you I will see it to fruition and I would expect the same of my family, relatives and friends. And when my answer is ‘NO’, I would also expect my wish to be respected and of course, it certainly is reciprocal. Why complicate matters further with shades of doubt and uncertainty and indecisiveness?

I am brought up to be truthful, to be honest and to be sincere. Profess the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free….yes, I wanna be free to laugh and free to cry.

HONESTY is the best policy. I wanna sleep well and a clean heart and clear conscience will certainly reward me with a good restful sleep.

And SINCERITY begets sincerity. I’d be lying if I were to say that I have not had slaps on my face from people close to me. It sure has happened more times than I care to remember and albeit the deep crushing hurts and pains, I’d lick my wounds and bounce back with renewed faith in friendship. Just a couple of uncomfortable instances will not cause me to lose faith.

And always HONOUR THY WORD.…yes, keep your word. Our word is as good as gold. This, I believe can never be stressed enough. I have come across too many, just too many who have no qualms about going back on their words. Why? How come? I will just never understand. Perhaps, to them, talk is cheap. Open the mouth and just let the words flow out to the winds and can then just conveniently forget that those words ever rolled off the tongue. It’s so sad….so sad that they never realize the terrible damage they have caused to their integrity. And perhaps, to them, integrity is too cheap to worth bothering at all.

I am old-fashioned – I hold all these simple values close to my heart. TRUTHFULNESS, HONESTY, SINCERITY and always to HONOUR THY WORD….these timeless principles have guided me well.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD, FRIENDS!

And Keep Smiling, Always

2007-06-22T10:08:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends,

My a million apologies for not updating my blog and I am yet to reply to all your lovely and heartwarming comments in my previous posting. This is soooooo NOT ME! I promise I shall go back to reply to each and every one of you and I value and treasure each and every single comment. Just keep them coming, ya! And I sayangssssss all of you.

I am at the moment very, very tied up with work…you know…whereby I have people hounding me down and reminding me the deadlines were YESTERDAY! Well, I am not complaining. In fact, I am very happy that I am sooooooo LAKU! ^o^ And of course, the $$$$$$$...I AM NOT COMPLAINING TOO!

Okie Dearies, I‘ll sign out here and would like to wish all my beautiful friends here a very pleasant weekend. Stay Sweet. Stay Beautiful. Stay Happy. And Keep Smiling, Always.

Happy Bak Chang Festival

2007-06-18T09:27:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends,

Yours truly will be away for a couple of days.

And here, I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY BAK CHANG FESTIVAL, which falls on tomorrow June 19 2007.

Have a great week ahead. Cheerssss........

"NO. Kamsiah Seribu!"

2007-06-17T00:28:00.000+08:00

When Mrs Yenjai got this letter from the bank. “Dear So-and-So, we regret to inform you that your application for the credit card had been rejected.”, both husband and wife were tickled pink.

I too, once had a similar experience many, many moons ago, sans the letter. I too, had taken pity on the poor sales executive who just refused to let me go and he spun a convincing sob story…that he had been standing there for the whole day already and no one has signed up with him. Adoi…kesian, it’s soooo susah to cari makan, ya.

Since I already have an existing credit card, all that was needed was a photocopy of the card in my wallet and my identity card - no need for further supporting documents to go with the application. Okie, I signed on the dotted line and went on my way. I completely forgot about the application until I think it was like almost half a year later when I chanced upon an advertisement placed in the local dailies by one of the banks….”Apply Now and Get This Trolley Bag (or whatever) FREE!” . The word ‘FREE’ screamed at me. ….hahahah….
Then only I noticed that the name of the bank, somehow rang a bell. Oh yaaa.…I remembered....I DID apply for one card long, long time ago. But wait a minute, I receive no card! What happened????

That called for a ring to the number advertised on the newspaper. After a few exchanges of “Yes.”/ “No.” / “OK..”/ “Hummph…”/ “Ahhhh…”/“Please hold on.” / “Let me check.” / “bla…bla…bla…”, the sweet voice over the other end spoke loud and clear, “Ms Tan, we rejected your application.”

Me : What????? Say again, please.

She : Your application has been REJECTED. Sorry.

Me : Why?

She : I don’t know.

Me : What do you mean? I need to know the reason.

She : Sorry. I don’t know.

Me : Nevermind. I am sorry too. You have a good day. Thanks.

Wah…..I was not the least amused. I cannot eat and I cannot sleep already. Die lar…dunno the rejection got anything to do with someone mischievously using my I.C and then raked up unpaid debts and if my name is on the Central Bank's black-list and worse, is my name listed as a bankrupt, etc…etc…. The panic-button that I am, my mind went on an active overdrive. Aiyoh…summore it was a weekend, so I could not call the bank’s head office or any other office for that matter. It was a wretched weekend, aitelyu!

Early Monday morning, I made a call and as usual, had to press all the available buttons on the phone before I finally got to speak to a humanoid. Come to think of it, I am not sure if the 'kongsis' and banks and corporations are aware that IVR(I think it stands for Interactive Voice Recording or something) system raises blood pressure. Anyway, the call was not fruitful and I did not end up any wiser. “Sorry, Ma’am. We cannot tell you the reason for rejection. It’s private and confidential.” Aisehman!

I stubbornly pushed on and many calls later and after repeating myself hoarse and insisting on an acceptable answer, one poor exasperated fella whispered, “Okie Ma'am, please don’t say I tell you one ar! It was rejected because the photocopy of the I.C. is not clear. We waited and then closed the file.”

Only this to have caused me serious anxiety for the whole weekend???? **pengsanssss **

Why can’t they tell me straight and be honest upfront, huh? The bank executive highlighted to me a clause printed on the application form, in the tiniest fine print of course, that, “the bank reserves the right to reject any application without assigning any reason whatsoever.” And the executive then asked if I wished to re-apply.

“NO. Kamsiah Seribu!”

Cash Is King

2007-06-13T15:17:00.000+08:00

When I first started work decades ago, I was always in awe of people holding credit cards....my bosses, my bosses’ friends, my senior colleagues, my well-to-do relatives and many more who held a few Classic Cards and some had Gold Cards too. Wahhh…. How I envied them.

Those days, to be issued a credit card and to be seen flicking out the card ever so often, spoke volumes for the holder. He/She must be someone who had some decent income and with some impeccable credit standing. I was of course, at that time a new workhorse earning chicken-feed and therefore unable to fulfill the most basic requirements for application, that was to have a minimum annual income of RM24,000 and to provide the Form J from the tax department. I did not even qualify to have a file opened at the tax department, for goodness sakes!

After many years of living from hand to mouth, I decided to free-lance. Being a free-lancer I could earn a wee bit more and after a while I thought I would be qualified for a credit card. I eagerly approached the credit card officer at the bank but was told in no uncertain terms that, “Sorry, your income is not consistent..it’s swinging like a yo-yo…lidat, we cannot approve…bla…bla…” . And another time, I was at a friend’s office when a senior bank executive came to visit my friend and my friend told him that I would like to apply for a credit card. He smiled, shook my hand ever so graciously and when he enquired regarding my employment and income, I told him I free-lanced. His smile turned into a frown. Hahahhaah……He was definitely not a poker player for sure.

Fast forward a few years and I finally got my first credit card. I chose the one that I need to pay the least annual fee. Come to think of it, I never understood at that time why I needed to pay an annual fee. Anyway, being a newbie with no track records to speak of, I just paid, albeit grudgingly. Then one fine day, my home bank sent me pre-approved Gold Cards and free of annual fees for 2 years some more. Wah……how it boosted my ego. Wah…I felt good you know! I quickly cancelled the old Classic Card and slotted the new shiny Gold Cards into my wallet.

The credit card business is BIG business and with some relaxation of rules, all the banks were like stepping on and climbing over each other to capture a bigger slice of the lucrative market. With aggressive and clever marketing, soon every other person carried a card and some had multiple cards bulging from their wallets. Well, initially it still spoke something of the card holder….he/she was someone who qualified for many lines of credit. The banks, after all, will only lend to people with the ability to pay.

Then came a time, if I remember well, it was the economic recession when the payment terms were relaxed further…you need only to pay a mere 5% of the outstanding balance or a minimum of RM50 per month. It was a boon for many who were caught bad during the economic downturn. They had 'maxed' out their credit limits and paid only the minimum and soon enough, they found themselves drowning in debts and many were declared bankrupt. The authorities were alarmed and some called for restraint in the approval and issuance of credit cards. Meanwhile, the banks continued in their merry ways to entice and attract more card users with their most creative of marketing gimmicks. And I am sure many of my dear friends here would at some time or the other, have had credit cards practically shoved down their throats. All said, it’s till Caveat Emptor. For me, I just keep one Mastercard and one Visa and yes, I still do not understand why I should pay annual fees and so, I do not pay any.

And now, I’d like to think I am not so gullible and see things differently too. Gold Card or Platinum Card or whatever no longer cause anyone to bat an eyelid. A person who shows me a wallet full of credit cards would actually alarmed me. Hard cold cash would be more comforting. They don't say 'CASH IS KING' for nothing.

Do Clothes Maketh A Man?

2007-06-10T15:27:00.000+08:00

Weekends at home and I am all dressed in my most comfy clothes….. nothing beats t-shirts and shorts in this hot, hot weather. And yesterday, I popped over to the neighbourhood hardware store to get some items and when I got into the car, my hand automatically reached for my pair of sunglasses. Eeeeksss….one of the plastic nose pads had fallen off! I quickly looked out from the car and spotted an optical outlet among the row of shops. Yayyy...Happiesss….I then crossed the road to the shop. Walking in, I saw a lady and another youngish looking guy attending to 2 customers.

Me : Hi, I need help with this.

He : Hi, good afternoon. Please take a seat. Will be with you in a while.

I sat there for a while looking at the many, many beautiful frames on display at the counter when that young gentleman walked over and sat in front of me. I handed him my pair of sunglasses and he gave it a thorough lookover…front, back and sides…..inside and out and then remarked, “Oh, a....(name of brand)! Where did you buy it from?” I got a feeling he thought it was something I got from some pasar malam or pasar pagi or some fake branded shades or whatever.

Me : KLCC

He : I see…I see…. Hmmmm…

He continued to turn the shades over and over again in the pretext of wiping some imaginary dirt, I think, before he finally took out his tools and then changed the 2 pieces of nose pads. He then took out another piece of cloth to gently clean the shades again and at the same time talking to me.

He : Would you like to have a look at our latest arrivals, Ma’am? Besides Gucci, we also carry Christian Dior, YSL, Versace, Armani, Chanel, Fendi, Prada, Rayban…bla…bla….

Me : Thanks. I am rushing for time actually. Another time, perhaps.

He : Okie, here you go.
(handing back my sunglasses to me)

Me : How much do I owe you?

He : No worries, Ma’am. It’s free.

I thanked him again and as I stood up to leave, he reached out and shook my hand.

He : The name is Bryan. Do come in again to try out the latest designs. Have a nice day, Ma’am.

Wah…he was so absolutely sweet and polite. But somehow, I suspected that there was a tinge of contempt when I first walked in …me in my simple shorts and t-shirt and flip-flops and hair held up carelessly by a clip, and he, checking again and again to see if I am using some ‘fakeys’.
Do clothes maketh a man, they say?

And of course, if only I could look half as good in shorts and tees as this hottie, Lindsay Lohan……

I Love You, Son!

2007-06-07T00:06:00.000+08:00

My no. 2 has just completed his second year in college and a few days ago, was called to attend an interview for an internship programme. When he told me of the call, I was like shooting questions all over…”WHEN, WHERE, WHAT, WHY, HOW, etc…” which made him roll his eyes in exasperation. And as if that was not enough, I was literally hounding him, “Have you got your resume done?”/ “Have you got your shirt and pants pressed and tie and socks to match?”/”When are you going for your haircut?”/Have you practiced and rehearsed your script, you know, answers to those open-ended questions that interviewers are proned to ask?”/ “Go ask your brother and get prepared lar…please stop playing the on-line games lar…..tolonnnng…lar…”

The no. 1 cannot stand the sight of this big mother-hen all stressed out and flustered and told me to ‘chillllllll…momma…chillll….” And no.2 was just coooool like a cucumber. I offered to send him for the interview but he declined. He said he wanted to go with his friends. Very well, I said.

On that day, he left the house early. I peeped from the upstairs window and when I saw him all dressed up like a smarty-ass, (unlike his usual droopy jeans and t-shirt), I felt my heart swelled with pride. Wah…my baby is a big boy already.

I then left for my office but I tell you, I could not focus…I was like sitting on pins and needles. I kept on reminding myself, “Cut it out, woman. He’s just going for some internship interview lar.” I just can’t explain why am I feeling all this jittery when I felt nothing of that sort when no. 1 went for his interviews and whatnots. Anyway, to cut the story short, I went home early that day and the minute he walked into the house, I almost jumped on him…”So how? Huh?...Huh?” That cool cucumber just smiled and said, “OK lar.” and went straight to his room. Arrrggg….he was not ready to talk and I left it at that.

A couple of days later, no. 2 and I was on our way home from lunch and he spoke.

He : Those questions that you said the interviewer will ask, there were none.

Me : Oh ya? What did they ask?

He : The usual stuffs like hobbies, what games I like, what movies I watched..bla..

Me : Like that niar ar?

He : Oh ya, they also asked if I blog.

Me : What did you say then?

He : No lar, of course.

Me : Aisehman, why lidat? You should have said,,”I don’t BUT my momma does.”
And give them my URL and promote my blog mar…

He gave me that ‘roll-eyes’ look and both of us burst out laughing. KAKAAKAKA….

I LOVE YOU, Son!

Pay-Per-Use

2007-06-03T19:04:00.000+08:00

A few days back, I read about a group of clients of a hair treatment salon that has folded up or something. That group of unfortunate clients had signed up for hair treatment courses with that particular salon and they have each paid thousands of ringgit in advance. Now half-way through, the shutters are just pulled down and the customers are left with nothing. The aggrieved parties have lodged reports here and there and have approached the authorities for help. I don’t know what the chances are of getting back their money and I hope they’ll get some recourse. Pity some, they may just tear their hair out in despair.

And just recently, someone I know was a victim of the 'Excellence Holidays scam'. Poor thing. She had saved for years for this holiday to Europe this coming summer. As the tour was booked at the recent Matta Fair, she and her travel companion had to pay the full fare upfront, months in advance of the expected travel date. What a shock she got when she read that the tour agency has folded up. And she lost quite a fair sum.

I too, was once a victim of this kind of ‘pay-up-front’ scam. Long, long time ago, when I was new in KL, I was introduced to a beauty salon that offered very attractive packages…you pay RMXXX for a certain number of treatments over a number of months, and they threw in a few extra freebies. If I chose to go for the pay-per-treatment option, then I would have to pay more and be without the extra freebies. The sucker that I was, I signed up and paid the full amount of RM700 or something, I cannot really remember now. Anyway, when I went for my third session, I found the shutters pulled down with a notice that the premises had been sealed. Oh my God, that good-for-nothing woman had absconded. Wah…I forgot already what words I used to curse her 3 generations back and maybe another few generations after. That cheapskate conwoman! May she die a shriveled old prune!!!

Another time was when I signed up for some foot-reflexology treatments. Pay per visit, then it would be RM30 per session but it would only cost RM250 for 10 sessions if I were to pay upfront. Nothing too big an amount and I paid the RM250. I went for the sessions in the evenings and then would come straight home to bed. I remember it was the 6th or 7th session or so, when the masseur must have been over enthusiastic and rubbed too hard. I woke up the next morning with a bruised right sole. I went back to the outlet and showed them my foot. The masseur said it was nothing serious and even made a lame joke that maybe I kicked on something or what. I was not amused and I asked for the balance of my money back. He just laughed and waved me off, ”No money back one lar. You can come anytime for the balance of 3 sessions.” Okie, I told him, I’ll just walked over to the newspaper office nearby and see if they can help me. That took the smirk from his face and he opened his cash register and gave me back my money.

Now, I am just too wary to go for all these pay-up-front packages or courses or whatever they call it. It may cost a little bit more but I’d like to still stick to my pay-per-use rule. And they can keep their freebies.

MONEY$$$$$

2007-05-29T00:55:00.001+08:00

Uncle Lee wrote in his blog,”…. I worshipped money.....my restless ambitions knew no bounds nor loyalty....." WOW…WOW….WOW….and more WOWs…… the brutal honesty of it all. I like it very much. **clap-clap**.

I salute you, Uncle Lee. Seriously, not many a man or a woman dare to utter these words. I'd like to believe that I am someone who is honest with myself too. I was and still am totally candid when some people asked me why and how I came to be in the sales line, a low in the job prestige scale and hence at the bottom of the popularity polls too. I have faced many people…friends and relatives alike, who have no qualms about asking me, “Aiyoh…why lar..go and become a saleswoman. Sit in the office not nice meh?” and remarks such as these are just too common, “I can never understand how you can stand doing sales…bla…bla…bla..”

Never mind what others think and I will still sock it to them off the cuff….straight and honest..."I like the MONEY$$$$$ and I want the MONEY$$$$$." And not some crappy answers like, "Oh, I like meeting people./Oh, I like to serve and help people/Oh, I tell you, I am not making money from you wan.....etc. etc..." Oh, cut that out for me, please. This is soooo not me! But then of course, liking to meet people and serving people certainly makes the job easier. Marketing and Sales is definitely not a job for recluses or hermits. Anyway, it’s not a crime to like MONEY$$$$$ and to want MONEY$$$$$, right?

I resigned from my previous job because I wanted more MONEY$$$$$…I wanted some real MONEY$$$$$ in my hands. Ahh… MONEY $$$$$ is such a great motivator and believe me, I dived into something which I initially know nothing about other than with a simple and clear goal….I WANT THE MONEY$$$$$. I learn and I earn and I tell you, it can be intoxicating at times. …..you just wanna pull out all the stops and charge. Just fantasizing what a big and fat bank account can do, and I’d be on a high. No need for those motivational gurus or whatever…I’d be on auto-pilot flying after the juicy carrot…….MONEY$$$$$$

I just want to run faster, go further and climb higher to bring in more MONEY$$$$$, but thank God, I have my 2 lovely boys to keep me grounded and balanced and in checked. Going home each day to hold them in my arms, I am reminded that I am a mother first…my career comes second BUT not less important. As much as I want lots, and lots of MONEY$$$$$, I know I have to strike a balance. I want to be a mother and a career woman at the same time. I want to cook for them, send them to school and pick them up, sit down with them to do their homework, play with them (taught them how to play Black Jack and mahjong too..hehehe), talk to them, do fun and crazy things with them, watch TV with them, go for some movies and ice-cream treats with them, holiday with them, sit through a raging fever with them, wait out at the basketball courts for them, etc..etc. Time spent with them, this I realized, is what I truly can never have enough. I made a conscious decision to balance things out, time to make MONEY$$$$$, time for my family and friends and time for myself.

I settled for less MONEY$$$$$ then? Oh yes, I could have worked for more. It’s one thing or the other. The MONEY$$$$$$ I earned helped put my 2 boys through college and allows us some creature comforts and the occasional treats and I am thankful for this. Not rich, but can get by….3 square meals a day, a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs AND most importantly, TIME to build a lifetime of memories. My superiors have often goaded me...telling me that I am not pushing hard enough...that I am just like a 4.0 lit engine going at a mere 60 kilometres per hour and one fella even asked if I got a problem with earning too much money or sometimes on a more sarcastic note, if I fear that the money would bite me. hahhaha....What a joker…a silly man, he is! How much is enough, actually? Well, everything has a price and everyone has paid some and more. To each, his own. This is only so much I am willing to pay and this is so much that I am getting and I will always want to be the master and let MONEY$$$$$ be my slave.

I LIKE MONEY$$$$$. Do you?
Get this right - LOVE PEOPLE AND USE MONEY and you’re set. So have fun making pots of MONEY$$$$$, and of course, do remember to stop to smell the roses too, sometime. Right, Uncle Lee?

Irresistable Apoms

2007-05-27T01:27:00.000+08:00

My favourite food - This is a tag from King’s Wife. The barn charn kueh she put up in her blog had me lau nuar on my keyboard. :P I like my barn charn kueh with brown sugar and lots of peanuts and drizzled with butter. **yummmiesss**

Anyone for apoms here? I like apoms...ahh...my comfort food.....so,I’ll put up 2 different types here.

Apom Manis – Made from a batter of rice flour, coconut milk, eggs and sugar. I like the ones with the soft and fluffy centre. Don’t quite take to the paper-thin ones…one bite and half of the apom breaks and falls onto the ground.

Apom Balik – Ahhh….This one lar, we call it apom balik in Penang. The original recipe of rice flour, fresh grated coconut, coconut milk and sugar comes with thin slices of ripe bananas…pisang raja is the best. Another variation comes with cream corn. Gimme the ones with bananas, anytime. Dr Chen, how many should we order?

## both pics nicked from a good friend's archives.

I am not really a 'tag' person...I am actually terrified of tags/memes..... so I won't be tagging anyone. However, all are welcome to contribute their favourite food here.

Have a great weekend!

**Start Copy**

Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?

Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it.

Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.

Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

Mybabybay loves Asam Laksa from Penang, Malaysia
JustMyThoughts loves Penang Char Koay Teow
My Lil Venture loves Laksa Sarawak
Monterssorimum loves Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun
Chinnee loves Melaka Wan Tan Mee
Peimun Leah loves Hakka Lei Cha
Hui Sia loves Crispy duck skin from China
Karen loves Pan Mee
Simple American loves Cheese Enchiladas
Nicole Tan loves Char Tau Kueh
velverse loves Otak-Otak
Giddy Tiger loves Dim Sum
Kenny Ng loves Jawa Mee
Erina Law loves Wan Tan Mee
may loves Roti Bakar
King’s wife loves Dai gau mee

Wuching loves Wood fired oven Pizzas!

nyonyapenang loves Apoms

**End Copy**

It's Lidat

2007-05-25T16:26:00.000+08:00

After the ear-smoking episode at the big ‘kongsi’, I came home to expect to spend the next 24 hours without internet connection. Can you imagine 24 whole freaking hours wor??? How lar lidat?

I was in for a surprise. The internet connection worked just fine and I actually got to put up an entry in my blog. I guessed then that those fellas at the big ‘kongsi’ understood me after all – that wrong billings has got nothing doing with a 24-hour disruption of services. Way to go man!

I was in for a bigger surprise the next day. I came home after work and switched on the computer and I clicked and clicked and clicked so many times but it came up as ‘server cannot be found’. I thought my computer rosak or dunno which of the many wires I may have kicked loose or what, when my no. 2 came home from class. I did what I know best…. I yelled for help.

No. 2 : No internet connection lar. DSL light is blinking.

Me : Oooohhh…Lidat ar?

I called up the technical support department but I thought that gentleman spoke Swahili or something. I could not fathom what that affable chap was trying to say, so I passed the phone over to no. 2 and after a couple of minutes of “umm…arrrmm…yaaa…ummm..” , he finished the call. I quickly asked him what did that technical support fella tell him. With a serious look on his face, no. 2 said, “He told me my mother is a woman.” KAKAKAKAKAK…..both of us burst out laughing.

No. 2 then got down to check for any loose wires and then re-start the computer but still ‘tak jalan’. Sienzzzz lar lidat. I then made another call to the technical support centre and this time I indulged him with my ‘ear-smoking’ story of messed up billings and how I was told that to correct the mess, I will not have connection for 24 hours, commencing Tuesday evening.

Me : It’s Wednesday evening now lar. What has this to do with messed up billings huh?

Tech Support : Your line active and OK. Nothing doing with the billings.

Me : The DSL light is still blinking wor. Tolonnnnng …lar. Don't tell me to cabut ini and cucuk sana lagi ler.

Tech Support : OK, I submit your report to Technical Level 2 and they will ‘re-format’*.
(* Cannot remember the exact word he used.)

Me : How soon?

Tech Support : Tomorrow.

True enough, I got the connection back yesterday morning. Happpies….. And in the evening, I got a call from the customer relations unit to enquire if everything is OK.

CRU : Hi Ms Tan, I am calling to see if everything is OK with your connection now.

Me : Oh yes. All running smooth already. Thank you.

CRU : If there is anything else, please feel free to call us anytime. Thank you and have a nice day.

Wah…….I’m impressed. You see, I can be easily placated. IT’S LIDAT, lar.

p.s. I almost forgot.... I am still waiting to hear from them regarding the error in the billing dates.

It's Lidis

2007-05-23T00:41:00.000+08:00

It’s like this. The bills came yesterday and I being someone who dislike to handle a piece of paper more than once, decided to go over to one of the ‘companies’ to settle all in one go…the electricity, water and phone bills.

I walked in, looked at the queue number machine and OK, Button ‘A’ for ‘Payment' and Button ‘B’ for ‘Installation’ and I pressed **teeeeet** ‘A’. Okie, just 3 more numbers to wait. Heard my number called and I plonked myself on the chair in front of the cashier. I saw someone paying with credit card and I too whipped out my card and gave the stack of bills to the cashier.

Cashier : Dis and dis, phone punya can use card. Itu water and letrik punya, you pay cash.

Me : Why?

Cashier : It’s lidis.

Me : Ok, nevermind. I'll pay cash for all.

Me : And I want to pay for this phone line too. The bill not arrived yet. Dunno lost or what.

Cashier : I cannot check. You go reception and check and come back here and pay.

Me : Why?

Cashier : Because the system is lidis. Only can collect payment. Cannot checking punya.

To the reception I went. And queue up again lar. While waiting for them to print the latest bill for phone line no. 3, I realized that there was a mistake in the other bill for phone line no. 1. The receptionist printed the latest bill for line no. 3 and I was to pay at the cashier’s and as for the other complaint of wrong billing, I had to take another queue number from Button ‘B’ for ‘Installation’. Whatever lar.

But Holy Cow, I was like 19 numbers away and let me tell you, to move one number, it takes an average of 20 minutes, and a few I noticed, been stuck on the chairs for more than 30 minutes, and I saw too, a customer at one of the counters yelling his head off. Wah....I felt my temperature rising already. I stood there for about 10 minutes or so, my eyes staring intently at the numbers flashing on the screen, as if to will them to skip and jump 18 numbers faster.

Anyway, 2 numbers down and I then heard another 2 consecutive numbers being called but no takers, so I just walked to the corresponding counter and sat down there. I told the service executive that I was at this office last month in April to sort out everything AND her colleague who attended to me assured me that the transfers has been done AND that the bill for the new package plan would be effective May 4 2007 BUT now the bill in my hand dated May 4 2007 still showed the old billing! Then she said to me, “Sabar, sabar (Be patient)…let me check.”

So she check-check here and check-check there and check-check everywhere and then told me the new billing will commence on June 10 2007. What? Why? How? I wanted to know.

Executive : OK, I go ask my senior.

She walked inside and got a senior to come to the counter. This senior came and keyed in some buttons on the computer and then told me the same story…something similar to 'that your mother is a woman'. As if I don’t know. **roll eyes** Get the drift? You all, my frens, I know you know. **geezzzz***

I shot my questions at the senior and she tried to give some convoluted explanation which I of course don’t buy lar. **tskkk…tsskkk…** And she then got another gentleman to “tolong explain, sekejab” to me. Wah....as if I am so dense or thick or what? Wahhh….I felt smoke coming out from my ears already…..

The junior executive had to brief the gentleman again, the story beginning from April 24 2007 and I had to take a piece of paper to write out why I think the billing dates are all wrong and I want them to correct it pronto. He nodded and then asked me to fill in a complaint letter and then only they will investigate and then only do the adjustments.

Me : When?

Gentleman : Wait. We check and call you.

Me : When?

Gentleman : Dunno yet. We check first.

Me : Whatever. But I expect a full adjustment.

Executive : Meanwhile, now you no internet for 24 hours.

Me : WHY????

Executive : It’s lidis.

Me : **slaps forehead**

The dispute is regarding the BILLING for the phone line. How come the physical line is affected? Oh, I forgot, “IT’S LIDIS”

Hold That Tongue

2007-05-21T01:57:00.000+08:00

I was with a friend the other day having our afternoon tea at the local kopitiam and enjoying our tete-a-tete when her handphone rang. She excused herself and took the call and after a couple of “ungghh.ungghhh…angghhh.angghhh", she ended the call and let out a **SIGHHH…**

Knowing her, I can guess that the call was not about any juicy gossip but probably work-related. I pretended I did not notice the sigh and continued to pick on the kuih angkoo and ondeh-ondeh and exclaiming how heavenly the kuih tasted, how yummylicious the buburchacha was and all, and that we should visit this place more often and bla…bla..bla….I had just put in a ball of ondeh-ondeh into my mouth when she suddenly let out, “&%(*&%#@!!!...” **Cough….cough..sputter..sputter…arrrrgg…**, I almost choked on that soft glutinous riceball.

My eyes wide-opened, I stared at that flushed face of hers. Did I hear her right…this sweet and soft-spoken lady cursing in the most colourful language and so loud summore, enough for the 3 other ladies sitting at the next table and other patrons a few tables away to have heard every single expletive that flew out of her foul mouth? For the few years that I have known her, she is one of the most polite, gentle, shy and unassuming friends in the circle. What the devil has gotten into her? What broke? Arrggghhh!!! I was shocked and horrified and embarrassed and wished I could just hide under the table. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that the other 3 ladies were equally embarrassed, if not more. Suddenly, I felt I lost my appetite. I stood up and with one hand pulling my friend’s hand, I hissed, “Let’s go.” The short walk to the car, I told her in no uncertain terms that I do not appreciate her cursing in public for all to hear and whatever reasons she may have for feeling and behaving that way, I still think that she behaved badly and that she should be terribly ashamed of herself and that she shamed me too.

Throughout the drive back to her office, not a squeak came from her. I guessed she must have felt really horrible then and sure wished she had exercised more restraint earlier. I don't know. I am no angel myself but I draw the line at cursing out loud in public for all to hear. Should try harder to hold that tongue…..

What's In A Name

2007-05-18T01:51:00.000+08:00

This hot momma, eastcoastlife tagged me! Helppp……I have an aversion to tags and memes. Under normal circumstances, my brain works slow but it’s still good for putting up intermittent posts in this blog. Just tell me that I am tagged and for some strange reasons, the brain seems to freeze and hang up. I am just not a tag/meme person.

Anyway, she wants to know why and how the names of my boys came about. Ahh….This is easy…….Go ask my father-in-law. ^o^

I married into a traditional family and the paternal grandfather has the honour of naming all his grandsons. First is the family name/surname; then their middle names which have to follow a certain generation name and then followed by their given name. No English name to officially precede the family name/surname. Father-in-law, with the date and time of birth in hand, would flip through the Chinese almanac; count and ‘weigh’ the number of strokes in the Chinese characters, checked through the family tree to make sure there were no ‘clashes’ of names with any of the elders, whether dead or alive, would then bestow the most compatible name on the new addition to the family. I did not chose my sons’ names…I was not given the privilege. I only made sure it is spelled correctly in the birth certificate. Itu saja…kau tim.

Well, if I were to name my kids, I’ll keep it simple, short and easy to spell and write. Just like my name…all a mere nine alphabets and for the Chinese characters, it is just some quick and simple strokes…nothing that makes you wanna scratch your head and cry each time you have write it out. Say, with a name something like this, Bartholomew Sebastian McRitchie Kwong Nguok Leung*…all of 44 alphabets. How do you teach a 3-year old child to properly pronounce, spell and write his name? I don't know. How long do you think it will take to shade in the full name on the exam answer scripts? In all probability, the classmate on the next table would have already finished shading in the answer to the 8th question.

I love my name…I love its meaning…I love its simplicity…..I love it because it is unique…..so far, I have not come across anybody with a name same as mine….I love it because…because…because it’s soooo me. Thanks, poppa.

I shall not tag anybody but I welcome feedback. Please shoot. Terima kasih.

Note: * Just a fictitious name.

On The Grind

2007-05-14T17:22:00.000+08:00

No. 1 remarked how fast time flies, that it has been already 5 months since he started work and that he felt it somehow passes faster than when he was in university. Just couldn’t agree more with him. Counting my fingers and toes and more, wuahhh…. I have been on the grind for close to 3 decades already!

My first job after leaving school was at one of the electronic factories in the Free Trade Zone in Penang. I had applied for an office position but those factories hardly hire out; for clerical and admin support, they would normally offer to their production floor staff first. So, I went through that way too. I went in as a Quality Control staff earning a daily wage of RM5.30 per day and worked on 2-weekly 3 rotating shifts, 6 days a week. The ‘graveyard’ shift from 11.00pm to 7.00am paid an extra of RM1.50 per night. On that measly rate of pay, I could still save RM50 per month. I was at this job for a short 3 months before I was offered a regular hour office position and I if I remember well, my pay then was RM300 per month. I stayed for 3 years.

Then I decided to uproot and went over to East Malaysia. I resigned from my first job and it was the first time I was leaving the comforts of my own home for a totally unfamiliar environment. The first time I was taking a flight and all alone and I remembered I almost succumbed to cold feet at the Bayan Lepas airport on that fateful morning and now, in retrospect, am I glad that my head ruled. It was one of the best times of my working life….a time I recall with much fondness…….

I had joined a small company selling heavy-vehicle spare parts which offered double my last salary, with lodging and meals fully taken care of too. It was a typical 'china-apek' outfit and my boss had his 2 brothers and their 70-year old father as well as 2 other young male shop assistants-cum-delivery boys to help run the business. I was the only female employed to help maintain the books for my ‘chinaman’ boss who had little formal education and could only write and sign his name. The first time I met my boss, I kinda felt intimidated. He looked like a big time 'taikor'. With a thick gold doggie-chain round his neck, two diamond and jade rings on his fingers, a diamond-studded solid gold Rolex on his wrist, gold fountain pen in his shirt pocket and flicking his gold Dupont lighter every few minutes…errm..this is one man you wouldn’t want to mess with.

From a big Finance Department in an American high-tech facility to a cramped and tiny office in a small shophouse; from a vibrant Penang to a sleepy hollow of a cowboy town; from Penang where our singsong Hokkien is predominant to a community where Hakka , Mandarin, Kadazan-Dusun and the localized Malay dialect rules; from Penang, a food haven to a place where even the belacan looks and smells different. I have never felt that lost before and the worse is when the weekends came around, when for the first couple of months, I would find myself close to tears. From Penang where I had spent my weekends at the movies or at the nightspots; to a dusty little 2-street town where the only cinema was a stuffy, close to broken-down wooden shack with bugs-infested seats where it was the norm to bring in a small jar of Tiger Balm to soothe itching bums and oh ya, a pair of Wellingtons would come in handy too, during a downpour halfway through a movie. And how I missed wearing my nice office clothes and 3-inch heels and open-toed slippers. After a few times accidentally tearing my dresses and kicking my toes against big pieces of vehicle spare parts stacked on the floor in the cramped shop, I had to contend with wearing jeans/pants with T-shirts and sneakers. Practicality ruled.

I learned to communicate in the local lingo. I teased my tastebuds to accept the local cooking and occupied my weekend mornings putting wok to fire in attempts to satiate my nyonya cravings. After one nasty episode of sore bums from bug-bites, I got a few friends to share the cost of rental of Betamax video tapes @RM5 per piece, and how we spend night after night watching Hong Kong movies such as ‘Man In The Net’ and ‘Shanghai Bund’. And of course, games of luck and chance were never short of players….games aplenty from the old deck of cards; to mahjong; to impromptu bets on a box of matchsticks; to a crudely drawn chart of ‘fish, flower, prawn and king-crab and a spin of a die with corresponding pictures….yes, it’s a game the locals called ‘belangkas’. And there were the occasional weekend illegal cock fights normally held at the fringes of the jungle and once a while there would be raids by the police and then you would find a motley crowd of suspects together with noisy crowing cockerels spilling out from the tiny compound of the local Balai Polis.
Once, I followed a few friends to watch a cock-fight and half-way through one of the most interesting matches, someone naughty played a prank and shouted, “Polissss!....Polisss…..” sending all and sundry scampering like frightened squirrels.

I settled in soon enough and slowly but surely, I began to feel comfortable and safe in this small town where practically everybody knows everybody. Twenty-five years ago, when the banks in West Malaysia had cashiers sitting behind counters with high clear plastic dividers, the only bank in this tiny interior town was already practicing the open concept. There were no robberies, no snatch thefts, no burglaries and I used to carry bundles of my office’s daily takings to the bank; no problems at all. It’s not uncommon to see others carry bundles of cash carelessly wrapped in old newspapers and plonked it at the cashiers…nobody batted an eyelid. Never seen anyone using a credit card there. And when the towkays decide on a game of cards, it was either cash or cheques and I have helped my boss cash in as well as pay out some not so small amounts too. And of course, when cash is low, land titles and vehicle registration cards would be readily accepted too.

After 2 years, home beckoned – I flew back and landed in KL. Not a very good time, because the country was in the throes of the economic recession. I managed to get a job and as the recession worsened, I had to settle for a pay cut…small, but nonetheless painful. Seven years and two changes of employers later, I quit my job to become a full-time mother. It was bad decision because I could not cope. I missed working outside but I did not miss my office-bound job. I then dived straight in to a totally different line…something that I have zilch experience in - marketing and sales and I have since stayed for more than 15 years. To say that it was smooth-sailing, I’d be lying. It was, and still is tough but then who ever said that anything worthwhile doing is going to be easy? I am blessed and it’s not too bad a grind actually.

Lai...Lai...Lai...Langchia, Anyone?

2007-05-09T13:23:00.000+08:00

The last time I took a ride on a trishaw in Penang (here, we call them ‘langchia’) was like more than 5 years ago. Ya, now I remember, at that time, I was putting up at Cititel Hotel in Penang Road and just outside the hotel was a long row of gaily decorated langchias all parked neatly waiting for their fare. These langchias I was told, were waiting for bookings from tourists visiting the island and that the locals seldom ride on them anymore.

My no. 2 was with me and I walked up to one of the riders and enquired and I was pleasantly surprised. This neatly dressed man I presumed to be in his late forties spoke good English and introduced himself as Rocky. Was I impressed! I spoke to him in my Penang Hokkien and straight away he could tell that I am a Penang native. Rocky then told me he specializes in bringing his guests around the heritage trails in the inner city, to the mosques, temples, churches and clan houses, etc. and it’ll cost RM25. Since no. 2 has not been to this part of the town, I thought it a good idea for him to be acquainted with his momma’s childhood ‘playground’. Ya, I grew up in Penang and I am familiar with the nooks and cranies in the older parts of town. It has been a long, long time since I left Penang and it’s been a long, long time too that I last visited those old buildings and shops. The most enjoyable ride lasted about an hour or so and Rocky then sent us back to the hotel.

I enjoy langchia rides but the past few times when I was back in Penang, I had the car at my disposal, so I forgot about the langchia. Just two weeks back, I was in Penang again and as I was without a car, I rode on the buses to town and then ‘chartered’ the langchia to bring me around the town area and to my favourite feeding grounds. This time around, I got a very genial Pakcik who agreed to take my young grand-nephew and me from Penang Road to Swatow Lane. I wanted my ice-kacang fix and the young boy, his chicken-rice. As I am not too familiar with the bus routes near this place, I asked if Pakcik would wait for us and then take us to the temple and then Padang Brown after that. “Boleh...Boleh.”, he answered, giving us a toothy grin. I then asked if he would like to join us for lunch but he politely declined and said he’d wait for us under the shade of the big bodhi tree. We were done in 25 minutes and quickly walked out to find Pakcik, climbed onto the langchia and we were on our way.

The sun was scorching hot and we had the shade up to cover us and Pakcik had a big parasol too. **heave ho…heave ho** Pakcik pedalled hard…the scorching sun and the strong winds made it so much difficult for him but this did not stop him from chatting merrily with us and made us laugh with his funny quips. Just as we passed along Anson Road, a strong gust of wind blew and upturned his parasol. He slowed down the langchia and pulled over to the side of the road to straightened back the parasol. I think one of the frames must have twisted or something because Pakcik decided to just fold it up and continued the journey without his shade. So kesian, Pakcik riding in the hot sun with only his baseball cap for shade. We arrived at our destination shortly and this time, I again offered to buy him Indian mee goreng and drinks. Pakcik shyly declined but asked if he should wait and then send us home. Told him, we would take a bus back to Air Itam as it's too far for a langchia to go. I paid him his fare and more…some tips would be appropriate and sure made his day. Pakcik thanked us profusely and as he rode off, he gave a wave and a ‘cring-crinnng-crinnngggg’ on the ancient langchia bell.

Go, take a leisurely ride on a langchia. It's fun.

Pre-Loved Vehicles

2007-05-06T18:55:00.000+08:00

“So, you are buying a second-hand car. And it’s coming cheap. You had better beware. It could be a kereta potong”….this follows the headlines “Cut and Cheat” in the Sunday Star today.

Wah…like this also got ar? I can just imagine myself unwittingly buying one of these ‘cut and weld’ cars and driving around and one fine day while driving over one too many potholes, I’d suddenly feel ‘drafty’ and then realized that the back portion of the car has broken off. Bad joke! Could be worse, huh?

So far, I have had 3 pre-loved cars, 2 sourced out from the classifieds in the local newspapers and one from a friend. Had been lucky thus far….no ‘cut-and-weld’ machines and certainly not ‘black-marked’ too. My first car was 14-year old jalopy pre-loved by, if I remember right, 5 different owners. I bought it direct from the last owner who put up a ‘For Sale’ ad in the local daily. This young Malay gentleman became a good friend after that.

The second car, I bought from a friend whom I know to be someone who loves his cars dearly and care for them well. And yes, I got a good and reliable set of wheels which served me faithfully for 2 years before I sold it and got another pre-loved car.

This third car, I sourced from the local dailies too, and before I signed the papers and paid the money, I ran a check at the Traffic Police Headquarters. Thank God, I took the trouble. The car had accumulated a total of RM4300 worth of unpaid summonses for various offences, from illegal parking to speeding. I made a quick phone call to the young car owner to tell him to settle everything, if not, it will be ‘No Deal’. He settled and cleared everything the following day.

I have been lucky with my purchases but this could not be said of my friend LP. She not be knowing much lar (not that I know any better), got her dear husband to look for a second-hand car for her. And hubby found a very good deal….nice 2.0L car, a model that LP actually wanted very much, very well-maintained and cheap too. Okie, deal closed and LP got her dream car. A couple of months later and one fine day while LP was driving to town, she somehow sensed that another car was tailing her. From the rear-view mirror, all she could make out was 2 men in dark glasses behind the wheels of a car with tinted glass. She continued driving round and round and decided to drive into the open-air carpark at the market. Not seeing the car from her rear-view mirror anymore, she shrugged off any uncomfortable thoughts. After a good 15 minutes or so, she got back onto the road to continue her journey to her hair salon in town. She must have driven for another 10 minutes or so when from God knows where, that familiar looking car re-appeared and was coming up very fast behind her and before she could do anything, the driver of that car sort of ‘forced’ LP to drive onto the grass verge and stopped there. Two young men came up to her and knocked on her window. LP now pale and shaking, wound the window a bit and heard one of the men yelling at her, **&^%$#@, you bitch..#@@&&*%....you hooker....^%$#@...You stay away from Aileen’s husband..**&&%$ This is just a warning......You hear that??...STAY AWAY FROM ALEX!!...@&%#@**...."

And just as quickly, the 2 men walked back to their car and sped off, leaving LP cold and sweating on her seat. She can’t remember how long she sat stiff in the car before gaining her composure and drove home. She later discovered that the previous owner of the car was someone’s mistress and the unhappy wife must have sent the two menacing fellas to do the job. It was a case of mistaken identity. The 2 fellas must have been told to look out for a woman driving that car with that particular number plate. So takuttttt.....LP managed to sell off the car after 2 months.

We just have to be extra vigilant when buying pre-loved vehicles. Make sure that it is not a ‘kereta potong’ and pray too, that it does not come from dubious backgrounds.

Are You Titled?

2007-05-04T10:42:00.000+08:00

I had a doctor’s appointment for 2.30pm yesterday and I arrived at the clinic right on the dot. In the waiting room and spilling outside were about 10 other people whom I assumed were there for their appointments too. The clinic nurse was no where to be seen and after a short while, she appeared from the consultation room and called out for the next patient to go in. I then reported to her that I was there for the 2.30pm slot and she told me, “You gotta wait.”

Me : For how long?
Nurse: 4 to 5 more patients.
Me : But my appointment is for 2.30pm.
Nurse : You have to wait. All these came earlier.
Me : But you told me to come at 2.30pm? I cannot wait for so long.
Nurse : You have to wait. Got VIP here lar.

Nurse then walked towards another room. I followed and gave her a pissed-off smile, and through gritted teeth, I whispered to her in a most civilized manner, “Listen here. VIP or whatever, I am not here for free. I PAY FULL fees FULLSTOP”

I was called in next.

What’s this pre-occupation with titles and VIPs and whatever? And at clinics too?

Note:
Apparently, everyone was given an appointment at 2.30pm but when at the clinic, it will go ‘first come, first served’. Don’t they understand the meaning of the word ‘appointment’ or is it a different application at clinics only?

Stumped?

2007-04-29T17:05:00.000+08:00

I was at the neighbourhood bakery just now to get something for breakfast tomorrow and I settled for a raisin swiss roll. While one of the sales assistant was slicing up the roll for me, I heard the cashier, a young lady, saying, “Fai tee.” (Cantonese for ‘faster’). I then walked over to the other corner of the shop to look at some of the other buns and muffins and back to the counter. Again, I heard the cashier said “fai tee”. I smiled and said in Cantonese, “mo siong kon. marn marn lei” (it’s ok, take your time) as I thought she was hurrying the assistant who was looking for a small box to pack the roll. Ms Cashier then gave me a funny look and pointed to the display bar on the cash register which read RM5.50 and repeated what I still took to be “fai tee” .

I took a good 10 seconds before it struck me that she had, for the past few minutes been trying to collect RM5.50 from me for my order. Only then did I realized that she had said, “fai fi tee” (it’s FIVE FIFTY, for heaven’s sake) and all the while I had thought she was hurrying her co-worker.

I did not laugh because I did not find it funny at all. There were just too many times I was stumped by what the young cashiers were trying to say when I checked out at the counter. Do you think this has anything to do with our education policy or the way English is taught in schools today? And I am not even going to talk about some atrociously written letters and reports I had the misfortune of reading. Help! Help!

P.S. Yours truly will be away for a few days. Here's wishing all my friends here a Happy Labour Day and a Blessed Wesak.

I Am Flabbergasted

2007-04-25T17:16:00.000+08:00

A couple of weeks back, I came across a notice in the newspapers calling for owners/carriers of ‘old’ toll-payment cards to get the cards replaced. According to the notice, the first generation cards issued have a lifespan of 10 years and are due to expire in May 2007. I quickly checked my card but nowhere was it printed the expiry date unlike that you see on credit cards. All I can see was a serial number and an old seven-digit telephone number.
Then a couple of days ago, I passed a toll booth and then decided to turn in to the Customer Service office to get my card replaced.

Me : Hi, Good afternoon. I’d like to replace this card.

The Customer Service executive took my card , slot it into a reader, took it out and handed it back to me and then told me that I do not need to replace it.

Me : Why? I read the notice in the papers.
CS : Yours not due yet…due only in 2008. You continue to use until it expire.
Me : Oh. How would I know and remember when?
CS : Ah…..when it expire, you’ll not be able to pass through lar.
Me : Aiyoh…Lidat sure kena marah teruk should I be stuck there and holding up traffic.
Me : Since I am here now, you upgrade for me please.
CS : Then you have to pay RM10.
Me : Wahhhh……

**********************************************************************************

I went to the telecommunictions office to do some transfer/change of name for the phone line. Filled up one simple form, paid some money and it was done. Then I told them to transfer the broadband account too.

CS : Cannot transfer lidat. You have to cancel the first account and reapply.
Me : Okie, let me sign the forms now.
CS : It takes 3 days to cancel and another few days for the new line to be activated.
All in you will not have internet access for about 7 days.
Me : SEVEN DAYS!!!!!!! 7 HARI!!!!!!! WHY????? I thought do some paperwork only!
CS : This IS the process.
Me : Okie. No need to transfer.

The above 2 incidents left me flabbergasted. What funny systems they have there.

Out With The Old

2007-04-22T16:51:00.000+08:00

I just finished clearing my cupboards and drawers and once again, my things looked neat and organized, for the next couple of months, that is.

Eventhough I am not a compulsive buyer and hoarder, somehow or other, after every few months or so, the contents of the cupboards threatened to fall all over me each time I open the doors and the drawers either refuse to open upon pulling or I just can’t get it to close after that. As I do not fancy finding myself lying under a toppled cupboard or having a drawer dropped on my feet one of these days, I decided to forgo some blogging time and get over this ‘not-favourite-chore’ of mine.

1/ Clothes
I now have 3 big bags of clothes to be sent over to a relative’s place, and she will then kindly help to send over to her church.
The clothes, some are mine and some are my kids’. As I sorted out the pieces, I just cannot believe that I own some of the pieces. Aw….common, there are those tiny ones, a few I cannot even recognize and a few others that I don’t remember buying and wearing at all! Can they actually be mine???? I must have looked anorexic then, to be able to fit into those scraps of cloth. Then of course, there are others that made me gasped in disbelief that I bought them at all. These are pieces that are actually one size too big and I quickly put them into the bag to be given away….errmm…I definitely do not want to grow and fit into them. No thank you.

2/ Handbags/Carry-Alls
Just 2 cheap pieces to be discarded. Nah…not suitable to be given away. Those were the days when I used to buy more expensive handbags and when I get a new one, the old one would go into the deep end of the cupboard. It’s not that they are LV or Coach or Prada or whatever, but I just don’t know what to do with them. I don’t go around giving used handbags to friends…this would be social suicide. So I keep and keep and keep until one fine day, my relative asked if I have some used items to donate for a charity sale and I was more than pleased to send over 6 pieces, all lovingly cleaned and polished to shine.
Now, I no longer invest in those expensive bags. I buy whatever brandless bags I fancy and I discard them once I feel they have reached their lifespan and I get new pieces ever so often. This suits me just fine.

3/ Papers/Brochures/Mails
My, oh my, the drawers looked as if it had been ransacked by a burglar….pieces of colourful paper and brochures, half-opened envelopes, reminders and notices, carelessly-folded bills, dog-eared paperbacks, magazines, expired Astro Guides, corporate annual reports, free premium items (keychains, ballpoint pens, pencils, stickers, coasters, etc), scissors, rolls of tapes, colourful ribbons, sticks of multi-coloured markers..etc..etc.. all over and on top of each other. **roll eyes** How did it get to this state? Nevermind. I pulled out the drawers one by one, overturned it and opened one huge garbage bag and I have to work fast. Decide fast what goes back into the drawer and the rest into the garbage bag. Mull a bit too long, and the drawer fills up again….you’d believe that every other piece would turn out useful one day. A case of junk turning into gold?

I dunno lar, I just cannot stand clutter and when I am in the cleaning and clearing mode, that’s it…out with old with more space for the new. I feel good.

Nothing To Worry About

2007-04-18T17:04:00.000+08:00

As ‘supposedly’ disciplined as I am with the visits to my dentist and doctor for my routine check-ups and screenings, this cannot be said of my visits to the beautician or esthetician or whatever you call them. Those were the days when I was quite regular, as in I visited them at least…. at least four times a year but the last of my visits, I cannot even recall now. It was that lonnnng ago. It’s not that I dislike pampering but I find it too time consuming and often times, after an hour and a half or so at the salon, I’d head straight home, climb onto the bed and go to snoozeland and my whole afternoon would be gone just like that. **tsk..tsk..tsk..**

So, a couple of Sundays ago, I drove around the Uptown area in PJ and my goodness, there were just so many beauty salons, slimming centres, spas and what-have-you. I parked my car and walked up to one and rang the doorbell. A young lady hurried out to open the door and I told her that I am interested to do a facial.

Young Lady : Soli, we go by appointments oni.
Me : Oh, I see. Thank you and bye-bye.

I drove around again and then eyed an inconspicuous outlet. Rang the doorbell and this time, I was in luck. They do take walk-ins and I was quickly ushered to one of the small cubicles and without further ado, the beautician got down to work on my grimy face. After an hour or so, I came out with a much cleaner and brighter face. Gua suka…. Price? Less than RM100... mmmm...reasonable enough. I was impressed; more so that they did not ‘motivate’ me to buy their whole range of skin care products. I went back for a couple more times after that and last weekend, after I was done, the lady boss offered ‘consultation’ over some warm teas. I was actually feeling very sleepy already and was dying to go home and hug my pillow, but she said it will take only 15 minutes or so. OKie, let’s get over with it.

She started by telling what other treatments the salon offers and the benefits and I thought she specifically highlighted some glowing testimonies too, and bla…bla…bla.…..Just too bad, at that moment, my brain was almost in the sleeping mode and therefore I was not fully concentrating on what she was saying at all…..bla…bla…and more bla… as she droned on. Hey! Wait a minute, I thought I heard her mentioning something like RM4200. In an instant, I awoke from my reverie…took another gulp of my now cold tea, my eyes wide open. She must have noticed the incredulous look on my face because she quickly gave a light tap on my hand and said something like not to worry and that the amount can be paid by a painless zero-interest instalment scheme and all I needed to do was to flick out my credit card and sign on the dotted line. To fork out RM4200 for some dunno-what-you-call-it-treatments and she told me not to worry! Hahahah….I took another gulp of the tea and quickly regained my composure and told her that this is some big-bucks we are talking here and I need to consult my financial planner first, said my ‘thank you’ and bade lady boss bye-bye.

Wuah….facials/beauty treatments now cost an arm and a leg and they have all these ingenious credit schemes to help you pay them in advance. Sorry, I am totally blur in this….I must have been really out of the loop for a long, long time already. As I don’t have the money to throw this way, I guess lady boss was right to a point - there is actually nothing to worry about.

Until Next Year, Doc!

2007-04-15T18:09:00.000+08:00

These 3 items, I jot into my diary beginning of each year to remind me:-
1/ Dental Visit 2X
2/ O & G Visit
3/ Medical Check-Up/Physical Examination

I am very compliant with the first 2 items; no ‘ifs’ and no ‘buts’ and I just take it in my stride and go through with it. I have decided long ago that I want to keep my chompers for as long as possible and therefore, have been a regular contributor to my dentist’s bank account and I also contribute a fair bit on behalf of my 2 boys too. So, the word ‘toothache’ does not appear in their vocabulary.

As for the O & G visits, I have been told and made to understand that there are no two ways about it. Many instances of pre-cancerous growths have been detected through screenings and tests and appropriate treatment given in time to save lives. So, I comply and go for my appointment without a squeak.

“ANNUAL MEDICAL CHECK-UP/PHYSICAL EXAMINATION’
Arrrrhhh….seeing this line boldly printed in my diary…..this is enough to trigger me to go into my “Excuses’ mode. I just don’t know why but somehow, I’d delay picking up the phone to call the doctor for my appointment. It’s always, “OK, tomorrow…tomorrow I’ll call…” and there’s always a tomorrow. **sighsss** It’s not that I can’t find the time or I can’t find the money or I hate needles or whatever. It is more like I fear to know the results of the tests. What is this? Want to do the tests and yet afraid to know the results? Silly me.

So I woke up one fine morning last week, skipped my breakfast, showered and went straight to the hospital. The tests were all done within 2 hours and by then, I was so hungry I could eat a horse. As I walked out of the clinic and passed a cozy café, I spied some sinful tiramisu and …mmmm ….”I must have it…I must have it”, I heard the little voice within me and I obediently indulged myself. mmmmmm....it's soooooo lips-smacking good!

Two days after that, I went back to see my doctor for the test results and consultation. Eeeeyerrr….this, I dislike and fear the most…so afraid of what would turn up. As always, a 10 to 15-minutes wait at the doctor’s waiting room seems like an eternity and I’d be flipping through those outdated and dog-eared magazines and shifting uncomfortably on my seat until I heard my name called. “Ms Tan..” and I almost jumped. Took a deep breath and walked right in. The doctor and I greeted each other and he remarked how cold my hands felt and I laughed nervously. We chatted for a while to put me at ease and we went through the paces and the results. Yippeee……Results all in order. To repeat tests next year. Yippeee….I wanna hug and kiss my doctor but I restrained myself. A handshake will suffice. "Until next year, Doc."

As I walked out of the clinic and passed that cozy café again, this time I saw some freshly-delivered carrot cake and I decided to reward myself for being a good nyonya.

mmmmm…..it’s yummlicious……mmmmm....it’s heavenly…..

Yes, until next year, Doc!