Desperately seeking KC

Eh, baru perasan nobody tag me anymore. Why eh? Tak popular ke moi ni...ha ha ha! *FYI, this is one very perasan makcik*

The truth is, am running out of ideas to write.

Before I freeze to death, I'm offering myself to be tagged. Yeah, I'm actually waving the tag card here - tag me, tag me not, tag me, tag me not. See what I mean?

So pleaseeeee, for the benefit of mankind, tag me! *but please....eh ada clause lagi tu...don't give hard tag to do ye...wa malas mau perah otak...hehe*

A man named Geoff Williams

Is there anyone like Geoff Williams here? Doctor specifically?

I chanced upon an article in the Star paper recently about a certain kind-hearted doctor named Geoff Williams. What glued me to this remarkable story is his boundless spirit and passion in helping unfortunate children in third world countries.

Geoff Williams isn't just any regular doctor. He is a plastic surgeon by profession. His job is to make children be able to smile again especially when they had facial deformity their whole life.

You just had to read it to believe that there are indeed ordinary people like Geoff Williams out there doing extraordinary kindness.

God bless his soul.

Lifefocus Friday November 28, 2008

Saving faces

By REBECCA BOONE

Plastic surgeon trades riches for a wealth of smiles.

GEOFF Williams drives a dented and dusty 1992 Honda Civic, its partially detached rear panel bobbing with every dip in the road. When he goes home, it’s to a paper-cluttered bedroom across the hall from his parents’ modest master suite.

As a plastic surgeon, Williams could live in a sprawling house, cruise in a snazzy sports car and wear custom-made shoes instead of the US$5 (RM17.50) pair he snagged at the thrift store a few years back.

Instead he spends his money on hundreds of strangers, half a world away. Grown men with rope-like tumours engulfing their eyes, nose, lips. Teenage girls with heads cocked permanently to one side because of burn-tightened skin. But mostly children – with faces split up the middle like a half-open zipper.

Williams invests in faces.

Originally it was art, not altruism, that drew Williams into the competitive business of plastic surgery.

“People think for my whole life I wanted to do something like this, working in developing countries, and it wasn’t really like that,’’ he explains. “I like art, I like the form of the human face. Also, I wanted to be a doctor and do surgery, and plastic surgery was a way to put these two together.’’

His parents were thrilled, envisioning a life of traditional financial security and rewarding work for their eldest son.

Not all of their wishes were fulfilled.

Williams didn’t develop his empathy for the disfigured from his childhood. He wasn’t teased for his appearance in high school. There was no sibling with a cleft palate to defend from the harelip jokes of elementary school students.

Williams and his two brothers were average kids, polite children who played sports and got decent grades.

He worked his way through medical school, with some help from his parents.

He decided to specialise in children’s deformities because he found that his scalpel could heal not only disfigured children, but their broken-hearted parents.

He underwent cleft palate training at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Craniofacial Center in Taiwan, considered one of the leaders in cleft surgery in the world.

This birth defect, in which the roof of the mouth is separated, sometimes front to back, affects about one in every 800 babies.

Williams landed a lucrative job performing plastic surgery and teaching at the University of Texas.

But as he worked and taught in wealthy hospitals, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the hundreds of desperate mothers in Vietnam who had swarmed him during a volunteer training trip, thrusting their deformed babies at him and begging for help. Only 20 babies were treated that trip; about 180 were sent away.

As his plane took off, he was overcome with sadness.

“Leaving, looking down at those lights, I knew these mothers were going home with total disappointment,’’ Williams recalls. “I remember making a promise to myself then, to those mothers: I may not be able to find you, but I’ll find someone like you. I’ll come back. I’ll do more.’’

Several months later, he took another volunteer trip, this time to India.

“I thought I’d do it a couple of times and get it out of my system. After about a year, it just hit me – it would not be easy to stop doing it.’’

He took a leave of absence from the University of Texas in 2003 to immerse himself in treating the forgotten patients in developing countries. He never went back.

He went to Peru, Kenya, Bolivia, the Philippines, Mexico, Pakistan, China, Thailand. And always, back to Vietnam.

“A lot of the kids that are born with a cleft lip and palate just never go to school. Their mothers will keep them home as a way of protecting them from the cruelties of society,’’ Williams says.

“No education means little opportunity for work, for getting married, for everything in life that brings them rewards. Those little babies don’t know what they’re in for.’’

At first, he travelled with some of the many groups that organise medical missions in Third World countries. But the trips bothered him.

They often ended while children were still in the critical post-operative healing period. Dozens – sometimes hundreds – of would-be patients were routinely turned away. And American doctors often had little time to train local doctors.

The turning point came during a group trip to Vietnam in 1999. A child was turned away because it was the medical team’s last day in the country – a day that had been scheduled for sightseeing and shopping.

Williams stayed and reconstructed the child’s face. Hospital administrators quietly asked him to come back on his own.

He did, making trips to more countries on his own time. He created the International Children’s Surgical Foundation in December 2005 to raise money so his work could continue when his savings ran dry.

Donations

The foundation now manages to bring in just enough donations to stay in the black, covering Williams’ airfare, hospital fees and a few other travel incidentals.

He doesn’t know when he’ll get a salary. But he doesn’t seem to care.

“His rewards from his work are infinitely preferable to what anyone would achieve doing standard plastic surgery,’’ says Dr Stephen Milner, a friend and board member of his foundation.

Some of Williams’ friends have warned that the fulfilment he has found in helping others comesat too high a price. At 53, he has less than US$200,000 (RM720,000) in his retirement account, a paltry amount for a successful surgeon.

“I know some plastic surgeons who’ve retired with US$30mil RM1.1bil) in the bank, a private jet and a bunch of other toys, and they seem really unhappy,’’ he responds.

Williams says he has found his life’s work the most fulfilling career he can imagine. But keep prying, and he’ll reluctantly confide something: The price of taming his adopted heartache for disfigured children and their parents is a different sort of pain – the pain of loneliness, a life of stress and solitude.

He would like to be married, but that means finding someone willing to work by his side and live an itinerant, often indigent, life.

“I feel like I’m never going to get married because of what I’ve chosen to do. No real chance for a social life,’’ Williams says. “One of the reasons I can do this job is because I don’t have a bunch of little mouths to feed at home.’’

His lifestyle is beyond modest – while in the United States, he lives with his parents. While abroad, he stays in hostels, in the homes of local doctors or even in the on-call rooms of hospitals.

Yet, the longer he spends on his work full-time, the more alone he becomes.

“I’ve developed a bit of an anxiety disorder because I’m always planning a few missions in advance, and I struggle with not having a steady, even-keel, solid routine in my life,’’ Williams says. “Sometimes I feel like I’m coming apart because I need that routine.’’

But those feelings are transitory. “Whenever I feel, ‘poor me,’ then I go on my next trip,’’ he says. “When you find something you’re meant to do, your life’s work, you do it.’’

The rewards, though untraditional, are priceless.

One patient – Cassandra Castellanos – was just three months old when a gas tank exploded and burned her wood-and-reed home around her. Hospital workers told her anguished mother, Maria Luisa Cruz, that her youngest child would not live beyond the next 24 hours.

But little Cassandra survived, with arms and face deeply scarred. Her wounded skin drew stares from strangers, and Cruz feared her daughter’s life would be forever scarred as well.

As a single mother to four children, Cruz didn’t have the money to pay for even one of the multiple surgeries Cassandra would need to reduce the scarring. But when Cassandra was six, they met Williams.

The first of multiple operations began with him inserting a tissue expander underneath the healthy skin near Cassandra’s burns. The expander – essentially a silicone balloon – was filled with water each week to force Cassandra’s body to grow more skin over the device. Williams then surgically removed the expander, pulling the new skin up over her scarred cheek.

In subsequent surgeries, he moved her eyelid and right ear back to their correct positios and pulled her scalp forward to cover a bald area. He operated on her hand to relieve an area tightened by a scar, improving her mobility.

The work isn’t done yet.

Williams says he’ll continue to “refine’’ the scars – Cassandra is scheduled in December for a surgery in which he will use cartilage from her ear and rib to reshape her nose. Another surgery is planned to give her eyebrow grafts using hair follicles taken from the back of her neck.

Williams is hoping to avoid using any skin grafts – on Mexican children the grafted skin tends to turn darker than the surrounding area – but says he may have to on her upper lip.

Now 14, Cassandra grows closer every year to having the face she was always meant to have.

“The truth is, I’m really happy,’’ she says. “Thanks to him I’ve had these operations. The way I was before and the way I am now – it’s advanced a lot.’’

Her mother is healing as well, no doubt from seeing her daughter thrive.

“She’s so much better. She’s not going to recover 100%,’’ Cruz says, “but 90%. That’s all right.’’

It all makes the austere lifestyle worth it for Williams.

In Vietnam, he casually mentioned that he liked mangoes and was soon inundated with the tropical fruit by parents who wanted to pay him in whatever way possible for the future he provided for their children.

In the Philippines, one mother presented him with a freshly butchered chicken, carefully wrapped in plastic netting.

He knew what she was trying to say: Thank you.

His heart fills up as grateful mothers see him off on his next mission, waving their babies’ tiny fists in the air so the infants can say goodbye, too.

Moments like that lift any melancholy. They’re tangible proof that he’s making a difference in someone’s life.

And for that, he says, his reward is the memory he’ll keep of all those faces.

A toy story

Masa baru beli sikit punya cun...

less than a day... note the small crack



3 days later... bigger crack appears



No wonder lah...made in China rupa-rupanya


Either my son has destructive hands or the quality of toys nowadays sucks.

Spam mail

Huh, I thought this spam mail thingy only happens on the internet. Rupa-rupanya kat snail mail pun ada.

Lately, we received several letters from this mailing address. Same content. I (jokingly) asked the good husband whether he ada main russian roulette ke, main poker ke, sampai kena mintak tolong dengan sami siam. He said, "Hishh, mana ada. Fitnah tuh...".

Then he remembered somewhere last year (before he joined present company) ada stayed in one hotel kat Langkawi whilst on company trip. Maybe the hotel provides info or someone got his info and gave it to this malaun mailer.

Have you received similar spam mail like this one in your postbox? *Kalau ada wife yg tak tau hujung pangkal cerita mau melayang pinggan mangkuk satu rumah ek....tee hee hee*

KCism

Most common phrases/words used in yours truly's blogposts in no particular order.

1. Sheesh
2. So what if ...
3. Crap
4. Woo hoo hoo
5. Of course
6. Tee hee hee
7. Whatever
8. Yeah right
9. I don't think so
10. Heavenly
11. If there was any ...
12. It has never fail to evoke emotion in me
13. Oh by the way ...
14. I kinda ...
15. Ever so ...
16. So when I ...
17. Wanna know why
18. What the hell ...
19. Any word that starts with super ...
20. Any sentence/word that ends with OK ...
21. Last time I looked like this shit ...
22. coz ....
23. Is it any wonder ...
24. Any sentence that ends with the *!* mark
25. Don't get me wrong
26. Its just that sometimes ...
27. Granted ...
28. My heart sank ... /when the news sank in
29. What can I say?
30. Literally speaking ...
31. heartwrenching
32. Beats me
33. Whilst ...
34. Way to go ...
35. Back to the .... (subject matter)
36. Heck ...
37. Shit happens when you least expect it *also my signature mantra in SU*
38. Totally lame
39. Moi
40. Like I care
41. Shouldn't be that way
42. Freaking ...
43. Unta baral (thats not even english)
44. In case you are/were wondering ...
45. On top of that ...
46. Kind of pretty ... *follow by sentence*
47. I so ... *follow by sentence/words*
48. Serves me/you right
49. Lo and behold
50. So in between this and that ...
51. Man, ...
52. Huh *say it the VK Lingam way*

Athough there is no exact count of the number of words, it has been estimated that the vocabulary of English language has roughly about one million words and they are ever expanding. Of course, some of the words are borrowed from other tongues but are widely used in context and frequency as English.

Every year, it is estimated that close to 300 new words are added into the Oxford dictionary.

One million words and 300 new words each year?

And THOSE were like the only freaking words I know my entire life? Is it any wonder why this blog is such a real loser? Totally lame.

Katie Holmes today, gone tomorrow

Mirror mirror on the wall

Who has the ugliest hair of all

ME...*answers feebly*

Its been a while since I last had my hair cut. I've been keeping it long for the longest time. So when I went to the local hair salon in town and decides to have my hair snipped, I opted for a short hairdo. I told the hairdresser that I wanted my hair to look like Katie Holmes.

Hairdresser: Katie tu sapa kak?

KC : Bini Tom Cruise

She looked bewildered.

Hairdresser: Tom Cruise tu sapa yek?

KC: Haa, Tom Cruise pun tak kenal? Dia tu kan pelakon femes kat Hollywood

Hairdresser: Tak kenal la kak

KC: Hmm...takpe lah *dalam hati kata..eleh..kalau mention Datuk Khalid Jiwa tu kau mesti la kenal sape bini dia kan...*.

At this point, I was scratching my not so gatal head. How to tell this girl what I wanted. I looked around the salon and saw some malay tabloid mags not so neatly stacked on the glass shelves. I picked one and flipped thru the pages. Nothing. I began looking at the magazine clippings decorated on the walls. None of the hairstyles match what I wanted. Frustrated, I explained carefully the haircut that I wanted to the girl. She seemed to understand and uttered;

Hairdresser: Ohhh...yang itu ke kak. kalau nak potong macam tu kita panggil bob stail

KC: Ye ke...apa apa je laa dek oii

An hour later, I got my Katie Holmes's hairdo. Woo hoo hoo. But it was a shortlived happyness. When I woke up the next day, it was gone. My Katie Holmes's hair is gone - forever *horrified look*! Yesterday, I looked fabulous. Today, I looked disastrous.

Nobody ever told me I should blow-dry my hair after shampoo especially with bob hairstyle. Sheesh.

Amarahku

Sebaik membaca berita ni kat muka depan suratkhabar, terus menggigil kepala lutut saya. Sebak pun ada. Bayangkan kanak-kanak 10 tahun dilanggar-lari kemudian mayatnya diseret kereta tersebut bukannya 5 meter, bukan juga 50 meter tapi 5 kilometer! Saya tak dapat bayangkan perasaan ibubapa Allahyarham Mohd Hanafis Suhairi tatkala menatap mayat anak mereka. Kepala dan muka hancur berkecai sehingga sukar dikenali. Bayangkan...

Yang membuatkan saya berasa sungguh geram dengan pemandu tersebut ialah dia tak bother langsung nak turun dari kereta selepas melanggar orang. Pada saya, pemandu itu seorang pembunuh! Dia bukannya bertembung kereta dengan kereta tapi penunggang motosikal yang sudah tentu tidak mempunyai apa-apa perisai pun di badan.

Saya nak mencadangkan kepada kerajaan supaya hentikanlah slogan seperti "Pandu Cermat Jiwa Selamat". Sebab bagi saya slogan tu tak berkesan. Eloklah ditukar saja ayat tu kepada "Tahukah Anda Yang Anda Bakal Menjadi Seorang Pembunuh Sekiranya Tidak Memandu Dengan Cermat". Biar ayat Pembunuh tu kasi bold sikit supaya pemandu-pemandu yang reckless dan tak reti bahasa di jalanraya tu register kat kepala hotak diorang. Dan seelok-eloknya pemandu yang dah buat kes macam ini digantungkan terus lesen memandunya. Toksah lah bagi dia bawak kereta lagi. Kalau dia bising kata susah nak pegi kerja suruh dia naik bas atau LRT je.

Untuk berlaku adil, saya juga menyarankan agar kerajaan mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap penunggang-penunggang motosikal yang tidak memakai topi keledar dan yang tidak mengenakan fluorescent safety vest ketika menunggang di waktu malam. Kalau yang bawak anak jadi pembonceng pun patut dipakaikan topi keledar kerana pada pandangan saya sungguh tak patut mak bapak pakai topi keledar tapi anak-anak tak pakai. Apa tak sayang anak ke diorang ni? Pikir keselamatan diri sendiri tapi anak-anak dibiarkan? Kerajaan juga patut kenakan tindakan terhadap ibubapa yang membiarkan anak mereka tak cukup umur tanpa lesen yang sah menunggang motosikal kerana sikap ini boleh mengundang bahaya kepada diri sendiri dan juga orang ramai. Saya cukup pantang tengok budak-budak gini naik motor sebab diorang bawak pun macam merempit.

Al-fatihah buat adik Mohd Hanafis Suhairi.

*Kalau nak tahu kenapa saya mengamuk bacalah dengan lebih lanjut di sini.

High School Reunion: 24 years later

Its funny how we can get so busy (or consumed) doing what we do each day that we don't even realize how fast our lives are ticking away. For some, high school was the highlight of their life, and others, like me, it was a period of transition.

As I entered the school gate, my heart was filled with mixed emotion. This was the very same gate that greeted me hello on my first day at this school. I was transferred here by sudden twist of fate. My parents were finalising their divorce and they thought that by sending us to boarding schools, our studies will not be disrupted. My parents decided to send me and my brother there while another brother was sent to another boarding school in town.

I learnt a lesson of lifelong humility in this "kampung" school. The first 3 months of my life there, I was transformed from a total snob to a total modest. From a pretentious city girl to a simple kampung girl. Struggled with family problems at home, they helped me coped with life in the hostel. When I feel lonely, they offered friendship without prejudice. There were times when I was at the bottom pit, they'd pull my two hands to bring me to safety. They coaxed me to come out from the shell and taught me not to feel guilty coming from a broken home. I began to enjoy life as a real teenager then.

Back to the high school reunion, hearing about former principal who passed away and teachers, some who retired after years of service and some who still stayed on made me feel old too. I was a bit disappointed when none of my classmates turned up for the event. However, meeting my juniors and seniors who were also my former dormmates were more than enough to make up for their absence although my memory seemed to fail me when seeing familiar faces but not remembering their names. It was great seeing them again but what really hit me hard was how much some of them had aged and expanded in size...tee hee hee. Well, to be fair, some of them didn't really changed that much. I was surprised to see our ex-warden hadn't changed at all. He looked ever so youthful. The same old jovial Cikgu Syed. You rawk man!

As a side note, I (literally) won the award for having the least kids. I don't really know if I really do have the least but some juniors who were much much younger than me had more than mine. Very productive indeed. *chuckles*

The reunion was a grand affair, filled with nostalgic moments. I honestly wish the best, life has to offer for all those people I met that night. God willing, we'll see each other again next year when the school celebrates its golden jubilee. InsyAllah.

And this time around, I'll make sure to bring the camera along.

Alive and Kicking

*as usual, the image above was stolen from someone's website*

I know some of you might think that I have disappeared from the face of the earth but I'm still here, man. I haven't been busy. I have been crazy lazy.

You wanna know why? Because blogging is no easy feat. Its freaking hard and dirty work. You have to constantly battle it with your brain and your hand, *your fingers may want to tap that keyboard but your brain prevent them from doing so because your brain functionality is currently out of service at the moment*.

Didn't they tell you to blog every friggin' day? Crap.

P/S: Sleepless On The Side is 2 today, y'all.

I have a dream

The new US President-elect, Barack Huessin Obama II embodies Martin Luther King Jr's famous quote to the historic speech he made on August 28, 1963. He certainly made Martin Luther King Jr's dream possible 45 years later!

Congratulations to Mr President Barack Obama.

*More on Martin Luther King Jr's speech can be read here.

Succumbed

Impressed by my daughters' indomitable spirit to have their ears pierced this Hari Raya, I finally succumbed to their persistent request. No thanks to the in laws for their endless prodding. They claimed that Hari Raya is incomplete without the sparkles.

I first got my ears pierced when I was about their age. Unlike today's modern and hygienic technique of ear-piercing, those in my time were done traditionally. The ritual itself was quite horrendous. They would rub gently kapur sirih on my earlobes and took out a needle sanitized only by the candle flame. They would give me a betel leaf carefully wrapped with an assortment of betelnut, kapur sirih and other flavourings to chew. They said it would alleviate the pain. I didn't like the taste very much.

Before the piercing begins, a middle aged lady, I think she was the kampung's midwife, would recite some quranic verses before poking my earlobes with the needle. It was damn painful but I kept on chewing the betel leaf. After it was over, she rubbed this liquid on my ears and it was soothing. That's when I heard thunderous applause by family members. They praised me for being so brave. Yeah right!

Actually, I didn't want my daughters to wear any kinds of jewellery because they were too young to appreciate them. I should know better as I am their mother.

The thing is, I really don't fancy jewelleries. I hate wearing them. The only time I was made to wear them was on my wedding day. I looked like Mr T with a veil over my head. Me and jewelleries don't go together very well.

As much as I hate to wear them, I had to succumb to my mother's request of wearing bracelet, necklace, earrings and what have you on my wedding day. She said I'd look like a featherless chicken without them. Togel gitu. OK, I exaggerated that but it was something to that effect. Whatever.

On my wedding day, I received a gold bracelet and a necklace from my mother in law as a wedding present besides the usual barang kemas from the husband. I managed to wear my wedding ring for the first 2 years only and I took it off after having my firstborn. I have not worn it since then. It has nothing to do with trying to announce the whole world that I'm still MBA (married but available), it is just that my ring couldn't fit my short tubby finger. Tragic.

Remember, with each pregnancy, I get expanded. And the extra fat still remains in certain strategic places on my body. Even my shoes are a size 8. I used to be a size 6. Double tragic.

Since I don't like jewelleries, my husband has saved a lot of money. I mean a lot. He doesn't have to splurge them on every birthdays or anniversaries. I'm also low on maintenance. Which is why he kept telling me that he is so lucky to have me as his wife. I wonder if he meant that as a compliment or he was just so glad that I didn't kikis him sampai botak.

I'd like to think the former.

Parrotus Dumbalinus

Did you notice that our incumbent politicians are afflicted with a very rare disease called, parrotuette syndrome, caused by a strain of deadly virus, parrotus dumbalinus (not to be mistaken with thumbalina). *Please don't bother to look up in the dictionary because it doesn't exist, thank you*.

Parrotuette is akin to Tourette syndrome except that, Tourette is an inherited disorder of the nervous system passed down genetically whereas Parrotuette is an airborne contagious disease passed down by politicians of yore. Its embedded in them all along. You just need to push the right button.

In laymen terms, it means an impulsive act of repeating or imitating what others said. Basically, it only takes one person to trigger it and before you know it, a massive chain reaction erupts. Everybody can be an expert in just about anything (except for the last commenter in the last paragraph). Don't believe me? Just read below.

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

Tuesday October 7, 2008

Council-approved giant cutout of Anwar draws flak

KUALA LUMPUR: The 12.2m high cutout of PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Batu Caves has drawn mixed reactions from the residents and politicians.

Selayang Municipal Council president Zainal Abidin Azim said Batu Caves assemblyman Amirudin Shari had submitted for approval the cutout which stands in front of Wisma Keringat in Batu Caves last month and the council approved it.

“I feel there is no reason this cutout should be an issue,’’ he said about the giant structure which is akin to those used to promote Bollywood stars.

However, Barisan Nasional assemblymen who are against the cutout costing RM5,000 that was put up on Sept 28 argued on religious grounds that it would be tantamount to idolising Anwar and that was prohibited in Islam.

Larger than life: The giant cutout of Anwar in Batu Caves.

Kuang assemblyman Abdul Shukur Idrus said, as a Muslim, Amirudin should know better than to put up the cutout.

“He should have consulted a religious group like the PAS for advice.

“This cutout just shows that the PKR is promoting itself with banners and posters,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, Sungai Burong assemblyman Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias said that it was a waste of public funds.

“Although there is a claim that the cutout is to wish the people Selamat Hari Raya, there are many other ways to do it.

“Besides everyone knows who Anwar Ibrahim is,” he said.

Amirudin said the cutout was initiated by activists and residents in the Batu Caves constituency to wish the people Selamat Hari Raya and it would be taken down once the duration date was up.

In Malacca, Umno vice president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the cutout showed thatAnwar was idolised by PKR.

“I want to ask PAS whether the party gave the approval for the erection of the cutout,” he told reporters after a visit to the Kota Gemilang project in Ayer Keroh yesterday.

Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin advised Anwar’s supporters not to be too extreme in their actions such as idolising the PKR leader.

“The action should be stopped immediately for fear that it would become a practise within the society.

“It can deviate the Muslim’s faith.

“I don’t blame Anwar because it was not him who put up the cutout but his supporters should not idolise too much.

“The structure must be brought down immediately,’’ said the mufti.

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

See what I mean? I think what his supporters did for him was just plain romantic. *sniggers*

By the way, how was your Raya? OK atau tak OK? *macam iklan raya Petronas*.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri

Saya mengambil kesempatan ini dengan mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri buat rakan-rakan bloggers yg beragama Islam.

Semoga hari-hari anda sentiasa ceria selalu.

Berhati-hatilah semasa memandu kenderaan anda. Pandu cermat jiwa selamat. Biar lambat asalkan selamat. *ini bukan iklan berbayar*

Bai roti!

Clippings

I hardly read the newspaper lately. Not because I had gotten tired of the present political scenario (like what else is new), its because I just don't have the luxury of doing so. More often than not, I depend on the internet to catch up with anything latest.

So I was quite surprised with myself when I managed to flip through pages after pages of the newspaper yesterday. Some of the news were amusing and some were outrightly disgusting. News that deserved mention were;

Spies on the prowl

Housewives staking out at the wet markets and hypermarkets as undercover agents for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Division. And the best part is, they get paid for RM1500 monthly allowance for undercover works. Their sole mission - to check any price irregularities and report it to the authority involved.

How cool can that be huh?

I mean its great to know that the government has finally acknowledged and supported the fact that housewives can do more great things (if given the right opportunity) besides tending the children and running the household. Pretty soon, we'll be hearing stories about housewives getting combat tactical and weaponry training, espionage assignments and fly MIGs or helicopters for rescue or mercy mission. That'll be the day. When that happens, I'll be the first early bird to sign up.

Sex sells

Whoa! Just when I thought the Malays have gone glokal as repeatedly preached by the TPM himself, this news had to come in.

Perak Tengah district councillor, Zul Hassan and businessman, Fairul Azrim Ismail were implicated in an illicit sex involving a chinese national after accepting bribes from another Malay complainant. And they both proudly admitted doing it. Shocking? Not really.

What is shocking is, he (Zul Hassan) had been quoted as saying "What is more important is we did not ask for the women. He (the complainant) supplied them to us. If people sedekah (donate), don't you want to accept the sedekah?". Senangnya prinsip hidup kau.

Clearly, he has taken the word sedekah to a new level. Shame on you, Zul! Its people like you who tarnished the Malay image. Kau memang Lelaki Melayu Terlampau.

In a hot soup

It appears to me that every celebrities in this country are going the business way. One such celeb is Amy Search of the now defunct rock group Search. He has been slapped with a civil suit by the parents of a 4 year old boy after an untrained waiter had accidently splashed a hot tomyam soup on his body.

I think its high time that every business establishments or service providers in this country should take heed this information. Don't play-play with customers nowadays. We know our rights. As paying customers, we have the right to expect good service and not given the run-arounds when service is bad. We do not want to be treated as Kings and Queens, we just want to be treated with respect. That's all.

Hail the freak show

Last night while dragging myself to fold a week's laundry, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and switched on the tube. There was nothing interesting on and I began to surf channels when conveniently, America's Got Talent was on air. If there was any show that showcases some of the most weirdest, freakiest and outrageous talent, this would be it.

The show was a bit too carnival for my taste that it felt more like watching a circus than a talent show but hey, since when talent is restricted to singing or dancing or playing musical instrument right? Even stripping your clothes off is considered as talent, if you can call that a talent. Well, at least in this show it was.

The show's judges consist of David Hasselhoff (from the Baywatch series), has-been singer, Brandy and relatively unknown British, Piers Morgan who? And what's with the British as a judge in any talent show? And do they have to be mean and ruthless too?

Nevertheless, I had a whale of time laughing my ass out watching this show because it was so damn entertaining. And oh, what is a talent show without its usual histrionics right?

Like what this cross-dresser guy demonstrated in the video below. Watch it and weep!

America's Got Talent is currently on Star World, Astro on every Wednesday 9pm

Lagi lagi pasal Raya...

Make ikke cicoh budu

Jange lupo tamboh satar

Kelik rayo toksoh laju

Nanti rayo dale sepita

Makang ubi jamang jepong

Makang kepok cicah cuke

Bulang pose mung bengong

Bulang raye mung gile

Sempadan Pahang ada kasino

Nasi dagang ikan patin

Jange mu masam muko

Raya makan rendang sadin

Cenggitu cenggini awak suke
Awak suke kite tak suke

Esok luse hari raye

Sama-sama bersuke rie

Hawau kau berak merate

Kaki bengkak ulau patok

Kalu balik naik kerete

Jangan pandu kalau ngantok

Masak lomak cili api

Campo dongan daun turi

Hari rayo kolumpo sopi

Tinggal penyamun dongan pencuri

Wa cakap lu wa tak tau

Tapi wa tipu sama lu

Raya jangan buat tak tau

Angpau ada bagi gua dulu

Gulai tempoyak ikan mayong

Deroyan busok tebok tupai

Pandu hemat ingat kampong

Ase teman selamat sampei

Pi Aloq Staq terketaq-ketaq

Lapaq perut makan pau

Macam mana tak ketaq

Kena paksa bagi angpau

Nasi kandaq kedai mamak

Anak mami juai pasemboq

Lepas raya usah dok teriak

Kalu ceti mai ikut dapoq

Padang besaq kecik aja

Tempat siam lalu lalang

Hari raya kita berbelanja

Jangan sampai menambah utang

Tidak kira dari mana asal kita, kita tetap sambut raya yang sama. Dengan ini, saya dengan rasa rendah diri (memang rendah pun orangnya) ingin mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri dan Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

Panjang umur jumpa lagi (dalam blog laa...).

Okey, lepas ni saya nak kemas rumah, basuh langsir, basuh sofa cover, sapu sawang, lap tingkap, lap kipas, nak kasi kilat itu cermin, nak ambil baju raya tempah, nak beli barang-barang dapur last minute...blah blah blah. Fuhh, banyaknya kerja nak buat minggu ni. Tolonggggg!

* Seperti tahun-tahun yang lepas, saya juga nak bagi duit raya RM100 seorang (tak pernah miss punya aktiviti) buat rakan-rakan bloggers yang sudi berkunjung ke mari. Silalah ambil di sebelah. Jangan rebut-rebut yek .... tee hee hee

Terharu

Hari ini adalah harijadi saya. Yang ke berapa? Tak payah lah tahu. Dah tua daa. Dan kad-kad inilah yang dihadiahkan kepada saya. Rasa terharu. Kak Ngah siap cakap tak sempat nak singgah kedai alatulis di belakang rumah nak beli kad harijadi. Dapat yang ini pun jadilah katanya. Emm alahai anak ibu seorang ni....

I've said this many times before and I will say it again - its the thought that counts. Walaupun harga kad cuma RM1 sahaja. Beli pun kat kedai buku sekolah. Saya bertanya kepada mereka di mana dapat duit nak beli kad. Kak Long kata dia ambil dari tabung simpanan dia. Kak Ngah pula kata duit yang saya bagi semalam. Tapi dia kata nak beli pensil khot (untuk tulisan jawi) rupa-rupanya dia kelentong kat saya nak beli kad harijadi. Saya kata tak baik menipu. Nanti Tuhan marah. Berdosa. Sia-sia je puasa sehari suntuk tak dapat pahala. Tapi dia jawab balik, kalau dia bagitahu saya niat sebenar, nanti tak surprise!

Saya masih menunggu dengan setia kek yang dijanjikan oleh suami.

*Kad yang bulat tu Kak Long bagi. Yang empat segi tu Kak Ngah bagi.

Dan terima kasih jua kepada Syana kerana sudi menghantar ucapan hari jadi buat saya menerusi khidmat sistem pesanan ringkas.

Thanks Syana! You're so thoughtful. *smile*

Bang bang boom boom

I always dread the festive season. Any festive season that is. Don't get me wrong. I like festive season very much. This is the time we seek forgiveness from our families, extend our warmest friendship in true muhibbah spirit to our friends and neighbours from diverse ethnic backgrounds, to devour a smorgasbord of must-have festive dishes and last but not least, the obligatory holidays they give us. This is also the time we are allowed to gorge endlessly and even the doctors will give you greenlights if only you promise to shed those extra pounds after its over.

No, I'm talking about the other must-do activity that is so culturally Malaysians that without it, we will never be in festive mood. I'm talking about firecrackers, bunga api, the whole nine yards.

Its been only five days of fasting and I'm hearing blasts of firecrackers everywhere in the neighbourhood. Those neighbours' kids are particularly cheeky come Ramadhan. They would sneak behind your back, throw a few firecrackers on the ground and before you know it, the sound of loud big bangs will startle you. I've lost count of uttering the word opocot. And they have a name for such firecracker. I believe they call it, mercun katak.

While I welcome wholeheartedly for bunga api yang tak kuat kadar decibelnya, I can't say of the same thing on firecrackers. Some firecrackers, like the one that shoots out various colour display while you hold it straight up or the one that gives you funny sounds while releasing its contents are within my tolerance level, its the one with kadar decibel yg sungguh tinggi to the point of hurting my eardrums which annoys me the most. These firecrackers are the bane of mortals like me coz its causing me headaches. It becomes increasingly unbearable days before Raya.

Well, enough is enough. Its payback time. This year I'm going to pull some pranks on them. I will lie low for a couple more weeks and when the time is right, I will unleash my first WMD (weapon of mass destruction) that will sparkle the neighbourhood with Hari Raya showers (plus noises).

If only the neighbours won't balik kampung on that same night, that is.

*image cilok-ed from google*

Random ramblings

in conjunction with his birthday, we shaved off his hair. Vin Diesel look is in...

I didn't realise yesterday was Little B's birthday until Kak Long reminded me. This act of forgetfulness is not without excuse. I'm ageing. That's why. Sheesh.

Kak Long asked, tak de ke kek untuk adik? Alahai. Ayahness was so lazy to go out to buy cake yesterday so no cake. Lagipun semalam kan dah start puasa. Lagi lah bertimpa-timpa malasnya nak keluar rumah. Anyway, he promised to buy super mega cake in two weeks time to coincide with my upcoming birthday and Little B's belated birthday. *asyik kek aje, tak de ke benda lain nak beli untuk bini ke. Halamak, did I sound ungrateful? I take back my words.

Oh by the way, Little B turned 3 yesterday. Happy birthday kiddo!

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Yesterday afternoon, I watched the Oprah Winfrey show. Her guest of honours were the Jonas Brothers and their respective family. For the uninitiated, Jonas Brothers are currently the hottest boy band in the US of A. And they are siblings. What interest me the most was the profound remarks their father said when asked by OW on how they (the Jonas Bros) stay grounded despite being so famous. To which he replied earnestly, "We're not raising boys. We're raising men, husbands and fathers...". Oh Wow! That shook me up real good.

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

During the recent school holidays, I embarked on an ambitious project. To bake kek cawan. Adakah aku berjaya kali ini? Yes and No. Yes, as they were eatable, thank God for that! No, coz they turned out terbantut. Penyek as more like it. Not fluffy as supposed. My loyar buruk daughters aptly put it, macam lempeng jer. Instead of cupcakes, I baked peng-cakes. A cross between lempeng and cup cake. Bravo kau KC!

Merdeka!

Tanggal 31

Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh

Merdeka ! Merdeka !

Tetaplah merdeka

Ia pasti menjadi sejarah

Tanggal 31

Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh

Hari yang mulia

Hari bahagia

Sambut dengan jiwa yang merdeka

Mari kita seluruh warga negara

Ramai-ramai menyambut hari merdeka

Merdeka !

Tiga puluh satu bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh

Hari mulia negaraku merdeka

A monkey's tale

A long time ago, there used to be a bunch of wild monkeys hanging around in the seemingly quiet neighbourhood. They would roam aimlessly around the area, scavenging for any leftover food. Sometimes, they walk from one rooftop to another and when that happens, I will quickly rush upstairs to close all windows. The children will get overly excited whenever they spot a monkey or two. Although they looked fierce, they were never a nuisance.

After some time, it was normal to bump into these elusive creatures once in a while. We know they came from a nearby jungle. A jungle of palm oil trees that were once stood proudly in this vast land, also was their natural habitat. Little by little, mass deforestation of these trees to make way for development had driven away these beautiful animals into deeper jungle.

The monkeys weren't the only ones who stroll in the neighbourhood. Once, a baby wild boar was seen running on the road. I saw a few men (Indonesians I presume from language spoken) were trying their might to capture the little beast with a rope. It was like watching a tribal hunting game for in the end, the little beast was caught and on my mind at the time, I knew it was going to be their feast or else why would they took the trouble to catch it. As for me, it was the first time seeing a wild boar up close.

Somehow, I kinda missed their presence. Having them around also makes me feel that I was living in a serene kampung atmosphere, an environment that is free from the hustle and bustle of city life. There used to be heavy mist here every morning especially if it rains the night before and it was pretty cold outside.

Pictures below were taken some two years ago on a neighbour's balcony. That was the last time I ever saw them again.

sedang melontar pandangan jauh sambil menjamu selera

hensem tak aku? aku tahu aku hensem sebab tu ko ambik gambar kan...

sedang kopek apa tu bang?

why are you looking so forlorn my simian friend..

*above picture as usual was cilok-ed from google on SU

Of rambutan and pulasan

Kak Ngah has a delightful sense of humour. She never fails to crack us up with her sharp one liner answer. Funny but logical in a sense.

I bought a few kilos of buah pulasan recently. As usual, when I buy fruits, I would normally peel the skin off and keep them refrigerated in a bowl. They like to eat them cold. Manyak syiokk lah!

As always, during dig in time, we would have light banters anak beranak.

"Sedapnyer rambutan ni kan ibu" (this rambutan is so yummy, ibu), Kak Ngah said.

"Itu bukan rambutan. Itu buah pulasan" (that's not rambutan, that's pulasan), I explained.

"Heh, tipu lah. Ini rambutan lah. Rupa macam rambutan.." (really? they looked like rambutan to me), Kak Ngah not satisfied.

"Betul, itu buah pulasan. Cuba tengok kulit dia. kan tak sama? Buah pulasan kulitnya keras macam ada duri kontot, buah rambutan ada rambut macam janggut ayah tak cukur" (it is pulasan dear. look at the skin. it's rough with shorty thorn and rambutan has hairy skin just like your dad's unshaven beard) , I retorted

"Tapi rasa dia sama jer..." (but it still taste the same), Kak Ngah still not satisfied.

"Lain walaupun rupa hampir sama. Cuba teka macamana buah ni dapat nama dia?" (it tastes different even though they look almost the same. Can you guess how it gets its name?, I asked.

Seriously dude, is there any difference in taste between these two fruits? *that's me thinking out loud*

"Entah tak tahu" (I don't know), shrugged Kak Long who suddenly decides to butt in. Kak Long really enjoys the fruits and couldn't care less of what was going on. She must be thinking, to hell with names.

"Haa, kita tahu kenapa. Sebab nak makan buah pulasan kena pulas kuat-kuat baru nampak isi dia sebab itu kita panggil buah pulasan pastu buah rambutan lak ada rambut sebab itu kita panggil dia buah rambutan. Betul tak ibu?" (i think i know why. you need to twist hard the skin then only you can see the flesh hence its name. as for rambutan, it is named so because of its hairy like appearance. am I right ibu?), Kak Ngah said confidently with a tinge of wickedness in her face.

Bingo!

*Believe me, when the dialogues are translated to english it doesn't sound funny though...

Makan bersuap

Little B's high chair where he used to sit at lunch and dinner time

Salah satu sebab kenapa aku leceh bebenor nak bagi si kecik ni makan ialah sebab dia tak boleh duduk diam barang seminit pun bila disuap makan. Mesti dia nak turun berlari merata-rata tempat main kejar-kejar ngan mak dia. Kenkadang aku heran camna baby omputeh boleh duduk diam-diam kat kerusi pastu boleh suap sendiri?

Memang kita biasa lihat ibu-ibu menyuapkan nasi ke mulut anak samada dengan tangan atau sudu. Aku lebih suka pakai sudu. Orang tua-tua selalu sebut bila suap nasi kat mulut anak dengan tangan, dorang akan lebih sayang kat kita. Patutlah mak mentua aku suka sangat suap nasi ngan tangan kat Kak Long dan Kak Ngah masa depa kecik-kecik dulu. Patutlah depa melompat kegumbiraan bila terdengar aje plan nak pi jenguk opah kat kampung. Tapi sekarang depa semua dah besar, dah boleh suap sendiri.

Sungguhpun menyuapkan nasi ke mulut anak adalah salah satu sikap penyayang seorang ibu terhadap anaknya tapi kalau selalu sangat sampai dah besar gajah pun masih nak merengek kena suap, sorilah! Sekali sekala bolehlah kalau nak bermanja, jangankan si anak, si ayah pun boleh disuap makan kalau nak. Alahai cayang busyuk manja gitu. He he he he...

Pernah tak korang kena suap makan ngan suami masing-masing? Eleh, masa korang kawen dolu-dolu time bersanding tu bukan ke kena suap? Tapi aku tak merasa lah semua itu sebab aku tak bersanding pun ngan husband. Kami sama-sama gadis dan jejaka pemalu.

Awwww!

another reason why you need to spoonfeed your children...

Ini minggu tarak posting...

Sebab apa?

Sebab aku puasa.

Puasa apa?

Puasa ganti daa. Biasalah. Dah nak dekat puasa ramadhan baru nak tergodek-godek ganti puasa. Eleh, korang pun sama gak kan. Macam lah aku tak tau.

Dah lah, aku tak larat nak ketuk keyboard ni ok. Chow chin chau...

Weathering the storm

The husband had good news to share last week. He had been confirmed in his job in an O & G company since joining December last year. We are ever so grateful and humbled by this expected piece of information.

There's a good reason why.

It has been more than 6 months since we were hit with adversity. The hardest kind.

Before his present job, he had worked with a company for more than 10 years. He worked his way up to his last post. In the course of his work, he was never disloyal, always reliable, been through thick and thin despite some problematic staffs, crazy workloads and even partial management. Certain individuals were given preferential treatment despite zero productivitiy.

It was in late 2006 when the company started to face problems. Future projects were scraped thus making the company fundless. Whatever on-going projects had to be done with very limited resources hence the management and employees had to suffer massive paycuts. It was a matter of time before they had to downsize. In the end, only a handful of people stayed on. Since the husband was one of the major shareholders, he had to bear the burden. For a year, he had no salary. Whatever monies that they get would be channeled to pay existing contractors, employees, office rents and bills.

So how did we get by during which hubby had no salary for a year? With personal loans and whatever savings that was left in his bank account.

With personal loans, we use them sparingly for our household expenses and other miscellaneous. The credit cards (to fill up petrol and other necessities) were used to the max. Life was very hard for us then. But we persevered.

The first practical thing we did to ease the burden was to let go our first car, the proton perdana but we maintained our second car for him to go to work. We cut down on a lot of things considered extravagant drastically. We don't go on Cuti-Cuti Malaysia holidays anymore. School holidays means the kids were going to stay with their grandparents. We stopped eating out, stopped weekend outings and shoppings were done strictly for groceries. We even stopped buying clothes during that frugal period.

During Hari Raya, we wore our previous Hari Raya clothes and amazingly, the kids were cool about it. I remembered the girls said, "Tak pe ibu. Baju kita pun masih cantik lagi tak koyak pun. Kasut raya lama pun elok lagi..." Sayu gile aku masa tu.

During these trying time, hubby applied all kinds of job that suit his qualification. Many times he was politely turned down because they (the advertisers) thought he was too qualified for a mere managerial post. Sometimes I would ask him, "Tak pe ke turun pangkat from COO jadi manager biasa je?" To which he replied "At times like this, choosing job is not an option for me. I'll take whatever that is offered (reasonably) to me".

After unsuccessful attempts in getting suitable job, he received an impressive offer and he accepted it immediately. Macam tau-tau aje. The job couldn't have come at a better time when our savings was about to dry up. Most importantly, its a steady job with perks lining up for him if he works smart and hard as he is.

For what is worth, it makes me think that life is indeed a circle. Hari ini kita di atas, esok kita di bawah. We'll never know what's going to happen in the future. For me, this invaluable experience has taught us to be prudent in our expenses, to be grateful and count our blessings for whatever Allah has bestowed us upon and to appreciate all the little things that we took for granted before.

If its not too late to say this, congratulations Abang on your job confirmation. Alhamdulillah syukur! We made it.

Scary movie

do you know who this girl is? no prize for guessing...

A couple of weeks back, I was watching a horror-slasher movie about a bunch of people get killed one by one by a vicious ghost in a playstation game. Supposedly, when they died in the game, they will die in real life. Wanna know what's so scary about the movie?

Frankie Muniz (of Malcom in the Middle sitcom fame) was in it. And he doesn't cut out to play a side-kick. Apart from that, nothing else is so scary.

I'm a big fan of horror movies. However, I don't fancy slasher flicks. Seeing people get cut up in half or several pieces, decapitated heads or severed limbs aren't exactly my kind of horror movie. Its just too gross. Plain old-fashioned scary movie is what I savor.

Horror movies today are such a bore and lack genuine thrills. Even the storylines are weak. Most of them rely heavily on special effects. Too much CGIs (computer graphic image) had somewhat killjoyed the movie. They don't look real or frightening enough to jolt you from your chair or make your heart pumping.

When I was in standard 4 in the mid seventies, I witnessed a real life exorcism. There was this local maid who worked in one of the neighbour's just two doors away from my house, had been possessed by the devil in a form of pelesit.

Every night, we would hear her shrill of laughters and cries and it was so creepy. Being a nervously curious kid despite strong objections from my parents, I sneaked inside the house and saw a lot of people were reciting the Surah Yaasin. I saw the bomoh lifted a stick and started to beat up the floor but not so hard. It was as if he was trying to chase away the devil. I couldn't see the girl's face properly as she was lying on a thin mattress facing up the ceiling. When I heard sounds coming from the girl's mouth, I began to shiver. I had goosebumps all over my body. She spoke in foreign language that didn't make sense and her voice was so hoarse and fierce. She would then break into eerie laughter and then cry. This would go on repetitively while she's being cured.

Someone once said that a devil can sense your fear. While I stood there frozen from watching all those mumbo jumbo, she then turned her pop-eyed and ghastly face (mak oii, it was so horrible OK) to me and yelled, "Hey, apa kamu pandang-pandang hah!" (What are you looking at?). I almost fell off from the staircase. I will never forget that look from her face. Like the face of the devil itself.

True enough, I developed high fever that lasted a week.

With all that once-in-a-lifetime experience, I still love watching scary movies. I don't mind seeing Linda Blair spin her head and spit green vomit over and over again. Now that is one helluva scary movie.

*My top 10 scary movies (in no particular order)

1. The Exorcist - nothing beats the crap out of you than watching this movie. After 35 years, still is the best scary movie of all time. best scenes - the head spinning and vomit spitting and of course the voice.


2. The Omen I (1976) - Just one stare from that son of satan, all hell breaks loose (the zoo scene) and people die from freak accidents. The kid, Damien remains to be the creepiest kid in scary movie history


3. The Amityville Horror (1979) - a family is terrorized by a demonic house. even the facade of the house is so creepy.


4. The Blair Witch Project - this successful indie movie proved that eerie sounds, home video style camerawork and adhering to less is more principle (we never get to see the witch till the end) make for one hell of harrowing flick


5. The Ring - I can never look at TV the same way again...


6. The Sixth Sense - despite its surprise twist in the ending, this movie did have some scary moments like when Haley Joel Osment had a leak at night or when he felt that someone was following him in broad daylight and its none other than Bruce Willis himself...


7. Dark Water (original Japanese version) - I had a hard time going into dim-litted elevators, alone and I've never been so scared of damp ceiling or sudden over-flowing water....after watching it of course


8. Seven - the most disturbing serial killer of all time.


9. The Eye (original chinese version) - the scariest scene had to be the elevator (again?) scene...totally freaked out!


10. The Descent - imagine this. trapped in a claustrophobic area like a cave for example and there's something menacing lurking around you in total darkness

True Grit

For many of us in the blogosphere, we might come across this blog - onebreastbouncing. It chronicles the life of a courageous cancer survivor named Raden Galoh. However, her latest posting had made my heart weep silently. I admire her for putting up a brave front despite the sad news.

To Raden, there's no better words to say than this. May Allah ease your pain, be strong ahead and for bloggers and readers alike to offer prayers to her. Its the least we could all do.

*picture taken from her blog

While I wasn't looking...

bertuah punya anak...!

It took him less than a minute to create this. It took me at least 30 minutes to clean up the whole mess - the little rascal included!

Enter frame sekejap...

With TNB's new tariff coming into effect this July, I'm bracing myself to minimise the usage of electricity in my household with no holds-barred solutions.

• No switching on lights after dark. Candlelight dinner sounds romantic.
• Do laundry manually except for bed sheets, pillow covers, towels, blankets and stubborn stained fabrics.
• Cook rice on stove. Same applies for re-heating leftovers instead of microwave
• Watch tv for an hour a day and pick only favorites. When bored stiff, find other means of entertainment. Read a book, do crossword puzzles or scrabble, play masak-masak and so on. The best way to enjoy hide and seek game is to play it in the dark
• Use manual fans. Better still, wear only undergarments if the weather becomes too hot to handle. Less clothes wear, less laundry
• Use a broom to sweep dirt
• To iron wrinkle clothes, put them underneath thick mattress overnight or purchase that charcoal iron from antique store. Buy non-iron clothes from now on
• Switch to mini-bar fridge from conventional fridge
• Terminate broadband connection thus stop blogging for good

Frugality has never been this cool. Ok, am back on hiatus mode *yawn* again. See ya.

Thousand apologies

Gidday,

I won't be able to update for the time being. If you kinda miss me while I'm gone *wink wink*, feel free to browse old issues of SOTS.

I'll be back sooner than you expect. Meanwhile, have some blonde jokes.

Cheers mate!

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Dumb Wish

Three blondes were walking through the desert when they found a magic genie's lamp. After rubbing the lamp to make the genie appear, he said, "I will grant three wishes, one for each of you".

The first blonde said, "I wish I were smarter". So, she became a redhead.

The second blonde said, "I wish I were smarter than she is". She became a brunette.

The third blonde ordered, "I wish I were smarter than both of them!" She became a man.

What's the time please?

BLONDE: "Excuse me, what time is it right now?"

WOMAN: "It's 11:25PM."

BLONDE: (confused look on face) "You know, it's the weirdest thing, I've asked that question thirty times today, and every time someone gives me a different answer."

Medical Terminology for the Blondes

Artery -- Study of paintings

Bacteria -- Back door of cafeteria

Barium -- What doctors do when treatment fails

Bowel -- Letter like A.E.I.O.U

Caesarean section -- District in Rome

Cat scan -- Searching for kitty

Cauterize -- Made eye contact with her

Colic -- Sheep dog

Coma -- A punctuation mark

Congenital -- Friendly

D&C -- Where Washington is

Diarrhea -- Journal of daily events

Dilate -- To live long

Enema -- Not a friend

Fester -- Quicker

Fibula -- A small lie

G.I. Series -- Soldiers' ball game

Grippe -- Suitcase

Hangnail -- Coathook

Impotent -- Distinguished, well known

Intense pain -- Torture in a teepee

Labor pain -- Got hurt at work

Medical staff -- Doctor's cane

Morbid -- Higher offer

Nitrate -- Cheaper than day rate

Node -- Was aware of

Outpatient -- Person who had fainted

Pelvis -- Cousin of Elvis

Post operative -- Letter carrier

Protein -- Favoring young people

Rectum -- It almost killed him

Recovery room -- Place to do upholstery

Rheumatic -- Amorous

Scar -- Rolled tobacco leaf

Secretion -- Hiding anything

Seizure -- Roman emperor

Serology -- Study of knighthood

Tablet -- Small table

Terminal illness -- Sickness at airport

Tibia -- Country in North Africa

Tumor -- An extra pair

Urine -- Opposite of you're out

Varicose -- Located nearby

Vein -- Conceited

You've got mail!

A blonde quickly went out to her mail box, looked in it, closed the door of the box, and went back in the house. A few minutes later she repeated this process by checking her mail again. She did this five more times and her neighbor that was watching her commented: "You must be expecting a very important letter today the way you keep looking into that mail box."

The blonde answered, "No, I am working on my computer, and it keeps telling me that I have mail."

Hannah Montana and her 2 wild fans

Hookay, the daughters are officially hooked on the uber popular Hannah Montana. Almost all the underage girls in the neighbourhood seems to be head over heels "in love" with her. One close neighbour had her girl requested fervently for a pin-up poster of Miley Cyrus.

Everytime HM's video clip is aired on TV, they will drop everything they were doing and gaze open-mouthed at her. Wish they could do the same when I instruct them to do their school home work or house chore.

Sheesh.

The last time they behaved this way was when High School Musical was aired on TV exactly two years ago. Oh my, they even memorised the dance steps and heck, even Little B who's barely one year old then would eagerly jump up and down.

Kinda remind me of my own school girl's crush on Donny Osmond back in the seventies. Donny Osmond was super-hot in those days. And ABBA's kind of music was and still is cool up to this day. Who can ever forget the classic Dancing Queen. Some of ABBA's songs had been remixed and sung by different singers of many genres but nothing beats the original version.

Well whatever it is, I'm pretty sure this whole Hannah Montana craze will die down eventually before another teenage singer or pop group takes over Miley Cyrus's popularity. That happens to Hilary Duff of Lizzie McGuire fame after she became a full grown woman.

In the meantime, I'm just letting the girls enjoy it while it lasts.

5 things I discovered while on short hiatus (from blogging)

That;

1. My IQ dropped significantly by 10 points each time after watching sappy malay dramas or serials and that astro ria scores the highest point for having too many no-brainer tv shows. Their latest indulgence is Jangan Lupa Lirik hosted by none other, the narcissist Aznil Nawawi. Yikes!
2. My neighbour's cat got pregnant (again!) and that its female offspring just got laid some 2 days ago. ARGHHHHHH!
3. Eating half plate of rice did not make me any slimmer. What a complete waste, I mean the other half of portion I didn't get to eat
4. I had fun watching my neighbours looked totally clueless when another friend mentioned my nickname and not my real name when we blabbed about someone that day and they had no f***ing idea it was me all the while....hahaha!
5. I don't look nice on a mountain bike (picture someone with very fat ass riding it...totally gruesome OK)

Shall we dance?

This post was inspired by this lady. A very interesting topic I must say. Here goes...

Sometimes in order to spice up your dreary routine sex life, you need to inject creative fun ways to revive that sensual feeling that has slowly declined with each passing year due to aging, childbearing, endless household problems, debts, nosy in-laws and unnecessary stress that has accummulated throughout your married life thus making your sex life - dull, boring and oh so predictable.

One way of doing it, is by learning how to pole dance. According to wikipedia, pole dance is a form of erotic dancing with a vertical pole and is often used in strip club. Sometimes this type of dancing is combined with striptease and/or lap dancing between performers. So you catch the drift huh?

To actually learn this type of sensual dancing, you need to have:-

1. A steady pole (wooden poles/curtain railings are NOT recommended) in your bedroom;


2. It is also NOT advisable to install it in the living room or the kitchen or anywhere else visible to third party viewing as we certainly don't want peeping toms having the time of their life and risk being youtubed, do we?


3. If your bed has already been equipped with one (those poster bed lah...), that is also good enough. Remember that scene in the movie True Lies?


4. When all of that have been done, you'd also need to invest money to buy some sexy clothings. You can't really wear batik sarong with loose t-shirt to do it and for the guys, kain pelikat is a big NO NO. Where got fun that way lorr...LOL!
   

When all the necessary equipments are ready, then watch the video below for your further understanding of the said subject. Please view it with your spouse as this kind of entertainment needs teamwork. One dance and one watch.

Good luck in trying it out. Start with the husband first.

Warnng: DO NOT ever try this stunt at your in-laws' place (ada berani ka?). Bad idea!

Little Wonders

let it go

let it roll right off your shoulder

dont you know the hardest part is over

let it in

let your clarity define you

in the end we will only just remember

how it feels

our lives are made

in these small hours

these little wonders

these twists & turns of fate

time falls away

in these small hours

these small hours still remain

let it slide

let your troubles fall behind you

let it shine until you feel it all around you

and i don't mind if it's me you need to turn to

we'll get by

it's the heart that really matters in the end

our lives are made

in these small hours

these little wonders

these twists & turns of fate

time falls away

but these small hours

these small hours still remain

all of my regret

will wash away some how

but i can not forget

the way i feel right now

in these small hours

these little wonders

these twists & turns of fate

these twists & turns of fate

time falls away but these small hours

with these small hours

still remain

they still remain

these little wonders

these twists & turns of fate

time falls away but these small hours

these little wonders

still remain

ever feel a song that will uplift your broken spirit? every time you feel like the world is going down on you, there's a gentle reminder somewhere that says, everything is gonna be alright in the end.

definitely one of the best inspirational song for me at times like this. and rob thomas remains as one of my favorite rock star...hehe. enjoy it folks!