Steal some kisses...

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened...” - Dr. Seuss

 '

Today Sara and I decided to go to the spa for a massage.

Nik Hasnah has already booked Pipah for the whole of the afternoon. I had my traditional massage and on Nik Hasnah's recommendation, Sara had aromatherapy massage instead. We planned to go shopping after the massage but decided not to as it was raining very heavily.

Late at night hubby called from the airport. He had just arrived with my favorite murtabak and ayam percik...

My new abode...

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever...” - Gandhi

(Sri Putramas Apartments)

Today I went to the spa for a round of pleasure treats.

Ordered some Raya biscuits from Joana. Hopefully I could get them before Deepavali. Sara was still asleep when I got back. Prepared cucur udang for berbuka. Went to solat terawih with Sara at Mesjid Al-Firdaus. After solat had another round of cucur udang and lemonade while watching some movies on Astro.

Earlier this afternoon I snapped a few pics of our new apartment. Sri Putramas is almost completed. They even have a private access road to the apartments. I know I'm going to love this place ...

Demented soul...

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius..."

The wrath of blind hatred
Devolve into self-parody
Indulge in menace of evil
And plunge unjust jealousy

Or is this a form of madness?
A loathing of the loathing self
A sadness yet to be expressed
That diminishes one own worth

Venom crawl beneath the skin
These wounds they will not go

Just look into these eyes
The fear will not show

Tonight, we exchanged promises again. Whatever happens, no matter what people do to us, we will be together forever to take care of each other. No one can change our feelings. Our love has become stronger than ever.

Yang, I love you very much yesterday. I love you even more than that today.

Find a scapegoat...

"Curses are like processions. They return to the place from which they came…” - Giovanni Ruffini

Trust is a very important factor for all relationships.

When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger and anger causes enmity. We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves.

If we forgive others, others will ignore our mistake too. We often forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.

My thoughts are not yours
Nor is your way always mine
And so it is not you I seek
And not you to whom I care

RM5 Polymer banknotes...

“Because how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives..." - Anne Dillard

(My photo as featured in the news)

Early morning, the team did a last minute check on stage preparation and the launching gambit. The exhibition booths were rearranged to cater for easy flow of traffic. The plasma screen and the globe were strategically placed for easy viewing.

Today we announced the issuance of RM5 polymer banknotes into circulation. The new polymer banknote is similar to the existing RM5 paper banknotes in design, colour and size. It retains some security features in the existing RM5 paper banknotes, and at the same time introduces new enhanced security features that are unique to polymer banknotes.

The launching went well. The crowd was larger than expected. The exchange counters were busy. Everyone wants to own the Malaysian first polymer banknotes. The demo counter was also crowded. Media photographers could be seen busy taking pictures for the news. Could see that Dato’ D was pleased with the success of the event. Could see him and the Australians smiling happily, posing for the photographers.

Congratulations to the Polymer Team. We had our celebration at the Bilik Helang Rajawali, the Legend. About 60 people attended the dinner. Dinner was excellent. We even have a Quartet to entertain us while we eat.

Don't you quit...

"When you find your path, you must not be afraid..."

When care is pressing you down a bit

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns

As every one of us sometimes learns

Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tints of the clouds of doubt

And you can never tell how close you are

It may be near when it seems so far.

Kampung’s delicacy...

“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you...” - Stephanie Perkins'

(A recipe from the internet)

We started our journey to Melaka around 11 a.m. Sara and Saufi followed us. Called Mak to inform her that we are coming for berbuka. She was surprised, and sounded so happy. Even asked what we want to eat for the berbuka. Told her that anything from her kitchen is good enough for me.

Went to Mahkota Parade and had some fun playing a few rounds of bowling. There was quite a crowd at this shopping complex as people are starting to spend for the Raya. Bought roasted chicken and muffins from Kenny Roasters. We berbuka with my favorite cucur udang and ikan sembilang masak lemak cili api. Have to safe some to eat after the solat tarawih. Mak followed us to the Mesjid but Abah stayed at home as he is still recuperating. He needs to get his strength back. Now that Abah is not well, they have appointed someone else to be the Imam. Met some aunties and cousins at the Mesjid.

We said goodbye to Mak and Abah and headed back to KL. Reached KL way after midnight. Though exhausted, we slept quite late again, enjoying each other’s presence.

Ramadhan get-together...

“Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving...” - J.K. Rowling

After sahur, mentally list out what dishes to prepare for tonight. Went to work early, did final check of the props at the auditorium and run through the launching programs with the vendor.

Went home early to beat the Saturday jam. Reached home without any hassle. Sara was still asleep in the study. Woke her up and later we started preparing the dishes for tonight. Scraped the idea of cooking nasi tomato. Decided to cook plain rice instead. We prepared ayam kuzi, daging kicap, sambal tumis udang and mixed vegetables. Chicken soup would be for the children. Of course we’ll have the sambal belacan and timun for ulam and not forgetting the cream caramel for dessert.

Everyone came except for Ros and Zain. We even have Tijan and zoey to join the family gathering this time. The men solat jemaah after berbuka and the ladies busied themselves preparing the table for dinner. After dinner, the men went to the mosque to solat tarawih. The rest continued eating and catching up on latest updates. Sara and Saufi distributed a lot of chocolates to the children to stop them from running around the house. I was so happy that everything was ok. The ladies packed some leftovers for the bersahur. When everyone left, Sara and Saufi help with the clearing up of dirty dishes.

Tonight we slept soundly, holding each other close till the alarm rudely woke us up for the bersahur.

Strike @ Beirut Airport...

“Life is too short, or too long, for me to allow myself the luxury of living it so badly...”

Kak Idah called from Kota Bharu at 3.45 a.m. to wake us up.

Have to rush to pack whatever left and off to KLIA in a hurry. Niza didn’t even have time to bath Ashraf and Alia. During checking in, we were informed of a 4-hour flight delay. There was a strike at Beirut Airport and there were rumors that the President has resigned. Need to check on that later. Niza called Nor in Abu Dhabi to inform him of the situation. He has already arranged for someone to fetch Niza and kids at Dubai Airport. Now that the flight schedule is changed, he needs to rearrange alternative pick-up service.

Tonight I skipped the Puspanita Majlis Berbuka Puasa. Instead, I had nasi ayam for dinner with Sara at home. Went to Giant to buy provision for tomorrow night’s kenduri.

Abu Dhabi posting...

“I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong..”

We berbuka at Niza’s. Earlier hubby bought nasi kerabu and murtabak.

In Abu Dhabi, Niza and Nor will sure miss all these delicious foods. It was raining quite heavily whole afternoon and caused massive jam all the way from the Subang tol plaza to Goodyear Court 9. We were already late. Sara and I have no option but to drink the water in the car for berbuka. I think we have not changed the water since I don’t know when. Saufi came from UIA and reached Subang at the same time. Went to Mesjid al-Falakh for our solat tarawih. Bought bread and chicken soup for sahur.

Hubby and Saufi left much later. Sara and I helped Niza in last minutes packing. Sara slept on the couch and I took the spare room. Need to wake up before 4 a.m. The flight is at 7.15 a.m. We don’t want Niza and kids to miss their flight.

Quiet Storm...

“Live simply so others may simply live…”- Mother Teresa

  

I got captured-

By world of dreams,

And I got suctioned-

By the whirlwind...

Press for time...

“Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions...” - Elizabeth Gilbert

Today I’m going to go back late again.

I need to attend a few back-to-back meetings. The rest were also busy preparing for the media briefing and the launching. Some were busy with the amendments of speeches and press statements. With the last minute changes, everybody was so press for time.

Hubby came around 6.30 p.m. Decided to berbuka at the café. Went to Mesjid Negara to solat Tarawih. Met some of our classmates there. On the way home, stopped at 7-eleven to buy some food for sahur.

Feeling tired and sleepy, we went to bed earlier than usual and sleep soundly.

Face the firing squad!...

“You live but once; you might as well be amusing…” - Coco Chanel'

Quarterly meeting with the Assistant Governor started on time.

We were reminded to present our departmental brief short and concise. If possible we target to complete the briefing by 5 p.m. The secretariat even showed a model presentation brief from one of the department but received mix reactions from the rest.

My briefing took longer than expected with a lot of queries relating to shortages. Somehow, AG was not too happy on how we manage our outsourced agents. He instructed us not to give too much ‘face’ to these people. According to him, the customer is always right. To me, an attitude that can lead to failure in a business, but what is the alternative?

Other Heads of Department were frantically signaling me not to argue. Of course they want the meeting to end fast. Everyone wants to go home, to be in time for the berbuka.

Kelantanese specialties...

“Letting go is not as hard as holding on to something that wasn't real…”

'
Ja was supposed to wait for his transport to go back to Kuantan at 10 a.m. at Bangunan Suria in Pudu. But there was a change of plan. They are gathering at Taman Greenwood instead and want him to be there at 7.30 a.m. So right after sahur, helped him packed and sent him to Gombak.

Tonight berbuka at Subang. Sahur with mee goreng and the take-away ayam percik. What an odd combination!

Charming hostess role...

'"If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter life style..."

After solat subuh, we slept again till noon. Went to the spa to find only Joana and Su were there. Didn’t meet Nik Hasnah as she needed to go somewhere in a hurry.

Ja had to attend to his brotherhood gathering at one of the boy’s house for berbuka. Drove to UIA where Sara and Saufi were already waiting. We were invited for nasi ayam dinner. Later we went to the nearby masjid in two cars for our solat terawih. After terawih, we had cream caramel and carrot cake for dessert.

We excused ourselves early. I needed to send the two kids back to campus before midnight, which is their curfew time.

Ramadhan al-mubarak...

“There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you..."

It was the first day of Ramadhan and we berbuka at a restaurant in Plaza Damansara.

After dinner we went to Mesjid Saidina Othman for solat Magrib. They were having the majlis berbuka at the mesjid. I was on the way back when Nik Aminah sms to say that she was at the mosque too. We missed each other then. Solat tarawih at Mesjid Taman Melati.

We woke up at 5 a.m. and sahur sambal sotong and ikan kering with Ja.

Pahang - Colmar Japanese Tea House...

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more..."

Banknote Seminar
Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi

We had breakfast at one of the restaurant. I continued with my seminar and hubby stayed in the room doing work till check out time.

I had lunch with the team. During the closing ceremony, we thanked G&D and CD Holding for their efforts to make the seminar a success. We ended the session by exchanging gifts and certificates.

Hubby whiled away his time watching magic show while waiting for the seminar to end. Later we drove to the Japanese Village. Although it was drizzling, we walked through the beautiful garden to a waterfall, over a bridge spanning a koi pond and climbed up the hill to the Japanese tea house. If we have the time, would like to experience the Japanese art of relaxation at Tatami Spa with its serene zen surroundings.

After solat we drove to One Utama to watch Bourne Supremacy, a sequel to Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon and Frake Potente and based on the book by Robert Ludlum. I have read most of Ludlum’s books. I think we have all of his books in our study.

Colmar - The French Chateu...

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams...” - Oprah Winfrey

 

Banknote Seminar
Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi

We started off immediately to beat the jam at Jalan Gombak. True enough, there was an accident involving a huge crane blocking half the road. Stopped for breakfast at Destina.

After sending me, hubby headed back to KL and will come again after work. After checking in the room, I had another round of coffee with the team. The seminar was organized by G&D, one of the commercial banknote printers with the assistance of CD Holdings. It was tailored for the team in-charge of the new banknote series. The German has mobilized four of their experts to be the speakers. The seminar was very interesting and stimulating and allowed for exchange of ideas. Hopefully, the knowledge imparted to the team could assist them in planning for the implementation of this mega project.

Hubby joined the team for dinner. I introduced him to Che Din and Michael Nissen. After dinner, we went for a stroll to enjoy the cool air and the majestic scene of Colmar Village and the French Chateu.

Corporate gifts...

"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow..."

'

I went to see Governor to seek approval to appoint a vendor for the corporate gift to commemorate the launching of our polymer banknotes.

I explained to the boss that because of the urgency, the team has not called for three quotations but instead proposed to appoint Selangor Pewter to do the packaging. The management was quite impressed with the design. Approval was granted even though the price was higher compared to normal standard. The management are more concern on quality not price.

Tonight I have a dinner date with Sarifah at Desa Pandan. I gave her a piece of material we bought in Dubai. She was all cheerful and has lots of stories to tell. We laughed when we saw photos taken during our umrah trip.

We promised to see each other again after raya.'

Traditional massage...

“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light...” - Helen Keller

'
I had an appointment for a traditional massage tonight.

Pipah, the Indonesian masseuse was very good. The pleasure of the massage relieved knotted muscles and released some tension and anxiety. For dinner we had fried kuey teow. Tonight my body muscle felt so tired because of the powerful urut.

I slept immediately the moment I put my head on the pillow.

Masak lemak cili api...

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world...” - Gandhi

I drove  to office and hubby followed suit on his bike.

My diary was full today but need to go back to Melaka to meet abah and mak before Ramadhan starts. After looking at the diary, requested permission to take emergency leave. Airah and her school kids from KB will be visiting the museum and my department is supposed to brief on currency security features at the auditorium. Sms her to say sorry that I could not meet her today.

Abah was not looking too good and could feel that he is in pain. Tomorrow, he will see the doctor and will determine the cause of the pain. He may need to undergo another operation. He only takes porridge for his meals. He needs to have supplement of vitamins and minerals. Mak was happy to see us. We had home-cooked lunch, sambal tumis and masak lemak cili api, my favorite dish.

In the afternoon, we drove back to KL. Went to the tailor to send some materials to make baju kurung for raya. Sally was nice enough to still take in materials. A special treatment only for regular customer.

Our precious time...

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

'
Hubby came back from office before 6 p.m. He looked tired.

We decided not to go back to Melaka tonight. I wouldn’t want to disturb abah and mak in the middle of the night. Since we came back from our umrah we have not gone back to see my parents. I even missed the kenduri last week, where everyone was there. Even abang from Alor Star and Ngah from KB came too.

We went to Sri Hartamas for garlic nan and tandoori. Tonight we slept early and rested our tired bodies and souls.

Hollow pretentious...

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

Went to the salon to have my hair washed.

Sara came home with Saufi. Told her that we would not be going back to Melaka today. We drove to KL to meet up for a heavy briani lunch, shop for some materials for baju raya. In 2 cars, we went to Nor’s place at Goodyear Court 10. Had a light dinner. Kak Idah came to KL to send Nor off. He will be leaving for Abu Dhabi on Wednesday next week. We have decided to buy Nor’s Honda stream to add to our collections of cars, 4x4 and bikes. I stayed on for a while with Sara and Saufi.

Had a hearty supper at home with the kids, later.

The taste of fire...

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you...”- Maya Angelou

Be strong, you know that I will always be there for you...

When you are sorrowful

look again in your heart,

and you shall see that in truth

you are weeping for what has been your delight

Professional matchmaker...

“Silence makes the real conversations between friends..."

'

I had a lunch date with Nik Aminah and her daughter, Yaya at the café.

They came right on time and we ordered western food. Today, I learned that Nik Aminah’s step daughter, Kak Ann is having a crush on one of my ex-staff. I know that guy. I interviewed and recruited him. I found him good-looking and well behaved. I would gladly arrange for the two of them to meet.

Will need to seek the help of ex-colleagues for this job.'

My coarse vision...

“I know God won't give me anything I can't handle..."

I received sms from my nephew, Nor Azhar to inform that the majlis doa selamat will be held at the masjid near his apartment.

His original plan was to have it tomorrow night instead of tonight. I would attend if I have not made plan earlier to meet up with the gang at the spa right after office and later have dinner together. Dinner was at Uncle Don at Sri Hartamas. Later to Coffee Bean for a cup of steaming cappuccino.

It was raining earlier and the road was slippery. Either it was foggy tonight or my vision is failing me. Or was it tears in my eyes?

Looking for greener pasture...

“You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one...” - John Lennon

Lunch with Zila and Rok at the warong Ikan bakar behind the Istana. Met up with a few more ladies from the Treasury department. The warong is so popular that we have to wait a while for people to finish eating before we could have our seats. There was also a long queue for the ikan bakar. We managed to conquer one long table to seat all nine of us.

Had the chance to listen to gossips and updates on my former department. Could feel the discontentment and frustration on how things were managed there. Recently the number of staff resigning from the dealing room increased tremendously. And had somehow affect moral and performance of others.

Zila and her Director got to do something about this. If not, soon they would lose all the skilled and experienced dealers. Or worst case, they may resort to outsource the treasury operations to external fund managers.

Losing track of time...

“I find out a lot about myself by dreaming. They are who I am when I’m too tired to be me...”

I played squash with a few friends at the club.

Later we had a few rounds of bowling and ordered mee goreng for dinner. Later to Coffee Bean at Sri Hartamas for ice-blended coffee to quench our thirst. When you are with friends and having so much fun, time really flies. Reached home quite late. Slept soundly tonight.

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

Preparing for Ramadhan...

“When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright...” - D. H. Lawrence

Tonight our class was having a doa selamat menyambut Ramadhan and makan-makan.

The mee curry was very nice, courtesy of Haji Dollah. A lot of food to be consumed. We even invited Ustaz from the other classes to join us. Our last class for the semester will be on Wednesday. Ustaz has given everyone a task to complete during the fasting month. To recite the whole of surah Sejadah.

There will be a recital test when we commence class after the Hari Raya festivals.

Unexpected blackout...

"What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out..."

'
There was a power failure very early in the morning.

There must be a short-circuit somewhere. I tried to look for the possible cause but gave up after several attempts. Sara and Ja who were sleeping in the study were complaining loudly. The study, without air-condition has turned out into a sauna.

Hubby was in his office working and came back when he received my SOS message. By the time Saufi came, the electricity was ok again. We decided to take the air zam-zam from the travel agent’s office. Later with Sara and Saufi, sent Ja to Pudu Raya. His bus left around 1 p.m. Lunch was at Nandos.

We had to rush home. I don’t want to be late for my facial appointment with Ira. Sara followed to the salon and did hers too. Send her back to campus after that.

Exam fervor...

'"You care about something, you fight for it..."

'
I did not have any specific plan this morning.

So I lazed around and had toast for breakfast in bed and dozed off again only to wake up when dear hubby called around noon from Masjid Negara to remind me about tonight’s dinner. He was having his final Tajwid exam today. Good luck yang, I know you will do well.

After my spa session, went to have my hair cut and wash at Nur Cahaya Salon. At least this time I don’t need to go to the unisex salon for hair wash. Arranged with Ira for a facial tomorrow afternoon.

Dinner was delicious and filling.

Momento from the Netherlands (2002)

"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people..." - Mahatma Gandhi

(Beautiful decoration of Delftware)

Dutch Blue Delftware

The main difference between China porcelain and Holland Porcelain is in fact there is no porcelain at all. That is because porcelain requires china clay, also called kaolin, which is not found in the Netherlands. That is the reason why Delftware factories introduced imitation porcelain products made of Dutch clay. They aimed to copy the Chinese product as close as they could. And not without success, because their sophisticated, luxurious earthenware products were widely considered the best alternative to genuine exported porcelain. 

That is how Delftware factories became the low-cost warehouses of the Golden Age with an enormous impact on the Dutch way of life.

I was in Netherlands in February 2002.

My Overseas Travel Blog: munmus.blogspot.com

I'm missing you...

“There is a good time coming. Be it ever so far away...”- Doyle’s Pub

As I try to sleep and give rest to my eyes
You’re in thought the instant second I rise
And although we’re miles apart
You’re here with me locked in my heart....