Indian Christmas...

"All our bags are packed, and we are ready to go..."

(Indian dolls on display)

We will be spending the holidays from Christmas to New Year in the golden triangle - Jaipur, Agra and Delhi and a few days on the boathouse in Srinagar, Khasmir.

Happy New Year!

My Overseas Travelogue: munmus.blogspot.com

Ja's birthday...

"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living… "

Today is Ja's birthday...

If he is still with us he would be celebrating his 23rd birthday. We would be dining out together on Christmas eve and as usual he would be ordering his favorite dish, fish and chips, what else.



Tonight after solat maghrib we recited the yaasin then later we had family dinner at Plaza Damas. Coincidence, Ja's favorite Audioslave song was playing in the background...

'I miss my baby so much...

Back pain...

"Things will happen in your life that you can't stop. But that's not reason to shut out the world..."

After the 3-hour meeting on that Friday, I was complaining of lower back pain.

Despite that, the week-end was spent in the kebun and clearing bee-hives in the chalet bathroom. Last week when we noticed a lot of bees hanging around the kitchen we thought that they were only taking shelter after a heavy rain but then when we saw the hives, then we know that they were serious to stay. Getting rid of the bees and cleaning the hives was a tough job. We managed to chase the bees away by burning coconut husks and hosing them down with insecticides. Once or twice we were chased by the swarm but we managed to lock ourselves in the car until they were tired of waiting and dispersed..

(Hubby clearing bushes behind the chalet...)

My lower back pain didn’t go away. After that sudden onset, the pain radiated to the left leg. Sometimes there will be a dull ache but most of the time there will be a sharp pain especially after sitting down for long.

I visited my physician and complained and was given muscle relaxant and pain killer which after consuming the load for a week still didn’t seems to keep the pain to a manageable level.
'
I need to treat my condition, if not I will be limping throughout my trip to India this coming Christmas!

Blissful moments...

"Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss..."

Over the years, we became busy with work and other things, the kids went to boarding schools, universities and later work and got married. Kebun Sungai Rambai has been somewhat neglected. Even though there was an effort to pay some one to look after this kebun and 2 more kebun that we have acquired after that, but what a waste of money.

(Resting after a hard day"s work...)

Almost every weekend now, we go back to kebun Sungai Rambai and clear bushes and lalang. The back-breaking process is made easy with bush-cutters and machineries. But still, it is tiring after a day’s hard work. But it is also a form of exercise as we sweat buckets and sleep like a log at night. And we enjoy the fresh air, the serenity of the surroundings, and the chirping sounds of birds and insects during sunrise and sunset.
'
The old cempedak trees have rotted and died. Some durian and dokong trees that remain have been pruned back to provide space and light, some will eventually be removed and replaced with new fruit trees. Some fruit trees do remain as testament to those blissful moments when the kids were still young and used to play around the chalet and in the attic.

We are blessed...

"Some people believe that holding on is a sign of great strength. But it takes far more strength to let go..."

Until recent years, the thought of retiring early and relaxing is always at the back of our mind. 

When hubby decided to quit his job in the middle of this year and go free-lancing, it triggered off our retirement plan. We have worked hard, harder than necessary at times. We have saved a lot, invested in properties, lands and pension funds, more than enough for the both of us. The kids have grown up, with good career plans and owned apartments and cars. We thank Allah for the blessings of wealth and health and beautiful children.

And we decided to do things that we love most and pick up what we left. We will go travelling and gallivanting, renovate our Bidara house, look after our kebun ourselves, among 1001 other things that we want to do.

Thinking about this make me feel like dropping everything, and opt for early retirement…

Kampung Retreat...

"Maybe we never really know how good we have it, until it's gone..."

(Save the best for last...)

(Harvest for the day...)

More than 10 years ago, when we bought the kebun Sungai Rambai, it was a jungle, literally. The previous owner who was a retired teacher sold off this property at a relatively cheap price as the family was not keen of staying far from civilization. The nearest house is a few miles away and the nearest town is the scarcely populated pekan Sungai Rambai. The kebun is isolated and mostly surrounded by fruit orchards and small-scale palm oil plantation. The kebun itself is a 3.5 acres durian orchard with some dokong, rambutan and cempedak planted here and there. When the kids were still schooling we built a small chalet, the design idea came from one of the chalet we saw along the beach of Trengganu.

'

We use to spend weekends and holidays in the kebun, especially during the fruiting seasons.

Pahang - Sunset and sunrise...

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it..."

We slept late last night after cleaning up the mess in the living room.

Today we decided to drive to Mersing, Johor and drive along the coastal roads of Pahang and Terengganu. We stayed a few nights at the small chalets and admired the sunset and sunrise from the serene beaches.

Like a Disaster Movie...

"Live with no excuses and love with no regrets..." 

(The remains of the decorative bricks)

We convoyed in 10 cars and visited relatives as far as Kundang Ulu and Felda Bukit Serampang. We also visited the graves of our nenek and moyang and listened to Atok Abah narrating stories of the famous and not so famous great, great grand-parents.

We reached our Putramas apartment late after midnight and got a shock of our lives! The whole wall in our living room collapsed, destroying my precious terrarium and the side table. Luckily the TV and TV table escaped unscathed.

It may take a while to get the wall repaired. We may want to leave the wall as it is.

Hik hik.. Menitik air mata…

Hari Raya Eidul-fitri...

"Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you are down, will be the one who helps you get up..." 

(Gerbang Sri Minyak Chalet)

We went to Mesjid Wilayah for the solat eidul-fitri. I cooked the kuah lodeh after the prayer and packed some to be brought back to Melaka later. This year, hubby's family gathering was at Zin’s place and we brought satay for pot-luck. As usual we had photography sessions after the makan-makan. By the time we drove back to Melaka it was late evening and we were among the last to arrive.

After a heavy dinner with all of the siblings, nephews, nieces and grand-children, we went to the chalets and rested early. For tomorrow, we are going berhari-raya to our uncles and aunties houses in Melaka and Johor.

Covert Mission...

“People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world…” - Bill Watterson

(Police Escort cars ready to convoy)

I thought kidnappings and hijackings are only seen in movies...

It was raining very heavily earlier. The road at Bukit Tunku was blocked by a fallen tree and I was running late. When I reached office, the representatives from the Vessel company and TLDM were already in the vault counting the ransom money and packing them in water-proof bags. It didn’t take them long to pack as the money was counted earlier on Friday till late night, witnessed by their bank and my three custodians.

(Berbuka puasa @ Dinar Matahari)

The rescue operation was supposed to be a small quiet one but by berbuka time, the whole contingent including police escorts and our polis bantuan were 80 people in total. We had packed nasi beriani dinner and after solat magrib the consignment started off to Subang TUDM Airport for the 9 pm flight to deliver the money.

We pray for the operation to be successful and all involved will come home safely for the Hari Raya celebration…

Inferno at Sri Putramas...

“Stupidity isn't punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop…” - Laurell K. Hamilton

I was preparing for the iftar when we heard the alarm blaring at the corridor. Hubby went out to inspect when the ringing became louder and urgent. He came back, announced that there was a little smoke and continued watching TV. Only when we looked down from our 22nd floor apartment, we saw a commotion at the car park and along Jalan Kuching. One of the apartments below ours was on fire!

I grabbed my handbag and hubby grabbed a Tupperware full of kurma! The corridor was starting to fill up with smoke but the staircase was still clear. We passed a few security guards carrying fire extinguishers and some blowing whistles and knocking on doors.

We were the last to come down and in time to berbuka at the car park. It took a while for the firemen to put out the flames as the affected apartment was on the 19th floor. We drove off to Masjid Wilayah to pray and later to restoran Tanjung Puteri to share a plate of Mee Goreng P. Ramlee…

It was late at night when we were allowed to enter our apartment.

Our 29th Anniversary...

"Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, ends with a tear..."



Sometimes it's been easy and effortless,

with long stretches of happiness and contentment.

Other times, we've had our struggles,
but through it all we both knew
that this is the most important thing we'd ever do...

And there's no one else I'd rather do it all with than you.

I love you too, yang...

Court case @ Ipoh...

“And in the end it is not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years…” - Abraham Lincoln

(Majestic Station Hotel, Ipoh)

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the daily mundane chores.

I was subpoenaed again. We decided to drive after office. Reached Ipoh and checked-in Majestic Station Hotel. It is a no-star hotel with basic amenities. But it was next to the court. Next day we walked to the court but there was a rehearsal for the Merdeka celebration and the road was blocked.

The court room was packed but by 10.30 a.m. everyone was asked to move to another court room as the Magistrate was caught in the traffic jam. My case was again postponed to a later date, yet to be fixed.

(National day parade from the court room)

I called my secretary to book Penang’s Sea Range apartment and we drove to Penang for a restful relaxing week end.

Hi-tea with MAKNA...

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life..." - Winston Churchill

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. 

After office, the department arranged for a simple hi-tea with MAKNA and we had one of our Assistant Governor to present a cheque of RM10,000 to the President, Dato’ Mohd Farid Ariffin. The donation is from staff during the Coin Collection Campaign held from 15 March until 30 June launched under MAKNA’s ‘Sens For Lives’ programme to raise funds for cancer patients in the country. The Senior Officer Lunch Account kindly contributed to the balance.

(AG Lillian with Dato' Farid of MAKNA)

At least I know that my RM40 monthly contribution to the SO lunch did not go to waste as I have so often missed the SO lunches.

Happy Birthday

"You can't make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved, and the rest is up to them..."

As usual, my secretary ordered 2 kg of carrot walnut cake on hubby's birthday.

We had a simple celebration dinner at Bora Asmara with the kids. The food was delicious and we had live musics to entertain us during dinner. The only complaint is the lighting was too romantic! can be a little bit brighter for us to appreciate the good food.

Perak - Court Case @ Kampar...

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers..."

Dear hubby was quite free and decided to come along with me to Kampar.

The court was already full and some need to stay under a gazebo to keep cool. I am with some others in the bilik saksi which is very stuffy with minimal ventilation. They cleared simple cases first and had to postpone my case to tomorrow as the DPP was also handling a case in Ipoh at the same time. We decided not to stay in the hotel in Kampar and drove back.

Next day the hearing started late and I took the stand at 11.00 a.m. and was only released at 4.30 p.m. When the defense lawyer requested to be excused early, it displeased every one else and a call for a reprimand from the Magistrate. I will be called again in October after raya.

JPW family day...

"Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it..."

We started early to PD and reached Taman Springhill around noon. I decided to call Adilah to check whether she’s at home. It was time for lunch and we had a delicious mee curry meal and with little time we had, we updated each other on what ever stories we heard about the rest of the gang.

.
We reach PD resort late afternoon. Took our nap while the rest of the staff were either playing darts or swimming in the pool. They have done a good job with the renovation works. The apartments and chalets were upgraded, spacious and modern. We had BBQ and games during dinner and almost everyone got a prize!
.

(Aerobic exercise with the mascot)

Penang - Annual Audit Exit Meeting...

"What you see is news, what you know is background, what you feel is opinion..."

I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction.

I took the earliest ERL from KL Sentral to KLIA. I had a heavy breakfast of nasi lemak at the Golden Lounge. When I arrived early at Penang Airtport, the Chief Security was already there waiting to pick me up. At the Branch, the Manager was still busy in the vault with the custodians for the daily withdrawals. I meticulously and grudgingly read through the thick pages of audit report. I have not seen an audit report this thick. The meeting went well, attended by the Audit team and the Branch Team. After, I had a serious pep talk with the Manager and warn her that her confirmation is at stake if the branch does not perform by next audit round!

I took an earlier flight to KL. Hubbby fetched me from KL Sentral and tonight we slept early. We have a busy schedule this weekend and I have a 2-day court hearing on Monday and Tuesday.

9th Umrah Trip - A family affair

"Never give up on anybody; miracles happen everyday..."

(11 - 21 July 2008)

(Menuju Masjidil Haram, Makkah)

(Bukit Magnet di Madinah with Sara, Iwan, Ella and my besan, Normah)

My Travelogue:
9th Umrah Trip
munmus.blogspot.com

Malaria-like Strain...

"Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman..."

(Iwan in Selayang Hospital between 21 - 27 June, 2008)

Iwan was diagnosed with dengue fever.

Iwan’s platelets dropped rapidly, critically reaching below 9 mil at a point of time. He was having fever on and off and was on continuous drip to prevent hydration.

I pray that he will be well soon as we are going off for our Umrah in early July. Looking at him in his hospital gown, remind me of Ja when he was warded, 2 years ago. I felt again the pain of losing a beloved son.

I miss Ja so much...

Penang: A short retreat...

"In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increased knowledge increased sorrow..."

(BNM chalet with a private beach...)

(19 – 20 June 2008)

We drove to Penang on Thursday night. Hubby had a meeting with USM on Friday morning and I spent my time reading story book and lazed around the Batu Feringgi chalet. At night we watched movies, the Hulk and Get Smart and had relaxing foot massages at Gurney Plaza and Queensbay Mall.

On Saturday midnight, we received a call that Iwan is warded at Hospital Selayang, suspected dengue fever. We hastily packed and drove back to KL. On the way, we fetched my besan, Normah from Taman Sri Iskandar. We reached Hospital Selayang around 6 o’clock in the morning. Ella, Sara and her BF were in the hospital since last night.

Happy Father’s Day...

“I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life…” - Maya Angelou

'

We had dinner with the kids at Seoul Garden on Father’s Day. Hubby received a beautiful card and a cute soft toy from the kids…

Terengganu - Ganu Kite...

“Always go onward; returning to a favored place you will only find your old footsteps washed away…”

KT branch family day proceeded without the Branch Manager and other key officers as they have to be in the office for the withdrawals. I spent most of the day at KT branch to monitor the operations of other branches. By noon the transfers went well and reports were made to the management.

On Sunday, there was another emergency cash withdrawal at KT branch and it was handled smoothly. The rest of the day was spent at the Taman Tamaddun Islam at Pulau Wan Man.

We went back to KL through the East-West Highway and reached our apartment way after midnight.

Terengganu - Branch Annual Dinner...

"If men could foresee the future, they would still behave as they do now..." - Russian proverb

(Chalet by the beach...)

I was invited to KT branch Annual dinner at Sutera Beach Resort & Spa. Hubby and I decided to drive from KL. We reached the resort late noon and just in time for a short nap.

The dinner was simple and we had the local traditional dancers to entertain us. While we were having dinner we received instruction for all branches to be opened tomorrow for emergency withdrawal of cash by Pos Malaysia for the petrol rebate which will come into effect tomorrow. All other branches managed not to time-locked their vaults, except for Penang branch, special arrangements were made with the CIT company to transport the cash from KL.

Jogja Nusa Travel...

"When someone hugs you let them be the first to let go..."

The Puspanita Kijang is planning for a Jogja/solo trip at end of the month. I had earlier registered my name and his. This should be fun. I am already excited to visit the world heritage, the Borobodur and the famous Bengawan Solo.

Bengawan Solo

Bengawan Solo, riwayatmu ini

Sedari dulu jadi perhatian insani

Musim kemarau, tak seberapa airmu

Di musim hujan air mengalir sampai jauh

Mata airmu dari Solo,

terkurung gunung seribu
Air mengalir sampai jauh,

akhirnya ke laut

Itu perahu , riwayatmu dulu
Kaum pedagang selalu naik itu perahu

Written in 1940 by
Gesang Martohartono

Kuching - The missing link...

“He who chooses his own path needs no map..”

(15 - 19 May, 2008)

We met with representatives from the Commercial banks and the CIT companies on Thursday and Friday. The meetings went well. A lot of issues were covered in a short span of time. Most of the free time was used to redo and translate the speech for the lady Boss. When he arrived from KL that night, we were still struggling with the speech.

The branch annual dinner went well, except for the Boss’ speech which was truncated severely into meaningless garble, we had fun listening to the band and enjoying the food.


The next day and day after, he and I rented a car and drove to Serikin to buy batiks and spices. We also went to the Semenggoh Rehabilitation Centre to visit the missing links, the Orang Utans. We thought of going to Borneo Heights but were unable to drive up because of road works. Later that day, we took a leisure drive to Serian, Sri Aman and Kota Samarahan then back to Kuching. When we reached the outskirt of Kuching, there were processions and fireworks to celebrate the Vesak Day.


The next time we are here, we’ll drive up to Serikei or even to Mukah...

Serawak - Duty call in Kuching...

"Think much, speak little, and write less..." - Italian proverb

Last year I attended the annual dinner hosted by our branch in JB. The dinner was simple and the food was good.

This year when I was told that I need to accompany the boss to attend Kuching and Kuala Trengganu annual dinners, I was not at all excited. Kuching branch dinner will be this coming Saturday night but I need to fly there a few days earlier to attend a few meetings with the commercial banks and CIT companies. Luckily I was allowed to bring another officer to assist in some data gatherings and fact findings to prepare for the meetings.

Hubby will be joining me there on Friday night. As Monday is Vesak Day, we will be gallivanting Serawak on Sunday and Monday and be back to work on Tuesday….

Happy Mother's Day...

“So often we only do what we think is expected of us, when we are capable of so much more...” - Cynthia Hand

(A card from Sara)

(A present from Ella)

On Mother's Day,

I received a cute card from Sara

and a perfume set from Ella & Iwan.

Thank you...

p.s. This year takde sape2 nak belikan Walnut Carrot cake ke?

Langkawi Holidays...

“Travel is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases…” - William Hazlitt 

We had a wonderful long weekend with Sara, Iwan and Ella together with Ella's parents and her sister Nini and her 2 little sons. We stayed a night at the Batu Feringgi chalets on Wednesday, drove to Kuala Kedah on Labor Day to ride the ferry to Langkawi. We rented 2 cars and stayed 3 nights at Sri Kijang, Pantai Chenang.

The kids went swimming in the pool every morning before breakfast. We did light shoppings whenever we like, had our leisure walks and window shopping, enjoyed foot reflexology one of the nights and bought lots of second hand story books.

The weather outside was extremely hot. The kids took one of the car to go sight-seeing and did more shopping. Hubby and I spent most of our time in bed with the aircon on and the tv at classic rock channel...

Pahang - Family Day @ Frazer's Hill...

“Travel is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases…” - William Hazlitt

It’s our turn to host the family gathering. This time round we decided to do it differently. Usually, the gathering will be at any one of the siblings’ house but for this recent gathering I have booked the bungalow and 3 apartments at Frazer’s Hill. Preliminary feedbacks from the siblings on venue and activities were encouraging.

Friday night, right after solat magrib we convoyed in two cars. Iwan’s parents-in-law were also invited to join. Shah and family started late from home and we agreed to meet up half way. When we reached the apartment, it was already late. All of us decided to stay the night in one of the apartment instead of going to the bungalow in the middle of the night.

Next morning, Ros arrived first, followed by Zain, Noh, Latif and Lan. All in all there were 30 of us, adults and children. When we gathered at the bungalow, there was so much noise and so much fun. The majlis started with doa selamat followed by slide shows of our family photos. Then we had BBQ dinner, and there were games for the children and adults. In between we were also entertained with teka-teki and jokes by Chikgu Latif.

The next day, we descended the gap right after noon. Most stayed awhile to enjoy the cool air…'

Hearts of Athens....

"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive..." - Elbert Hubbard

Two hearts are beating, strong and true

The sound grows louder, waiting is through

Two hearts are beating, within one another

Searching is over, they have found that lover

Two hearts are beating, they grow and grow

Together forever, never wanting to go

Two hearts are beating, as the sun goes down

A love true, a love strong, both are bound

My Overseas Travel: munmus.blogspot.com

The Greece Getaway...

“Don't you think it would be wonderful to get rid of everything and everybody and just go some place where you don't know a soul?” - Haruki Murakami

(14 -17 March 2008)