Michael Jackson is gone!!

MJ left us on Friday 24th June at 1.32pm Malaysian time.I heard it on the car radio and I felt a wave of sadness overcome me.He died of a cardiac arrest so they say.What can I say about him that others have not said?Though I was not one of his crazy fans,I liked certain songs of his like 'Black and White' and 'Save the world'.
I would like to think that the song 'Black and White' was written from the heart.He had trouble with the colour of his skin when fame touched him.So the bleaching started.Then he did not like his cute fleshy nose!(Note here that,to the Chinese,a fleshy nose is the sign of a rich man ie,if you are into business!)And so the snipping and tucking started.I guess all the liquids injected into him took a toll of his life.
He had a successful life and yet he was hardly happy .He became eccentric.If only he had had someone to talk to and to confide in!
So MJ,this is goodbye and RIP.

Hey!Senor EL NINO!!

The past few days have been so hot and humid that as I write,beads of perspiration trickle down my forehead.Well, senor El Nino is making his yearly sojourn to our country and is sending people scampering to the shops to buy air-cons!The irony of it all is that the air-cons might keep them cool for awhile but will make the weather even hotter next year!
That's the trouble with us human beings.We consider ourselves the highest of all mortals and yet we do not practise this simple act of preserving Mother Nature.The years that will come will be hotter and hotter and maybe this Earth might explode.What will we have left??Only our grandchildren or great grandchildren will know.My guess would be a barren land.No trees because we killed them off!Colours??maybe dark brown,ashen grays and murky blacks!!What a horrible picture.And there'll be nothing left on Earth.Empty,void,kosong,zero...only a vacuum.God bless us all and save us from our owncrimes!!!!

He loves her!

That's her on the left..my big sisterSN.She has had her surgery done and thank God it was a success.The lump removed is benign and now she's recuperating.I have not visited her yet as I'm down with a bad flu and for sure the Immigration people at the checkpoint won't let me through.What matters most is that she is fine.I spoke to her on the phone and her voice is strong like usual.When I see her,I'm going to tell her that its high time she thinks about herself.She should stop worrying about other people's lives for she has a life of her own.This includes her children's lives because they are adults and should be able to deal with THEIR own family life and not depend on Mom all the time.Also she should do what she wants to do and stop being dictated by little 'pantangs' and the like!!I want to tell her to let her hair down once in a way and that nobody's perfect.So big sister,how about it??A new way of life which will be carefree and footloose.

Away we go!!

At last the family trip to Penang was well on its way on the 29th of May.The first stop was the Istana Hotel where we stayed for the night as we had to pick Haireen from her hostel at about 2pm.The hotel was beautiful especially the foyer.It had very tall pillars and an exceptionally high ceiling.I like high ceiling for it makes a room spanky and posh.The cushions were of course brocade and the scent that pervaded our noses through the air-con was spicy and easy on the nose.However the food at the coffee house was nothing to shout about and so very expensive.Well,you're on holiday so no complaints that way!!
We left for Sg Petani to pick up two impatient grandchildren early in the morning.We left for Penang straight away so it was a trip down again and then across the Penang Bridge.The sea was at its best especially the colour of the water..so blue almost azure.Leisure Cove was where we stayed.It is a time sharing unit and the rooms were comfortable and clean.We could do our own cooking which we did on the last night of our stay.
Penang is still as dirty as the last time I visited.Looks like there's no town planner in the city for you can see little houses nestled between high-rise buildings.It is such an ugly sight!The food court at Fort Cornwallis is the dirtiest place I've come across!Dirty plates and cups were stacked on the floor and mangy furless cats roamed the area.The hawkers were making a bundle each night as the food was expensive.One ordinary glass of teh-tarik cost Rm2.50!I vowed never to eat there anymore if I visited again.Lim Guan Eng should do something about this city instead of whining and crying!!! However,as a consolation,the most beautiful view of Penang was the beach with its crystal blue waters and its sandy beach.It was a sight to behold as we drove towards Telok Bahang on the way to the fruit farm.It made me stop to think how those calm waters could suddenly become tumultous giant waves like they did during the tsunami.The other beautiful view was the one from Queensbay Mall overlooking Pulau Jerejak.If anyone did not know,he would have thought he was in Hawaii.
The fruit farm was ordinary and we did not take the trip to see the fruits because it was expensive.We had fresh fruit juice and of course durians from the farm.The butterfly farm was interesting especially for the children.
We did visit the night market along Batu Ferringhi and all I bought was a glass locket as a souvenier.The Penang Hill was given a miss as we had to wait hours before we could get on it.
Unique is what you'd describe the toy museum.There were so many miniature toys and life-sized ones of movie heroes and villains.The place was small and dingy but it was an enjoyable tour.If ever I visit Penang again this is the place I'd like to revisit..and also the beach.I would want to summon up all my strength to go paragliding!!
The chidren spent much of their time swimming in the pool on the roof-top pool.It was altogether a very enjoyable trip and made even more enjoyable when we stayed the night at The Crowne Plaza Mutiara before leaving for JB the next day.Its a good hotel to stay in and you'll be sure it will be on my good hotels list.
Next destination??Still mulling over it

Now he's gone.

Denan slipped away last Friday 5th of June at 2.32pm.On Thursday,he had a bout of very high fever and had to be sent by ambulance to GHKL.He however succumbed the next day.We only got the news at 3.32pm and so were unable to attend the final rites.Muslims believe that the dead should be laid to rest as soon as possible.However we left JB at 6 the next morning to go to Kajang to pay our respects.It was a tiring time as we had just come back from our family vacation in Penang.Everything was so sombre and solemn.Now I have lost a brother-in -law who has by far been a pleasant and unassuming man.AL-FATIHAH.
(Denan's on the left of the picture.This was taken when he visited about 5 years ago.He was well then)

Success is an option

Last night we had dinner with Gina at the hotel she was staying.She's here for a conference for specialist doctors and also presenting a paper.She looks well and she deals with little children who have dental problems.For the moment there are only 25 of these specialists in Malaysia.She deserves this because she worked hard for it.
There was so much to talk about and we almost forgot to eat.We click even though she's so much younger than I am.As I watch and listen to her I can't help but notice that she's so much like her late mother my late sister-in law.She even laughs like her!Well, she's her mother's daughter.It also reminds me that we are all getting on in age and that we should strive to do better (for the young ones) and not to be fastidious and fussy (for the older ones like me).For this life is short and we have no time to stand and stare or pick up silly quarrels over silly things!!

DE JA VU

Went back to BP to visit the columbrium.On the way home we dropped by 336 to take a last look before it was flattened by the bull-dozer.The whole area is scheduled to be flattened to make way for the expansion of the BP hospital.
There was a feeling of wistfulness because that was the house I grew up in.It was a rambling old bungalow house with massive rooms and a quaint kitchen located downstairs.The old 'jambu' tree by the kitchen was where we,my sisters and I spent our time.The ants and the occasional vists by furry caterpillars did not put us off from climbing it and eating the fruits while reading a book.And we were champs where tree-climbing was concerned.We could shimmy up the tree in seconds.The only tree that we were forbidden to climb was the coconut tree by the front door.Yes that's the tree I'm talking about and that's my sister and I trying to look sweet and demure for the picture.
Like the learned say...we need to change with times but thank God for digital cameras that allow us to store such precious memories of the past.
(The jambu tree is in the background to the left.The kitchen's to the right)