Looks Can Be Deceiving

Nasi Lemak Beef Rendang

Char Kuey Teow

Can't remember what this one is called

Chicken Lobak

One fine day the two angels and me were super hungry. We were in Atria Shopping Mall, this place has gone from bad to worse. We ere there because I had to register for a language course.

This restaurant which was located so strategically on the ground floor, was so inviting. When your stomach is crying for food, you very often do not think twice before parking your ass in the nearest restaurant.

The presentation of the food was good, but looks can so often be deceiving. The food was horrible, the restaurant served Penang cuisine.

Sad, nothing close to Penang at all.

Aromatherapy

Today with LifeStyle Changes we have aromatherapy for the Cancer Survivors. For this session we encouraged the participants to come with their husband, partner, mother, daughter etc, so that they can be assisted in their time of physical and mental fatigue.

Aromatherapy is a healing therapy that uses the aromas from essential plant oils. Only pure oils are used to influence mind and body into physical and emotional well-being.

Due to the massive traffic jams, the session was delayed for almost an hour. It was such a good moment to see how the partnerships were working so well, when one realize how much the needing partner is yearning for the love touch, nothing else matters.

I was touched a million times today, just being a volunteer, and watching how the power of love could be so healing.

My prayers are with you always.

Go Natural

I noticed that my hair is going through a severe spell of dropping; this is very alarming to me. Decided to go for my hair treatment every once a week, I can see some improvement but it was getting too costly, and I have no patience waiting each time for the process to be over.

My last visit to the hair saloon, I came across some interesting reading on hair care, and the usage of natural ingredients. I was determined to give this new information a go, even to go the extra mile using natural ingredients for my face too.

For the hair care, I will need to use some thick coconut milk and kafir lime juice. Finally on Saturday night at approximately 2315 hours, I could not wait any longer to do my own hair treatment. Without any hesitation, I went to the fridge, took a box out without even reading what cream it was. I took a bowl, snipped one end corner of the box and poured half of the content into the bowl. You see, I have this habit of not switching the light on when I am in the kitchen. When I looked at the box before storing the other half in the fridge; to my horror, it was the whip cream that I had opened.

My Chef started screaming at me in between her hilarious laughter, she took out the coconut cream for me and I just let her continue with her laughing, while I get busy with applying the coconut milk to my hair. After forty five minutes, I gave my hair a warm rinse, next step is to take the kafir lime juice, apply same to my hair and scalp, and leave it on for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

After a thorough rinse with warm water, I towel dried my hair followed with the hair dryer. The smell of the hair was wonderful, and my hair looked very silky and shiny. From now on, I will not waste any more money on expensive shampoo, and saloon hair treatment, though I will still need to go there to do the touch up for my hair color.

I can’t remember the name of the magazine that provided me with this invaluable information, but I am gonna stick by this regimen for a long time.

Who needs brand names shampoos when you can count on simple things like the coconut milk and kafir lime juice?

I Will Walk An Extra Mile

Today, we have a mission to achieve, in fact two missions. Firstly, we are going to listen to some boring talks on mutual fund, and then we are going to seek some mystical advice on my girlfriend’s situation.

However, I was feeling at the top most level of laziness, son dropped by and I requested him to get some nasi lemak for breakfast. The two angels decided to go to his house after that to play the…..oh so famous `guitar hero’, when left alone I started rolling on my super king size bed, and in no time I was deep in sleep.

Woke up at around 1530 hours, took a quick shower and got ready to be picked up by girlfriend. Somehow, from the moment I was in her car, we were driving around like as though there is no tomorrow. In short we were running for time, as we had an appointment at 1800 hours, but first we had to go get some kafir lime. First stop, the Cold Storage, no luck, a quick dash to Tesco (which I distaste), luck was with us, got the kafir lime. Suddenly it began to rain so so heavily, I then had to make another quick stop to drop the house keys to my angels.

We were super late for the 1800 hours appointment because when it rains it pours. Drivers instantly start pushing their cars instead of driving them just because of the rain; it was worse then a snail's pace. What would one do when stuck in this river of frustration? We started talking nonsense, laughing at nothing and everything.

I shall skip the boring mutual fund thing, our friend then took us to this place, how will I described it? It was in a very run down area, located in a very dirty low end flats, rubbish was everywhere, the smell of the drain was unbearable, kids were scattered around like chicks without the mother hen, and it was dark and wet. We had to walk up to the third floor, and when we entered the flat, we were welcomed by the recorded super loud sound of Indian prayers.

The priest started his prayers by burning the incense, I swear after almost an hour of smelling the incense I was high, it is as though I were intoxicated. He walked to every corner of the tiny flat ringing the prayer bells, this ringing went on for like 15 minutes, my ear drums turned mute to any other sound but the continuous buzzing of the bell. Due to the non stop burning of the incense, my eyes were watering too. At that point, I could only ask "what the hell am I doing here?"

I will walk an extra mile for you Girlfriend.

Home Wrecker aka Husband Snatcher

Why do some women so shamelessly celebrate the winning of a home wrecking? Could it be that these women are so cheap, so ugly, so desperate that they can only attach themselves to none other than married men, because they were so worthless to be on the side of a single man? While these married men are so eager to have a cheap affair.

My girlfriend is currently swimming in the pool of helpless feelings due to the fact that she has to go through the painful acknowledgement of infidelity. I had accompanied her to face the other woman, it was not a peaceful situation, though she was trying hard to be as calm as possible, and the so called husband snatcher was shaking like crazy. The worse and sad truth was that the husband snatcher is the ugliest that anyone can imagine, and could hardly keep a good conversation in English, so, you ask what does he see in her?

Due to her husband’s infidelity, my girlfriend is a total mess now, she lost so much weight, became so short tempered, crying and laughing at the same time, and finding it very difficult to stay focused. She is so abused, resulting in the feeling of insecurity as well as worthlessness.

Her husband wanted to move out but does not want a divorce, or he will still stay with her but he will spend his weekends with the other woman. My girlfriend is left with no option but to cope. She knows that divorce can be painful and destructive. I had advised her to be realistic and patient, she has to know that time is her very best friend now.

We are hoping that this outside of marriage behavior and false paradigm by her husband is only a frivolous affair, and not something of a deep emotional thing. She is not willing to vacate the marriage for fear that it is a tremendous shame in her race and culture. Though she is very angry but she is still hoping that a positive solution will be the outcome.

For now I am keeping her company as much as I possibly can, helping her to cope by reminding her that she has to make time for herself, and to understand how important she is. So far so good, we went shopping and she had a total change of wardrobe, she changed her hair style, ate better food, and we also decided to learn Salsa. I have also tried asking her to come golfing with me, but she is still undecided.

The only thing that I can assure any woman is that no one can be too weak to survive this moment of pain. The challenge of trusting again after an infidelity will take time. It is not wrong to say that those who went through this dark dream will never fully get over it. But with sheer determination, you will not only survive but will also thrive.

You can count on me Girlfriend !!!

Lifestyle Changes

After 3 long months being away from home, today I am back doing my voluntary work with the Cancer Survivors on Lifestyle Changes. It was sad to see that there were lesser volunteers now; however, it was a blessing to see all the survivors again.

There were a couple of new survivors; one in particular had just had an operation approximately 4 months back. She had cancer of the throat, which apparently is very, very rare.

Besides teaching them how to take care of their sensitive skin especially after undergoing chemo and radiation, and doing proper makeup, we also have a speaker from one of the famous hair saloons to give a talk on wigs. It was a very good session, where survivors and volunteers exchanged questions and answers with the speaker.

This will always be my moment of solitude, which I will forever cherish.

Run Away From Home

I was in the kitchen preparing to cook dinner when my second daughter walked in after college. As soon as she saw my face, she flashed yet another summons that was stuck on the car wind screen, due to overstaying the parking limit time. Then, she said, oh I have bigger news to tell, just to distract me from the true fact.

She went to keep all her things in her room and was so anxious to share her story. She told me that one of her friends had gone missing from home since morning. She tried calling and discovered that her mobile was off; being the concerned friend she decided to go over to the friend’s house. My daughter was met by the distraught parents. She then stayed to talk to the parents for some time, and this was when the summon was put on the car.

Later on in the evening, we discovered that her friend ran away from home, because she had failed in her examination yet again, and was afraid to face the parents.

Why do kids run away from home? Can this be the only solution? Are parents usually the reason for kids to run away?

I remember when my son was angry with me for not allowing my maid to take care of his cousin, he was at that point of time taking side with his aunt, as mom will forever be wrong. Due to this fact he decided to run away from home. I was very sad of course, besides single handedly taking care of them, I was also seen as the bad one, but then again which teenager will not hate his mom at one point in their life right?

Remember how you felt the last time you got in a big fight with your parents, this is the kind of anger that pushes someone to run away from home without even weighing the consequences. There are also incidences where kids run away from home due to the fact that they have done something that they were ashamed of, and were afraid to tell their parents.

Kids more than often think that running away from home will give them the freedom of rules and regulations. The imagination of such freedom must be so great and exciting, right? Unfortunately, instead of escaping one problem, they will soon realize that they had landed into an even bigger problem. They will soon realize that they have no money, no food, no comfort of a home, and worst still lonely.

No problem can be too big to be resolved, communication “not threats” is the key to a happy home.

Think before you even thought of running away ok!!!!!!

Friends

Many times in my life, I had been the victim of believing that someone can be the sort of friend that you believe them to portray. Once I had a girlfriend, who I considered to be the best friend for life. I gave to this friendship from my heart, helping and leading her to climb the ladder of her life. I only realized that she was just someone riding on me, after 20 long years, due to this fact I am now wary of the word friend.

To me a true friend is someone who is not only an ally, but also a good supporter, a good companion to talk to, and a sympathizer. I have become so blunt now, I can be a friend, but the connotation of friendship is different. Example I can still be there when you need me, but I don’t care about the friendship.
Along the way, I still meet people wanting me to be their confidante, their support system, they trust me with their life stories, but I have since been stone cold. To each of these faces I only see them as plastic, fake, and not real.

I get bored with show offs, I get bored with friends who just talk for the sake of being among the group, and I simply get bored being around friends. I would rather stay in bed the whole day with my computer, then to go out just for a stupid chat, or literally for a cup of coffee. Even my coffee tastes better at home.

I have learned my lesson very well; it is true that your best friend can only be your worst enemy. Friendship can never last forever, and it is only a part of our lives. When I discovered that my then best friend was a traitor, it did not take me long to end the friendship. After having calculated the many aspects deeply, I decided that it is best for me to throw the axe, and kill not only the tree but the roots, so that nothing is left to hold on to. I was HURT, so hurtful, however my life was much happier. It is better not to have a friend, than to be stressed.

I am not perfect; no one is, except the Almighty. I may forgive but not forget; I refuse to. This friendship had once made me like a walking time bomb. Simple remarks irritated the wits of me, and I was not pleasant, but God loves me and with his guidance my anger and hate only amplified to love.

KTM

Today I went to KTM to get our ticket for the trip on August 27, 2008, in fact it was my second trip there this week. Not only was the parking difficult, but my impression of the station was like an upgraded version of the Chow Kit Road. The view of stalls crowding inside the modern building is sad, so sad that I could only conclude that nothing will change here, not in a million years.

As I approached the ticket counter, I could see taxi drivers squatting around, chatting loudly, laughing uncontrollably, making the place look worse than a low class `Kopitiam’.

People were crowding around the ticket counter, sitting or standing, waiting anxiously for their number to be called. I was lost in the beginning, because there is no sign to where the number machine is, and by the time I discovered its location, those who already know were ahead of me.

One will not be mistaken to think that this is a place of fake flowers and plants display. I lost count of the number of flower arrangements cluttering all over the place, on the floor baskets of flowers, on the counter small baskets of flowers, behind the pillars the plastic plants, and don’t forget all the personal decoration on each work station. It was mind boggling.

If only the people serving at the counter could be half as nice.

Eye Problem

The eye problem that I had since March 2008, does not seem to be getting any better. When I was with hubby, we kept blaming the changing weather for the worsening of the condition.

However, now that I am back, it is not getting any better, and I started to be alarmed. Went to Damansara Specialist to have some opinion from the Optometrist (by the way she is the most wonderful doctor that we have ever met).

After a very thorough check up and explanation, she confirmed that I had an infection that is related to the weather, asthma, allergy and stress. I was given some eye antibiotic and another eye drop. The antibiotic is to be applied to the eyes for a month while the eye drops for two months. I am happy to know that it is nothing more serious than this.

Alhamdulillah

Internet oh Internet

From the last posting by hubby, today August 12, 2008 at 1700 hours we see the life of the internet connection again. For how long, I don't know, and I just want you people to know that I am not putting my hopes high anymore.

I miss publishing my entry in the blog, which I do treat as a journal, hopefully this time the internet will not fail me again.

Can we be that dependent on the Internet?

Abused Contract

It has been two weeks now, no internet on the weekends. Had hubby do this post from overseas.

Since last thursday (July 31), the internet was down.we will never be informed by the company that their internet is having a problem. When I called them up, they gave the assurance that they were looking into it.

Then on Friday I had like 3 hours of internet and then nothing until Monday. Monday, I got another 3 hours of internet and again none on Tuesday and Wednesday. This thursday(7 August) I had the internet for 3 to 4 hours . Then Friday no internet at all. Saturday for 2 hours and again no internet for this whole weekend.

I am using their services and subscribed for the fast plan paying 100RM per month, and getting shit in return.

Here are a couple of messages from the internet service provider explaining their situation:

This message was sent today at 11:09am:

"Dear valued customer, please be informed the connection in ???? has been resume. Sory fo de inconvenience. Y-Max"

The second message followed on 1:00pm today:

"Dear valued customer, pls b informed d connection will no beup by today, srry for de invenient. Will update on monday as need further investigation this interruption. Y-Max"

Really; two weeks problem and still investigating!!! I am willing to ignore their english if they will do thier job. One really must study hard to be so incompetent.

A side note: I thought our provider was called Biz-surf, but after some research here is what I found:

"Y-Max Networks Sdn Bhd (formerly known as Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd),... " Now part of YTL Corporation

No Comment...

When you employ monkeys. you breed imbecileness.

Caste System

The pattern of social classes that is so often seen in human beings, believe it or not is also seen in the cats' kingdom. It is the heritage of yesterday, but caste in every meaning is still a norm

Handicapped and Orphanage

How could anyone possibly be so insensitive to take the money and leave the handicapped home abandoned?
How could anyone possibly be so insensitive to take half of the handicapped workers' salary?
How could this place be called an orphanage, when only about 3 of the children are truly without parents, while the rest are children being abundant by their own parents. Local parents who chose to marry immigrants, produce children, and could not care for them once the "so called" husband left.

This was the reality that I discovered after almost a year being a voluntary.
Shock, sadness and anger building in me all at once.

Internet Kaput

When I touch base, it normally takes me a few days to put my perspective together. As much as I enjoy being in the loving arms of my kids, it feels so empty without hubby. My Chef daughter and the little monkey gave me more then just a warm welcome, they are the best.

Boy, bought the much awaited `nasi lemak’ and stayed over for a couple of hours. He was missing his mom I guess (“wink” “wink”). My eldest girl could not come back due to her hospital commitment, and Dearie daughter-in-law was working.

When I was ready to start with my new entry for the blog, I discovered that the internet was down, not only down but totally totally kaput. I prayed that it will be on day after day, after day. Guess what, I only got the connection today afternoon (5 days of down time). How sad can that be?

We have an independent provider (B-Surf) for the internet and they f---ed up big time. We choose to have the super fast connection and the fees were 100RM per month (more then what Telekom will charge), we always thought that anything will be better, however they are all the same. We were given bullshit over and over again. (Excuse me for the not so nice words). I simply feel cheated.

Then, I realized …………….. Oh welcome to Malaysia!!!!!!!!!!