My goodness it s been months!!!

last blog of mine in february... ooh long absence really =(
not that there are no reflections that count .
More so, didnt get to the rectangular screen to blog.
most of the time to check mail, facebook and play bejewelled blitz haha ... got hooked on it past months...
Need to go on rehab now. More self control required now that there s no one to compete with me for the computer in the mornings haha...
I am serious. Have wasted much precious time and records are so fleeting - see no point other than some mind stimulation so that my brain cells can think a little bit faster =)

just entering this post to reactivate my blog like bank accounts which need reactivation or they ll send everything to Bank Negara....(incidentally i have some 600 plus rgt in Bank Negara unclaimed!) consider as donation lah - dont fancy trudging all the way up there to get it... and it was many years back

ok i hope to post sthg soon cos many things have happened and it s good to reflect on them =)

cny rawang good beginning

i just realised it was the same time last year that i blogged about cny hols being a bit different....
and i find myself this cny saying it is also different but in an even better way !
that's nice for a change - meaning a change for the better

on my fmly side, i made suggestions regarding reunion a bit earlier with the intention of ensuring it will really be a reunion of us siblings - even in the absence of mum who passed on 2 years ago in nov 2007
first NO NO is- not so much cooking to allow more time for chit chat and catch up
it s not about food really...sometimes the food blocks out the essential and needful thing that should really happen during reunions

secondly - HALAL all the dishes so that Yit and Ani and kids can feel a real part of the reunion instead of ta-pau ing from indian muslim restaurant to bring back to eat...

thirdly- let it be lunch on the first day of cny rather than the conventional dinner on the eve
then we dont hv to rush with others to be in time for reunion
furthermore the guys and married gals can come together with their families and not miss one another bec of chinese tradition ...you know what i mean cos strictly the reunion is only for the sons and their families and on the second day only the married daughters and their families can balik kampung then....
for many years when i went back home during cny my brothers and their fmlies would not be around cos they would have gone back to their wives' kampung.....
personally i am very opposed to the chinese strong stand that only those who bear the fmly surname hold significance with respect to the specific fmly posterity.... hence the daughters are married OFF and the grandchildren are "outside" grands...
In God's eyes we are of equal standing, man or woman - He is indeed a GREAT GOD!!!!

well GOD IS GOOD - when halal meal suggested, siblings no strong objection
initially i admit i did not dare to suggest fully halal for fear some may not be agreeable
but i am glad to push for it cos why should we let pork be a stumbling block to the spirit of reunion???? so yit , ani and the kids daniel and liza more comfortable joining in the reunion and staying two nights which is a record cos most years they came and zoom off as quickly as possible!!! and we even managed a visit to mum's sis (big aunt) in KL together

honestly speaking we were working towards healing a strained relationship betw yit and fat , we girls and their wives... how much has been achieved we have no idea but i believe it is a small move and good start and we probably have to work on more intentional moves in the near future ... cos to the guys it doesnt look like it needs to be worked on....you know guys ... theyll say nothing what, no problem...aiya
the other positive thing is because we stayed over there was a little bit more time for interaction - played saboteur game with one another but some oldies too tired out tidur already
only the young nephews stayed up till midnight - they were actually really quick to pick up the game only 8 and 10 years old! not bad daniel and joshua - syabas!

BUT you know the recurring problem at any get-together? the killer of meaningful and healthy bonding and conversation??? the BOX called TV!! ya - once that is one, you can forget all about making conversation or catching up... must remind future hosts -"no tv on" rule...
And the reunion was not complete cos "ta-ke" ie big brother and gf didnt come the reason being he has some apptment... but a little bee told me he went for lunch in subang parade instead!
is it so difficult to make a little effort - whatever the reason for avoiding (we know) - isnt the reunion a time for peace-making and let bygones be bygones? life is just too short to keep misgivings in the heart and to hold resentment and let it fester within --- forgiving is an exercise that heals our souls and opens our hearts to joy and bless others with what God has given us...
thus the spirit of maaf-bermaafan during muslim hari raya if sincerely taken is one to be modelled but as God wants it, we should at all times forgive others as God has forgiven us.
well my ta-ke is another story...maybe the next intentional peace-making we shld embark on.

Still i would consider it was a fruitful, meaningful get-together over CNY reunion this year at rawang
I hope the next one, God willing will be different but better??? ya ya ya =)

Time is limited, make the most out of it , in essentials!!!
signing off
the bee

time has wings cos it seems to have the ability to fly....
my last post was march the 26th, 2009
it is now october the 7th...!!!
the end of 2009 is in sight ...oooo frightening
where did the days go???
may have to decide to put this as my full-stop or comma post
"MIA (missing in action) till the gear is found"
cant catch up with updating post - many things have happened many lessons learnt
but the gear to get it moving to ink into blog just tak ada lah...
well may have to resort to plain old fashioned journaling with pen and paper =)
the exercise of penning down your thoughts and responses as you take stock and reflect on the day's , the week's or the month's events is kind of therapeutic and helpful...
and with the decrease in efficiency of memory bank - these jot-downs will come in pretty handy actually....
ok ok will try to make sure i get to do just that whatever the channel - old or new way...

the five K s

"ki ki ku ki ki" - literally translated from cantonese means 'self take care of self'
well in other words, selfish
the word typed out looks weird to me
but it is far from extinct
frequently see that as the reason for the things or situations encountered daily
just look at the amount of rubbish strewn in many varied places other than its rightful place ie the garbage bins

in the back lanes - food remnants such as rice, dhall curry, stale bread etc scattered for pigeons, cats and dogs and even little sparrows not to mention the aggressive eerie-looking crows!
flies and fur and stench will assail your nostrils and ensure your windows permanently shut

in the drains - plastic of all kinds - food wrappers, detergent bottles, cooking oil containers, styrofoam packs, polythene bags of all colours....clogging the flow and retaining the enriched outflow of domestic waste water which adds to the potpourri!...what a collection!
this is often the drive to pray for heavy rain to flush everything away so as to get some reprieve before the cycle begins...
i personally witness a lady opening the window of the back room and flinging some rubbish out direct into the drain ....oh how convenient ... a giant garbage 'bin'

any corner patch esp when the corner lot is vacant will quickly be designated as the 'official' garbage patch and the mountain of refuse will build up over the week...it begins with pruned branches (well at least this is organic and biodegradable) then the game 'follow the leader' begins - soon old containers, bags , polystyrene insulator, and even an old couch, wood pieces join the gang and lo and behold the newly installed garbage collection point is official.
what an obnoxious sight! ...the finale of the episode - a council lorry was despatched to clear the pile recently but the joy is short-lived cos the root is still there.

a neighbour keeps an alsatian which seems too large for a tiny terrace home - with no kennel for him, no 'toilet training' and no bath routine
so the 20 by 20 compound of the house becomes a gold mine of faeces and urine daily
and what does the owner do?
ya, a water hose assists him to clean his compound but the 'gold' is conveniently swept into the drains
out of sight out of mind for him yes
but by mid day with the heat the stench from the drains will definitely put him in my mind!!!!
infuriating , exasperating......till the night when the cool breeze comes a blowing into the living room...guess what bonus comes along with it???? patience, forbearance, tolerance to the highest degree URGENTLY WANTED!!!!

a bus zooms by- be it a public or school bus
plop! out flew the plastic bag of finished tea or syrup with straw and rafia string attached
through the window out to the ....dont know where it was aimed at
some invisible garbage bin i guess
tailing a proton wira notice some UFO s (unidentified flying objects) from the left front window
wonder what they may be
make a wild guess
husband driving with wife beside him - enjoying her ice cream peeling off the cone wrapper and letting the wind take the refuse on a carpet ride!!!!
many many 'live tales' of the same been encountered
go to the magnum- 3D, toto or cant-remember-their-signage shops and observe....
a carpet of ...slips of paper galore - autumn fall scene lah
the moment customer leaves the counter after putting in their bets
lo a little 'leaf' naturally falls from their grip and join dozens on the floor!!!
how can this be???the establishment just stay passive and condone this irritating habit of its customers???
oh yeah they do something about it - they have a lady who will sweep the mess as it comes!!!
that s 'nice' - i call it pampering

i really wonder why it is so difficult for folks, young and old, to just place any rubbish in its proper place?
the irony of it, the homes are clean and well swept but beyond their 'territory' a different story unfolds.
cleanliness - personal and environmental, is a core element in the school curriculum primary to secondary and also in families and homes
what has gone wrong?
schools are kept clean with enforcement - so any littering bug will not be found doing it openly
maybe stricter enforcement is required from school to community level??
i really dont know
or joint responsibility to keep school and community environment free of indiscriminate littering
imposed on folks would work better to inculcate the good and desired habit and ensure it gets deeply rooted???
i once advised a neighbour not to throw food remnants directly into the drain and that s the end of good neighbourliness between us - one sided of course
i was on the verge of doing something in response to the growing mountain of refuse ...lost courage and was pretty relieved when the lorry came to demolish the mountain
your good intent may actually run a risk of being interpreted as 'nosey',' not minding your own business'- after all it is not on your property and who make you their boss???? ooh cant imagine the consequences and response...
and these folks are those who have no qualms at throwing whatever and wherever they like
who are you to question???

so in conclusion it boils down to the 5 ks?? so sad isnt it?

my heart is warmed

how time zooms past!
been more than a month since my last post....

my heart is warmed by a few changes i observed lately....
they are not what you would call drastic changes
little yet significant....and God it is your working! thank you!
You have been working in the hearts of your children... and still will be...
my HEART IS WARMED
..... when i hear my daughter expressing emphatically her desire and commitment to meet regularly with her uni fellowship group amidst some glitches she encountered to follow thro this commitment..
earlier in the sem she intentionally selected class slots so as to make that meeting night free
and that was so gladdening to my heart... thanks dear for being the reason
it not only pleases me but it definitely pleases our God who has been holding you in His palm!
May your time in uni be an opportunity and adventure with Him as you learn and enjoy what He has in store for you!!! JEREMIAH 29:11
my HEART IS WARMED
..... when i hear the son of a friend emphatically 'pushing' the mum to go to church come weekends when he s back from studies!
not too long ago it was the reverse and human persuasion came to no avail but now look what God has been doing in his heart despite what the family has been through....
his desire to worship springs from a heart of thankfulness to the God who has brought him and his family through crises and hardship...
and i am glad he didnt sink into bitterness, crying unfair and why he gets a bad deal from God?? and somewhere deep inside i sense a restored self-esteem released from feeling inferior bec of his family condition...set free to move on...
May he discover more and more of our Loving, merciful and faithful God!
my HEART IS WARMED
...... when there was less 'resistance' to release funds in our efforts to help provide for Karthic and family in the form of giving in kind and helping the undernourished boy try to catch up on the basic three Rs so that he wont become another statistic in the drop-out list.
provision allocation approved promptly, some electrical fault repair bill settled and soon the bill for repair leaking roof and rotting wooden beams....
May God who stirs our hearts to act upon what He wants us to do, teach us to be like Him in action......ever so full of compassion, of grace, of gentleness, of kindness as we avail as His arms to the needy...... Matthew 25:34-40
........i see you God clearly in these....