Happy Deepavali

Happy Deepavali to all my Hindu friends!

Living in Malaysia and then going to government school, I had been friends with kids of different races, and I think we Malaysians are blessed that way. I would not say that everyone of us manage to be best bosom buddies, but we were friends. And that was important.

The first three and a half (for we moved back to Kulim during my fourth year) years of primary school was spent at St. Nicholas Convent, Alor Star. I made friends, not bosom buddies for we were young and then I moved, anyway. But I made buddies, buddies that I am reacquainted with through FB (yes, again). OK, I digress. I am actually thinking about this one nameless young lady that I have this such acute memory of. I mean, I remember her face, and her height (she stands above us all during standard 1, I believe, and I was not a short little 7 year old at that time. She was so tall, and she had this throaty and quite a loud voice. The thing that I remembered about her was her inability to say asrama (government quarters). She used to lived with her mom over at the nurse’s asrama, or something like that. She kept on saying that they lived in asmara (passion). I still smiles whenever I thought of her, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember her name. Hmmm

When I moved back to Kulim with my Mom and sister, I went to St. Anne’s Convent until I finished Stan dard Six. Made lots of friends, of course, one of them was Zarina. We called her Putih (white). I am not sure why, because she was not that tee hee…. Maybe Salmi or Linda, or even Yana could refresh my memory about this. I probably did not know the whole store since I started school during Standard Four, but it sure would be nice to know….

During high school years, me and lots of my St. Anne’s friends moved to Badlishah. Again, a standard local government school where a mix of Malays, Indians and Chinese could be found roaming about school. I don’t think that I made any new good Indian friends there. Iam not sure why, though, because most of them (just like all other Chinese and Malay school mates) were OK. I made friends, sure, but not many good new friends. But anyway, when I was in Form Four, I moved into a new class, so I had to make new pals. Couple of them were a riot. Siva and Loges. Goodness, saw a photo of Loges over at Siva’s wedding reception, and I marvel at how he didn’t seem to change a bit. Yes, he sported that moustache, but other than that, he seemed like the old Loges that I knew. Witty to the brim, and funny, with his sparring partner Siva.

I missed all my friends, Indians, Malays, Chinese, or whatever they are. Sad thing is, I had not met most of my friends since leaving school in 1994. Though I found some of them through FB (OK I’ll stop soon), I still ponders about some.

I wondered, too, whether I had been a good enough friend to them.

Belated Eid 1429H entry

I ignored this journal for too long.

I am back here in Kulim with the pumpkin, and I do have this freaking slow and useless wireless broadband. I do have lots of photos from Eid this year to post up in my photo album, but the darn bloody slow connection is not helping. So I didn’t upload those photos. I put some over in my FB, so if you are somehow linked to me, you’d be able to see it. If not, well here’s some of them taken on the second day of Eid until the fifth, if I am not mistaken.

I had some problems uploading photos directly from my hard drive to wordpress, for whatever reason unbeknownst to ignorant me. Thankfully, after some help from that someone, I manage to finally upload some photos, albeit smaller than the usual big ass size that I put up before.

But anyway, here are some photos of us together. I had not taken any photos of me (for darn obvious reason lah) for awhile, but heck, it is Raya, you know?. Though I cringe at the thought of putting this big a size photo of me, heck who cares. This could be my own comparison to my own person should I decide to lose some weight in the future. Har har. I managed to have me and Tia’s baju kurung sent to the tailor’s and had it ready just before raya. I did have to cajole the seamstress, lest I would be wearing last year’s baju kurung for Eid 1429H *grins*.

As you can see from my right sidebar, I had changed my FB profile photo to this one. I like this one, and some people agreed. If anyone don’t like it, they didn’t mention it. So all is good. So new photo for the profile it is. I had used the previous one because I like that I was in the background, not in the foreground. This one, though, featured all us together in the foreground. I had wanted to put a photo of us, but could never find one that I liked enough, thankfully this one fits the bill.

A very good friend (that I had no way of finding but miraculously he registered to FB!) commented that I looked berseri-seri in the photo (yes hon, I was referring to you), but I beg to differ. My face was oily, so that berseri-seri could be from the oil shining on my face. Eeek!

Here are the rest of the photos. These were all taken at bapak’s place over in Alor Star, and at bapak’s oldest son, Abang Chaq’s.

I love her curls, but I wished that it would grow longer. She inherited my disability to grow hair very fast, unlike certain someone that I knew. And we did not trim her hair before EId, and until now her hair is always in that messy state *grins*.

And look at those fuchsia flats peeping underneath her sarong? Don’t you think it is just too adorable? For all her rough-and-tumble, boyish act, this is one quite feminine little girl. Pink and reds would definitely catch her attention, and she wore the flat right after we bought them, which was a week before Raya. Tee hee..

Wish upon a star…

With the internet being super slow and that dearest hubby is back to work in KL prepping for upcoming events and taking count of the financial casualties that is bestowed upon everyone, I do understand that sometimes, we have to cut back. But really , how much can we cut back when we are already on the basic essential form of life.

Many years back, when the hubby had a little stash of pennies where he used to dunk the spare change ..has been put into his early pension plan. I mean really wanting for an early retirement. I really mean, just a small setup to ensure that hickups won’t happen, to tide things over while others are roughing it up.

You see, that looney toon has placed his bets on Stake Holder Pension Funds where he can select what funds he will bet on, like insurance but more of a unit trust and shares alike. Things have been bad for him, having to loose over S$50,000 during the economic crisis in 1998 by means of depreciation of his funds. But knowing him, and that the money he lost is actually his CPF money, I just don’t know what got into him. I would have gone mad loosing over RM100,000 overnight. But he stayed his nutty cool. Blame it on experts who said it was a safe bet is all he said..and now I just understand his betting sentiments. No better than a punter queing up for a lucky dip of the lottery. Only the banker will win.

Of late, his investments have had it’s ups and downs. Pension age in the UK is actually 65 but somehow that geek managed to squeeze his way for an early withdrawal with his shares, and give us a monthly top up from those returns. I know that look on his face when bets don’t work out. The Looser Look. Eventually, he explained his version of things, which is that the Pound is getting beaten up by the Europeans and Malaysia is pegged up to the US somehow and that’s why he is getting less money for our extras. Meaning normally, we would have gotten GBP150 a month on his returns which works to about RM1800 or so, but now..it’s nearly less than RM1000. From a 7.4 to a 6.1 means that we loose alot. And though if spent in the UK, it’s still the same, here…things are getting far more expensive. Triple of what we forked out in 2006.

No wonder that he was so eager to get on a full time desk job compared to just doing his internet thingy. It’s not enough to pay other essentials like loans and stuff.  Things like settling down with a good place..and reliable means of getting about. And getting to finish off our study loans.

But trying to get this dearier… is something out of the …….

This dear husband is NOT my version of 2008 subaru impreza and though it may be a impreza engine,with all the nick knocks whatever, I am not going to be spotted in that soccer mom car.The rear of a Proton Gen-2 with the front of a Toyota Prius I would say not to mention it does only 23mpg which is …10.5km/l which is literally rubbish to me…which in Tia’s term, mean 23cents per km..or 3 nappies per trip to the KFC!

Anyway,the Damansara home needs some changes..and though things are a little cheaper there, I will stay here for a week or so, letting Tia have some time with her nan and run about the house a little. Work harder , we need more money in the bank. And thank God that you still got the capital from your investments….thank God that your guts of the most risky investments in technology and gold pays the best and weathers the worst of the depression we are all in.

I sometimes do wonder where you get the cash from, and did you mention of that customer you fought with many months back when you joined ZYRAZ? What was it? JAZMEEN FOODS? I read about them on the news feed yesterday that they were suspended from operation because of get rich quick pyramid-scheme system? Gosh, guess your senses does come in good play and to stay away from those con artists.Dasar Keturunan Mamak (DKK) you said?? A Huge company with Loads of money but can’t pay you guys using a company cheque and terrible paymasters who paid you using a personal cheque? That you had to come and retrieve your products back like beggars? See, Allah is just. All Knowing, and He pays your retribution in cash..here, now.

Same likewise that Nazrul would be jumping to see Buluh Mas got their just desert for conning that bloke out of his hard earn money…and to think the Buluh Mas guy was his housemate. Terrorism charge and money laundering. Guess they are heading to Guantanamo Bay huh?

Love you. Tia Miss you too!