"Aku tak dengor ??!!"

“Ma !. cepat call Tok. Tok dah ilang mana entah”

“Alaaahai, Tok gi mana ? Tadi kata nak suruh Abang bawak pergi Tabung Haji ?”

“Tu la, Abang turun lepas shower cari Tok takder, dia dah pergi Tabung Haji dulu jalan kaki”

“Abang kat mana ni”

"Kat Tabung Haji la. Tok takder sini”

“Ok you go back home and re-trace the route. Mama try call Tok lagi.”

“Abang kat mana ?”

“Kat rumah la, did like you told me to do”

“Tok ada tak ?”

“Takder aaaa..”

“Mama dah call banyak kali Tok tak jawab. Tok tu bukan dengar sangat kan…“

"Adoiiiiii how laaaa niiiii“

“Jap. Makcik kata Tok cakap nak jalan sendiri tu Tabung Haji. Okay. You go to Tabung Haji now and find Tok”

"Tadi kan Abang dah pergi, takder.."

"Go now, cepat. To the office belah depan tu”

“I don’t know where it is !”

“Ingat tak tempat Mama ajar Abang parking kereta tu ? Tempat buat 3-point turn tu ?”

"Haaaaa"

"Yang tu kat belakang. Pergi the other side facing Angkasa building, the office is there. Tanya la orang kalau tak jumpa !”

“So….how ?”

“Dah. Jumpa dah. Tok jalan kaki datang sini…”

“So did you ask him why he didn’t wait for you ? “

“Dah”

“What did he say ?”

“Apa dia ? Aku tak dengor ??!!”

“Hee hee hee”

We were panicking like anything because we couldnt find him. Worried because he is 86 and his hearing is not good. Not very sturdy on his feet as he would like to be... but his simple regular answer to my son's question can only make us shrug and smile .. Oh well ! He's safe - that is all we want to know ! Lessons learnt again and again ? Punctuality. If he says he wants to leave at 10am, and you are not ready by then, too bad for you !

Of soothing sounds..

I finally got the water fountain installed today !! After shopping around in Kota Damansara and haggling with the FOREIGNERS who were managing sales of the items (they wanted a total of RM750 for the same configuration but minus transport and installation... giler ker ?) - I finally found one that suited my budget - in a shopping complex !! Talk about shopping complexes being more expensive… Anyway there is this place called Sunflower Art and Décor in Sunway Pyramid which has a white sandstone fountain on display in their shop. I liked it for its minimalist design – not much fuss there.

The price was also reasonably cheaper than anywhere else for the same design. I paid a total of Rm590.00 for the whole thing –

Water feature set 480.00

Delivery 30.00

Installation 80.00.

The water feature set consists of the 7-part sandstone fountain + water pump + lighting. They also provided some white stones and tested and adjusted the water flow. I used my own energy saving light bulb although they brought one with them.

So here are some pictures to show off for ! I haven’t completed the rearranging and deco as yet, only managed to put my pandanus bush together for now. I still need to get my wiring done up properly, put some white pebbles and rearrange the rest of my plants.

Before – marking the spot for the fountain with a wire planter holder. The pandanus bush looks like it's keeled over and died...

My new fountain close up – two tiered

Voila ! The water feature all done ! See the lights and my pandanus crop nicely arranged now.

Another view of my new fountain....

I hope to post more pictures of my little spot of heaven on earth soon, when it's all done. Ooh... happy happy day !!!

ps. eat your heart out, my invisible weightlifter friend ! :D

Abscess in the abyss

Feeling tired, depressed and down. My body is hurting.

"I think it's psychological, Doc. The way I'm feeling now is manifesting in my body as aches and pains. Problem is, I recognise it, but how do I tell it to go away?"
"No lah.. you have a genuine case of pain, else you wouldn't be coming to see me. I know it's not for an MC because you know I don't give them out especially to you ! Ha ha"
"Errrr... yer la tu.. you did give me an MC the last time I came, kan.. you forced me to take 2 days off"
"Oh yes, tapi yang itu was because you were in great pain"
"So now in not-so-great pain la kot ?"
"Ha ha... now I'm giving you Arcoxia for your frozen shoulder"
"Frozen shoulder tu amenda nye ? I tau frozen lamb je la Doc"
"Ish.. you ni. Your condition is called frozen shoulder. And it's affecting you at the joints as well where you feel the other pain"
"Yeah given my previous record, I thought I'd come to see you. Just in case it was coming back"
"Record mana ni ?"
"Yang kes abyss in my upper torso tu la..."
"Abyss apa ? Tu Abscess lah !"
"Alamak... ok Doc... he he he yer, yer.. abscess"

So I'm cleared of any abscess in the abyss problems for the moment. Have been told to exercise my shoulder gently and put heat compress on the area. Adoi. Still sakit even after the Arcoxia.


So to cheer myself up, I went to lunch in SACC mall. Tapi tak habis pun. Tak lalu nak makan bila ingat kan issue lain yang even more depressing. Oh well. I cleaned out the mushrooms and chicken in the pie, and left the pastry shell and fries. I finished the veges. The freshly prepared Orange juice was good. It helped to cheer me up a bit.

My 'heart' will go on...

A year. Minus one from the current year and you're back in time. Not really in time too, she left without saying a proper goodbye. Maybe she did, but I didn't. Not given a chance for a proper goodbye. She said goodbye on the day that I left for London in June and never spoke to me again since. I called and each time there was a different excuse "She's praying" "She's asleep" "She's in the bathroom" "She's not in the mood to talk". "Ok lah kalau cam tu, Bapak just tell her that I have got her favourite - the Aero chocolates in Mint, alright..?" "Yes I will"

Arrived home two Wednesdays later and rang them. Bapak said "Mum's sleeping"

"Ok just to say that I'm back, and why didn't you wait for me to come back as promised ? You said you'd wait for me to get in before going back home ?”

"Entah la, Mak hang nak balik sangat.."

Thursday

"Mak buat apa ?"

"Entah tadi dalam bathroom. Nak get ready nak pray. Dah lambat, tadi she was lying down kat sofa in front"

2:30pm Friday

"Erm Bapak ni.. your mother.. her breathing's not so good la I can see ni…. Kalau Emma free, boleh balik tak ? But don’t rush, I’ll see her progress in the next couple of hours, and I’ll let you know.. yer ?”

"Aha.. ni memang plan nak balik this evening. I'll clear up and leave earlier then. I'll call you to let you know when I'm leaving ok ? I'll get Aman to pack dulu"

"Ok. Bapak pun ni baru balik sembahyang Jumaat, tadi makEncik nak suap bubur kat Mak, she doesn't want to eat saying she is too tired. I'm going to try pulak"

"Ok. Mak kalau tak makan nanti lagi la letih kan"

2:45pm Friday SMS

"Atam where"

"On my way back to Taiping. just left KK"

"k. Bapak called, me go soon as i fin thgs in ofc. keep me posted k"

"Right. When I get there I let u know what's status"

"k. am going back anyway"

3:35pm Friday

"Emma... Bapak ni................"

"Yeeessss……. Bapaaaaaak………?"

"Mak hang.. your Mother..."

"Naper.. ? What is it, Bapak ?"

"Habih dah. Mak hang habih dah. Your mother... habih dah... 3:30pm tadi... Ok yer ? Bapak nak call Ayah Pa bagi tahu"

"Bapak, are you alright ? Are you ok ? Who is there with you ?"

"makEncik and Kak Teh are here with Mak. Aku call Pa dulu yer ? Ok yerr..?"

"Ok Bapak.... ok... yes.. Bapak pergi lah call Ayah Pa"

click…..

and all the held-back emotions during the last few bits of the conversation came pouring out. bewilderment. grief. loss. confusion. emptiness. shock. and the howling came as if from afar, from an alien being. I watched and heard myself as if detached, and didn't recognise me. Bapak was alone to manage things. Mak didn't want anyone else there. She waited for Bapak to come home from Friday prayers, and she said her goodbyes, only with her one beloved. The only one who mattered most to her. For her children there were no goodbyes, farewell, be good... She has said it to us all through her life.

"It is against (the order of) nature for a child to go first, and we have lost two.." you wailed to Bapak before..

Mak, your youngest child misses you. I have absolutely no one now, as you decided to follow Nyah. You did soooo want to go and have been asking the Almighty for this for the longest time. And you finally got your call.. you hasten to go before someone else’s number is called..

The pacemaker is still ticking in the ground. "It is good for about 20 years’ of use, providing the patient does not operate a jack-hammer, which would bring the battery life down to about 15 years’"

Petronas Twin Towers at nite

Just a pic I snapped from my iphone while driving at nite. The towers light up like candles, don't they ? Obviously not the best shot - won't win any awards, but I kind of like it..

My Greenies and I...

Pictures of my greenies... See if you can spot the butterflies ! I adore green and hanging plants. My maid has contributed to growing some chillies too. Soda insists on being in again, he's hiding behind one of the plants.

Tot straks

Soda oh Soda.. 2 The cat luvs to pose !

Soda oh Soda...1

New toy... :)

I got me another new toy today.. Set me back by Rm49, but okay la kan, for 4GB packed into the small bugger ! Courtesy of my Invisible Weightlifter Friend, who was at Low Yat today. Nasib baik dia nice enough to oblige to buy for me. Nak tunggu i get myself over to KL City Centre... errr not sure when la kan ! Probably by the time that I actually got myself there, the price would have dropped to RM15 (read that as being almost obsolete.. or me too old to move fast enough)

I like it because of the cover. It just needs a flip, and I won't lose it, that's why. Imagine having a USB thumdrive with no cover. It doesn't mess up the data but it just looks ... well, incomplete. So here I am with this baby blue (okaylah, almost turquoise) piece. Would have loved it in purple, but that's the 2GB one.

Here's a shot of it... Don't anyone tell me that it's fake, not that I really care anyway!!

Thanks, my friend! Next time I belanja you Persia kat AmpWalk la kot ha ha ha bila la tu yer....

Tot straks all

happy happy happy day :D

Oh lupa pulak

I got me some more new plants !!! Yay ! From Jusco Home Centre in 1U, from Giant at the KJ Mall, and from the Bandar Kinrara Giant Mall... Pics soon, I hope ! Greens are lovely - I find that everytime I feel upset and depressed, I go out and get green plants, and flowers. I got myself some roses the other day, but they are now wilted, how sad.. maybe time to get myself another bunch ?

tot straks...

Wow.. it's been more than a month !

It's been so long.. So many things have happened - and DIDN'T happen! Happy happy happy - the new dining table has arrived, to replace the old one. Got it in the same fashion, round and extendable so it can accomodate the whole family when we go home for Eid. Dad wanted to keep the old one "Still in good condition, la !" I said no. It's time to let go. You can donate the top - that is definitely still good, but the supporting bits are in terrible shape. Someone keeps on saying "ooh we can just repair this, bapak you have to do this, do that".. another someone always actually DOES the repairing so we can continuously use it, so I decided to just contribute to buy another one. The old one IS already almost 30 years old, after all ! Well-served and past it's time. Dad says, so is he..! he hee i said up to him lah to consider himself as what ever !

Sad sad sad - My sweetie couldn't make it home after all. His home Co's board meeting has been postponed indefinitely. Mad rush as he was supposed to fly home direct from AMS after his conference, tickets all ready. Imagine the mad rush to find tickets and accomodation to fly back to IFN on short notice! Bad enough the peeps at THR insisted that he get a visa to go to Europe on departure ! Malaysian passport holders DO NOT need a visa to go to Europe. Little did they know and wanted to understand ! A delay to the conference, obviously, even if they did compensate with a direct THR-AMS flight on KLM, with 3 seats allocated to him so he can sleep the night off; it was still a bad start, no ? Then it was a roundabout trip back to IFN being AMS-CDG-DXB(overnight)-THR-IFN.. fuh banyaknya codes.. I had my share of the action - did the online booking for my Sweetheart's stay in DBX. Good thing I wasn't yet asleep at that time. And since still not yet midnite, sempat transfer duit via MB2U sebab he had run out of cash. Abis nak makan kat DUbai kena pakai cash kan, as original plan he wud have arrived KUL by then !

Happy happy happy - went to visit little Justin of Emily and Chris for his full moon. The tiny one has gangly arms and legs and is seem to be on track to beat Mummy and Daddy at height and size. Congratulations, little one !

Sad sad sad - had a mad craving for Irani Kebab ! but the restaurant in YC Plaza is gone as the whole place is under reno, but happy happy happy again because we found the place on Jalan Putra to compensate. Not so great, hoping for better but enough to satisfy us for now. The Zaffron Ice Cream pacified us .. a bit ! Lovely !

Oh well so many things to be thankful for and I can't write it all here. More bits and pieces later I hope!

Tot Ziens !!