15 years on....

5 years since my last letter to you,  how time flies...another 5 years of 'sunshine and rain showers' of our journey together that I have been blessed with.  I would be lying to say nothing has changed ;-). We have  changed, together and also in our own ways, grown older and hopefully wiser, more set and self centered in some ways (LOL winking) yet more tolerant in others.  I thank God for all that he has blessed us with and I pray for even more meaningful days in coming years for I know we share the same vision of seeking contentment in work beyond corporate world, whatever that may be!

5 years ago for our 10th anniversary I chose timepieces to signify the journey of our relationship,  past, present and always. I am definitely not 'big' on buying gifts for you but 15 years is another special milestone. This time I decided on Bottega, the signature weave, a special favorite representing how our paths have crossed, exquisite and beautiful with the strength to withstand the test of time. :-). Unlike the timepieces which were a pair, the Bottega will a different something for you and me - the respect for the different individuals we are in a life we weaved together.

That my dear are only the material symbols to celebrate a milestone for the true meaning is in what I have in you!

Khalil Gibran on Marriage 

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Sky

Nov 22 2008, it must have been love at first sight for Iwan...a cloudy Saturday evening, while waiting for Daddy living his dreams in a football game, we met Sky. So tiny, helpless and all alone. I am still not sure what made me agree...Iwan's compassion or my need as a Mom to walk the talk...it was nevertheless a good decision, Sky became family.

Sky came our way unplanned, so overnight we learnt about litter boxes, immunizations, milk and food......do we keep her in doors, where would she sleep.....and the list went on. Sky's distinct limp disappeared and she thrived over the weeks and months, from a little scrawny, wearied and scared looking kitten into a beautiful, lovely, young cat. But somehow Sky kept her distance, definitely very playful but she was never overly affectionate, cuddles, mewing, patting, stroking, those of what is expected of a feline were not her cup her tea.

As she grew she was not short of suitors, where her younger days sees her bouncing back on the dot just before bedtime, the last couple of months, we had to track her down and most likely cut short her "partying" to have her home in the nights. We have never been big on pets nor do we have great love for animals so with Sky controlling population was constantly on our mind and spaying her has always been on the agenda.

Spaying, was this the trigger of it all? Probably. Was it inevitable? Probably as well. These are conflicts within me since, but will I ever find an answer? Probably Not. It was a decision that let to truly unexpected turn of events and a heartbreaking end.

Close to a week after the procedure, Sky does not look like she was any where near recovering, in fact she has developed very laboured breathing, she has not eaten, she drank very little and was hardly moving around. By the time I sent her to Healing Rooms, Dr Loh said she was in bad shape....I broke down, I was not able to decipher what that meant then. Dr Loh said possibly FIP and is terminal. I agreed to a series of test, chest x-ray, blood tests...knowing all too well that they may do Sky more harm than good. Fluids were in her lungs and that made breathing difficult. I can't recall any episode in her younger days where the coronavirus would have infected her....and now it has mutated and Sky is dying....we brought her home to give her a better life so how could this be?

Dr Loh called at 7pm, Alina and Anita were visiting, Sky was not doing well and Dr Loh thought we should make a decision. I was torn if I should tell Iwan, I eventually decided to. He cried all the way to Healing Room. Anita said she will come along and I am thankful she did. Mom, does Sky have H1N1? Why so short, she is less than 1 year old? He cried his hearts out and it broke mine. Dr Loh gave us a few minutes bid our farewell, she was on drips so her paw bandaged, she was panting for breath, the basic act of life.

July 21 2009, it must have been one of the saddest experience for Iwan and I for that matter, another couldy evening, we bid farewell to Sky. Just as I had to make a decision back in November 2009, this time though I am not sure if it was a good decision and I guess I will never know, I decided to end sufferings which can no longer be made good. We cried some more.

of AngPow.......

In anticipation of every new lunar year, organizations and businesses in Malaysia and many other nations that observe Chinese New Year will print AngPow (red packets) for their client base and to a large extend the Chinese population in general. Killing 2 birds with 1 AngPow, keeping their clients happy as well as promoting their brand name.
It has however evolve to not be in all red only but with touches of gold and many other vibrant colors. These AngPows are filled with a token (money) and given to the children (by married couples) during this new year celebration, it is also a tradition and customary to give to the elderly.
I have a soft spot for admiring nice AngPow designs, personally over the past few years, OCBC has done well, great designs, contemporary, building in finer details of the meaning of Chinese New Year, both thru phrases and meaningful graphics and most important always with a touch of class in support of this tradition.
“Nice” does not stop at the visuals but also the size and quality. Big does not mean better – it has to dignify the accompanying token. Going green is the way but it is important for the quality to be maintained – a measure of the strength of the bond and sincerity of this token.
“Turkey” of this new lunar year would have to be Maybank and DiGi – who gives Maybank the right to change the very essence of Ang, literary meaning Red of this custom? And DiGi ended up designing a logo for some Chinese medicinal ointment!

Ode to Art....

George has always like Lui Cheng Tak, I am lukewarm about his works. Then again, falling for a painting is all so personal and always to each his own. Over the last couple of years I have learnt to appreciate original paintings, it being “the one and only one’ work of the soul in existence…somehow the admiration for the beauty of art in its original form is unexplainable.

I have earlier blogged of my appreciation for the works of Ibrahim Hussein and Yusoff Ghani, I will still at this point need to admire it from afar.

We have been looking around for paintings to own, I have somehow known that we will have a Lui Cheng Tak at home and yes we do now. Cheng Tak to me is pensive, serious with the ability to lock the details of the past in an antic and nostalgic manner.

We also have a piece of Lim Ah Cheng, and of course it has to be one from his "horse" series. Very elegant and strong abstract strokes, I find his paintings mature beyond the age of the artist himself.

Close to a decade ago, I bought a watercolor of Alex Ong. Delicate, pleasant, relaxing...



Azman Hilmi, we have 3 pieces from his Underworld Destination Series. Azman Hilmi will equate colors, vibrant, abstract – when I first show his works it seems to tell me that there is always a different way of looking at life and it can be great, complicated but great!



Our latest additions would be the 2 pieces of Tang Hong Lee’s work. I adore his My Village series. It simply shouts happy!

The accompanying photos of the artists' works are NOT pieces from our private collection.

Along the way we also learnt that buying paintings can be addictive, therefore we made a pact to stop visiting galleries, at least for a while...


Definitely many more that I would love to own – Phan Thu Trang, a young Vietnamese artist would top the list. Of course there are Jehan Chan and many many others.

The Andaman

Even as the Fokker plane glided down to the runway of Langkawi International Airport, the vast difference of the skyline and landscape from that of KL is immediately noticeable. I have not enjoyed the presence of so few cars (on the ride to the Andaman) for a long time, not to mentioned the trees and greens that have been allowed to exist in its natural form in comparison to the impeccably "human-landscaped-gardens" of that back home. The air and the sound of nature were all so refreshing!

And ah The Andaman, how do I begin to describe it - luxurious, sanctuary, relaxing and because we checked in on a weekday it was all so personal and perfect and expensive! The beach was wonderful, with few guests it was almost like a "private" getaway. The sand host a very fine texture and the water a clear green, the weather without the scorching sun accompanied by the sea breeze perfected the stroll by the beach in the evening.

This is life!

It has been a long long while since I have written, since Aug 2006!…working on our new home, moving and settling in, christmas and new year came and went, managed to squeeze in a short trip to Singapore some time in between and believe it or not today is already the 4th day of the year of the piggy!

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

For women over 40

Rachel recently send me this entertaining piece written by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes and in the spirit of sharing I am reproducing it here...Andy Rooney wrote....

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

A woman over 40 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of 40 give a damn what you might think about her or what she's doing.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

A woman over 40 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn't trust the guy with other women. Women over 40 couldn't care less if you're attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won't betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. They always know.

A woman over 40 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right! off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 40+, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire Pig, just to get a little sausage.

A feast for the eyes...

Ever since I was introduced to Pamela, I have been going back to her the past 4 years for every cake that I needed.

It started when I wanted to get a cake for Iwan’s first birthday, and I was intrigued by the 3-D cakes that I have seen at some parties.

Annie gave me Pamela’s contact; unfortunately she was not able to fulfill my order that year as she was working on a “multi-tiered” wedding cake!

She referred me to a friend and I got a “football” cake that year. Subsequently there was the “Choo-choo train”, “Thomas the tank engine”, Winnie Pooh” and “Sponge Bob” and also Mommy’s Birthday cake last year which were all from Pamela.

The excitement is in the sight of the cake, 3-D and beautifully decorated, Sponge Bob even held some miniature balloons! It is usually butter or sugi cake as the weight is needed to obtain a good 3-D form.

Pamela works out of her home in OUG and is definitely a master in this trade; she has a huge collection of different designs to choose from and often resulted in “ooohhhhs” and “aahhhhs” from her patrons. Most of her moulds are from the US and she has loads of magazines with latest designs that keep her inspired and up-to-date!

Only in India...

In my recent trip to Bangalore, I boarded a Jet Airways flight to Chennai with this boarding pass, as my flight was delayed and I had to make a connecting flight on MAS back home!

Faith

I was baptised Faith, Easter 2002.

When I walked down the aisle in church on my wedding day, 22 May 1999, God was there because I remembered my challenge to him a few years earlier in a mamak stall in Jalan Ipoh. Annie, a good friend of mine was sharing her faith with me, I was definitely in the "low" of my life then. When Annie told me to talk to God and that he will listen, I said to her, well I have spoken to him but I have not felt his presence in my life and I then I added, if God really exist then let him show me thru my husband, let me marry in church. Annie may not remember what I said but that day on my wedding day, I remembered....

God has been kind to me and my family and many a times I forget to thank Him. I named my son Iwan, which carries the meaning, God is gracious.

Wannabee wanna car

It must have been since time inmemorial that my dear husband had wanted a volvo, that is how my wedding car was a volvo; a volvo 122; i liked it - although it was more "in" to have been a S class or 7 series, i liked it. I must remember to insert the picture in when I get it scanned, back in 1999, we did not own a digital camera (oh yes! instead of a diamond ring I got a Nikon F70 for my wedding). We have since sold the car.
Six years later, after a toyota, a fiat and a proton and after Jane bought her S40 and Amran his S60, he finally pruchased another volvo, this time a S80...with a broken mirror, stained interior and apparently belonged to a director of a company. We bought the car under duress - a call from my babysitter that Iwan is having high fever and asking us when will we be back. For a man who sometimes can't make up him mind what to eat for dinner, he was surprisingly confident in spending a 118K on a 4 year old piece of metal on wheels in under 20 minutes. I said a silent prayer as we again sold our soul to the bank. Wanna bees buying a Jones's car with 110% loan, ha ha ha, seriously he took a little less than that.
Above everything else, I can sense his happiness and satisfaction, (you can say "shiok sendiri"), can't remember him being this happy, not even on our wedding day! I am actually glad because I think he has worked hard and he deserves it. I always believe we need to be happy in whatever we do, and if there is something we really want, never ever settle for second best, life is too short. Well, happy till the next "bill" for owning a continental car comes along, that is! And will I ever get to drive the volvo?

Away from my baby

I was recently in Scottsdale, AZ for work, that was the longest I was away from my son in almost 4 years. I was both excited and apprehensive of what to expect.
I missed him teribbly and I still woke up in the wee hours of the morning all ready to make his bottle of milk. What I learnt from this trip however was not how much I missed him, or that I am sorry for being upset with him for being naughty at home and that I should spent more time with him....rather a happy thought that he will be well cared for with or without me by a lot of people who love him.