A Tribute To Kar Boon

He was a dear friend, a sweet chap, an open-hearted man, a most happy guy, and a fine gentleman. An angel. Whenever I needed a partner to accompany me, he would be there for me, always so gladly.

A few months ago, Kar Boon smsed me, asking me why I have stopped blogging. God, I didn't know what to say to him.

My world is certainly chipped without him around.

He will be missed.

Some Photos From Korea

Korean food and assortments of Kimchi...

Noodles In Chicken Ginseng Soup

This was taken somewhere near Myeongdong Market, on the day before I departed. The 2 guys are our Korean Tour Guides who took great care of us. The 2 ladies are my lunch buddies.
This was taken at a Ferry ride, the main activity was to feed the seagulls but the breeze was so strong and chilly we fed ourselves the prawn crackers instead. Taken outside Face Shop, a popular cosmetic shop, on the way to airport.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

It is my favorite month of the year again. A lot has happened since I last updated my blog... New job, new office colleagues, new friends, new watches, new dresses, new dine out places, new shopping complexes, the list goes on. I better make a booking with my hairstylist too.

Oh, my bedroom fan is no longer working. So here it goes, another new item to add to the listing.

I have been spending quite a fair bit on CDs, particularly Japanese CDs. It becomes more apparent when I need to release my stress level. And this new job requires a lot of my time, not surprising, as the learning curve is steep. But I am happy where I am now.

Christmas is a time to give, to forgive, to reunite, to celebrate, and to rejoice... Last but not least, to send greeting cards to people faraway from me to let them know that while I may have been missing in action, they are still dear in my heart.

So, I had a smart plan. Why not record some nice selection of Japanese songs for some friends while I work, not only do I get to listen them all, I also get to share with my friends!

Oh, new xmas tree for my office too! And new xmas baubles and ornaments and angel hair.

One Is Adorable The Other Cheeky

I have never shown my 2 nephews' photos here.

This is Shaun, about 10 months old, while Jonathan is approaching 3 years old this January 2007.

Catching Up With Some Good Ol' Buddies

I got to know this group of friends when I was doing a 90-day leadership programme back in 2003/2004. It was one of the best moments of my life.

Any Similiarities Between Ke Yin & Zerlynde?

More Recent Pictures Of Ke Yin

Introducing Ke Yin

She is my god-daughter, also the eldest daughter of my youngest sister, Hooi Yie.
We celebrated her 2 year old birthday party on Sunday.

Look at her white boots. Maybe I should get one too.

Petunias

A few months ago, I bought 6 pots of petunias, with 3 different colors. Then I transferred them into 2 Baba rectangular pots. 1 pot died, not sure why. Another pot survived and growing wildly, as seen in the photo. The other pot has been recycled to grow the babies of my Madagascar Periwinkles.

If you see on the right side, you will see a lot of greens with some tiny shoots of purple buds. There should be a lot more growing soon, from the centre, as there are so many healthy sticks growing. I have checked my books and asked some colleagues who are into serious gardening, but found no answer as to the identity of this one. Apparently, this plant is quite popular and widely grown in the kampung areas. I have also been wondering if people use the petals for their color purple when they make the sticky rice nyonya kuih, you know, the one where we dip with kaya.

Here Are My Roses!

This is a collection of my own roses.

Strange, tho. When I bought them at first (from one of the rose nurseries in Sungai Buloh), they came in all shades of different pink, peach and lilac. But after a while, some of the plants got somehow mixed up and what I see now is almost similar colored roses!

Maybe the eyes are playing tricks.

Madagascar Periwinkles

At one glance, these plants look quite ordinary.

To me, they are extraordinary because they were cultivated with my bare hands, starting as tiny seeds that popped out from their moms. It took me about 4 continuous months of watering, pruning, cutting and repotting before they finally bloom.

If you look very carefully, there are actually about 3 to 4 different colors. There is one local breed, easily identifiable with the absence of any white spots in the centre.

Tiny Shirts From Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Bangkok

Aren't they lovely, fit for my nieces and nephews.

My Baby Elephant Walk

Baby elephants from Chatuchak Market, Bangkok, marching proudly under the shelter of my bedside lamp.

My Own Glass Collections

This one gave me a migraine for the rest of the afternoon due to reflection of light... It took me about 8 to 10 hours over a course of 2 lessons/weekends to complete, which was my 2nd project for the Basic Program.


Assorted remaining simple glass paintings... done over the next few months.


Is it not obvious that I love to paint dragonflies? Tho they all look amateurish, for a beginner like me, it took a lot of effort and sweat, enduring weeks of back ache and neck pain. Perhaps it is really time to sign up for my advanced program.

What Rose Is That?

Can you imagine having all these roses in your garden?

It took me some time to come back to earth.

Of Ageing Matter

I read some female magazines a couple of nites ago. There was this article that talked about the first few signs of ageing. One of the signs apparently were the folding of those tender skins surrounding our eyes.

Coincidentally, during the Christian Dior warehouse sales about a month ago, I bought myself a nice set of eye shadow. So this morning I decided to apply onto my eyes. When I looked into the mirror at close range, I suddenly spotted some very visible crinkles around my eyelid area. That really shocked me!

I think it is about time for a shot of Botox or something.

Famous Market ~ Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, Kota Baru, Kelantan

See if you could spot any ladies wearing a ring of gold bangles on their wrists while soliciting customers to purchase their fresh produce.

The Many Faces Of Buddha, Kota Baru, Kelantan

Batik Designs, Kota Baru, Kelantan

Some Pictures From Kota Baru, Kelantan

Kota Baru Beach...


Perdana Resort at Pantai Cahaya Bulan, a couple of minutes drive away from the Beach...

What 2 Ladies Did In Kota Baru...

My Mini Breakaway With Mom

The Kelantan 4D/3N trip last week went well.

Both my mom and I were treated like queens, being chaufered all over the place by Paul, one of my good friend's husband. They gave me more surprises than anticipated and as a matter of fact, the roads are more organised and developed not to mention cleaner and bigger than Penang Island which in my heart, is a disgrace and no longer deserve the "Pearl Of The Orient" honour. The Kelantan and Thai border food were just simply, one of a kind experience that one must simply try out in one's life time.

Mostly, we spent our time looking at different shops of batik, pasar... mini market... those like Haatyai style, and all that. We arrived at Kota Baru on Thursday afternoon, checked into the hotel first (June traded a free voucher from her friend for RM100 - rack rate would have been RM360), then went to the Kota Baru beach and visited a nearby Beach Resort. The sands were not as fine and shimmering like our Batu Ferringhi ones. They were rough actually, and not as comfortable to walk on. My nieces and nephews would probably cry if they had to stand on it. The next morning, Paul came to pick us up, went for their KB people style breakfast which was a heavy curry rice, then their pasar which papa insisted is a compulsory visit but to our bits of disappointment wasnt so special anymore as there are now guys instead of just girls in the earlier years, except that the girls still wear a row of gold bangles on their hands. They sit on a table together with their produce surrounding them. We were more eager to shop for their local batik dresses and sarong. We left after an hour with mom securing 3 really nice sarong.

As we continued our journey to Rantau Panjang, (June's hometown, had a nite stay with her family), we stopped by a big batik shop where I found my batik dress, the print looks like those Empress Dowager style with nice sleeve up to my elbow. Mom chose a nice shirt for Kenzu. Along the way, Paul got us some local apom (cant recall the name). We also tried out their local Kelantan dish, I think it is nasi dagang, mixed with thinly sliced mixed vegies. In the evening we went out to the local stalls but had to leave after an hour due to more rain. For dinner, they tapao from Golok, Thailand. Rantau Abang is at the Thai border only. Genuine Thai cooked food are very much different from those I tasted from KL Thai restaurants.

The next morning, after an interesting feast of Golok kuih-muih for breakfast, we went back to the stalls in Rantau Abang again to get more batik sarong and batik shirts from June's uncle's shop. He doesnt sell those batik dress tho. Then we left around 12.30pm to come back to KB. Sent the sister off at the airport back to KL, then picked up Paul (who was staying at his parents' home in KB), went for lunch, tried their Kelantan laksa (lemak, nice but different from our asam laksa), then continued with my 3 temples visit, coconut water, n finally the grand stop at a final Batik Shop where mom frantically and mercifully scanned through their products and made her pick for Marita, Hooi Yie and Liew Yang, as well as for James. It was rather comical seeing mum shuffling in and out the stalls searching for her batik dress under a stressful and tensed situation. We managed to keep the little girl occupied by dressing her with a couple of blouse. She looked like an angel flying and zooming all over the shop, playing hide and seek with me once in a while. Even June decided to indulge herself in a couple of purchases and selecting some for her staff. I saw some nice decent blouse with butterfly sleeves and picked up 5 for my staff. The lady boss must be pleased with our contribution, after more than an hour of browsing activities. Paul was all the while sitting at the front and keeping himself busy. It is incomprehensible that guy shirts are, comparatively speaking, more than twice the price of a lady's dress. Very strange, indeed.

The Sleeping Buddha (longest and biggest in South-East Asia), Standing Buddha which is pretty, built with some white colored granite/marble (only had a pit stop, 5 minutes for photo shoot), and sitting Buddha - the latest addition which seems like made of bronze or sth, very pretty indeed, with his ear lobes above his shoulder. The pillars were mostly carved with mosaic glasses and tastefully done. I remember years ago when I attended a day trip for a collection of Buddha sculptures, the artist taught us that the shape and length of the ears define where the Buddha came from, but I cant recall much now. Too bad there were lots of stray dogs in the temple and they stink due to skin disease and no proper care.

We left quickly to meet Gary (who happened to be my Uni friend but different year, and whom I have not met for than 10 years) who was also meeting up with their 2 old high school friends. Gary, Paul, Wei Ai and the 2 friends are all old school friends. Gary treated us another Thai dinner.

We finally checked in around 10pm with another discount voucher (RM180 after 60% discount) while June borrowed the bathroom to bathe her daughter and changed her pyjamas so that she could sleep in the car on the way back to Rantau Panjang. Too bad Snow White dint follow us otherwise the two will have a fabulous time playing together.

The next morning, we woke up around 7am. Mom went down for the breakfast, while I prepare to check out. Our prearranged cab waited for us around 7.45am for our flight back to KL about 9.15 am.

Now that no frills flights are directed to another airport, it is actually more convenient for me (tho about 15 or 20 km further away from KLIA). I could practically grab a cab (about RM10 one way) or get someone to drop me off at KL Central station, then take an AirAsia SkyBus to LTCC (Low Cost Terminal Airport) for a mere RM9 one way. The ride is about an 1.15 hours (as compared to a cab which is about 45 minutes from our Sri Hartamas home). They also sell the skybus tickets in the plane as well as the arrival hall which is quite small, and easy to navigate about. Nevertheless, I would just to warn you that the skybus I took wasn't in the best condition, and not well kept too, just decent for a short trip.

Verdict, Kelantan is worth a visit.

What's In A Dream?

1. The person in the dream is present in a story or a scene.
2. The dreamer is either the subject of the dream, or a spectator.
3. The dream is in black and white, or in color.
4. Conversations can be understood by the dreamer without any actual words being spoken.
5. Dreams may be a multisensory experience, in which you can revel in the sensations of touch, smell, hearing and taste, as well as see pictures.
6. Each dream is of specific type, and contains certain themes and symbols that tell about our nature, our preoccupations and the needs of our innermost self.

Extract From Dream Power ~ Laureli Blyth

Keep This With You For Prosperity!

Chinese coins are square within and round without, which represents the powerful union of heaven and earth. When energized with a red thread, it is a powerful emblem of wealth and prosperity. Note that the Yang side of the coins should always face up. The Yang side has 4 characters while the the Yin side has two.

~ Narrative extracted from http://www.fsmegamall.com

May This Tortoise Brings You Longevity, Protection, Support, Wealth & Prosperity!

In Feng Shui, the tortoise signifies the protective hills of the North as well as the back support that ensures the house stays firm and strong. The tortoise was also the bearer of the magical Lo Shu square of numbers said to have been carried on its back and brought to the attention of Fu Hsi, the first legendary emperor of China to whom is attributed the authorship of the Book of Changes or I-Ching upon which all Feng Shui theory is based. The tortoise is said to conceal, within its body and the design motifs on its shell, all the secrets of heaven and earth.

~ Narrative extracted from http://www.fsmegamall.com

For Those Seeking Love

Mandarin ducks are famous and potent symbols of love and marital bliss as they create Chi that helps lovers tie the knot. Thus, anyone wanting to energize their love life should get a pair of these ducks. By placing a pair of these ducks in the Southwest sector of your living room, bedroom or home, it will activate your love and marriage Chi! These mandrin duks made of rose quartz represents the Earth element and is a potent attractor of romance luck.

I have 2 sets back home :-)

~ Narrative extracted from http://www.fsmegamall.com

29 January 2006 ~ Fire Dog Year 1st Month 1st Day

May The Fire Dog Year Brings Everyone Lots Of Goodies!

Kong Hee Fatt Choy!

Suit
* Celebrations
* Family gatherings

Avoid
* Land/propery purchases
* Attending funerals
* Putting on mourning clothes
* Repairing the roof

~ Extracted from Joey Yap 2006 Tong Hsu Diary, my 2005 christmas gift from James

A few more days...

Arent you looking forward to the CNY?

For me, absolutely. Not so much about the event tho, but the days where I can basically rest and rot at home, plus munching CNY cookies. Sometimes I can finish half a can at one go, left hand grabbing the container, right hand robotically shuffling between the cookies and my mouth.

I bump into some panties the other day in Jaya Jusco. There is this 3 for RM10. They come in mostly red, with a chinese word printed on them. One has a "FOOK" word terbalik (a chinese word for 'prosperous', when the chinese see this word being upside down, it literally means 'your turn to prosper') . It was just so amazing I could not imagine myself wearing it.

But guess wat, after the telephone call with Marita, I am goin to get it after work this evening for us.

Never Wait Till Your Car Died In The Middle Of A Road

I usually feed my car whenever it hits below the quarter line, but last week I became somewhat lazy, and decided to postpone my duty.

So, on Monday morning, I had to suffer the consequences when rushing off to work in the morning, praying that my car will be OK, despite the red warning flashing near the petrol tracker. I arrived safely and everything was OK.

Then came after work. It suddenly started to rain quite furiously. Maybe up there someone is angry.

And heavy rain always freaks me out, after a car accident in the rain back in 1996.

It definitely did not help when my car is almost 10 years old and like me, quite unpredictable when driving thru a puddle of dirty water in the rain, it might just die there, like 1.5 years ago.

I pretended to be steady and started my car engine, driving down towards Jalan Raja Chulan and after some jam and long wait, I made an illegal U-turn at the AmBank building (the one with the big camel picture) and made my way back to the Shell Petrol Station about 50 m away.

You know, it was a short trip, but it was a cold-sweat, agonising, stressful, and very very long trip for me.

: pray :

*phew*

In Preparation Of Chinese New Year

Lots of magazines have come out with a list of "Must-dos" in preparation of the coming Chinese New Year.

For some of you who are still in the lurk, it falls on this coming Sunday.

So here goes my list:

- Send out CNY greeting cards - some may opt for e-cards. Personally, I prefer real cards.
- Get some CNY deco items to spice up your office and home. I chose the pineapple theme this year, consisting of sparkling pineapple running lights, plastic hanging pineapples that are very convenient to instal, cute and lovely, and a mini pineapple table light to be switched on almost all day long to attract good chi. Fortunately, my colleagues are equally excited so areas surrounding my department is like having a celebration with lights flicking thruout the day. Displaying such items and wearing red garments will invite the fire energy of the year into our home.
- Display a big, juicy mandarin orange and leave it on a red packet until after the 15th day i.e.12.02.2006. I leave mine on top of a PC in my room. Do not eat it.
- Buy at least a complete set new clothes. I finally found a pink night gown with some cherry blossom prints and birds at the top and bottom, bought my set of undies and a few new clothes (with some red colors here and there). Wearing new clothes to enter the New Year is a symbolic gesture to leave the previous year's stale energies behind.
- Prepare new notes for angpows (red packets). Since I am not required to give any, I make sure my parents have sufficient new notes to give away. Some people use old notes for red packets, which I think is not polite. Everything has to be new during the New Year, afterall it signifies a fresh new year.
- Activate the wealth luck by switching on any water fountain at home.
- To be at home for the family reunion dinner this Saturday.
- Stay positive to attract harmony and success and avoid any sort of foul language to ward off any malignant spirits.
- Start Near Year celebration rituals with the family anytime between the hours of 9am and 1pm on Sunday.
- Invite a lion dance to your home.

Remember, the more red stuff you have around you during the 15 days before and after CNY, the more potent the energy is and hence, the more auspicious for those chi surrounding you.

May the Fire Dog Year brings you lots of good fortune, health, and love!

What A Nite!

On Saturday, Smurf, YH and I went to Hard Rock Cafe, Jln Sultan Ismail, to have a peep at Emi Fujita's short performance.

The place was crowded but tolerable, as we managed to get a good spot, with me sitting on the bar during her performance!

She started off with "Fields Of Gold", much to my pleasure, then "First Of May", followed by a Japanese hit, then a few others like Moon River, Desperado, Perfect, From A Distance! I was sparkling with excitement and enthusiasm, tapping on Smurf's shoulder each time my favorite song came out.

Moon River brought me back to the Breafkast At Tiffany's scene where Audrey Hepburn was sitting by the window with Cat on her lap (was Cat there?), singing Moon River before my thots started to drift away. Smurf was equally excited.

As kiddish as you may think, I immediately went outside to buy her latest album "Rembrandt Sky" and "Live In Singapore - Lullaby Of Camomile" then lined up for my turn to get her autograph. Smurf and YH followed suit with YH speechless as she said she couldnt believe she was joining me for this sort of affair.

Emi had a lady Manager sitting beside her. So I said, "when will I see you again?" She was very quiet. The Manager answered "Soon. We are planning for a concert here". After signing both albums, she stood up with a slight bow and shook hands with me.

Needless to say, back at home, I played the 2 CDs till I dozed off.

Protection Against Faeries

Effective devices and objects include the following:

- Turning clothes inside out (a glove turned inside out and tossed into a faerie ring will disperse the revellers)
- Bells
- Iron e.g. a kinfe in a doorway, a nail in the pocket, open scissors hung above a baby's cot
- The Bible
- Running Water
- Bread
- A Crucifix or Cross (also, when marked on top of cakes, this dissuades the faeries from dancing on them)
- Salt
- Holy prayers
- Rowam & red thread
- Ancient churchyard mold
- Daisy chains
- Stones with holes (to protect horses)
- Horseshoes (moon symbol and iron combined0
- Flax on the floor
- Shoes placed with toes pointing away from the bed
- A sock under the bed
- A knife under the pillow
- A twig of Broom
- A pig's head or pentagram drawn on the door
- The burning of thorns on top of a faerie hill will release captive children
- St John's Wort.

* Extracted from "25th Anniversary Edition FAERIES" ~ Described & Illustrated By Brian Froud and Alan Lee

Happy Birthday Jonathan!

Happy Birthday To YOuuu ...

Happy Birthday TO YOUUuuu ...

Happy BIRTHDAY TO Jonathannnn ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAYY TOOoo YOOUUUuuuu!!!

*clap* *Clap* *CLAP* *clap* *clap*

My cheeky nephew turns 2 years old today.

To Believe Or Not To?

There has been more and more hype over those symbolic fengshui matter in recent years.

While one does not need to be a master to know who benefits the most at the end of the day, a lot of us still could not resist piling up our home and work place with fengshui symbols which purportedly enhance our personal well being like health, career, love, wealth, family, everything, in short.

So, today, after lunch, I dropped by this shop along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee to check out and prepare for the next coming Chinese New Year. They have their own printed references and recommendations, and they are so smart they even group the respective animal signs' lucky charms together. An average set (assuming one buys everything) amounts to about RM180 + -.

I went straight into business and scanned thru their "Must Buy".

To enhance my love life, I got myself a pair of jade mandarin ducks to be kept in my handbag, and a peach aventurine double happiness figurine. In tune with the kiasu mentality, I also got myself a Lotus Root Mandarin Duck to be placed by my bedside.

You know, the boss is very very competitive. He gives a 20% discount to everybody so that everybody feels good about their purchase when they walk away.

Oh, I overheard one of the old timers telling a lady customer, do not display until February 4th, after 9am or something, otherwise it will not be activated.

After the excitement and back at workplace, I remembered that some time last week, I said to myself "no more crazy spending this year on those lucky charms".

What A Wonder!

I used to wonder how on earth did mothers shop for anything with a baby around them.

A week ago, I had a few amusing experiences with Snow White left in my care while allowing Marita some premium, no-frills time to shop for some nice clothes.

I had to resort to talking & playing with Snow White, passing her the stuff I came across and asking for her opinion (I figured out that she felt more useful and so, less bored), at times pushing her pram round and round the shop. It didnt take long before she wanted out of her pram again, her hands at times clapping and stretching out to me. Sometimes I really thot that she understood me when I told her "ok ok, another 5 minutes". It did keep her quiet for a while. Fortunately, most of the sales attendants were tolerant of us and rather friendly too.

And here is my verdict ~ Babies are impossible and demanding. They require absolute attention and expect to be entertained, always fidgety and get bored easily.

Now I know why some mothers are so noisy.

Having said that ~ Babies, altho a handful, are always so unpredictable, entertaining and absolutely bring lots of joy!

Angels Around Us...

The other day while I was waiting for Marita at the pavement below a Pharmacy in Sri Hartamas, with Snow White in her pram making some fuss and swinging one of her legs, a couple saw me and I overheard their conversation.

The wife said to the husband "Kasian-la dia".

Thots were then floating thru my mind... the remarks must be referring to me.

Before I could say anything, the husband asked "Do you need any help to carry the pram to the top?"

I smiled at them and said "No, thanks... just waiting for people".

Amazing, isnt it?

Roses Are Among My Favorites!

I haven’t been showering much attention to my Plants for the last couple of weeks, mainly because I was missing in action.

But last nite when I reached home late around 10.30 pm, I saw some wonderful roses blossoming.

Early this morning when I was about to go to work, I finally had a chance to look at them carefully and saw some stalks of really huge bloom, like those Grade A ones from Cameron Highlands. I just wished I had a digicam now to capture them all.

I cant exactly figure out which rose family they are from, but I simply love their fragrance. They do look like from the Margaret Merrils, Teas... I recall there was one called Peace. Their colors are mostly ranging from light pink, peach, various shades of red, lilac.

Thanks to the rainy season which has made my life simpler. The roses have been getting enough attention!

I wonder if my parents will have the opportunity to see them in full bloom. They are coming over for the Christmas this afternoon!

The Unexpected and Expected...

It is funny how December always makes me feel bewilderingly good and extraordinarily cheerful.

I guess it all started with the wrapping of presents for my family members and some friends middle of November.

Then early last week, my buddy called up and gave me less than 24 hour notice of invitation to pay Singapore a 3N/3D visit! I had my frantic arrangement last Monday to get my work out of the way before I fled to meet a friend to bring her to a fengshui shop. We went zig-zagging all over the blocks of buildings, and after spending like 15 minutes under the hot sun and numerous calls to my colleague, I finally brought her to the right place. I had to leave her there after about 15 minutes as there was still some work left in office. I also managed to get some money changed for Sing Dollars.

I left for home to pack around 4.30 pm. Did some light gardening, felt like cleaning the toilet, wrapped more presents for my friends in Singapore, then had my shower and instant noodles, oh, of course my juice too!

By then it started to rain like there was no tomorrow! I couldn’t decide to take a cab to the airport or go to Sentral Station to catch the super train. I decided to give the train a chance. Got my youngest brother to drop me off at KL Sentral. It was a most impressive experience for me, I mean… it was convenient and efficient, tho a family of 3, 2 pear-shaped middle-aged women and a teenage girl who looked so enchanted by her surroundings squeezed beside me the entire journey.

The lights in Orchard Road were amazing, and definitely made me felt like on top of the world. Then I realised I left my old camera on my bed at home.

I managed to catch up with 3 good friends over the next 3 days. We had lunch/tea breaks when I got tired. There were endless dresses and handbags that I was struggling to buy but I had to clench my teeth and just picked a few to bring home with me. 1 bought me a dress, 1 Issey Miyake perfume, and the other a music box from Hokkaido during her recent holiday. It was most kind of them as it was really last minute and they all managed to squeeze some time for me.

Oh, my poor worn out shoes, I intended to get it replaced in Singapore but in the end decided that with the equivalent amount of money, I could have got better, nicer ones back home. My old shoes must be glad I dint leave her behind. Almost!

Then, over the weekend, we had our Family Day! It was a relaxing one this year round as compared to the previous 2 where we had a back-to-back activities to catch. This year’s focus was on the babies. A good friend sponsored a specially home-made carrot and walnut cake for my family, it was so popular that we dint leave anything behind.

My mom made each of the family members a matching “his and hers” Bermuda pants, including the babies. She had her fair share of frenzied moments, busy with sewing altogether 12 pairs last minute. Could imagine her cold sweat and panic the last couple of days before the trip! We were all impressed with her fine work of creativity and sewing techniques.

Dad was cool as he conveniently got his daughters and daughter-in-law a pair of thongs each, while the sons got some working socks and sons-in-law 6 sets of china bowls each with the infamous chicken motifs.

All in all, it has been an exciting and most pleasant month for me!

Hmmm... less than 10 days before 2005 is over *ponder*

Flying Cockroaches

A friend inspired me to write about this after I received a forwarded mail from her.

Apparently, cockroaches that fly are pregnant!!! Like my dad, I freak out whenever they give me a visit. This is normally followed by my frantic search for the insecticide, then continuous spraying in cold sweat with heart beating non-stop, til the fellow collapsed. For assurance, I will spray directly onto it for another 10 seconds or so after it stops moving.

The write up also said that we are supposed to burn it otherwise the eggs will continue to hatch, nor are we supposed to flush down the toilet bowl unless we welcome the idea of them crawling out in a group of babies in time to come.

Some years ago, I had a very entertaining PC baby ape who taught me that cockroaches can survive up to another 2 weeks even if their heads are being chopped off. I cant quite recall his name, Bongo perhaps. He disappeared from my life after I left my former job.

Maybe... maybe in my previous life I was an insect or something and those cockroaches were always attempting to eat me, so in this life, it becomes a hostile and intense struggle whenever they are near me!

Yuckh!

Everybody Has An Identity

A few months ago when I was in a frenzy mood to decorate our outdoor with plants, I came across a bold but clumsy, oval-shaped leaves (the size of my palm strecthed open n wide) plant in IKEA. I thot it looked stupid and cute so I bought it. It was then shorter than me, about 4". Kenzu thot it looked plain and boring while I thot it looked out of ordinary. I recently found out from a gardening book "Easy-Care Guide To Houseplants by Jack Kramer" lent to me by a colleague, that it is called Burgundy Rubber Plant. The books says it can be quite sizable and grow as tall as 36 inches. That kind of freaked me out. Then again, it is currently about 6 inches and still looking strong and fit. The problem is, I dint plan for it to grow that huge or convert my mini-garden to become a mini jungle. I also learnt while plucking a sick burnt leave off from the stem that it bleeds a sticky white sap. Oh well, I still find it cute, tho worrisome.

Due to the rainy season, most of my Madagascar Periwinkles are either dying or rotting away, not to mention my 2 pots of hanging Petunias and Starfire Kalanchoe (with pretty bunches of red flowers that bloom thruoughout the past half year or so). I have shifted the other 3 rectangular pots of petunias away from the bare sunlight, at the porch area.

It may be a bit too late now to save them. After reading this excellent book that provides step-by-step illustrative guidance, I learnt that some can be propogated by way of division, cutting, leaf cutting, bulbing, etc. But the more comforting knowledge is also that certain plants are best to be replaced with new purchase from suppliers as they are seasonal and for decorative purposes, and not meant to last. I must get the new batch of plants that require less attention and hardy. So I can now tell people "It is not my problem but the plant's!"

I am also very much attracted to the Begonia family (esp the Picotee Begonia - long-lasting, profuse blooms that comes in many colors like milk white with a hint of reddish pink at the outer ring of the petals), Bromeliads (Plume Bromeliads - pink plumelike flower stalk that bears large, short-lived violet-purple flowers), Gesneriads (like African Violets and Cape Primrose) and Ginger family (esp the Java Tulip with pink bracts hiding tiny yellow and violet flowers) but they are too fragile for an amateur like me to handle. Aiyoh!

At one point in time, my Zebra Plant, the one with a plume of yellow flowers with bright yellow bracts appearing at the top with big green leaves ribbed in white went bald after it was infested with mealybugs. I thot they were whiteflies as suspected by my uncle. I was so mad I practically trimmed them flat leaving a long stem. I dint expect it to put up a struggle and come back proud and handsome. I left it on the same spot the day I brought it home but it is showing signs of growth again.

Actually, a friend suggested Morning Glory (Blue Dawn Flowers) as creepers for our Arch. I thot it was a good idea.

Oh, another book "Simon & Schuster's Guide To Plants And Flowers" taught me some stuff. The Plant I bought much earlier and died as quickly was called Balloon Flower (or Chinese Bell-Flowers). As the name suggests, the flowers are a bit bell-shaped, resembling swollen balloons when in bud and popping open to mauve-blue, 5-petalled, saucer-shaped blooms. I may try again since I am looking at this sort of color theme, mixed with pink tones too.

Then there is another one called Autumn Zephyr Lily (or Flower Of The Western Wind), that is normally found by the road side and grown in heaps. Little bulbous plant with pure white or pink flowers of 2 inches long in 8 inches stems. The flowers come in 6 segments like the shape of Tulips. The leaves are narrow and longer than the flower stems. My mom contributed that to me. The only problem is that I see the greens more often than the flowers. The flowers are so shy they wilt after 1 or 2 days.

I am still looking for the remaining identity of my other Plants.

Serendipity

Let's touch briefly on this topic 'reincarnation'.

My uncle wrote about this subject recently. So I thot I ought to share my views here.

Do you believe that people we meet this life are somehow related in the previous life? Do you experience these dejavu feelings when u come across certain people, strangers, or acquaintances?

I believe that people who revolve closely around us (family, close relatives and friends) are those we made a pact with in the previous life to meet in the next life . It could also be due to unaccomplished businesses. I strongly believe that if we were to outrightly tell another person in this life that, "I would like to meet you again in the next life", then chances are, we would (whether or not the other party shares the same view is another matter altogether)! Likewise, there will be certain people of whom for certain reasons, we make a conscious choice not to meet again in the next life. I do know that all these may sound too simple and naive to be granted any weightage or deserve your attention. But is life meant to be that complicated? Do we need to come out with a set of scientific formulas to prove that God is around us?

I believe in reincarnation and karma. Afterall, how best to explain karma other than to bring in the reincarnation idea. Our eyes (most of us anyway) are not meant for matters that are not tangible, and perhaps that is why we simply could not understand or relate things that are just so out of the ordinary. More times than not, we always say "This is not fair!" or "This is incomprehensible!". The point is, humans are so easily fooled by what they see. Pictures play tricks all the time, afterall, seeing is believing, but does that then imply not seeing is not believing? Is seeing deceiving too?

Given a chance, I would like to meet my parents again in the next life (I am assuming that I have not collected enough brownie points by the end of my useful life to be promoted to "further up the ladder" you know, the "ascension" stuff... and as such will make a come back as a human) but this round, I would prefer to play the role of a giver, instead of the other way round. Afterall, there is no other ways and means for me to pay back their unconditional love and sacrifice for me, not that they expect me to for a start.

Till then, we shall save the topic about soulmates and twinflame for another day.

Flowers Or Snails?

You know my latest freaking habit?

I have been coming home late from work the past couple of weeks. So by the time I had my fruit juice and my Korean drama, it would be about 9.30 pm past. One night I found a snail gliding away around my beautiful pots of petunias while watering them. I used my leg (with slippers attached) and swished it away. Then I found another (hiding behind the pot), and another (chewing n covered by my petunias), and decided to put things into action, so in came my spade. You know, the fun part is that you need to aim at a certain angle to carry them, then you need to flip them off properly while attempting to strike a goal... the drain hole outside my home some metres away... But yes, they r quite slimy, watery and yuckh!

Apparently snails love impatience and petunias, because the stems are soft and good for Snails' digestive system.

I thot I wont have to confront them, and tho it sort of make me feel a bit of a pinch in my heart, I had to dutifully discard them so as to protect my flowers from getting bald by the day, goodness! Some are dying! Totally unacceptable behavior, you know. Afterall, I am my Flowers' primary caretaker.

As for numbers, I think it is exceeding 10 hits.

Hmm... that reminds me of my late granny who loved gardening, and always yelling me to get her some salt to sprinkle at Snails.