Monday, September 28, 2009

Just the 2 of us

Yup i did it again. this time, i messed up the dates of my raya leave!! but by doing so i did get the chance to be alone with the golfman ;)

Everyone was surprised when i turned up for work last thursday. i saw the looks on their faces but it didnt quite register until one of my anak buah's chirped in "eh bukan ke akak dah start cuti?"

Huh?!!??

Dang.. it said so on my leave form!! i was so focused on clearing my desk before going off for raya that i completely forgot. it's a running joke at the office that altho i'm amongst the 'un'lucky few who dont really have a kampung to go back to, i'm also the one who usually applies for the longest leave!!!

Like i said, home is where the heart is and eid in shah alam can be as merry as any other ;)

So because of the mix up, instead of cancelling my leave i brought it forward and got to spend quality time with the hubs today.. just the two of us, without the kiddoes (cikgu's back in lipis, AI has classes and AH's in school). he's still on his home passage and theres nothing i love more than being together-gether.. even if it means spending the best part of the day stuck at the workshop ekekekeh.

Nak sangat together-gether hah..ambik kau lol

The aircond of his car conked out completely the last time he was back but due to a heavy work schedule, we couldnt get anything done.. until today. initially the mechanics thought it was the blower but turned out something or other had 'melted' and parts had to be replaced. one thing led to another and before we knew it, we' d been there from 11am to almost 5pm!!!

Bapak lame tu weh!!

Sib baik ada free flow of drinks..

Sib baik ada astro..

And sib baik tempatnya pun nyaman ber'aircond' sebab bila sejuk2 tu susah la skit kan for tempers to fly hehehe.

With the car finally fixed, we then made our way to prince court medical centre, a private hospital in the middle of kl. the hub's boss was suffering from severe pain due to appendicitis and was later having it removed. PCMC is a grand place alright but lacks the basic support system necessary to make it a lively & thriving medical centre. there isnt a gift shop or a florist or even a newsstand in sight. theres just a pharmacy and a convenience store, a kiosk and a cafe. somehow it comes across as a half dead place with lotsa lotsa bright & shiny space.

Hmmm baru lagi kot

We topped off the day with a sumptious dinner (cum lunch..we didnt have time for any) at sari ratu where the soft tunjang thingy is a family favourite. so's the sambal hijau, ayam pop and teh botol. gawd, did we stuff our faces silly lol and just so we could eat in peace, free of any guilt from eating without the kids, we also bought some for home.

sori cikgu, lain kali ngan aie gak k

Penat tapi happy.. lets do it again abe :D

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Curi curi

..lari :D

Expecting golfman's sedara to drop by so of course i'm supposed to be in the kitchen keeping busy with my pots & pans.

But for my own sanity, i stole some time to sweat it out on the tracks first.

8km at a snail's pace is better than nothin' hehehe.

Have a great weekend yall ;)


Workout Log
AM - 8k/60mins/TSA

Friday, September 25, 2009

Taking a break

.. from eid 'duties' ;)


the 'shisha boss' in his fav kain batik ;D

Alhamdulillah eid's as merry as it's always been.. even for the lot of us who dont really have a kampung to go back to. the hubs and i have our moms here with us in shah alam (both our fathers have passed on) so there isnt a pressing need for either of us to 'balik kampung'. 'ruginya' some of you might say but then its been this way for years now and we're actually rather glad we dont need to travel during the festive season. thats a lot of hassle out of the way ;)

And after all home is where the heart is, isnt it?

So raya for us has always had a santai air about it and is mainly family bonding time. the hubs love having family & friends over and would have me cook 24/7 if he had his way lol. but thats ok because i love it too. both of us dont believe in the modern concept of 'open houses' so anytime is a good time.

Just come on over. at the very least there'll always be hot tea & coffee.

And shisha.. hehehe ;)


..with his loyal sidekick ekekeh!!


Melon flavoured shisha anyone?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri



.. dari kami sekeluarga di shah alam. Maaf Zahir & Batin.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

OMG

.. i'm 48 already?




Haaish.. just where did the time go eh ;)


To all my darlings.. thank you so much for everything mwaaah3x

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Goodbye Adik

Mak's cat died today. but it wasnt unexpected.. adik's actually been sick for quite sometime but he did enjoy short bursts of good health. somehow that made us forget that he wasnt really all that well. there had been a couple of visits to the vet but to no avail. evidently whatever he was suffering from couldnt be cured by antibiotics or vitamins. his health just kept on deteriorating.

Of course mak is devastated. adik wasnt just a pet to her, he was also a companion. she talks to him all the time and sometimes they even 'quarrel'. yup, the bickering can go on & on but obviously one-sided. still i guess it served its purpose - she got whatever it was thats bothering her off her chest & he was happy as long as he was fed. but problem is, in mak's mind at least, he's almost human and treated as such. which really isnt much of a problem if you're reality based, but for lonely old people like mak, its a little dangerous. emotions that are already not as stable as they should be can so easily get out of hand, leaving the door wide open to extreme melancholy & depression.

Its now 2 cats that have died with her.. all within the span of 4 years. its quite a blow even to anyone i guess. i would be devastated myself if i was to lose nicolei but mak lack the 'bounce back' to life factor. in the first place, i dont think she's quite over the trauma of her mastectomy & chemo of 2 years ago and gloomily predicts the worse even though she's so much better now. truth is, she didnt even complete the full course of her chemotherapy. the shock of her first session made her refuse any further treatment and any attempt at a follow-up have been flatly refused... biar je aku mati sendiri. sadly, no amount of pleading or cajoling have worked. mak is stubborn that way.

So losing adik is another reason for her to withdraw into that dark, hopeless world of hers.

Nontheless, i'm holding on to the hope that this blessed ramadhan will work its magic and heal her wounds.

I did what i could not too prolong mak's agony. i immediately buried adik in a shallow grave at the slope in front of my house, the same area where i buried chewy, the other tomcat. and in case a stray dog were to suddenly dig up the carcass, i created a rock pile heavy enough to be a deterrent , i hope.

RIP Adik.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Woot woot

He's back



'Nuff said :D

Friday, September 11, 2009

Going with the flow

Listening to suzanne somers talk excitedly about hormone therapy on oprah brought back, in full force, my concerns about aging.

As we age our body goes through a gamut of changes.. some gradual, some so sudden that its scary but its something to be expected. its the natural order of things. i'm hoping to ride the waves and just go with the flow. the whole thing about hormone replacement therapy, be it the prescribed hormones or bio-identicals, is wraught with pros & cons so unless & until i'm incapable of functioning, i think i'll just give it a skip.

2008 was the year that marked significant physiological changes for me. it drove home the fact that i was, without doubt, in the perimenopausal stage. that i better take stock and do something about it. after all, my mom started having problems early and had her last period in her late 40's and research does show that family history plays a part in menopause.

It started with menstrual irregularity. oh i never really had it like clockwork but when it started coming twice a month and then missing the next, that was something totally new.. and scary. my cycle became erratic, the flow heavy to the point of flooding and the cramps of my youth came back with a vengeance.

But even with the pain, discomfort & inconvenience, i still consider myself lucky. so far i havent had any of the hot flashes they're all talking about and neither have i gone through any significant mood swings. yes, i admit to being a tad more emotional than i used to be but its more of a quiet melancholy, an acceptance of my own mortality. no depressive tendencies, aggression or abusive behaviour (as yet) and for the sake of my loved ones, i hope i never do. i have seen first hand how these mood swings can affect people closest to us and its not a pretty sight.

I can attest to having difficulties in obtaining quality sleep but then again, i've been having sleeping problems from way back when so maybe it doesnt count as a change. and personally, i think its the Lord's way of making it easier for us to seek spiritual enlightenment as we get older. if we cant sleep we might as well perform the solat tahajud, hajat & bermunajad.

Then theres sex, that important part of our lives without which renders some of us (especially the male of the species) almost useless lol. its way up there on our list of needs along with eating & sleeping and since its 'almost' what makes the world go round, i'm thankful that my libido is intact and i still find the lack of sexual activity, with golfman away and all, extremely frustrating. it would indeed be hard work to keep faking it since excitement begets excitement and one needs to remain 'interested' ;)

[Of course theres always the case of the sluggish 'engine' but theres so many ways to get it going if one is creative enough lol]


But apart from problems arising from my fluctuating and gradually diminishing hormones, managing the natural aging process is in itself quite a challenge.

Theres memory loss. and its a great concern to me. used to be if i ended up somewhere without recalling the reason why, retracing my steps would help me remember. but not anymore. no matter how many times i go back and forth, the memory remains stubbornly elusive.

Fatigue is next.. it's insiduous and can creep up on me without warning. i cant afford to have it happening so often bcos i have so so much to do.

Theres also the inevitable muscle shrinkage and weight gain. gawd, i so do not need the extra kgs. but surprisingly, i found out that being thin in old age is not necessarily a good thing

[hah.. thin is not gonna happen any time soon]

Not forgetting the debilitating diseases thats just waiting to happen like diabetes, hypertension to name just two. also loss of hearing & eyesight or even worse, senility & alzheimer! so far i've been spared but i do worry. especially over diabetes because its in my genetic makeup. both my dad and uncle died of it and my aunty has been on insulin jabs for a long time.

Then theres the aches & pains. oh the ache and pains!!

Growing old gracefully.. its obviously easier said than done.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Floods in Istanbul

.. flash floods that has claimed over 30 lives so far and has created havoc in the city.



Golfman is there on a stopover to ashgabat. he says the receeding flood waters has left part of the city under thick mud and is now the cause of massive jams. took him a while to straighten things out but thankfully, he's safe in topkapi while he waits for his connecting flight. but i'm sure its a dark, gloomy place that he's in, the poor man. mendung, he says.

187 Milet Caddesi, Topkapi

Hope it doesnt suddenly take a turn for the worse. stranded in a city full of strangers isnt a good thing whichever way you look at it.

Sian abe :(


Workout Log
AM - 4km/30mins/TSA

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

09.09.09

.. niceeeeeeeee!!

Kinda makes you feel you wanna spend the day doing something special doesnt it?

zzZZzz

Teehehe hehe ;D

Have a great day peeps!!

Abe - hurry back la yang.. dah masuk 10 malam akhir and i want us to go thru it together-gether!!
AF - hai dah beso anak mama ni ya hehehe. congratulations on your 1st pay cikgu, jgn lupa belanja kitorang :D
AI - be charitable my darling, after all it's ramadhan and we already know the extend of her eccentricity & unreasonableness kan.
AH - ganbatte echa.. akan berakhir jugak nanti but in the meantime do ur best!!


Workout Log
AM - 4k/30mins/TSA

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Back to work

.. after a long break. as usual, there's a mountain of files waiting for me.

Attending a 2 day powerpoint refresher course last thursday & friday provided a welcomed break from my usual daily grind. no rates to check, clauses to decipher or claims to crack my head over. but as usual i have to accept the 'consequences' of my absence lol and it didnt help that monday was also a holiday.

[gawd where do i start?]

But even with my files staring accusingly at me, uppermost on my mind is still my beloved ;)

He's somewhere in uzbekistan on a day trip to Qarshi and i'm hoping that he's ok.


Gates to Qarshi

Qarshi Railway Station (golfman might also be travelling by rail).

I've gotten used to all these strange sounding places. having a husband who globe trots have certainly increased my geographical knowledge, among other things. cities and towns which i've otherwise never even heard of are suddenly brought into my 'radar' and once that happens, curiousity naturally takes over :)

Karshi or Qarshi is a city about 520km southwest of tashkent.



The city is important in natural gas production & gas conversion processes; the Shurtan gas field and a large processing facility are located northwest of the city. other industries include building materials, sewing and food.

Its also famous for its production of woven flat carpets. some even say its pileless carpets are the best in the republic.

But what intrigues me the most is its history. Karshi is at least 1000 years old and it sits along an ancient caravan route from Samarkand through Bukhara and into Afghanistan and India - part of the great silk road.


Somehow the silk road has always held a great fascination for me and i lament the fact that i cannot, as yet, fully exploit golfman's presence there. aah, to be able to retrace even part of the old caravan trail!! starting out mainly as a trade route, the silk road later evolved into so much more and have seen the likes of not only merchants but conquerors, thinkers & explorers as well.

People like alexander, marco polo, genghiz khan, tamerlane. not to mention all the nameless monks, missionaries and islamic scholars that must've also passed that way.



I find it all terribly fascinating.. imagine the human history it has borne witness to!!

[now back to my files *sigh*]

Abe - fasting while travelling would be quite a challenge.. but think of the 'ganjaran' darling ;)
AF - you sure its a good idea to make the trip back this week? raya break isnt all that far away.. ma takut anak mama serabut je nanti.
AI - after the 'scare' that we had the other night, i'm ever so thankful you agreed to be living at home.
AH - hah all you need is lotsa lotsa fluids.. its almost guaranteed to rid you of all that 'toxic waste' hehehe.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Nuzul Al-Quran

Surah Al-Alaq: ayat 1-5

1. Read! In the name of your Lord Who created.

2. Created man from a clot.

3. Read! And your Lord is the most Honourable.

4. Who taught the use of the pen.

5. Taught man what he knew not.


Take the time to reflect.. the quran may just surprise you.


Workout Log
AM- 5km/40mins/TSA

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Glorious mornings

..great for jogging, briskwalks or even just a stroll.

Ramadhan is usually associated with burning hot days no matter what time of the year it falls into. i guess thats just part of the 'test'. but thankfully, for the past couple of days it has kicked off on a cool & breezy note, sometimes refreshingly laced with a light drizzle (which feels great on your face when you're running lol).

I run better in such weather. somehow the distance just slips on by more easily.. thats how i managed to log in 8km yesterday and 5km today. in fact my transition from power walking to running happened on a drizzly morning. theres just something about the cool breeze on your skin thats totally empowering. maybe for me it also goes back to my childhood days of enjoying the 'mandi hujan', that wild & carefree feeling that comes from frolicking in the rain, being one with nature.

But as the day progressed it became harder and harder for me to hang on to my good mood.

I'd promised AH that by hook or by crook, i'll settle her raya needs by this weekend so that she can focus on her trials and spm. i was confident we'd be able to do it bcos there wasnt any need to go out of shah alam for that. shah alam boasts of her own 'golden triangle' comprising of PKNS Complex, Plaza Alam Sentral & SACC Mall.. a raya shopping haven comparable to that of Jln masjid india/Jln tuanku abdul rahman.

The trio

But it seems that everyone else had made a similar promise to their children. even as early as 11am, the parking lots at PKNS complex and SACC mall was already displaying 'FULL/PENUH' signs.. rendering drivers helpless, desperate for a parking space, some even turning to the dark side by parking haphazardly along the roads causing unnecessary obstruction to others.

Being a native (and knowing your way around) has its perks though. navigating through the chaos as best i could, i made a beeline for the newly opened SACC Convec (convention centre). it has a basement carpark that not many are aware of (yet). so with parking settled all that was left was to maneuvre our way around the endless throng of people, a feat that turned out to be easier said than done!

[gawd where did everyone come from?]

But God took pity on us and made our business there short & sweet. the clothes she wanted came in the sizes she needed.. and it was the same for the shoes she was salivating after!! notice how the shoes that we really really want either isnt available or has run out of our sizes? thankfully, this time it didnt turn out that way for us :)

AH came home a happy kid and thats good enough for me :D

[esok turn AI plak.. and i'd better recky stuff for golfman and cikgu as well]

Abe - wah, i can see you're on a winning streak. congratulations darling, job well done ;)
AF - happy mama dengar you're helping out at the surau. and the 'moreh' section as well.. good for you.
AI - waduh waduh anak mama sorang ni sakan counting sheep siang malam. berpada-pada la yang!!
AH - so now you can focus on the 'one' thing k.

Workout Log
Sat - AM/8k/63mins/TSA
Sun - AM/5k/38mins/TSA

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Another 'merdeka'

... way across land and sea.


Independence Republic of Uzbekistan: 1st September 1991
Tashkent's 2200th anniversary as capital

Weell whaddaya know, today is uzbekistan's independence day. golfman is there right now on one of his trips, doing 'whatever-it-is-that-he-needs-to-do' and according to him, the parade in tashkent was held one day earlier i.e. yesterday.

But not all is well there it seems. insurgent attacks and shootouts have put certain restrains on the celebrations. hopefully, other than an inconvenience, it wont pose a threat to the people working there golfman included. there is quite a substantial number of malaysians there.

And if you happen to find yourself in that area (mana la tau kot2 ada pulak genie yang teranto kan... how i wish), it wont hurt to take note of this OSAC message.

Abe - hope you're having fun 'baked' in the heat of the 'semi desert' hehehe ;)
AF - waah.. going organic now eh? yaay kurus la anak mama :D
AI - baju purple, baju purple, baju purple.. pencarian diteruskan -_-'
AH - good luck with your spm trials sweetie. you can do it insyallah!!