Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas Tree OH Christmas Tree...

It's the time of the year again to put up the decorated holiday tree & deck the dolls at home. Having kids at home, the joy of celebrating is even more felt compared to previous years. After 3 years of having a white Christmas, it was time to get back to the natural way of the festivities - a green one! What i mean here is the Christmas Tree. We're used to using "real-live" trees as we were growing up. Anya always made sure we had our tree up on the Eve of Christmas and sometimes, if we're lucky, 2 days before the day.

This tradition carried on till 4 years ago, until his physical strength started giving up on him. We had to endure this painful period with a heavy heart and this was when i decided to break the tradition and bought a white tree for a difference. The tree stood for 3 years, with the exception of the year anya passed away.

Now it's turned brown and the stand is nowhere to be found and this has made us get back on the road to look for a replacement tree again. Charlie decided to sponsor the tree and with a budget of RM150 i got on the road to find the 'right tree' for our home this year. It's 3 days before Christmas now so time is not on our side either.

With a list of errands to run, my first stop to look for a tree was in Petaling Street. My first time driving there, I found a parking a little further away across the road and walked into the street. The first time I bought my tree there, i literally carried the tree on the LRT trains till home.

I thought my search will not be so long but I was so wrong. The first few shops had trees which were exhorbitantly priced. Prices were ranging from RM199 till RM599. Some even had fully decorated trees and the price before and after are RM255 & RM699 respectively!

My ordeal doesn't end here as i continued walking further into the streets of Chinatown, eyeing on ANY shop that had more than 1 Christmas tree on display for sale, walking in to check the price and the tree itself.
Most shops were already filling up their door fronts with Chinese New Year decorations while a handful still had their Christmas deco in the fronts.
Some were not very friendly to assist, so much to an extent that one shop helper asked me to check the price on the tree itself. She insisted I checked the tree even after I've explained that the price tag was not attached.
Sigh... I even walked up till the top floor of UO (Uda Ocean) to no avail.
After walking into at least 15 shops, I finally bumped into this one last shop called M&K Party house. This was on my walk back, the last leg of my journey since I was running late to run my next errand.
Although it was a chinese shop, they still had Christmas decorations in the front and welcoming helpers. The price was reasonable for a 6 ft tree, at RM100. It was similar to our previous white tree and I even found nice white ornaments and lights to match.

And then i'm off... till the tree goes up, i'm leaving for now

Thursday, November 19, 2009

What goes around comes around

I believe in the title statement above. But what is the time frame of the "return" really?

OUM 7th Graduation

An exciting day for all of us, two people from home will be receiving their scrolls on this day. Sharal & Charlie (sis & bro). Of course it took much persuasion to get Charlie to attend the event but he eventually made it and it was great to have them both there!

The whole event gave me goosebumps and memories of my own ceremony came flooding in. Felt honored and special to be present there, even more special if i was the one walking up to receive my scroll.

My education aspirations have not come to a halt, in fact, they've developed even more! I am more inspired to continue my studies at some juncture in this lifetime. Be it in any part of the world, this is a sure reality, yet to come true.

Education is lifelong, not a full stop at any juncture. From the cradle to the grave, we are all forever studying. This is amazing. EVen more so when I do it myself.

Pics of the graduation is to come. Look out for it.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Random ANN-TONY shots





















Tony has his first "orange-feel"!


" Yummy... since no one is watching, I might as well savour every bit of the orange..."






Caught in the act (Below)


An angry - WHY-ARE-YOU-STILL-LOOKING-AT-ME look!

Tea-Break-Snack : Minced Meat Patties



Result of my tea-time-snack : Baked Minced Meat Patties. It was a mixture of a few readings on other recipes but with a few added ingredients here and there, it turned out tasting fantastic!

Ingredients include: potatoes, carrots, chiilies, spices

Healthier tea time snack option than the usual famous goreng stuff ;)

Monday, November 16, 2009

A well said article - For the women of ages 30 and above..

CBS - 60 Minutes lemondrop:
Here is a piece written by Andy Rooney - CBS 60 Minutes.

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:A woman over 30 will not lay next to you in bed and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 30 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 30 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 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she's doing.

Women over 30 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 30 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 30 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 30. They always know.

A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women or drag queens.Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk or if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.Yes, we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal.

For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 30+, 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.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tony in action




Ann looks out for lil bro as much as she can. Childlike behaviour - is what we all need sometimes..







caught off guard




Friday, October 09, 2009

Mud-Fun @ Sepang Gold Coast


Too much mud to handle in a few hours! Ann completely drenched in mud being washed by mummy.

ATP World Tour 250 Series

This is probably the worst way to start this blog - I'm NOT an ardent fan of tennis but I went for the recent ATP World Tour tournament. With very little or no time for research into what I was going for, I relied fully on my pal, Sumi to be my narrator.
Our tickets placed us on the front row. Which was too close for comfort even coz the balls hit the spectators a few times. But I'm not complaining... It was good exposure - physically during the game and for my 1st time in a real-life-international-tournament.

With a basic understanding on scoring system used in badminton games, I could grasp the game enough to enjoy the show. With wanting to really know more about this game which has driven my pal crazy, I decided to google it up. Some of the basics I feel I should know be4 watching the game itself are the info as below.

To begin with, the ATP is the Association of Tennis Professionals (1972). Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour. (source - Wikipedia)

The ATP Tour comprises Grand Slams, ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 series, ATP World Tour 250 series, ATP Challenger Series, and Futures tournaments. The ATP tour also oversees the World Team Cup, played in Düsseldorf in May, and the ATP Champions Tour for seniors.

Now, the one held in KL this year was one of the 250 series. Being the first time Malaysia hosted this event, the reviews were good as in no player drop out, organized well enough to keep out trouble. HOWEVER, there's much much more to be improved for future events, from the court management, to ticketing, marketing and the event itself. But kudos to the organizers for a good start!

Here's the player ranking since September 28, 2009

1) Roger Federer
2) Rafael Nadal
3) Andy Murray
4) Novak Djokovic
5) Juan Martín del Potro
6) Andy Roddick
7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
8) Nikolay Davydenko
9) Fernando Verdasco
10) Gilles Simon
11) Robin Söderling
12) Fernando González

More about the game will come up in the next few entries. Below are some pictures for the memory..



For some1 whose not seen or known or heard about F Gonzalez, it will come as a shock wen he smashes his racket or sits down in the court, waiting for his opponent. Yet, he was adorable..

Truly an unforgettable memory!

a mini reunion @ the Gardens









A yummy-licious food fiesta at the Gardens.. No price for guessing but this is a very famous Taiwanese food restaurant @ The Gardens.

We had to queue up for our turns and even whilst eating, the queue was getting longer. Take note it's only cash term accepted here...

Below: The girls dig in (PW & KW --> clockwise)



Wednesday, October 07, 2009

a day out at the mall - ANN










~i'm Ann Rhittika... Here are my pics on a day out at a mall. Not many kids my age can get to drive one of these vehicles. I could. YAY :)
kept looking around to check if i've missed out any passengers who are waiting to get onboard :)

based on rock solid Foundation, here's my finding...



A phone booth is uprooted from the ground! This scene is near the boulevard office area in Sentul...

Now, imagine yourself as the telephone booth. Built on an iffy foundation.. Anything or anyone leaning on you will surely fall together with you.

Gunung Datuk Climb

21st of March - Gunung Datuk Climb with Roc & her Kinabalu climbers troop. It was a steep climb and for me - it was an impromptu trip. I have already quit gym during this time and the only physical activity I was involved in actively was yoga.



But the climb was worth it. Here's some pictures to show for it.


(1) wrappin' tape around one of the boys shoe sole. (2) 200m above sea level




(1) & (3) at the peak (2) a small stream at the foot of the hill.

After tat, we drove back to Roc place in Malacca. After a hot shower, i took a bus back to KL while the sisters stayed back to rest at home. As how we used to write in our karangan during school days... walaupun letih, saya berasa sangat gembira...

Phone overload!

It's about time!

Finally transferred all images from my trustable Sony to the pc after what seems like months!
Why after so long?
Misplaced the transfer cable AND the card reader. But haven't quite got to looking for it till today :)
However, I still need to locate the transfer cable to take the pics from the phone memory since I've only managed to clear the memory stick. Well, another spring cleaning is underway i suppose. Now i need to start documenting each images be4 my memory fails me. adios!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

On drivers in Malaysia

I was forced to buy my first own vehicle when we moved office this year. As a "new" driver on the road, I came across many F1 drivers wanna-be. They all are merely living their dreams of what COULD-HAVE-BEEN and cheating themselves by practising their old "road bully" tricks on regular roads, populated by the vast majority civillians - women and men alike and occasionally children.

Some of the irky moments i have encountered on the road so far are as follows (take note this is an inexhautible list):

- tail gaters, flashing their lights on any lane you're on, cutting into many lanes with no indicator light
- perhaps most cars here don't have a functioning indicator?
- driving up so near to my bumper so close you can kiss the bumper - which I have no issues of because I can always make a police report and make the driver face the music
- bullies who threat to see your IC or driving license as if they're working with the police force! (Although they are at fault in the case)

Then there is the long-end debate on women and men drivers - who is better? I don't think this debate will have an end to it. But most of the times, the ones who tail gate or flash at my car are the men. & there has been an equal number of women and men who has given way to me when i'm at a junction or so. Which gets me to think - at this age and time, when humans are generally more civilised, a single act of driving on the road, using the vehicle man-built, with good road manners shouldn't be that difficult can it? Why should we allocate gender discrimination to the tab of "bad drivers" when the traditional men and women roles are interchanging these days?

this remains a puzzle...

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Saturday morning

It's a wet Saturday morning. Rushed out to run some errands n now checking my mails at the famous old town kopitiam. It's been a fruitful day so far, with some flips but it's all turned out to be fine. It's pouring out there, rain is getting heavier. So cosy and nice to cuddle now... And be under blankets. How i wish, i could. Hey wait a minute, i actually can... It's the weekend :)

Friday, September 11, 2009

Choices we make...

Our daily lives are results of choices we make.

I choose to sleep in early to get enough 8-hour sleep. Wen I open my eyes in the morning, I can choose to continue sleeping or jump out of bed. I can choose to sulk and stay home or I can go to work. I can choose to take the NPE and pay RM1.60 or I can take the Sungai Besi road. I can choose to be negative and talk nonsense all day or I can start off my day with a list of things to do and do it all with a positive mind. Even in writing this post, I can choose to sit or I can stand.

For all the above, I choose the latter... & that makes all the difference.

I was inspired this morning wen I made a choice, turned out to be a "bad" choice. It was a simple choice of taking a route to go home. Had to drop by the office in Kuchai for a bit to collect some documents and head to KL. Took the NPE instead of the other 2 roads - Jalan Istana & Mid Valley. Paid the RM1.60. Not very far from the toll, all cars were stalled.. How could I have forgotten?? It's heading towards KL. Of course Bangsar will be jammed. Unfortunately, whether I like it or not, I am already there. I need to get thru the jam somehow.

Switched on to Serena C & Piedro. Sat back on my seat and didn't think about the jam at all & I was in Jalan Bangsar in no time! How relieved I was. Eventually reached home in time to run my errands and start off my day. What a wonderful experience on choices...

Random entry

Men love to play with kitchen utensils

Thursday, September 03, 2009

On dis-illusionment

When a man is overcome by emotion and clouded by huge ass "ego", he'll only "listen" to things he wants to hear....

This leads onto losing focus on the goal at hand, in the best interest of all parties involved. Why do human beings become selfish and self centered, refusing to think of the others in the battle field - the innocent ones?

These are classic psychology profiles of power crazy humans who refuse to give in until they win - explains why war never ends and never will. As long as humans as such exist.!

---- disillusionment.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Business Ethics

Practise what you preach! Do not tell others to do something which you will not do yourself.

It's been an amazing 9 month long journey since I left the arms of an employer and became one myself. It was not easy and it still isn't easy yet. It has been a long struggling period for everyone and we still are.

However, in the midst of it all, I have learnt that there are many lessons to be taken away from this situation. Changes in people, attitude, behaviour and character which all sums to relationships with fellow humans. Surprisingly, so-called ethical and decent people I have come to know has turned around to a 180degrees and become somewhat Godzillas - people I wouldn't want to have known in the first place. But, I guess this is part of the lesson too. We all need to thrive through the pace and win the race.

One main thing to remember is - the sea water only looks calm on the surface. But underneath it there is a whole world of chaos going on. And getting to the centre of the ocean cannot be done without proper equipment and clothing. Armed with the right tools, one can surely conquer the ocean too. The same applies...

Preparation is the key to any battle. Without it, a soldier can be wounded and dead within seconds if not minutes in enemy' hands.

On caning and pointing fingers

I was shocked to learn about this girl Kartina who has been sentenced to caning because she was caught drinking in a club! I guess the religious authorities managed to find a scape goat to point their finger at.

My only thoughts on this matter was a chapter from the bible about the crowd which wanted to stone a prostitute woman to her death because of her "sins". And at this point, Jesus asked the one who has never sinned amongst them to be the first to throw a stone. And the crowd dispersed.

This story was a lesson - which makes sense even at this age. I find it very much related to what is happening these days - finger pointing and blaming game. A classic application is the above mentioned story of Kartina. Any club in any part of the world surely has patrons of all race and religion. WHat is to stop them from drinking? Religious authorities don't sit around the clubs screening the patrons to put a stop. Clearly they are trying to set an example and show the world what happens if you are a muslim and caught drinking at such public places.

One question I have to everyone out there - can you all testify that you are all clean from the so-called sin of "drinking" or "smoking" or "adultery"?

Everything done in moderation should be good for the soul. Eccessiveness is what causes the pain. A very simple teaching I follow which is only for the short time we spend on earth. Why point fingers and blame the other when we don't even check ourselves first?

Another sentence comes to mind - why do we humans constantly try to remove the speck from our neighbours eyes when we can't even see the log in our own eye? Think about it...

Monday, August 31, 2009

A true merdeka celebration

I recall writing about the merdeka celebration I had for the past few years (ref to my previous posts). This year, one of my 1st cousin (dads' youngest sis son) tied the knot during the Merdeka weekend. This led us to travel up north - the whole bunch of us, including sis n her babies - all of us jumped in to my baby car and went on our long road trip.

It was a great trip. The function went well despite the low number of guests. Dinner was at Cinta Sayang Golf Resort. Theme was traditional. The best part of the entire function was we could spend some good quality time with our long lost cousins, aunts, snapped loads of pictures, and ate a lot.

Booze came as an after party exclusive invitation only... I went home and slept with 2 cranky babies :)

End of Day1

the next day started with mass at the Christ the King Church nearby their home. Following that, an excellent breakfast for a king served at home - food from the function last nite and some of us went to the hotel for breakfast.

Packed and ready to leave, we left their home at around 12. Headed towards Tambun Ipoh to visit mums side relatives. Her eldest sister lived ter with her son and daughter in law who happens to be my cousin and her 3 children my nieces. Haven't seen them since she got married - which is more than 18 years ago. Now, the eldest is around 18 and the youngest 10.

A good quality bonding time with them took us to 5pm which is when we left for KL. Since it was tea time, we decided to go to the original old town coffee shop in Ipoh town. Unfortunately, the shop was closed. Of course! How could I have forgotten? It was a Sunday evening!

Anyhow, we walked up to another shop which was a few steps away and had white coffee nevertheless.. Not what we wanted exactly but a substitute for that moment.

Left shortly after and reached KL at 8pm. Excellent and fulfilling trip. Can't wait for the next one.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

On the realities of life

It's a rude awakening to the truth of the moment... the world in all its cruelty. How can i survive this jungle of wild life?

Monday, July 13, 2009

On a rough sea at the moment

The waves and tides are pushing me into the deeper end of the sea... It's so overwhelming, i'm struggling to keep my head up high. But my will is too strong, I will not give up too soon. As long as my eyes are on my Saviour, he will bring me out of this storm. Of course, I have to keep paddling and swimming for effort on my side.. I'm not expecting a rope to drop down from heaven, but a boat will do...

Friday, June 19, 2009

On being emotionless

Excitement that is built over a gradual period of time has been killed and buried immediately with just a shrug or cold shoulder...

in seconds... the passion and excitement that i have felt came to a halt with no reciprocation from the other one concerned! Such a bummer, waste of energy and mental space.

Now, i've passed onto the emotion-less boat.. in a very quick span of time! Need a break &

Yay it's Friday again!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I'll Be Happy When...

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation or when we retire. The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.

It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with ... and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting ... Until your car or home is paid off.
Until you get a new car or home.
Until your kids leave the house.
Until you go back to school.
Until you finish school.
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married.
Until you get a divorce.
Until you have kids.
Until you retire.
Until summer.
Until spring.
Until winter.
Until fall.
Until you die. There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, and, dance like no one's watching.

------------I received this article as one of those forwards, can't remember by whom or who the original author was. But I found it to be very very true of us humans, at some point or another. Some of us have come out of it yet some of us are still trapped in this "i'll be happy when.... " syndrome.

So, if you are reading this, can you testify if you have honestly broken free from this syndrome or share if you are really waiting for something to happen in order to be happy?

Monday, May 18, 2009

Yoga experience 2

As the many asanas of Yoga starts to unveil itself to me, i began to marvel in this amazing journey in my path of life....

Friday, April 17, 2009

A wonderful YOGA experience

it began in January 2009 - until March 2009... Came to a pit stop for about 1-month, despite the weekly classes I was going for on Sundays.

Last class was on last Sunday - for beginners. The next step is the intermediate class which i will be officially starting next week :)

I was overwhelmed when my instructor said I can proceed to the next level. I was hesitant initially due to my lack of daily practise of all the asanas. But this is green light to the next level. However, I should not take this lightly. I need to keep practising and improving my flexibility since my head still doesn't touch my knee for the head-knee position and still can't touch my feet for the posterior position.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

It's a brand new year of the Ox, with brand new visions and goals to achieve to make the most of the new year.

Some might renew their previous year goals, some others might come up with near ones which I believe most of these will go along the lines of - improving health, reduce weight, join gym, quit smoking, change jobs etc. By mid-year, if none of the above has been actioned on, they will just stay where they started - on paper.

And a very handful others - might not even have any goals at all.!

I am one who flactuates between having goals and not. Not being much of a disciplinary myself, i find it hard to keep at goals, leave alone achieve them. So, i usually yo-yo between coming up with a goal and not year in, year out.

2009 - is in!

First goal - in progress is YOGA. To my very own surprise, I have begun to like this activity. My following few posts will explain why. For now, I need to grab a quick lunch.