Ranting Post

Blogging is not easy to do and for someone like me to be consistent at it.  You need to find something interesting to talk about, or something that bothers you, or something that you want to remember.  Anything that you want expressed.  Only I sometimes find it difficult to express myself.  Time management is an issue for me, too.

I found this quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald "You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you have got something to say."  

I do have something to say.  A few things to say and have an opinion on.

The thing that bugs me right this very moment is how easily affected I can be with comments from people, be it friends, colleagues, or my husband.  I get all worked up, irritated and worse still, rant.  Lately there has been spates of incidences whether on any social media platform where friends have shared links on politics, status updates that are politically motivated, religious views, and the list goes on.  I self evaluate and start to compare my seemingly lack of this and that to the righteous ways of others.  Yes, I am suffering from an over abundance of information and opinions where in a social network free world, I would not have given a damn and would lead a quiet simple life, thank you.

Where I have participated in a heated discussion on FB for instance, I sometimes feel a sense of regret in doing so.  Who cares?  Where will these discussions lead to?  Most likely NOWHERE!!!

Lately, the feeling of a lot of things getting to me is becoming more frequent.  Work, kids, energy level, husband, my own expectations on myself, religion amongst others, circles my mind more and more leading to a feeling of wanting to get away from it all......I keep making comparisons to lives of other people, be it office colleagues, friends and get into a thinking spiral that paralyses me.  I need to snap out of this.  Yesterday was a case in example when I broke into tears over MrM's treatment of me and Zarif's non-responsiveness to me.  

Is this a sign of fatigue?  Or is this a sign of needing another break?

Addin Now at 4 years 6 months

Don't grow up too fast Din Din my boy.....

Mama will surely miss you saying "I love you Mama", "Addin Sayang Mama" and your little hands wrapped around my neck at night before going to sleep. 

2013 : A Year in Review Part 3

Weddings, Funerals and Childbirths

The wedding of the year is.......(drumroll please)....nahhhh.....not ZSRCW...

Wedding of MrM's father, my father-in-law.  

The drama leading to the preparation of the wedding, not yet the wedding, mind you!

I fully understand my father-in-law wanting to get married again, what I didn't understand was why this cannot be a simple one.

He is 74, she is 62.  Why can't this be just a solemnization of vows?

The wedding was held at Masjid Shah Alam (I think that has a name) and full-blown with exchange of gifts (hantaran) including money. There are just too many sensitivities surrounding my father-in-law getting married than I care to mention here.  All is well now.

Niece Noreen got married in February.  In London. To this sweet looking boy Shahrin.  Both are doctors now in a hospital in Carlyle and couldn't take the time off.

I was there coincidentally for a meeting, Kak Mong, Kak Yang, Abang, Fieza and Nurul came all the way from KL and Seremban to attend.  Not forgetting Abg Ghazie and Juita, too.  To me it was nice, simple and contained a lot of weirdness that I care not to mention here.  Well, as long as the bride and groom are happy.

From office, there was the wedding of Nabil and Liyana.  And Liyana is now a mother of a two month old, talk about being a fast worker both at work and at home, too!

Nabil's wedding in Seremban Jaya

I think there are more weddings that deserve a mention but they all pale in comparison to my FIL, haha!!

Babies

From the family, we welcomed the addition of two new grandsons, firstborns from Kak Mong's third son, Kamal, and late Ongah's third son, Aloi.

Kamai's baby, Azfar

Aloi's baby, Aiman

2013 has got to be the year of productivity insofar as babies are concerned in FRM.  FRM had 4 baby boys from FRM staff and two more from wives of FRM staff.  One more on the way in May 2014.  There is a positive correlation of having babies to level of stress perhaps?

Ellie's baby, Elias (courtesy of Elliie's whatsapp)

Haslina's baby, Imran Hassan (courtesy of Olie's FB)

Wati's baby Luqman (courtesy of her FB)

Funerals

The news that we heard when we were in NZ was the death of a doctor residing in RK while riding downhill Genting Sempah.  He was apparently a single father and died on the spot.  Three boys lost a father.  I suppose now there shouldn't be any alternating between father's and mother's living arrangements.  

Dr Amir accomoanying Dr Azman's lifeless body (Courtesy of Harian Metro)

Mak Cek's Omak passed on just recently in December.  I had wanted to visit Omak at the hospital or at the very least Mak Cek in Nusa Rhu.  We thought since Mak Cek would be in and out of the hospital, we didn't want to impose.  Especially knowing how Mak Cek would go at great lengths preparing food for her guests.  Omak had asthma.  At almost 80, the asthma took its toll on her heart.  This is two years after Apak died.  

Omak at Hazira's engagement (her granddaughter) looked calm and happy.  This was my last meet with her before she passed away.

Sniffs, Sore Throat, Coughs and Full Blown Asthma

What a start to this new year.  Just the second week of January and I am down with cough with yucky green phlegm and tightness in the chest that is asthma.

I think this started with a sore throat on Wednesday that I dismissed and said this shall pass.  Well I was mistaken.  That sore throat in just a few hours became sneezes that led to a runny nose and bad cough.  I was like, huh?  That fast?  Must be the age factor (poor age factor) again.

I was too tired to go to work on Thursday and the meds given by the panel clinic dried up the runny nose but became a whopping cough!!  

I was off on Friday on account of helping out MrM's brother's kenduri.  I thought I was better, over exerted myself, ate all the wrong food, and by Saturday, this cough had led to a full blown asthma.

Today is Sunday 12th January and I am up to my neck with coughing the entire day.  I am wheezing badly by the standards of my age, which means very low tolerance to coughing and asthma.

In retrospect, this may be due to being caught in the rain a few times the first week of January and even latter part of December 2013.

I need to stay healthy, which means exercise and eating healthy.  But hey, that is another chapter on its own!

Building A Dream : Courtesy of Tripadvisor

2013 : A Year in Review Part 2

Vacations.....aaahhhh.....we loved our vacations.  Topmost in our hearts was New Zealand.  We were there for two whole weeks and we wished we could migrate to NZ.  I was, workwise, swarmed with many things that came into the department's purview throughout the year.  I had taken short breaks locally but they just were not enough.  The much planned trip to NZ was therefore one that all of us were looking forward to.

Much planned since I had booked the MAS tickets in February and started to plan for this trip bit by bit since the day I booked the tickets.

What can I say about NZ?

Beautiful country,  I have said that before and I'll say it again.

A great place to unwind and relax.  (We unwound too much and had difficulty adjusting to work!)

I would advocate anyone to make NZ a must do trip.  We rented a car, stayed at holiday parks, holiday homes and managed to cover North Island this time around.  Primarily driven by the fact that there were 10 of us and we didn't think we will make the entire of a South Island within the two weeks.

Here are the a few sights of NZ North Island :

One of the beaches we discovered wandering aimlessly

The view taken uphill from Thames to Coromandel

Sights of Alexander's Farm the location of Hobbit

I can't remember where this was taken, could be Coromandel

The Blue Lake near Rotorua

The view from Eagle Retreat, our home for four days in Rotorua.

There are more cows and sheeps in NZ than there are people

The view on top after the ride of Wellington tram.

Short getaways :  PD Avillion

This is what Bang Ip and Kakak Lia is there for

Bang Ip the doting brother (thank God for a son like Bang Ip)

Another New Year

Every new year, I aim to improve myself.  This year, will I be able to achieve my improvements? Will 2014 be the year I am going to get it together?  Be organized and able to just do it, without little voices telling me to do what I like as opposed to what I needed to or have to?  A new year full of possibilities.