The saying here is that when you think of a person in a moment and the next moment or happening, you meet that person or the person just materialized, it means that the person has a long life...... So goes the saying.... This morning that just happen to a friend of mine...... This morning I send this friend an email, He is the secretary of the Volvo club, suggesting that the reopen MMBR, a holiday resort in Malacca be their next venue for a get together, since it is not that far from Kuala Lumpur, moreover this resort is beside the sea and it has great swimming pools and spacious condo apartment that are very suitable for families, especially those with kids.... kids love the swimming pool and this would be great for a family weekend holiday away from home...The apartment has facilities for cooking too and it would make the family weekend relatively cheaper and would be just like home, where they could cook their own food and enjoy it with friends in the group..... Well I thought that this resort is ideal for a retreat of a sort, for the club members from time to time....So that was the reason I send that email to this friend of mind... As for me we have a condo apartment there, it has been our regular get away place...... Well after send the email I went out to have my car washed..... While the car is being wash, I call another friend, also a Volvo Kelasik club's member and told him of the email I just send and at the same time told him of the plan as well..... After just finishing our conversation..... The person I send the email this morning suddenly emerged... All smile... He stop his car and we talk and I told him the indeed he has a long life.... He laugh.... He say that he just saw my email before coming over to the gas station..... Oh!!! What a coincidence ..... Well that is life..... We talk for a while and then he left..... It is an happening and that what's makes life interesting.... I guessed that our old folks have great wisdom..... This chance meeting today is indeed something to think out a loud....

We wake up to see the drizzling still continue and the city horizon is enveloped in mist making visibility difficult... Usually we could see the Twin Tower from the front of our house but today it is missing behind those thick mist... We decided to drive to the District Office of Gombak to the north of the city to pay our yearly land tax at the Land Office there... We took the outer ring road and then wind our way the old Ipoh Road and eventually reach the office, a huge building nestle in the valley surrounded by lush tropical forest... All the way we saw new housing scheme being develop... What a change since we last take this road about a year ago... for we seldom take this road to the north of the country... We would prefer to travel on the Highway... so only on an occasion like this that we take the old road and the country roads... and indeed it is nice for a change to use these road.... but again it is as busy as ever..... The drizzling continue and after getting things done at the Land Office we drove back, this time I took the city road for a change and to our surprise there are many new developments on both sides of the road, huge housing and business park raised like mushroom after a rainy day..... That is Kuala Lumpur, a capital city of a 'third world' country emerging from its past with slow growth to one of the fastest growing city in this part of the world......It now look like any other cities of the 'first world'.....Well to be frank Malaysia is already a develop country and surely its capital city is a well developed city as well....The standard of living and life style is the same as those in the west.... Drop into this city and one would be amazed with the recent development.... Sky creepers has became the landscape of the city.... Jalan Kuching that use to be the entry from the north is still the same but without the toll plaza....... There is no more toll to pay using the Jalan Kuching now... They have decided to discontinue the toll and now it is free to use this roads... We drove into the city and took the side road that lead to Jalan Tun Razak and then we are on our way back home to Ampang Jaya via the elevated Highway... From here we still could see the city enveloped in mist and it just look gray... Well it is one of those days... The city change from it usual multi color scene to just gray....I hope the weather would change this afternoon and we would have a clear sky this weekend for an outing to the outskirts of the city... A picnic may be if the weather permit..... It is Friday again today... and soon it will be another weekend.. Time past so fast these days..... Well when time is yours to do what you like, it just pass by without notice......

The drizzling has not stop, just like yesterday...so it has been a bid wet all day long and as usual when its drizzle the weather became rather humid...it would be better if it really rain...that is the situation in the tropic...where rain and sunshine has always been taken for granted and live would just go on as usual...I love the rain, not too much though... it is a bid cool when it rains and one could smell the freshness of the air... it is the rain that keep our rain forest healthy and in turn the forest in the tropic provide all those oxygen that the world need and at the same time it take in all those unwanted carbon dioxide that we did not want... Well that is the eco system and it works perfectly for the benefit of all.... Both the plants and other living things on this planet of ours...

On the news front there are now a sad news of the bird flu... Now not only people get flu... It is now the turn of bird to get flu... while the flu that we get off and on are not that dangerous... the bird flu is very dangerous indeed...it not only affect the bird itself... like the chicken that we consumed daily... but it kill human that get this bird flu.... Say... What is really happening to our planet... Last year we had that SAR and it nearly bankrupts some countries in Asia and many people got killed includes the good doctors and the nurses..... And then recently we again heard of the outbreak of the Mad Cow disease... and we all became afraid of eating meat.... As a precaution We have decided not to take chicken for now... so I am not buying any chicken this time... Yesterday I went to the wet market to do my fortnight marketing and I decided not to buy any chicken.... and I found out that many others are also doing the same things... avoid chicken for the time being.... and go for other alternative... like fish and vegetables... I believe we all would not miss any things by not eating chicken for the time being... I think it is wise to avoid it until all those bird are free from the new disease Bird Flu...... And just now I went to a friend's shop and she told me that tonight the Chinese would be having a family dinner... Her in law phone saying that they should avoid chicken for tonight's dinner... She told her in law not to worry so much as Malaysia is still free with this bird flu sickness.... But her in law insist that it is not wise to eat chicken now... So they compromised... Just cook a bird and let see what happen at tonight's dinner.... I told her it would be interesting to see who would touch the chicken at tonight's dinner.... She laugh and quip that is why she told her in law just to cook only one chicken... Just for the sake of having a chicken on the table as usual...Naive you think?... I do not think so... It is the human nature to be afraid..... It would be fun to be at this family dinner tonight.... And watch the drama unfold.... I laugh and left the shop after buying some things... Fish and air pump for my fish pond..... go home and it is still drizzling... What a day.... Thinking of the incident at the shop.... I think I am going to ask her of what happen at the dinner table.. when I meet her next...... Interesting eh!!!.... What this bird flu has done to us human.....

....our world...the big Blue Marble....

What a morning...It is drizzling and wet, but it did not really rain...Well we still have to water the plants... and wash the car...the car get dirty easily when it rain like this, just drizzling... if it had been a downpour, it would be different... I could just wipe it up and it would be shining again... but with drizzle, the dirt keep accumulating other wet surface and when it dried, it just get dirty...... Well we all cannot get our way all the time, that is nature, when it is hot and humid, we yearn for rain and hope that it pour but when it did rain.... it get wet and sometime it causes flash flood... We then wished that its humid and hot weather again.... We are never sastified... Do we..That is us human... Always complaining... That my friends is the nature of things and I guess that what's makes life interesting... As usual after the daily ritual of cleaning the house and doing all those little things that had to be done... it is yet the beginning of another day... Wait a minute... It already at the end of January zero zero four..... We just celebrated the New Year and now it is going to be February, the second month of the Year.... Look time pass... It is so fast and hardly we knew it, it is another month.... For us retiree it really pass by very fast indeed and that what's makes living great.... Well I am getting old... Does it matter... Not at all... Thanks God for giving me another day to live and enjoy life in this blue planet of ours... Sharing my joy of living with others and it turn I hope make others enjoy life as well .... Like this morning I received an email from a friend on the west coast.... He say he did read all those things that I wrote in my weblog and commented that I must had spend lots of my time writing those entry in my Journals... Thanks Ram for taking the time to browse my Blogsite... I am really happy that you did that..... Well my friends the times that I spend in cyberspace are indeed an enjoyable and productive times..... in cyberspace time flies and hadly you knew it... it has been hours.... what else people like us retiree do except use time to it fullest and that is what I am doing everyday of my golden life and I am enjoying every minute of it all... This has been a great week... I seem to be making friends almost everyday.... The other day in Genting Highland met the Mr.Felix a stranger and he is now my friend and just last Sunday I met this Man at the MMBR in Malacca and he soon also became a friend of the family... and of course I met the great Lee family at the Bar B Q's table and we are all friends now.... What better gift to folks like us other then became our friends... Thanks friends for being our friends and we really did enjoy your company.... Life is like that and it should be shared and enjoyed..... This blue marble...This mother earth...This blue planet is ours to share and enjoy.... So let together we live and enjoy life as it should be...Have a nice day friends.....

We really had a great weekend, first on Saturday we were invited to a Chinese New Year Party at Genting Highland and then on Sunday when we arrived at our condo in Malacca, we were invited to attend a Bar B Q that evening hosted by the new management of this resort... On arrival at the resort I met the new management and to my surprise that the man incharge of this new management's team came from my hometown of Kuantan... After the initial introduction we sat to chat and soon realized that we seem to know of the who and who in Kuantan... He happen to be my cousin's classmate when he was schooling in Kuantan in the sixties, Kuantan then was just a small town on the east coast and everyone seem to know each other... Not like nowadays where it would not be possible to know everyone in town.... Anyway one subject leads to another and soon we became friend .... It was indeed a surprise that every names that I mentioned he knew them too... so it was like chatting with old friends.... Whereas.. in fact this is the first time I met this man... He happen to be a Malaysian that got his university education in down under and after graduation did not return but instead he venture in seeking his fortune in Australia and then got married to an Australian ..... Eventually settled in Sydney, Australia... Their kids are now schooling in Australia.... I believe he now live in a shoecase, shuttling from one continent to another ... Enjoying life I suppose while doing business.... Well that is the mix up nationalities of the people of Malaysia.... and their success..... He told me that he got homesick and yearn to return.... so he did return eventually... and start to go into business in his hometown of Kuantan and from there, with the experiences gain, he manage a holiday resort in Kuantan and now this resort in Malacca...which was once the resort that tourist flock all years round for holiday in sunny Malacca... Mismanagement brought this great holiday resort to a halt during the financial disaster in the late nineties.... The resort which was know as the Mutiara Malacca Beach Resort was left without proper management for almost five years.. We as owners of the condo were left in a lurch as to what is going to happen to our once great holiday resort... For almost five years the owners did what they could to salvage this resort...And now thanks God a new management has taken over and the future look promising... We hopes... Well at that evening we attend the Bar B Q and met the other guests.... and it turn out to be a very interesting evening... We began to hear once again the sound of music and singing in the Bistro just like before... the burning of the Bar B Q pit with those sizzling steaks and the smell of burning charcoal mix with the smell of those foods being grilled... remind me of the past Bar B Q that were often seen at the poolside of the resort.. With holiday maker enjoying their drink and snacks along side the swimming pool... while others spend their time swimming and wading in the pool..... Indeed it is a delighted sight to see... Parents with their small kids enjoying together splashing in the small swimming pools till late at night... And when the resort close all those happening ceased and slowly the swimming pool turn green for lack of maintenance..... But now thanks to the new management... The pool is back gleaming blue like before.... the mosaic of the Blue dolphin at the bottom of the pool could once again be seen.... tempting swimmer to take a dip.. What a great sight... To me and the other owners of the condo... that makes this holiday resort.... It was a scene that bring great joy of seeing our once great resort is actually making a come back... Under a new name The Merak Malacca Beach Resort... The Bar B Q was well done... We drink and ate and enjoy... We chats and touch of those things that could makes this resort as popular as before... We could hear cheer of those at the Bar... Drinking their favorite drink... A new Bar!!, now as part of the Bistro..With music blaring familiar tunes... And soon we hear a lovely voice of a great singer singing a great song...Where did she came from....Everyone wonder... and wants to know...... It is great to the ears and she was really good... Of course everyone wants more of it.... It look like old times again at this resort... The music, the splashing in the pool, the Bar B Q beside the pool and those people enjoying their drinks around the pool and the Bar.... Well it look like our MMBR is really making a come back this time... Great.... We did enjoy the evening meeting new faces and as it was late we parted with a promise to meet again soon for another Bar B Q at this resort... Our own resort... Now the Merak Malacca Beach Resort....... Thanks to the team of the new management... Mr.Ram.. Mr.San... I believe you have done a great job... We pray and hope that you would be successful... Why not... It already look promising... A good start indeed.....

This Sunday we decided to visit Malacca to have a look at our condo there...For those that would like to know more about this historical state, this website makes interesting reading Malacca

This Saturday we had an invitation to a Chinese New Year Open House at Genting Highland.... Hosted by non other then Mr.Lim Goh Tong himself, the owner as well as the developer of this great holiday resort......He is the visionary that lead to the creation on this Family Entertainment Resort and the first Casino in the country...It is situated on the top of the mountain, in dense tropical forest just about thirty kilometers away from Kuala Lumpur....With the cool weather all throughout the year, the Genting Highland resort makes a great family getaway where entertainments for all ages are available...And of course for those that love gambling then the Genting casino is the place to be...This is at present the only casino in this part of the world...So tourist from other countries in this region would flock to this magnet to spend their money with all the excitement that only a casino could provide...There are also live entertainment shows of international standard that are brought especially for the theatre there...A look at this website would give one the happening at this great resort...Genting Highland Resort .......... We drove up the winding roads to the top of the mountain range and join the other guests for the special lunch at the great entertainment Hall....At half pass noon the lunch start with the usual performances of the traditional Chinese lion dances and other traditional performances...The Host, the grand old man himself arrived with the pomp and splendor and so are other VIP's....It was a large buffet lunch with varieties of Malaysian food spreads...As usual at a function like this one get the opportunity to meet some old acquaintances and makes new friends...I did met an old classmate that I had not met since we left school in nineteen fifty seven....What a great surprise... He left to join army and then left the army and now he is one of those top executives with the Genting Group that managed this resorts on the top of the world...Then I met my cousin who happen to be another CEO of a company that is also part of the Genting group...Of course I met others that I had not met for quite sometime...The meeting makes my day for not only the lunch was great, the meeting of old friends that was out of sight for such a long period...was indeed a bonus at this golden age..., where friendship means a lot...... A young businessman with a kid join our table...and eventually, he a stranger soon became a friend...So the list of my friends began to grow...we exchange cards and promise to communicate later...We chat as we enjoy the meals and as with buffet we would leave the table for a while to sample more of the other delicacies and in between would meet the other guests as well... After the lunch affairs we left to see the other part of the resorts which at that time was crowded with holiday makers that came from all over the country, as well as our heighbor Singapore and Thailand.........It was indeed an exciting Saturday for me for I had not been to this resort for quite some time already...We left the resort at just past four in the afternoon and enjoy the drive home...The weather was fine and cool and the scene all along the winding road was refreshing green all the way..The floral and fauna that makes the tropical jungle was indeed a pleasing sight to see all the way down the hills..My wife and me really did enjoy this trip to the top of the world..the Genting Highland Resort....

It is Friday and as usual I would just stay at home and do all those little things that need to be done... like repairs... redecorating the 'junk' that we had collected all the years and need to be dust and rearrange so as to be more presentable and pleasing to the eyes... We human are never satisfied with the state of things and always love changes... Me... Personally love to see beautiful things and at time would spend hours to just do an interior deco so as to be in harmony with the rest of the elements in the house or around the house.. I believe that life could be beautiful if we could spend more time on those little things, that if taken care of would give us more satisfaction and joy... A vase placed in a right way with the right flowers on a table would be pleasing to the senses, thus would in a way elevate us into a more cheerful feeling... That in turn would add to the quality of our life... We can still live without the flowers on the table but would it not be better if we had... And by doing so it creates an atmosphere of love and joy...Love and joy that we could not just invent but had to be created with the help of the other elements..Like the flowers and the like...The small artifacts that we place to be in harmony with the rest of the elements, would surely add color to the already cheerful mood of the day.. It is those small things that we got at the bazaar or at the little shops on our way home, that would make our days more meaningful and productive.... which in turn would create joy, laughter and even be a means to start a discussion with a friends or a guests to the house... We had a small fish pond in front of the house...at a conner of the patio...Just by looking at those fish in harmony with nature...swimming carelessly would mesmerise us to a point that we would soon lost track of time...The pond had to be clean and the fish had to be fed and all these takes times...It is the joy of doing those little things that makes life more beautiful and a joy to all... Yes it is Friday.. The reason that I do not venture more to the shopping mall or plan to meet friends on this day is because at noon I had to be at the mosque to join in the congregation for the weekly Friday prayer...I would not want to miss this....For it is a day of reflection and meeting friends, otherwise would not be that easy...for almost all of my friends would be present at this weekly noon prayer at the mosque...a weekly ritual for us Moslem...... To pray and seek solace from the creator so that we may be granted a better quality of life...and most of all to thanks Him for giving us this life to live and enjoy...Once I listen to a preacher who say among other things...God give us everything which includes the twenty four hours a day of living, the air we breath...The food we eat and on and on....Can't we take some time to say 'Thanks You' to Him...Once a week in our prayer or five times a day like all Moslem are ask to do...Is it that difficult to say thanks to the creator...Remember we say many 'Thanks You' to fellow human everyday and surely it is more than five time a day....So do take the time and say thanks to the creator for providing us will all the goodness in life...That is why Friday is special to me...A day to say thanks to Him...Isn't it that difficult.....Surely not...So let do it...For me it is Friday for others it could be Sunday or any other day......... Let do it....And be happy about doing it......

Got an email from Italy, a far away land, an ancient country, whose capital city is Rome. We have been there some years ago, a stop on a tour of Europe.....Well as usual we visited all those tourist sites and enjoy every minutes of the tour....We have a foster daughter living in one of the town of Italy... She live with her husband and we have been communicating quite regularly on the net...,thought we have not as yet met...In fact She is our late daughter's friends.... Somehow we have taken her as our own and decided that she is now part of the family.... I guess that God has indeed presented us with such a wonderful person as an addition to the family...Indeed God works in a mysterious way.......In her latest mail we were sad to hear that her husband was involved in a car accident and got hurt but is recovering now...We pray that he would be as good as new after the recovery....,Well accident happen....No right minded people want to get into an accident...accident happen because it is an accident....So what do we do about it...As human when accident happen..We get angry...Almost instantly...and the blame goes on...Everyone want to be on the right side and non wants to accept to be the cause of the accident....Everyone seem to be right, but... Wait a minute.... It is an accident right?.... Surely it has never been plan, that is why it is call an accident.... I have been through such incident before... And on one occasion a person that knock my car....the damage is slight.... Say.. Sorry sir, it is an accident, accident happened"..." And after some exchanges of words...the person decided to pay for the damage to my car...and I accept it.....later on while driving home I get a pang of regret on accepting the person's payment, though only a small amount....and the person's words keep ringing in my ears and mind....What the person say is True.....Accident happen.... I should not have accept the payment but instead accept the fact that it is an accident... Non of us want to get into an accident.... I was hoping to meet this person again and return the money back...but was not successful...so I donated the sum to a charity with a promise to myself that in future I would treat an accident just as an accident and if the other party want to make me pay for the accident I would just do so if the amount is small and if the damage is big, then I would refer it to my insurance to pay...... And I would not accept any payment in return...I would try to stay cool and talk about it to the other party... to settled it in a more friendly atmosphere... Remember when we are angry we do not makes rational judgment.... Believe me it is worth it ...To stay cool....In another accident where I knock the rear of a taxi...I decided to talk to the driver and in the end the person decided to accept that it is an accident and with that I did pay the person a small amount for the repair of the car...I guess both of us were happy after that....Well it is an accident after all.....So to me it is best that we take an accident as something that just happen....And learn from it... May be we should be more careful the next time... May be we should learn to stay cool after an accident... It is not easy...But I tried and it works...Do try to stay cool and avoid an argument...Believe me everyone would be happy after the fact...... Remember we have to accept that accident already happen and nothing that we could do that would reversed the incident...It already happen..It is an Accident.... and if we are injured and had to be hospitalized...we should use those time to reflect and Ask ourselves the hard question of Why it happen...May be there is a hidden message in it...Maybe it is a way to jolt our mind and remind us that we are a human being after all...We do make mistake...that the other party are also in the same boat with us...They have family too...They had feeling like us too...They are as angry like us too...But if we stay cool...Could not we teach him indirectly to stay cool too....So that when he return home he would be reflecting on the incident just like we do...Thinking ... It is still an accident and no one want to get into an accident.... Sometime people take matter to the authority..to the court to get compensation ... Well that is the way we human settled thing nowadays...Isn't there another way.... Like... to discuss as friend....and come out with a amicable settlement... Like friends do...Surely we could, if only we stay cool... Try being human...... Perhaps it would give us a new meaning of life itself... After all we are part of a family in this global village...The blue marble......

Hi everyone, Kong Xi Fatt Chai, Happy Chinese New Year and Have a great time.

While in Kuantan we decided to have dinner at a seaside restaurant, it is a very popular restaurant at the seaside know as Telok Cempedak...The beach is one of the best place to swim... Except during the monsoon period from November to January every year..... Normally when the sea is not suitable to swim, a Red flag is raised to warn of the danger of going into the water... The Red flag is there today... It is rather dangerous to swim at this time since the waves would be high and it bash the beach rather hard, thus would create an under current that could swept swimmer without notice... So it is not advisable to swim at this time of the year.... We drove to the restaurant, got a parking space near the restaurant... Got a nice table with a view of the sea and order our dinner which consist of... Fried egg with crab meat, mix vegetable and fried karapau with ginger... to be eaten with white rice... It is a Chinese food eaten the Malay styles... In a normal Chinese dinner dishes are served one by one and the rice would be the last item to be served... But in our case which we call the Malaysian style of eating Chinese food is that all the dishes are place on the tables and then eaten with white rice....We had Chinese tea as a drink while eating dinner...... The weather was extremely good with slight breeze from the sea on our right... But as usual it was rather humid and we could smell the salty sea in the air... We could also hear the waves bashing the shore frequently... We ate and chat a little and enjoy the steamy dishes which was really delicious... To enjoy eating... Chinese food must be eaten while it is still stemming hot.....So we just did that and end with... My wife having a fruit juice and me my usual steaming hot local coffee.... We while the time away and then took a stroll along the path beside the beach....There were many young couples sitting on the benches on the beach and parents with kids playing kites at a space in front the restaurant... Nearby is a huge McDonald restaurant.... A reminder of the invasion of the American culture to this part of the world... We can see my people especially the youth queuing to get their dinner...and enjoy eating these fast food on the benches both inside and out side the building.....Well.. Actually it is no more an American food... It is now a universal fast food love by all... Frankly I love it too, so do my wife, the kids and of course our grandchildren.... The generation that live on fast food... I remember reading in a book on globalization a story about fast food and I shall share it here and hope the author would not mind....It start like this...One day a Japanese lady arrived in LA with her young daughter... And while walking at the airport the little girl saw the McDonald M arch...The same sign that she use to see in Japan...She drag her mom, all excited and pointed to the M sign of McDonald...And said "Look, look Mom...They also have McDonald"..... Well.. She thought that McDonald is Japanese..... That's kids and the generation of fast food.. In Malaysia American fast foods are everywhere... The menu has been somewhat Malaysianised and Halal... So if the local enjoy eating... Why not... Let it be.. That's globalization... After all this is our world and we are of the same species...Only the color of our skin makes us different.... That is the way it is... So no complain.... We keep strolling..... A grandma and grandpa strolling together like old time..... In fact we use to stroll on this same beach when we were young and latter on with our young kids around and now with them all grown up, we are back strolling together again...Like those days... A nostalgic past...A beautiful moment in time...A memories of sweet time together...Dreaming may be of the future and the future for us is Now on this beach.. So what's changes... There was no McDonald then... They was not a place to eat at all then...We just picnic here with other couples..Those were the days...Great moments of the past.... We saw all those young couples on the beaches....Just like us before....then we spot the McDonald Ice cream stand, all lighted up...I ask my wife whether she would like to have Ice cream...She did...So I ordered two and then sat on a bench facing the sea...Licking Ice cream...Two old folks licking Ice cream like kids...In front of us is a lane that part us from the beach....Couples drives slowly in their cars passes by us...And then my wife said... those couples in the cars surely would notice us licking Ice cream on this bench and must be talking about the old folk licking Ice cream on the bench... That's us... We just laugh it away...Enjoying the night away....Like those kids do... Remember we were once kids too....

We decided to have our breakfast at a road side stall at Beserah before proceeding to visit our friend at Balok...You know the lady with a bungalow beside the sea that I wrote sometime ago... Yes.. She was not well.. so we decided to visit her when we make our trip to Kuantan......At one of the stall there is a buffet breakfast spread... so we had nasi lemak and roti canai with the usual coffee and teh tarik... while having breakfast I make a call to our friend and the maid said that she is not around and that she has gone to the hospital for a medical check up.. so I decided to speak to her husband and he told us to come over while he contact his wife on the cell phone...after a while the husband call us back and said that...She would be back soon and that we should come over now instead to wait for here to come back...Since they are both our close friend and at one time a neighbor...we decided to proceed to their house as soon as we finished breakfast..... we while the time with a few call to other friends telling them that we are in Kuantan....and if time permit we would see them also...but not to worry...and take it easy..... We finish breakfast and left for the house....Well we reach the house and Md was there to greet us with joy, we shake hands and we hug, we had not met for quite sometime..it was indeed a warm welcome...he usher us into the house while say that they had a guest, staying with them over night...He is one of those famous writer that write frequently in the 'Reformasi' internet website, he is non other then the famous or infamous Raja....A great follower of the former Deputy Prime Minister....I have read most of his writing regarding reforms and other articles that seem to be anti establishment of a sort.......But this is the first time that I had the opportunity to meet the person Himself....He was there with his wife...so after all the introduction my wife and me join the group and continue to talk on many subjects especially the local politic....one subject leads to another and time pass on and still no sight of the lady of the house...soon she call saying that she would be delayed...and would be able to join us as soon....we continue our chat and sure enough she arrived with a smile....my wife was really glad to meet her and of course to exchanges notes...Like all ladies do...They adjourn to the kitchen and chat and left us man to continue with our little political talk....The staying quests soon left and we continue to chat until lunch time....and as usual in our tradition the host would invite the guest to lunch....we agreed....It a tradition that we continue to keep up till these days...the menu could be just impromptu..anything that could be cook in a moment and soon we had a sumptuous lunch together...We continue to exchanges note and stories and hardly we knew it was then two in the afternoon...and since we had other plan we bid farewell to our dear friends with a promise to meet again some other time....

We left KL ..... [Malaysian call it capital city Kuala Lumpur just as KL]…Malaysian like to call places by it short form…so Kuala Lumpur would be just KL. For anyone arriving at the airport…just tell the taxi to take you to KL and surely you would be taken to Kuala Lumpur…... It was just after eleven in the morning, the weather look promising with clear blue sky…. so it look like our journey to Kuantan today would be an enjoyable one…after a while we got into the ring road that lead to the Highway to the east coat of peninsular Malaysia…. we drove on and stop at the first Toll Plaza and pay the first toll on this road to the east cost….Toll Plaza in this country have various mode of payment. i.e. the Smartag, the touch a go, and of course by cash…we had the Smartag but at this toll plaza there is no facilities for using this electronic payment mode but instead it has the swipe tools for the touch n go system... since we use the same card for both the Smartag and the touch n go system, I just swipe the card at the system and out we went and got into the highway to Kuantan….. with the advance of technology Malaysian roads are provided with electronic tools for the payment of toll. By making advance payment through the cash card system which are use for both the Smargtag and the touch n go system…we do not have to pay cash at the toll booth…. moreever it is faster…unlike paying cash… we do not have to queue and this of course saves time…. This highway to the east coast cut through forest area and the mountain ranges, so the road would wind it way in various gradients so as to make the climbing and going down hill easily manoeuvred. We drove on and at the same time enjoying the scenic beauty of the tropical forest that stretch all along both sides of the road…bridges were built to take user across deep gorges and at a point we had to pass through a tunnel that cut at the highest point of the mountain ranges to get to the other side…this is the first tunnel road ever built in this country…it is about one and a half kilometres long…it is the longest tunnel road in the country…yes.. the longest tunnel at the present time…when it was construct a few years ago…it create lots of exitment for road building for in the past roads do not go through mountain but winding around the hill and valleys, up and down… The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Bentong, a small town on the way to Kuantan, use to take one and half hours of hard driving on narrow roads but today with the new Highway and the tunnel it just takes a mere forty minutes and the driving is more a pleasure with scenic view to watch by all they way... what a marvel of road construction… all along the road are green tropical tree, floral and fauna of various species that makes the tropical jungle…this mountain range the 'Banjaran Titiwangsa’ is said to be million years old…it has been there just like it was before, for this part of the world was never touch by the Ice age…a hike into one of this jungle would takes one into a time zone, where only wild animals roam freely untouched by the climate changes that affected the north and south hemispheres. The Jungle areas are forest reserved land... it is a gazetted area where it is illegal to do logging…only national development such as roads and recreational centre are allowed in these areas…even this development are confined to a certain area only so as not to disturb this national heritage…the living forest in the tropic that provide us with the essential of life.... Oxygen and the link in the eco system…for today and the generation to come…. I have driven on this road many time before..in the days of the old road that wind up and down the hills and gorges it was a difficult journey to get from one side of this main ranges to the other but now with the new Highway it is indeed a great pleasuse to drive and I always enjoy driving on this stretch of the Highway…well that is what technology has done to us…travelling has today became second nature to us human…we all love to travel…so let drive on and do enjoy the sights as well.. After stopping for lunch at a R & R and a short rest…we drive on and arrived in Kuantan at just past four in the afternoon…tired of course but I do really enjoy the journey…I guess my wife who always accompany me on such trip must have enjoy the trip as well…

Another Sunday...We decided to leave the city for the east coast, to the town of Kuantan..before the mad rush for the 'balik kampong' began just before the weekend..and hope that the roads to the east coast is still with the normal traffics flow, it would be an interesting journey of about four hours to my home town...We hope to visit a close friend that live in a bungalow beside the sea whom, when we last got news from her was that she is not that well....It was quite some sometime ago and we hope that she is alright now...As I had mentioned before, she had a beautiful bungalow beside the sea....not only that, there is even a river nearby . Her husband love boating and they had a boat park nearby and would often be seen boating on this small river accompanied with their young son....This family home is to me a dream come true...a bungalow beside the sea and river, a boat and what they need is the time to enjoy the day with joy with their family and I believe they are enjoying every minute of the life...a great friend and we have not told her of our coming...We would just call her when we arrived in Kuantan...It is now easy with the cell phone....a Godsend tool for communication anywhere and anytime without the hassle...We just would not leave home without it now...it has already become an extension of ourselves...Thanks to science and technology.... As usual with us, we did not have a fix time to start our journey...we would just leave when we are ready...the potted plants had to watered...the fish in the pond had to be fed and the newspaper man had to be told....and then we would take our time driving with pleasure...with no rush...that is the beauty of retirement...the time is ours and we would enjoy the four hours journey to Kuantan with a few stop on the way...that is life man....

It is Saturday already and another week has pass and we are already in the third week of the month of January, the first month of this new year, two zero zero four and in a few days time the Chinese all over the world would be celebrating the lunar New Year, this time it is the year of the Monkey...For us Malaysian a multiracial country... the Chinese New year is one of those many festivals that we Malaysian celebrate every year and with that the country would enjoy a two days public holiday...In this country the Chinese New Year is celebrated with the pomp and splendor befit the great tradition of the Chinese.... who work really hard throughout the years and when it is the time to celebrate like this New Year festival..., they would really celebrate..with all the grandness that only the Chinese know how....there would be lion dances everywhere and as usual in this country there would be an Open House hosted by the Chinese political leaders all over the country...where thousand would throng to visit these Open Houses and enjoy those Malaysian Food and meeting friends to wish them a Happy and Prosperous New Year....As I had indicated earlier the whole country could feel Chinese cultural influences in this Lunar festival...The Malls have been decorated to suit the Chinese culture and tradition.. great red lantern hung everywhere and the atmosphere has became chineseness with loud speaker blaring Chinese songs and music....In this country the cross cultural influences has indeed taken places and today the celebration has became Malaysianised and with everyone of its citizen enjoying...Malaysian of all races would take this long holiday to 'balik kampong' going back to the village or hometown to meet their parents or relatives or just to get out of the city and enjoy a holiday at the holiday resorts all over the country...It has been the tradition of Malaysian to leave the cities and head for the holiday resorts to enjoy the holidays with their families and love one....With prosperity and many holiday resorts dotted the countryside....Malaysian always would find excuses to leave the hassle of the city life to a more quiet part of the country...... So come this weekend the city of Kuala Lumpur would once again be deserted and the highways would be jam with cars heading in all direction...To the North is Penang and Langkawi, to the south is Johor Baharu, Malacca, Singapore and to the east is the coastal town of Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bahru..... As for us we would just stay at home and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the deserted Kuala lumpur... for a period while it last... for only these few days would the capital city of Malaysian is left with few cars on the roads and the streets deserted....So it is great for city folks like us...a change of city atmosphere..even for only a few days....it is indeed a change from the normal city life ..... before the 'balik kampong' group would start coming back to their domain in the city....That is life my friends.... and Malaysian are used to this and it happen not once a year..but many many time during each festival season...Well we are enjoying every minute of it.....Where else can you find so many festivals of these kind celebrated officially by all its citizen...But in this small nation in southeast Asia... Malaysia...A country that had quantum leap in a mere forty years or so... to became a developed country with the various races living in harmony and enjoying the prosperity of the country...Actually the living standard and the life style here is almost the same as in the west...We actually are already in the first world....... To all my Chinese friends...Kong Xe Fatt Chai......

A retired engineer, a relative of a sort and a friend call me Uncle.....Well to me it is an honor to be given a well respect and fatherly title by this 'young couple'.... I am not that sure where their real home is, for they live in two houses, one at an apartment in Kuantan, my home town and the other in the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur...We, my wife and me have been to both their houses.....Well this couple of my 'nephew and niece' has indeed makes both their habitat such a wonderful place to be, it is very cozy and well furnished with the best of furniture and deco...I love both the places where these couple live...They both seem to have great taste...I suppose it is there love for living and thus has made both their homes such a wonderful places to be at all time...In the past people are just happy to have a roof over their head but now they not only have one home but many, like these friends of ours...He has just retired from working with an oil giants and now still active with his past time of consultation works...I guess to fill his coffer with more oil...Or is he still searching for the end of the rainbow... Looking for the 'kendi'...I just do not know...Perhaps he has found the 'Kendi' or still searching......But one could never tell in today's world... people would just do anything just for the fun of it and enjoy doing it... I do chase the rainbow...its fun and makes life more interesting.....Well.... as we all know too well the rainbow is such a magnificent creation and it always create a beautiful and picturesque scene when it makes it appearances...It is a wonder to watch..... How I wished I could touch it and find its end...Legend has it that there are mysteries beyond the rainbow...I guess that is why it always fascinate us human when watching the rainbow...I still do... at this golden age..It does not always appear on the horizon but when it do...It is indeed a sight to watch..The Rainbow...The myth and the mystery of its all are still there..God's creation.. A wonder of the science of today's world........A mystique of the past....the colorful rainbow....

Ikan Puyu, that's it... I am talking about this famous or infamous fish the we Malay call the Ikan Puyu, 'Ikan' mean fish and Puyu is the name of this particular species of fish...I kept a few of this fish...This fish like the cat fish are a very resilience species, tough and could survived in places where very little water is need, like the cat fish it love to live in muddy water...In fact it does not seem to like crystal clear water...Even if you put it in a clear water...the water would turn cloudy in just mere days or so...Unlike other fish it just need water and no other tools, like air pump to provide oxygen or a filter pump...It survived very well without all those tools that aquarium fish need to survived.....In the Malay culture...this Ikan Puyu is a sort of a part of it traditions...It has to do with the belief of the Malay...So most Malay kept a few in their house...in jar...in bowl..in any container.... it does not matter...it need little care and maintenance, what little service it needed is that it is fed regularly and the water is some time change...Actually one need not change the water at all..It is alright as far as this Ikan Puyu is concern...but then it might turn so cloudy and smelly, that it would be best to change the water from time to time for our own sake...The main reason that the Malay kept this fish is well known...Let leave it at that...If one want to know just ask any Malay and he would gladly tell you of the Why he keep this fish...As for me other then the traditional reason I happen to like this fish, to have it around...I believe that we the Malay had the liking toward this fish pass down from generation to generation...So I guess that the liking is in my blood...so what I am doing now is just continuing the tradition of keeping it ...and hope that the generation to come would continue to do so....Do we really need a reason to keep this fish...I do not think so...Must we have reasons for everything... No...Tradition dies hard.... But tradition is what makes us a great race...I am sure that there are wisdoms in this traditions of keeping this fish call Ikan Puyu.... Now not only the Malay keep this tradition alive...the non Malay which includes the Chinese and the Indian also has taken to keeping this fish in their home...I guess they are beginning to believe in what the Malay believe in this Ikan Puyu..or may be they also have the same belief like most Asian do...And with that it has now became a sort of a national tradition for the Malaysian of all races...Why all this is happening in this modern world of ours is anybody guess...Perhaps tradition really die hard, even with the challenges of Science and Technology.... This tradition of keeping Ikan Puyu has reach the twenty first century. I believe this tradition is still alive because the people love traditions and belief in its wisdom.....So let not ask any more question.....Just accept it as a way of the Malaysian cultural life..... Let leave it at that....Keep some Ikan Puyu......

Just got an email from the stranger that I met recently.. No..Not a stranger anymore... We are friends now.... True to the saying that " strangers are friends that you have yet to meet"....The couple that we met recently are now doing a renovation of their home....Well... What else Malaysian do....when they buy an old house they renovate, when they buy a new house they also renovate...what is wrong with the architect that plan these buildings....in that it need renovation the moment the house is sold...or is it just the human in us that we do not want our habitat to be the same as others...We want to be different...so we start renovating our house to suit our taste and of course our budget...I guess the contractor would be out of job if we do not continue to renovate our habitat....we keep building and keep renovation...We built, we construct, we broke down wall and build up a new wall to our liking....we try to create spaces and all the time we keep spending... to create a new environment to our habitat and it seem endless as to our quest to have a comfortable home...I am one of those creature that are never satisfied with the same environment all the time....So I did some renovation to our house...and since I bought this house some thirty years ago..I have not stop renovating it and in fact just finished creating more space in my latest renovation...in the process we got the satisfaction of being able to create our habitat as an extension of ourselves...I believe the home is actually the extension of the person or the family themselves...Visit a home and you would instantly get some picture of the atmosphere of the occupant domain...You have to decide quietly as to your personal feeling of a person's home...You either like it or you don't......You would immediately commend the owner of the greatness of their home if you happen to love it and you would just keep quiet and be diplomatic with the answer to such question...One of the most important indicator of a clean and well managed home and care with love is that the wash rooms are kept loveliness clean all the time...To me this small room which includes what use to be the 'small house' behind the big house are a very important aspect of the house itself, for it relects the culture of the occupant itself...A brief visit to one would give one the true picture of the occupant of such domain...I strongly belief in this indicator of a way of telling what is the real culture of the occupants of this particular home are.....Another indicator I believe is the space we give to the kitchen...To me the most important part of any house...It is in fact the most productive part of the household space...The kitchen should be spacious enough as to provide for the right atmosphere for great cooking and enjoying the meals...Togetherness in the kitchen is the key of a healthy family life style....So the kitchen should be well planned as to provide for all the needs for a modern living style...I love the kicthen so do my wife who spend quite a considerable time doing her cooking...which happen to be her hobby...I guess I am blessed to have such a wonderful person who love to cook... as my partner and a friends... to be with all the time...cooking great food that are love not only by me but the children and the grandchildren as well....so for that purpose we have present her with a great kitchen....We all call it the Mom's department....Well talking about renovation would not end until the cows come home...as long as we human love new things and keep dreaming of a better home...we would continue to renovate our home...I guess there would be no end in doing so....Why should we stop if we enjoy doing it...And happy about the out come of all those creative works..After all home is our most important habitat...A domain that we keep returning all the time...that makes us human more human......

The mandarin oranges, Yes the golden color oranges from Mainland China is back as always during the period of the Chinese New year...This year would be the year of the Monkey....Well the market is flooded with this mandarin oranges and in the supermarket that I visited recently...there were already display on the shelve at the fruits section...the loose one of course...the one that are pack in golden boxes are stacks at the entrance of the supermarket as it is usually done on such festive occasion...The atmosphere of the supermarket has now turn Chinese...with the music playing Chinese New Year tune as it always does...So one could feel the atmosphere changes into the Chinese New Year mood...Everywhere the decoration has been red...the color love by the Chinese....For years that one could remember, these mandarin oranges appear without fail in the market place during the CNY festive season... And it would be in the market for a month or so...it is during this period that we would be able to enjoy the sweet sour taste of this festive oranges...A great tradition of the Chinese...And Malaysia being a multiracial country...where the Chinese Malaysian makes not less the thirty five percent of the population...the celebration of this festival is as great as ever and enjoyed by all Malaysian...so this year we already get to taste the mandarin oranges...a once a year affair with this golden fruits that symbolized prosperity....I bought some and took it home to sample this year golden harvest...Well it taste...the taste of the sweet sour of the mandarin oranges...What else....Great.....The oranges would be there for a while and once the stock is finished then it would not be seen... not until the next Chinese New year........

I am wondering what my friend in the California desert is doing now...She sold her house and the last time I hear from her was last year...actually just last month...that she is still doing her packing....Well...we all know too well that packing is easy said then done...after you have live in a home for so long...you would accumulate over time... thousand of items...and you keep buying...or getting from friends...and you love it all...so you keep and display at whatever space you have...and sometime you would put it in the store for keeping...for you still love the pieces and no way would you throw it away or even give it to friends...you have some attachment to it...maybe someone specially give it to you and it has some sentimental value to it....it touch you heart...so you keep it for remembering those great moment in time...Packing....well we would try to pack everything...for it is just too difficult to select...I guess this has been the problem of my friend at this moment...I know for I have being there before...I did throw a few thing....and now regret that I did...but then what can we do...we are human after all and we all love something especially that someone give it to you...It is useless to others but to me it is priceless...Sometime that you just do not want to part with....That is why packing is a terrible thing to do...Well friend...You are not alone in this dilemma...Keep doing what you are doing and be happy about it....While packing reflect on those great things that you have accumulate over time...Take a moment and refresh your memory and I am sure you would enjoy those flash back....the great moment...the people you meet...the places where you bought those great piece of arts works...It is priceless to you...Enjoy those brief moment in your memory bank...Nostalgic ...Sure....Remember we are all passing through...And all those moments are only a place that we stop by on our journey of life...In passing....that what we human are for in this blue planet of ours.....Keep moving...We are a creature of habit...We are never sastified with our habitat...and we move...that is why we human have progress this far...now another place on this planet...Next ...Perhaps the moon or the Red Planet..Mars...Our machines and those robots that we built are already there and soon it would be our habitat...The future of mankind is never going to be the same...So we keep moving...Why not....

Did you hear the cock crow this morning....I do not believe we hear it now especially in the urban area or in the cities...Doesn't the cock crow now?....Where have they gone.....I have not heard one for quite sometime already....When I was growing up in the forties...It is the cock crows that wake us up...there was no alarm clock then....in the wee hours of the morning and the cock start to crow and soon another would crow...follow with the other... crows....in a chain reaction...and soon the whole 'Kampong' village would be fill with the sound of cock crows.....it is a sound that we are use to hear in the wee hours of early morning...the air were cool...the the well water cold...we wake up every morning to the tune of the cock crows...and indeed the cock crows without fail...You wake up and rush to the well to take your bath....using bucket to get the water from the bottom of the well...and use it for bathing...clear and fresh water...were our daily dose of the great bath...every morning without even thinking of the coldness of the water......we took the shower....it was the way then...but now not only we lost completely the sound of those cock crows...we could not ever think of taking our bath in the early morning using cold water....Now a days it is always with the warm shower in our bathroom...Not beside the well outside the house...in the cold morning and in the darkness of the early morning...before the sun rises....Thinking back of those days....I sometime wonder...what we had miss..the fun of getting the water from the bottom of the well and the quarrel among brothers as to who should take bath first....the shout from our mother to finish the bathing and come for breakfast and get ready for school....Well that was the days...Wonderful and I still could visualized those great moment in the days of my childhood....

Quote: Strangers are friends that you have yet to meet....[ Roberta Lieberman]... Well.... While browsing at a shop where various pottery, carving from sandstone, artificial fountains, and other works of art in stone, plaster cast and woods are made and sold...I got into talking we a couple... who.. like us were searching for new artifact for home decoration and landscaping...the shopkeeper who is also the skill craft man...a Chinese from the mainland...could not speak in the Malay language...he could only communicate in the mandarin language....and just a little of Malay...barely...Talking to him was just like we here use to say...'macam itik dengan ayam' like the duck talking to the chicken...but as human.... especially us Malaysian, a mix up races...We soon manage to find a way to communicate with him...a very pleasant man who came all the way from Mainland China to make a living here...The couple that I am talking about is a mix marriage's couple....the husband a Malay and the wife a Chinese...although the wife is a Chinese...She told me she only knew Cantonese and like me could not communicate with this Chinaman......As usual with us Malaysian...we managed...and after sometime my wife and I managed to get what we were looking for and after discussing with this Chinaman....with the help of an electronic calculator...managed to agree on the price......The other couple also got what they came for....As usual with me...we got to talking about interior decoration...and one thing lead to another...and eventually we found that we had know a mutual friends who is married to our son in law's sister...the man is a relative of them...Well since we have thing in common to talk..He ask for my card....well I always carry my name card...with both my wife and my name on it together with other contact means....like our address and telephone numbers....I got his card and on looking found that his is an architect...two years older then our elders daughter...He told us that he is a classmate of our son in law's elder brother...who is now the dean of the Medical faculty of a local University....Well it is indeed a small world...We soon parted and I invite them both to our home for coffee some time and they promise to come over ...Great we just got another set of friends....

The color at the shopping Mall has start to change...from the green color of the Aidil Fitri...to the purple color of the Christmas tree..at the KLCC...and now to the Red color of the Chinese New Year celebration...This year the Chinese New Year fall on the twenty third and the twenty forth January....Workman are now busy redecorating the Mall with the Red color...A Mall that I visited recently...the Sogo Mall at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman had already change their Christmas decoration and now a huge red Chinese lantern hang majestically in the centre of the Mall...It has turn the whole lobby into a Chinese period decoration...all in red....The same thing is happening at all the other shopping Mall in Kuala Lumpur and for that matter in the rest of the cities and town around the country....It look like that the festive season has not stop...Right from Aidil Fitri in November...and now in late January the Chinese New Year...and then it would be the Aidil Adha...on the first of February...the Moslem Festival after the Haj period...what a celebration for a country...a great multiracial, multireligious country...Where else in the world this sort of celebration happen in total harmony...but Malaysia...a country bless with the great tradition of all the Asian countries....Custom and tradition... has extended beyond the particular race...Take for example of the Chinese tradition of giving Am Pow [package Money] on Chinese New Day...It has now became a national tradition of a sort...The Malay give green package Am Pow on Aidil Figtri...the Chinese Am Pow is Red in color...the Indian has follow suit with another color package...for the Depavalee....Well when the fusion happen in a subtle way...It soon became a part of the culture of the people..Interesting that Malaysian are ready to accept the cultural elements of the other races as long as it does bring goodness to the society...thus enriched the society itself.....a Malaysian culture in the making....The Open house concept is yet another good example......It is also being celebrated as a Malaysian thing...Soon we would see a Chinese New Year's Open House celebrated in grand style at the major Hotels and the public are welcome to enjoy the Chinese New Year with their Chinese friends....The atmosphere has began to change from Christmas, the New Year atmosphere....to the Chinese New Years...Store are beginning to see traditional Chinese foods...sold only at this occasion....and even the clothing fashion has change to more of a Chinese look....the style as well as color of the textiles use in these clothing are more Chinese....the red color are always present....A symbol of prosperity to the Chinese...Even the potted flowers are began to have that Chinese influence...We soon see more and more potted yellow lime tree dotted in the nursery for sale...these dwarf lime trees are love and treasured by the Chinese...Yellow being the color of Gold...also a color of Greatness... Wealth and of course of Prosperity....so to the Malaysian...Not only the Chinese buy these lime tree.... the other Malaysian also would buy to decorate their home..., not so much of any religious significant...it is just for deco and the fun of it all......it is going to be another celebration to enjoy.....that is Malaysia...a land of diverse culture...a fusion of the many culture of the great Asian people.......

Let start this day with this quote: " To a friend's house, the road is never long" [Anonymos].....

It is a lovely morning, the sun was shining and there seem to be no sight of the rain cloud, so I decided to do some gardening at the patch behind my house...Well I did plant a varieties of herbs like the basil plants, turmeric, the lime plant that we only use the leaves...We call it ' limau purut' ...this leaves is exclusively use in the making of 'rendang' and the Thai's tom yum...a soup like dish that we Malaysian has got use to..., eaten with steaming hot rice....it is actually a Thai dish and today it can be considered as one of the many dishes that we Malaysian cook daily...a fusion of the great Asian traditional foods...that now has cross its political boarders and love by all especially the Asian...it is hot, tangy...it is a great soup to have during supper....and like any other Malay, I plant the turmeric plants for both its roots and the leaves...the roots or tuber is use as a spices, the yellow color for making curry and often mix with salt for garnishing fish before frying ......Fried fish would not taste that good without this mixture of powder turmeric and salt....it not only give flavor to the fish but also give that dark yellow crisp to the fish when well fried......Great to look and good to eat.. those fried fish.....One of my favorite....The Yam I planted not for the Yam but more for the long stems ....these long stems are cut into pieces and it makes good vegetable for making soup like dishes cook with fish in coconut milk 'masak lemak cili padi'...I did have some local basil..the leaves are use in the traditional Malay soup...Of course I do plant Pandan...how can the Malay live without pandan...it is not always use...but 'nasi lemak' would not be 'nasi lemak' without the pandan leaves...it is often use in the Malay traditional cakes for its green color and the smell of the pandan...it cannot be replace or substitute with other artificial coloring or essence....It is a must in Malay cooking...it would not be a rendang without the pandan leaves.....While doing my gardening we...my neighbor a retired army general who live just at the back of our house...had a small garden too...came out and as usual we chat...he is more adventurous with his garden...one of the plant that he has grown is the Mungai tree...a native of South India...brought by the Tamil when they migrate to this country long time ago...this tree grows tall and bear fruits that resemble the drum stick that one use in hitting drum...so we all call this vegetable Mungai or Drum stick...the tree he has planted has grown tall and because of the soft soil ...the tree began to lean...so a few weeks ago...while chatting....he say that he had to cut it down before it fell and destroy the other plants beneath it...I was rather sad when he said that...well it is his tree and I did not say anything.....after a few day he told me that he is not cutting the tree...because his wife say that the tree has just start flowering....well we look and sure enough there were many flowers...so ... thats it...the plant would soon bear fruit of mungai or the drum stick...the vegetable is one of the best bean like vegetable to cook together with meats when making curry...once cooked it really taste great....and no other vegetable taste as good in curry....Believe me...the next time you see mungai at the market....buy it and cook it with any curry....and if you are a vegetarian just make a 'dalcha' with it together with the other beans that dalcha are cook....it taste as good....not many people know the goodness of this mungai or drum stick...Ask any Tamil people and I am sure they will tell you what a great dish this mungai makes...Ask them how to prepared this vegetable before it is cook...or just write to me and I would be glad to help....It make me hungry already thinking of this mungai curry...Appetizing and real delicious...Well that is Malaysia....bless with all those dishes from it emigrant population...in this case the Tamil from South India....Coming back to the mungai that has since flowers...The Malay use to say that when a plant does not bear fruit ...visit it on a moonlit night and using the back of a knife 'parang' hit the trunk of the tree as hard without really cutting the tree trunk...by doing so the tree would soon bear fruit..and it always works....I think the reason the tree start to flowers and bear fruits is that it did not want to die before leaving behind the seed for a new generation of plants to grow...it is in a way the survival of the plants itself...I am sure there is a scientific explanation why this works for the rural farmers....so in the case of this mungai plant behind our house...I believe it knew that it is going to be cut down soon...Perhaps it sense our thoughts and with the knowledge that it would be their end...It start to bear flowers and would eventually save it species...Clever eh!!! This plant....I guess so...Now it still stand there with it white flowers and soon we would have enough of mungai for our curry pots....Well our old folks have great wisdom and it is this tradition that have kept alive the plant species that we have today...To enjoy....with our staple the great rice...That we Asian cannot live without it...

......Flowers are the keepers of our joy...I love flowers....What a life without flowers ....flowers always bring joy to everyone...a sick patient would smile given a bouquet of flowers....flowers displayed in the home would create an environment of life itself...In the Malay culture women has always been describe as a flower...Vibrant, delicate and colorful and always would bring a joy to those that handle it with care.....It is the color of flowers that create the pomp and splendor of a scene.... and the beauty that are portrayed would linger longer....and would remain fresh in the memory of one who had the opportunity to see at close range the varieties of flowers that create those splendor scene...Life is never dull with flowers....A sad occasion light up with the present of flowers....A gift of a bouquet of flowers at the hospital room would light up the room itself...What a way flowers do for the human feeling itself... its the flowers in the garden that bring about the insect to set forth the dynamism of the eco system....the birds, the bees.... would not visit the home of a flowerless person....it is the existence of the flowers that make the whole eco system became alive.... thus add to the color of life itself....we feed the plants with carbon dioxide and in return it give us back.... not only the flowers that color our life... but at the same time it provide us with the most vital of our daily needs...Oxygen...Flowers are indeed Godsend to lighten our life...In Bali the Hindu's Malay there use flowers in their daily ritual and never a place in the whole of Bali are without flowers......Put some petal of those colorful flowers in a bowl of fresh water.......for washing hand before eating in a Malay home... not only it add color to the plain water...it refresh the water itself with the scent of those flowers...It has been the tradition of the Malay to wash their hand before eating and then wash again after eating....how lovely is to dip one's hand in a bowl of water full of those colorful petals....a drop of the juice of lime in the bowl would add an additional freshness.... and the smell would linger on long after the hand are washed....I am never without flowers...in the morning I tend to those potted plants of colorful roses and collect the 'kenanga' flowers that bloom everyday of the years in front of the patio of our home...the kenanga plant....it flowers all around the year and the scent is smooth and soothing and at time it is use in the Malay tradition medicine....Sometime people would stop in front of our home and ask for this kenanga flowers...I would gladly let them pick it themselves and happy that others appreciate the usefulness of this traditional flower......if fact I have already 'wakaf' it in advance to anyone that love this flower to pick it if they need it...even without me around....'wakaf' mean it is a public property ...in doing so I have made it easy for those kenanga lover to pick the flowers...but most of the time they seek permission from me or my neighbour before picking this flowers...it is part of our custom that we alway seek permission before taking anything that belong to others...a great tradition indeed......any plants that are grown outside my gate is already a 'wakaf' ....my friends that is life......it should be shared....to add to the joy of living...a little gift of life...flowers goes a long way....

Batu Road is a well known part of Kuala Lumpur...it is now known as Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman....it still host the old shops that makes Kuala Lumpur famous as the shopping centre during the period of the colonial era.......next to this famous road is the court house and the Selangor Padang....it is at this padang or field that the Union Jack was lowered down for the last time and saw the raising of the Malaysian Flag for the first time on the night of Merdeka Day [Independence Day]...the thirty first August nineteen fifty seven...the Padang [green field] is still there together with the colonial club house call the Selangor Club, where the European use to spend their time drinking and socialized and the padang is the place where they play cricket...there is a small theatre at one corner of the colonial building.... beside the court house...where during the colonial era plays were stages...for the entertainment of the colonial masters......it is still use till this day for small theatrical performances...the Padang has since being given a face lift with landscaping, underground shopping mall and a multi purpose open air stage for performance during festive season, especially on the Independence day or Merdeka Day as it is call here....on such occasion this field would be throng with thousands of people watching entertainment show by local stars....one of the most memorable event is the night just before the thirty first of August.....thousand would crowd the padang to watch the clock struck midnight on the thirtieth August...and stood vigil for the count down of the time as it approach the midnight to usher in the thirty first of August...as a reminder of the time the Union Jack was brought down and no longer fly in this country....instead the New Malaysian flag was rised to take it place...Today at the Merdeka Square [Independence Square] there stood the highest flag poles with the largest Malaysian flag at the top flying gallantly...a reminder to Malaysian of it Independent...opposite the Padang is the Sultan Abdul Samad building build by the British sometime in the late nineteen century...it was the administrative centre of the British during the colonial era....today it house the judiciary which include the High court....it is a place of historical important and a must place for tourist to visit on their tour of the capital city. ......Coming back to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman..it has since make a come back as a shopping paradise for the city folks...there are now modern shopping Mall where one could shop for anything under the sun...along the road there are cozy restaurant, snack bar beside the traditional coffee shops and the mamak shop....the old retailer that sell textiles and other consumer needs are still there and today sell the latest textiles from all over the world....so today we decided to shop here for textile and indeed we came to the right place...where choice was many and the price a bit cheaper then at the posh departmental store....this street is alway busy with cars passing by between the rows of shops...the shop are always full of people of all ages browsing and buying their needs....it is also has became a bargain haven for the tourist...tug in between those old shops are hotels that provide good accommodation for the budget travelers...where everything from shopping for souvenirs and cheap eating place are within a walking distance...We did our shopping here and then had lunch at a side cafe....while there we met a lady friend from the state of Sarawak...of all the place and in the crowd...we met...what a day since we have not met her for almost twelve years...in fact we lost contact with her...when she approace my wife....for a second... we were lost....it was only when she mentioned her name that we began to remember her and her sister....Imagine in the crowd we met...It was all smile and we are indeed happy that we made contact with her again...We wanted her to joins us for lunch but she was in a hurry...we chat and exchanges phone numbers and then she left...We are indeed happy that this trip to Batu Road have given us... the chance in a million of meeting old friends......it is indeed a Godsend meeting...well we left home happy that we have manage to buy those clothing that we need and got a bonus of a sort...the chance meeting with a long lost friends from the state of Sarawak...What a day......

We went out shopping today to a well known textile retailer....my wife wanted to get a piece of cloth for her blouse and I wanted to get some as a gift to my elder sisters...the sale girl told us that there is a promotion and price reduction at the upper level of the store...actually we were not concerned at all about sale or price reduction.....on her insistence we went up and did our selection...we selected a good piece with the special price and then pick another...but soon the sale girl told us that the second piece we pick is not in the special price category....it is on the same shelve as the one we have selected...and they insist that it was wrongly place there and that the price for the piece we selected is different .....and I soon began to feel being cheated in brought day light....so I asks to see the manager....she did not want to do so...so I insist and she eventually call someone....but to my dismay no supervisor or someone senior came to give us an explanation....I insists that the boss came over and soon someone came and He a supervisor of a sort, instead of helping to explain and make thing easy for us customer...keep insisting that it is normal that such thing happen and that cloths are misplace at different place....well as usual I did not like the way thing were going and they are now putting the blame on us for not understanding the situation....so not to get into further argument with them....told my wife that we should not buy any thing from this shop...to me as a customer I am right...and that if shopping makes me unhappy, why should I shop...I love to shop not because I really need all those things, it is just that I enjoy shopping....in this case.... this episode with those sale's people does not at all bring happiness to my wife and me...., instead it really makes me angry of being cheated....does not they know that the customer is always right.....in this case I am sure we were right....it is our money and if we are not happy with the situation.... then is our prerogative to makes the decision....so we decide not to continue to do the shopping there and left the store disappointed with the attitude of the staff of this store.....Kuala Lumpur is full of shops so we shall go where we are treated well and making our shopping an enjoyable one....I am always careful when there are offer or sale...it is sometime just a gimmick to get us to buy old stuffs...so I would rather pay a higher price during normal day rather then buy cheap stuff at sales....for we all must enjoy shopping...in a country like Malaysia....we already have everythings....so shopping and buying is just a pleasure and an enjoyment ...if it turn otherwise then it is not worth shopping and spending money of things that we do not really needs....Both my wife and me love to go shopping or browse at the shopping Mall and most of the time we end of buying things for ourselves or for gifts to friends...for we love doing that.....My friends...at this age...to me it is the time to give.....and enjoy giving...I believe in giving because in doing so it makes the receiver of gifts happy..... and of course we in turn are happy as well.....it ends of with a happy, happy situation...in today language it is call a win, win situation....let us make this life a happy one for everyone that we encounter......we love doing that.....it makes us happy as well.....

......We went to the wedding at just past midday....as usual we found it difficult to park our car...the wedding reception is held at the bride's house...it is not that far from our home in Ampang Jaya...the invitation was from twelve noon to three in the afternoon..... in a Malay wedding where the reception is held at the resident ....it is normal to see the time of the reception stated as from ...and to... in this case the reception start from twelve noon till three in the afternoon...so we decided to go early thinking that it would be easy to park our car since normally at the place of the reception parking would be a major problem...when we arrived just after one....we soon realized that others were also thinking like us and we soon found that parking car continue to be a problem, we look around and eventually found a place to park our car....a relatively short distance from venue of the reception....we walk and met the host at the entrance of the house....We say Salam and was usher in to the buffet lunch that has been laid for the guests....we select our food and look for the table and other friends .....and sure enough found our other friends already at ease enjoying their food...we join in and chat and soon more and more guests began to arrive...as usual in a Malay wedding we were give the 'bunga telor' the wedding special gift 'flower egg' are normally give to the guests as a token of their friendship and appreciation to every guests.....a tradition that has been pass down from generation to generation and still in practice till to day...one would surely bring home the special Malay wedding egg 'bunga telor' after every wedding reception......in a reception of this nature one had to leave the place as soon... so that other guests may use the available seat to enjoy their food....so we did not stay long and after meeting a few friends.....we move to meet the host again and thanks him for the invitation and then drove home.....the problem of organizing a reception like this is that the guests could not stay long and had to move on after enjoying the buffet...this is because of the nature of the invitation...hundreds are invited but the place to sit and eat are limited...that is why the invitation stated the duration of time...so that the guests would arrive in a stagger manner...In a reception held at a hall in a Hotel, it would be different...there would be one time stated on the invitation card and all the guests would be served at the same time...in this manner guests would have more opportunity to mingle and chat around ....the same would be for the host...they would also be able to meet and mingle with all the guests but then to hold a reception like this would cost more and as such less people would be invited...so if one wanted to invite more... then the best thing is to do the reception at their resident like what happen today....well there goes another wedding party....and soon life goes to normal again.........

It is already the second of January two zero zero four...a new year and it is already the weekend. This weekend there is a wedding invitation from a friend, so there is another party to attend...so last night I went to attend the first part of the wedding, the official and the most important part of the wedding...it is what we call the 'angkat nikah' ceremony...It is at this ceremony that the couple is wed by the bride's father or the local Imam...once this is done then both the bride and bridegroom are officially husband and wife...It is a simple ceremony but a very significant one indeed...it is performances in accordance to the teaching of Islam... Many people were invited to this ceremony and because the hall of the house is normally small and could accommodate only a small number of people...normally only a small group are invited to attend such ceremony..... and I am being a close friend of the bride's father is among the few invited for this occasion...so I went and on arrival found that the inner of the house where the ceremony were to take place were full of people and children....and it look like there is no place for us to sit...so we set outside.... the reason this happen is that the people that came with the bridegroom brought their children as well and did not bother to ask their children to sit outside... so that the space could be given to the adult ...like me and others that are invited...As for the host it is rather difficult for them to ask those kids to leave the hall since it would be misunderstood as unfriendly and it would create a scene perhaps ugly.....which no one with the right mind want to happen in a solemn ceremony of this nature...the right way was that for their parents to understood the situation and ask their children to sit outside...but this did not happen.....so not to create an unnecessary difficulty to the host....We all just decide to sit outside until the ceremony finished....I hope those people that read this would realized that they had a role to play in creating a good atmosphere in such ceremony and the next time not to bring their children to such a function...if they wanted, then they should ask their children to just sit outside...it would be wise for the guests not to bring their children at such ceremony...because this solemn ceremony is just meant for the adult only....The ceremonial part is at the Wedding Party the next day...the children could come along on this day if the parent wanted to....even at the party parent or guests should not bring their children if the party is held at the hotel or public hall as at these places seats are limited as to the number of dinner ordered by the host....if the party is held at the resident of the bride then it is alright to bring others or the children to attend such wedding party...it is normal for the host to overestimate the number of guests that attend such party if done at their resident......well that is the nature of things when people do not take the trouble to understand the real meaning of an invitation...the invited guests are left to fend for themselves outside and the uninvited children were given places that are supposed for the invited guests....So as soon as the ceremony finished....we left rather unhappy....well guests are human too...and they have feeling....it happen..what can we do..only hope that it would not happen again......

Happy New Year friends...We are now in the year twenty zero four....Remember the day when everyone was worried about the Y2K just before we usher in the twenty first century...it look just like yesterday... but it has been three years since we celebrate the beginning of the year Twenty zero zero...Time passes and here we are on the first January zero four....Great... our family had a great year and hope that the year to come would be as good if not better....Malaysia as a country continue to enjoy peace and harmony and of course prosperity....Look at last night celebration to usher in the New Year....It was with pomp and splendor...Celebration with live shows were at various spots around the city of Kuala lumpur...there were celebration at the Bintang Walk,the KLCC, the Dataran Merdeka...There were great entertainment shows of dances, songs and great music by the local stars...We watch it live on TV in our living room and enjoy every minute of show...There were even a life telecast of a grand show at the Pangkor Island in the north of the country...Thanks to the advance of technology we were able to watch the great show at Pangkor too...together with the other show at the various spot in Kuala Lumpur.. the vibrant and colorful show continue pass after mid night with a pause to Welcome the New Year....where there were show of colorful fireworks....these fireworks light up the sky of the city and it could be seen from the front of our home....Our daughter and her husband took their kids on a spin of the city at mid night to watch the fireworks much closer and I am sure those kids enjoy every minutes of those exciting moment.... where the fireworks fill the sky with it brilliant color and sparks...for a moment I guess the world stood still at mid night to enjoy the last day of the year twenty zero three and welcome the new year with Joy and hopes that it would bring peace to all those trouble spots and greater prosperity to all.....for once the whole world were united in a common cause....peace and prosperity to all humankind....Again Happy New Year friends... May we all have peace all the year round....Thanks God for all the blessing that we have had in the pass years and hope for a better future.......