Udang Tumis with Belimbing Buloh....

It was early morning. After cleaning the front part of our house, an early morning ritual of mine I went out to sweep the lawn in front of the gate. Across the road I had planted a Belembing Buloh tree. I went to have a closer look and found there are plenty of fruits hanging from the branches of the tree ready for harvesting. I went up the house and straight away walk to the kitchen and took a plastic container and then went down to pick up the fruits. I then put it on the kitchen table and went on to do my other unfinished work around the house and forgot about it altogether. Come lunch time I look at the dishes on the table and found that my spouse had use the Belimbing Buloh to cook the fruits together with the prawn; a dish we call Udang Tumis.  Seeing that wet my appetite. I then sat to enjoy my lunch of steamy white rice with it. It was really delicious. I did enjoy my lunch with it. It is not always that we get to enjoy such dish, Prawn cook together with the fruits - Udang Tumis with Belimbing Buloh. Above is the image of the dish Udang Tumis with Belimbing Buloh.  Have a nice day.

How the Kid see things...

These two images was snap up by our youngest grandson Azib 10 + years. The top image he snap it using my Nikon DSLR camera and the one on the left  he use my Nokia Lumia cellphone camera. Every time he takes photo the result always surprise me. I like the result of his little adventure with my camera. Indeed one can never tell of how the young mind works. They often have a different view of thing that we just take for granted. It a fascinating images indeed and I am sharing it here for all to enjoy it as well. 

Have a nice day.

Of Personal Space...

It was a beautiful Saturday. Asmah had to attend a lunch get together of friends at a Hotel in the city. So at just past 12 noon I drove the Honda taking Elevated Highway and send her to the Hotel at Jalan Raja Laut. Traffic was light except at the junction of getting into the Elevated Highway. I told her to take her time and enjoy herself there and call me when the event ends so that I could come and fetch her. So after dropping her at the Hotel I drove on to the KLCC and while my time there enjoying my own personal space. I love to just lepak and take my time to window shop or shop along at time on what I do not really need. I went to the Nokia store and bought a Window 8 Nokia, another toy to play around. I was playing with the Samsung s3 before and thought for a change to see how the Window 8 works on Cell Phone. It looks great. Asmah is still toying with her s3 with the Bling Bling as the cover of that toy of hers. Well at this age we have decided to buy what we want, enjoy whatever foods we like and buy clothing we like just to continue to enjoy life. The KLCC today is crowded with folks shopping and eating as though there is no tomorrow. I use the free WiFi at Nokia to surf the Net and communicate with my friends on Facebook and got lost of time enjoying myself in cyberspace. Then I went to have lunch of Nasi Padang at the Food Court below. At this time the Food Court were crowded too. Took my time to enjoy my lunch and after that went out to have a look at the happening outside near the pool. There is an exhibition of a Bicycle Fair there with clown drawing the crowd. 

Inside at the main concourse Chinese Lion dance accompany with the blaring drum feel the air. It was loud as loud can be when the Chinese drum goes on and on accompany the lion dance. At every floor folks watch attentively enjoying themselves with this once a year affair; the Chinese New Year that would be celebrated next month. The decoration in the Mall is in the colour of the Chinese New year with decoration in all the shades of red turns that concourse into an atmosphere of pomp and splendour drawing crowds both local and tourists to it like ants drawn to sugar; a fascinating sight indeed.

After that I went to have coffee at Starbucks on the third floor and while myself again surfing the Net while waiting for Asmah's call. She call while I was about to enjoy my coffee. Told her to just wait and I would call her as soon I am near the Hotel. After enjoying the brewed coffee on a takeaway cup I left Starbucks taking the lift to the concourse and then took another lift to the parking area. Placed the coffee in the coffee mug holder provided in most Honda and drove the Honda taking the Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman passing Sogo and then got into Jalan Raja Laut. The traffic was heavy and I just inch forward while enjoying my coffee. It was a good idea to take the coffee along. I take my time and call Asmah telling her that I would be there in a moment. With the Cellphone it is now easier to communicate making life as beautiful as ever.  I arrived at the front of the Hotel, pick her up and drove back home ending an enjoyable personal space of our own our ways. Life is indeed beautiful. 

Have a nice day.

Just rambling...

We are now into the second week of January 2013. It was like yesterday that we welcome the year 2013 and now we have passed the first week already. It looks like things are moving fast indeed. It is now again the election year. It was five years ago on March 8, 2008 that the general election in Malaysia saw a big change when  five state was won by the Pakatan Rayaat group and in Parliament the ruling party the BN for the first time in the country history did not get a two third majority.  The five years period would soon end and an election must be held some time before the end of April 2013. I believe there are going to be more changes in this coming election. I too think that it is time for change in the management of the country at the federal level. Fifty years is too long for a political party to stay on managing the country. Because of that long period of time they became complacence and take thing for granted. So a change or reform would surely be good for the country. At least for one term so that the political party could take some time to reform itself and face the people again in the coming election.

On the economic front food prices have been going up and up and to me the value of the Ringgit has gone down too. Today an RM50.00 is just like the RM10.00 five years ago so the people have to be careful in their spending too in order to make end meet. When I start a family in the early sixties a salary of just RM100.00 a month was good enough to rent a house, buy food, a bicycle and have a family. Today fifty years later it could not even rent a room in a house let alone to raise a family. In Kuala Lumpur every time you want to make payment for food or anything you buy you have to give a RM50.00 instead you once just use RM10.00. So the moment you part with that RM50.00 it is gone and you are poorer by that at that moment in time. You need to fill you tank with at least RM50.00 to be comfortable driving in and out of the city. To use the road you need to pay the toll and then the parking fee and it all cost money. Just an example I live near the city of Kuala Lumpur and my utilities bills total at RM800 a month. So just to manage the house I need that amount every month. Just add the food bills, the monthly payment for the car, the patrol and toll fee, occasional eating out, clothing, maintenance of the house, cost of going outstation for holiday from time to time. It would add up to be lots of money. I am a retiree and have a monthly pension, so is my spouse. Both our pension is just enough for us to live a comfortable life. This is because our housing loan has been paid in full and we do not have debt. So to those of you who are going to retire do see to it that you have enough money in your Pension Scheme to continue to live a comfortable life after retirement.

Have a nice day.

Fine living...

Above is our living area. For a healthy living environment we do not have any carpet in the house. The floor is of laminated wood and easy to keep it cleans all the time. We love interior decoration and try to make the best of the limited space we have to create a cosy living area that we love. All the furniture and fitting are collected over times. It is now a place that we call home; our own little abode tug away in Ulu Kelang, Selangor. In a place call Ampang Jaya. 

Have a nice day.