The Kitten....

We love cat. Since we start a family way back in the early sixties of the twentieth century we always had cats running around in the house. It was always sort of a family member that brings cheer to the kids and a good therapy for us. In those days we just fed the cats with food that we ate and it would do it things outside the house so there was no real budget when keeping cat at that time except the occasionally Veterinary service. Everywhere we went and live we always have cat. At time we kept more than one cats and it always bring happiness to the family. Even when working in Sarawak we had two cats. It was a stray that we pick up. When I got transferred back to the mainland state of Pahang we decided to bring along the two Sarawak's cats. To take it along we had to get documents since it is illegal to take animals and plants from the Borneo state to Peninsular Malaysia. We took the then Ferry Malaysia to go back to the mainland. The journey to Kuantan in Peninsular Malaysia start from Kuching, Sarawak; with stops at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and the port of Singapore before proceeding to Kuantan. On the way to Singapore we ran short of sands for the litter box and had to rush to the city of Singapore to get it. We got it and managed to catch the ship just hours before it left for Kuantan. We arrived in Kuantan and took the two cats in our car to a cousin's house at Batu Hitam. It was indeed a historic journey for us where we brought along our cats all the way from Kuching, Sarawak to Kuantan, Pahang. For the first few months we stayed at our cousin's house in Batu Hitam where the cat spends their first few months in Peninsular Malaysia. Later on we rented a house at Alor Akar and live there until I decided to retired from the Government service. While living at that house in Kuantan where there was a large compound and jungle nearby both the cat die mysteriously one by one, probably cause by the stings by insects or beaten by poisonous creature. We did not know what really happened.  It was a really a sad occasion for me. Actually I cried when both the cat died; sad indeed. A neighbour gives us a little mixed Persian kitten. It soon became the charm of the family. When we move back to Kuala Lumpur in 1990 after I retired optionally from the government service we took the cat along. It adept very well to our own home in Ampang Jaya and its surrounding. We call it Tina and as we move on over the years she too grow old and died after two week when we left to live in the United State in 1998. From that henceforth we decided no more cats for us but cats have always been in our heart. 

Some months ago a stray kitten with collar attached to her neck came around and because it was raining we took it into the house and give it shelter. She was so charming and adorable. We thought that it belongs to someone who love cat so we start looking for its owner through Facebook, asking around and even put posters of it on lamp-pole around the neighbourhood. After weeks without any respond we decided to just keep it for a while. We did fell in love with that kitten but as yet to decide whether to keep her or not. As time goes by we heard of a young couple, a friend of our daughter Lin was looking for a kitten for their two kids. So we decided to part with it. We were actually sad to let it go but then we found it was happy to be in a new home with kids around. So we are now had gone back to square one without a cat in the house. But lives go on as usual. There are two cats in our daughter Lin house nearby so whenever we go there we would play with the cats. 

Just before her mom's birthday our eldest daughter calls and told me that she wanted to get her mom a kitten as a birthday gift. I told her that it was OK but remind her that it would not be easy of taking care of cat. There is the daily chore to be done, the food to be bought and the litter bin had to be clean and of course the expenses of the Veterinary services. The next day she took her mom out and came back with a little Persian kitten as seem in the image above. So folks here we are with this addition to the family. We named the adorable kitten as Mei Mei. With this kitten it looks like we have gone full circle. Now we have a cat in the family. Well folks, life is like that. 

 Have a nice day.

The Blue House of Love...

The Blue House; so what is so special about this Blue House. I do not know why it is call the Blue House but I can say that it is situated not that far away from the blue sea where the sky above is always blue. Perhaps that is why they name this house of love the Blue House. Anyway I like the colour blue for it is always associated with peace and tranquillity, an atmosphere that allows one to enjoy life in all the colours of the rainbows. So what is this house is all about. 

Well let me tell the story my way, the way I know best. It may differ from the version of the owner of this gorgeous house under the sun. But it does not matter for this is my story. Let me digressed a bit. In July 2010 I was in Kuantan and for no obvious reason decided to go and have a look at the house of my late auntie and uncle in Galing, not that faraway from the hotel where I was staying. With my nephew we drove to the vicinity of the house and found that many buildings had been bulldozed and the land been filled with laterite soil. There stand two broken-down buildings that were once the grandeur of buildings in this part of the kampong. The houses where my late auntie and uncle and my late granduncle* live from the time this corner of land near a tributary of the Kuantan River was developed. In those days it was easy to get to the house from the Jalan Baserah but now one had to wind one's ways to get to it. Anyway we were there that day and what I saw made me sad indeed. That two houses are been left to rots or left without repair. Despite its condition I saw there are people living in both houses. I took some photos of both houses and posted it on my Facebook wall with a note hoping that someone would take step to preserve these heritage houses and saved it for the future generation. Soon there were many comments on my wall. Most are with positive thoughts and I like it.  

Years later I saw a posting of the Blue House in a relatives FB wall and eventually found that they had indeed took apart that old houses and reassembled it at a new site. I was delighted with that happening. They have indeed saved that old house for the future generation. I was hoping I would get to see it whenever I am in Kuantan. Then the opportunity came knocking almost on my door...

It was a beautiful day with clear blue sky but as usual at this time of the year the weather in Kuantan was hot and humid. I sat in my hotel room in the Vistana Kuantan listening to a German TV program in German while surfing the Net. With that kind of atmosphere I felt like been in Germany in summer where I once live. Outside the weather look great just like summer in Germany. While on Facebook I notice a posting from one of my niece saying that she is at the Blue House now. I then post a comment saying that I would love to see the Blue House and appreciate if she could pick-me-up at the hotel since I did have a car with me. Just before 4PM on that gorgeous Thursday afternoon I received an SMS from her saying that she would come over to fetch me up in about thirty minutes. I then dress up and went to the lobby to wait. She arrived with her dad Azhar a retired teacher. I hop in and they drove away to our destination, the Blue House. On arrival met my cousin Nor, Azhar's spouse. We sat to chat over Tea. 

There was so much to talk about but as usual in a situation like this time passes by fast indeed. Hardly have I known it was almost six thirty and I almost forgot that I had a dinner date at seven. Mesmerized by the way they had reassembled that old house and the green surrounding that enclaves the house I got lost of the tread of time. In fact I had overstayed their hospitality.  A quip from Azhar brought me back to reality that it was time to go. They then send me back to the hotel.  

Well folks in the story of my life whatever I wanted to see or get, I always get to it in one-way or the other. It just likes destiny one talk about in the journey of life. One can never tell what going to happen next. I had decided to just get to Kuantan and take it easy but never for a second thought that I would get to see the Blue House that soon. But then life is like that and thanks to the Internet communication became a means to an end. Facebook was the mean and the end that Blue House. Amazing isn't it what life had to offer in this beautiful world of ours. 

Thanks Nurul, thanks Azhar, thanks Nor for making my day; that Blue House of yours is simply gorgeous, a gem indeed. 

Below are the two houses before it was taken apart and reassembled as seen above. These images was taken on July 6, 2010.

*Note: The granduncle mentioned above is Abu Bakar bin Mat, the younger brother of my maternal grandmother Mariam binti Mat.

 Have a nice day.

Of grandparenting...

The image about is so picturesque that I thought it would be wise to share it with all. It was snapped by Louis, a cyber pal living in Seattle, USA. He send it to me with a note saying that he had just visited his daughter's home in the enclaves, between those trees as seen in the image above. What a great place to be living.

Anyway it triggers my thoughts to write this. It is about grandparenting. And to get there you first must have kids, for without that wonderful species of ours you can never have the grand kids, another wonderful species that folks at my age love to have around. Just a few days ago while at the American Embassy here and been interview for a visa application, a senior interviewer ask us about our grandchildren and it was indeed a very delightful question, Of course my spouse was happy to reply and when my turn to answer, I quip to the interviewer that grandchildren are a bonus and he smiled with happiness. Probably he is a grandparent too. It did not take long after another question that he says our visa is approved and that to come back and collect our passports the next day. So as you can see the subjects of grand kids do cross cultural barrier and sort of an ice breaking subjects. The subject that folks at our ages love to talk about and it always make everyone happy. It does not matter where the grandchildren are, grandparents would be there.

Like some ten years ago our daughter and her husband had to go for a post doc study in Boston and they took with them their three kids and we went with them to take care of the grandchildren for a year and enjoyed doing it. Just a month ago I got an email from a very close friend, Mr.Lee, a classmate from the forties in Kuantan, Pahang. He is now a GM of a sprawling hotel complex in Bali. At this age he is still managing a hotel. He says it is his passion and I believe him, he is really enjoying his job. He says that his spouse has just left for Berlin, Germany to take care of their grandchild there. His daughter is living there now, so as you can see grandparents, especially the grandma would go and help, come what may. True what this caption on a sticker says “God could not be everywhere, so He made Grandmas". And I believe that's what grandma Louis is doing at her daughter's home nestles in that picturesque valley. In Louis words, they were 'Babysitting' there. And as usual grandpa tag along, making a nuisance of himself and enjoyed every minutes of that episode of his life.

That's my friends is the wonderful world of grandparents. Wait a minute, the phone rang. Little Azib, our youngest grandson just call and ask me to take him from the kindergarten tomorrow. And he ended the conversation with "Thank you Atuk". That is grandparenting and I am enjoying it. Have a nice day and take care..

The energy of love...

I thought that for today I would just post this quotation. 'Let us spread the true energy of love throughout the world, a quote from the book 'Zahir' by Paulo Coelho.

We all should never ever think of evil or hatred. For it would not served us any good. First we should nurture the value of love among every members of our family. By doing that we would be able to be sure that our society would be a society of love as well. It is because of the lacking of love that we now see some social illness in our society. That do not in anyway do any good to the society. So let us together continue to spread love.

One small steps taken by every members of the family to spread love would be the beginning of a better society. Let made LOVE contagious. Spread it like wild fire and I am sure we would have a better world to live and enjoy life..Have a nice day.