Happy Holiday!

One more day to go and it will be Christmas. Here's wishing everyone a happy holiday and for those celebrating Christmas - a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas decorations at a mall

Eat right

My dinner these days

For the past one month, we have been going to the hospital frequently to visit my mother-in-law (71) who was admitted to the hospital 3 times for a 3-5 days stay each time due to various heart-related issues.

The first time it was due to her heart beating too fast. After she was admitted, her tachycardia turned into bradycardia (heart beating too slow) and the doctors advised her to put in a pace maker or else she may just pass away in her sleep. This of course frightened her and  without a second thought she agreed to having the pace maker which costs around RM6400 (which all four of her children share the cost equally) just for the pace maker alone.

Second stay is for the insertion of the pace maker. The procedure went well and she just stayed overnight after the procedure and was discharged on the very next day. Instead of taking warfarin where she has to avoid eating food with vitamin K, she has chosen to take pradaxa to reduce the risk of having a stroke due to atrial fibrillation.

Third stay, she was admitted again due to her heart beating too fast (tachycardia) again. The pace maker is just to ensure that her heart does not beat too slow but it does not control her heart from beating too fast (170 or above heartbeats per minute). This round the doctors gave her Digoxin to control her heart from beating too fast and then adjusted her diabetic and high blood pressure medications before sending her home after around 5 days.

She chooses to undergo medication therapy instead of CABG so the medications have to be adjusted until it is suitable for her condition. I am amazed at her inner strength and perseverance when it comes to all these hospital stays. Her health may be weak but her will to live is strong and for this, I salute her.

Rainy days

Red flowers, I like

It has been raining almost every day for the past one month. With the rain, the market is in red since the beginning of November.

Speaking of things being red, our plumeria (frangipani) tree is now in full bloom with red flowers. We waited one whole year to find out the colour of its flowers as it did not have any flowers when we first got the tree from the nursery and even the gardener at the nursery did not know the colour of its flower. We thought it has pink flowers so we were pleasantly surprise to see red flowers which is the colour that we wanted. Red is also my favourite colour but I don't like to see the market in red.

Unforgettable Tour?

I spent nearly my whole weekend reading up on nuclear energy, its discovery and current status. It all started after I watched "Decontamination: Losing the Sheltering Trees" - a NHK documentary about decontamination work in areas around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear event and how it has affected the communities there. 

The Fukushima event is one of only two nuclear events classified as a level 7 event (highest level - most serious) on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The other being the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. So that got me wondering about the current state of Chernobyl.

From my online search, I found out that work to build a new containment called "New Safe Confinement" to cover the old leaking sarcophagus (a huge concrete structure built in 1986 enveloping the destroyed Reactor 4) has started in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2015. Now, I know that "clean-up workers" at the area are known as liquidators.

More interestingly, I read that since 2002, there were guided tours to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone which includes the ghost town of Pripyat but now the itinerary has been altered to exclude visits to the Rossokha village and the military machines graveyard as prohibited by the government.

Who would want to pay to visit this place, I asked so I looked for more information about the tour, read many articles written by people who went on this tour and browsed through their photos. Some descriptions about the tour:

- dreamlike
- eerie silence
- haunting
- unforgettable
- attracts people who like lonely, abandoned and deserted places

So would you consider going on this tour?

Home again

A big thank you to everyone who left me comments in my previous post. I have been back for some time, 10 days to be exact. Sorry for not writing a post earlier. I was busy sorting out things that were left undone while I was away.

No, I did not go adventuring to a mysterious remote place with no access to the internet. Just that I did not bring a personal device to go online while I was there. The place that I visited has this building:

Night view - all lit up

It was a short 9 days trip to visit my 96 years old grandmother. This trip is a treat for my mother and I from my sister who paid for all expenses. She also requested that I let it be known here that she also prepared many pieces of newspaper cuttings of sudoku and slitherlink puzzles for me to work on if ever I am bored during the trip. For the record, I completed 5 sudoku puzzles and 5 slitherlink puzzles during the 9 days.

Grandma and ma. In the foreground is the back of my head.

Basically, we walked, talked a lot and ate loads of good food. The best thing is seeing grandma and the bad thing is I gained weight. All in all, a short, sweet and sour trip.

Away

 spouse did this

This is a scheduled post as I have no access to the Internet starting yesterday for about a week. When I am back, I will resume reading and commenting on my favourite blogs - Raising Rockstars (I took the liberty to change the name a bit as there is more than one Rockstar now), Life's A Journey, My Memory Land, What I Did Today, Redbabe, Light Recollections (the name of this blog changes regularly so I won't be surprised to see another name when I am back ;p) and Small Kucing. Till then, keep blogging, ok!? :D

Update: How can I forget this - My Family's Memoir is one of my favourite blog too! ..and also Ms. Renaye's blog. :D

Ladies only

Just recently at a nearby shopping mall, I noticed that a huge area of parking spaces has been cordoned off to create a ladies only car park area. Security guards manned the single entrance and exit and they only allow cars occupied by ladies to pass through the barrier gates into the special parking area.

Now do you think this is a good move by the management team of this shopping mall?

Weekdays weekend

Last weekend was a long weekend as Monday was a public holiday since Malaysia Day (Hari Malaysia) was on Sunday. As with public holidays, I gave my netbook a rest and went online via other means. This time we did not visit the shopping malls but stayed at home to clean the house. After working through the weekdays, the weekend is here again. Now how will I spend this weekend? Rest or clean the house? Whatever I do, I will make sure I enjoy doing it.

So to everyone who drop by here, may all of you enjoy your weekend doing whatever you can't do during weekdays! :)

Lovely creeping plant

44

...is what I get when I add up the age of this blog and my age. Happy Birthday to us both!

No cakes for me as "old" people is not supposed to eat sweet food. ;p 

I just spend the day with my family and that's enough for me.

Last but not least, a big thank you to my blog buddies for dropping by here all these 3 years. :D

Another long weekend

What a surprise to see the flowers

Another long weekend gone as last Friday was a public holiday. We went for a gathering with old friends from secondary (high) school. Most of them are married with children ranging from 4 years old to 12 years old. That reminded me that I am getting old and I should treasure life more.

Then as usual with holidays, we took the parents out for a meal. My spouse also helped them to repaint their door and listened to their grouses about the various things that needed repair around the house. I guess when we grow old, it is harder for us to perform house maintenance tasks.

To wrap up the holidays, we watched a TV movie with the title "Temple Grandin". It is a biographical film of Dr. Grandin who was diagnosed with autism when she was a child but then went on to overcome many obstacles to earn a doctoral degree. A truly inspiring movie.

Long weekend

Hari Raya this year was on Sunday (19 Aug) and Monday (20 Aug) so we had public holidays on Monday and Tuesday (20 and 21 Aug). I gave my netbook a holiday too and did not switch it on for all four days but I did go online via other devices.

Relatives living in other states took this opportunity to come back to visit their elders and we had a grand time catching up with them. It was a breeze to drive in KL on Sat and Sun because there was no traffic congestion as everyone was either away on vacation or out of town visiting their parents. Those who stayed back in KL thronged the shopping malls with babies and grandparents in tow and that included us. :D

To everyone on the road, please drive safely. Hope all of you enjoyed your weekend.

Midvalley Megamall

Paradigm Mall

The Curve

A note

We finally bought ourselves a white smartphone with a data plan for about RM111 per month for 2 years.

Sunshine on my wall

Stirling 2003

Sept 2003 - A day trip to Stirling from Edinburgh by train.

From the train station I walked to Stirling Tourist Information Centre and then via the Back Walk to Stirling Castle. The blue line in the map below (from visitstirling.org website) shows my route to the castle and the green line shows my route back to the Train Station. I walked about a little more than 2km (1.2miles) in total.

Stirling Railway Station back in 2003. I believe it still looks like this today.

This was one of the street I walked through on my way to the tourist information centre.

The statue of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Member of Parliament for Stirling Burghs and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908). It is located next to the "entrance" of the Back Walk.

The Back Walk - a quiet uphill walk alongside the old Town Wall (on its right).

Close up of the signboard.

I was glad to see a lady walking her dog after a while as it was becoming a bit too quiet for me as  I was the only one walking on this route.

I walked past the Old Town Jail.

Nice view down the street (Old Town Jail is on the right).

Finally, I reached Stirling Castle. View of the castle from the Castle Esplanade.

Entrance to Stirling Castle. I just looked around outside since there was not enough time for me to explore the inside of the castle thoroughly.

But I have just enough time to watch a documentary about Stirling castle in the castle visitor centre below.

View from the Castle Esplanade. The National Wallace Monument can be seen on top of Abbey Craig hill.

Another scenic view from the castle.

A peaceful and quiet street. It must be nice to live here.

Back at the station at 4.15pm. Again, as I was alone, I have no photos of myself in Stirling. Stirling is a very nice place for walks. I would like to visit it again some day with my loved ones.

Smell the roses

I had a lovely surprise one day when I was helping out with the gardening. Please click the photo below to get a closer look. Can you see what I see?

A lovely golden pupa (chrysalis) hanging on one of the leaves. I was careful to leave it as it is. Isn't it beautiful?

Epipremnum aureum

Another 6 months to go and we will be welcoming a new year. Are you hoping that 2013 will come quicker or are you wishing that 2012 will stay longer?

Time waits for no one so do what you want to do today because tomorrow may never come.

Sunshine on my wall

Princes Street

23-25 Sep 2003:
It was my 3rd visit to Edinburgh. My spouse was there for work and as usual I tagged along. He took a flight while I went by train - a 6 to 7 hours journey (one way) from Newbury.

Day 1:
I reached there in the evening of 23 Sep and met up with him. We stayed in a hotel near the Haymarket train station (I can't remember which hotel it was).

Haymarket Train Station. Look deserted? That's because I waited until everyone left before taking a photo. Since all the photos were taken by me and without a tripod, I have no photo of myself for this trip.

I saw this when I stepped out of the train station. The structure with a clock is a war memorial for former players of Heart of Midlothian F.C. who died in World Wars I and II.


Day 2:
After he left for work, I took a train from the Haymarket station to Stirling (that's for another post) and came back in the evening. The time shown in the photo below: 11.12am (when I board the train to Stirling).

When I came back in the evening, my spouse was still at work so I took a leisure stroll all the way to see the floral clock in West Princes Street Gardens. The yellow line in the map below is the route I took. Yellow circle - Edinburgh castle, blue circle - The Royal Scots Greys monument, green circle - floral clock.

I walked along Princes Street, main shopping street in Edinburgh New Town and passed by a flower stall and numerous high street shops but I did not buy anything, just window shopping only.

Then I reached the West Princes Street Gardens and noticed a squirrel running about.

Photo of Edinburgh Castle  (yellow circle on map) as seen from the West Princes Street Gardens.

The Royal Scots Greys monument  (blue circle on map) shows a soldier from the Royal Scots Greys Regiment.

Finally I reached the floral clock (green circle on map) and I waited for the cuckoo (bird) to tell me the time. The time then was 4.10pm and the bird appears every 15 minutes.

Now you see it! The cuckoo appeared from its "nest".

Now you don't. No cuckoo.

West Princes Street Gardens. Then I walked all the way back to the hotel and joined my spouse for dinner.

Day 3:
I left for the train station immediately after breakfast while he checked out from the hotel and went to work before taking a flight back to London. I like walking along Princes Street and I hope to visit Edinburgh again one day.

Knowing

You say, "People who are doing what they want to do, are happy."

By and by, someone comes along and says, "I am doing what I want to do but I am not happy."

We say, "Then you are not doing what you really want to do. Go do other things. When you feel happy, see what you are doing. For that is the thing you want to do."

Daphnis who?

One morning, my spouse asked me to go out to our garden to look at a moth. I have not seen such a big moth before so I took a photograph of it. It landed on our car and did not fly away when I approached it. 

When I was young, I was told that when moths fly near humans, it means that the spirit of a loved one is visiting them. While I don't really believe it, I feel nice whenever I see a moth because I can choose to believe that it is someone closed to me who is visiting me from somewhere out there.

I googled for the name of this moth and came up with two results - Daphnis hypothous or Daphnis nerii (Oleander Sphinx Moth or Oleander Hawk-Moth), both species are from the Sphingidae family. I can't tell the difference between the two types of moth, except for their colour. So based on the colour alone, I believe this moth is Daphnis hypothous.

Later, when we drove the car to run some errands, the moth was still sticking to the car. We just let it be and when we arrived at our destination, it was no longer there. I hope it flew away to a new home but I wish to see it again because it looks so special.

Happy sunshine

I prefer natural light to switching on the lights during daytime so there are a few skylights in my house. Apart from saving electricity, one fun thing about this is, I get different sunlight patterns on my walls and ceilings throughout the year. Here's one of them:

The pattern usually lasts for at most 1 hour before it changes position as the earth rotates on its own tilted axis (I was about to write as the sun rises from the east in the morning and sets in the west but as we are all taught, the position of the sun is fixed, it is the earth that is moving so I corrected myself).

Sometimes when life gets to me, I'll just sit back and observe the sunshine on my wall and I'll be happy again.

First walk

When I was in Hong Kong, I like the convenience of using the Central–Mid-levels escalators and the Central Elevated Walkway to walk from one place to another and wish that such a facility exists back home. So I was very happy when I read that a covered air-conditioned walkway was launched early this year, connecting the Pavilion shopping mall located at the Bukit Bintang road to the KL Convention Centre which is in turn linked to the KLCC shopping mall via an underground walkway.

Last week, I had the opportunity to see for myself what this walkway is like. It took me about 8 mins to walk the whole stretch of 562 meters from Pavilion to KLCC. Unlike Hong Kong, there was no travelators (moving walkway), only escalators for the exits and entrances so after all the window shopping in KLCC, walking back was a bit tiring.

All in all, it was a pleasant walk with security guards along the way to help out with people who are lost and also to make sure that no one is up to any mischief. Below are some photos I took along the walkway.

The green line in the map below is the route of this KLCC - Bukit Bintang Walkway.

The floor plan of Level 3 of the Pavilion shopping mall showing the location of the entrance to the walkway (green box).

Floor plan taken from the website of the Pavilion shopping mall

Entrance to the walkway after exiting the Pavilion shopping mall

Close up photo of the sign above

Escalators - exit to Raja Chulan road

Close-up photo of the sign above

Branch off left to exit to Wisma Cosway and Raja Chulan monorail station

The covered walkway is not connected to the Raja Chulan monorail station. One would have to exit the walkway and stroll under the hot sun to reach that station.

Just keep on walking

Finally reach KLCC

Looking back, up the escalators