Lovely red

This has been a pretty long year, or at least it felt that way to me because in this year alone, I made 2 leisure trips to the same country and was in 3 different places.

 So good bye 2014 and welcome 2015!

 Happy New Year everyone!

 Cockscomb Flowers

Onwards to 274

Today is day 21 from the last checkpoint. The next milestone is 274 days so 30 June 2015 it is then.

Flowery Tree

Christmas Decorations in the Gardens

Matched 57!

Finally, today is day 57 - matched! Relive the 21 days again next in another way.

In one photo, one train is leaving, in another, it is arriving. Can you tell which is which?

Know yourself

Do you wear a mask everyday?

23 years and counting

I nearly forgot this day. Successfully completed one month and here's to many more.

When we were young.

Purple Passion

A beginning

Where it all started.

On June 1st

I saw this shrub

it then became this

When old

Piracetam - prescribed for a healthy 98 years old lady who is sometimes forgetful.

57 days

14 Jul we say hello and goodbye 1 month 26 days later. Another chapter has now closed. Starting to write a new chapter soon. Now is the interlude.

Tiger Lilies

A new batch of lilies 

Pink white with dark spots

Yellow Lilies

One day, the pink lillies were gone, replaced by yellow lilies with buds that were just about to open. 

A few days later, the yellow lilies were in full bloom and  a big thank you to Aileen for reminding me to take notice and smell the air around me, I could smell the lilies this time from where I was sitting. I did not smell the pink lilies previously because I was not paying attention to the smell around me, I was just going through the motions of being there.

Yellow lilies, just as lovely as the pink lilies

Pink Lilies

I've been admiring this flower display for many days. 

The lilies are really beautiful

Stay Safe!

If you enter an elevator and once the door of the elevator closes, you see a poster with the message below on the elevator's door, what is the first thing that comes into your mind?

Raya Decor

 Very life-like "fake" coconut trees

Wau - Big Kites 

A village scene in Midvalley Mall

谢谢小影

The 2nd half of the year has started. Another 6 months to go before a new year starts.

Last month (June), I received two registered parcels (poslaju) from two very nice ladies (one each) - Hayley and 小影 (Sheta). I have written about Hayley's parcel here so now I will write about Sheta's parcel.

Thank you Sheta for the souvenirs from Korea. As my neighbour was not available to house sit for me to receive this parcel and I have no transport to go to the post office to pick it up, I called the post office and told them about my predicament. They told me that I could request for it to be delivered to another address with someone there to receive it and so I did. My mother-in-law is kind enough to receive the parcel on my behalf.

The parcel with "Ubah Hala (change direction in the Malay Language)" written on it and the date to deliver it (27/6).

I unwrapped the parcel to reveal a very pretty box.

I opened the box to discover a sweet note from 小影, thank you Sheta. How did you manage to put the chopsticks into the box? I couldn't do it.

I like this very much - cute and useful - a nail clipper from Korea!

A whole box of goodies for me to share with my family. Thank you again 小影 but no more "poslaju" or courier parcels, ok? It is better for us to meet up for a meal since both of us are in the Klang valley. It would be great to meet up with you.

P/S I have also requested Wenn and other online friends not to send me any more registered mail (poslaju or courier) due to my inability to receive them. So sorry but no more parcels, ya? Thank you! :)

Goodbye Dina

Dina

21 December 1997 - 24 July 2014

16+ Years Old

Beloved Companion.

You will always be in our thoughts.

************************************************
Last days

Dina drinking soup as she needed more fluid.

The vet gave us the above for us to administer Subcutaneous Fluids (SQ) to her as she needed it but as the days went by, she became weaker and weaker. We were told that her kidneys were failing. The only humane course of action is to say goodbye and put her to sleep to end her sufferings and it was done at the vet this afternoon. She outlived her twin brother by 2+ years.

Final resting place in our front garden with these beautiful flowers.

Stones to mark her grave

Not enough sleep?

Now that football fever is on, many people are very sleepy during the day because they stay up to watch the games late night. So please be careful when driving. By the looks of it, I think Netherlands will win the World Cup this time.

Beautiful flowers to wake you up

Back then...

When I was young, I used to buy bread and snacks from vendors selling them on motorcycles but now I don't do this anymore as I buy all my food from grocery stores at the local mall. So seeing the motorcyclist below with his bread and snacks hanging all over his motorcycle recently makes me think of my younger days.

Do you still buy bread and snacks from the roti-man on his motorcycle? Roti means bread in the Malay Language.

How does he balance his motorcycle with so many packs of bread and snacks hanging on it, I wonder.

Transform

Are you a fan of the Transformers? I did not know that there is a new movie coming out soon until I saw the promotion - Giant Transformers being displayed in Midvalley Megamall.

Upper Cross Syndrome

I have just been told casually that I have Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS) so I looked up more information about this.

UCS is when you have rounded shoulders and your head juts forward when you walk. Quite true for me so I am going to have to read more about this and correct it. Do you know anyone who have UCS?

For more details on identifying UCS, here is an online article about Identifying Upper Cross Syndrome.

And for details on how to treat UCS, here is the online article about Treating Upper Cross Syndrome. You may pick and choose what to apply for yourself if your UCS is not that serious but I am not the expert here though I am not sure where to find the expert about UCS here.

Diagram above taken from erikdalton.com

Blue blue sky

Mindful

I have been reading many blog posts about soon-to-be-parents expecting their bundle of joy but how many of them are actually mindful of their very heavy responsibilities as parents? Not that many, I would say so I am pleased to read an article entitled:

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you – the parenting edition."

where Kimberly who is expecting her first child realises this and shares about it. Seldom I see people with this deep insight into parenting especially the part where I have highlighted with blue text in the excerpt of her article below so I am sharing her words here with you. Please find the first portion of her post below:

[[Start of excerpt]]

Do unto others as you would have them do to you – the parenting edition.

by Kimberlycun on April 14, 2014   

I was just going to post this on FB but felt it’s a bit too long. So here we go…

++++++++++

Since finding out that we’re going to become parents ourselves, I have begun to realise, more than ever, how important it is to work on my personal attitude, my perspective towards life, my views of other people and my words.

It is important because I realise that whatever I do or say will inevitably affect my children.

If I were negative, they will grow up to be negative. If I had no manners, they will grow up with no manners. If I were lazy, they will become lazy. If I had no opinions, they will become spineless. If I continued cussing, they will grow up cussing a lot. If I made life decisions without researching and studying, they too will become hasty and stupid with their decisions in life. If I lived a mediocre life, I sure as hell shouldn’t expect them to miraculously become the creme de la creme of society. If I lived a life of blaming others, they will blame me in return.

Giving birth is not noble, it doesn’t take a genius to get knocked up and push a baby out.

A child does not choose to be born, you force them into this world and thus you willingly shoulder the burden of raising them. Don’t act like you did them a favour.

And that’s why, children owe parents nothing. Not time, not service and certainly not money.

Whatever that children give to their parents when they’re old are given out of love, not because they owe the parents anything. So ask yourself, have you raised your children with love?
..............
[[End of excerpt]]

Please click this link to continue reading the rest of her post.

I really hope that more parents or parents-to-be are as mindful as her.

Thoughtful

Through this blog I have got to know some very nice and thoughtful ladies and one dedicated teacher who surprised me with gifts and postcards now and then. This post is dedicated to them: Aileen, Claire, Jennifer, Rose, Reptoz, Sharon, Hayley, Sheta and Wenn.

Sometimes the mail goes missing and unfortunately that happened to Rose's gift. Sorry Rose. And as I can't accept registered mail due to timing issues, I would like to thank everyone for their kind gestures and thoughts and would like to say it is the thoughts that count and I really treasure each and every comment made on both my blogs but please do not take the trouble to send me any gifts. It pains me each time when the mail goes missing.

I would also like to say sorry to the mysterious person whose registered mail to me got returned to the sender. I hope your gift got back to you safe and sound. Will the mysterious person please raise your hand? :)

Last but not least, I would like to thank Wenn for the big surprise below. It is a magnetic bookmark. It is a big surprise because I almost miss it as the envelope looked empty.

So a big thank you to everyone who is reading this.