2009 it will be..........

Sigh... Sigh..... The holidays are finally over. I had a week break for an overseas trip and attended a wedding reception in Sarikei. It's tiring no doubt, but it's a good break from the routine of work. Now, it's back to work for me and school for Ruth (next week). Ruth is also feeling the same "blues" as she had to brace herself for another year of assignments, projects and exams. She will be sitting for her PMR examinations in October 2009. But, the hardest part, will be, to be able to wake up at 5.30am from Monday to Friday for school. She had been attending afternoon classes for the past two years, snoozing late, so it will take some time to adjust to the new routine.

We had a low keyed Christmas celebration this year, as we were all tired after our trip, so it was just a rest day at home. It will be another rest day on New Year holiday except for some shopping for Ruth's school stuff. In a matter of hours, we will be bidding adieus to 2008 and ushering in 2009. Sounds exciting isn't it? We'll see.

What about new year resolutions? I must admit that I gave up making them years ago. At least, no guilt feelings if I don't make it huh! Instead, just live each day at a time and learn to count my blessings. But, er, a sneak preview into how's 2009 is going to be like will be kinda fun, too.

Another milestone....

Ruth had an early birthday celebration yesterday. Her actual fourteenth birthday falls on 15.12.2008 but we celebrated it earlier as hubby's home. We really had a low keyed one this year with family only. I ordered some side dishes from the restaurant and a cake. With tough times ahead, we felt the need to exercise prudence and not indulge in unneccessary extravangance. Our only guest was Ruth's cousin, who happened to visit Bintulu on his way for a conference at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.


Ruth is trying real hard to complete all the assignments handed down by her teacher before school starts in January 2009. Heard her complaining day in and out on the "tons" of homework. During my lower secondary years, there were very few assessment or workbooks available in the market, so we just had to complete all the assignments handed down by our teachers. We do not even had the opportunity to practise more exercises even if we wanted to. What a difference!

Christmas celebrations is just around the corner. Been hearing snatches of christmas carols and songs in the supermarket and shopping malls. Our church is organising some carolling and home visitations. Look forward to share this joyous occasion with family and friends.

Time capsule....

Time really flies. In less than a months' time, we will be bidding adieus to 2008 and ushering in 2009. A time for recollection and reminiscence. A roller coaster of emotions, filled with personal and defining moments. That's life. Yesterday's events becomes today's history.

Ruth is really busy with her blogging. I must admit that she's more computer savvy than me. She loves to explore, download and use the softwares to improve the quality of her blogsite. So much so, that I had to remind her daily to complete her assignment and homework before school starts next year. Ah teenagers!

We attended my bridesmaid wedding banquet in Sibu last Saturday evening. It was a long wait, some 16 years, before she tied the knot. The happy couple invited around 200 guests, relatives and friends. It was like a walk down memory lane for me and hubby. Looks like we will be attending another 2 more wedding banquets before the end of the year.

As for holiday plans, hubby is still looking into it. Ruth had been pestering her dad for a break and hopefully, he will surprise us with something exciting! Let's see.

Tough times ahead....

Hard times are upon us. For the past months, I had been in regular contact with my cousin in Australia. She had been residing there for about 20 years and holds a job with the New South Wales government. With the current economic turmoil and financial crisis grappling almost all the countries in the world, Australia is not spared. She lamented that she lived in fear of losing her job and means of income. The NSW government is slashing jobs and downsizing left and right. Since the onset of the crisis, staff recruitment were put on hold and she had to handle double the job. She's so loaded that each morning when she saw the piles of work on her tray, she's already tired even before starting the day. It sound really depressing.

Back home, the harsh reality is sinking in fast. Even though the government reduced fuel prices several times during the last few months, the prices of most consumerables and essential items remains on the uptrend. Almost everyday, I hears sighs left and right that times are worsening. Hence, it is not surprising that we are sinking into the economic crisis, then the financial crisis and finally the employment crisis. There seems to be more doom and gloom along the way. Sigh...sigh.....

Sharing The Storms..

I first heard this song " You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban sometime in June last year, when I was doing some shopping in the local supermarket. Although I did not get to hear the whole song, I was struck by the beauty of the music and the lyrics. The song remained in my memory for a long time.

Just recently, I heard the same song again, but this time, I managed to learn the title. So, I quickly went to Google, my favourite search engine to download the complete song. The music is simply inspirational, beautiful and uplifting. Here, let me share the lyrics :-

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;

When troubles come and my heart burdened be;

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,

Until you came and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when i am on your shoulders;

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life-no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

I must admit that the lyrics of the song touch me in a special way, and it is a fitting tribute to my late dad, who pass on some 15 years ago. Memories of him flowed through my mind as the song was played along as I recall how special he was. He weathered the storms with me and was there for me on mountain tops and valleys. He raised me up to love life and to love others.

Gardens........

I must admit that I possess neither green thumb nor fingers. It will be a death sentence for any plants if I were to take care of them. But, not my maid. She loves gardening and all my potted plants, orchids and fruit trees are well taken care by her.

About two months ago, my next door neighbour bought some "four angle beans" or "si-kak-tao" seeds and pass them to my maid to plant. She planted them next to our chain link fencing separating our lots and four of the seedlings sprouted. We agreed that each of us will be entitle to harvest the beans on the respective sides of the fencing. The plants have grown real well and with some fertilizers, we are now enjoying the fruits of our labour, so much so that I gave the extra beans to my friends and the other neighbours. Hmm....Savoury and crunchy when fried with garlic, eggs or "ikan bilis". Plus, real healthy as we do not spray any pesticides.

Gardening aside, Ruth is into the second week of her holidays and enjoy snoozing late, watching TV, drawing cartoons, blogging and trying to complete the homework given by her teachers. She had to complete 7 workbooks of the respective core subjects and write 22 essays. She had been complaining since the day the whole assignment was handed down. It somewhat spoiled her holidays! But, it's a big relief for me, as I need not worry about assigning her any homework. Yipee!

Ah life..........

Recently, I was surfing through the blogsite of one of my ex-colleague, who opted for early retirement earlier this year to assume the responsibility of a full time Stay-At-Home-Mum (SAHM). She has all the time on her hands to nurture her children, show all the tender loving care to her hubby, have leisurely breakfasts with the other "tai-tais", go shopping, "enjoy" her housework, gardening and write interesting and up-to-date blogs.


For a long time, I had always envied and admired those ladies who could afford not to work. Just imagine, no deadlines to meet, no rushing off to work, no asking for leave or permission to run errands or bring the children to clinic when they are sick, etc, etc. and most of all no work related stress. But, sadly up to this moment, such dreams are still beyond my reach.


Well, looking back, of course that are always two sides of the story. No doubt, without a job, there will be no salary, bonuses or increments to look forward at the end of the month or the year. I can say that financial freedom and balancing the check book could be an issue now and then. Saving up for rainy days is a must if one does not have sound financial backing. Being a homemaker can also be a challenging and daunting task, spinning broomsticks and mops from living, bedroom and kitchen with pots and pans permanently attached, that is if one do not have a maid or in-laws to help out.

On the other hand, a paying job would meant that one can at least, have some financial freedom to enjoy little luxuries here and there, once in a while. Not to mention the experience of interacting and keeping up with the mainstream, and telling friends, relatives and families that " I am working as a ....................with so and so company". Of course, besides the ones mentioned, there are alot of other advantages of having a paying job.

Well, each one of us has got different priorities in life, so like what they say, finding happiness, contentment and a place for oneself is a journey in itself.

How about it.....

So America elected its 44th president-Barrack Obama. Americans will be watching and waiting in anticipation for the changes he promised during his presidential campaign. In fact, the whole world is also on the lookout on his next course of action to steer America out of the current financial and economic doldrums which plunged the nation. A really big job to clear the mess he inherited from the previous administration. Hopefully, he will do a good job out of it.

Finally, Ruth started blogging. For past month, she had been pestering me to help her set up her own blogsite. Entitled Chronicles of Ruth, the site documents her bits, pieces, dreams, ravings, views, feelings, frustrations, etc, etc .........Something refreshing, something new for her. Another classroom and facet in her life. Feel free to visit her blogsite at http://www.ruthtiong.blogspot.com/. Let's see how it goes.

She also did fairly well in her finals this round recording marked improvements in her grades and position in the class. Keep it up, Ruth!

Hear along....

School break will be in two weeks' time. Ruth just completed her final examinations today. For the past week she had been tense and edgy, having to complete all 12 papers in 5 days. She came back tired and exhausted after each exam day and it's a big relief that the nightmare was finally over. When I was a student, my parents and relatives used to tell me that school days are supposed to be the best ones in my life, that I only need to study hard, get good grades and the rest will take care of itself. Looking at Ruth's dedication, hardwork and sometimes struggle to do well, I am not so sure that this is still the case today. Times have changed and in this increasing competitive age, it certainly takes alot more than academic qualifications to qualify for a good paying job or mainstream acceptance in the society. I can see that Ruth has to polish herself in many areas of her life before she's finally ready.

Studies aside, hubby came back last weekend to attend some meetings at his former workplace. He flew back to Malacca on Tuesday and is now on his way to the United States of America for a working visit to some oil refineries there. And maybe a chance to meet presidental hopefuls Barrack Obama or John McCain. Ha! Ha! Just a joke!

Just thinking....

Yipee! Our audit was finally over! Sure, there were some minor issues here and there, but we managed to get our accreditation renewed for another 3 years. It's a big relief to all concern that our documentations and process are again certified in accordance to ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System.

Now, I can put my legs up and take a breather. But, only temporarily, as Ruth's final examinations will commence next Monday. It's another marathon race, but I do hope that she cames better prepared this time round. Do your best, Ruth!

Studies aside, hubby called to inform me that he had just paid AUD1,100.00 for a new Apple 3Giphone. During our last trip to Australia, he was already looking out for the iphone. We visited the Apple store with my cousin but he did not manage to buy one. However, after checking the prices in KL, he made up his mind to get one. So, when, my cousin from KL went back to Australia for his annual vacation and hubby requested him to get one. But it caused a whopping RM2,800.00! Well, I suppose it gives him the ump! Looking at the price, I don't think I will ever indulge myself in such an expensive "gadget". My old faithful Nokia handphone cost me RM200.00 only and it serves me well.

Different Strokes

Hubby's back over the weekend. Our Indonesian maid is extending her contract with us for another year, so he had to apply for her visa. She has been with us for three years now and has proven herself to be very responsible and reliable. I must admit that I'll be quite "lost" without her helping in the household chores, cooking and cleaning. As an incentive for her to keep up with the good work, hubby decided to increase her salary and bonus.

He flew back to Malacca on Sunday and Ruth's already missing her dad. But, she's also busy with her revision, as her end of the year exams will be held in two weeks' time. Hopefully, she will do better this round. A number of her friends are now sitting for their PMR examinations and she'll be facing hers next year.

Time really flies. In a little less than 3 months and we will be ushering in Year 2009. An exam year for Ruth. Sigh... sigh. But, that's the way forward.

Some updates....

Hurray! It's holiday time again! We are having a 2-day break to celebrate Hari Raya Adilfiltri. But, unfortunately, I had to go back to office to complete my preparations for the coming ISO9001:2000 compliance audit which will be conducted during the third week of October. So, there's no break for me even though it's a holiday. Sigh.....sigh.... Hopefully, this will be the last audit for me before I opt for early "retirement" next year!

Ruth is also having two weeks break, one for Hari Raya and the other during the PMR examinations. She enjoys snoozing late, drawing her cartoons, watching TV and doing some revision. The final round of her examinations will commence in three weeks' time and she's determine to do better this time. During her mid terms, she recorded a slight improvement in her grades.

Hubby's busy with work as usual, and he could not make it back to Bintulu for the break as he had to be on call. Most of his colleagues are away for the festivities, so he's one lone ranger in Malacca. Poor thing! Hopefully, he will be able to make a trip home during the middle of the month.

The prelude....

Well....well...well. I must admit that I have been out of cyberspace for a while. Had been quite busy lately with work at the office and home. Plus the fact that my company's ISO 9001: 2000 compliance audit will be due at the end of October. Seems the word "audit" had been giving us the jitters and cold feet every now and then. Since my department just had the survelliance audit in June, I only need to check and update my records from the June audit until October.

I have also been following the political developments of our country of late. I must admit that I have never been very interested in politics in the past, but it seems that the reports on mud-slinging, back-stabbing and character assasination among the political parties and politicians had rubbed into me!

But, frankly speaking, as a Malaysian, I felt sadden by the turn of events in this country. With the recent economic uncertainties and global crisis grappling us, the leaders should concentrate on steering the country out of these doldrums, but instead, they are more concern with their blickering and using intimidation tactics to clamp down on those who are merely trying to speak their minds and the truth.

We will see what will happen next.

Universiti Sains Malaysia.... APEX status

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my Alma Mater, Universiti Sains Malaysia was recently granted the APEX (Accelerated Programme for Excellence) status. Having graduated from USM some 24 years ago, I must say that I still have many fond and warm memories of those by gone days. Days of fun, lectures, tutorials, last minute rush to complete projects and assignments on time (skipping 1-2 nights sleep is not unusual), examinations blues (ha! ha!) etc, etc. Those four years in USM had definitely shaped my ideals and thinking.

But admittedly and regretfully, I have yet to drop by the Minden campus in Penang after the convocation. Once in a while, some news do tickle in here and there if I happen to chance on or meet one of my former uni-mates. May be I should take a trip down memory lane one day.

But still, kudos to USM! You have the greatest potential of achieving world class university standard!

Tinkle bells....

It's good to be back. We had a week of carefree holiday visiting my cousin in Sydney, Australia. It's still winter there, so the weather is brrr....brrr... cold. We were all bundled up in warm jackets, socks, shoes, gloves and scarves. My cousin booked us into old-fashioned hotel without any heating and you can imagine the layers of blanket that we had to cover ourselves to keep warm!

We planned to enrol Ruth in Year 10 in 2010, so we went around looking at the schools. Visited one catholic and two private schools. Ruth was very much impressed by the schools and expressed her keen desire to continue her studies in Australia. We got the application forms and will submit them in due course. Hopefully, she will be accepted.

We had the opportunity to view the Airbus A380 at Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport. Mate! It is huge.

We came back to clear some backlog at work and life's back to the normal routine. But the downside is, Ruth fell sick with sore throat, cough and flu. Visited the doctor twice and she's still on medication. Hopefully, she will recover soon.

Just news.......

Finally, the countdown. Last night, millions of viewers throughout the world were glued to the screen to watch the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympiad at Bejing's iconic "bird's nest" stadium. It was really a spectacular and sensational event combining the traditional, comtemporary and the modern. A dazzling sight to behold! Surely an auspicious occasion for China and the world. Hopefully, the Olympic slogan of "One World, One Dream" continues to remain a reality. For the next two weeks the world will watch in anticipation and expectation as the events unfolds as to which country will capture the most medals in the spirit of true sportsmanship and friendship.

Olympics aside, the whole of next week will be busy and stressful one for Ruth as she will facing the first round her second semester examinations. She had been faithfully doing her revision during the past three weeks and hopefully she will do well this round.

I finally delivered my talk on "Formation of a valid contract" yesterday. For the past month, I had been busy preparing the materials and I am glad that it's finally over. Thank God!

Farewell, Tipsy......

Last Thursay was indeed a very sad day. Our pet cat, Tipsy was knocked by a car, sustained serious injuries and died. When Ruth discovered him lying at the grass verge beside the road leading to our housing estate, he was already dead for several hours. The flies were buzzing around his body. We put Tipsy in a box and bid him farewell.

For two days, Ruth mourned for her favourite pet. She hardly had any appetite and was really depressed. Tipsy came into our lives about a year ago, as a stray kitten. We took him in, fed him and he really got on well with us. He would sneak into the house when the doors are open, climbed onto our sofa, waiting for a cuddle. Sometimes, he would wait at our main door step, waiting for us to open the door so that he could sneak in "invited".

Now he's gone. Just like that. Life's indeed fragile. The reality hit Ruth hard. I guess it's her first experience of facing the death of something she was really fond of. An experience that everyone has to face, sometimes, sooner or later.

Just me

It's been awhile. Neglected my blog. Kept busy with home and work. Well, these are mere flimsy excuses and not good enough reasons.

Admittedly, there are times when I ran out of ideas on what to blog. Life's became so routine and mundane. Everyday, there's talk on the increase in costs of living, food, groceries, petrol, etc, etc. And the "exciting" and "juicy" political scene unfolding around us. Sometimes, I do wonder where we are really heading.

But, life's realities lies ahead. Ruth will be facing the second round of her mid-terms in three weeks' time. It's another marathon for her to complete her revision on time. It also means more late nights. My annual mammogram check-up is coming up this Saturday. I have to finalise the preparation for my talk on "Formation of a valid contract" by next week.
Oops! It's time to quit pondering and get going!

A lesson...

I guess that I have alot to be thankful and grateful for. For the past month, since June, I had not been feeling well. Busy with work and home. Facing enormous stress due to my company's ISO 9001:2000 annual survelliance audit. Then, in the midst of it, I noticed that my heart "beating" very fast. I could almost hear the palpitation, which is worst at night. Some nights were so bad that I had difficulty falling asleep.

Desperate out of my wits, I consulted my doctor friend and she ran an ECG. The ECG showed frequent ventricular ectopics which sounded like a "big" and "frightening" medical term for a layperson like me. She referred me to a cardiologist in Kuching for further diagnosis. I flew to Kuching on Sunday and had the echocardiography, stress ECG and blood test done on Monday.

Finally, after battery of tests that lasted almost half a day, my condition was diagnosed as severe anaemic (iron deficiency) most likely caused by menstrual problems and symptomic ventricular ectopics precipitated by anaemia and stress. Both conditions are non-life threatening at the moment, which is, a big relief to me. Medications were prescribed.

Looking back over the whole episode, I must say that I learnt a very valuable lesson. In the past, I had been rather careless with my health, often turning a "deaf" ear to the advice of my doctor friend and family members. Life's short and fragile and I should learn how to contribute and count my blessings instead of just waiting to receive, whinning and complaining about my fate. It's only when one is close to losing something or someone precious that one learns to appreciate it more, and suddenly, some of the other most important things does not really matter. A simple, yet profound lesson.

On the news......

It's a little late, but never mind. The last three weeks had been hectic, stressful and busy following up to my company's ISO 9001:2000 annual survelliance audit. It's a real tough job to check and update all documents running for 3 years from 2006 to date. With the whole "unpleasant" episode over last Friday, I can afford to take a breather and relax for the time being.

Ruth is real busy with her school work, revision and projects. She recorded some improvement in her mid-terms and hopefully this will encourage her to do better the next round.

Hubby was supposed to fly home last week but was aborted as his plant run into some technical glitches and he had to forfeit his AirAsia booking. What a lousy time....... That's life, anyway. Unpredictable, at times.

As the waves rolled.......

Time really flies. We are already more than half way through our break. In two days' time we will be packing our bags and heading back to Bintulu. Back to work for me and school for Ruth. To real life on the run.

Hubby's real busy with work in the plant and office. He could not take any time off so Ruth and I were cooped up in his condominium for the past few days. I am now playing the very "important"role as housewife and "Indon maid". It's the washing, cleaning, ironing and cooking for me plus supervising Ruth's soon-to-be finished projects. A complete role reversal.

Ruth is taking things easy at the moment. She spends most of her time sleeping, surfing the internet, drawing her cartoons and dragging her feet to complete her projects. She complains that hubby's yet to bring her shopping, so he promised to do on his day off tomorrow.

Hubby's condo unit faces the sea and every morning I took the opportunity to watch the waves rolling and hitting the sands, a sight which I seldom had the chance to enjoy.

On the move.....

The price war is on. Both AirAsia and MAS are offering free seats, zero fares and ultra competitive prices for the various domestic and international destinations. Air travellers never had it so good! Hubby had been looking out for cheap fares for our coming trip to Australia and he managed to book some really cheap fares which are on promo on the Australian budget carrier, Jetstar. We will be visiting my cousin who is residing in Sydney.

Ruth completed her semester exams on Friday. She's on semester break for the next two weeks. In the meantime, she's enjoying the weekend off before starting on her history and geography projects on Monday. This morning I went with her to the library to get some materials and information.

Hubby came back to Bintulu to attend some workshops and meetings at his former workplace. He flew to Labuan this afternoon and will be back to Malacca by end of the month, just in time to "welcome" us on our long awaited trip to Malacca.

Marathon's on...

The marathon's on. Ruth just started the second round of her first semester exams today. It's going to last until next Friday, the last day of the school term. The last three weeks had seen several rounds of revision and late nights. Hopefully, she will do better this time.

Now for some updates. Mother's day celebration was really low keyed this year. Ruth bought a cake and made a "paper" carnation for me. We were invited to join a close family friend for lunch at the restaurant. There was a scrumptious spread of good food and camaraderie. Unfortunately, hubby could not make it back to Bintulu as he had to attend a meeting in KL.

John and mum planned to visit Bintulu next Saturday. So, there is no excuse for not celebrating, this, never mind, belated Mother's Day complete with dinner, cakes and flowers. Let's just have fun!

Guideposts-books

Just recently, I was tidying and rearranging the books and magazines at Ruth's bedside table when I stumble upon a book by Guideposts. It was Ruth's eleventh birthday gift from a close family friend. Entitled "Stories of Friendship" it is warm and touching, sometimes humorous or sad, but always about the enduring bond of friendship. The stories are really heartwarming and uplifting, giving insights and reflections on the goodness of love, kindness, forgiveness, sacrifices and the value of true friendships.

Looking back in retrospect, books had always influenced my life. During my primary and lower secondary school years, I live in Mukah, a small township in Sarawak. Our home is located next to the public library and I would take every opportunity of my leisure time to visit and read the books and magazines. Although most of them are rather old and worn out, but, nevertheless, I enjoyed reading them. This reading habit, inculcated during those years continued into my teenage and adulthood.

I always enjoyed a good book. Romance, thrillers, biographies, novels, magazines, commentaries, comics, etc, often hold me spellbound, sometimes for hours. Many a times, I could hardly dare to put down a good book until I finished the last pages. Truly, books are like real treasures, giving me new insights and experience into dreams and journeys beyond the classroom of my life.

Surprise....Surprise....

Surprise! Surprise! I was pleasantly surprise to read a comment posted by a fellow blogger on my blogsite. Actually, I had been blogging for the past three years (since 2006) but only a handful of my friends knew about my blog. It's actually a simple "journal" on the daily comings and goings of our home and family. When the time is right, I might use all these memories and reflections to write my memoirs.

Thank you Dieta for your comments. But, it seems that I am unable to access into your blog. Is there any other way that I could reach you? All the best then.

Snippets here and there......

The rush is on. Ruth's full swing into her revision. She frequently stays up late as she got do her revision and finish the school homework handed out each day. The downside is, I've got to stay up with her. So, both of us would wake up rubbing our eyes in morning, complaining of not enough sleep! I never realised that sleep is such a precious "commodity". When Ruth slept through the night at the age of two years, I thought that those night feeds are finally over and I could just slumber on like logs. Looks like it's not really over yet. I've got to brace myself further when she attends morning classes next year.


We are looking forward to visit hubby in Malacca in May. Ruth misses her dad and hopes to spend some quality time with him. There's a swimming pool at hubby's condominium and she's hopes to take the plunge during the visit. Sadly, she quite out of touch as she barely had any time to practise any more.

Drafting...drafting....

It's almost two months since hubby took up his new posting in Malacca. He's real busy with his new responsibilities in the plant and office. He came back to Bintulu last Saturday to file his income tax return, pay some bills and flew back to Malacca today. We gonna miss him!

Ruth is kept busy with her schoolwork and revision. The second round her first semester exams will start in a month's time and she vowed to do better this time round. It means a lot of hard work and perserverance along the way. Hopefully, her grades will show some improvement.

Been kept busy in the office. Sometimes, I really get bogged down by the routine of work, work, work!. But, alas, it puts rice/bread on the table and clothes on our backs. Not to mention those little comforts that an extra income allows us to enjoy. At times, I do wonder how it feels to have the whole day to myself with no worries of rushing off to work, coping with meeting deadlines and work-related stress. Well, that's life. It rubs onto you even if you don't feel like it!

Random snippets......

Ruth got back all her term papers. As expected, she did not do well. She was really disappointed with her results and vowed to put in more effort the next round. At least, there is something positive from it. Problem is, she started her revision late and was cramming at the last minute. Teach her a good lesson, not to procastinate.

Hubby came back last Thursday to clear some papers and he also went back to Sibu for the "Ching Ming" or tomb sweeping festival. Time really flies and he flew back to Malacca this afternoon. Ruth and I will visit him for a week in Malacca during the coming June school holidays and Gawai break.

John and I will return back to Sibu this coming weekend for the Ching Ming festival. This event had been part and parcel of our yearly "excursion" to Sibu since dad pass on 15 years ago. Ruth had shown keen interest in joining us to clean and sweep her ancestor's tomb since the last two years. Although she never knew her maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother, she had been showing her filial piety by braving the hot sun, dust and smoke to work with us to clean and sweep the tombs.

Just a preview.....

Hubby came back to Bintulu over the weekend. He had some unfinished business to complete before handing over his work to his successor. He also took the opportunity to cast his vote.

Malaysia's 12th general election was over. The results were somewhat shocking and surprising. I only stayed up to watch the results until midnight. But hubby managed to stay put until all the results were announced. When he informed me that the opposition managed to "capture" the states of Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor including Kelantan, I could not believe my ears. It's definitely a "wake-up" call for the ruling front. Well, the dust had somewhat settled now and the various political parties will be conducting their post mortems and licking their wounds. That's politics, anyway.

Ruth is enjoying her break but kept busy with her civics project and school homework. At the same time, she's anxious and jittery over her exam results. There's not much she can do about them except keep her fingers crossed. I reminded her to come better prepared the next round.

Mum left for her trip to Israel on Monday. She will away for two weeks reliving her spiritual journey through the Holy Land.

Spotlights....

Phew! After a week of frantic revision, cramming and burning mid-night oils, Ruth's first semester exams were finally over. It's a big relief for all at home as she had been real tense and edgy, worried that she will not be able to complete her revision on time. Being in the "top class" can really be a stressful and challenging experience for her. She's looking forward to a week of snoozing late, watching TV and drawing her cartoons.

Studies aside, election fever is in the air again. With the polling date set on this coming Saturday, candidates from the respective parties are hot on the campaign trail. Accusing, bickering, wrangling and back-stabbing are the order of the day. Well, that's politics, anyway. Fortunately, it rubs on you once in five years or so.

It's a week since hubby left for his new posting in Malacca. He is slowly adjusting to his new work environment and colleagues. We are also adjusting to him being home once in awhile, although Ruth misses her dad.

Season of change

It's a week of frantic packing. Hubby will be reporting to his "new" workplace at Petronas Refinery Plant in Malacca on 3rd March 2008. After a round of emotional farewells and dinners, it's time to move on. Looking back over the last sixteen years, he had gone a long way as a young and "green horn" engineer to a technical professional today. There is no denying that there were plenty of hard work, job-related stress and personal scarifices along the way.

With hubby away and only home once a month, there will be some adjustments to our routine. Ruth will definitely miss her dad very much as she was real close to him. Although hubby had been travelling quite often in past, this was the first time that we were separated due to his job relocation. But we'll make the best of it until Ruth's finishes her PMR in 2009. Hopefully, she will strive to excel academically and socially and prove to her dad that she's his best girl.

Take time to smell the roses....

I was admiring the long stemmed pink rose that Ruth presented to me for Valentine's day. Although it's a little wilted (she hid it inside her schoolbag), it was a nevertheless something very special. She also presented a bar of Cadbury's chocolate to hubby. These were Ruth's first Valentine gifts to us and it was a very touching moment.

I stopped for a moment to smell the rose. Something beautiful, fragrant and powerfully compelling. It hit me hard that we had all been real busy catching up with the ebb and flow, the mundane routine of life that we hardly took any time to appreciate the little, perhaps, sometimes insignificant things in life.

Hubby never really like chocolates, but Ruth's gift touch him in a special way. He unwrapped bar and proceed to share the contents with us. We had something real sweet and beautiful to linger on.

Kong Hii Fatt Choy!

Happy New Year! Kong Hii Fatt Choy! It's already four days into the new year, but still not too late to wish everyone the best of this auspicious occasion and may the year of the Golden Rat ushered in health, wealth and prosperity to all.

We finally made the trip to join John and mum in Mukah for the reunion dinner. Sister-in-law is a good cook and we enjoyed a sumptuous spread of yummy food. John had "open house" the following day, so we had double the portion of curry chicken, rendang, masak merah, cakes, biscuits and other delicacies. It's no wonder that we just could not help putting on a few fat pounds after each new year festivities.

We then proceeded to Sibu and Sarikei for another round of "pai nien" before returning back to Bintulu today. Visited all of hubby three sisters and an auntie in Sarikei. Ruth also took the opportunity to call on his tuition teacher. She collected lots of "angpows" and seems to be smiling all the way to the bank. It will be a tidy nest-egg for her future education.

It's back to the routine of work for me and school for Ruth tomorrow. Time really flies when you have fun doesn't it?

Just a line.......

It had been quite sometime. Been real busy with office work and supervising Ruth's school work. Plus the fact that she had been down with a bout of asthma, flu and coughing. She's still on medication and hopefully will recover before the coming Chinese New Year festivities. With my hands full, I guess it will be the last minute shopping for the usual new year goodies, savouries, cakes and biscuits. We will be leaving Bintulu to join John and mum for the reunion dinner in Mukah before continuing the next leg of our trip to visit hubby's sisters and Ruth's tuition teacher in Sarikei.

Hubby will be leaving for his new posting in Malacca by 1st March and Ruth will be facing her first semester exams in the same week. It's a real challenge for Ruth in her new class and hopefully she will put her best foot forward. With hubby home only once a month, it is also a major adjustment in our daily routine..

Farewell & Changes

Just recently, we bid farewell to a close family friend. We knew them for almost twenty years, as hubby and the head of the family were course mates in the university. We attended their wedding ceremony, celebrated the births of their children and went for holidays together. They will be moving overseas to take up a new posting. Our hearts felt heavy on their departure but we are also happy that they will be venturing into newer and greener pastures. But we still have those twenty or so years of good memories. It seems strange that many a times, we meet some people whose lives leave a deep impression on us, while others just touch us for a fleeting moment. We can only pray the God will continue to bless and keep them.

On the other hand, we are also adjusting to some changes in our lives. Hubby will be leaving for his new posting in Malacca by March . Ruth and I will be staying back in Bintulu until she completes her form three. He will be coming back to Bintulu once a month. As such, there will be minimal interruption to Ruth's education and I can keep my job for another two more years before opting for early retirement. . . . .

New Year plans

We are into the second week of the new year. Ruth started her new school term last week, facing another year of learning, homework, projects, assignments and examinations. She wasn't too enthusiastic about school, understandably after a long break. Well, she will get use to the routine sooner or later.

The Chinese New Year festivities is around the corner..Left and right, one can hear of friends and relatives soliciting orders of cakes and biscuits. With the surge in the prices of ingredients like flour, butter and cheese, I would expect that the price of our favourite cheese cake and kek lapis to be on the increase. Ruth is also looking forward to get some some new clothes and "ang pows"..

We might be celebrating the coming new year with my brother John and his family in Mukah. Mum wanted the whole family to assemble together so John proposed to hold the reunion dinner at his new house. Ruth is really excited to see her cousin Jane, whom she has not visited for quite some time. Hopefully our plans materialize this time!.