3 years on......

 
Well, its almost 3 years since my last blog. I must admit that I had somewhat lost interest in blogging with the excuse that I just do not know what to blog about...

Time flies. During these 3 years, a lot had happened. Ruth finished her first degree in 2015. She was unsure whether she to continue with her Master's or seek employment. We prayed about it for a year and God seems to be leading her to continue with her studies. She finally decided to pursue a second degree in pharmacy. She told me that she enjoyed studying, so she got herself into another 4 year undergraduate program.

God is indeed gracious. After studying for a semester, she managed to get a casual job as a pharmacy assistant in a community pharmacy. She had never worked before, and at her age, it is pretty late to start casual work. Most Aussie kids start working in their high school years. It helped a lot in boosting her self confidence and esteem as she was by nature a rather shy and timid person. With a job on hand, she is financially independent for the first time in her life. She can plan her purchases and holidays with her friends.

Ruth aside, hubby will be retiring in July, after a 26 years stint in the oil and gas sector. He wants to take a short break before embarking on the next phrase of his adventure. Wish him a happy retirement....

So far so good....

Another update.......

It's almost mid-August. More than half of 2014 had already gone by. Ruth came over to to visit during her semester break in July. For the past year, she had been complaining of pain in her lower abdomen, frequent passing of soft stools and mucus in her stools. She want for consultation and was advised to do a colonoscopy to ascertain whether she had any bowel disease. She was anxious and the diagnosis kept us worried. I quickly booked the procedure and the gastroenterologist did the check up a week later.

We prayed hard that everything would be alright and it was a relief that her colonoscopy went on well. There were no symptoms of any bowel disease but she had to pay attention to her diet and consume more fibre. Her dad was diagnosed with Crohn's disease two years ago and we were worried that she might have inherited the disease from him. Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the bowel. It most commonly affects the lowe small intestine and the large intestine, but may involve any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation extends through the entire thickness of the bowel walls. Such inflammation can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and a range of other symptoms including fever and weight loss.

With her colonoscopy behind her, she enjoyed the rest of her holidays and managed to reconnect with some of her high school mates. Hubby also visited for 2 weeks and we had a great time together. We managed to visit some of the landmarks in Perth and he also "enjoyed" the cold weather! 

Just a note....

I am really ashamed. My blog's gone stale. Time flies and its more than a year since my last update. Well, I guess is plain laziness and busyness.

Fast forward, quite a lot had happened. On my 53rd birthday this year, I made a decision to go back to college for additional qualification and certificate. After leaving the university some 30 years ago, it was  challenging to settle in a classroom routine. I had always being active and staying in class for 5 days a week can be quite daunting.

My course was for 4 months, with 3 months of theory and 1 month practical placement. I managed fairly well, albeit the study lapse and occasional short term memory loss. No doubts there were assignments, tests, workbooks that set my adrenaline rushing and brain thinking!

I had completed my theory and in the midst of finishing my practical placement in an aged care facility near my place. It is truly an eye-opener seeing older people succumbed to the ravages of dementia, senility and other diseases. Ageing  is a continual process of development, change and decline that starts at conception, taking one through adulthood, and into the later years. Something that will affect us sooner or later..

Some updates.....

I have not been updating my blog since October 2012. Somehow, the intiative and the drive had waned and I just couldn't figure out what to write. Maybe it is just plain laziness.........

After my return from Beijing in October 2012, life had settled down to a predictable routine, with the household chores, church on Sunday, reading books, magazines, surfing the internet, marketing on Saturdays and Sundays. Hubby, as usual leaves for work early in the morning and arrives home in the evening in time for dinner and his favourite Korean movies.

The only "interruptions" I had are calls from mum, emails from friends and Ruth. Mum has not been feeling very well lately, complaining of pain in her wrist, cough and aches her and there. In her early eighties, she is still springy but with a stubborn streak. My friends are the ones who updated me with their newsy bits about life in Perth. Ruth as usual is busy with her studies and needed lots of encouragement to deal with the occasional groanings, glitches and hiccups.

Well, Ruth is back from Adelaide to spend the rest of her holidays. It is good to have someone to talk and boss around, at least for the time she is here. We will be making a trip to visit mum sometime in January. Plus a tour of Vietnam during the coming Chinese New Year holidays. Something to look forward to. 

Beijing, here I come.....

Came back from Beijing, China a week ago. After washing 3 lots of dirty clothes accumulated over the seven day tour and cleaning up hubby's apartment, I can now rest a bit and reminscience over our holidays.

The tour is quite tiring and I fell sick with a hacking cough.Tthe air over the city is both polluted and hazy so much so that one can hardly see the blue sky. Traffic congested in the morning rush hour and evening. But, the trip cannot be all complaints without some of the highlights. There are 51 of us in the group, mostly overseas chinese from the United States, Taiwan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There were also 3 "ang moh" in the group. A big group no doubt, but very jolly holiday makers. It was a 44th high school reunion for the group of ladies from Taiwan and they really enjoyed themselves.

We visited several tourist attractions such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, the iconic Bird's nest stadium, Water Cube, Ming Tombs and a few of summer palaces and resorts. Not to mention the shopping at the silk factory, tea houses, jade and pearl stores. We also did some good bargaining at three other shopping malls and hubby seems very satisfied with the imitation Polo and Ralph Lauren shirts and jackets that he bought.

I had my first paranormal encounter at the Chengde Imperial Summer resort. This resort was used by  the chinese emperors and their empresses, concubines (can't remember their names, as the chinese history seems complicated) to get away from the hustle and bustle of court administration, summer heat and  enjoy respite on its scenic grounds and beautiful lakes. Everyone was busy taking photographs of the courts and living quarters when one of the ladies in the group check her camera and noticed a cat like creature with two big eyes staring at her on the screen. She later told me that she had this gift of paranormal sighting and although she sense that there was "something" in the resort, she did not see it until it materialized on her screen. It made my hair stood on end when I saw the ghostly creature. She said that the creature could be the restless soul of someone who was burnt to death there. True enough, the resort was burnt down sometime in the middle of the seventeen century but rebuilt some 150 years later. A conicidence?

Ghosts aside, I must stay that I was a good break and brought back some good and interesting memories of Beijing.

What's new.....

Thank God! Renovation works to mum's house is finally completed. I did not get to see the finished product as I flew back to KL last Sunday. When I left, only the painting and electrical works remained to be done. It has taken us one long month to do a small renovation work as the contractor is real slow. Mum had to "chase" him almost everyday for more workers, tools and materials. Even though he signed the agreement to complete the work within 2 weeks, it seemed that every promise was hopelessly broken. His dawdling really infuriates us and mum sworn that she will not use his services again should the need arises.

The mopping and cleaning up at the end of each day is very tiring, so much so that I lost 3 kgs just by doing cleaning and mopping! Great way to lose weight, I say!

Renovations aside, I am back in KL. It is another round of cleaning up and mopping as hubby's being real busy with work and the apartment has not been properly cleaned for 3 months. Plus the cooking, ironing, etc. It's really being bogged down!

I am looking forward to our 1 week vacation in Beijing next week. I really need a break! 

Finally, reno works are here...

Finally, after more than 2 months of negotiations and bargaining, renovations to mum's house is about to start. For days, we had been busy putting away all the furnitures, fixtures, fittings, photographs and other odds and ends. Even the TV set was removed from the sitting room into the mum's "nap" room. The materials arrived yesterday.

So, I will be busy helping mum to supervise the works for the next 2-3 weeks. Hopefully, the work will progress smoothly and the completion on time so that I can return to KL by the end of the month.

Renovations aside, I will defintely miss Sibu's famous "kampua" mee when I get back to KL. In my younger days, I never really like the mee but after living overseas for the last 2 years, I learn to appreciate its "distinctiveness" and even crave for it once in a while. So, I better get my fill of the dish and buy some of the dried mee to bring back to KL. No denying that my homecooked can never be at par with the original Sibu version. But, what a heck, something is always better than nothing,  when the craving is there, right ?

I had eyes, but I could not see....

 This is a backdated post.

The incident happened about 4 months ago when I was still in Perth. I love to read, so visiting the Willetton Public Library every 2 weeks is a must. The library opens everyday except for Wednesdays and Sundays. There are quite a variety of reading materials for seniors, adults, teenagers, school children and even toddlers. No doubt, I enjoyed books by my favourite authors.

I was busy browsing through the shelves, looking for books that might interest me when I stumbled upon this handicapped lady. She had no hands and was manoeuvring around with her motorised wheelchair. A book in one of the upper shelf caught her attention and she asked me to take it down for her. I willingly obliged and tried to pass it to her. She asked me to put the book on her lap. At the moment, I felt foolish as I knew that she had no hands to receive it and yet I could not see pass her handicap. Somewhat, it did not register in my mind to be more sensitive and discerning to her "problem". It was a real eye-opener. From that moment, I resolved that I would be more sensitive should I encounter a similar situation in the future. A lesson learned.

. . 

Yesterday Once More

Just 2 days ago, I was helping mum sort through the boxes of old textbooks, exercise books, novels, magazines and periodicals that she had been hoarding eversince we finished our primary, secondary and tertiary education. Mum had a habit of hoarding and almost every corner of our family house is full of old stuff and things that she had been "keeping" for the past 40 years. 

As we went through the boxes of books, old memories started coming back. There were textbooks, workbooks and even testpapers from my primary and secondary school days. These books reminded me of my childhood and teenage years, when I did my homework with the help of dad, as tuition were unheard of during those days. Memories of my classmates and teachers, many whom I have not seen or heard from for ages. I remember vividly, when I was in form one, we had a very unpopular integrated science teacher, an Indian known as Mr. V. Mathew. He had a reputation of being very bad and quick tempered and struck terror in our hearts in the science laboratory. When his tempers flared, he resorted to tearing our science worksheets and yelling at us at the top of his voice. Whenever any one of us failed in his test, he would punished us by forcing us to rewrite the questions and answers all over again, sometimes 50, 100 or 200  times. There was one occasion, when a classmate failed her test on the chapter of reproduction in humans, and she had to write the word "penis" 100 times! Just imagine that! Fortunately, he was transferred to another school the following year and thereafter, a more mild mannered teacher took over.

I also came across my report cards and looking at those marks I scored, it is a wonder that I managed to do that " well" without the tuition, internet, reference and assessment books. Well, as the saying goes, life is alot "simpler" those days. We did not have internet or facebook, MSN so we improvised our own games, played with marbles, swam in drains and rivers, climbed the trees and so on. We can say that we are also a resilient, knowledgeble and capable lot.

Sadly, the books had to be dispose off as both Ruth and her cousin Jane would no longer be using them.  Most of information are outdated and no longer relevant to the current school curriculum. So, there were 10 boxes of the books and other odds and ends to be picked up by mum's scrap collector. .

Just remembering..

It's almost 2 months since I left Perth, Western Australia. It has been home for the last two and half years (on and off) and I must stay that I am beginning to miss the place, food and the friends there. I enjoyed the quiet and laidback lifestyle, food and the company of my church friends. When I first arrive there in early 2010, I was quite concern as most of the residential houses there do not have any perimeter fencing or gates. Back home in Malaysia, almost, if not all, residential properties are fortified with brick or metal grilles fencing, often times additionally installed with electronic survelliance cameras and equipment to keep out any intruders. One could not avoid observing in the passing that some of the fencing walls are constructed at such a height that the occupants seems to be living behind "prison walls". Of course, some of the wealthier malaysians could also employ security guards to man their premises. Thus, the phrase " gated and guarded" communities are the catchword of most developers nowadays, especially those in bigger cities like Kuala Lumpur, etc.

As such, when we first moved into our rented property without the fencing and gates, Ruth and I had a few sleepless nights as any slight noise outside the house will keep us on alert. It took a while for us to get use to the situation until I heard from one of my friends that some families do not even lock up their houses when they go out! Some of homes do not have any garage, so the cars are just parked in the open carport.

Needless to say, the issue of security and incidences of house break-in in Perth depends very much on the suburb one is staying. There are comparatively less of such incidents in the better suburbs compared with the others. I must say, that comparatively, I felt safer living in Perth than in Malaysia.

Randomness.......

I have been back to Sibu, Sarawak for almost a month. Things have fairly settled in a routine with household chores, church on Sunday and surfing the net during the free time. But, it's getting really boring. I love to read but there not much reading material around. When I was in Perth, I often visit the Willetton Public Library where there are lots of novels, magazines, periodicals, etc to keep the day going. One can borrow up to 10 books for 3 weeks.

I hope that mum will start renovating the house sometime next week, at least, I will have something to occupy myself with. I am also looking forward to our planned tour of Beijng in October with a few church friends from Perth. Hubby had always wanted to visit the imperial city with its iconic Great Wall, palaces, Water Cube and Bird's Nest Stadium.

Hubby's in Adelaide visiting Ruth. He also took the opportunity to fly to Alice Springs, to see first hand   Ayers Rock, a famous tourist attraction in the Northern Territory.

Oops! It's the empty nest syndrome.

I came across the phrase " empty nest syndrome" on several occasions in the passing but never seriously dwelt on the implication until Ruth left to continue her tertiary education in the University of Adelaide, South Australia.

For about 17 years, she has always be my confidante, friend and someone for me to nag and boss around. After she left for university, I began to miss her. Suddenly, it hit me hard, that I am experiencing the empty nest syndrome. Like many others, I did not anticipate it coming that soon. The first few months were difficult as I was feeling lonely and lost without her. Although our mother-daughter bond remained strong, her presence gave me the assurance that everything is well with her.

Like many parents, letting go for the first time has been difficult, especially when she is my only child. When she chose to study away from home, I questioned the decision many times and wondered about the implications, more on her well-being and ability to cope on her own. But she told me that she wanted an opportunity to manage her own life and learn to live independantly.

After about 4 months, I visited her in Adelaide. I found that she has grown into a more sensitive and mature lady, able to manage her studies and make decisions in her life. I realised that she needs to be "away" to grow as I will not be able to "accompany" her for life. By letting go, we learn to appreciate each other more.

Latest news.......

I am really ashamed. After almost 2 years MIA , I finally decided that I had no further excuses not to continue my blogging. Time really flies. Ruth finished her high school last year and move on to university. It had been a long and challenging  road but we made it.

I have also worked on a casual basis as a cleaner for almost a year, trying to make ends meet. It's an eye-opener, as back home in Malaysia , most of such menial tasks were done by our Indon maids. In Australia, cleaners are quite well-paid but the work is hard. I work with another guy and we sometimes clean up to 4 houses a day.

I have also managed to fulfil my 2 out of 5 years of permanent residency requirements, so we can apply for the return visa to maintain our PR. At the moment, I am in Sibu, Sarawak keeping mum company and helping her with the house renovations.
Looking back for the past two and half years in Perth, I found that God has been good. He has seen us through those good and not so  good times. I really receive lots of prayer and support from our church and friends.

Just some updates

It's good to be back home in Malaysia. No doubt, the weather is real hot and sweaty but Ruth and I enjoyed the food that we missed while in Australia.

At the moment, I am in Sibu. Sarawak. As I had mentioned in my previous post, my gynaecological problems aggravated when I was in OZ . I had a biospy and a Dilatation and Curette (D & C) done sometime in August and the prognosis was not good. The doctor advised me to either to get a hysterectomy done or insert an intrauterine device into my uterus that will slowly release hormones to alleviate my condition. After due consideration, I decided to seek a second opinion from the specialists in Malaysia. So, I consulted two specialists and finally got the hysterectomy done a week ago.

Thank God and with the prayers of many concerned friends that the surgery went on well. So, I am recuperating at home and hopefully, will recover in time to fly back to OZ at the end of January 2011.

Leaving on a jet plane......

Yipee! After being in OZ for almost a year, Ruth and I are finally going home to Malaysia! The packing almost done, with last minute reminders to the neighbours to keep an eye on the house, collecting the mail and arranging to pay the utility bills on online.

Looking back, it had been a roller-coaster and challenging journey. We made many new friends and experienced a different culture and the goodness of our God. I must say that I improved my culinary and driving skills. When I was a FTWM, I hardly cooked or baked. It was all done by my indonesian maids. Here in OZ I had no choice but to cook and bake as eating out is rather expensive and, of course I promoted myself to "the indonesian maid". So, we still enjoyed malaysian dishes and kuih-muih even in OZ.

Ruth also made new friends and experienced many "firsts". Initially, it was a struggle for her to adapt to the method of teaching here, which is different from Malaysia. As a result, she did not do very well in her studies. But, she is willing to work hard and improve herself.

But God is good. My faith was strengthened and spiritual life encouraged when I joined the Disciple I studies and the bible study in the Women's Fellowship at Church.

A visit ...

All my life I have never visited a nursing home. Of course, I have seen pictures and read stories of those old, sick and infirmed folks who were put into the homes so that they can get better medical care and attention. And, also horror stories of the residents being murdered or poisoned for their money, etc, etc.

I had the opportunity to visit one such home today. With Christmas around the corner, our church women's fellowship group organized a visit to a private nursing home to share the Christmas message and sing carols. This is the first time that I had seen upclose and firsthand the residents of home, most of whom are elderly, infirmed and confined to their wheelchairs and beds. I was told that most of them are senile and suffering from dementia. Many would sit still for hours, staring vacantly into space.

The scene touched me deeply. I can imagine that once, maybe not too long ago, these folks were young, strong and able-bodied men and women. The ravages of time, old age and disease does not spare anyone. But they are well taken care of by the staff and workers of the home. Our sharing and spreading of Christmas cheer brought a brief respite and a message of hope. After all, Christmas is indeed a season of good tidings, joy, hope and love.

I also met the owner of the home, who to my surprise was also a Sarawakian from Sibu but married to an Australian.

So to date.......

Alas! It had been aoens since I updated my blog. No good excuses hah!

Time really flies. Ruth and I had been here for almost a year. We had settled down somehow. Our initial adjustments were both difficult and challenging. Ruth had to adjust to her new school and the system of teaching here, which is more interactive rather than rote feeding. I had to adjust to the new environment, the Aussie "slang" and being away from the familiar. During the first few months, I was very tempted to pack my bags and make a beeline for home. It is big challenge to learn to drive here as my driving skills back home in Malaysia were already "lousy".

But we gritted our teeth and hung on. We joined the local Methodist church and the members and pastors were a great help. They helped us settle down and brought us around to get our stuff and things. Thank God for them.

I worked for 3 months as a catalogue distributor but quitted after a fall. It was tough, tiring work and pays very little compared to the other occupations. I was not in good health as my gynaeological problems aggravated. I went for a minor surgery in August and the prognosis is not good. I will be going back to Malaysia for further treatment.

We experienced our first winter and it's blurr.... cold. And the summer is freaking hot. Ruth is still adjusting to school but she is coping. Hopefully, she will continue to improve and do well. That's all for the time being.

A new move,,,,,,

Schools nationwide in Malaysia started a week ago. But Ruth is still enjoying her "honeymoon" holidays which includes her daily swim, watching her favourite Korean movies and doing some homework that I assigned her. Her new school terms starts on 1st February and thereafter, she will be busy with exams, projects and assignments. Something new for her to work on.

In the meantime, we are also busy packing our stuff and things to start our new life in Perth, Australia. During our last trip in December 2009, we managed to rent a 3 room duplex which is within walking distance of Ruth's school. Rentals in Australia are terribly expensive, taking into consideration the exchange rates. Ruth and I might have to look into some part-time jobs to pay some of the bills.

Hello 2010!

Time really flies. In a few hours, we will be bidding adieus to 2009 and ushering in 2010. As usual, it is also a time of reminiscences, recollections and making new resolutions. First of all, all praise to our Lord for his love, blessings, goodness and graciousness.

I must say that 2009 had been a challenging year. Ruth sat for her PMR in October and she passed with all straight A's. She wasn't sure whether she could do that well but we had been praying all this while and God answered our prayers. Praise His Name!

In anticipation of our move to Malacca and thereafter Australia, I resigned from my job since October 2009. After being a tax-payer for the past 26 years, it is a new experience altogether. A complete role reversal from being a FTWM to a SAHM. Our move was, albeit, quite a smooth one, but not without glitches, and Ruth will start her Year 11 at Willetton Senior High School in Perth, Australia next February. Of course, there will be some adjustments along the way, but we just have to trust the Lord to see us through.

Home to Malacca

Well, the MIA part. It had been 3 days' since we moved to Malacca. The final packing and stuffing our effects into the 20 foot container had been really one tired and frantic week but we managed to clear the house before the new owners move in.

After calling Bintulu home for the last 15 years, it was with mixed feelings that we left this quaint, friendly and fast growing township. No doubt, memories of those good, bad and not-so-good times will always remain close to our hearts. Not forgetting our friends, acquaintances, ex-colleagues whom we had " grown-up " together with. Thank you for prayers, care, love and concern during these years. God bless you all.

We are looking forward to our settling down in Malacca. Ruth is still enjoying her holidays and taking advantage of hubby's condominium facilities to enjoy her daily swim and walk.