grandma's grandchild

I guess it’s either grandma has too many grand children or grandma has to many things too remember =)

She can remember almost all her grand children including my sis but she couldn’t remember my name (hehe… understandable. Who wants to remember someone notoriously naughty? =P
Moreover, it has been quite some time since we last met.

I told her my name is ‘Su Zhen’ when she arrived.
Then grandma gave me a new name when she called me "Ah Bin Goh" (Ah Who) throughout the evening … nice name also wo …hahaha =D

When she’s leaving home with my aunty, I spoke to her at the gate.
Holding her hand, I told her to take care of her health and be happy always =)
"Panai loh, po po hiao eh la" she smiled and spoke in Hakka
translated : panai, grandma know & will lah
wah … I felt like being the 'panai' grandchild again =)

pls bear with my ‘limited’ Hakka
po po : ning choy duk shu? Duk dao gi ning kip? Khau shi how mm how?
You still studying? Study till standard what? Exam good or not?
Me : po po, ngai duk sai hoi la. Zhor kong 3 nien duo lo
Po po, me finished studying liao. Working 3 years more lo
Po po : zhor kong? zi duo shui oh? Hang mien duk sai hi zhor kong?
Working? How old oh? Not yet finish study, go work ah?
Me : po po, ngai 24 shui lo. Duk sai hao jiu loh.
Po po, me 24 years old lo. Finished studying long time already
Po po : 24 shui, yi chian nya zak nan peng yu leh? dai ngan giang geh, mau dai ki loi ah?
24 years old, last time that boyfriend leh? wearing specs, didn’t bring him come ah?
(last time that boyfriend??? me want ask po po whether she is referring to my cousin’s bf. didn’t because don’t want to confuse her further =)
Me : haha… ‘Ah Bing Goh’ mau yin oi ah … LOL
Ah Bing Go nobody want ah ..LOL
Po po : zoh ma kai mm ooi ni oh?
why don't want you?
Me : eh ... mm ti dao lo, po po
eh ... don't know lo, po po (actually me don't know how to answer liao ... with my limited hakka vocabulary =P so I do the closing =P
me : po po, ni man man hang loh .. ah yi deng hao giu hoi loh
po po, you take care, aunty waiting quite long already

Grandma is so cute. but I was suprised she can understand my broken 'hakka' =D
Hope grandma know ‘Ah Bing Goh’ wishes her best of health and happy always =)

‘wai sik’ tortoises

Me happy … finally my tortoises are eating. They are binge’ing actually =)

As my sister put it ..
"like father, like son… like ah jie, like tortoise… so ‘wai sik’, all learn from you"

Me didn’t know that tortoises like to be fed. Have to put the stick pellet near their mouth, then they slowly learn to bite the pellet.
Now, they get excited .. climb up and down when they see ‘people’ come near.
They are now very active compared to last time when they don’t eat and make people worry.

Almost lost one of them last Saturday when my little cousins let them walk freely at the garden. Lucky found it hiding behind flower pot.
Must be trying to escape because can’t stand being overturned and passed hand to hand by my cousins.

Now, I don’t believe tortoises walk slowly because if it’s slow, how come it can get out of the sight of so many pairs of little cousins’ eyes… hehe =P

My tortoises will hate me for what they had to go through =P

Things ‘we’ want

got these findings from some articles some time ago but forgot to quote where. sorry.

Things parents want for us

• Good life
• To be happy
• To be respected & worthwhile member of society
• Good job & income
• Roof over head
• Money for nice things eg. holidays
• Good friends & partner

Things parents want for themselves

• They want to feel that they are doing a good job being your parents
• They want to discuss issues with you in a clam, reasonable way
• They want you to love them & appreciate all they have done for you, beside maintaining a good relationship with you for the rest of their lives.
• They want to be proud of you

now me realised 'our parents' wants are centred around us too. They too need our assurance that they did a great job, that we love them and appreciate what they had done for us =)

Gu Zhen

What is gu zhen?
It’s a traditional Chinese music instrument with 23 strings

If you remember in the movie ‘Kung Fu Hustle’, there was a scene where there’s a musical instrument that was used as powerful weapon. Alamak, I don’t know how to describe, so attach picture.


source : www.chinatoday.com.cn/.../ childrenpalace.jpg

Why suddenly bring up topic about gu zhen?
Because I was mesmerized by my little cousin.
She played it so well .. have to salute her already. Not only one two song but she dished out 10 songs or more so effortlessly.
hehe .. it's not my cousin sister in the picture above

Picture this, a small little girl playing gu zhen that’s heavier than her and taller than her (when placed diagonally). She didn’t bring her ‘nail’ but still she didn’t complain. I guess she’s enjoying the attention we lavished on her.
I should have recorded the songs during then, but I was too busy watching and clapping, I guess.

Children nowadays are so fortunate.
They get to learn all kinds of music instruments.
I asked my sister "do you think they still accept ah jie ah if ah jie want to learn gu zhen?"
This is what my sister had to say "u sure your fingers can still move so swiftly ah? not keras liao ah?" =P

Well …well, this set of old bones … what can they do?
Hehe … they can still type on the keyboard … updating blog … on what young bones can do that old bones wishes to do =P

Me think the image of a lady playing gu zhen is very elegant.
Alas, I don’t know how to play gu zhen =P

true

well said, keef
read keef's post on "when you love someone"
http://keefkeef.blogspot.com/

so simple yet so meaningful =)

"yi lu shun fong"

Got to know you'll be leaving for Glasglow today,
feel a bit 'keberatan hati'
I'm so sorry, soon yeng.. I wasn't able to attend your farewell gathering
( and also missed the chance meeting our friends' boyfriends =P

Wish you 'yi lu shun fong' soon yeng
they say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'
however we say ' we'll be waiting for your return in December '

"Sing it when you are DOWN".. I was told

A friend asked me to learn to sing these 2 songs
and sing it when I'm DOWN or fell down

Don't worry friend, I'm trying... listening & learning
you know I never had music sense =P

thanks S for recommending the songs
nice songs ... should share earlier ma =P

song 1 : HERO

There's a hero if you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid of what you are
There's an answer if you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know will melt away

And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you

It's a long road when you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
You can find love if you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt will disappear

And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you

Lord knows dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone tear them away
Hold on there will be tomorrow
In time you'll find the way

And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you

source : http://www.lyrics007.com/Mariah%20Carey%20Lyrics/Hero%20Lyrics.html

song 2 : STAY THE SAME

Chorus

Don't you ever wish you were someone else,
You were meant to be the way you are exactly.
Don't you ever say you don't like the way you are.
When you learn to love yourself, you're better off by far.
And I hope you always stay the same,cuz there's nothin' 'bout you I would change.

Verse
I think that you could be whatever you wanted to be
If you could realize, all the dreams you have inside.
Don't be afraid if you've got something to say,
Just open up your heart and let it show you the way.

Chorus

Bridge
Believe in yourself.
Reach down inside.
The love you find will set you free.
Believe in yourself, you will come alive.
Have faith in what you do.
You'll make it through.

Chorus

source : http://www.lyrics007.com/Joey%20Mcintyre%20Lyrics/Stay%20The%20Same%20Lyrics.html

some laugh?

Got this from office, successful in making me LOL
just would like to share some laughter =D

Kenape orang baru bercinta suka meraba-raba?
Sebab cinta itu buta

Binatang ape power Karate?
Kuda belang.cube kira brape black belt dia ade.

Pintu ape yang walaupun dengan 10 org pun tak leh nak tolak?
Pintu yang ade tulis `TARIK`

Saya ade 3 kepala,4 tangan dan 5 kaki...siapakah saya?
Pembohong...

Apa dia `Jauh di mata, dekat di hati...`
Usus

Binatang ape yang seluruh anggota tubuhnya kat kepala?
Kutu rambut

Knape lelaki jarang kene penyakit anjing gila?
Sbb lelaki ni kan`buaya`

Ape beza sekretari baik ngan sekretari kurang baik?
Sekretari baik..................`Selamat pagi tuan
Sekretari kurang baik...........`Dah pagi ni tuan`

Ape persamaan Michael Jordan ngan Michael Jackson?
Dua-dua tak kenal korang...hehe

Tukang ape yang kalau dipanggil, die menjenguk ke atas?
Tukang gali kubur

Nak mencari sikit punye susah, bile dah dapat buang, ape bendanya?
Tahi hidung

Ape persamaan kain jemuran ngan telefon?
Dua-dua kalau dah `kringgg` bole diangkat...

Knape pokok kelapa kat depan rumah harus ditebang?
Mestilah kene tebang, sape nak cabut pokok kelapa

Gajah terbang dengan ape?
Dengan susah payah......

"those small little kids"

Recent posting at a friend's blog .. http://woosahh.blogdrive.com ...prompted me to search for the old dusty photo album that stores all younger days pics.
ps. woosahh..if got some more, can post let us see ah? =P
It's so fun looking at 'those small little kids' in those photos. I realised our smiles & laughters in 'those small little kids' photo are so happy as though anything at anytime can anyhow make us laugh.
Looking at class photos ... don't know why but I find myself trying to say the name of every classmates or schoolmates in the photo.
Alas, I have never been good at remembering and matching names & faces =D haha

I wonder next time when old, if we take back our teenagers or young adults photos and see, what will come to mind? will we be telling 'stories' ... you know..last time..

Hong gai tan

Had just finished making ‘hong gai tan’..red eggs.
Am typing the keyboard with red fingers.
Preparing was easy … just hard-boil the eggs & dye them in red food colouring. Having ‘hong gai tan’ for some Chinese is like having ‘cake’ for birthday.

When I was small, I love to eat ‘hong gai tan’ because mum made them especially for me.
Now when I’m big (in age I mean) I hope mum will love the ‘hong gai tan’ we make for her (although I know all hard boiled eggs taste the same)

2 days ago, I heard that a friend’s mother prepare 2 ‘hong gai tan’ and ‘min xin’ (rice vicemillie – a type of noodle thin and white in colour) for her breakfast on her birthday morning. Honestly, I felt a tinge of envy. I wished I have that too but since I can’t, I had made up my mind to make it the other way round. I’m gonna make it for my mum. Hope she’ll like it.

Her birthdays will be great .. my relatives plan to give her a surprise party … shh =)

PASS

Received a least expected letter from FPAM - Financial Planning Association of Malaysia. Me thought there are some outstanding membership fees to pay or some seminar notification.
However, it took me awhile to comprehend what the letter was all about. There were 4 pieces of paper altogether.

Me : lucky at last pass
Father : you sure ah? (looking at the result slip)
Well, I’ll be surprised if he didn’t ask because he knew I spent very very minimal time revising.
Me : this is only module 1, can be Associate Financial Planner (APF)only
When he saw that there were another 5 modules to go
Father : wah, so many more modules to go ah?"
Father : are you going to continue?
Me : yes, but later

... of course I didn't tell him all these =P
Later .. because I’m running low on cash.. very low in fact
Later .. because I’m getting lazier (no one can beat me at being lazy=P
Later .. because I need to see ROI first
Later .. because I’m searching for more because(s) … that’s the problem with me. Trust me I’m working on it.

Wind dancer

At the night market near my place, I saw kites being sold for about rm5 – rm25 depending on the size & design.
I had the impulse to buy one but thinking where can we fly kite.
My sister asked "ah jie, you want to buy ah? Home no more place for you to put already lah. When will you take out and play? Most play one time then collect dust".

Somehow, flying kite to me is an enjoyable activity.
It’s like the kite is representing us, dancing in the winding, souring higher and higher braving the wind =) how wonderful.
Me considering kite flying as next outing… well of course not during these hazy days =P

‘ Give me my freedom ’

If my tortoises could speak, I guess this is what they are saying to me ‘Give me my freedom’. Since I got them for birthday, there ate very little. However, they didn’t want to eat for about a week liao.

No matter how I tried, what I feed, they seem to be on a hunger strike… protesting in silence that I took their freedom (clever tortoise, how did they know Mahatma Gandhi’s method worked =P

Me really have no idea why they don’t want to eat. I’m on my wit end.
However, I’ll never give up feeding them (macam lah they can understand)
Anyone any idea what’s irresistible to tortoises … especially stubborn ones like mine =D

‘Mong but liu’

If you are wondering, that’s the title of a movie (in Cantonese) starring Cecilia Cheung, Lau Ching Wan & Louis Koo. English title : Loss in Time.
I watched this movie for a second time on Saturday night. One of my favourite movie, it never failed to make me see things from new perspectives.
Cecilia did a great job bringing out the character. Also need I mention, she look great even without much make up =)

Pillar of strength

Losing our loved ones to illness or accidents may make us feel like losing our pillar of strength but life has to go on. Last week, I received 2 not-so-pleasant news from 2 friends. Both their father passed away … due to illness & another in car accident.
My deepest condolences.

Apart from the sadness, one may need to consider future of the family especially if you are the eldest in the family.
Wai peng, be strong for your mum and your siblings. They need you now more than ever. After you have settle down, take time to discuss and talk with your family members and consider what may be the best for all.

No one would like that to happen, however if it happened, we will need to learn to deal with it.

What am I doing?

Have you experienced this before?
Thinking of walking toward a particular place, and yet find yourself wander off to another direction without you knowing.

Off late, I found I’m having these problems. It’s like something is bothering my mind and shifted my focus (although my initial focus is to walk to a particular place)

Last week, at plaza OSK, I was told to proceed back to 11th floor after settling the matter on 22nd floor. Lift arrived I walked in and pressed ‘G’… reached ground floor, I walked out of lift heading towards the entrance. Only when I saw the security guard reception, I realized I’m supposed to go back to 11th floor. The guard must had had a great laugh because I said "balik dulu ya’ when I walked past.

Wednesday, I wanted to go Public Bank to submit some forms, but didn’t know what was on my mind, I actually walked to Maybank opposite the road. At Maybank, I stood there for a while before realizing I’m supposed to be at Public Bank opposite Maybank. I was laughing at myself..really =D

Saturday, after work supposed to bank-in cheque at OCBC bank. I even reminded myself in the LRT to go OCBC. After leaving Masjid Jamek LRT station, I crossed the road and walked toward HSBC direction. When I see the cheque deposit machine at HSBC, then only I realized I should be at OCBC to bank-in cheque .
What to do? turn back and walk back to where I came from (OCBC is just next to LRT station). The sun was scorching but I need to bank-in the cheque.

WHAT AM I DOING?
Was it due to what’s bothering me at the moment?
I felt like a walking zombie. It’s no good.

Trying to be hero

Had 2 vouchers that me didn’t want to be wasted. Me brought my sisters and sister’s friends to Genting for a night stay. We went after school on Thursday. Friday was not a holiday but me encouraged them to ‘ponteng’ school =P (yah..yah..that’s very bad of me)

As a result of trying to be a hero, I’m down with flu (runny nose, watery eyes, frequent sneezing and all that)
I thought my immune system quite strong and I can stand cold but I was wrong. Very wrong =P

Yalah..
Took bath about 12am, have to let all of them take first. Some stay so long in the bathroom .. don’t know whether doing facial or doing business? =P

Morning morning about 1am-2am, brought those youngsters out to the garden (behind Theme Park Hotel where they have the maze).
I still don’t understand why there are kid that think they can stand out there in Genting in the middle of the night without sweater or extra layers of clothes. And because they are indirectly under your care, you don’t want them to catch cold. You also lazy to go back hotel room and take, just take the easy way out, offer them your sweater loh. Cannot nag also because other people’s children.
Standing out there in the cold looking down the valley (alas I don’t have a digi-cam yet, else I can capture the view). It was cold but it was great as I reflected back what I’ve been through.
Did I mention it will be nice to have someone hug me too .. give me some warmth? =P

Why they want to go garden?
They say can’t sleep .. not sleepy yet .. want to go out & roam.
First World closes on 12am. Even the games arcades are closed.
They can’t enter casino.
Starbuck & Coffee Bean too costly for these kids .. also you do not want them to drink coffee else you need to stay awake all night =P.
What other choice other than roaming around and the garden. I dare to bring them to the garden because they were people there too.

In term of age, no doubt I’m the biggest. However, in term of size, I really doubt so.
As the eldest in the group, of course you are going to let the kids sleep on the bed. I doubt anyone of them can fit themselves in 2 arm chair put together.
Some more not enough blanket. What to do? So sleepy liao, so just sleep … sleep already don’t feel cold wan. I’m afraid of hot not cold, I thought.

Who know .. Friday morning woke up feel very cold…start sneezing.. nose started running .. eyes become watery .. body ache.

Yaloh, I learnt my lesson liao. Never try to be hero (if you are not capable) else will end up suffering.. I end up laughing at myself for being so ‘silly’ =D
Why try to be a hero? After all, I’m just an ordinary person who might get hurt or sick once in a while =)

Like us (or rather me at their age) they seemed to enjoy more when their parents are not there to keep an eye on them. However, as the ‘dai guai tao’ (kepala hantu) .. need to take care of them lah…
It’s a win win … my voucher didn’t go to waste & they enjoyed the trip. However, school teachers may be wondering…hehe =P For all they know, I had kidnapped their students for a day =P

No, not again !!

It was just like yesterday fuel price was increased from rm1.42 to rm1.52 per litre, and now add another 10 cents per litre.
It’s not much just 10 cents you may say. It’s a hefty sum, I say, considering petrol is not some luxury item that we can choose to forego. It is a necessity. To add salt to injury, increase in fuel prices may lead to ‘domino effects’ such as increase in transportation fees, goods & services.
Worse, our pay stays stagnant. Increase there may be, but enough to cover inflation?
Any increase in your mileage claim? Travel allowances?


Track back how fuel price increased (in a short span of 14 months)
May 04 – RM 1.37
Oct 04 – RM 1.42
May 05 – RM 1.52
July 05 – RM 1.62


Pray hard it’s not going up again in near future… else I may have to forgo shopping trips and walk to sundry shops and pasar malam instead =P (but then even the prices of goods in pasar malam has increased)