Rebuilding a career

Alhamdulillah, Ika is back to work in radio. Rania is three and a half years old and is more independent now, attending Julia Gabrielle play school in the afternoon. So Ika has more free time. I know she missed her radio announcing career. I wasn't very happy when she left MixFM but when she delivered Rania, I was glad she stayed home to take care of her. That was quite a big sacrifice. Ika is with Capital FM, 88.9 and on air from 8 pm to 12 am on week days and Justin is taking care of Rania while she is at work. I help whenever I am in PJ home with them.
To me, a married woman's sense of self-worth and pride depend a lot on her own financial independence and financial stability. Life would be good if she has a rich husband who doesn't grudge or count every penny spent on her and the family. If money is no objection, then a woman should enjoy it. But life is such that there are few things permanent including human behaviour, feeling and attitude. There are many cases where marriage which started as blissful, turned sour due to money issue.  A wife may resent her husband when she is being questioned every time a request for money is made. He may become verbally or physically abusive. The grudges and the questions about why the money is needed may make the wife feel like a beggar. You feel guilty for asking. No matter how rich your husbands are, your own hard-earned money is your savior for self-worth. I have experienced being made to feel small and useless especially when I was no longer working. Every purchase I made for the house, a resit has to be presented or otherwise I would never get my money back. Depression threatened my life but I was determined not to be a victim, so I walked out. Life is so great after that.
I admire ladies who stay at home to take care of their families but able to earn a good income through home-based work. There are so many opportunities available now. I hope more stay at home mothers are able to achieve success and be financially independent.
Last Friday, for the first time, Rania spent a night without her parents. I took her back to PD. She is such a delightful little girl, chattering and asking endless questions and enjoyed bathing herself with sand. Sometimes her questions and comments don't sound coming from a 3 year old. I hope when Gabe is a bit older, he will be more accepting of me and could travel back to PD with me. I would love to have my grandson to myself once in a while.

Rania at the Lagoon. 070913

Trying to build sand castle but she has sand bathing instead. 070913

Big hat and sunglasses for Ms Rania at PD. 070913

Stunning Maldives

Syechelles and Maldives are islands in the Indian Ocean and each has its own charm. I described Seychelles as Heaven on Earth and the same goes to Maldives. But the beauty of Maldives is beyond words especially the numerous atolls. The sea is spectacular decorated by small islands or atolls. Seeing is believing. Spending 4 days in Maldives was too short. However, there is much difference between capital city Male in Maldives and capital city Victoria in Mahe island in Seychelles. Male is congested with thousands of motorbikes whereas Victoria in Mahe is calm with less congestion. Seychelles selecst its visitors, those who have money!! So you don't see backpackers and cheap hostels there. Male is for everybody who loves tranquility and gorgeous ocean. I love Maldives but not Male. I felt comfortable there where halal food is easy to find and and the people are so friendly but most of all I love the spectacular view of the atolls and the Indian ocean.

The senior ladies in a boat ready for island hopping. I am in blue and red.

There were 12 lady senior citizens in this group, all are happy- go- lucky single ladies with not a care in the world. So going away on Aidilfitri week was not a big deal. After all the love ones can take care of themselves. The flight to Male by MAS took 4 hour and 10  minutes and we were transported to our hotel by boat. Boats are the main mode of transportation from one island to another. The clear shimmering sea was so beckoning but we had no time to soak ourselves in the sea - maybe next time when we have more time.The best place is to stay at one of the resort islands.
We did the island hopping visiting the community and at Vilingilli Island we met Aminah who had her master's nursing training at University Hospital. We chatted about Maldives and Malaysia.
I would not advise anyone to go for the Whale Submarine experience especially if you are a diver or have snorkeled in more exciting seas. There was not much to see except some fishes and wilted reefs. At the cost of US$85, it was not worth it.

Male with lagoon and the sea front.

Breathtaking view of an island from the air.

Sea planes are ready to take tourists for aerial view of gorgeous  Maldives .

But you must go for the Seaplane trip. Though expensive at US$100 for 25 minutes, the view was really out of this world.  With 1,190 islands spread out in Indian Ocean there was much to see.
In Male itself, you must not miss visiting the Hukuru Miskiiy Mosque or the Old Friday Mosque. The carving on coral stone is one of the rarest monument in Maldives and suggestion was made to declare it as a World Heritage.
Maldives, Thank you for being GORGEOUS YOU and I pray Allah spares you the destruction by tsunami.
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Aidilfitri 2013

With my lovely grandchildren on Raya Day - Rania and Gabe. 080813

With siste Anah daughter, son-in-law and grandchild on Raya Day.

Like the previous years I celebrated my Eid in a small way with my children and my sister and her children. This year we decided not to go back to Malacca to see my brothers and sisters until the Raya frenzy is over when everyone has gone back to work. The traffic jam was horrendous and we took 4-5 hours to reach PJ last year compared to the 2 hours on normal days.
I felt a bit disjointed when Izrin and family were not with me on Raya morning. This year, it's Heidi's turn to celebrate with her big family but they came to join my family in the evening. I missed my dimpled Gabe. Rania as usual has been excited about Hari Raya, even days before Raya. The attraction was playing with sparklers at night before she went to bed. It was fascinating hearing her singing' Selamat Hari Raya' while waving the sparklers in her hand. She speaks Malay like a Malay and speaks English like an Aussie.
Salam Hari Raya was done with much fun and jokes. My children, with husband and wife, made it a memorable day for me. Thank you Izrin and Haidi for the 'duit raya'. Rania and Gabe made my day. Gabe is still in his clinging stage but soon he will be independent like Rania. Rania looks at Gabe with much adoration. My life is blessed and feel contented.
Alhamdulillah, Allah grants me time to celebrate this Raya with my children and their family.
I am leaving for Maldives on 3rd Raya.

My adorable dimply grandson, Gabe, on Raya day. 

As always, Rania is so manja with Nenek - on Raya morning. 080813

Rania is taking her parents flying on Raya day

Rania with second cousin, Syeena, on Raya day. 

Rania salam Raya with Daddy. 080813 

Having fun playing sparklers with Mak Yang on Raya night. 070813

Rania and her sparklers on Raya night. 070813

Izrin and wife, Haidi clowning around after the Salam Raya. 080813

My small immediate family with Justin taking the photo. 080813

Justin, Rania and Ika. 080813

Izrin salam Raya with Maz and big sister, Ika looking on. 080813

Izrin, Haidi and Gabe in the garden. 080813

Justin Salam Raya with his mother-in-law on Raya morning. 080813

Maz Salam Raya with me..

Ika and Maz having fun on Salam Raya.

Izrin Salam Raya with big brother-in-law, Justin.

Ika Salam Raya with mummy. 080813

Rania with doting auntie, Mak Yang. 080813

Lovely picture. Rania manja dengan mummy dia. 080813

Gabe expecting his duit raya from his daddy. 080813

Gorgeous Gabe and his dimples. 080813

Tooth Implant

In the 50s and 60s there were very few qualified dentists in Malacca. I remember my mother took me to a Chinese clinic in Bukit Baru to get my tooth extracted. He was not a dentist but had experience extracting tooth. When I was in sixth form, I went to Malacca General Hospital to complain about my aching molar tooth. There was no advice or suggestion given to save it but the dentist just had it pulled. The equipment was not sophisticated. At that time the remedy for decaying tooth was extracting. Hence I lost many molar teeth leaving gaps and making it difficult for me to chew. I made dentures but hated using them.  I threw both away.
When my friend, Mages, came back for a visit from UK, we had breakfast and I had tose. While chewing I felt a hard stone in my mouth. The tip of my tongue quickly search my upper back teeth. One molar back tooth just broke!
The next day I went to Kelana Jaya Community Clinic to have the stump pulled out. Both young attending dentists failed to do it and requested me to come back for surgery. I had to leave for Phnom Penh the next day. So armed with antibiotics and pain killers, I left for Cambodia praying the stump would not trouble me. Thank God, everything was OK and I enjoyed Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
I went to Universiti Malaya Speciaist Centre to talk to Prof Wan about tooth implant. I met Prof Zainal and told him about my broken tooth. He extracted it out easily and I was surprised and pleased that I didn't have to go for surgery. Of course I have to pay a big amount for it compared to nothing in KJCC. Anyway, I was thankful it was gone.
Before deciding on tooth implant, I made a few inquiries with private dental clinics. UMSC charges RM6,500.00 per tooth. Another private clinic charges RM8,500 per tooth. Being a pensioner, Universiy Hospital charges RM3,500 - RM4,500 per tooth but there is a long waiting list. About 7 years back, a private clinic charged RM5,000 per tooth but cost has gone up. I was cautioned by a former student who was a dental lecturer to get reputable dentist if I do it at private clinic. Some dentists may have minimal tooth implant training and experience but claimed to be specialist. That frightened me.
Finally, I decided to do it at University Hospital. I was lucky having an ex-student to help me. Prof Wan advised me to do two first and Dr. Izzat did the surgery yesterday. Dr. Izzat is a gentle dentist and I didn't experience any pain or discomfort. The surgery took one hour. I have to see him again next Wednesday to remove the stitches. Then, Prof Wan will take over, I guess. I do not know yet how much it will cost me.
For that matter I need 5 implants to make my teeth fully functional. Ahhh, this is what aging is all about.
Good luck to me.

Kuching and Pangkor Island

My trip to Kuching this time on 28-30 June 2013 was to try on Homeopathy treatment again from a different doctor for my glaucoma. I hope it could help to lower my eye pressure and delay the damage. Well, I am just trying, hoping and praying that my sight will be spared. Dr. Zaiton has kindly agreed to take me to see Dr. Mohammad. Being a homeopathy practitioner herself, she understood. As a lecturer in human Resource doesn't stop her from learning another field of knowledge. Thank you Zaiton for making time for me. I met a few former colleagues and former students too which gave me much pleasure.

With Dr. Jamayah (in sunglasses) and former student, Lisa. 280613

With former st3udents, Lisa and nora. 28061

Thank you Dr. Jamayah, Nora, Lisa and Husniah for making time to meet me. I appreciate your caring. At the same time,

Razali and family. Wife, Rose, is 2nd from left. 290613

I have the opportunity to visit Razali and his family and Dr. Fatahyah and her family. It's nice to see the children again who have grown so much since I last saw them. I hope Fa's mother will get well. Unfortunately I was not able to visit Ama's father who is hospital as Ama was away to see her PhD supervisor. My prayer that her father will get well soon.

Kuching has grown too. Many of the green areas have disappeared replaced by houses, shopping areas etc. There is also traffic congestion where it was unheard of before. I miss the old Kuching.
Back from Kuching I was busy organizing and sorting out things for the jumble sale at the mosque in Kg. Tunku, to raise fund to help the unfortunates. We managed to raise almost RM1,000 for the 3 hours sale. Thank you for all the support from people who came to the jumble sale.
The next day 7 July, Indra, Jin and Padmini came early in the morning to pick me up to Pangkor Island. I have not been to Pangkor for awhile. Jin drove and it was a pleasant drive to see the coastal road is wide with no more traffic congestion as years before. I promised myself that I would take a solo drive again on this coastal road to Perlis one day soon.
Staying in Pangkor Island Beach Resort (it was Pan Pacific before) was a pleasant experience. Situated at a cove, it's  sheltered with calm sea. There's also a legend attached to the far end beach here.

Pied hornbills percehed on a chair at the poolside waiting for feeding time. 080713

Feeding a tame hornbill at Pangkor Island Beach Resort.

The attraction were the pied hornbills who came down for feeding in the morning at 7.30 am and in the evening at 6.30pm.

A young male peacock doing the dance to attract a female peacock at the beach. 080713

The attractive backside of a male peacock trying to attract a female's attention. 080713

Beside that, there were also peacocks.
On the way home on 9 July, we stopped at Bukit Melawati to see the silver leaf monkeys who were so delightful and beautiful unlike their cousins, the macaques monkeys who are aggressive and unfriendly. These polite animals are a joy to see and interact.

Loving silver leaf  couple with a baby.

Gentle but got to hide the food.

It was a nice and cheap holiday for us, 4 seniors, since Priya is a staff and our rate was discounted. Thank you Priya for your hospitality and we wish you all the best in your life and career.

With Priya at the beach of PIBR. 080713

Sungai Lembing and Siem Reap

Pretty view of Sg. Lembing and the Museum  090613

The welcoming arch as you enter Sg. Lembing.

Najidah and I on a short train ride into the mining tunnel. Awesome  sight. 100613

I felt safe enough to travel in the country after the havoc of General Election though there were isolated cases of racist actions and remarks through FWD emails. Najidah and I decided to drive to Sg. Lembing after the school holidays (9 June - 11 June 2013). True, Sg. Lembing was so quiet. The town was asleep with few shops opened and few people around. This suited us fine. Though we were disappointed for not being able to see the Rainbow Waterfall and the panoramic view at Bukit Panorama, we were happy to see the pretty town and learned its history through the eyes of a local guy who was brought up during the glorious days of tin mining there. According to him, Sg.Lembing was prettier then. He requested us to come again during weekend when he can take us there with other groups of tourists since the journey is long and lonely. We promised to get in touch with him when we decide to return.
A after I arrived back at PJ house Maz, my daughter, SMS whether I could accompany her on her trip to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia from 14 to 19 June 2013. Emergency made her friend cancel the trip. Though I have been to Siem Reap, I was pleased that I could visit Phnom Penh. Maz and her friends had a program where they help the poor Islamic schools there by donating school supplies like books, pens, pencils etc etc.

YB Set Mohammadsis (standing second on right next to his sister)  and his parents. Maz  sitting on left. 140613

We were met later by a young member of Parliament, Set (Mr.) Mohamadsis and took us to his parents' house and to the Islamic school where we donated the supplies. According to him, KM 7-KM10 are muslim areas where we can get halal food easily.

The tower where they store the skulls of the victimsof PotPol cruelty at Killing Fields, Phnom Penh.

The most morbid site at Killing Fields. The grave of naked women and children. The tree was used to bash the heads of children. 

A visit to the Killing Fields and the Genocide museum was so depressing. Human cruelty was unimaginable. This is what hate can do to human beings - they become heartless and without compassion.

Angkor Wat at 6.42am 170613-no sunrise today disappointing a huge crowd there.

Maz and I at the bottom root of a tree which chokes the ancient temple at Ta Promph.

At Siem Reap town at dusk 160613

Angkor Wat has changed. The almost vertical narrow steps to the highest level of the main temple was closed and replaced by a wooden steps. So going up there was easier. I didn't climb the steps when I was there in 2006. There was massive restoration projects going on in Angkor area. I was able to see almost every ancient temple in the area and had to walk in the hot sun. Thanks to my walking stick cum chair which enabled me to rest my poor legs after a long walk.
Thank you Maz, for taking me to this trip. I have enjoyed it.
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Bless my country

The election results recently brought a lot of disgust and disdain in my heart. My beautiful, peaceful country is so divided by racists. Before the election day, my email was jammed with FWDs condemning Barisan Nasional, the Malay leaders and the Malays by selfish greedy Chinese and Indians. I read a few and many I just deleted. I could imagine how it would be like if the non-Malays took over the country and the Malays would be persecuted. Unfortunately, the Malays themselves are at fault. We are so divided in politics, religious beliefs and attitude - to the delight of the non-Malays. Tengku Zarith Sofiah was not in touch with the reality of the people when she wrote comments implying the Malays should be more accommodating? We have been so accommodated we sold our land and our spirit. What more could we do? Like many Malaysians, we are takers with selfish attitude - take as much as you can, no need to feel gratitude. Until today, I still received FWDs with the same revolting message. The younger generation harbours so much hate  against another race and I fail to see tolerance and respect.
I hope the Malays learn from the result of the election. They have dangerous enemies as their sleeping partners. If only they could put aside their differences, they can be strong and united. Why can't we be united like when we pray together during Friday prayer or berjemaah? Didn't we pray to to the same Allah and face the same Kaabah? Why don't we learn from the Chinese - they were united to fight the government regardless whether  they are Budhists, Christians, Toiasts or Muslims. Race comes first to them. I pray that what Aminuddin Baki said in 1960s would not come true that orang Melayu mungkin menjadi seperti ' Itik di air mati kehausan, ayam di kepuk mati kelaparan'. The Malays need to wake up and fight not by weapons or by degrading words but by working hard to provethat  they are worthy, strong  and with healthy attitude and practices.
May Allah bless my country and save it from destruction.