A New Year ... A New Baby

Its the last day of 2005 and I can't help but wonder how quickly the year had passed. There were so many things to do and before I realise it, we will be ushering in the New Year in a matter of hours. InsyaAllah, next year will bring better things for all of us, and the proposed reunion in early Janaury will be a good start to renew friendships and strengthen ties. Hopefully, more will join us in Putrajaya. I missed the OGA Raya Gathering recently, but if any of you are interested, just go to the TKCOGA blog (the link can be found at the sidebar of this blog), where Kak Ruby has posted some photos. I hope to be able to gather some good photos of our January event, to be posted here for the benefit of all who cannot attend.

Meanwhile, the good news is that our Blog had gathered quite an encouraging number of visitors. Most of them are girls from our Batch, but some are not, although they have become regulars. Very few leave comments to the postings, but I know many are just "silent" readers. Of course, most of the Sisters of 74 read the postings in their email, because the postings are sent to the egroup anyway!

For me, 2006 brings a new addition to the family ... no, I am not having a baby! It is a new addition to the Sulong family because my brother's wife has just delivered a new baby boy early this morning. At 3.54 a.m., to be exact. Here is a picture of the Baby which my sister-in-law sent via MMS.

8 hours old Baby Danial

Well, I will end this post with a New Year wish for all, and hope to see you in Putrajaya!

My Little Accident

Two Thursdays ago, I fell by the roadside while walking to a meeting and injured my knee. It was excrutiatingly painful since my knee was dislocated and I looked in horror at my bent, distorted looking knee. It was also totally embarassing since passers by stared and cars slowed down to look. Some good Samaritans and 2 policemen tried to help me up but it was too much for me. So, I tolde them to hang on, and tried to starighten my knee very slowly, until I heard (or felt?) a snap and my knee looked closer to its original state, albeit somewhat swollen! Wow, I actually did a McGyver!!! Never in my wildest dream did I imagine something like that could happen. (Of course, later the doctor told me that it was quite possible for the knee to slip back in like that easily.)

I was rushed to the nearest hospital (PUSRAWI) in a taxi flagged down by the policemen. After X-rays, I was told that I needed to be admitted and a procedure (athroscopy, I think) needed to be done. By next morning, the knee area had swollen so bad, and I was almost eagre for the doctor to do what needed to be done. Luckily, I didn't need a General anaesthetic and was awake throughout the whole proecedure!

I was given 3 weeks MC, and am now recuperating. That means I can mope around the house till after the new year! Of course, going for physiotherapy too. I still go to office now and then because there were some stuff that required my attention. Also probably, because I needed to feel useful!!!!

Anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to move around as usual. The therapist thinks that I could be restored to almost 90%. Cuma tak boleh squat saja lah, he said. It could be either impossible or too painful. Anyways, I am hopeful.

Need to lose weight though. Now that I really cannot work out in the gym to shed off the excess baggage, any ideas on some magic bullet that can shave off those extra kilos? Ha, got to put this down as a New Year resolution!

A history lesson.......

I have just discovered something very interesting (actually, I knew it long before but did not realise the extent of it). My husband's family on his mother's side has a long history that can be traced back to an Indonesian freedom fighter. Like I said I knew about it much earlier but only realise the significance of it recently.

It all started when one of his cousins mentioned about wanting to trace their family history, since he had also known about the relationship with the freedom fighter. And as a result of of his search, a big gathering of all the suku-sakat was held sometime the third week of Raya in Seremban.

It turned out that his moyang (to the power of?) was one Tuanku Tambusai (or his real name Fakeh Muhammad Salleh Tambusai, aka Tok Ungku), a respected religious teacher and freedom fighter in Indonesia. He came over to this country sometime in the 1800s, fleeing the Dutch after they had defeated or killed most of his comrades. The Tuanku Tambusai came to settle in Kg Rasah in Negeri Sembilan with some of his followers. He did not get involved in the politics of the region after that but his followers did, which had an impact on the history of our country. Jalan Raja Laut was named after one of his followers ..... so it seems.

The Tuanku Tambusai died in Kg Rasah in mid-1800s and was buried there. His makam is on a small hill, and has now been turned in a historical site by the NS goverment. The Indonesian govt has also recognised the Tuanku Tambusai as a national hero, and a plaque was place at his makam to announce this. Some of my husband's other ancestors/relations were also buried there, some as recent as within ten years ago.

By strange coincidence, I remember watching an Indonesian film on TV years ago about Tuanku Tambusai. At that time I did not know about this history so I did not say anything to my husband about it. I was watching alone and it was shown late at night. I was getting sleepy and did not wait to see the ending. Later I found out that the producer filmed his makam in Kg Rasah and inserted in the closing minutes of the film.

I visited his makam some Raya back (about 15 years ago) and visited it again recently after the clan gathering. My husband managed to get a copy of the Indonesian film and I noticed that the scene of the makam in the film was as when I first visited it. The place looks better now since it has been declared a historical site. You can drive up to the site, whereas before that we had to walk up the hill for about 150 metres.

Just for the record my husband is the 5th generation and the youngest of the clan is of the 7th generation ....... I think.

There are a lot of info about Tuanku Tambusai on the Indonesian websites but I have not seen any on Malaysian websites.

Well ...... just thought I'd share some history with you all.

I am Back!

I know it has been quite a long time since I posted on this blog. Since the fasting month to be exact, and that is way too long! What can I say? Too many things to do ... and too little time to do it! A cliche, yes, but that is the sad fact. Thanks to Jon, at least the blog is still somewhat alive.

I am happy to have met quite a number of the gang during that time, though. Some pre-arranged, while at least two, were unplanned.

It was good catching up with Adillah, Pah, Sham, Shamp, Norsiah, and of course, Jay, who I bump into every now and then (because we live nearby) and a few others (sorry if I missed out your name. Poor memory. A natural consequence of aging!) Also I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Noshi at the recent Bicara Minda with Kak Ijat at Panpac. It has been more than a year since I met her, i.e. since the last reunion. We were lucky because it was free seating and we were able to sit together and talk about ourselves, our work, the happenings, and better yet, (ahem!) exchange gossip and bitch! No, I am pulling your leg. We are too nice to do that! Also met Opah there, but she came later and sat with her colleagues from Telekom.

Anyway, all these remind me that we must have another planned get together soon. Some have mentioned the Putrajaya cruise. Maybe that will be good, though I may get seasick! Last I was on a boat like that was some 25 years ago, on a cruise along the Nile! Not sure whether I can find my sea-legs again after all that time. Mazrah, Fidz, do you remember that one! Still have the photos (sigh!)

I have started the arrangements for the 30th Reunion CDs to be duplicated, as requested. Will endevour to get it done up nicely, complete with the nice CD covers and labels. Semi-pro, gitu! Hope there is still a budget for it. Ada lagi ke, Jon?

Moving forward, I would like to take up Jon's proposal (or was it Jay's or Hafiz's) to do another one on the Sisters of 74, this time with photos of all (if possible) our girls and their updates. Better yet, if we can get everyone to submit a video of themselves giving their updates personally. Well, we can discuss the details, but its worth a shot. (Ani Che Dan, yang ni kalau your hubby nak copy for his Batch, kena bayar royalty!) Any ideas, anyone? Caution though, you tend to look much bigger in the videos, so I better start going back to the gym!!!)

Let's start the ball rolling, in time for the next reunion. Otherwise there won't be enough time to complete this Project.

I have to go. Dah lapar ni. Salaams to all.

Dah habis Puasa ..... Makan-Makan Pula .........

Hi semua, wishing everybody an enjoyable Hari Raya celebrations.

I celebrated Raya at my in-laws this year. Every Raya we alternate antara my kampong and my hubby's, and this year it is his side punya turn. So tak da la rushing sangat pasal nak cuti cos it is not far from KL, we went back on raya eve morning. The traffic was okay. I suppose most people started off masa weekend before that or on Deepavali.

Raya tahun ni is just a quiet affair, (maybe because both my in-laws are not that well) but the obligatory rendang and kuah lontong tu masih ada la. Followed by the visits to the rumah-rumah sedara. By the evening semua dah macam normal, just waiting for other relatives to make the return visits. We came back to KL on the morning of the 3rd raya and visited a couple of relatives' houses before balik rumah.

Sunday (4th day) was quite busy for me cos that day all my sisters and brothers came over. Bukannya I plan to have an open house hari tu tapi terpaksa.

To start from the beginning, my younger sister left her car at my house bila dia balik kampong for raya. She happens to be the only one who went back kampong. All my other siblings celebrated raya in KL or with their in-laws. Before you start thingking 'eeee teruknya !!!!' everybody ada reason why they did not go back for raya. Lagipun my parents sekarang ni tinggal with my younger sister in Puchong, and only went back kampong for Ramadhan. On Sunday tu all three of them (father, mother and sis) datang balik ke KL. Since kereta dia ada kat my house, of course they have to come her first. Naturally, adik-beradik yang lain tu pun datang sini la sebab nak raya dengan my parents and dengan each other.

But it wasn't that difficult really. Since semua dah tahu yang my house is going to be the meeting place we agreed to have a pot luck gathering. So I made mee curry and my other sisters bawa rendang, nasi himpit and kuah kacang. My daughter baked a cake and we ordered some satay. Semua sekali I thing ada la about 35 people semuanya, including some cousins who also dropped by when they knew that my parents are at my house.

I thought that is the end of the raya makan-makan that I have to prepare for, tapi petang tadi my daughter pula dah hint-hint nak buat makan-makan raya untuk kawan-kawan dia. Ikut her estimate ada la around 20-25 orang. Tak habis lagi la nampaknya.... ini yang kakaknya, yang adik tu tak cakap pula berapa ramai. I told them, kalau nak buat kena buat together cos I tak nak letih dua kali. And they have to promise to help me prepare for it and plus the cleaning up.

Just to let you know, I don't have a maid. But I am thankful because so far I don't have much problem in getting all my three children, including my son to help whenever we have a big gathering of people for makan-makan. That includes the washing up before and after which I know ramai yang tak berapa suka buat, especially the cleaning up after.

Okay that's it for now. Got to start thinking of the menu........

Al-Fatihah

Our beloved PM's wife, Datin Seri Endon, passed away this morning just before 8.00 a.m., after a few years of battling cancer. Allahyarhamah's twin sister passed away a few years back, also from cancer.

May Allah's Blessings be on Allahyarhamah.

You may post your condolence message at the following link:

http://www.pmo.gov.my/doc/takziah.nsf/blog?OpenForm

Hari Raya.... Baju Raya... Kuih Raya......

Dah masuk 3rd week puasa but still having problem to wake up to prepare sahur every morning. Yang lepas-lepas, I only need to rely on the alarm clock only during the first week of puasa. After that I will be awake before the alarm sounds. Tapi kali ni lain pula, still susah nak bangun sahur. Kadang-kadang tu bila alarm dah bunyi rasa macam nak 'snooze'kan dia dua tiga kali lagi. After sahur, if I allow myself, I can even go back to sleep. Kenapa ek? dah feel the age agaknya. Tapi biasanya as you get older you don't need much sleep, yang I perhatikan la....

Am taking a break from my sewing project.

I am a slow stitcher. Kalau nak jahit apa-apa tu kena jelujur dulu, kalau tidak result dia jadi senget. Tambah pula my machine is only a light portable one, so the stepper foot tak ada grip sangat. Kalau nak rely on pins saja, sure senget punya. Tapi dah banyak jasa tu.. bertahun dah I guna. Dapat juga la save me money on the tailoring costs.

Early in the fasting month, my daughter yang kat UIA asked whether I can sew baju kurung for her friend. Most tailors dah tak nak ambil cos dah mula puasa. I said I can't cos at my pace, tak sure boleh siap or not for Raya. Maybe next year boleh consider kut, lepas juga la duit raya untuk all the anak-anak buah nanti... ha ha ha...

Now working on my daughter's 3rd baju raya... hari raya punya pasal. Finished four already (mine and my two daughters altogether), at least the machining part, tinggal nak kena siapkan yang jahit tangan. Normally, I will leave this to the individual owners. So my youngest one dah siap three-quarters dia punya. My other daughter belum lagi cos dia kat UIA lagi, next weekend baru balik.

Kuih raya belum tengok lagi, kena buat juga tu nak bawa balik kampung. Masa kerja dulu beli saja. Tak payah bawa balik kampung pun cos my mum-in-law rajin buat biskut raya. And when time for us to return to KL, she would pack the biskut for us to take back. Sekarang dia pun dah tak sihat sangat, so the anak and menantu pula la yang bawa balik. Maybe buat sikit dulu, kalau tak cukup buat pula lepas raya, sendiri punya (as if.....).

Balik kampung nanti ikut lebuh raya......Jaaaaaam......

Old Friends and other memories ...

It really is great hearing from you again, Maton. Sure, we have heard and read the stories about your family, and we were quite concerned. However, knowing what the media can be like sometimes, we took it all with a pinch of salt and have given you and family the benefit of the doubt. We hope and pray for your happiness and well being. And we look forward to your homecoming and, like Hafiz said, we hope we can all meet at a reunion of the Class of 74! And hopefully, with Puteri too, as well as all the other girls whom we had not been able to locate after all these years.

Hafiz, you really have such good memory! Aah ... the summer of 76! (Sounds like a Movie!). I remember that summer! It was such a joyous one month that Midah and I spent, mainly in the company of you and the friends from Exeter (did I get that right?). Actually, my cousin, Najib was supposed to be our host but when we told him we wanted to meet our friends from TKC, he took us to Malaysia Hall and all we had to do was hang around there and pretty soon all these familiar faces started popping up! You, Mazrah, Fetty, Atel, and all the rest. Really wonderful! Those were such carefree days. And after that, you, Mazrah and Ani reciprocated with a surprise visit to Cairo! That was really crazy! At that time, English wasn't too widely spoken in Cairo and these bunch of girls managed to make their way to our apartment. Really brave and rather cool!

Hmmm ... a bit sad that at this stage of our lives, we do not have that much time to spend with our old friends. Recently I went to Dillot's house and it was really fun! Dillot is still very much the cheeky girl with whom we shared a room on the ground floor of Block F. Believe me! That Mak Datin really rocks! If any of you remember the swimsuit parade in that room in 73, you get the picture. Hehehe ... jangan marah Dillot.

Anyway, still wondering what happened to Ju (Gopeng), Liza (Norhayati), Desna, and others we have not seen in quite a while. Anyone know their whereabouts?

I have never done this before, blogging I mean, so here goes.

I have just given my fishes a heart attack, so I thought this should calm me down a bit. I know they say you have to take out all the fishes when cleaning their house, but I have guppies in my small pool and there are tens of them ( hundreds maybe, including all the tiny ones) so I can't possibly scoop all of them out. It's just a small pond with a nusantara-style pasu in it that acts as a fountain. With all the news about dengue going on now I thought I'd just clean it up a bit (the guppies are placed there to eat up the mosquito larvae). So, I just pump out the dirty water leaving just barely enough for them to swim about, and refill with fresh water. At the same time I just sort of stir up the tiny pebbels at the bottom to raise up the dirty stuff so that it will be pumped out as well. And the fishes will be swimming helter skelter just to get away from me. But at the end of it I thinnk they are still okay 'cos they are all swimming around none the worse.

Anyway back to the topic. Like I said I've never done this before but there has to be a first time for everything. I always thought that bloggers have to have a statement to make. Well I don't have any (unless you consider scaring my fishes is a big statement).

Before quitting I used to work in a bank. My work involved working on and leading projects for developing the bank's products before launching them out. We usually work in teams anything from 10 to 20 people, depending on the size of the project. The work involved creating something out of nothing, save for a brief predetermined product rules. But of course these rules can change if we see the need based on our findings during the development work.

We have regular meetings and discussions working out all the processes and systems and procedural requirements. Ever so often when we are stuck at some point and cannot see how to proceed, someone in the team would casually say "takpa... kita buat dia" (loosely translated 'never mind ... we make them'), and then we just go back to the last agreed point and start again. That is when changes to the rules are proposed and new ones made. Based on that that philosophy I'd like to think that I have been successful on all my projects.

Until now, even after quitting, I find that this still works for me. I determine how I want to live my life. If I want to feel good.. I do good. Sometimes when I meet up with old office friends, they always ask what I am into now ( buat apa sekarang? ada buat bisnes ke? dah dapat kerja baru ke? tak boring dok rumah?) As if it cannot be imagined that I may actually enjoy staying at home and not working (as if staying at home is not work).

So I say to all 'kita buat dia'.

So kalau tak nak rasa bosan jangan dok saja-saja, definitely you will feel bosan. If you chose to be bored, then boring la rasanya. I have always liked needlework, ever since young. While working I don't have the time to indulge in these things, so sekarang boleh la. I have been sewing my own raya clothes plus my two daughters'. Then there is the garden....and the fishes...
However, I still have some work to do on cooking. Bila tiba masa nak kena masak tu rasa berat sikit la...

Alhamdulillah, until now I have no reasons yet to feel otherwise'. And I pray that I still have the openness in mind to think positively out of all that happened and may happen, InsyaALLAH.

So again, 'Kita buat dia'.

Wan Faizon is In The House!

Welcome aboard, Jon. I am glad you decided to take up the invitation to be a contributor to the Blog. And I look forward to read your postings, photos, etc.

Is anyone else interested? Just send me your email and I will do the necessary. For those not yet in the contributor list, you can still put in your comments on the posts in the blog. Tapi kalau you nak story sendiri, please send me your info.

Ani Salim, I sent you the invite some time back. Boleh respond, tak? I am sure you banyak cerita for us. I ni, not exactly the storyteller in those good old days. In think I was better known as a Cartoonist, because at the reunion last year, many asked me what happened to my cartoons? Hmm... probably got lost somewhere in the paper chase! That will be another story I guess. Coming soon to a Blog near you.

I know sometimes I may sound quite frivolous when I post on the Blog. Bukan apa, release tension. This is one of the few places where I can let it all hang out (OOPS ... almost all!) because all of you have known me since we were kids, so I have nothing to hide and I can be the real me without being afraid that I will be judged. I am sure Ani CD feels the same ... just look at her when she is with us! The young Ani CD resurfaces and there is almost no inkling ofthe person that she is now, i.e. some hotshot corporate climber minding the moneybags of a huge corporation! Except, when the prefect or debator surfaces and she becomes a bit intimidating!!!Jangan marah, Ani. We all love you.

The point is, please do not let your fear of being judged by the other sisters here hold you back from posting. After all, we are old friends, and I am sure we are all past that. Lagi pun tua tua ni, you can speak your mind! So, let go of your inhibitions and give it a go!

And finally, Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak.

Blog Report aka Contributions, Anyone?

A thought just occurred to me. Apart from Hafiz's earlier posting and Zid's previous comments on this blog, no one else from our Batch is posting anything on this blog! So, it has ended up being filled with rambling and monologues from yours truly!

When I started this, I anticipated that initially the postings and comments will be quite slow, but I had hoped that things will pick up as we all begin to get the hang of it. However this did not materialise and I am now wondering if I should just discontinue this and just concentrate on my own personal blog.

Most of you are probably reading the postings from the yahoogroups because I have linked it to the group. Notwithstanding this, I must say that the traffic to this blog is picking up. And that it has quite a few regular "readers", both locally and abroad. Some are entirely not related to TKC or our Batch but landed here through the searches and links. And some of these "accidental" visitors had stayed on to read the postings!!! And I think, though I cannot confirm it, we have at least one or two Sisters of 74 reading this from the UK. Maton, is that you?

I noticed that in the tkcoga blog, most of the postings are from K Ruby, but at least members are responding with comments to the postings. You see, apart from contributing by writing your own postings, you can also put in your comments to these posts by clicking the "Comment" link at the end of every post. You can also post photos, etc., whatever strikes your fancy. And it doesn't have to be lengthy works of art either! E.g post a photo of your son's ( or daughter's) wedding, or photos of yourself before and after the slimming regime you have been adhering to the last six months(?), your favourite recipes, an article you read which could be of interest, or even an interesting site you visited (just type in the link, no need to write about it!) I know that initially we all experience some hesitance ... orang nak baca ke? ... malu lah! ... am I baring to much about me? ... Tak pandai tulis lah! ... etc. But I can almost guarantee that once you have started, you will really begin to enjoy it.

At the beginning of the creation of the blog, some of you have expressed that it may not be necessary because we have the newsgroup, and that we are too busy to access different sites, apart from our emails. And not everyone stays glued to the computer from morning to evening! Point taken (albeit, sadly), but I was hoping to show that with all the hectic schedules which leaves so little time for us to catch up with one another, we can share more of ourselves through the blog. Anyway, I hope to get some views from all of you in respect to whether there is any point in continuing this blog? If you can't respond to this at the blog, just email me, or through the yahoogroups.

Looking forward to your views. Love and Best Regards.

I finally got soft copies of the photos of the Sabah trip. Thought I'd share them with all of you. That's me with the red helmet , seriously rowing away!

It was pretty good fun, though tiring. But as I mentioned in the previous post, I think Jeram Besu was a bit more challenging! Anyway, my body, especially my shoulders still ached the next day. I was frantically looking for a good massage the following day!

The next photo was taken by my colleagues who went to the Kinabalu Park the following day.

The Rafflesia is the the world's largest flower and is also one of the hardest to find. I didn't join the trip to Kinabalu park, but my colleagues who did were lucky to come across this one, which is in full bloom. Apparently, Sabah is known to have the largest concentration of the Rafflesia population. This exotic flower takes up to 15 months to bud and only lasts 7 days in bloom. Its Malay name is Bunga Pakma and some of you may already know that it is also sought for its medicinal properties. Some history ... the first Europeans to discover the Rafflesia were Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Joseph Arnold. They stumbled across one whilst on a field trip near Bengkulu, Sumatra in 1818.

And finally, sunset as seen from the hotel we were staying, Sutera Harbour Resort.

With that, good night all!

Good to Be Back

Aah ... its good to be able to sit down with my laptop and start connecting with my friends again. I have been away since August 24th, for a long awaited break from work, and after that I was in Kota Kinabalu with most of my colleagues for a team building cum holiday retreat.

The break was good. Time spent with family is always wonderful although this time it was tinged with sadness since my cousin, Sazali, passed away that Saturday morning in Penang, when he succumbed to dengue haemorrhagic fever. He was all of 30. As a result, the wedding reception for another cousin took a back seat. I think I shall write about Sazali's passing in another posting, if I am up to it.

The KK trip, though short, was pretty tiring. I didn't realise KK was THAT hot and humid! I was practically melting! Thank God for the rafting trip at the rather "gentle" Kiulu River, which is categorised as Grade 1 to 2. Was told by the guide that it is good for beginners, families with children and the not too adventurous (?). That was my second experience at white water rafting, the first being at Jeram Besu, which I was told is a Grade 2 to 4, and fast gaining popularity as one of the most challenging white water-rafting areas in the country. Gradings aside, I felt I certainly had more adrenalin gushing when I was doing Jeram Besu.

Anyway, gentle or not, my muscles ached from all that rowing, almost 10 km, I was told. Must be from lack of exercise, and also the fact that we all didn't do any warm-ups before all that rowing! And, sigh, probably age as well!!!

If there was anything I missed about beimng away from home, it was the food. I guess the locals do not like very "padas" food and Mis Hot Pallete here certainly fopund the food rather bland. So, for 4 days, I was practically starving!

I apologise if I haven't been answering emails all this while. Didn't feel like lugging around my laptop, and wasn't inclined to be holed up in some internet station. And K Ruby, if you are reading this, sorry I didn't respond to your request regarding the discussion on the tkcoga blog.

Also wanted to congratulate the group on the increased traffic to our blog. Way to go, girls! Now, it would be even better if you start your postings, right? :-)

Memories

I was supposed to go to Putrajaya today, for the lunch with Norsiah, Nin, and gang. But the haze made me reconsider. I didn't fancy driving all that distance in the smog, knowing full well that it is worse in Putrajaya! Besides, I am rather sensitive to dust paticles, smoke, etc and the sinus could start acting up. I have been lucky so far, though! Alhamdulillah.

So, I called Nin to convey my apologies. Runmaging through my computer files, I found this one called TKC Memories. It contained contributions from our Sisters of 74 in response to my request for anecdotes, etc on some of the stuff we remembered about our time in college, for the video during our 30th Reunion. So, since this blog has become mostly a monologue by me, I thought I should share these contributions from Jay, Hafiz, Atel, Haizan and Jon.

Jay:
a favourite on Saturdays...tak ingat how many times a month a few girls from various forms dapat go out shopping for the house. Yang dapat pergi will takeorders from housemates the day before. Favourite orders... biskut cheese, ABC with santan and mesti pergi kedai Wah Tung (if I am not mistaken) beli themost lovely and soft cream cakes at the time and also biscuits, macam pastry, long rectangle shapes, glazed with sugar and have raisins. (Sampai kahwin pun kalau balik kampung, I cari biskut tu sebelum we bypass Seremban ikut North-South Highway).Lepas tu tunggu Pak Cik kat bus stand. Bila Pak Cik apply the hydrolic brakes, bunyi macam keluar angin and kekadang Pak Cik saje jerk-jerk...cukup seronok

When we first came in Form 4, habis prep our sleeping time was 9.30 pm I think. Masa tu mana lah boleh tidur...dah biasa tidur lambat tengok tv katrumah. Yang rajin, buat homework kat corridor or baca kat toilet, yang lain duduk ramai2 on the beds sampai bergayut spring katil. Bila dengar footsteps prefects and resident staff, masing2 berlari lintang pukang lompat atas katil masing2, satu2 bunyi kiok,kiok spring or bunyi katil dilanggar. Bila kena tegur,semua senyap pura2 tidur tak mengaku.

Can anyone recall, before we came berapa helai kain batik, bra, panties, t-shirts, blouses etc can we bring. Orang bodoh lurus macam I ikut exactly...takcukup nak pakai. Semua mesti ada code kan kena check selalu by resident staff. Our bilik must be super clean and neat... the lines on the bedspread mesti sama aje and mosquito net tegak tak boleh senget. Ape aje buat carry marks be it for the house or class. The dirtiest class kena hang broom for the whole week. Masa nak sports day punya teruk practise marchpast sampai ketiak pun melecet

Masa Form 4, our seniors esp Upper Sixers were so garang. I dont know about the other house tapi I was so afraid of them sampai jalan kat Lovers Lane nakpergi canteen, nampak senior, I boleh turn back balik dorm. Masa mula2 datang kat dining hall, mula2 hairan kenapa semua orang tak makan, rupanya kena tunggu kakak senior start first,roti pulak kena ikut buang kulit, tak cukup makan. Bertawaflah lepas tu cari roti extra, kaya, telor, esp from tempat kakak2 yang sedang diet. Bila break, tawaf collect biscuits. Bila breakfast ada scramble eggs or scramble eggs with cheese, dengar kuat bunyi daripada dining hall our juniors cincang telur yang berketul2 akibat masak dalam kawah

I do remember after prep, bukan setakat makan kat locker room, but also in the luggage room, pakai electric coil, boil water masak maggie. Kat sinilahbelajar makan maggie mentah...it tasted delicious....I remember Jiwa kept her nice clothes in the luggage bag aje( maklumlah orang istana) as she preferred to dress simple like the rest of us.

I also remember kami blue house on 1st floor mostly dari selatan. Yang utara from Perak like Nor, Ris , or Nur Hidayah from Penang tak bising tapi floor yangkat atas...( dorm you,Siti Mariah, Azah) cukup riuh tau. Masa mula-mula datang tu terkejut from downstairs can hear dorm atas memang cukup riuh

Ingat tak masa one of the the stage shows..I rasa bukan Freshies Night sebab tu semua kakak-kakak yang ajar. Our batch ade buat show with our Njo as thedirector/producer. For Achi-Achi Bukak Pintu our Ju yang kelakar dan kurus panjang was the "jembalang". The lights were off and she wore the black costume painted with skeletons in white. The way she danced as hantu was really fantastic and memorable.BTW where is she? Anybody knows where she went after college?

Hafiz:
Also, Kasma, do you want to cerita a bit about the midnite party we had in the Block F luggage room on your birthday? Some prefects suspected something and they hung around the corridor, while we were holding our breaths inside. We really had fun right? Tak terasa pun bontot sejuk sitting on the cement rendered floor in between the luggage. Nasib baik, there were no cockroaches . . . , or maybe ada kut, but they were too frightened of us that they into hiding and never came out for the nite. Shikin and the rest from Bakawali Dorm, aything to add?

And Bakawali Girls.. ,Remember how noisy the dorm was after breakfast before class? when we haveto do our duty cleaning the dorm. Esp. when Jun's duty was to dust theWindow Panes A, she'll start singing WINDOWPANESA! O. O.. OOOO...WINDOWPANESA! to the tune of a song by Santana. And she'll clean thewindow panes while she danced around, shaking and swaying her thin body.It was so funny! And Abong would be making fun of her and most of us willjoin in (join in the singing lah, not the cleaning). Those were the days!I have many pics of Bakawalians in the dorm in the CD I gave you. You maywant to use them.

And Shikin, do you remember? and if yes, can you expand on the time when weplucked a papaya from a tree near the dining hall, and the fruit had another fruit in it? I don't remember the details on why we plucked the fruit. Don't think it was for the sake of eating because we always got papaya for b'fast.

Atel:
What I still remember is that after prep we would go to our food lockers on the ground floor for our supper, usually cream crackers and the local peanut butter spread that we always buy on our outings to Seremban town.On one occasion we (Jun, Nenek (arwah),Fetty (if I am not mistaken) and I were happily enjoying our snack when suddenly a rat ran near our feet. Screams and shrieks follwed! As fast as lightning Jun started chasing and waving a towel after the rat. That was when Jun was called the RATADOR! Shrieks of laughter followed with chants of "C'mon Jun, the mighty Ratador!" with Jun running round that patch of grass between the blocks.

Haizan:
And fellow 5K classmates, ingat tak our English teacher (Mrs Lee, I think) suruh kita yang tak ada one of the English text books to go collect it at the principal's office? Needless to say, it was the 1st of April ....

Jon:
Nampak gaya, we seem to be eating a lot at college despite the complaints about the food, what with the midnight snacks, and scouring the dining hall for boiled eggs. So the presence of the pak cik mee rebus in the afternoons, almost every week must be a blessing.One of the things I remember about being a Bakawalian is how to make sure Abung gets up early every morning. Dia selalu ada problem in that area.

TKC Old Girl

Over the weekend, I got an email through the tkcoga yahoogroup about the new blog for TKC old girls. The blog will contain news on TKC old girls or old girls' activities, posted by the OGA Public Relations sub-committee.

Its still new, but I hope many of us "Sisters of 74" will visit the site, and support it to make it active. I understand that all of us are busy, but we can still connect and keep in touch with the old alma mater and our sisters of TKCoga.

There is a posting on the blog by Kak Ruby (MCE 73) on the plight of the present students of TKC. It appears that things are quite different from the time we were in college. Do read it up, although perhaps some of us whose daughters are now in TKC, are already aware of it.

The blog address is www.tkcoga.blogspot.com .

I will put the link to the site into our own Sisters of 74 blog, after I obtain the permission from the blog administrators. Meanwhile, it would also be great if you could contribute to our blog too.

It is getting rather boring with mainly the ramblings from yours truly. I really would like to see postings from the others too! If you would like to be a contributor to the blog postings, and have not received an invite from me on this, please do email me and I will add you to the list. I can't add everyone yet because it would take too much time adding in everyone's names. Although I guess, ultimately that is what I have to do!

So, Zid, Hafiz, Jay, start hitting the keyboards!

Here's What We Look Like.

Its been some time since the last reunion in PD. Almost a year to be exact. Some of us have not had the opportunity to view the group photo that was taken by the official photographer, so I thought I should try my skills at this and attempt to put this up for all to see.

If I am not mistaken, at the time of that reunion, didn't we pledge to have another do to celebrate our ....... (ahem!) jubilee?

Meantime, I am sure we can still have the small group lunches or tea. It used to be that we met one Friday a month in KLCC, TopHats or some other place for lunch. Its been quite some time since I have heard of any more such lunches. Or, have I not been in the loop? Anyway, I hope to meet Adilah later today sebab ada "project".

Oh, by the way, I spoke to Hafiz yesterday and found out that her husband, Mat, is in Tawakal Hospital. Had some knee operation done. Hafiz said he would probably be there till the weekend. Don't know the development so far, but I hope to visit him sometime this weekend, in between rushing the younger daughter to her Art Class, tuition, etc., and the promised trip to the SPCA.

If any of you had visited this blog, you would notice that I have added some links in the sidebar. These are other blogs which could be of interest. Najah was my colleague responsible for inciting the idea for this blog. ( I say "was" because today is her last day at work in the Cradle Investment Programme ). Kak Suriya is one year our senior. Suriya Khatun. I am sure you all remember her as the Chocolate Cream Soldier in our production of "Arms & the Man"? I don't know who Datin is, but I thought her blog is interesting. If you bothered to look up the TKCOGA site, I am sure you all agree that something needs to be done about that website! Anyone nak start the ball rolling there? And those who love food will find Makan Sakan of great use. This was put together by Najah & Co.

Okay, if you have the time, just look up these sites. Better still, spare a couple of minutes to write something in the blog. Otherwise, it will be just me rambling on and on, and we don't want that, do we?

Mohd Ezzat Aiman's Berkhatan Ceremony

It so happened that I was the only Sister of 74 who attended Abung's berkhatan ceremony for her son. Even then, I was a bit late because I didn't bother to find out exactly where Ukay Heights was, because I assumed Jeff knew. And he assumed that I knew. So there we were, driving up two wrong hillside residences along Hulu Kelang road (the first, Hillview, right up to Highland Towers, then the Ukay Perdana/Bukit Antarabangsa access) until we finally got the directions from a friend who told us it was the first left turn after the SPCA in Ampang Jaya. At this point, I didn't bother calling Abung because I reckoned she would be busy with the guests, and wouldn't hear the phone anyway.

It was an unnerving journey into Ukay Heights, since it was pretty dark and secluded, and we took several wrong t urns ending in dead-end roads. Finally we found Jalan Pimping which, incidentally could have been accessed easily from Jalan Hulu Kelang itself since it was just beside Jalan Hulu Kelang!

Anyway, we were just in time to catch the kompang and followed the entourage into the house. Abung really surpassed, I guess, for a berkhatan ceremony. But then again, we all know Abung right? Jangan marah, Datin Dragon! ;-) ... Abung was resplendent in her baju datin, which was colour coordinated with the rest of her family members, and looked more "Datin" than usual. (I can imagine Dillot, Pah, Tiger and our other Datins frowning at this. Sorry lah Ladies, not trying to stereotype you guys. Just that usually, when I meet Abung she is dressed casually. Smart casual, that is.)

The house was decorated with candles and a variety of lighting, and bunga melur and rose petals were strewn all along the walkways. The Doa was followed by a Berzanji by Rabbani and they were really good.

Ezzat, the young "Putera" was seated on a dais (pelamin) decorated with lilies, bunga melur, and other fresh flowers. In fact the scent of fresh flowers filled the whole house and I imagine it could have been a bit too much for some (especially my pregnant colleague who, fortunately for her, didn't turn up). Seated beside him were his 2 sisters who were all dolled up and looked like Dayangs for the Prince. It occured to me that Abung's offsprings looked mostly like her!

After that the guests performed the Tepung Tawar accompanied by Rabbani's cool crooning. The poor boy looked rather tired and sleepy; lucky he didn't really understand what he would have go through the next day at the hospital! In fact Abung remarked that the whole idea was to get him excited about the event so that he wouldn't think too much about the berkhatan procedure.

I met Abung's mom and she didn't look a day older than the time in TKC. You all remember her, don't you, from college days?

We didn't stay too long after dinner because we didn't know anyone else apart from the family. And Hafiz and Jon, I passed your salaams to Abung, as requested.

My little girl was full of questions, though.
"How old is the boy, Mama?"
"About your age. Nine, I think"
"Does that mean I have to go through this as well?"
"No, only for boys"
"Why?"
"Well, you had your Bersunat when you were a baby"
"Why boys do later?"
"Well, they can do it as babies, too"
"It must be scary"
"Perhaps"
"Do they cut off their (excuse me) birds? That turns them into girls, right?"
"Heavens no!"

Somehow, I don't think I handled that pretty well, but she seemed contented that she didn't have to have the procedure done.

"Must be embarrassing to have to sit on the Pelamin"
"Not necessarily. Some people enjoy that."
"Johan (relative's son) is nine too. I am going to ask him when he will bersunat."
"Don't you dare! That could scare him!"

Well, that's my report on last Friday's event. Abung said she will pass me some photos which I can attempt to put on the blog. (Hey, I am still learning, okay?).

And no, she didn't make me write this. :-D

Pitching Lari Sikit ...

I wonder how many of you are caught up in the Akademi Fantasia madness, but for the last 3 years, I have not been able to escape its clutches!

I don't mind watching the weekly concerts, and occasionally the daily diaries. But the kids will never let me off scot free!

The first year, my niece was staying with me after her SPM. Together with my youngest, they made sure that I drove them to the weekly concert in UPM without fail! Then in the second season, they imposed an age limit (thank God!) and my niece left to further her studies, so it was back to just watching the concerts on TV. Like wise this year, but I still cannot escape having to sit through their singing, and then commenting on it, just like Kudsia Kahar and the other juries!!!

So, terpaksa lah comment "Pitching Lari", "Tak cukup feel", "diction needs improvement", etc! Lucky I memorised some of the comments ususally made, so tak payah think too hard! But lama lama, she wised up and demanded that I betul betul comment.

And then there is still the argument about their favourite AF student! Kakak, of course, never seems to agree with Adik and cannot resist pulling her leg about her choices. Adik, being all of 9 years will typically find gher favourites in potential teeny-bopper types like Adam last year and Kefli this year. This, of course totally differs from Kakak, who goes for more serious, good singers!

This year, it gets worse, with the merchandising! Laa ... it really is a money spinner. isn't it?

And worse, a few weeks back, I had to drive all the way to Putrajaya, to catch the open air concert, for which takde age limit. Of course lah we all lewat cos we left at around 8.00 pm. So, had to park far far away and trudge all the way to the crowd. Hmmm ... dah tua tua ni memang ,alas, tapi kesian pulak kat Adik tu!

Anyway, I am off to Abung's kenduri tonight. Anyone else going?

College Sisters, Brothers and such ...

Since I am online, I thought I should just bring up this subject. (Hope nobody gets offended!). Just out of curiosity, how many of us are still in touch with our then college sisters and brothers? I guess many are still in touch with the sisters, being tkc girls and all that, but what about the brothers? Or, dare I ask, how many actually married their "college brothers"? Er... don't worry dears, it is not at all as incestuous as it sounds. In fact, perfectly normal. The term "college brother" is really a misnomer!

I am guilty of not being in contact with my college sis after I left college. Sure, there were the occassional reciprocal visits to one another's homes right after we left college, and then there were the letters exchanged when we were studying overseas, but after a while it all dwindled down to zero. And to think these people were once so close to our hearts!!! My college sister was Luee and I heard she was working at MINT. But I bet even she has forgotten me! Hehehe ...

But, believe it or not, I am still very much in touch with my college brother from STAR. Somehow our lives had intertwined at various intervals ... right after college, then when I lost my first husband he was there for me, and much later at this ripe old age, I found I had to deal with him professionally! Funny, isn't it?

But we are such good friends, and having known each other since our teens, we understood one another perfectly. I think my husband, Jeff, is quietly relieved that there is this brother figure looking out for me. (Yes, they've met ... we live in the same neighbourhood). Especially in instances related to work where he can't help me, he accepts and is almost thankful that there is this brother person who can help me out and is only a phone-call away. But unfortunately wifey is not too impressed! :-(

Anyway, it would have been better if I still make the same connections with my college sis. Hmm .. maybe next OGA dinner, I'll try to look her up!

The Last few Months.

There hasn't been any postings in this blog since May. Hmmm ... that was really some time back. I must admit I have been pretty busy, at work and at home. Also have been very much under the weather, so to speak. It can't be age! I mean there are other much older, much fatter people who seem pretty well and healthy. It must be stress!

Whatever, I have had my hands full. Work has been pretty hectic. The team has been reduced from 12 to 8. We have to reestablish everything ... like workshops, setting the house in order again, etc. And 1 more member is leaving end of this month to follow her husband in Singapore! Talk about timing! For those in the group who may not know or have forgotten what I do (for a living, that is,) ... I am heading a development fund which gives financial assistance for the development of technology related ideas. I have been with the team for about 2 years now, but my first boss left sometime middle of last year and my subsequent boss left end of last year. So, I was asked to take over beginning January this year. And that just about sums up the story of my life (professionally, that is).

On the homefront, I had taken on the task of "rehabilitating" my husband's 2 orphaned nephew and niece. They had been left by their parents even when they were alive, and under Grandma's misguided love, had grown into two teenaged hell's angels! It was quite a task and I think in the process I made an enemy out of my mom in law. But my intentions were good, and no other aunt or uncle could be bothered. Having been an orphan myself, I understood that they should be given a chance. But I guess they blew it, and after 6 months, I shipped them out because my own childrem were getting annoyed and upset with the havoc they caused. Didn't help that my mom in law was always backing them up. I decided it was a lose-lose battle all the way, and I really was at the end of my patience!!!

So now, I am trying to pick up the pieces of my life again. Trying to reestablish some sense of normalcy (is there such a word?) again.

Well, so there it is, the reason for my silence all this while, and also for my absence from the oga dinners, etc.

By the way, I was trying to send out an invitation to the group to download Skype. Cheaper to make calls to loved oned and friends abroad using Skype. But I think the message didn't go through. So, if anyone is interested, just message me.

As I Walk Through Life ...

As I Walk Through Life, I've Learnt ....

... that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

... that you should always leave loved ones with loving words.It may be the last time you see them.

... that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

... that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

... that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

... that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

... that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

... that sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

... that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, it doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

... that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

... that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others; Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

... that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other.

... that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

(Source of quote not available)

On Growing Old, Vanity and the VitC Jabs ...

The little excitement over the Vitamin C jabs have evoked a fair amount of reaction from the ladies. Quite interesting, really, because there appears to be varying opinions and attitudes towards it. Some have even emailed me personally about this, for fear their interest in it will be construed as mere vanity, or even living in denial of our impending old age! You ladies know who you are laa!!! ;-D

I was actually a little puzzled about this fear of being criticised in that manner, until Rahmah's email came in. I do agree with Rahmah's comment that we should all grow old gracefully. But I guess the difference in opinion lies in the perception of what "growing old gracefully" means.
For me, I take it to mean growing old with elegance, poise, and charm. Attractively and tastefully. Graciously accepting the onset of age, yet work at trying to make the transition as seamless as possible, and make the experience as uncumbersome as possible. Behaving your age and acceptiong that the years have passed by, yet trying to minimise the ravages of time and the effects of the toll that life and living has taken on us. Having said that, growing old should be a pleasant journey, and that in itself, is relative. What constitutes "a pleasant journey" really depends on the individual because we are all different women with different perceptions and needs.

But what women doesn't want to look nice? To some of us, nature (or shall I say, Allah) has been more than kind, where our appearance is concerned. Some of us do not need the extra help from beauty products , etc because to these fortunate few not much effort is required to look good. But there are others for whom looking good, or even just looking pleasant, is a constant battle, even in youth! Not everyone is born with good complexion. I know some women who do not need much effort to have good skin, while others struggle with an eternal array of products promising a solution!

So, if a woman makes an effort to maintain looking good as she ages, I do not perceive it as vanity. For what is vanity? An excessive pride in one's appearance or accomplishments; conceit, even. I think the more important question is why we do it. I do it because I want my husband to see a nice looking woman when he looks at me. I think that is a fair reason. Also, it makes me feel good about myself. ;-)

As for the Vitamin C jabs, yes I understand the concerns regarding its effects. I checked it out with my doctors. They think it is ok. I checked it out with an ustaz. He says it is 'Harus' if your intentions are good. Well, considering my husband is 10 years younger than me, I guess I can safely say my intentions are good! :-D

I have gone for three jabs in the last 3 weeks. The effects? My skin is much softer and has a finer texture (you all know I had bad skin, even since school!). Not just on my face, but all over. In fact I think the skin on the rest of my body shows a much faster effect then my face. My husband loves it! *wink**wink* And that, I think, justifies the RM95 I spend per week on the jabs!!!

The beauty of it is that, apart from better skin, the jabs help boost your immune system too, and a host of other health benefits. That is according to my family doctor.

Having said that, I have to make a disclaimer here. That I am not, in any way, a champion for the VitC jabs. My experience with it has so far been good, Alhamdulillah, but you ladies make your own choice. And I reiterate, whether thes jabs are beneficial, whether it is a waste of RM, or whether it is a futile attempt at restoring our lost youth ... is relative and depends on the individual.

For those who wish to try it, Good Luck! I am here if you need to talk about it. Those who have done it, you know the benefits!

On a parting note, growing old gracefully is actually an art. We have to balance the fine line between looking good at our age and looking ridiculous! Botox, face lifts, cosmetic surgeries may not really be in line with what is acceptable as a norm. It is not normal to have a perpetual surprised look on your face (which, I was told, is what Botox gives you). But who am I to judge? Maybe to one woman, the benefits outweigh the risk?

A penny for your thoughts, ladies. I'd really love to hear it. Sorry I can't offer a free jab for your opinions though. The cost could hurt more than the needle ... ouch!!!

A Mother's Day Story

Why are you crying, a young boy asked his Mom? "Because I'm a woman," she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will, but that's O.K."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason?". "All women cry for no reason," was all his Dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God and when God got back to him, he asked "God, why do women cry so easily?"

GOD answered......

"When I made woman, I decided she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet, made her arms gentle enough to give comfort...

I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come even from her own children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends, even when everyone else gives up, through sickness and fatigue without complaining....

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her badly....

She has the very special power to make a child's boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears....

I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly....

For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed. It is hers to use whenever needed and ! it is her only weakness....

When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her, and all she does for everyone, and even though she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel good."

The Great Debate

It has been quite some time since I (or any of us, for that matter) have put up any new posting on this blog. Guilty, I know, but things had been too hectic since after Chinese New Year, both in the office and at home. In fact, with all the running around, I should have shed some pounds, but looks like my horizontally challenged state may be attributed to my genes, after all. Sigh!

Over the last month or so, there has been a flurry of excitement, over the proposed Debate between TKCoga and the RMC Old Putras. And one of the TKC Debators is none other than our very own Sister of 74, Ani Che Dan. I called Ani the other day to wish her Good Luck for the Debate. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be attending because, (1) it is on Wednesday night in KLGCC which is far from home, (2) None of our Batch seems interested, so takde gang le, and (3) I have no ties, past or present, with any Old Putra, so going with them is also out, although my husband has given his go ahead. I do have ties with an exRMC student from the Cadet Wing, but I guess that doesn't count as an Old Putra (or what do they call these guys from the Boys Wing? Budak Boys?)

In any case, Ani, my thoughts and best wishes are with you. I have always admired how you and fellow debators past and present, have the guts to stand up onstage and argue er ... I mean, debate, over some topic given, in full view of every single spectator on the floor. I could never do that! Sure, my job requires me to do presentations to various categories of people, be interviewed on TV or by the Press, but I could never gather enough guts to do what you are going to do on Wednesday night. Especially at this age!!!

I read the emails from the TKCoga newsgroup, where Kak Ti (kakak ke? tak ingat lah!) asked what the dress code was. Pi replied that we should dress to look intelligent. Hmm ... just how does one look intelligent? Going in dark crisp suits with our hair tied back in a tight bun, with glasses, preferably the reading kind? I think that is the wrong strategy. We should go as the attrcative women that we are , whatever our personal dress code. And we should disarm the OldPutras with our charm, wit and humor! And win! So, Ani, you know what to do!!! :-D

Ramblings

Today is Chinese New Year and tomorrow, it will be Awal Muharam. How time flies! I have spent the better part of the last 2 months in solitary confinement in my new office, working on some proposal to be presented to the Board of Directors end of this month. Honestly, I would rather have spent that time doing something else. Like quality time with my family. Catching up with friends, old and new. Talking to my college brother (lets call him BigBro and yes, we are still in contact!) about everything and nothing.

And somehow, miracle of miracles, I had my rathers (my way of saying I got what I wished for, borrowed from some cartoon strip from my past, though I can't remember which one!) You see, a couple of days ago, Adillah called me. I had just got back from the office, worn out as usual, but the call was a welcome respite. (We were room/dorm mates from day 1 in college, together with Hafiz, Normi, Desna and Shikin, and had our share of fun and frolic in our room on the ground floor of Block F). We chatted for almost an hour! Then yesterday, as if on cue, BigBro called in response to my short sms, mainly to say hello and to find out what I had been up to, after such a looo...ng silence. I was working from home then, because I was down with flu and I sounded really horse, er ... I mean, hoarse, so the call was also a good relief, even though it was short and quick. But best of all, over the weekend, I did nothing else but spend time with my family, despite the pressing deadlines! We had a simple but loving birthday makan for Jeff on Sunday night, and although the cake suffered from being in the back seat during my very rough driving, we had a really good time.

Having done all that, I find that my head is much clearer, and I am better poised to pump all my energies into that Board Paper. Maybe, that break was really hat I needed!

So, there you have it. I know I am rambling, but it was getting kind of quiet in here so I thought I'd put my 2 cents' worth.

By the way, Hafiz, its weekend again, so I hope to see your posting soon!!!

Happy Holidays to all, and Happy (Muslim) New Year! Better than celebrating the Gregorian New Year in January, kan?

Sunrise, Sunset ...

Is this the little girl I carried,
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older,
When did they?
When did she grow to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn't it only yesterday,
When they were small?

Sumrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days ...

I don't know how many of you can remember this song which our choir used to sing? It was from the film "Fiddler on the Roof". I was reminded of this when my younger daughter was busy "taking care" of me by bringing my breakfast up to my room, fixing my drinks, and putting her hand on my forehead to see if the fever had subsided. And she is all of 8!

Despite feeling very much under the weather, I managed a smile as I watched her going about her duties in a very grown up manner. (Usually, she can't even fix her own drink, but she seems to enjoy "mothering "me this time around.)

Of course after a while, she must have gotten a tad tired of the responsibility for she looked at me and asked,"Mama, do you think you are well enough to suap me the nasi lemak? It tastes very much better kalau you suap!

I hadn't been too well the last week and had been on and off MC and I know she was feeling a bit neglected. So, after feeding her the Nasi Lemak which her Baba bought, I asked her to bring the laptop to my bed and together, we surfed to her favourite spots and played internet games. Thank Allah for advancements in technology!

I was checking my email today and saw Hafidz's mail saying she wasn't feeling too well yesterday. It must be the weather ... this heat must be taking its toll! Even my husband, Jeff, who is usually quite fit and healthy, is not feeling too well. I am off to the doctor now (again, for the second time this week!)

Hope I recover quickly, because there's amillion and one things to do!

We are Go!

I am quite excited that Hafidz and Jay have accepted the invite to sign up as members for this blog! And Hafidz even submitted her first posting, as promised! Looks like there is hope yet for this blog. And I am sure that when Jay can negotiate with her kids for the use of the computer, we can expect her posting too.

Some of the gang told me that they didn't really understand what a blog is. The word "blog" is short for weblog, which is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Although it can be maintained as a diary of daily events, stuff you do, etc., it can be designed to be a journal, of your thoughts, opinions, issues, etc. In other words, you choose what you want your blog to be! And with the many personalities that we have among us, I am hopeful that ours will be a blog to be proud of.

To the rest of you who have yet to receive my invites and would like to submit your posting, please email me personally so I can speed it up.

I also noticed that the traffic to this site is beginning to pick up. This can be seen from the sitemeter which I have placed at the bottom of the page. Thank you all, for your support and congratulations!!!

To borrow the words from Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon, this blog is one small step for mankind, one giant leap for the Class of 74!

A Second Spring

A few days ago, my friend Madiah called me. We hadn't spoken for quite some time, and yesterday there was something in her voice that told me the call was about something really important. She stalled a little when I asked her what was up, and said that it would have been easier to tell me in person. Then it dawned on me that Madi was probably going to tell me she was getting married! Call it woman’s intuition …

You see, Madi lost her husband about ten months ago. At 56, he had succumbed to a heart attack. Left alone, jobless and with 4 school-going kids, Madi was devastated. In those times of need, she turned to me for emotional support, knowing that she could learn from my experience in having lost Izuddin, my first husband.

The situation was a bit different, of course, because I was a career woman and money wasn’t that big an issue for me then. But for Madi, money was a big problem because her husband hadn’t left very much. Most of their life savings was spent on his medical expenses in the last few years of his life. He had been through a bypass, a gall bladder operation and had been hospitalized several times. And never having worked before, Madi knew that at 44, finding employment would be difficult.She resorted to selling Nasi Lemak, and she recounted how she had to keep wiping away the tears that streamed down her cheeks as she worked to prepare the food at 3 in the morning. Maklumlah, Madi was used to the good life, with domestic helper and all! Its not that she is spoilt, it is just the sheer emotion of it, especially in the beginning.

However, even that was not enough. I remember feeling very sad when she had to explain to her kids, especially the younger ones, that they couldn’t buy much new stuff when school reopened for the new term. And I shed tears when the kids learnt to accept that there will be no new clothes for the Raya celebrations. I would have loved to chip in my contribution, but she would have none of it. The kids need to learn to readjust, she insisted gently.

But through it all, she was brave and somehow, she credits some of that that to me. You see, I had learnt that in times like this, many people will tell you to be strong, without any inkling how difficult it would be. So based on own my experience, I told Madi that being strong may sometimes be difficult, so she must always be brave. And now, after 10 months, Madi will have someone to take care of her and the children again. I am really happy for Madi. “It's not too soon, is it ?” she asked. “After all, it’s only been 10 months. What will people think?”

I assured Madi that at the end of the day, it’s not important what other people think. What’s more important is, she should ask herself whether she is ready and whether the kids are ready to accept someone else as a stepfather. And of course, whether she is marrying him for the right reasons, which is again subjective.

I advised Madi that she and the man must discuss and manage one another’s expectations. Reassured, Madi enthused that I must meet the guy. He was an ex-boyfriend, her first love. They didn’t marry then because his family had arranged for him to marry the daughter of a family friend, and he loved his mom too much too disagree then. But it was a decision he regretted because they were never happy. Or so he claims.“You mean, he is still married to her?” I asked. “How will his wife react? Oh, Madi, are you sure it will not be a problem?”

I shudder at the thought of sharing a husband with another woman. I can still recall those times in the past when I shied away from some would-be suitors because I could not see myself as a second wife. Well, maybe there was just this one instance when I actually did think that I loved the man enough to be able to contend with it, but even then ... !“It will be okay.," she assured me. "I love him, and they both lead very seperate lives. It is a loveless marriage.”

OK, I thought. Good luck, Madi and may you find the happiness you deserve

The Triangle of Life

This is something from the tkcoga groups, for those who may not have accessed the group. An interesting article about safety, in light of the recent disasters ...

For info to al

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.

I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the UnitedNations expert in Disaster Mitigation (UNX051 -UNIENET) for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.

In 1996 we made a film which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul, Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten mannequins I used in my "triangle of life" survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results.

The film, in which I practised my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 % survivability for people using my method of the "triangle of life."

This film has been seen by millions ofviewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin American the TV program Real TV. The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under their desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the "triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building. They are everywhere. I trained the Fire Department of Trujillo (population 750,000) in how to survive, take care of their families, and to rescue others inearthquakes. The chief of rescue in the Trujillo Fire Department is a professor at Trujillo University. He accompanied me everywhere. He gave personal testimony: "My name is Roberto Rosales. I am Chief of Rescue in Trujillo.When I was 11 years old, I was trapped inside of a collapsed building. My entrapment occurred during the earthquake of 1972 that killed 70,000 people. I survived in the "triangle of life" that existed next to my brother's motorcycle. My friends who got under the bed and under desks were crushed to death [he gives more details, names, addresses etc.]...I am the living example of the "triangle of life". My dead friends are the example of "duck and cover".

TIPS DOUG COPP PROVIDES:
1) Everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE is crushed to death-Every time, without exception. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are always crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies all naturally often curl up in the foetal position.You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. The reason is simple: the wood is flexible and moves with the forceof the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voidsare created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back ofthe door of every room, telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens while you are watching television and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the foetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Everybody who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed.How? If you stand under a doorway and the door jam falls forward or backward youwill be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of frequency"(they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads. They are horribly mutilated. Even if thebuilding doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs.The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by screaming, fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior.The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened withthe slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the SanFrancisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed.They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles, says the author. Everyone killed would have survived if theyhad been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices andother offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

I hope this useful information is never needed.

Much Ado About Aging ....

I was quite tickled to read the emails going back and forth between Dali and Norly, with Siti Mariah interjecting in advisory capacity.

Norly's initial description about "virginal" cream may well be correct, since we are actually talking about a cream that could restore some of our (ahem!) body's functionalities to its earlier state! (Mariah, since you have used "anu" for the male anatomy, I do not have a politically correct word for its female equivalent!)

All this talk about aging brings to mind several alternative therapies that, many people claim, are effective in bringing about a sense of well-being and help us to minimise the ravages of time. I have to make a disclaimer that I have no personal experience in all the therapies mentioned here, and whatever I write here is based on hearsay, albeit from reliable source like friends and family.

I think one of the most talked about sensational therapy, even among my younger peers(??) is the Vitamin C injection. Apparently, these monthly or fortnightly injections can work wonders on your skin. Not just your face, but also the entire body. I asked my doctor about this, and he says that it does work, but the effect is not immediate. You have to go for a few sessions before the results are noticeable. And why can't we just swallow Vitamin C tablets to get the same effect? He said that it was because we would need to swallow a whole lot of tablets to achieve the same effect, which may not be practicable. For example, my stomach will not tolerate such huge doses of Vitamin C since I am prone to gastritis. And there is also the question of absorption when taken orally. Well, I am considering going for these jabs. At around RM150 per jab, it sounds worth it, if the claims are true. Anyway, I will probably go to a medical doctor instead of one of those beauty centres. My doctor who is in Melawati can do it for you, and I heard another one in Ampang Indah does it too. And I am sure the dermatologists in Ampang Puteri and Gleneagles probably does, too.

I remember someone in our group also spoke about ozone treatment. According to my good old doctor (whom I consult before venturing into all these therapies), it should be safe too, provided you get it done by a qualified medical practitioner. He claims that this is a Malay dominated domain, since it was originally brought to Malaysia by a MalayDoctor (Sidik of Tawakkal, I think). But he cautioned me that it is not a once and for all cure, but you would need to keep on doing it at intervals. And he says the burst of energy and vigour will be quite noticeable, and someone like me, who works under tremendous amount of stress and challenge, could really benefit from it. He recommended going to Tawakkal for the treatment. And I heard the same doctor in Ampang Indah does it too. I spoke to him once and he was willing to let me sit in on one of his patient's sessions to see what transpires during these sessions. Provided, of course, the patient consents to it. The whole thing sounds a bit scary for me, though, so I need to see it first.

On an almost less intrusive level, there is Virgin Coconut Oil. My husband's client, a very prominent VVIP, reduce his tummy within 3 days of consumption. I tried it ... and yes, i was beginning to show some weight reduction which my colleagues noticed. They said my clothes seem to be hanging on me lately, and wondered whether the whole job thing was too stressful for me. Of course the challenge here is swallowing a whole spoonful of oil which has the same exact smell like minyak tanak kelapa. (It occured to me that maybe it IS minyak tanak which my grandma and mum used to make!). The other challenge is to discipline myself to keep on taking it, i.e. since only certain pharmacies stock it, I have to go all the way there to get it, Unless someone knows a more convenient source?

There are many more so-called therapies available out there. Anyone care to share it with us? What about HGH? Anyone has any experience in that area?

Hellooo ... Is Anyone Here?

It has been 4 days since I sent an email about the blog I started for our Batch, and so far I have received the maiden response from Siti Mariah. Thanks YB, for your interest. I hope to see your postings real soon, because it can get quite lonely here!

I am aware everyone is quite busy, especially with the Haj season, the Tsunami Aid efforts, etc., but I hope more of us will start blogging here. Don't worry girls, just shed your inhibitions and start pounding on the keyboard. You'll get the hang of it quite quickly, I am sure.

I also wonder if anyone of us has even managed to find the time to surf to this site. If you are reading this blog, ladies, please give me a sign!!!

On Friday I had lunch with a colleague. She is one of the better known bloggers in town, and it was she who inspired me to start this. When I told her about this blog, she was quite excited to know that Siti Mariah is one of our girls. You have quite e reputation, Mariah because she thinks you are quite admirable.

Well, its quite late and I am getting a bit sleepy. So I'll sign off here in the hope that the next time I find my way here again, I will see someone else's ramblings too.

Good night and wassalam.

In My Mind

I can't help it. Each time I think of one of us, I get a mental picture of the 17 year old girl! For example, I see Hafiz in her checked blouse and blue skirt with a cloth shoulder bag (was that your uniform, Fiz?), I see Maizan in her pastel blue ballet (or dance?) costume and tights with tendrils in her hair, and I see Atel with her pink, roundish spectacle frames, baby tee and dark brown bogart pants!

Forgive me, but am I caught in a time freeze here? Sure, after the last reunion, I know what you all look like now, but what registers in my mind is still a thumbnail of the way we all were! Or is it wishful hoping? Or worse, denial? Nash, Zas and the other psychiatrists, help me out here ...

Lets just examine some of the others ...

Siti Mariah in pigtails and pinafore.

Ani Che Dan in a prefect blazer and skirt (can't seem to remeber what else you wear Ani. Or did you wear anything else at all?)

(Datin) Adillah in a man's shirt and pants, complete with two side pony tails.

Opi in a shirt/blouse and (usually) black kain.

Jay in baju kurung combined with kain batik (only a Johorian wears that, Jay!)

Shikin in baby tee and skirt.

Ju in TKC t-shirt and green katak (KTK la) shorts.

I wonder if the rest of you experience the same thing?

Its About Time We did This ...

Firstly, I have to apologise for being so presumptious. I mean, I have taken the liberty to start a blog for our batch of 74 without consulting any of you. That in itself, could be construed as a huge violation of everyone else's right, not to mention the fact that it it highly undemocratic!

I know that we already have a newsgroup in Yahoo which was started by Jay, Jon, Aki, Hafiz, if I remember correctly, together with a few others whose names I may have missed (a thousand apologies!). I think that was a grand idea where we can share news, information, etc among us. But I began to notice that some postings in there can be quite long, so I tend to speed-read or even skip them entirely as I scan my emails. That means I sometimes miss a good read!

And so, I thought I will start a blog where those of us who have some thoughts, stories, issues or anecdotes to share, can do so. And those who wish to express themselves or be creative, can have a free rein on the amount of space (or time).

I remember people like Zid , for instance, used to have such creativity in expression that even our poor semonel English teacher, Mrs Lee, cried as she read her poem!

And so, I have taken the liberty (again?) to personally invite some of the ladies who, I feel, either have a lot to say, have an ineresting way of saying it, have plenty of opinion on issues, have a sense of humor, or are just plain creative, as members of the blog. Of course, this move was also prompted by the fact that I couldn't find the time to key in everyone's email! But for the rest of you, you know you are equally expected to join us. (Oooh ... I am such a dictator!!!). Ahem, I mean join us, please? Its quite simple, I think. If you didn't receive a personal invite via email, just click on the comments link at the bottom of this posting. You will be prompted to register if you don't already have a blogger account.

Personally, I find blogging can be fun. It has been so long since I had the reason and avenue to get the creative juices flowing and to flex the writing urge again. Blogging helps me do that, and its quite enjoyable. I have my own personal blog, and I am not surprised if many others in our group have their own as well! But I am a closet blogger, so that one is limited circulation only!

So, ladies, what say you? Another forum for self expression is now available to you. A word of caution, though ... It can get quite addictive!!!