chosing the right friends....

Hi all. I know its been quite a while since I last blog. Errrrggg.. since..... ehhhhh.... hehehe.... longest time lah. Sorry ah,,, F n E. Both of you have contributed much to keeping our blog alive. Phew... so far so good ! Well actually, there are too many incidents or happenings till dont know which one to blog about or even some forgotten already. Anyway, I better blog something today before we meet up tis evening, otherwise sure kena @#$%^&* from you all (E & F).... hahaha... (i know you wont lah... just say only mah).

Lets talk about my juniors. (what else would mothers talked about... besides......) Well, new term has commenced since January 2009 and i thought things in school are going well for both Sab & Wil. I finally managed to get them to take school bus back to my mums place after school. All this while, I have been driving them to (sometimes) and fro from school everyday...(at times, i have to rush from my appointment to pick them)and its been 5 1/2 years (primary) and kindergarten (3 years) = 8 1/2 crazy years. Mid last year, my aunt introduce an Indian uncle (her neighbour who has since retired) to ferry them back from school everyday @ per month RM50.00 / child - one way). Well, i was soooooooo happppy that i was relieve of this crazy rush. I still have to send them to n fro for their additional tuition class (kiasu parents, ah ??)but this is only thrice a week. So it's not so bad. So this uncle took up the responsibility to ferry them for almost six months last year. THen come December (almost to school re-open), he had a mild stroke.... alamak.. there goes my "honeymoon" sob... sobb....We visited him at home in December but not sure if he will recover in time even though he is very keen to continue to ferry them.

Just two weeks back, I received a phone call from school. My heart would miss a beat everytime the school number appear. Before I answer the call, my brain would be thinking of some negative response... like one of them is hurt or sick or.....! Wil Junior class teacher on the line. Conversation sounds something like this (in Mandarin - of course translation lah in English) :

Teacher (sounds upset) - He has NOT been doing his homework and of course never seems to pass up his homework. Everytime giving excuses, didnt bring to school, left at home.

Me - Wat... how come.. coz i asked him and her everyday... boy,,, how many homework today and girl wat about you ? Oh.. yes,,, ah... what are the subjects...

Teacher - Well, i am telling you.. he didnt do his homework at all !!

Me - oh boy,,, my apologies to you....

Teacher - I have advise him many, many times and yet there is no improvement from him. (upset again)

Me - OK,,,, when he gets back I will confront him on this. Sorry again, ah...

Teacher - if this persist, this year UPSR i oso dont know how ??

Me - yeah... so sorry.. to trouble you.

Teacher (cool down abit) - you have to think of some ways to make sure he do his homework. Maybe you have to put him in day care centre and get some one to monitor him.

Me - errr..... Ok.. Ok... i will do something.... sorry again... but thank you for your concern.

Wah, after this conversation, i was "boiling" inside and no mood to work. Cant wait to confront him. That same day, fetch him to tuition and question him in the car. He look blankly at me and i was @#$%^. Finally, he admitted, yeah a few homework he didnt do. So, i told him when you came back from tuition, please make sure you complete doing them. I cant whack him as he is already in year six. So, I have banned him from his activities till year end.

Some of his other friends is also not doing their homework... 1 gang. So I also forbid him to mix with that group, too. Dont know if I am doing the correct thing but bad influence is one of the key that leads to laziness. So, far,,, so good lah...until the next call from his class teacher (which i hope no more to come) !!

S

The V day !

Valentine's day came and went and i don't really think much about it anymore. I am no longer the young love struck partner who demands some show of affection for that one particular day. Instead i prefer the 365 days of constant love and caring! I admit i am not as romantic as i used to be but u cant blame a wife of 23 years and a mum of 3 to be that into romance. As it is, time seems to fly by with 2 winks of an eye! There doesn't seem to be enough hours in day for me to complete all the tasks i set out to do nor any of the pleasures i hope to indulge in!

This year i was asked the same question by the man of my life .... "Do u want anything for Valentine's day? " Now , when one is asked such a question , do we get right to the point and say , "Yes i want lots of cash deposited into my bank account , i need a diamond ring, and maybe a Porsche to match! ... and the list can go on and on....! " Or do we politely say, " No, dear , u don't have to get me anything at all cuz i don't want to get u anything as well ! We have the kids future to think of and loans to pay, blah blah ,blah!!!" Hahahaha, but honestly , genuinely from my heart, i really do not want anything at all. Its a day like any other and i don't want to be loved and remembered for just ONE day. I don't get disappointed if i don't get anything but i did say that a dinner would be nice. But the dinner will have to include the baby of the family too LOL so yeah that again goes to show i am not such a die hard romantic anymore LOL i am just a practical wife and mother now LOL

This year's Valentine's Day brought a few surprises though ...... and very pleasant ones too. Times have changed and the V day is no longer just a lover's proclamation day , its generally a day for everyone to show their loved ones they care, be it friends, parents , siblings , pets, etc. So this year i did get flowers from my dear loving friends and especially one nice sis in law :) u all know who u are :) So , thanks and lots of virtual hugs for u 2.

I loved the flowers so much that i took pics of them ,......... i really appreciate the friendship that we share, and i thoroughly enjoy the times we spend together every weekend, no matter what we do together. I LOVE U ALL ............... FEMSPUFF!!!

These are the flowers given to me ............. and Diane :)And a few days later i still cherished them so i placed them in a vase !

E-verlasting friendship forever!

GANG of 14

Then ...





Now ...

Once a year our gang (of 14) meets during CNY for dinner. This year was on Feb 6th at V-Garden, Klang.

Our gang doesn’t always add up to 14 members actually. Some years we have more, some years less. It depends if someone has drifted apart from the rest of the group, or if another is being ostracized due to 1 member hinting “she comes, I won’t come” sort of thing, you know? And of course certain members have more say on who gets invited or who, to leave out. Obviously I, being the organizer for the CNY reunion for the past 17 years or so, have a lot of say in this matter. It seems I am supposedly the petty one as I have more than once decided to axe somebody!

Along the way, someone brings in a new friend whom she thinks the rest of the group would be able to get along with and thus, the membership grows. Recent members are my 2 kailuis - Percy & Abby and Carol and Christine aka “Tai-Lap Poh” because of the obvious, … haiyah, her surname Poh-la. But incidentally, she’s quite busty really. Even though they are considered “new” members, Percy, Abby & Christine have joined us for the past 6 years (?) and Carol, 2.

How did our club begin?

Tiay, Callie & I met in 1990 as my company had dealings with theirs. One night Tiay initiated a gathering at Metro Club and that was when I was introduced to Grace, Penny, Michelle, Hui Min and a couple of others. (who are not in the group)

It’s strange how with some people you hit it off straightaway !! Almost immediately more outings were arranged. New friends were brought in … it was like networking. Some stayed, some didn’t and finally other than the 1st group, we had regulars like Karen, Irene, Ah Yong, Ah Tan and Anna. By the time Espy joined us, she was no. 13…

At that time EVERYONE was single so we were meeting very, very often. We went clubbing, pub-ing, karaoke-ing etc. You see, I was actually quite a late bloomer. (ahem). This group brought me out of the shell I was under. We frequented pubs like Camberwell, Kelab Syabas etc discos like Betel Nut.. We made trips to Melaka, Genting, Frasers, Cameron Highlands, PD, Penang, Langkawi etc… We organized games such as squash and more recently, futsal, where the highlights of these sessions were the huge dinners thereafter. Hmmm .. Those days were really fun. Just thinking about them makes me want to laugh all over again.

But sigh… all good things must come to an end…. Life isn’t just about having fun and eventually we all had to grow up (we can’t all be like Peter Pan) as we took on more responsibilities; be it family or work related.

Our gatherings have since taken a back seat and we do not meet that often anymore except for a select few. The rest meet on special occasions like weddings, house-warming parties, children’s birthdays (which I try to avoid), sometimes at funerals and as a rule, I host a Christmas party for them each year at my villa.

Year after year I complain because I have to organize our CNY reunion. But the fact is I am aware that despite their tight schedules, everyone tries their best to attend and this thought alone humbles and encourages me. Based on the ‘taruhing’ I receive each time I ‘pretend’ to forget to organize this event, I can sense their eagerness to meet and catch up on old times, even if its just for 1 evening each year. So I may complain and complain but I will still be doing it next year and the next… (I wouldn’t be ‘me’ if I didn’t complain, right?)

I believe we all have happy memories of the past; yet the fact that this same group of friends were there to offer support during our bad times brought us even closer together. Whenever we meet, there’s no uncomfortable silences and in fact we never seem to run out of topic to talk about. I suppose that’s what friendship is all about, isn’t it? That we are able to pick up from where we left off, every time, any time.

I believe therein lies an urge in each of us to rebel every once in a while. Each time responsibilities & burdens get too heavy or when the pressure of life gets too overwhelming, I for one, do harbour wishful thoughts of going back and re-living the past. No responsibility, no worries just fun, fun and more fun!

Everyone is laughing at Christine’s bawdy joke and she is telling it with such gusto. As I look around the table, each face seems to evoke a different memory within me.

Ah Tan is here tonight after ‘missing’ for so many years, since she got married actually. Did she defy ‘his’ orders not to attend tonight’s gathering?

Callie coined the term “sian see kee”. (for television)

Irene – how I made her cry due to some work related issues.

Grace – how the two of us chatted the whole night (till morn) atop Irene’s car in the porch cos we were locked out as Irene and hubby were probably drunk. (Hmmm maybe I talked and Grace listened…)

The memories are countless... I could go on and on but maybe some things are best kept within your own heart?

F

zzzz .....

zzzzzz .....

It has been more than a month since I last blogged! It's not that I have been bogged down by work.. Far from it.... things are so quiet in the office you can hear your own heartbeat... Of course I am exaggerating .. cannot hear heart beat la.. pin drop maybe can hear-la..

Sadly, the economy downturn has effected us all. (although our government is in denial). For the past few months, we probably work about 2 full hrs per day. (speaking for myself that is...) The rest of the 6 hrs are 'free and easy' which would give me plenty of time to blog but if life has been uneventful what is there to blog about?

E says I am chatty and can talk about anything and everything so I am going to talk about nothing; a post that will simply blow a lot of hot air!

The one good thing that came out of this slowdown was that my boss decided to give us Saturdays off. (maybe as consolation for worse news to come??) The shipping industry has been badly affected.... Quite a few have closed down, retrencing workers, cutting pay or offering VSS to their staff. We have been fortunate that so far my company has not reached that stage. Hmm .. No need to hope for increment this year, I suppose? There goes my Saga ... sigh ...

Sometime last year I was introduced to Facebook ... Thank God for Facebook ... At such a quiet time, I am kept entertained. There's Pathwords, Scramble etc... Initially, I could only wonder how the Quays reached the top of the ladder in the various games? Hmmm... how they do it??Now I am top at 2 of the games BUT it is no big deal when you can play for 6 hrs straight every working day... It's not doing my eyes any good though... my eyes nowadays very cacat. Brain and speech also cacat... (and I am only 27 eehhh type wrong, 47 this year!)

Anyway... yehhh I blogged! ... (and its back to Pathwords.... )

F

MISS CALL me!!!!

I am E , and i am publishing a new post today. As i sit here and start to ramble on i realise that the reason i am doing this post is cuz i am a grouch again , venting out in here! So bear with me. If u know me well online , u will know that i have a Facebook account. And in today's Update status i have posted a comment about getting "missed calls" !!!

There are many scenarios on who makes these kind of calls and why they make them. There are many many valid reasons for making such calls. My kids do a lot of that , i think for a fact a lot of youths do that. i dont blame them and i have given mine the permission to impose on me mainly because they arent in the super income category yet. Heck, they dont earn a single cent at all , and all the money they are spending now is mine!!! So they do have a valid reason to miss call me when they choose to do so.

Another situation where "missed calls" are accepted would be to let the receiver know that we are where we should be at this very minute. It saves alot of time and talking power !!! For instance u make an appointment to meet at a certain place , and u arrive there and then "miss call" the other party who will then scurry out of her car or building to meet u. It will be a lot safer for her to wait in a building or her car , rather than stand in the open waiting for u to arrive. And with the bad traffic these days no one ever arrives at their destination on time! So Missed calls are useful here!

So its not uncommon to hear some one say " i will miss call u jsut b4 i leave" or " i will miss call u when i get there." And better still, " i will miss call u when i have arrived home safely." I want my kids to do that . They have to "miss call" me when they arrive at the mall , or if they are boarding the KTM train bound home so i know their estimated time of arrival.

But the one 'Missed call" that i abhor is the one thats made intentionally so bovious that u do not have a choice but to call them back and ask them what they called u for!!!! Its NOT an " i am safe at home now " call nor is it a " Hey i am right in front of your office now " call. Its a clear cut " call me back now cuz i dont want to use my phone credit " kind of call!!!! And thats very very irritating!!!!

I know one particular person who does that ALL the time. He doesnt do it to me cuz he isnt MY friend LOL but he does that to some one close to me! And this someone never fails to call him back to ask him what he wants!!!! Geez!

well, if u are a sucker u get sucked in! Being too nice and too sweet makes one a sucker!!!! I was one , been there , done that ..... now i resist the suction! ( IF i Can!!)

E-lectronically sucked in!

fast food means i have to fast !!!

I am in here to grouse , to vent and to let off a little bit of steam! I hate indecisive people ~ hope none of the FEMS fall in that category!! But i do have some friends who are like that. ( not the FEMS! ~ so far they are OK in that dept!) Phew!
I am talking about people who cant decide on what they want to eat or drink. They make the poor waiter or waitress stand uncomfortably by the table while they mull over the menu. Its not really a matter of life and death, really. I mean what can be so difficult about making a choice of noodles or rice, chicken or beef, tea or coffee!!!
I got back from a fast food outlet today where the lines were really long so i picked the shortest one. As i stood in line i was thinking of what to order and i came to a decision in 10 min. Maybe its cuz i always order the same food all the time !!!But this lady got to the counter and she was ermm-ing and hmmm-ing , and changing her mind several times! Then when she finally decided and they placed her food on the tray she changed her mind again about the pieces of chicken. She wanted more drum sticks instead of whatever they gave her. Then after she got that sorted out , she wanted to make 3 of her pieces hot and spicy instead of Original. That was not all. She changed her drinks from regular to large! And that was the last straw, i gave out a huge sigh and went OMG!!!!!! Her daughter who was like 11 , turned to look at me sheepishly and i glared at her!!! Geez, talk about fickle!!!!
the guy who was standing right behind her actually gave up and left !!! So i ended up right behind her , and the lady behind me moved over to the other line and gave me a grin when i turned to look at her ! Smart woman! And she got served before me!!!! I grit my teeth and stuck in my place cuz it was 9.30pm and way past my dinner time.
My turn finally came and i ordered my burgers, wedges and chicken . The huge guy spoke like he was afraid his teeth would fall out. For a guy that big , he sure has a soft voice. i didn't really understood what he said but after paying and being offered a mini drink , i knew he was telling me i had to wait for some stuff i ordered. So i waited and i waited and after what seemed like half a day , ( 20 min to be exact!) i decided to blow some horn! I demanded for that order to be cancelled cuz i could see that there was no one behind the counter getting any burgers ready! When the supervisor heard that "honk" he rushed to get me a burger and i was telling the rest of the customers there that its not really FAST food after all!!!

E-at NOT fast food!!!