8 September 2009
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!!
Each of us has such a bank. It is called TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health,
happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.
And remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Time Waits For No One
8 September 2009
As everyone may probably be familiar, "Time Waits for No One" is a song by British rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from its 1974 album It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. It was the first song recorded for the album and sung by Lick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Time Waits For No One
Yes, as we're sated in leisure, we watch it fly.
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman's face.
Hours are like diamonds, don't let them waste.
Time waits for no one, no favours has he.
Time waits for no one, and he won't wait for me.
Men, they build towers to their passing yes, to their fame everlasting.
Here he comes chopping and reaping, hear him laugh at their cheating.
And time waits for no man, and it won't wait for me.
Yes, time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
Drink in your summer, gather your corn.
The dreams of the night time will vanish by dawn.
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me.
No no no, not for me...
And time careened so fast that before you realise it, it's already the 18th day of Ramadan. And before long, we'll be ushering in Eid Ramadan. So folks, don't let yourself be left behind by TIME.
Monday, September 7, 2009
30-Min-Chef
7 September 2009
I was watching a cooking progarmme last night hosted by a young male cook (sorry couldn't recall his name), and as I was watching the show, I was thinking to myself, "This young chap is not bad! He's not only young, but he's male, and he can cook too!"
I was quite fascinated with how easily he whipped up his 3 dishes, all within 30 minutes, hence, I reckon, how they cooked up the name of the progarmme, "30-Min-Chef".
I managed to catch two recipes, i.e Ayam Ungkep and Udang Masak Lemak Tempoyak.
And today, I decided to try Ayam Ungkep. The recipe was mighty easy to prepare and boy, the dish tasted really yummy.
What I learned from watching that progarmme was 1/ Never underestimate a young male cook 2/ Anyone can cook if you put your mind to it. And my mind reeled back to 1975. I recalled what my English teacher, Mr L Zuzarte used to say in my English class in secondary school in Singapore, "If you can read, you can cook." And this statement couldn't be more true, at least in my case.
Cooking, just like language, needsconstant practice. And practice makes perfect. What sets a good cookapart from other cooks is the following recipe:
4 cups love 5 spoons hope
2 cups loyalty 2 quarts tenderness
3 cups forgiveness 4 quarts faith
1 cup friendship 1 barrel laughter
Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith. Blend it with tenderness and hope, sprinkle abundantly with laughter.Bake it with sunshine and serve with generous helpings.
I was watching a cooking progarmme last night hosted by a young male cook (sorry couldn't recall his name), and as I was watching the show, I was thinking to myself, "This young chap is not bad! He's not only young, but he's male, and he can cook too!"
I was quite fascinated with how easily he whipped up his 3 dishes, all within 30 minutes, hence, I reckon, how they cooked up the name of the progarmme, "30-Min-Chef".
I managed to catch two recipes, i.e Ayam Ungkep and Udang Masak Lemak Tempoyak.
And today, I decided to try Ayam Ungkep. The recipe was mighty easy to prepare and boy, the dish tasted really yummy.
What I learned from watching that progarmme was 1/ Never underestimate a young male cook 2/ Anyone can cook if you put your mind to it. And my mind reeled back to 1975. I recalled what my English teacher, Mr L Zuzarte used to say in my English class in secondary school in Singapore, "If you can read, you can cook." And this statement couldn't be more true, at least in my case.
Cooking, just like language, needsconstant practice. And practice makes perfect. What sets a good cookapart from other cooks is the following recipe:
4 cups love 5 spoons hope
2 cups loyalty 2 quarts tenderness
3 cups forgiveness 4 quarts faith
1 cup friendship 1 barrel laughter
Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith. Blend it with tenderness and hope, sprinkle abundantly with laughter.Bake it with sunshine and serve with generous helpings.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Make Hay While the Sun Shines
6 September 2009
Happy Birthday Kirah (my youngest sister) and hope you will grow up to be somebody worthwhile and an icon to your children.
Today, my husband and I took my father-in-law to visit my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Tini in Bangi. It's really sad that neither my father-in-law nor my mother-in-law recognises each other.
Imagine, they have been married for over 60 years and they used to be so lovey-dovey. And yet today, there is no flicker of recognition between either of them. He used to hold her hands tenderly when they are crossing roads. He used to gaze lovingly into her eyes. He used to love her deeply. Yet, today they appeared like strangers.
While our spouse is still young and hearty, still sprightly and bright, make the most of our life together. Love them, shower them with affection, love them unreservedly, spend time with them.
One day, all of us are going that path too (what you call as dementia). And we just do not know when our life will be snuffed out, so before we pop our clogs, make hay while the sun shines.
Happy Birthday Kirah (my youngest sister) and hope you will grow up to be somebody worthwhile and an icon to your children.
Today, my husband and I took my father-in-law to visit my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Tini in Bangi. It's really sad that neither my father-in-law nor my mother-in-law recognises each other.
Imagine, they have been married for over 60 years and they used to be so lovey-dovey. And yet today, there is no flicker of recognition between either of them. He used to hold her hands tenderly when they are crossing roads. He used to gaze lovingly into her eyes. He used to love her deeply. Yet, today they appeared like strangers.
While our spouse is still young and hearty, still sprightly and bright, make the most of our life together. Love them, shower them with affection, love them unreservedly, spend time with them.
One day, all of us are going that path too (what you call as dementia). And we just do not know when our life will be snuffed out, so before we pop our clogs, make hay while the sun shines.
Reading Galore
Let books be your dining table and you shall be full of delights. Let them be your mattress and you shall sleep restful nights.
Books that I've read since I retired on 10 July 2009 to-date:
1/ The Accidental Wife by Rowan Coleman
2/ Another Woman's Husband by Sarah Duncan
3/ One Red PaperClip by Kyle MacDonald
4/ A Whiff of Scandal by Carole Matthews
5/ Sisters by Danielle Steel
6/ Live Writing: Breathing Life into Your Words by Ralph Fletcher
7/ Read Me and Laugh: A Funny Poem For Every Day of the Year by Gaby Morgan
8/ The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole 1999 - 2001
9/ The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
10/ Twisted Roots by Virginia Andrews (Record - completed within 5 hours on 21 August 2009)
Synopsis
The perfect family - and the perfect nightmare...
From the outside, Hannah Eaton seems to live a charmed life in wealthy Palm Beach, Florida. with her mother, Willow, a renowned psychologist, and her easygoing stepfather. But deep inside, she is miserable and lonely. She's been abandoned by her father, a pretentious lawyer whose family wants nothing to do with her. Now the arrival of a new baby has consumed her mother, who is obsessed with the sickly infant. And so Hnnah slips futher into the shadows....
With the help of her boyfriend, sexy guitar player Heyden Reynolds, and her crazy uncle Linden, Hannah sets out for New Orleans to follow her dreams of a successful singing career. But life on the road holds many dark surprises - and shattering realities that Hannah might not be ready to face....
My Review
A compelling tale of sinister deceptions and forbidden passion. The story is so spellbinding that I completed raeding the book within 4.5 hours.
Recommendation: MUST READ
11/ Punished by Vanessa Steel (Record - completed within 4.5 hours on 22 August 2009)
Synopsis
The harrowing but inspiring true story of a little girl who survived a terrifying childhood that nearly destroyed her.
Ever since Vanessa Steel was three years old, her mother had punished her whenever she put a foot wrong. Vanessa lived in a daily terror of her mother's unpredictable rage and the punishments she said were God's revenge on her for being the devil's child. If she was 'naughty', her mother would lash out at her in sadistic was - with beatings, torture, and starvation. Vanessa thought her mother would kill her.
At six years old, Vanessa's fear and torment increased when her grandfather began to sexually abuse her, aided and abetted by her mother and grandmother. Not even able to turn to her father to protect her, Vanessa bravely carried on as if her life were normal, trying to keep the dreadful secret of her life at home.
But then one day, when she felt her deepest despair, mysterious things started happening to Vanessa that changed her life forever. This resilient little girl found a secret way to survive and the truth about her mother was revealed....
My Review
A truly moving story of a mother's cruelty, and a daughter's survival. The story is so riveting that I had difficulty putting the book down once I began reading. Right from the Prologue up to the Epilogue, Vanessa Steel related with a great deal of torment and torture her moving and incredible true story.
Recommendation: MUST READ
12/ The Accidental Family by Rowan Coleman
13/ Against the Odds by Lynda Page
14/ Starting Over by Tony Parsons
Books that I've Read from 2007 to June 2009
1/ Answered Prayers by Danielle Steel
2/ I Am a Muslim by Dina Zaman
3/ Celeste by Virginia Andrews
4/ Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H.Lawrence
5/ Night by Elie Wiesel
6/ Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
7/ Lightning Strikes by Virginia Andrews
8/ Picnic at hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
9/ The Testament by John Grisham
10/ Living History: Memoirs by Hilary Rodham Clinton
11/ The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
12/ Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
13/ Lone Eagle by Danielle Steel
14/ Independence Day by Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich and Stephen Molstad
15/ The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
16/ Rain by Virginia Andrews
17/ Bittersweet by Danielle Steel
18 Lightning by Danielle Steel
19/ The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon
20/ The Stars Shine Down by Sidney Sheldon
Books that I've read since I retired on 10 July 2009 to-date:
1/ The Accidental Wife by Rowan Coleman
2/ Another Woman's Husband by Sarah Duncan
3/ One Red PaperClip by Kyle MacDonald
4/ A Whiff of Scandal by Carole Matthews
5/ Sisters by Danielle Steel
6/ Live Writing: Breathing Life into Your Words by Ralph Fletcher
7/ Read Me and Laugh: A Funny Poem For Every Day of the Year by Gaby Morgan
8/ The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole 1999 - 2001
9/ The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
10/ Twisted Roots by Virginia Andrews (Record - completed within 5 hours on 21 August 2009)
Synopsis
The perfect family - and the perfect nightmare...
From the outside, Hannah Eaton seems to live a charmed life in wealthy Palm Beach, Florida. with her mother, Willow, a renowned psychologist, and her easygoing stepfather. But deep inside, she is miserable and lonely. She's been abandoned by her father, a pretentious lawyer whose family wants nothing to do with her. Now the arrival of a new baby has consumed her mother, who is obsessed with the sickly infant. And so Hnnah slips futher into the shadows....
With the help of her boyfriend, sexy guitar player Heyden Reynolds, and her crazy uncle Linden, Hannah sets out for New Orleans to follow her dreams of a successful singing career. But life on the road holds many dark surprises - and shattering realities that Hannah might not be ready to face....
My Review
A compelling tale of sinister deceptions and forbidden passion. The story is so spellbinding that I completed raeding the book within 4.5 hours.
Recommendation: MUST READ
11/ Punished by Vanessa Steel (Record - completed within 4.5 hours on 22 August 2009)
Synopsis
The harrowing but inspiring true story of a little girl who survived a terrifying childhood that nearly destroyed her.
Ever since Vanessa Steel was three years old, her mother had punished her whenever she put a foot wrong. Vanessa lived in a daily terror of her mother's unpredictable rage and the punishments she said were God's revenge on her for being the devil's child. If she was 'naughty', her mother would lash out at her in sadistic was - with beatings, torture, and starvation. Vanessa thought her mother would kill her.
At six years old, Vanessa's fear and torment increased when her grandfather began to sexually abuse her, aided and abetted by her mother and grandmother. Not even able to turn to her father to protect her, Vanessa bravely carried on as if her life were normal, trying to keep the dreadful secret of her life at home.
But then one day, when she felt her deepest despair, mysterious things started happening to Vanessa that changed her life forever. This resilient little girl found a secret way to survive and the truth about her mother was revealed....
My Review
A truly moving story of a mother's cruelty, and a daughter's survival. The story is so riveting that I had difficulty putting the book down once I began reading. Right from the Prologue up to the Epilogue, Vanessa Steel related with a great deal of torment and torture her moving and incredible true story.
Recommendation: MUST READ
12/ The Accidental Family by Rowan Coleman
13/ Against the Odds by Lynda Page
14/ Starting Over by Tony Parsons
Books that I've Read from 2007 to June 2009
1/ Answered Prayers by Danielle Steel
2/ I Am a Muslim by Dina Zaman
3/ Celeste by Virginia Andrews
4/ Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H.Lawrence
5/ Night by Elie Wiesel
6/ Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
7/ Lightning Strikes by Virginia Andrews
8/ Picnic at hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
9/ The Testament by John Grisham
10/ Living History: Memoirs by Hilary Rodham Clinton
11/ The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
12/ Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
13/ Lone Eagle by Danielle Steel
14/ Independence Day by Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich and Stephen Molstad
15/ The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
16/ Rain by Virginia Andrews
17/ Bittersweet by Danielle Steel
18 Lightning by Danielle Steel
19/ The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon
20/ The Stars Shine Down by Sidney Sheldon
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Ode to My Kitchen
5 September 2009
Today, my kitchen did not see any action as everyone breakfasted outside. Khairul (my eldest son) drove to Malacca with his frriends for ikan bakar. Khairil had buka puasa outside the house for the sixth consecutive day. As for me and my husband, we were invited for Ramadan Iftar Programme by the Turkish Cultural Centre, which was held at at JW Mariott Hotel, KL (my first buka puasa outside the house since Ramadan began).
Since neither my husband nor I was at home, my youngest son (Khairi) also took the opportunity to breakfast with his friends at Q-Bistro, Bandar Permaisuri.
With no smoke coming out of the kitchen today, my maid, Tanti got her much needed break, so did my kitchen.
ODE TO MY KITCHEN
A HOME IS MADE OF MANY ROOMS
TO REST, TO SLEEP, TO SHOWER
TO PLAY, AND READ, AND TALK A LOT,
DO HOBBIES BY THE HOUR
BUT THE KITCHEN, AH, THE KITCHEN
IS A ROOM THAT'S MADE OF DREAMS
OF FANTASIES...CREATED BY
A LOVE OF COOKING SCHEMES
TO TOUCH, TO SMELL, TO VISUALIZE
THE WONDERS THAT OCCUR...
AND THEN TO TASTE, AND THEN TO TASTE
RESULTS OF THINGS THAT WERE
AT ONE TIME JUST "INGREDIENTS,"
IN THEIR PLACES ON THE SHELVES
BUT BECOME A WONDROUS MIXTURE
AS THOUGH TRANSFORMED BY ELVES
YES, A HOME IS MADE OF MANY ROOMS
EACH ONE HAS IT'S PLEASURES
BUT THE KITCHEN IS THE BEST OF ALL
FOR FINDING HIDDEN TREASURES
Today, my kitchen did not see any action as everyone breakfasted outside. Khairul (my eldest son) drove to Malacca with his frriends for ikan bakar. Khairil had buka puasa outside the house for the sixth consecutive day. As for me and my husband, we were invited for Ramadan Iftar Programme by the Turkish Cultural Centre, which was held at at JW Mariott Hotel, KL (my first buka puasa outside the house since Ramadan began).
Since neither my husband nor I was at home, my youngest son (Khairi) also took the opportunity to breakfast with his friends at Q-Bistro, Bandar Permaisuri.
With no smoke coming out of the kitchen today, my maid, Tanti got her much needed break, so did my kitchen.
ODE TO MY KITCHEN
A HOME IS MADE OF MANY ROOMS
TO REST, TO SLEEP, TO SHOWER
TO PLAY, AND READ, AND TALK A LOT,
DO HOBBIES BY THE HOUR
BUT THE KITCHEN, AH, THE KITCHEN
IS A ROOM THAT'S MADE OF DREAMS
OF FANTASIES...CREATED BY
A LOVE OF COOKING SCHEMES
TO TOUCH, TO SMELL, TO VISUALIZE
THE WONDERS THAT OCCUR...
AND THEN TO TASTE, AND THEN TO TASTE
RESULTS OF THINGS THAT WERE
AT ONE TIME JUST "INGREDIENTS,"
IN THEIR PLACES ON THE SHELVES
BUT BECOME A WONDROUS MIXTURE
AS THOUGH TRANSFORMED BY ELVES
YES, A HOME IS MADE OF MANY ROOMS
EACH ONE HAS IT'S PLEASURES
BUT THE KITCHEN IS THE BEST OF ALL
FOR FINDING HIDDEN TREASURES
Friday, September 4, 2009
When Sleep Eluded Me
4 September 2009
I was lying in bed with the window open next to me. I could hear a car zooming by down the street. I could hear the wind and felt it blowing against the side of my body.
I could see the curtains blowing softly. I could see the silhouette of the trees outside. It felt like I was standing outside a house that looked empty all by myself on a dark eerie night.
That was the feeling I get when cool wind blew on the side of my body and on my neck. Also, I heard the leaves rustling around and the shells wind chimes clanging outside my balcony.
It was 1:59 AM and I was supposed to be asleep at that time but I just had to write on my Active Notes pad on my handphone as my mind was working overtime (didn't I mention earlier how caffeine affected me terribly?)
My brain kept surging with ideas for what I wanted to include in my posting on "What Retirement Means to Me: Alphabetically". I just had to write (but doing it very discreetly so as not to disturb my husband who was fast asleep) because the ideas just came freely (my brain is usually most active in the stillness of the night) and there was no stopping my brain when it's on overdrive.
As you would have noticed earlier when you read my alphabetical posting on Retirement, all those ideas actually came when everyone else was fast asleep at 1:59 AM, when my eyes refused to shut, when my brain was hyper active, when my body felt very weary and tired, but sleep eluded me.
If I did not capture the flow of my thoughts at that instance, I would probably forget by the next morning. And I needed to be preoccupied as sleep eluded me. By the time I had reached the alphabet "Z", my eyes were feeling droopy but sleep still eluded me. I remembered the culprit. The caffeine in the teh tarik. That's the effect you have on me.
I was lying in bed with the window open next to me. I could hear a car zooming by down the street. I could hear the wind and felt it blowing against the side of my body.
I could see the curtains blowing softly. I could see the silhouette of the trees outside. It felt like I was standing outside a house that looked empty all by myself on a dark eerie night.
That was the feeling I get when cool wind blew on the side of my body and on my neck. Also, I heard the leaves rustling around and the shells wind chimes clanging outside my balcony.
It was 1:59 AM and I was supposed to be asleep at that time but I just had to write on my Active Notes pad on my handphone as my mind was working overtime (didn't I mention earlier how caffeine affected me terribly?)
My brain kept surging with ideas for what I wanted to include in my posting on "What Retirement Means to Me: Alphabetically". I just had to write (but doing it very discreetly so as not to disturb my husband who was fast asleep) because the ideas just came freely (my brain is usually most active in the stillness of the night) and there was no stopping my brain when it's on overdrive.
As you would have noticed earlier when you read my alphabetical posting on Retirement, all those ideas actually came when everyone else was fast asleep at 1:59 AM, when my eyes refused to shut, when my brain was hyper active, when my body felt very weary and tired, but sleep eluded me.
If I did not capture the flow of my thoughts at that instance, I would probably forget by the next morning. And I needed to be preoccupied as sleep eluded me. By the time I had reached the alphabet "Z", my eyes were feeling droopy but sleep still eluded me. I remembered the culprit. The caffeine in the teh tarik. That's the effect you have on me.
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