Mumblings

One of my favorite websites is Flickr. Lately I've been scouring through its vast photos for inspiration and I seemed to be sucked into a time warp whenever I see pictures of padi fields and kerbau (water buffalo)! LOL!



Back when I was a young girl, I hated going to the padi fields... in fact I detested it. It's hot, itchy, smelly and it ain't fun slogging under the sun harvesting padi. But looking through these pictures, I'm reminded of how hardworking my parents were, just to put food on the table and send all five of us to school . It's just unfortunate it didn't cross our minds to snap photos of us 'having fun' at the padi fields.



My parents weren't well educated and although we weren't totally dirt poor but there were times when I could sense my parents had financial difficulties. I would often wonder why we live in a wooden house with very basic things when some of our neighbors had a lot of 'beautiful' things we didn't have. Of course I was too young to even understand that back then but being a parent myself now, finally it's all so crystal clear (instantly humming the song I Can See Clearly Now).

I could still hear my late mom saying these words as if it was only yesterday... "Di, kalati ko mai songian kivaa tanak nu sondii." Meaning: Di, you will understand when you have your own children one day. While I can't recall what really happened that day that made my mom uttered those words, I can't help but feel sad knowing I might have said some harsh words and hurt her feelings. I'm sorry Ina (mom)...

Being away from my family really taught me to value and appreciate them even more. Life in the big city has its best and some not-so-great moments but nothing compares to being surrounded by loved ones and seeing familiar sights of your kampung (village), the very place where where you born and raised.

All you travel buffs out there, you had better listen up cos have I got news for you!

There is an amazing promotion going on at Accorhotels.com which you should not miss out. Take note that Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific promotion runs from 27 October 2009 to 30 October 2009 and these bookings are for stays between December 2009 to April 2010. Just don't get your dates all mixed up ya.

Take advantage of this offer and be eligible for some cool savings with the lowest rates at US$30 per night. Do take note that different rates apply for Accor Hotel's various brands (Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Mercure, Novotel, All Seasons and Ibis Hotels).

There are over 1 million hotel rooms available for online bookings covering Asia Pacific's major countries which include Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan, India and Bali.

This is a shout out to my sister Mary Ann from the other side of the globe. Who knows you may want to surprise us by coming down for a visit again next year. Sis, for your information, there are two hotels you could look into and they are Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside and Novotel in Kuala Lumpur (both are included in the Super Sale promotion).

If you're interested, you know where to find me.

Flight Time and Big Easy totally crack me up on last night's The Amazing Race episode! These two should be given their own show, they're natural born clowns I tell ya. Every time I look at their faces, they remind me of my favorite comedian ~ Chris Rock!

My kids and I couldn't stop laughing watching the two of them. From the dinghy episode down to the briefcase, everything these two do just spells disaster. But I was amazed with their Math skill though. That was truly genius of them to borrow a calculator when the rest just didn't think of asking for one.

For a while I forgot I was even watching a race, it was like watching a funny movie with Flight Time and Big Easy as the lead actors. I'm praying they won't get eliminated next week. I love it whenever they mention their catch phrase 'Do it for the hood, do it for the hood!'

I feel pity for Mika... she was really terrified. It's sad to see them being eliminated that way but it's a race and that's the way it goes. But I what I don't get is why she even bothered to join when she knows what's in store in a race like this. I suppose $1 million dollars was not enticing enough for her. Poor Canaan... ahhh well...

Can't wait for next week's episode... the Globetrotters sure look like they're having a ball dancing with those costumes on!

Lately I noticed all the shoes and slippers on the shoe-rack kept getting wet whenever it rained. What's mind-boggling is that the part where we put the shoe rack is under the porch, completely covered from the rain.

First thing that came to mind was my lil' brat. I interrogated him, left right center... but the boy passed with flying colors. It wasn't him. Who or what could it be?? So I did a little detective work.

So it happened to rain quite heavily on Saturday and I quickly went out to the porch to check how the shoes gets drenched. The culprit was the gutter right on top of the porch. I went up to the room and saw all kinds of debris (leaves, stones, marbles even twigs) accumulated on the gutter, hence blocking the outlet and causing the rain water to overflow and caused a waterfall to cascade on the porch's wall where the shoe rack is located! A-ha! Gotcha!

I just wish I had one of those Gutter Guard from Gutters Virginia Beach then I wouldn't be having a clogged gutter problem. If you haven't heard of LeafGuard gutter system before, well, I heard it's the one and only one-piece seamless debris shedding gutter on the market and it's guaranteed NOT to clog your gutter with leaves, pine needles, or other organic debris for as long as your home is standing! It's so effective even the company is even offering a Lifetime Free-Flow Guarantee... whoaaa!

Looks yummy doesn't it? But looks can be deceiving. Unless of course you're the type who eats anything. It's stir fried snake! Yikes! I can't even get myself to look at snakes, let alone eat one.

I remember eating a turtle some years back. Yeah... but that was without any knowledge that it was a turtle. I think I was 14 or maybe 16 years old, just woke up from sleep and feeling very hungry. My feet automatically brought me to the kitchen and I saw on the stove, this huge wok with steaming curry in it. The smell was magnificent so I took a bowlful and ate to my heart's content.

Minutes later, my mom (or was it my dad...but it could be one of my sisters too) saying that they didn't know I eat turtles! Haaack... Thuiii!!! I dashed to the sink and tried with all my might to throw up every trace of the dish from my system. I felt so bad and pukey... I just ate a turtle. How could anyone cook and eat an innocent creature???

When it comes to food, I am definitely not the adventurous type. I'd stick with chicken, fish, seafood (except clams) and oink-oink meat. I've heard someone said rabbit meat tastes like chicken. But how could anyone eat rabbits?? They're such cute animals!

And to answer Bain and Emila, no, I have never eaten a Kuda (horse) before!

How many times have you watch a movie and you never seemed to be able to watch the ending? Somehow, some sort of cheeky evil spirits are out there to ruin your viewing pleasures.

Sometimes, it's that call of nature (that last five minutes before the movie ends and you just had to go to the loo!). There are also shows being aired way past your bedtime or showing way too early in the morning.

My youngest boy even have this habit of always asking me all kinds of questions when my mind is so engrossed watching the movie and I get all distracted and next thing you know, poof! You end up not knowing what happened to that crucial 5 seconds of the movie.

That's where TV On Demand comes to the rescue. You can learn more at charter.net/ondemand if you have no inkling on what's it about. You may also get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page, just make sure you have a Facebook account first ya.

An incident which transpired just a few minutes ago...

Son: Mommy, the wall got paint

Mommy: Paint? Why did you paint the wall? (with a slightly raised voice)

Son: Errr... I was drawing and then the paint kena the wall

Mommy: (Trying hard to conceal anger) How did that happen? Where were you drawing?

Son: (long pause) On my table

Mommy: How on earth did the paint fly from the table to the wall? Your color got magic is it??!

Son: Errrr... (face trying hard to come up with an excuse)

Mommy: Look, if you've done something wrong just admit it. Don't come up with a silly excuse and expect mommy to believe it!!

Son: (speechless)

I admit when it comes to disciplining my boys, I can be very strict at times. Some have said my face resembles a dragon ready to swallow its victim whenever I'm in one of my fiery moods. Well, looks can be deceiving... hehehe

I must thank my son later. At least I had something to blog about on this boring Saturday!

I'm thinking of a topic to write...
But my mind is not cooperating...

Maybe I should just babble and ramble on whatever comes to mind... hmmmm... the big brown fox jumps over the lazy dog but the lazy dog bit the fox's b*tt and the fox ran away in shame...

I shouldn't fret cos nobody is even reading this... ahahaha And if you are reading this, you must be as insane as I am!

So, has anyone ever heard of California Window Film? What?? You haven't?? Tsk! Tsk! Shame on you. Well, let me just tell you more about them cos who knows, you might need their service in future. They have over 20 years of experience in Window Film Installation. Yeah, 20 years! Not 2 years nor 12 years but 20 years. They specialize in the following services ~

1. Residential Window Tinting
2. Commercial Window Tinting
3. Automotive Window Tinting
4. Boat & RV Tinting
5. Safety & Security Window Film
6. Graffiti Abatement Films
7. Frosted Glass and View Control Films
8. Skylights

If you need any of those services, check their website out and give them a call! Darn, I still can't think what to post about. Maybe blog hopping might help... Hop hop hoppity hop!!

Yesterday I managed to stick the Wall Art Decal I won from Emila's Top First Commenter contest for April 2009. My son has been pestering me to do it for months but lazy mommy always came up with all kinds of excuses... Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

So, here it is! Tadaaaaa!


Result: A very happy boy. Mission accomplished!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Anyone from Canada reading this better listen up carefully!

Here's your chance to win a kitchen makeover, yes, you read that correctly. A kitchen makeover!

How I wish I'm in Canada right-this-moment cos I would love to have a kitchen makeover... in fact I'm dying to have a kitchen makeover! I've always dreamed of having a fairly big kitchen, complete with a kitchen island and high cabinets, all in white color. Right now I do all my chopping and peeling and slicing and cutting on the side of the sink. It's so darn small I tell you!

Uncle Lee, you're in Canada so you had better enter this contest. Maple Leaf Foods is giving away a $32,000 Dream Kitchen* and 12 Frigidaire® fridges to celebrate the launch of their new site ~ the Maple Leaf Market Experience!

Go ahead and experience the new 'delectable' site for yourself... meet the Butcher, the Baker and the Pasta Maker! You'll have a great time browsing through their easy-to-make meals and recipes, even getting some cool cooking tips and coupons! Wow, I'm salivating already!

Come on, don't wait too long, go ahead and check it out and enter the contest right now to win. Imagine all the things you could do to your kitchen if you win this contest. I wish I could enter but alas, I'm not from Canada. I'd be the first to enter if I was though. I really want a kitchen makeover!!!

There aren't many Reality shows on TV lately so when the latest season of The Amazing Race (season 15) premiered recently, I've been glued to the TV every Monday from 8.00pm till 9.00pm!

After watching each team's performance throughout the 5 legs, I really like the two Harlem Globetrotters players, Flight Time and Big Easy cos they're funny! I can't stand bitching and fighting couples... arrgghhh!!

There's another 7 legs to go. I hope those two will stay on longer... and maybe they will be in the final 3 (who knows).

I'm relieved Lance and Keri are out. Lance is such an impatient guy (there was no need to throw that water urn to pieces in the desert)!

So whose your favorites??

The past week has been rough on me. Sneezing, coughing, feverish, flu, runny nose and my, my... mr. toothache decided to join in the fun. Gimme me a break la!

Well, I only have myself to blame coz I have been putting up with the toothache for years now (yeah, I have a high tolerance for pain). You see, I have this... urmmm... probably the world's horrible teeth. I have 2 broken teeth, and recently one of the filled tooth came out (I have no idea how that happened). I'm so embarrassed to even see a dentist, he/she would probably laugh at my teeth condition.

The pain has subsided... it comes and goes... phew! I dunno, I just don't believe in spending hundreds of Ringgit on repairing one miserable tooth. I'm not rich so by the time I'm forty I'd probably be toothless already!

Anyway, I just thought perhaps I should try and become a coin dealer or something. Who knows I might just discover a rare coin that would translate to a few million dollars... yeah right, dream on Nessa!

Imagine this scenario...

You have a major tummy ache. You've gotta go big time. After searching high and low for a toilet, you find one. Your tummy can't wait any longer... and you do your 'business' accompanied with all kinds of ghastly noises. You get out and everybody's whispering and stealing glances at you.

Does the situation seem familiar? Have you ever been in such a situation? Just how do you mask those loud unpleasant gas emissions??

Well, someone in Japan actually designed one such gadget for that purpose to mask those embarrassing 'noise' and it's called Ecohime Flush Water Sound and it's also a phone strap!

It retails at USD10.99 and is available in four different colors (black, pink, pearl white and pearl pink). Just press the button located on the rose, and it will eliminate that noise for you with some soothing water sound!

Btw, I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes. I'm on my way to recovery... didn't even have to see the doctor. Ann was right, glad I didn't have to kick anything... phewww!!

Source: strapya-world