Where did my time go?

Father Time has been absolutely whizzing his way around my life the last couple of days... I was driving to school today and for a while I actually had to crack my head to recall what I did two days ago! Brains cells got overwhelmed... LOL!

But I am not complaining much, except when it has to involve my kids. Getting them to help, or to see that they need to play a role in the things that we do is always a battle of wills. Ours is to get them involved and theirs to get out of it. Life's cycle revisiting itself! *sigh*

So after a few knocks, it was with fondness that I am reminded of the good dinner we had after church at Ah Ho's... angchiu mee suah, egg salad, fried mee suah (which Onnie thought was fried beehoon!), chocolate cake... in good company. Table talk was wedding plans! Weddings are afoot!!! Yay! And oh ya! It was put forward that dogs are better than children... potty trained dogs. They stay loyal, don't talk back and can be replaced for variety! LOL! So even though dinner came after church and an after-school of running around town on various errands and some major cleaning for the house, it was nevertheless a good day. Bushed and whacked... nice in a way!

Yesterday was no better. After stripping the paint for the wall the day before, it had to be repainted. More errands round the town after school and then it was down to painting under the hot sun. Tan is not much of a problem now that swimming gives me a perpetual one all the time! I've not gotten to the stage where I feel to be fair is important. If that is a consideration, there'll be many things will be off-limits! There is always a price to be paid, either way! Depends which side of the divide appeals to you.

Son came back as I was about done; neck and hands were achy by then. And that was when the geram-ness came in... ask a teenager to assist and there'd be a whole host of reasons they give which can drive you mad!

Physically, it was manageable. Regular workouts have enabled the body to withstand a little heavier physical work. And at night Son and I rewarded ourselves with the super delicious nasi kari from Jalan Stadium. Mutton curry is only available on Mondays. We had to wait 50 minutes to get to our turn but the food was worth it! Super duper delicious!!! Finger lickin' good!

Week is only half gone... for all the things that I can still do, it's a blessing! It means I still have the strength and enthusiasm for those things which we sometimes think as drudgery. It means that l still take interest in mundane things that life is sometimes about. So, time gone into these everyday (and not so everyday) things means I'm still me! That is something, I reckon I should be thankful for.

Self Criticism...

This article from The Star got me thinking... in it Muhyiddin lashed out at these Malays who criticize the government. Self criticism... if we cannot take criticism from ourselves or within our own group, how then can we improve. I guess most of us are like the proverbial frog under the coconut shell... he thinks his world is the best.

The Muhyiddin way of looking at things is prevalent everywhere. At home we have parents like that too. Even some of our friends are like that. In school I have bosses who cannot take criticism too. It's mostly their way. Criticisms... sometimes we need a healthy dose of it in order to keep the check and balance mechanism working.

Why did great empires fall? Lack of criticism. The rulers of the great Roman empires certainly did not take criticism kindly. I am sure self criticism did not apply much. The Chinese dynasties weren't that far behind. And look what happened to them. I am sure there were voices which criticize their decadent lifestyle or autocratic rule but the criticism fell on deaf ears and minds which thought themselves mighty. In the end, they fell into shambles.

So, Muhyiddin should actually listen to his own people who criticize his government's policies. If their criticisms hold water, perhaps then we will achieve what we've potential to as a country. Just as in we should listen and evaluate ourselves critically sometimes... a reminder to myself.

Underwater Camera Case

Been thinking it would be nice it would be to have a camera that can be used in wet or underwater conditions. Didn't want to get a camera that can be used in the water since the specs usually don't meet up to our requirements and we are not willing to fork out so much for one that does. So we went for the next best alternative! Camera casing!!!

Underwater camera casings are all quite expensive, costing a couple of hundred ringgits and above. But this one is quite cool and cheap. It's not your regular fixed-shape hard casing but more of the soft plastic type. Would have passed for a waterproof plastic bag if not for the protrusion of the lense. And because of this plastic bag-like shape, it becomes a universal casing for the Canon Ixus camera range.

This is Dicapac WP-410 Underwater Casing which they claim can withstand up to 10 meters of depth. Got it from ShaShinKi. At RM99! Shopping online means they deliver it to your doorstep too. Wonderful, isn't it?

This was taken with the camera (in the case) half submerged in the water. 8)

These 2 were trying to get away from me. They hugged the pool side cos they didn't want their faces to be caught. Kinda fun to be able to snap in the water. 8)

And this... Underwater Video! I thought it was nice to be able to shoot my lil one swimming in the water! 8) Cheap and boleh pakai... this Dicapac WP-410 Underwater Casing. Maybe we can start considering going for some sea activities soon... 8) Only snag being waterproof means it's also soundproof and it cannot capture the squeals that these kids occasionally yelp out!

The Choice... by Nicholas Sparks

Book 30! Ten more to go before I reach my target for the year. 8) This is the second book from Sparks that I am reading, the first being Nights in Rodanthe. Anyway, 2 Sparks' books and they seem to prod this emo-ness in one.

The story makes a good reminder to appreciate our spouses, though I think the part where Gabby's (the lead character) unfaithfulness to her 'first' boyfriend is not something I'd applaud. But the theme for this particular novel, a good marriage being the closest thing to heaven (or hell) on earth, is quite a nice reminder that the marriage institution still has many good things which many seem to forget now.

The plot is rather simple, 2 main characters meet and it was ZAP! First meeting and sparks were already flying. Like they knew they were meant for each other.... a little like the Nights in Rodanthe kind of plot. In a 24-hour span, romance blossoms! But then again, lately I've become a sucker for such kinds of improbability.

The choice in the title simply refers to the choice Travis (lead character) had to make whether to honour his wife's (Gabby) will about no heroics in a medical condition with 'no hope'... after 11 years of wedded bliss and 2 children later. She fell into a coma after an accident. So while the storyline is a little unoriginal at times, I still think it's a good read, simply because it has a simple story line... minus all the intricacies and web of this and that. The simplicity appeals. Today the institution of marriage is under siege from women's emancipation fight and the moral revolution of the previous century. I heard over the news recently that in Japan they throw divorce parties... We seem to celebrate everything!

To fall in love is easy, to stay in love... that takes more than just chemistry. It takes commitment and I guess that word just don't quite appeal today to many. The use and discard (pakai-buang) society in us is creeping into the marriage institution.

But this book gives you a warm and fuzzy feel after reading; tugs the heart, makes you a little mopey... So no matter how out of fashion some may think of marriage, I still believe that the bedrock of a society is still the institution of family and that requires a good marriage.

So, this remains a nice read despite unoriginal plot. Also, it is light reading; did it in a day... made possible cos I had to sit in a 2 hour long meeting, not because I mattered but to make up the number.

Banana Leaf Rice @ Sri Ananda Bahwan

Meant to put this up some time ago but kept procrastinating the uploading of photos from my camera.... This was during the church camp at Sungai Petani. The young people ajak us out for lunch with them... this is where we went, banana leaf rice at Sri Ananda Bahwan in Sungai Petani. They have a few branches in Penang. This one is located somewhere near the old SP District Hospital. We'd been there once but SP wasn't exactly familiar territory. Our trusty Garmin came in handy... 8) It got us there with minimal hassle!

You've got to walk down into the restaurant as it is lower than the road. We chose to makan in the air-con room but it's rather cramped as they try to squeeze in too many tables in a small narrow rectangle space.

First they lay our 'plates'... these are nature's disposable plates. Then the waiter came with all the goodies and dished them onto our banana leaves.

This is almost the complete set, minus the rice... We also ordered extra chicken and mutton to go along with the standard fare.

This is all the stuff that we're supposed to stuff into our stomachs. Oh ya! Apart from the rice, we also ordered extra beriyani rice...

There's also this warm ginger taste yoghurt drink to wash down our food. But our gal didn't like the smell. I found it quite soothing...

'Plates' all cleaned up with nature's fork and spoon also. But you can always ask for those metal ones if you do not know how to use your hands. LOL! Food is okay-lah but the experience is priceless as there was one among us who had never eaten this before. And Sam will leave for his studies soon.... so memories are made of these.

2Suara, 1Malaysia

I was listening to the news today... and this caught my attention.

What have Suara Keadilan and Suara Perkasa have in common? 1Malaysia standards. Suara Keadilan license is not renewed for bringing up some issues, like FELDA going bankrupt? Suara Perkasa on the other hand continues to publish despite being 'extremist' and extreme.

One highlights what might be wrong in our society while one seems to sometimes stoke some fires. Yet both get the same 1Malaysia standard... dubious standards.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

...by Karl Marlantes. This took super duper long to finish cos the story felt so duper slow in the beginning. In between I took time to read Book 28.

Think Marine Corps - their Semper Fi (Fi for Fidelis), leave no Marines behind; there's this notion of loyalty to the death attached to it. The actual meaning of the phrase is "Always Faithful".

Anyway, I almost wanted to put down the book in the early chapters cos it was going on and on in one spot. But I've this thing about quitting things once I started. So, I made myself continue and the book got better as I progressed. Instead of being put off by the ever colourful language of the Marines, I began to see some of the other issues. The "F" word is never far. But I realised that the word itself implies the fear and longing in each of them to make it out alive. Desperate people do desperate things.... foul language is just a form of bravado, to cite yourself to what you feel is certain death.

War is stupid. Vietnam war is no different. Countless young men sent to their doom. The main character Mellas, a reservist in charge of the platoon provides the heartbeat to the novel. Going to war with ambitions (with a Princeton education he wanted 'war' on his resume as he wanted to be a politician) we slowly see the transformation as his lofty pursuits took a backseat to survival.

Out in the bush, fighting a meaningless war, with politician-like commanders, and left out to the extremes of the bush with resupplies coming in short, wild tigers, even without the NVA soldiers, life hung precariously. They take Matterhorn (a hill) then left it and the NVAs came and bunkered in. Then they had to fight to retake it, in the process many died brutal deaths, and finally to leave it again. Makes you wonder the logic in it all safe for the fact that you want as many NVAs to die, more of a senseless war of attrition. In wearing the other party down, you wear yourself down too. Not a smart move.

And set in the 60s when America was at the height of its racial prejudices (KKK and Panthers), enmity and bitterness were also brought into the Vietnam war. You begin to wonder why these people actually fight together, the whites and blacks. Yet, the same extremities above also brought them to depend on each other, form comradeship.

Anger, hatred, differences... it's silly to go to war. It's silly to harbour them. Sometimes it's just best to walk away. Wars over ideology and wars over greed and conquest are different. One is worth fighting, the other is not just worth it. But then again, within each one, the lines can be kinda thin too sometimes.

Semper Fi... it's admirable how the Marines carried even their dead (turning putrid, emitting foul stenches) back to base so that they can be airlifted home. I have my couple of 'hopeless but alive' students and I'm thinking of abandoning them.... and I justify it by saying that they bog the others down... I could think of many more reasons still but this kinda made me think too.

Our educators too are politicians. They too watch from afar and demand results... and they cheer to themselves when things turn out well... good staff work they call it. Out in the field, we are very often left to fend for ourselves. And this is where good colleagues come in... it would be a double bonus if our 'platoon leaders' (Principals and co) stand and battle on with us.... but that too is a scarcity these days. Many HMs lack substance and you get the feeling that professionalism has been replaced with vindictiveness, that schools are run like little fiefdoms, sometimes. Empowerment be damned. The lack of need to actually go down into the 'battlefield' has also turned them into beaurocrats cum politicians.

This being book number 29. And a really interesting read in the end too.