FUNNYACCENT

Happy Birthday, Malaysia.

HAPPY 52nd.  BIRTHDAY MALAYSIA.

I was three months old when the late Malaysia's First Prime Minister , Tunku Abdul Rahman, stepped up on the podium at Stadium Merdeka with his right hand up and shouted, Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka.

She Had Bubur Kanji I Had This.........

 

During Skyeping session with my sister, KakNgah yesterday morning while I was having a yogurt and a cup of coffee for sahur, she told me they were going to have bubur lambuk for buka puasa. I knew if I wanted to have a wicked good bubur kanji for my dinner later in the evening I needed some ingredients which I didn't have them in my kitchen.

We had a long clinical meeting, when I got home it was already 6:30 pm. When one hungry and fatigue one could come up with amazing ideas!!! :))

I peeled, cored and sliced a Fuji apple and baked for 30 minutes in the oven. When it was baked, I topped it up with two scoops of Butter Pecan ice cream.

Monkey Pitcher

I have a very fond memory of Monkey Pot plants. When I saw the plants two Saturday ago at the Flea Market in Raynham hanging from the back of station wagon at the market, I rushed over to the plants and looked at them at they were my long lost friends.

If those monkey pots could talk, they would've said, "Ohhhh yeah...I know you. My ancestors watched you and your siblings jumping up and down like  little monkeys when the first time your mother introduced them  to you."

How could I forget? First we were in awe to see a magnificent plants that reminded us of a terracotta pitcher at home. And when Mak told us that monkeys drank the water from the pitchers, we were more than impressed.

And when Mak reminded us to gently hold the pitcher, the excitement was too much to bear. We almost stopped  breathing while we took turn to peek inside the pitcher. We didn't want to spill the water from the pitchers. Where would the monkeys go if we spill the water from their pitchers?

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A few months before my father retired from the army, we moved to our new home in Pokok Asam, Taiping. It was a brand new house, three bedrooms, huge kitchen and dining room, living room and plenty of spaces on the back  (the kids standard) and front yard.

I didn't understand then the magnificence of the move, but an eleven year old girl who was closed to her mother, I felt  a contentment vibrated from my mother as I stood next to her. Until now I still could see her glowing expression under late afternoon sky when the last piece of our furniture was unloaded down from a moving truck. She stood in front of the house and said, "Alhamdulillah, we have our own place now."

Another thing that I was particularly aware of was the time of the year. It was April 1968, the last week of school break. And the next year (my final year of elementary school) I could return to the same school and see the same faces of my classmates which I never had experienced in the past.

brb...................

 

Bottom Up

Thursday Challenge-Rare

We were in Plymouth on the weekend, and here is one of the shots that I'm glad I have it.

You Take My Breath Away

On my way back from an appointment, I strolled along Farmer's Market at Back Bay and I spotted this:

 

I held my breath as long as I could. I almost passed out in my effort to get this shot.

You Make Me Melt Like a Chocolate Under the Sun

The other day I overheard the residents were sharing their pick up lines while they were having their lunch. I didn't hear the whole thing but one of the new resident's pick up line sound like this, "You make me melt like  a chocolate under the sun." This new guy, lets call him BN likes to think himself as an ultimate badass with women. He has broken many women's heart in the past, he doesn't have enough fingers on his hands and toes on his feet to count.

Anyway, they switched the topic when they saw me with my coffee mug heading to microwave. We hied and helloed, but I didn't say anything of what I overheard.

The next day BN returned to the facility from his appointment with a Case Worker at DTA (Department of Transitional Assistance). He looked annoyed. Gone all life is good and I'm blessed air that he usually carries with himself.

"Hi BN, what's going on? You look upset. Are you okay?"

"I hate this lady, Ana. I was only ten minutes late and she won't see me. She said come back tomorrow."

"Ten minutes is a lot of minutes, BN. They serve hundreds of people everyday."

"I tried to explain to her why I was late, but she won't listen. Who she thinks she is?"

"BN, She's the person who will process your EBT (food stqamp) card application. So, make sure you leave 15 minutes early tomorrow."

And I couldn't help it to add, "BN, you should have used your famous line to her."

"What famous line?"

"You make me melt like a chocolate uner the sun." I tried to keep my face straight.

"What? I'm confused."  He looked bewildered for a few seconds, then his eyes sparkled and he erupted into a thunderous laughter.

"You think it's funny, huh?"

"I hate to say it, but it is."

 

Signs of Full Blown Summer

There is a lot of truth when a wiseass sage or something came up with, "We don't fully appreciate what we have until we lose it," or something like that.

In my case, I do not lose it but I no longer have a luxury of having it all year around:

Warm weather all year around.

Picnic and BBQ cookout at the park

Blooming flowers (Ginny's garden)

 

Walking along Boston Harbor and share the water front view with the angsa-geese.

Another cookout at Jane's place.

Surprise and joyful findings at open flea market-monkey pitcher plant at Raynham Flea Market.

 

fresh tomatoes from the Jane's garden :))

Break dance

Run Early or Read Late?

I've changed my running schedule since the beginning of July and I have to say I'm pretty good at keeping it at the same time. I no longer hurry to change into running gear when I get home from work.

An hour so nap can make a mammoth different to 5o's old woman like me. Splash some cold water on my face, follow by a very thin layer of sun block of non greasy moisturizer, I'm all good for 5 to 6 miles run at 6:00 pm. The heat is bearable, gentle breeze from the ocean and I am a happy camper.

Last week I've started interval running and I find it much easier to do it in the morning. I run for ten minutes at my regular pace and I sprint for 50 meters and gradually move up to 100 meters. One set the first time and two sets the next morning.

When I did it on Tuesday evening, I couldn't even finish the first set. My plan this weekend is to beat the crowd at Saunders Track & Field by getting there as soon as the sun rises.

The problem is I tend to go to bed late on Friday night when I get my hands on excellent books. I have a stack of books on the night stand waiting for their turn. Hmm...dilemma, dilemma.

Get the Brain Working

When I saw this sand sculptured two Sundays ago at Revere Beach I wondered out loud to Ginny, "Where is his right arm?"

We found out when got on the other side.

I was glad this year I made it to the festival. The unique works of the sculptors opened up our curiosity trying to decipher their works.

"Is it an octopus? Is it a snake? "

"Is it a reflection of their broken hearts that they are sharing?"

"It's not a heart. Heart should be on the left," I pointed out to a woman standing next to me.

"Then what is it?"

"No idea. A mirror perhaps?"

It didn't matter how and what our interpretations were, we got both sides of our brain busy as we enjoyed the warm breeze coming from the ocean.

When We Get Together.........

For us Malaysians/Singaporeans, summer is a wonderful time to get together and meet familiar and new faces over ketupat, satay, laksa, nasi lemak and meehoon goreng and the famous Saerah's teh tarik.

We oohhhhed and aaahhhhed when one of the members told us she and her family had just returned from Malaysia and had durian almost everyday.