Loving One Another

Some individuals are genuine when they love another who is somehow or other not the same but sad to say the number is few.  It is hard to find an individual who do not have some kind of prejudice for another individual of a different race, ethnic group,  religion, belief or country.  As long as you are  different, you will be looked upon in a different light.

For instance, we often hear or sometimes we may even hear ourselves making remarks such as these:  "Oh, surely he/she is like this or like that because he/she is a *__*"  or "..what do you expect, he/she is a *___*".  We often form opinions of another individual based on grounds that are sometimes illogical or unexplainable by ourselves.  Just because others are saying or having such ideas do not mean we have to go along, especially when we are more educated.

Education is the key to opening people's minds, to enable them have more open minds to all issues.  People with closed minds are dangerous to society.  They may even pose as elements to the disintegration of a society especially a plural one. When one gets educated on the why and the how of another individual's behaviour or thoughts, one will not be so quick to criticize or judge.  Will it do any good if one criticizes and judges so much and not concentrate on how to love another individual more, individuals of all kinds, shapes, colours, languages, status, etc...

How can one be asking for more unity when one discriminates at all levels. Let us not talk so childishly about 1Malaysia when we still cannot understand why our neighbour cannot do this or that right in your eyes! Can finding faults in one another help us live harmoniously? If your neighbour's rubbish is strewn on the road, go and pick it up for her/him.  Do not let shame be brought upon her/him.  If you love her/him like a sister or brother, you also care what others may think of her/him.  Go and put it right for her/him.  Be quiet when you do it and do not expect appreciation or any credit for it.  If you have to do it again, do it.  She/He will one day realise that you are doing it because you love her/him.  You are trying to be a good neighbour!  What is there to lose?  There is more to gain than to lose, as I see it.

Let's encourage each other. A harmonious and caring society benefits everyone, not only one group of individuals because acts of kindness will become good habits, and good habits will in turn become our destiny.  Our destiny is a prosperous Malaysia where everyone cares for another's welfare, where no one is selfish in accumulating wealth for oneself at the expense of others.

Eating Out in a Kopitiam

I do not usually advocate eating out and what is going on out there should not be much of my concern. However, I itch to voice out what I feel about some hawkers serving Chinese food in kopitiams or food courts.

Every year the price of most Chinese cooked food rise by almost 10%. Never mind about the rise because the 'raw materials' are also getting more expensive. However, some hawkers are just too much. The food they serve has become poorer in quality and their attitudes worse.

The other day, the 'pork meehoon' that my husband ordered had too few pieces of pork in the soup. Poor him! I could see him trying to scoop out the pieces of meat out of the bowl as they 'swam' in it.  It was full of nothing but soup. For four ringgit, all he got was a few strands of 'meehoon' and a few thin pieces of pork. That was atrocious! He went home still hungry and had to buy a bun later to eat. What did I say, I told him. That pork must be air-flown from overseas, you know, like the Kobe beef. I had told him not to patronise the stall after the first time it had got to be so expensive but he would not listen.

Many hawkers do not serve the food themselves now and they employ Indonesian maids to help them. Often these maids or sometimes they themselves make mistakes but the customers will have to bear with them. If complains are brought to them, they are received with indifference. I remember there was once some news about a lady hawker being very haughty to her customer, and it was much publicised later.

Still these hawkers survive as there are too many people eating out, and some people understand little about good service, good hygiene and quality for money.

There was one chicken rice stall that I patronised last year and after that time, I have never gone back to it again. I was pissed off by the Myanmar worker who served the packet of rice to me. I requested for chicken breast meat and after taking the piece of meat down from the shelf, he started to cut it. He was cutting and slapping the meat on the chopping board as he did it.

Then he wiped his hands on the seemingly dirty looking apron he was wearing and his hands went back to the cut pieces again. He held all of them on his palms and put them into the styrofoam box of rice, pressing them down. I looked uneasingly as he prepared my order and when he handed me the rice, I told him I had changed my mind about buying it. I walked away quickly while putting back my money into my pocket. Of course, in return the Myannar shouted a stream of profanities after me. I was so embarrassed that I wished I had not decided to buy 'outside' food that day.

Besides that incident of the Myanmar 'playing' with the chicken meat, there was another bad antic of the 'beverage man' in a particular kopitiam . There was one whom I encountered when I went there for breakfast. A couple of times he had served my tea in a cracked cup and I only noticed it when I almost finished half of the drink. The hairline crack was very thin at the top but got thicker at the bottom. I was furious and immediately summoned the Indonesian maid to come and explain it. The reply made me even more furious. What is wrong with that, she asked. The cup had been cleaned and everybody used it without complains, she said. That was enough. I swore I would not step into another kopitiam again. I am not going to have substandard cleanliness spoil my day!

Evil on the Highways

What I am going to relate may have been stale news to some. However I am not going to leave 'any stones unturned' because there may be someone who is still not aware of the dangers other than the usual accidents caused by sheer carelessness of some drivers.

My jaw almost dropped off in surprise when I was told the first time because it had never occurred to me such things could happen. Whether they are whole truths or half truths, I suppose we shall use our discerning abilities to decide.  However, it is always better to prevent than to cure, so beware! 

I was told that some road accidents were 'planned'. The culprits behind these 'planned' road accidents were, as suspected by some policemen and some quarters who had the genes of Sherlock Holmes, none other than the car workshop mechanics, towtruck operators and fellows of related business.

A few fatal accidents were quoted as examples of 'planned' ones. In one, the survivor reported that the accident happened when the driver rammed into the divider and rolled over to the other side of the road while trying to avoid a tyre appearing from nowhere and coming towards their vehicle. Their vehicle was knocked into by an express bus which could not stop in time, killing the driver and two other passengers. What a heinuos act!

Another case which had just happened at the beginning of this month, involved three Indian nationals who purposely 'swiped' a Chinese man's car. The Chinese man offered to send the 'injured' man to the hospital but while on the way to the said hospital, the Indian national wanted to go home instead. The Chinese man , unsuspectingly, obliged and when he reached the 'injured' man's house, a group of about four men came out and grabbed hold of him. They shoved him into their house and forced him to give them his ATM card. He waited in the house while one of them went to withdraw money from a nearby machine. Later they took him in his car and abandoned him somewhere in the outskirts. His car was found in another spot. He was lucky to be alive for he could have lost his life if the Indian nationals were 'more evil'.

It reminds me to be careful while travelling alone in my own car on the highway. Someone who is on the motorbike or in a car may be your next enemy with 'planned' evil intentions.
Let's pray you are not the victim of the 'more evil' kind, who will not consider taking another's life a big deal. This 'evil' kind must be high on drugs or pills. Only God can help them!
　

Safer Travel By Express Bus Now

The Transport Ministry should be lauded for its never ending efforts to improve public transport. For the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the ultimatum of their decades of struggle, after going through countless trials and mistakes, is the much improved terminal at Bandar Tasik Selatan, to name one.

I was impressed by the technology employed ,and the presence of the police personnel and security guards makes one feel safe and at ease. I remember how my parents used to worry each time I had to go to the old Puduraya Bas Terminal to take a bus to go to Johor Bahru. It was not a safe place and my parents used to describe the place as one that had 'the bad, the good and the ugly', meaning you would expect the worst criminal in your midst. Poor mum! It was no wonder that she had so much grey hair; it must be all that worrying about me, a young girl then, travelling all alone and there was no mobile phone to check on me once in a while.

I am really glad now that I shall no more be too worried about my children travelling outstation ,thanks to the Transport Ministry for making it safer.

For those intending to travel by express buses to the northern states, namely Perak, Kedah, Perlis or Penang, they must go to the renovated Puduraya Terminal which restarted its operation a week ago.

As for those heading south- Johor,Malacca or Singapore, they shall have to go to the Bandar Tasik Selatan Bus Terminal.

Revival

This picture is taken from a 1974 magazine.  Gosh! That means it was 37 years ago but look at the lady in the picture.  She belongs to 'now'!
Sister, if you have a dress which you think is out of date, don't give away yet!  You might regret later especially if you had loved it very much.  Keep it  properly for a while especially if it had cost you  a 'heap'.

 

Still a much loved style; love the colours,the blue against the yellow and white. Undoubtedly beautiful!

Published Procrastination

It is a delay of six years. The shop lot that I bought is still not ready despite many promises to get it delivered soon. Last December, I was told that I could get it by February 2011. Well, February came and went.

The shop lot looks almost the same except for the roller shutter which is rolled down and the place is used by the contractor to keep his things. The other day I saw a forklift carrying bricks to the front and was getting them ready to be put in. There seemed to be much activity on this side but nothing to do with the completion of the shop directly.

Months before they had used it to house the contract workers. Wooden compartments , each with its own door, were built inside the shop, about six of them. I saw an Indonesian worker going into one of them. A lady used the sink counter to put a gas stove where she cooked her meals.

The six years of just serving the bank the loan interest has robbed me of my freedom. Instead of collecting rental to cover the instalments or instead of starting a business in my own shop, now I am doing something far from what I had planned. While I am faithfully doing my part and patiently waiting with no aggressive action, it seemed that the contractors are shortchanging me. Shouldn't they, at least, write and ask for permission to use the premise for whatever purpose they want? The contract workers used the shop next door to rear chickens!

　

One's Dream House, Another's Pain in the Neck

  Ah Choi, my 'qi gong' friend, was looking very tired lately and I wondered what had happened to her. Was it her three month long absence from her 'qi gong' routine that had the better of her, I wondered.

I showed her my concern and invited her to have breakfast with me at our favourite mee stall. She was soon pouring out her woes to me. She was so vehement about the injustice done to her that her noodles went cold waiting for her to finish her story.

Her 'dream' house was 'shattered' by the massive renovation that was going on in the house next door. Her tiled walls cracked due to the weight of another half storey added to the one storey house next door. She was not very sure how it happened but she guessed it must be the 'lending' of her part of her house pillars or wall to carry the new weight.

Moreover, it was discovered lately, as it had been raining a lot, that most of the rain water from the roof of her neighbour's house drained onto hers and the amount was so great that it leaked into the ceiling. Her plaster ceiling was stained and spoilt. Poor Ah Choi!

I could understand how she felt because she was once a very proud owner of her newly renovated house. Now, it has become a pain more than a joy. A leaking house with cracked walls. It has become dangerous too because her wiring may be short circuited.
　

Four Ringgit I-phone!

I was savouring my morning breakfast at a 'kopitiam' the other day when I overheard the most
interesting piece of conversation.

Two elderly ladies were talking quite loudly as they compared how much each other had prepared
for the coming 'All Souls' Day', a Chinese festivity whereby the Chinese go to the graveyards and pay respects to their dead relatives.

One boasted about the numerous items she had bought for her dead mother.  It seemed her mother had told her in one of her dreams that she needed a communication device to connect with other relatives in Hell City-a few names were mentioned whom the other lady was familiar with.  She was contemplating of getting a handphone but the other lady suggested that that was out of date.  How about getting her a laptop, her friend asked, but that was rejected because the dead mother was not educated and did not know how to read nor write.

Finally, it was settled that she should get an I-phone which cost RM4 because it is the most 'in' thing to buy.
Sure or not, I heard her asking.

The Golden Heart

While some of us are irked by irregulaties of the law, others have the opinion that some irregularities will not be that 'sinful' due to 'humanitarian' reasons.

Sometimes it is bad if we take actions according to the book.  For instance, it is against the law
for someone to take the streets as one's abode.  You may be disgusted at the sight of dirty men , women or even children sleeping in alleys or under overhead bridges.  You may even think they are putting you or your country to shame or you may even want to complain to the authorities about them. Right that you may be that they are flouting the law but HOLD ON, are you sure that by taking the matter to the authority you are more right than them?

Have a heart, make sure they have somewhere to go before you attempt to chase them away.  Sometimes
they are not just taking the easy way out.  Sometimes it is just their inability to cope with problems. They could be lost, trying to cope with the demanding city life.  Similarly, we can have children who drop out of schools, we can also have grown-ups who 'drop out' of society.  They need our help and understanding.  We should not classify them as failures just because they could not keep up.

I feel Malaysians are generally kind because they do not complain about these people too much.
I see office workers passing by these poor souls and none of them ever jeered or sneered at them.  Some may even say a silent prayer as they pass by these helpless people.

 A proud country need not be one that looks so clean like a hospital. More importantly, it must be one that has a heart for its fellow citizens, rich or poor, whatever race, colour, religion or intelligence level. Of course I do not mean we will not be bothered about having a clean city.  Maybe a cleaner place will make these people without homes more comfortable while they temporarily take shelter on the streets.

Maybe we can follow the example of Japan where in Tokyo, there are box-like clean looking shacks which has space enough for one person to sleep in and to keep his very simple possessions of a few pieces of clothes , shoes, slippers, some bowls, plates , cutlery and maybe a small pot and portable stove. These are located at well paved non foul smelling river banks away from the sight of the public. Somewhere they are provided with public baths and toilets.  These are the very people who sweep and clean the city's road and parks.  I suppose these are more suitable for the males rather the females because I did not see any of the latter gender.  How well provided for, at least we are able to do away the unsightly beggar-like individuals sleeping on the walkways, back alleys or under bridges.  We do not have to pinch our noses as we walked past some old shops where they answered their nature's calls.
These pitiful people are someone's children or parents or uncles or aunts.  We will be very wrong if we show benevolence to people of other countries but remain blind to those in front of us. Here, I do not mean we do not help people of other countries but just a caution that we so often forget the ones so near to us.

  I am one who at one time was quick to judge and have now learnt that I was very wrong indeed!
Now, I am careful of judging people harshly when they break a rule or a law or two.  I must also remember not to judge too quickly.

Hump Diversity

Just in Ampang alone you can get various kinds of humps on the roads. 

Broad flatter ones, high narrow ones , dented ones , rounded and smooth ones....a real butt of some people's jokes!

It is not a joke if you ran over one that gives your car a clank and additional maintenance cost some time later.

I  hate the ones that were 'unauthorised' because they do not forewarn you.  Unlike the ones made by the town councils, they do not have the usual  yellow lines to tell you to slow down as there will be a hump ahead .

Some people decide to take the law into their own hands. Angered by some motorists who sped across the front of their homes, they set to make their own humps, some too near each other for my liking. 

Talking about plurality, our dear country is not too keen about singularity.  "Macam-macam pun ada!" (Meaning, we do have all kinds!)

I love Malaysia, no matter how it is!

Of Roads and Walkways

The rainy season has revealed the shoddiness of a lot of road repairs in the area where I live and its vicinity.

However, I will not be so sure to say that it is the total negligence or irresponsibility of any party.  I notice that many areas in Ampang were ex-mining land and the surfaces of the land are sandy, the result of tin mning in the past.   Consequently, the surfacing for the roads seemed not durable especially along both sides of the road ,which will after some time appear to to be lower than the tarred surface.  This make the road seemed higher and also make it difficult for cars to pull to the kerb without bumping on to their undersides.  Furthermore, it makes the usage of the length of road very restricted because cars that stopped when they have to turn will hold up another car behind it. It is hard to take over from the left side without having to go down the raised road.

 I am wondering if the authorities are aware of this.  I cannot believe they can be more oblivious than I.

I am hoping that they can make  walkways along the roads so that they will not only prevent erosion of the sandy soil, they will also give safety to pedestrains using the roads.  Now it seems the Malaysian roads are not pedestrain-friendly at all. Even more unfriendly to those who are physically handicapped.

Those who are confined to wheel-chairs do not hope to be able to come out on their own.  Looks like in Malaysia, these people will have to resign to their fate. Why has it to be like this?

I cannot believe our caring society cannot do more than this.  I am very sure these people do not just want charity.  They want very much to be a part of society and looks like it is hard for them to be.  How miserable for them!

Men in Navy Blue Uniforms

Of late, the residents in my neightbourhood are feeling very happy and proud.

Though some of us are intimidated by the presence of these men in dark blue uniforms, it cannot be denied
that their being here has brought much peace of mind.

I am no longer walking in the street with intense fear that somewhere around the corner a motorbike will come vrooming with the pillion rider ready to snatch away my possession.

I feel proud as I pass their road blocks, saluting to them.  Proud now that Malaysia will be a safe country to live in.  Don't give up hope, fellow Malaysians!

'Rape' in a Street of KL

 I went to a bank in the town centre last Monday as my term deposit had matured and I had intended to use the interest for some shopping. I had wanted a Netbook for my dear self because it was a hassle really to share with a "cyber active" son.

The sky did not looked quite bright and the sun was shining rather unwillingly.  Come on, Sun, I thought as I looked up to the sky.Give me a sunny day because it is not always a good girl like me will want to go out and leave the household chores undone. I almost pleaded.

Quickly, I took my bag , shoved in an umbrella, just in case Sun did not want to cooperate.  I walked to the bus stop which is just behind my house and waited for the bus.  It came about fifteen minutes later.  If I had not hesitated just now, I would have caught the earlier bus and would not even have to  wait .

When I was almost reaching my destination, it started to pour, giving me no chance to keep dry at all.  I got down the bus, dreading the fact that I had to walk about ten metres to the bank. Sun, you are such a spoil sport! Why did you let Rain come at all! You know how I hate Rain when I am out!

The roads had turned into rivers almost in an instant.  It was the heaviest rain I had ever seen. My tiny umbrella could not hold the weight of the rain, and it bent pitifully.  I walked quickly to the row of shops along the main road because I did not want any dirty water from the road to splash on to my clothes by any inconsiderate motorist.  As I was about to finish crossing the road , a taxi came along from my left and went behind me without slowing down.  Terrified that it might charged into me, I jumped a little to avoid it but
to my dismay, though I could avoid being knocked , I could not avoid the splashing water when its tyres went across a puddle in the road.  The back of my blouse was wet and my shriek must have attracted the
attention of a few men who took shelter in front of the shops. I could see the glint in their eyes and could sense that they were laughing at me. Good for nothings, I muttered under my breath, laughing at somebody's misfortune.

Immediately I could feel the filth.  My imagination ran wild with thoughts about what were in the dirty water.  Billions of germs, viruses, all kinds of microorganisms, old men's sputum, spit, dogs' pooh, urine and all things imaginably dirty.

I could feel something furry creeping up my back, crawling into my hair, ears and eyes.  I started to scratch my head and rub my ears.  It was extremely uncomfortable. I wished I could be home to remove my clothes and take a bath.

Without much ado, I walked to the bank and got my errand done. Hurriedly, I took a bus back.  The journey back took longer due to the bad traffc jam after the downpour. Typical of Jalan Ampang after the rain. While on the bus, I felt extreme discomfort and felt as if all eyes were on my wet back.

Once home, I headed towards the bathroom. I got my whole body washed , from head to toes. As I washed, I cursed the unthinking taxi driver, the roads, the drainage system, the manufacturer of the flimsy umbrella, whatever else there was to blame. I felt complete disgust at the dirty water that had touched my body.  Suddenly the whole scenario felt familiar.  Where and when had I felt like this before?  Ah, didn't it seemed like that soap drama which showed a woman who after being raped , went to drenched herself with water in the bathroom and washed away all the 'filth' ?  I thought I felt like that too.  Yucks! Not another time, no.

I will hate to be in the streets of downtown KL when it is raining, especially the areas around Petaling Street or Masjid India!

Amazing Grace by 2-year Old

Circumcision and Young Malay Boys

  I have a group of young Malay boys who are taking tuition from me.  They bring me much joy and sometimes I wonder how my life is going to be if I stop my work and have nothing to do with them.


Though they are extremely talkative and are very inattentive during lessons,  they know what to do if I stare at them. They will get to serious work and regret their indiscipline.


They will tell each other to shut up.  In the past, the usual remark was "Shut up' or "Zip up your mouth".


However, nowadays they have a very imaginative phrase and will most of time bring about hilarious laughter and amongst the girls , uncontrollable giggling and red faces.  That very creative phrase is "Sunat kau punya _ _....baru tahu...ha..suruh diam tak mau...".  (Meaning , if you don't keep quiet, we'll get your _ _ circumcised...").  This is usually directed to those below eleven who have not undergone the process.


One very cute boy answered " eh...eh...tak takut...saya sudah.." (meaning, eh..eh..I am not scared...mine is done already) and that made everyone roared with laughter.

Giving Ang Pows and Mental Arithmetic

The Chinese New Year came and went.  All the hassle of buying new clothes, making cookies and spring cleaning the house amongst many other rituals just sizzled off after Chap Goh Meh.

Now it is back to normal but not without any anticipation for another Chinese festivity....the 'All Souls Day' some time towards the end of March.

In reflection, like every Chinese New Year, I would get so 'pissed off' by certain people as regards the tradition of giving the red packets.  Traditionally, young and unmarried children should be receiving them from their married elders.  However, some elders were so stingy that they pretended to forget this and omitted one ang pow here and there, much to the dismay of the hopeful child.  Besides, some very rich elders were so disappointing because their ang pows contained the least money of all.

Some people came with their friends' children and the host/hostess had to give ang pows to these children because traditionally on Chinese New Year, we should be generous and this kind of behaviour would bring much blessings to the family.  Then there was this wait and see attitude.  Waiting for who to make the first move in giving the ang pows so that we would know what to do next.  As I said some elders did not give to every deserving child. There was one group who came and collected from every auntie but left giving ang pows to only two children out of eight.

 Later, there was checking of how much was the content and a quick mental arithmetic calculation to determine how many to give in return and how much in each red packet.  Nobody wants to 'lose' that much.  Talk about CNY spirit....but some people were just taking advantage like the one who brought along friends' children and then pocketing the red packets himself.  It was almost as much a day's pay for a labourer!

Let him be you might say but .....those were the bad antics during the Chinese New Year!

Prey and Predator

It  is a queer feeling really that every day, out there on the streets near houses, the places we are working or the places where we frequent to do our daily shopping, are people who have eyes on nothing else but other people's property.

I do not understand why some people just can't focus their energy on something more dignified than to rob or snatch another person's hard earned possession.

Surely not all these people are drug addicts, who are 'high' on drugs that they are not rational.  I trust some are still sane enough to distinguish who is 'loaded' and who is not.

I am wondering ,while most of us are aware that these  people are going on their rounds on their stolen motorbikes, why aren't the police the ones who should be going on their rounds to ensure the rakyat's safety?

Why are we allowing them to be the lords of the streets?

Why do we have to be always on the alert, and if we fail to do so, we will be their victims just like that?

Easy job for them.....and poor us, terrified when every motorbike passes nearby.

Small Surprises Big Weirdos

Initially this blog is intended to be a 'food' blog but due to time constraints, I decided to change my mind.


A food blog would not be perfect without pictures and I haven't got much time in my hands to upload photos.


I intend to write about what's on my mind every day, hence the title 'Day to Day'.  The focus will be mainly on stories or accounts that surprises and that are strange.