Switzerland

I met someone through work who just came back from studies in Switzerland... My teen dream was to study in Switzerland, attracted by pictures of the Alps.  Today, I wonder if I will see Swissland in this lifetime..

I wonder if I will...... So many things that I wonder...

I wonder if I can find....
The perfect pair of shoes
The perfect dress
The perfect companion
A perfect summer in Paris
A perfect summer in UK
The perfect time to do what I have wanted to do for a long time..

When does it stop?

Sometimes parents wonder if their grown children still love them the same way they did when they were kids. I wouldn't know as I was never close with my mum, but I still miss my dad. I do have a lot of love for my mum but different.. I guess it's the maternal child relationship love. I wonder if all kids move into that phase when they grow up... What a bummer to the mother who was the most important person in the children's lives at one time.. Oh well, life goes on, love moves on..

love of love or love of money

statistics show that 70% of couples who marry for love will end up in divorce.  those who place more emphasis on status and money have a lower percentage of divorces.. now why is that so?

i think we put our priorities all wrong in this day and age.  my parents' generation would marry for love, or would be match-made - and generally have a lasting marriage; many of whom are happy, while others are amicably together.  the pressures, demands and stresses of today's society creates easy tension and friction between couples.  easy access to extra marital interests are also prevalent.

moral decay is another cause of high divorce rates.

so what do we advise youth of today?  is it more practical to marry for status and money?  after all, chances of a sustaining marriage is not worse than those who marry for love - so why don't one have a marriage where one doesn't have to worry about the next meal on the table; but can spend time planning for holidays and retail therapy...

nostalgia and memories

i was browsing at the bookstore, looking for a book to present to my niece for her birthday, when i came upon a new book authored by Cecil Rajendra.  Cecil is a lawyer whom i met many years ago through my father-in-law - they were very good friends, and were always together.  so i picked up the book, as it was also on a subject i knew - The Rose Chan Story.  apart from the synopsis, i also always read the page where the author dedicates or pay homage to someone or their family, so i  casually turned to that.  what i read there brought back a flood of memories :

"...... dedicated to the memory of Lee Khai Hong aka Lee Ying, my sifu/guru for esoteric......."

my father-in-law, notice i didnt put "ex father in law".... he will always be my father in law... is lee khai hong...imagine my excitement to read about someone i know so well, being mentioned in a book, and as i flipped through the pages, all over the book!  i immediately called my mother-in-law to tell her that; and messaged my kids and their dad...

funny how memories drive people to do different things.  this interview and story event happened in the late 1980's but only saw light of day this year in 2013... long after my father in law and Rose Chan had died.

i hope you get to read the book.... it's a worthwhile of a Malaysian icon, Rose Chan!

Family

most of us have common family bonds - we are either closer to mum or dad; we are close to our siblings, we have some form of contact with our relatives usually through our parents.

more commonly is the fact that when we are at a gathering where there are relatives, we make it a point to mingle with them and at least have some small talk.  i was at a recent gathering where the hosts did not once make an effort to interact with the relatives..... strange isn't it?

me and me and a dog named boo

i was reminded today that i have a blog which i have sorely neglected; so mr blog, i'm back again.

my new workmates are full of youthful cheer, a refreshing flow of innocence, and limitless energy abounding.  oh, to be young again.... but then again, age has its privileges; and its wisdom.  i look at them and i think to myself "been there, done that"..

we have been back in KL one and a half months now... europe is but a memory, again, until the next

visit.  Paris still resonates in my mind.  when i first stepped onto parisian soil, i was slightly disappointed...."so what's so romantic and special about this place" i asked myself while looking around at the dirty streets of dog poo... until we walked from The Louvre along the Champs Elysee, visited the Notre Dame at night, and walking along the streets of Paris at night with the yellow streetlamps throwing out warm love and spreading the feelings of romance into the air...

and the croissants were divine, regardless of how small the cafe was, the croissant never failed  to titillate.. by the time we left Paris, we all looked like croissants!

 twas a cold and wet Netherlands this spring, but family kept the spirits up.  a great reunion of the ladies in the family, great bonding, and loads of wholesome fun.

shoobaba will be back in December and will stay a few months to satiate her thirst for home life.... and her mum will get a feel of the whole family again in KL... if only for a while.

now i shall start planning for my next holiday in Europe... Sweden ..Switzerland?

 Lunar Chinese New Year in 2013 :

today's CNY is quite different with most traditions lost with youth.  here's what i grew up with -

- a week before CNY, the house is springcleaned from top to bottom so that Gods are pleased with the cleanliness
-  the rice pot is filled to the brim to signify that we welcome the New Year with plenty
-  all male children and their families, must be home with their parents for the Reunion dinner on CNY eve
- after the Reunion dinner and through the first few days of CNY, firecrackers would go off, each home challenging the other with who lets off the most, of course, the wealthier you are, the more you can afford to let off.
- we are not allowed to sweep away the firecracker parchments on the ground, as the red means good luck and prosperity - the redder  your ground the more wealth you will obtain in the new year.  it was so exciting watching the firecrackers go off, with hands to the ears... people would twine the firecrackers around the fencing or perimeter of the home... the longer the firecracker the better!
- we are not allowed to sweep nor mop the floor on the 1st day of CNY as it signifies that we are sweeping away good luck.
- we are not allowed to speak negative words nor swear on the 1st day; we cannot anger the Gods you see, or we will incur bad luck through the new year
- everyone has to wear brand new clothes on 1st day of CNY to welcome the New year
- the family will visit each other's siblings who have started their own families; and children are not allowed to go out with friends - children have to be at home to welcome the relatives to show respect.  mumsy here rebelled when she was 15 years old and was promptly told off by the uncles through mum:)


i guess with modern thinking, most of these rituals are forgotten with city folks, but i guess it also lessens the impact of the season.  with the banning of firecrackers, it also reduced the excitement and the festive feeling - granted that it is a good move for safety purposes.