family and the festivities

Everyone usually spends time with their families during the festivities. Christmas and New Year are both trying times for me where work is concerned. I have deadlines to meet early in the year and I will choose to skip family events. I am a prudent when it comes to money matters and I don't see the logic behind having to spend such a lot of money for a set menu that I hardly like. Buffets just make me sick to my gut. All that food.......what can I say. My mum, well she's different. She believes in festivities and gatherings of any sort while I'm more of a loner. Not a true loner but after a hard day's work, I just appreciate my "quiet time". Time that I spend on my own and doing the things I want to do. My "quiet time" is limited since I work most of the time. Whatever time I don't spend on my official work, I will spend on my part time work. Coming back to the festivities, I see it as nothing more than the entertainment industry capitalizing on festivities. We could easily have a meal that costs half as much any other day. So why only on that day ? I've spent years and years reasoning with my mum and her reply is always the same, "it's only once a year !". I can barely afford to survive each month and this is another reason that I'm mostly absent at these family gatherings. I have never favoured living off others and if I can't afford it, then I'll just stay home even if it means being alone. I don't mind at all. Friends keep repeating that I can't take my money with me when I die and I do realize this but I'd rather stick to my budget and have a year that is financially easier than to splurge on one very expensive meal. I've told my mum over and over again that when I can afford it, I'll surely be there and I'll be the one paying the bill. Do I make any sense at all ?

monotony

I am one of the very few who has never really appreciated long stretches of holidays like the recent Chinese New Year. I felt completely lost being away from the office for a long period of time. I felt as if my routine was broken and felt nervous thinking about what awaited me on my return. Needless to say, I appreciated being able to sleep in. I got to thinking about the life of homemakers and what they do with themselves everyday. Time seemed endless. I did nothing but cook, eat, read and watch movies ! Baking was a laborious task that I chose to skip. Somehow, through the fog of laziness, I couldn't imagine myself washing up all the greasy utensils even though having a nice butter cake was tempting. Unpacking was another task on my long list that I completely chose to ignore. So I'd need to be honest and add to my year's resolutions. Words that are kind to myself would sound something like choosing to take it easy but in actual fact, I am nothing more than LAZY ! Sometimes I do give in and this is one time....I'll give in. And what did I do this past weekend. Oh well I might as well be honest. I fried keropok, ate keropok, fried keropok, ate keropok, roasted chicken, ate chicken and ate and ate ! If only I could produce electricity from what I ate, I could light up the city of Petaling Jaya !

cycle & carriage service centres

How screwed up can a service centre as large and "professional" as Cycle & Carriage become ??? VERY screwed-up in fact. Since the 1st year I bought my Smart ForTwo, I have been complaining that the rear screen was leaking. First it only leaked when I wasked the car. They "fixed" it but the problem persisted. Made another and another and another complaint but everytime the problem persisted if not worse. Finally about a year back, the service centre decided to replace the rear spoiler and claimed that it was the cause of the leak. Then it was dry weather and I never knew if the problem was finally resolved. After that, I noticed the spoiler was loose and it rattled quite a bit. This time, I was referred to the other service centre near Jalan 222. Again, the claimed to have fixed the problem. We are now experincing the wet season and I found that my rear screen was leaking again and this time it was worse !

Yesterday, I finally sent my car to a new workshop, GERMAN MOTORS. German Motors is owned by Fritz Imbacher, the person entrusted with the Si Khiong service centres. After his retirement, he decided to set up a business in Malaysia and German Motors was born. Prior to his retirement, Fritz has been working with Mercedes Benz for 32 long years. German Motors is about 6 months old.

I was and still am impressed with their service. It's very personal and the Service Manager, Thomas together with Fritz actually took the time to listen to my complaints and asked many questions to make sure that they understood the reason for such complaints. It's a first and I am grateful for the attention.

I arrived at the workshop a little past 9.30am. Registered my presence with the sweet lady there, Mandy and a short while later, Thomas attended to me. I explained that during my past visits to C&C, my complaints were never rectified though they were claimed to have been "fixed". Fritz walked in shortly after I sat down with Thomas and he enquired about my complaints.

At about 11am, I walked over to Jaya 33 to pass some time. Met up with a friend there who later gave me a ride back to the workshop. As I was finishing my lunch, Thomas called and enquired when I could get back to the workshop. They had discovered some disturbing problem about the rear screen leak and needed to explain and show me the problem. When I got back to the workshop, both Fritz and Thomas attended to me. I am greatly disappointed with C&C for what they did and failed to do......

a) Rear spoiler fitting was forced during a repair visit and became detached from the rear screen.
b) Rear spoiler clip broken.
c) Screws missing.
d) 3rd brake light seal missing.
e) Rear spoiler not sealed during replacement.

Fritz and Thomas were both sympathetic. I had to decide if I wanted to return to C&C and offer them a good piece of "advise" or if I should bear the cost and have someone reliable to rectify the persistant problem. I decided on the latter. I was already there, the car was too and I was greatly impressed by the effort taken to show and explain the problem, what could be done and the sincerity shown throughout.

They would need to carefully and slowly detach the spoiler from the screen. Then the sealent (whatever is left) will need to be thoroughly removed and cleaned and re-applied. Hopefully the plastic will not crack and will work. Thomas will see if the seal for the brake light is available otherwise I have told them to just seal it off permanently.

C&C......thanks a million for the shitty work. And to Fritz and Thomas, my heartfelt gratitude for the effort and most of all the concern and sincerity.

For those of you owners of BMW, Mercedes Benz, Smart cars, I encourage you to try GERMAN MOTORS.

sweets for charity

Last Christmas, I ordered some heavenly cookies and sugee cakes. These cakes were made for charity for the San Pedro Shelter Home by Datin Betty Saw and the San Pedro team. Prices were extremely reasonable and the goodies were delivered right to my doorstep. For everything that I ordered, it was love at first bite ! Here's what they had in store for us.....

Eurasian Sugee Cake with Almonds (RM25)
Portugese Sugee Cake with Almonds (RM25)
Gingerbread Man Shortcake (RM20)
Eurasian Pineapple Jam Tarts (RM20)
London Almond Cookies (RM20)
Belgium White Chocolate Cashewnut Cookies (RM20)
Hollywood Midnight Cookies (RM20)
German Orange Butter Cookies (RM20)

In addition, they also had Eurasian Moist Fruit Cakes in an assortment of flavours such as Grandpa's Russian Red, Caribbean Rum Chocolate Fudge, Eurasian Wedding, Jewish Orange and Hawaiian Wine for a very reasonable price of RM30 each.

Orders were made by calling Julia @ (016) 277-0764 or Jenny @ (012) 252-0056. Orders could also be sent by email to elshaddai24hrs@yahoo.com or elshaddai_2000@hotmail.com

I'd definitely and gladly repeat my order again this year if it is available.

thoughts of joy (by adrian)

The last three days have been some of the most difficult. As some of you may already know, I had to make a very difficult decision to put my beloved dog Joy to sleep on Sunday 1st of February at around 2.30pm. She was diagnosed with bone tumor on Friday and has been noted by the vet to be in severe pain. I made the decision purely on the fact that I could not bear to see her suffer any more. She was 15, and has been with us for that long.It's funny how posts about pets sometimes split people. From those who would say it is justifiable to dedicate a whole post to a dog and those who would say that 'isn't it just a dog?' So for the benefit of everyone, I want to qualify by saying that Joy was not just a dog to us, she was family.She wasn't some dog we kept out in the rain for security, she was always sitting either by the side of my dad while he watches TV or by mine when I was finishing up my freelance writing. She ate when we did and she slept when we slept, and often times in the last year, by my bed. So for me, having to look into her eyes for the last two days knowing what was going to happen to her on Sunday was exceptionally difficult for me.It almost felt like I was cheating her, betraying her. Unlike people, dogs can offer little retort for your decisions. They cannot object nor reinforce. You have to make those decisions purely on what you feel is absolutely best for them. And I made that decision at around 12.30pm on Friday.15 years is a long time, in my case, half my existence. And she was around for most of the juicier bits of my life. After all, you don't really live until you're about 17 right? So she was there, stumbling in her little puppy-ish feet in 1995 to welcome me back after i finished my very last day of secondary school. Those same feet also shuffled to the door to welcome me back after my first day of proper work. She was there to lick my face when I had my heart broken for the first time, and she was there when I picked my best get-up for my first day of college. She was there to bark a hearty bark of displeasure after our first trip overseas as a family in 2001 and she was there barking to break up a fight between me and my sis in 2002. I can't think of a single memorable moment in my life where Joy was not part of it in some way. So in a way, a part of my existence has died. A part that I will miss terribly in the coming years. She has lived in eight houses in her lifetime, from the flood-happening one in Sec 19 PJ to this one here in Kota Damansara, where she has seen out her last days. She has seen much adventure and have lived as well as my family could afford her to. I am proud of myself, and my family because in many ways, even after 15 years, Joy has never been anything less than extremely important to us. Whether she's been fed, whose room did she sleep in last night and when should we bathe her have always been at the forefront of most of our conversations even up until last week. There were seriously very little things in the world that I would not have dropped if I knew she needed to be tended to urgently. People have been asking me - what is the hardest thing? Or what is the thing I will miss the most? There are countless things. But at the very top of my head, I would miss the soft gentle feel of her fur when I reach over to pat her head every morning. I would miss the sound of her paw clicking against the marble floor downstairs. The boom of her bark around the house whenever someone is at the gate. The coo of her breathing in the quiet afternoon lull. One of my deepest fears was that Joy would die alone, when all of us were out of the house, living our lives. Perhaps therefore it is fitting that she should go this way, allowing us two precious days to spend with her, playing with her, taking pictures and videos with her and showering her with all the love, attention and food we could. She went with the sound of my voice in her left ear and the sound of my sis' voice in her other. She was surrounded by loved ones, loved ones who wept for her and told her that everything was going to be alright and that from now on there would be no more pain. As I sit here typing this note, I already feel such an emptiness as a result of this loss of such a faithful companion. It's a post to not only thank some of you out there that have played with her that I for one am eternally grateful that you've helped enrich her life, even if it was for a moment but also to remind myself constantly of what an important part she was in my life, my family's life.So Joy Joy, wherever you are now, know that 'Ko Ko' misses you very much and he hopes you're not cold or hungry tonight and that you're now in a much better place

Her Endearing Ways

She loved to sit in the morning sun.She hated lightning and thunder. She would butt in to break up arguments between family members by either barking or tugging at our trouser sleeves while growling. She loved cheese slices.She used to stand on her hind legs to greet my dad whenever she wanted to be fedShe used to love sleeping under beds, near electrical sockets or by the shoe racks. She hates baths.She loved Wan Tan Mee. She would do a circular dance motion on her back whenever she's had some, without fail every time. She loved car rides.She loved durian. She used to heave sighs whenever we were nagging her about something.Whenever she wanted food from you, she would sit real close so that her snout was just above your leg so that you can feel some of her drool dripping on you. Once, my sis was irritatingly disturbing her tail when she was sleeping (something she hates) and she growled at my sis. I smacked her for growling and she refused to acknowledge my sis for a week. Not even when she brought cheese slices. She once peed on my room carpet because I scolded her for something.She loved to sleep on this rotan couch we used to have. She preffered to drink water from either the toiler floor or from the top of overturned buckets, hardly ever from her bowl.She loved ice-waterI remember that one time when she merticulously hunted a rat patiently and stepped on it till it died. Not bite mind you, step. She could never be left outside the front yard alone. She would scream to come in when the door is closed. She liked to sit with her back pressed up against the chair you were on.She loved to sleep on her back. She liked to scratch both her front paws on top of mattresses.

for JOY and ROCKY with love

The passing of a loved one is traumatic even if it's just the passing of a pet. My cousin, Adrian and I both share the same loss. Adrian had to make this painful decision on Friday, 30th January 2009. Being part of the family for 15 long yet short years, Joy is dearly missed and her absence deeply felt.



The loss of a 4-legged family member can only be understood by animal lovers who've shared this wonderful joy. Such family members are seldom reminded of their differences. I could never understand the phrase, "It's a dog's life" ! We love them to bits and more often than not, sacrifice much for their well-being. They act as the psychiatrist that most of us can ill afford. Somehow, they have this 6th sense and they know when be are sad or happy. One look into those eyes and there's immediate comfort. Most of all, their love is unconditional. Their love is till the very end even during times of abandonment.....till death do us part......

Rocky was the 1st pet I ever had and the joy is beyong anything I can explain. I brought him home from a pet shop in Brickfields in 1995. I always wanted a pug and I knew I had found the perfect companion when I first laid eyes on him. We gave in to him most times and never knew or understood what the word "training" meant. But he was intelligent. He learnt on his own, how to take his bath towel to the bathroom and to remove his pillow from the kitchen (where he slept) in the morning. My grandmother "silently" spoilt him and I used to wonder how she could consume such an amount of potato chips until I discovered this "one for you and one for me" thing that they shared over chips ! We lost Rocky to heart failure on Sunday, 13th march 2004. I still feel the loss today and whenever I see a pug, I still grief. I still remember how it feels to hug him and the folds on his body.....oooooooh. He was a boy with a beautiful heart and I will always love and miss him.

To Joy and Rocky, you have brought so much joy and love to our lives and we will love you forever and ever. We are sad that you left us so suddenly yet comforted that you are in a better place free of pain. Rest in eternal peace and when it is our time, we hope that you'll be waiting for us.

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

IN LOVING MEMORY

ROCKY

Born : 17th June 1995

Departed : 13th March 2004

JOY

Departed : 30th January 2009