tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61343056751816290292012-01-25T19:47:24.611+08:00Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.comBlogger2951100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-61689024327473853252012-01-19T17:16:00.000+08:002012-01-19T17:16:36.374+08:00

Fancy Ustaz wanting to talk about making new resolutions in the new Masehi year. We were a little taken aback, half-expecting him to launch a tirade about us following these practices of the so-called ignorants. Rather it turned out to be his recommendations on "what best to change" if indeed you have resolutions for 2012. As for me, as always I do not have any life-changing paradigm-shifting

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-27374347300181369642012-01-06T15:35:00.000+08:002012-01-06T15:35:22.394+08:00

Nowadays if you announce that you've become STRAIGHT.. you won't get a straight-faced response. Rightly or wrongly you'll get teased about your... "orientation", be it your sexuality or integrity i.e whether you're gay or crooked. But if you previously had been curved, though not necessarily cur-VY, then the fact that you have become straight or straightER is the literal truth. That was

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-72143276448752391312011-12-15T19:36:00.002+08:002011-12-19T08:48:16.077+08:00

"Helloooo....   a penny for your thoughts..." asked Aunty Teh as I was looking out into the driveway of her younger sister Aunty Yah's house. "Errr, just pondering on the limited time that we have, Aunty". Both she and I and many of our relatives had gathered there that morning after the news of Aunty Yah's passing the night before. Her demise was totally unexpected as she had always been

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-73648379376627363832011-10-30T18:36:00.001+08:002011-10-30T19:09:30.484+08:00

Even a kapcai-grade car like the one I have been driving the last six years needs preventive maintenance. And I have not really slacked in that department. Every 5,000 km I would take her in to be lovingly lubricated by the Hyundai service agent nearby. Sometimes there would be parts that needed to be changed. Sometimes according to schedule like the filters and watchamacallems; sometimes when

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-81680928701136984472011-10-29T01:39:00.000+08:002011-10-29T01:39:53.258+08:00

Friday October 28th 2011 It was beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies at 5.00 pm and I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have declined that invitation to a Deepavali Open House after all. It had been raining monsoons this past week so I didn't see why today should be any different. But as I was deep-frying cekodok pisang to have with afternoon tea, it suddenly poured cats and dogs and monkeys.

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-85475826069803347622011-10-13T17:48:00.000+08:002011-10-13T17:48:44.247+08:00

Attended Dr. Fatma el Zahra's tafseer class yesterday. She changed the format from the usual recitation and explanation of each individual ayat of a surah, to teaching us it's overall message. It's a good change for me: before it was easy to overlook the proverbial forest for being too involved in the trees. Anyway, this entry is an attempt at reproducing the notes that I've managed to

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Yesterday was Sunday the 9th day of October in the year 2011 AD of the Gregorian calendar. The date written in its simplest form thus: 9.10.11 ...which has a nice ring to it and easy to remember,  if one can count up to eleven. That it fell on a Sunday gave many people ideas to get married and/or hold their wedding receptions on that day. And that was why we had received four wedding

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-50157152538777090332011-09-27T12:24:00.001+08:002011-09-27T23:16:03.117+08:00

All our yesterdaysare ours forever...in memory "the joys are well-savouredthe tribulations a real educationa relationship so perfectly temperedthat the forging has its ownstrength and poweronly we know"  Our tomorrows are waitinglike mysterious presents,wrapped up in time,for us to open..one by one "In such premiseI'd only have faith in our destinymade good truly togetherAllah willing" But

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-84621448497951529842011-09-24T02:26:00.002+08:002011-09-24T02:29:21.028+08:00

Dear Readers, especially masterwordsmith, Al-Manar and Nin who are probably feeling neglected by me not responding to their comments of my previous entry. It seems that I have gone AWOL. Just like many of those on my blog-roll I am now mostly domiciled in my other retirement home over on Facebook, chatting over the garden fence as it were. However, this happened: So I took advantage of the

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-86877791819016486042011-08-27T22:47:00.000+08:002011-08-27T22:47:09.576+08:00

Like most mammals, I think I possess a rather sensitive olfactory functionality, in other words I pick up smells quite easily. And if you watch "Animal Planet" you'll learn that mammals use this capability to hunt or to hide. As for me my instinct is for flight rather than fight. Hence I am one of those breed of humans, probably rare, who is not an animal lover - not cat nor dog or chicken

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-43498741342867825232011-08-25T00:35:00.000+08:002011-08-25T00:35:14.722+08:00

Actually why do we Muslims observe the fast of Ramadhan? Many might say that they are simply observing one of the tenets of Islam. It is a mandatory requirement which if neglected lands one in the fires of hell. We teach our young children this as well albeit with promises of rewards such as cash and new clothes for those who make the effort to fast. As for us adults we too are motivated

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-70372127947490186482011-07-31T17:40:00.001+08:002011-07-31T17:42:37.143+08:00

My youngest daughter Syirah and I had made an unplanned trip to One Utama by bus, the longest journey we have ever made on RapidKL including the 20 minutes "transit" at KL Sentral. What was also unplanned was the damage to my purse incurred at Mark's and Spark's but thanks to years of preventive instincts it survived being completely totaled. Unfortunately such instincts are not applicable for

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-35009558632558270732011-07-28T18:39:00.000+08:002011-07-28T18:39:56.631+08:00

Last Tuesday my youngest daughter Syirah and I rode into KL on RapidKL's bus service. Specifically we wanted to check out the ride to Pusat Bandar Damansara from our area in USJ, a distance of about 25 km. Syirah will be starting college there in September and we are considering RapidKL as a possible mode of transport, other than her driving or be driven. There are considerable savings

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-45003328909893948542011-07-21T23:25:00.000+08:002011-07-21T23:25:33.890+08:00

If there's one thing that I must be grateful for thus far, it's my back. It's probably a gene I have inherited from Mom. All my life I have not heard her ever complain of sakit pinggang. Even now when she has spondylosis, the discomfort shows up elsewhere. Recently, on a nine day trip to the UK for my son Azeim's graduation, we all ie. hubby, our two daughters as well as Azeim who planned

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-38027470886655396562011-07-16T00:40:00.000+08:002011-07-16T00:40:31.081+08:00

She was giggling sweetly like a schoolgirl when Amin put Hanis, his wife, on the phone. My guess is all is hunky-dory in their 2-week old marriage. The first nine days were spent in Terengganu and KL and now they are settling into their new life as husband and wife in Tongod, a remote little town in the wilds of Sabah. And incidentally, they also function as a husband-and-wife MO team at

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-57961674079242767212011-06-29T02:27:00.001+08:002011-06-29T08:55:32.519+08:00

Over the last few years I have lost a number of essential but not necessarily treasured possessions. The latest was my multifocals with the retro-look frames, what I used to call my Saloma glasses. I must have dropped them somewhere in Kuala Terengganu last trip. I've had them for yonks, ever since I had to use reading glasses. I didn't want to look like a granny at work so I had mulifocals made

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-9644340143236340712011-06-26T02:36:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:00:02.580+08:00

I used to be an avid user of Windows Movie Maker. I'd piece together a few snapshots and video clips and plonked in some music, added in some effects and captions and voila, I have myself a video production. Here's one of my favourites: Today, after a long hiatus due to waning interest, I tried Mac's movie-maker apps, iMovie on my newish Apple. It was straightforward enough but there is

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-77245662476697175912011-06-24T10:17:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:02:33.275+08:00

 image from google I'm only a recent convert to Apple/Mac. I can't say that I've embraced it with all my heart. Being used to Windows there were things that had to be unlearnt and new ones to get used to. Like where they've placed those window minimiser/maximiser buttons at the top lefthand corner (yellow arrow in the pic below) and being teeny-tiny as well, is not very intuitive for

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-42837744544234908232011-06-21T13:07:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:05:00.710+08:00

In as much as untrained "writers" like me are able to express our thoughts through blogs and facebook, it takes natural talent and skill to use the written word to project our voices. Without the help of the voice, sometimes our writings get misinterpreted. When we think we are funny, readers think we have a lot of agro. However when we speak, the manner and tone of our voice reflect our

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-89832758591237789782011-06-16T02:25:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:02:33.276+08:00

I know many people who are truly bilingual i.e they read, write, speak and think in two languages ever since childhood. I also know a few who had tried to learn a third language a little later in life and managed to acquire a basic level of proficiency, one of them is my youngest daughter who learnt French for about three years at school. But on a short trip to France could barely make

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-48622321162165363662011-06-14T17:13:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:06:48.281+08:00

She's almost a wonder woman this little lady whom her nearest and dearest fondly call Tok Mi. She's my Mum, just turned 84, and she lives by herself with a very dependable maid in Old PJ. All her life she has been generally healthy all and only in the last five years or so developed a touch of diabetes and hypertension. Tok Mi recently had a knee job done. Barely one month post-op she was

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-58153533616661287232011-05-31T18:36:00.001+08:002011-05-31T18:36:58.775+08:00

They say no wedding is perfect. So too was my second son's wedding in Kuala Terengganu. What was perfect was his lafaz nikah - pronounced only once to the complete satisfaction of the witnesses at the mosque in Manir. And that is what really matters in the solemnization of the betrothal of a normal Muslim couple here in Malaysia. The rest are merely activities held in celebration of the

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-65314091897180216812011-04-20T16:40:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:05:00.711+08:00

Dalam keadaan rumah tunggang-langgang kerana operasi cat-mengecat, dengan scaffolding di tengah rumah, dan barang-barang lemari berserabut di atas meja dan lantai, sejuk hati ini apabila terlihat salah-seorang ahli pasukan empat sekawan Mat Bangla yang bernama Abdurrahman, sebelum berus mencecah dinding mengucap Basmallah dengan penuh khusyu'. Sebelum itu memang saya terfikir sampai bilalah

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-83106619631677627062011-04-16T15:57:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:08:06.000+08:00

I accidentally watched some serious TV this morning. I don't usually watch TV except perhaps the cookery channel or whatever whoever was in control of the remote was watching. With 3 Banglas upstairs diligently transforming our boring beigy bedrooms into sensuous caves of "Lavender Print" and "Bouquet Orchid", I thought I might as well check out what's cooking on the Asia Food Channel. That

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-87183522265708471802011-03-30T13:02:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:06:48.282+08:00

An ailing octogenarian gentleman conveyed a message to his elder brother, "Tell him I'm not leaving until he goes". Elder brother who lived in a city 100 km away replied, "No, no, no... tell him not to hang around for me..." His younger brother managed a laugh on being told the reply, even in his considerably weakened state. Younger brother eventually succumbed to his illness 10 days later

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-82326669694863584342011-03-24T23:09:00.002+08:002011-06-26T12:12:41.759+08:00

Lawak yang tak lekang dek panas, tak lapok dek hujanDo Re Mi tiga orang sahabat Berjumpa terus sepakat Otak yang geligaSekarang dah tersumbatRe do ti la so fa mi re doDo Re Mi tiga bujang terlajakKerja semua tak layakJikalau begituBaik gunakan otakRe do ti la so fa mi re do:)

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-23991123893664076652011-03-16T08:14:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:02:33.277+08:00

Take two balls - both the same weight but different sizes. You then start them spinning using the same amount of force as possible. The smaller ball will spin much faster than the larger ball, wouldn't it? Let's say that the larger ball is Mama Earth BEFORE the 3 catastrophic quakes that occurred in the 2000's ie. Aceh, Chile, and Japan. These quakes were the results of some of Mama's crustal

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-9129286082310464962011-03-12T20:17:00.004+08:002011-06-26T12:02:33.278+08:00

I thought we'd never get another devastating tsunami like that one in Aceh seven years ago when many places around the Indian Ocean were inundated taking away with it about 150,000 lives. When this recent one in the north-east of Japan happened, after an 8.9 undersea quake, it took many of us by surprise as it still seemed too soon after Aceh - whose quake registered at 9.2. Yes, these were

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-18325831498698870452011-03-11T01:29:00.002+08:002011-06-26T12:12:18.911+08:00

And I am carbo-overloaded.Breakfast yesterday was oats with milk and sugar, and a mug of grapefruit juice straight from the box.Lunch was 2 bungkus of nasi lemak with sambal and half a boiled egg, washed down with a tall nescafe iced.Snacks were a sliced cheddar slapped between 2 slices of gardenia, and a packet of fried broad-beans.Finally dinner consisted of rice, singgang ikan tenggiri, 4-5

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-49397917073848870912011-03-05T02:07:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:14:03.640+08:00

Held on Sunday 2nd January

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-20677052138220834792011-02-22T14:18:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:14:03.641+08:00

A very long time ago when I was in Std 2 or 3, part of our English lessons was to write little essays in our "News" exercise books. When our news was interesting enough we got to read it out in front of the class. I noticed that most of those chosen always ended with "We went home tired but happy".Fast-forward 50 years, I do have a piece of news, though perhaps not too worthy of a classroom

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-60884280459888318382011-02-16T02:57:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.362+08:00

At The Wobbly Kea Cafe in the tiny village town of Arthur's Pass along state highway 73: "His is Long Black", me referring to hubby, "mine is Flat White, please... and hers is Pearl Gray... ooops... I mean Earl Gray" You can't order plain simple coffee or tea at these places, you've got to tell exactly how you like them. With some imagination, it does sound like you're describing yourselves..

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-6374476657852015592011-02-12T17:23:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.363+08:00

Just as in Peninsula Malaysia, there are several routes in South Island that take you from the west coast to the east and vice versa. One is in the Southern Alps through Arthur's Pass, attributed to one Arthur Dobson in the 1860's although the Maori had long known of it's accessability to the other side. As for us, we only wanted to get as far as the village post and see what's there. As

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-65749142684416752912011-02-10T01:08:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.364+08:00

Hey kiddoes - I've finally managed to put up the map showing the places we spent some time at on our holidays (needed time to learn this alien mac machine) Our last two days and still hadn't done the souvenirs. But what was of somewhat greater urgency was the dirty laundry. We always travel light clothes-wise and by then we had already run out of fresh ones. 10 am, the standard check-out

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-61866450697563393672011-02-08T10:09:00.003+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.365+08:00

OK, the next pit-stop was Wanaka. It is a town north-east of Queenstown on the Lake Wanaka. Yes, another Lake. Here we spent the night before pushing off for Mt. Cook the following morning. The reason for Wanaka: the scenic route offers hubby hair-pin bends and narrow roads to test the Corolla by. Not to mention the views. The "scenic" shorter routeYou can see the easier but longer route in

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-23732925865009750222011-02-07T09:52:00.002+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.366+08:00

"Hello there sir, how are you?" asked the traffic policeman as hubby rolled down his side window.Didn't I say the Kiwis are friendly?He then requested to see hubby's driving license and asked about his occupation and date of birth.Not wanting to raise the cop's curiosity too much as he did the immigrations officer, hubby said he was a retiree."I'm afraid you have gone over the speed limit for

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Glenorchy and the nearby town of Paradise were part of the location of "Middle Earth" in the filming of the "Lord of the Rings" movie. I expected a throng of visitors there but it turned out to be pretty deserted. There were only us. Glenorchy - the northern tip of Lake Wakatipu In fact everywhere we went on our holiday, from the fiordlands, to the alpines, to the plains - there were not

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-48349045276799697902011-02-05T03:06:00.004+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.368+08:00

When you think work is a bottomless pit, try bungy-jumping. Red Alfa free-falling You'll get a different perspective plunging headlong into an abyss. Munie diving But first make sure the rope is made from Malaysian rubber like this one. After the swing "How was it?" I asked hubby "Indescribable... and I think I strained my back" "How was it?" I asked Munie "Kerja gila lah.... but I want to do

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-20200846283324591362011-02-04T01:20:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.369+08:00

We were bang on schedule as we approached Queenstown but because of heavy rain, the flight captain decided not to land just yet... instead he brought the aircraft into a holding position burning fuel for half an hour until it was safer to do so. As we touched down with the passengers in pin-drop silence, I could see airport emergency vehicles waiting with their siren lights flashing. I

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-73500293457788369822011-02-03T07:48:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:03:46.369+08:00

So we wanted to experience the wonders of New Zealand that we had heard so much about. But it had to be via a trip on the cheap. RM7,000+ tour packages no can do... we prefer free and easy.Hubby found a pretty good deal at the September MATTA (Malaysian Tourism and Travel Association) fair for RM2,000+ per pax - airfare only. However it is to be a hop-step-jump thing with the

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-51058129759501025832011-01-18T11:15:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:14:34.704+08:00

If you were travelling overseas in the 80's you'd have to budget about a week for renewing your passport if it had lapsed or was approaching expiry. One week was for straightforward cases only. Sometimes the Immigration officers were finnicky about something or other, then you'd have had to return another day with some documents like your father's tattered and flimsy colonial era

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-15786734248791946972011-01-14T13:14:00.003+08:002011-06-26T12:16:22.985+08:00

My New Year's resolution was to get "more intensive" at the gym.I didn't start immediately though. But our Clan Picnic on 2nd January helped to push in that direction.I walked/jogged on the track at the TTDI park before joining Sifu Ramlah, my sis-in-law who took us through our qigong paces.And then some cha-cha pocho-pocho afterwards. That was the annual picnic. We played fun solidarity-type

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-32869908650565971842011-01-03T13:43:00.019+08:002011-06-26T12:16:22.986+08:00

Hey there kiddoes!I always imagine if arwah Atok could see what we, his children, nephews, nieces and grand-children, get up to in the name of the ClanofHassan he would not be at all displeased.What with the usrahs at arwah Uncle Zoob's and Uncle Lat's, the monthly birthdays, the Hari Raya Open Houses, the weddings etc, it is nice to see us all gathered for some fun and games as well.The 4th

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-21242503800485979582010-12-27T02:25:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:29:26.758+08:00

My late father was born in 1922. He chose the date 4.4.44 to marry my mother. He was still only  a few months shy of 22. My mom was then only 17. By the time he was 40, going on 41, they already had 9 children. Mom was just 35, 36. The gynae suggested that she had her tubes tied, to which she agreed. Otherwise there might have been 3 or 4 more of us. The years passed, we finished our schooling.

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-65951019222340687402010-12-17T18:17:00.000+08:002011-06-26T13:27:32.923+08:00

There is "NOT" and there is "DOG" Put the two together and you get ...oops There is "TON" and there is "GOD" Put the two together and you get T.O.N.G.O.D TONGOD pronounced as TOW-NGOD So what is TONGOD? A junior Medical Officer in Sabah might know. Is it a disease? Or what? Clue... AHA!!! It is a PLACE. A very small town, if you can call it such. Or just a post. Population:

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-81645048073960500802010-12-15T21:12:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:20:06.775+08:00

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-38481487891535773942010-12-14T02:54:00.000+08:002011-06-26T13:27:32.923+08:00

This time last year when we drove home from a short holiday in Terengganu, we took the less popular jungle route that passes through the new township of Bandar Al Muktafi Billah Shah. I remember that this route was not very well maintained some stretches of which were clearly marked as dangerous. Our GPS very frequently warned us about school zones, hence to slow down. I lamented about the yet to

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-32235138463501684342010-11-26T20:58:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:35:22.522+08:00

Without realising it, I think we have struck oil - in my household that is. We have oils in the kitchen, oils in the bathroom, oils in the bedroom. In my kitchen pantry I have our regular cooking oil - Malaysian palm, almost always Seri Murni, sometimes Knife brand. There's  Beta-Carotina Oil which hubby sometimes mixes with his budu as a salad dressing. I use it occasionally to saute diced

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-11399123467826614372010-11-12T02:30:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:35:22.523+08:00

Check out this story of a bizarre death from  http://darwinawards.com whose "macabre awards commemorate people who eliminate themselves from the gene pool by masterminding idiotic misadventures" ____________________________________________________________ At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, AAFS, President Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-67861285410911972222010-10-28T01:44:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:35:22.524+08:00

Zero means nothing, and nothing is no thing. You can't count nothing because there's no thing to count. Cavemen didn't need to count much so they got by by scratching a few short vertical lines on cave walls to do their additions and subtractions.  Later on men realised the enormity of having to count lines and so they devised numerals to denote quantities. I would guess that most ancient

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-65843830481417470242010-10-25T18:45:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:35:22.525+08:00

It begins with three of us, hubby, Munie and I going back to Taman Arboratum in the Kiara hills yesterday morning - after a 6-month hiatus. Noticed that a few new signboards had been put up along the tarmac path. The first says that the park is now under the purview of the National Department of Landscapes. That was since 1st August 2010. Good news indeed and about time too. This place was

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-78475352452832620022010-10-14T09:32:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:55:01.607+08:00

The paths of least resistance are fraught with toll plazas. If you live where I do, tolls are a pain in the purse. You become adept at seeking routes that avoid them, often as the situation presents itself, unless of course you ride a motorbike, because you get free passage through these plazas, even if you are a rich Singaporean and ride one of those SUPER bikes.. And that's why sometimes,

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-6621980728929405032010-09-26T15:50:00.004+08:002011-06-26T12:55:01.608+08:00

I may be wrong but it seems to me that other than the occasional exchanges by Facebookers (where I live now), pantuns are used only at Malay wedding receptions. By that I mean they are not heard at Chinese or Indian or Punjabi or even Mamak/Mami weddings.  I mean, isn't that not a shame because even with this One-Malaysia and Bahasa Rasmi Kebangsaan jazzmatazz and all the public exams being in

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-27328365948100126172010-09-08T10:54:00.000+08:002011-06-26T22:28:32.722+08:00

Like all good Muslim households in Malaysia, be it in the towns, kampongs or in the sprawling surburbia of the Klang Valley, come end of Ramadhan we start sprucing up our homes for the Raya or Eid celebrations. It's mainly because during Raya we would be receiving little guests and the not-so-little yet-to-be-employed guests who have come to collect their little gift-packets of money. But more

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-7719407339926404032010-08-20T16:02:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:36:27.106+08:00

Remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well, they were GOOD mutants, weren't they? We all know that turtles become slow beings when they reach turtle-adulthood, and even when they are in their turtle-teens, they would have slowed down alot from when they were turtle-babies. So how could they have become fast-moving ninjas fighting urban crime, alien invaders etc.? Well, what happened was

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-54260409491208421302010-08-16T23:43:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:36:27.107+08:00

Pala is nutmeg. Somehow Penang has become THE place to buy nutmegs, whether the preserve or the liniment oil. Some health effects (copied in whole from http://www.indepthinfo.com/nutmeg/health-effects.shtml ): "One of the interesting health benefits of nutmeg oil is its ability to stimulate the brain - it relieves stress and stimulates mental activity. It is even reputed to stimulate dreams.

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-12456132906834270062010-08-16T09:21:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:36:27.108+08:00

The Avillion in Port Dickson, where we were two weekends ago,  maintains a herb garden within a gated and locked enclosure. However some herbs are planted on a terrace that lines part of the jogging track . The plants are labeled with their local names and there's quite a variety too. I'm guessing that the chefs also use these herbs in their cooking at the resort kitchen. Here are kunyit (

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-5318005530253218462010-08-13T17:33:00.000+08:002011-06-26T12:20:06.776+08:00

I found a picture of me when I was 14 years of age - now I am 42 and a half years older. Studying it closely, I noticed that my face was / is assymetrical especially my chin senget, and my eyes sepet sebelah. I remember my hair was parted at the centre in primary school, but I must have changed it according to the fashion of the time, I suppose.There's nothing one can do with straight hair

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-31386633941296802142010-08-10T13:23:00.002+08:002011-06-26T12:36:59.590+08:00

Seems to be where I ended up on recent getaways Firstly at Captain's Longhouse (picture nicked from www.TripAdvisor.ie) Then at Awi's Yellowhouse (well, have not stayed there yet but we had checked it out and paid a courtesy call on THE Awi... a chiseled 58 year-old Ganuman with a pony-tail, and we had also bantered with the housekeeper - an ageing eccentric Englishman named Tony who had

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-33632195552108050752010-08-07T00:34:00.004+08:002011-06-26T12:42:52.630+08:00

I feel like listening to Nat King Cole tonight. I doubt anyone below 50 years would know of this man, a black American who made it big as a singer/musician in the 40's through 60's. It was said he had "a distinctive voice, which has been compared to the quality of velvet, a pussy willow, a calm evening breeze, a still summer morning and a soft snow fall". Nat wasn't terribly handsome but in

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-39552939389146525142010-07-29T07:35:00.002+08:002011-06-26T13:29:49.895+08:00

They're going to do damage to my beloved Bukit Tabur! That's the longest quartz ridge in the whole wide world! Below which nestles the Klang Gates Dam that supplies clean water to much of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Tabur is a *geological monument and may be declared a World Heritage Site if left untouched. Home to a *unique vegetation with five species of plants that are found nowhere else in

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-88880489945843232622010-07-23T17:18:00.001+08:002011-06-26T13:01:15.181+08:00

Alahai... Tommy, Tommy :)

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-21983139315303602992010-07-22T07:32:00.007+08:002011-06-26T13:27:32.924+08:00

An unemployed man applies for the position of a toilet-cleaner at Microsoft... which reminds me... of my recent visit to Kuala Terengganu and Kapas Island with my children, where we encounterd the whole gamut of toileting fashions, from the luxurious at the hotel in Kuala Terengganu, to the normal sit-down at Captain's Longhouse on Pulau Kapas and the amazing hole-in-the-floorboards style at

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-64335774483985905132010-07-18T10:13:00.000+08:002011-06-26T13:14:56.558+08:00

Kids at boarding schools love to call one another by nicknames. Some of these describe the kid to a T, like Jimok (gemok), or Bear (big-sized) or Kepeng (flat) or Gori (like a gorilla) while others are a corruption or a shortened version of the kid's real name like Ep, Harry, Tilot, Syiro, some are even called by their father's or grandfather's names! What the heck, even adults love nicknames,

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-18096122296334092362010-07-13T15:39:00.001+08:002011-06-26T12:36:59.591+08:00

It's goodbyes. Here we are on the steps of Capt's Longhouse ready to make the boat-ride back to Marang. There's our most gracious host out in-front with his lovable companion Jane wagging her tail expecting a walk on the beach. Sorry Jane, Capt's ours for the rest of the evening. The morning had been an exhilirating one for us. After a breakfast of roti pratha (which Muni and I helped fix -

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-54126190981546320022010-07-12T13:16:00.003+08:002011-06-26T12:36:59.592+08:00

I don't think I have a vocabulary wide enough to do justice to what we experienced on Pulau Kapas. On my Facebook page I wrote  our evening walk along the beach was "magical", and Muni wrote "Masyallah" expressing amazement at the sheer beauty of the lagoon we had trekked to.  In fact it was both magical AND amazing. Errr... If you're looking for me in that pool...    no, this

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-16289330301470360582010-07-11T07:20:00.004+08:002011-06-26T22:30:22.879+08:00

Sunday was the day for our ride to Pulau Kapas for a weekend getaway. Azeim and I had flown in on Saturday and we had had a great time with my younger brother and his family. Muni and Adeen were to catch the morning Firefly service from Subang, take a taxi to our hotel and then we all continue on to Marang for the boat connection to Pulau Kapas. Firefly, the subsidiary airline of MAS, offers

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-5463011243412002852010-07-09T10:11:00.000+08:002011-06-26T22:30:22.880+08:00

In the middle of the fervour of the 2010 Football World Cup competition, Muni, Adeen, Azeim and their much "vuvuzela"ed mother took time off to spend a weekend in Kuala Terengganu and Pulau Kapas. It was a short trip for everyone except for Azeim (for reasons to be revealed next update). He is back home on summer break from a university in bonnie Scotland. Azeim and I flew into Kuala

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-77381583453181154552010-06-26T10:03:00.001+08:002011-06-26T23:10:43.059+08:00

Reading the Telor Asin (from my lunch) Germany 0 - England 0 Update: 2 - 0 either way Anymore? (Eh, amalan syirik ke ni?)

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-5722487206929712662010-06-23T19:20:00.000+08:002011-06-26T23:10:43.060+08:00

And the scale loudly said "ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT! That, my dear is the weight which you have been of late!" Of bone and muscles, I might add And just a teeny bit of fat (hehe) Tho' not really where it matters But south in the sitting area Off I went and made a date With none other than the Power Plate And fullamak... didn't I vibrate from ear to ear and toe to head Amplitude,

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-53414914691963436622010-06-18T10:33:00.003+08:002011-06-26T20:56:53.515+08:00

It was her second visit to the clinic in Kg. Tunku for a slight sore throat. After getting her tonsils peered at, Mum (or Tokmi to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren) told her pretty 40-something doctor "Dr, saya ada baca dalam suatu buku lama yang saya terjumpa, ni pasal makan honey, dia kata umur 40 tu dah masuk tahap tua dah..." Dr said "Betul tu... saya pun dah kena pakai reading

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-10642172064767718922010-06-16T10:36:00.000+08:002011-06-26T22:51:50.347+08:00

A beautiful Kazakh song dedicated to her - our grandmother My precious grandmother, my graceful grandmother, I miss you; My earning for you is as great as a mighty forest. In spite of me being a parent myself; Until this day I long you to caress me like a child.  I am as your colt that jumps around happily in the valley; I am as your lamb that plays in the paddock. I can freely laugh in

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-25157880067773403312010-06-14T11:46:00.000+08:002011-06-26T23:21:24.440+08:00

....and the school-holidays and the roads are not jammed and that's why the cleaner came in too early _______________________________________________

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-20074070972195731592010-06-13T01:08:00.012+08:002011-06-26T23:13:10.194+08:00

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-30580993632008165172010-06-08T01:58:00.001+08:002011-06-26T22:51:50.348+08:00

 Sunday night I learnt that there's something else Thai  I like very much besides Tomyum.  And it's all due to kama's sultry rendition of this delightful Thai song called Sabai Sabai  at her karaoke sarang at the Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur (not Putrajaya). Oh, kama and Pak Abu had hosted a bloggers' get-together to celebrate the birthday of the one and only mamasita mamamia - who'll probably blog

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-50828458515134482282010-06-04T01:56:00.001+08:002011-06-26T23:21:57.855+08:00

BLEAARH... Got no motivation to continue with my school stories. So why don't we just ponder on the following non-tremendous, non-horrendous, non-stupendous, non-hazardous facts below:  'Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand. And 'lollipop' is the longest word typed with your right hand.               No word in the English language rhymes with 'month', 'orange', '

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-40172188634359727282010-05-28T18:56:00.002+08:002011-06-26T22:49:40.946+08:00

So there we were nine damsels all in a row - from right *Dak Ijah, Dak Pe'ah, Dak Izah, Dak Ani, Dak Ji, Miss Twiggy, Dak Mah, Dak Cantik (can't recall the name - she was new)and Dak Rose. *Dak is the Melaka shortform of "budak" used when referring to people younger or same age as you. We were gathered in the tuckshop - as school canteens were known then - waiting patiently for the guest of

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-88934242884259269052010-05-26T13:23:00.002+08:002011-06-26T22:56:50.799+08:00

When dad got his transfer order to serve in Singapore he decided that it was time that the girls get acquainted with their roots and mix with real children from the provinces. Not only were my two elder sisters and I packed off to go to school in his hometown Melaka  but we had to live in the school hostel as well. I was a mere eleven year old who had just had her birthday on Christmas Eve and a

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-14253396911418216102010-05-22T03:07:00.004+08:002011-06-26T23:20:49.365+08:00

I love old black-and-white photos. I have a stash of them, salvaged from an old filing cabinet in my mum's house. Some of them go back 50 years or more and the images are still so clear and well-defined, unlike early colour photographs of the mid-seventies. Somehow the memories that the black-and-whites evoke are also clearer, each event played back as if it took place not that very long ago.

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-46440945195369539662010-05-17T22:56:00.000+08:002011-06-26T20:56:53.516+08:00

Mum actually passed her driving test when she was heavily pregnant with my immediate younger brother. There was already five of us then so dad could really do with a hand in the chauffering duties. Mum took to driving with gusto going here there and everywhere, sometimes in the big old secondhand Studebaker, sometimes in the newer Renault, ferrying my elder siblings to school, getting the

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-10487909864558535762010-05-15T19:54:00.002+08:002011-06-26T22:49:40.947+08:00

Would you like to know how many schools I attended thoughout the 13 years of schooling? I'll tell you anyway - they were two primary schools, two secondary schools, and one for Form 6 (pre-university). That makes five altogether when others might go to two or at most three. And that is why I have no significant feelings of attachment for any of those schools although I thoroughly enjoyed my time

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-7755938331027623942010-05-10T13:09:00.000+08:002011-06-26T23:23:15.580+08:00

"Sssorryy, where are we going, who's birthday is it today?" "We are going to Sheesh Mahal lah Bapak... I belanja... and it's nobody's birthday" says Muni who loves that restaurant because of their Palak Paneer (a blend of sauteed spinach, shallots, garlic and chillies topped with Indian cottage cheese). It's really very good. "Then why are we going?" "Don't you know, it's Mothers' Day?" "Owh,

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-25769931918265717652010-05-09T13:45:00.000+08:002011-06-26T23:14:30.003+08:00

I haven't a clue what he's rambling about, but I dedicate this to all bug lovers like him... I mean Beatle lovers FAITI LAARR WEI - I need the lyrics translation __________________________________________

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-43189462023638467512010-05-06T18:37:00.011+08:002011-06-26T23:14:30.004+08:00

I had always preferred them over The Bugs Music Playlist at MixPod.com .... I mean - The Beatles The Tracks: # Don't Forget To Remember Me # I Started a Joke # Words # I've Gotta Get a Message to You # To Love Somebody # In The Morning (Original 1965) # RUN TO ME ~ # Massachusetts # First of May # How Can You Mend a Broken Heart # Melody fair # Our Love # Emotions # Love You Inside Out

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-41717512020711433742010-05-05T20:00:00.000+08:002011-06-26T23:04:17.650+08:00

More Kinabalu Sceneries

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-40458740897745774372010-05-03T11:13:00.000+08:002010-05-03T11:13:17.877+08:00

My little friend Azizali Baidaulet is 6 years old today. He is the son of our Kazakh friends Yerlan and Zhanara Baidaulet who live in Astana, Kazakhstan. Azizali has a baby brother or sister who is still in his mummy's tummy. As of now he is enjoying his mum's and dad's full attention but he is never pampered or spoilt. Azizali is a very cute-looking, well-mannered child, highly intelligent,

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-39618916400756019752010-05-02T02:13:00.001+08:002010-05-02T02:15:15.294+08:00

"In the action lies the intention" quoted our Tuesday-nights ustaz. It was a on holiday prior to this one that triggered the intention - a majestic view of the Kinabalu right in our path as we drove home from the Poring Hot Springs. Muni went "nak panjat, nak panjat". But without a doubt it was my late brother-in-law who had inspired us with 3 successful climbs to his credit. Taken in 2004

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-48549933568911992372010-04-29T20:15:00.000+08:002010-04-29T20:15:37.499+08:00

Throb, throb, throb went my right thigh This was at about 8.30 pm on my bunk-bed in our tiny room at the Gunting Lagadan Dorm at Laban Rata some 10,000 ft. on Mount Kinabalu. It was time to catch some much-needed sleep in preparation for the 2.30am assault of the SUMMIT - otherwise known by the very unassuming name Low's Peak. We already had wolfed down a good buffet dinner at the

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-52047853113371132502010-04-26T21:25:00.000+08:002010-04-26T21:25:19.016+08:00

It was HARD, VERY VERY HARD. But I needed to do it. Strolling is easy, but pushing the stroller while strolling is not so. With a baby inside it becomes quite a bit of work. And when you yourself is the stroller and you yourself is the  baby inside that you yourself have to push, it becomes a thousand times harder. And I huffed and I puffed and I prayed  a thousand prayers all the way up

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-76985725641782065572010-04-20T14:50:00.000+08:002010-04-20T14:50:35.667+08:00

 I am on my morning stroll in the Kiara hills adjacent to the golf course on one side and the Taman Tun Park on the other. It's called Taman Arboratum and shaped like a Q - the tail is a long uphill walk, a challenge in itself especially in the mornings when the muscles are still sleeping. At the top, the road declines sharply ahead. It's a welcome respite after battling the tail but a hundred

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-18256096982126404072010-04-14T14:07:00.001+08:002010-04-14T14:10:32.784+08:00

Hey there kiddos, I was on a working trip in Korea a long long time  ago in the last century. We were on our way somewhere in a car driven by our Korean contact who spoke of the many peoples of different nationalities that he had met in his line of work. And the many faces and colours and behaviours of Malaysians. Yeah multi-racial, multi-cultural we are - very interesting. Oooops, this is

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-4507809925877457582010-04-12T12:53:00.002+08:002010-04-12T13:08:28.361+08:00

This is a horse and this is a donkey Both are of the same genetic family but of a DIFFERENT SPECIES.  (I shall not get into the chimp-human family debate but here it suggests that genetically humans and chimps share 99.4 percent identity)  Anyway, when a male donkey is cross-bred with a female horse, the product is: a MULE What's interesting is that mules are sterile. They CANNOT produce

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-9875609351924529302010-04-08T23:19:00.000+08:002010-04-08T23:19:44.124+08:00

Kenapa engkau sakit? Perut says: Macam mana aku tak sakit? Keli Masak Cuka! For over 50 years I’ve basically eaten whatever that could be eaten with barely a twinge from the old food-processor. Though it was barely noticeable, things started to change in my fifth decade.And now it’s getting to be a tad picky about what I throw into it’s rumbling folds. Perut oh perut Kenapa tak ngam cuka?

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-3550814792133397422010-04-01T12:59:00.003+08:002010-04-01T16:14:34.536+08:00

I was spellbound while watching a documentary about "Pukau" on the Crime and Investigation channel on Astro this morning. It showcased three scenarios where this art or ilmu of hypnotising victims were used. The first were firsthand accounts from ordinary people who had been pukau-ed into parting with cash and jewellery - on the spot. Also a case where a Pak Haji drove home, fetched his passbook

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-290372097529446002010-03-30T16:43:00.004+08:002010-03-30T19:18:36.663+08:00

Any man with the essence of Jawastan in his blood will attest to the efficacies of the  4 T's. This comes to mind because it's Usrah night tonight, and our ustaz who himself hails from Jawastan was the one who declared the above. So too might have the grandparents of my own jawastani-blooded man, he who is home for a jaunt from the still-blizzardy steppes of Kazakhstan. And  what I'm

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-69569727266379792682010-03-27T18:09:00.000+08:002010-03-27T18:09:36.336+08:00

These are what they SHOULD be: Waking up early Time with my Maker A refreshing morning walk A hearty breakfast A steamy shower Instead, I hit the snooze hurry with my Maker do a quickie check on gmail do a quickie kaypohchee on FB mull over my long to-do list then read the blogs I need  therapy.

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-86527945435006527932010-03-25T23:55:00.001+08:002010-03-26T00:53:58.627+08:00

 Hatiku Sengsara Kak NITAA in her element!

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-55792155981739550772010-03-24T18:41:00.001+08:002010-03-24T22:59:26.484+08:00

Yesterday, while doing ablutions for maghrib prayers, I had this sudden mother-of-all-cramps in my right foot. I can't remember (yeah,yeah) when I last had one of  these and was wondering my head off as to the reason why. One time, a cramp developed when someone sat on my foot while at a crowded congregational terawih, I was grimacing in pain as I felt my toes and arch contorting into a shape

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-50056717699857703762010-03-22T19:43:00.000+08:002010-03-22T19:43:21.001+08:00

As in less dark. The pocho-pocho/line-dancing routines that Syirah recorded were quite shadowy. When I put one up on Youtube to share, it turned out even worse. I couldn't make out whether it was me or my twin sister rocking there. I scoured the Net to look for something to help improve the "lighting" situation. And found a tool called Virtualdub. It is a freeware created by a student who had

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134305675181629029.post-85748019198869784022010-03-22T11:22:00.002+08:002010-03-22T13:27:15.670+08:00

Given my memory as it is, I had better jot this down for future reference. I wanted a snippet of the youtube vid "Tiga Abdul Part 7" - the part where the character Sadiq Sigaraga was reading off the names of the  _stan countries. I started by saying a thank you to the guy who uploaded the video in the first place. Then I downloaded it to my PC using ZillaTube, a piece of software I had

Zendra-Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10925887213311694799noreply@blogger.com5