I Hate Goodbyes

Captivated by this altar in Mary's house, I can't help asking the question: "Why must things change when they're already going so well?"

There was a time when I'd skip off to work.  When a friend heard this, she found it hard to believe.  She said no one actually likes their work.   

For me, it was not like that at all. Once upon a time.

But I know all things happen for a reason, and setbacks are not there to discourage you, but to show you what you're capable of.

You meet new people, form new friendships.  Lynn Mazlina A. Majid and Taufik Salimin from a Malay daily were two new friends I made over the last year.  Lynn came to JB a year and a half ago.  She still remembered the day we first met.  It was at a Press conference at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre.  She came in and introduced herself.  At that time, I did not know she was the new "ketua biro of Kosmo".

(from left) Shella, Lynn, Mary, Me, Taufik

with Mary's Mom and sis, Anne, and that's Ibrahim Isa on the far right.

The little elf

Mary's Mom is a great cook.  For the gathering, she churned out fried mee, nuggets and wedges.  And Aunty also made rasem, which is one of my favourite soups.  I drank it from a glass like it was a hot beverage.  It was very soothing to the throat.

Meanwhile, Lynn's farewell speech went something like this.
  
"What I was most afraid of is saying goodbye... But ya....life moves so fast. Many thanks for being my friend,  not just when it was convenient, but at all times. Truthfully, there's nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. Again, many thanks for being present in my life, all the time... all the way. Thank you also for giving me beautiful memories that I'm going to cherish for a life time. I'm blessed to have friends like all of you.

And remember... Don't let anyone steal your joy. We'll see each other again..."

People come into your life for a reason. Cherish the friendships that you have now.  Every moment is a gift.

That's life... we are all here for a little while, and then we're whisk off to somewhere else to start anew. 

Lemon, oh Lemon

Today I tried another traditional homemade remedy for cough after a fellow blogger gave me this tip.

WestGirl says the simple remedy for dry heaty cough is drinking warm water with lemon juice.  She says I can add a teaspoon of Manuka honey if I like. 

And like the garlic with honey mixture which I tried yesterday, this one is also  dazzingly delicious. I'm going to have another glass after my dinner.

Here's a link to the benefits of drinking warm lemon water.

ENGLISH VERSION and MANDARIN VERSION of Lemon Tree

A Spoonful of Honey with Garlic

As cough syrup makes me feel drowsy, I decided to try something traditional.  It was my friend Mary who suggested trying the garlic with honey mixture to cure my cough.  This morning Nona Shella prepared it for me.

Shella pounded four cloves of garlic, before squeezing the juice out.

That's Mary at the centre of the pic flanked by Shella (left) and the crazy cougher yours truly.

It was "sedap gila" (yummilicious) --- the garlic honey mixture --- way better than cough syrup.  It warms the throat as the mixture goes down.  Hmm.

Garlic, a herb commonly used to season the cooking oil when frying or in soups, is known to treat a wide range of ailment.  Among them, bronchitis, hypertension, liver disorders, flatulence, colic and fever.  It is also used to prevent cancer.

Christmas Three

with Lynn Mazlina A. Majid and Mary Victoria Dass.

Many thanks to Mary, her mom and the rest of the wonderful Dass family for the kind hospitality in their home yesterday.  We were there with Taufik Salimin, and we all enjoyed the delicious meal prepared by Mary's Mom.

Need to rest now.  Selamat Malam.

The Vow of Kai and Mika

"...that all we can ask is that we leave it having loved, and being loved." 

from the novelization of "47 Ronin" by Joan D Vinge

I love the epic 47 Ronin.  It was sheer visual splendour.  I've always been fascinated with stories that have shape shifters, sorcerers and witches. The CGI effects was done just right, not over-the-top.

I don't totally disagree when people say Keanu Reeves's acting is "wooden", or that he and Kou Shibasaki who played his love interest in the movie, lacks chemistry.

In spite of that, I still enjoyed the film that depicts courage, loyalty and honour.  Such qualities are indeed rare.

The tale is about a band of samurai warriors who lost their master, and became a ronin.  They vowed to avenge their master's death, even if it meant they would eventually have to die to achieve this. To garner such steadfast loyalty, Lord Asano must have been a leader who had earned the respect of his men.

But what stirred me even more was the vow made by Kai (played by Keanu Reeves) and Mika (Kou Shibasaki).

Kai said: "I will search for you through a thousand worlds, and 10,000 lifetimes until I find you."

"And I will wait for you in all of them..." was Mika's reply.

It may be mushy, but that scene just melts my heart.  What if.... they do come back, and in all the lifetimes, they came back in different forms with multiple character flaws?  For instance, Kai came back as handsome as his former self but he isn't the gallant warrior anymore.  He's a selfish bloke with pent-up angst and anger.  And he doesn't treat women with much respect.

And Mika was reincarnated not as her former virtuous nor ravishing self, but someone with tonnes of negative traits.  But because of the vow, they meet again.  Will true love prevail and stand the test of time?

I would love to think YES.  True love will conquer all, no?

Lil' Bits of Heaven

Pix by Nur Aisyah Mazalan

Vietnamese beauties (from left) Lam Huyn Bich, Trang Truon Anh and Nguyen Thi Thuo Hien were busy shopping for Christmas hats and headbands at the Johor Baru City Square on Christmas eve for a big Malaysian Yultide celebration tomorrow.

Pix by Nur Aisyah Mazalan

                                      
 Lam Huyn Bich and Nguyen Thi Thuo Hien are feeling the joy of Christmas.
                                                      

Pix by Nur Aisyah Mazalan

Malaysian beauties Johor Baru City Square promotions executives Joyce Lee (left) and Elizabeth Koh on the 6th floor of the shopping mall in Johor Baru seen here with one of the 11 angel statues put up in the mall.

Lee said the mall spent RM250,000 on the Christmas decor themed "Lil' Bits of Heaven".

Well done!  It does feel like "Heaven is a place on Earth," in my humble opinion. 

Merry Christmas!!!

Celebrating Tang Yuan

A Family Gathering

The Chinese community celebrates the Tang Yuan festival today (Dec 22) where balls of various colours made from glutinous rice flour is boiled and eaten together to symbolise family unity.

Though this is a family gathering of the Yeow family, I'm glad they invited me to join them. 

with Ang Kee Kai, who is nearly two years old

These balls are round like Tang Yuan.  But Aunty has absolutely no idea whether we are playing pool, billiards or snooker.

 Let's ask Aunty Shella.  Ok, she says its billiards.

And now it is my turn to take a shot.  As I was holding the cue stick, I suddenly remembered an office outing that took place a long time ago.  I wonder if any of my former colleagues still remember that outing.  I also forgot all about that episode until tonight.  Memories...

After a game of billiards  --- billiards or billiard??? ---  I joined the Yeow sisters for a little karaoke session,

followed by a photo shoot with all 6 of the Yeow sisters.

The Yeow sisters with their mother.  Thank you.  I had so much fun tonight.