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Hello again friends

Life in retirement can mean you may have many quiet days. Life has become slow and static. It can be the dullest part of one's life. You fear change. You fear to tread out after a long time of being used to staying home.

Life may be like a sleep, you are oblivious to the surrounding. That bad? Well try ask some retirees or just watch their life.

You try to break the monotony by going out for games where you meet the regulars, the like minded people.

You go out, you play, then you go home, sometimes without even a little chit chatting. Its like a routine though you might enjoy the hours.

It can be boring doing the same thing day in and day out, but, it makes you feel safe from the unexpected and you prefer to remain like that and not try to take any chances. People say it's a mediocre situation. Of course nobody wants to live without excitement by choice.

So far nobody tell me that I am mediocre person right to my face.

Do talk nicely to me!

May be I am. Having hobbies may not prevent you from feeling and acting dull.

Friends sometimes urge me to join them for the away games organised by our club. Ah that will involve travelling outstation, I am afraid that will disrupt my daily chores  as I am tied to giving priority to home. Not that I am not interested as they assumed.

In fact I have become interested in joining organised sports activities like the night run which took place at some sixty kilometers away. When I have registered and promised others that I would be there running with them I cannot back off like a coward. That indirectly forced me to move on and leave home feeling free.

Sometimes I force myself to get out of my hermit like life and join friends for morning tea or something. I can't help thinking that's a waste of time, not that I am not interested. I even have the idea of having a durian feast by the roadside.

Sigh . . . you feel lost as to what really the kind of life you want to live. At the end of it all you remain to staying home and do nothing.

I don't mind relatives and friends coming over to my house and being busy cooking and entertaining them. I don't mind spending money and time for them occasionally. I don't worry at times my house turns topsy turvy by their cucu and cicit. I can put the house back in order at my own sweet time. No rushing. No hurry. Life is slow, see?

Three weeks ago there was a meet up of  a few old friends, college mates, former course mates to be exact. I was quite reluctant to go because I had to drive out of the district but they insisted chiding that it was unbecoming of me not to attend since I was the nearest while the others were travelling far from the four corners of the peninsula. For old times sake . . . I joined them not to be so obviously anti social.

Having attended the evening high tea I accept the fact that if you make the effort to reach out to people you would feel the difference even though it may just be temporary.

We met . We chatted. Though we parted ways many years ago surprisingly the closeness was still there. You know you still have friends.

Life is not that dull after all. I felt refreshed.

That day we forgot all about the high bp or diabetes or  cholesterol levels.

The host busy with her signature dish - the mee mamak special

Bubur semolina with ghee, raisin and cashew nut inside

Talking and laughing and feeling young again . . .

Hurriedly made symbolic cake for old times sake

Cake cutting to celebrate our small reunion

It was havoc and there were only six of us. How would it be if there were more. We were quite ambitious to  trace other old friends and have a reunion somewhere in the future.

A reunion?

Hope you enjoy reading.

Till next entry  . . . bye.

To Enjoy And To Share

Hi everyone

The frequent rain is forcing me to stay indoor. Sit in a cosy corner and do some sewing or knitting or crocheting. No. Do some reading. Novels may be. No.

I prefer to surf the internet. Read some gardening blogs. That is how it is nowadays for me.

My outdoor activities like tennis, swimming or walking will have to take a back seat for a while. This wet weather will last for sometime. Rainy days are not all negative . Rain brings pleasure and promises . Like a cheerful person having good vibes.

Everything seems to be so fresh and alive. My dying plants are showing sign of reviving.

Of course I know too much rain has adverse effects on the plants. Delicate plants would surrender even those stronger ones would stoop in heavy rain. The half dead ones may totally die if the rain continue to pour. It is lucky that the house and its compound is on higher ground so it doesn't get flooded to effect total destruction.

Light rain won't prevent me from going outdoor at home. With this renewed interest I am spending more time tending to the plants in my home garden.

I am thinking of adding more varieties at the same time spruce up what plants I have to make them grow lush and green and if they are flowering types, boost them to flower. As it is now you only see leaves.

My interest is rekindled by the gardening blogs I read. I marvel at some of the bloggers for having deep interest in horticulture and are able to identify all or most of their plants. They have great patience to carry on minding their garden and at the same time recording the plants' progress in their blogs. It is very generous of them to share knowledge and tips with their readers.

Myself is quite an ignorant gardener. I am not very serious but I do like to garden and don't mind to dirty my hands and play with the soil. And I have not been too squeamish about worms and bugs, well except for leeches because they can stick on to your skin heee.

There was a time I had quite a good collection of flowering plants. Since I spent more time with them they reciprocate with beautiful flowers which became the envy of neighbors. That has become history.

When I read those gardening blogs they remind me of flower plants that I have had before. I feel a little regret that I don't maintain them to this day except for a few. But then not all things will last and garden is dynamic, it won't remain the same year in and year out. In my case it was purely negligence on my part, no pointing to any other excuse.

Some plants are hardy. They can withstand neglect or even abuse. Usually this type of plant does not get appreciated. Like the common garden palm or the common plant as below they  are left at the back of the garden to fend for itself and which in no time become bushy.

Hardy plant - has been there for so many years

It is human nature that we don't care much for plants we consider common and can be easily grown like the bunga tahi ayam or the balung ayam though collectively they can be very stunning with their flowers

We usually clamour for rare ones. Of course most are appreciated for the beauty, color and form, or their scents or fragrance. Some go to one level higher, for medicinal value or in the old days, may be even now, for their supposed mysticism. The bomoh usually request you to supply seven type of flowers for him to cure or alleviate your suffering from some kind of penyakit misteri  . . .

I have very little knowledge and lack of patience in matters pertaining to plant care. That was why my attempt at planting orchids failed.

Nevertheless once I had a success with this one species of wild orchid ( wild, according to the friend who gave me ). I grew it in a pot and hanged it to a mango tree.  After many years the orchid outgrown the pot and got attached to the tree. It grew so well but no flower. I gave up on it just left it there.

However after may be more than fifteen years it began to flower. I was stunned the first time looking at the length of the flower stalks, one with nearly twenty buds attached to it. What a joy.

When  the bud began to open it gave out a soft scent which I did not realize initially.

It continued to bloom once a year usually in March. You know the plant was blooming when you got a sniff of the fragrance. But if you get your nostrils right to the deep purple flowers you might not like the smell .

Now what left of the plant is a half empty pot with a pathetic stalk hanging downwards. The mango tree on which the orchid grew were chopped off to give way for kitchen extension. Tree and orchids were mercilessly taken away. So heartsick. That was quite a number of years ago my heart now is already mended.

I have also grown another pot of the same plant taken from the remnants I found  and it is growing well. I will care for it to see it blooming, that is if I can live to another fifteen years or more to see some flowers ha ha.

Old picture of the said orchid

Garden is for us to enjoy and to share . . .

Till next entry

Bye . . .

Not For A Picnic

Hi everyone

Being alone again today I decided to go for a leisurely walk at the beach.

A quiet morning. An empty beach. Not a soul around except for some birds and far out in the open sea a water sports enthusiast was crazily riding a jet ski.

The sound of the waves slapping against the beach rose above that of the traffics in the distance. It was nice to be there and be drowned by the sounds of the sea and with the winds blowing and cooling off all anger if there was any.

The water was still quite low as the tide was just coming in. I was tempted to wade deeper into the sea , oh no , not getting myself drown like the heroine in the tear jerking movies ha ha but wanting to continue with a swim as usual.  But the tide was not right and myself not in the mood.

Looking out at the vast body of water makes you feel so free, at the same time feel so small. Just like a dot on a piece of blank paper. Tiny and insignificant. Where do I fit in this wide world of nature.

The morning was as dull as I was aimless. But sometimes it can be quite a happy feeling when you got nothing to aim for. No pressure what so ever. Nobody to bother you on how long you were there, wasting the time away by just doing nothing. Nobody was breathing down your neck.

The seascape was neutral grey. A dull color. But I could imagine the color change when the sea would later be under the noon sun or the evening sun. A perfect picture of sea blue, greenish or turquoises.

I love the serenity and beauty of this place though it is not as scenic as some beaches as pictured in holiday brochures. Here I can go to the beach anytime, it is just at my door step, so to say. And it doesn't cost me a cent to be there and sometimes to have the whole beach to myself, just like today. In fact I fell in love with this place since I was first transferred to work in this coastal town.

Though this morning the scenery was not picture-perfect the sea still lulled me and ambling at the seashore made me feel peaceful. You walk on leaving footprints in the sand, wading in the water, feeling the waves beating against your skin, nice and relaxing. Nicer still knowing that you were relieved of the mundane routine for the day.

To the beach I will go . . . 

Life can be like a buoyant coconut drifted on the ocean

. . .  not for a picnic.


Till next entry,

bye . . .

Birds In The Rain

Here is my favourite place

In the morning where I perch

Between flights in my search

For food to survive

Here I use to rest

When I can shake off the dust

Pick away the pests

From my feathers to look my best

,

Sometimes together with a friend

We are here you can find

Every day at most time

Come rain or shine.

The Night Run

Hi everyone

There was a running event last Saturday night, 4th November 2017, The Putrajaya Night Marathon 2017.

Quit At Never

A few thousand people took part in the various categories. I , of course joined in the lowest category i.e the Fun Run hehe.

We went there after the maghrib because our event starting time was at nine pm. Oh my. . . the place was packed and looking for a place to park our small car took some time. But then if you are with the young people, don't you worry, some how they can squeeze in for a spot to park.

We adjourned to the starting place.

This was my second time joining such an event and I think I have improved a bit. Of course I don't expect to be a good runner at my age. Sedar lah diri haha . But this time around I did more running than walking . I thought so but I was not sure. My daughter who purposely tagged along behind me through out the distance confirmed it and applauded by my sis and niece heheh.

I felt more confident. My run or my walk was more smooth. During the run I quietly picked my competitor. Ah there, one who was a generously endowed, but looked very high spirited doing his best to keep on  running. Whenever he overtook me I upped my pace to be ahead of him. The challenge kept me going and going and  as the tag line of the race say, quit at never. I managed to complete the run but really I didn't mind at the end of it all, my rival won hehe.

After the finish I felt okey not like before when I felt like I was getting into a blackout. Perhaps this time I was better prepared  . . . yes like taking proper food and had enough sleep and rest the day and on the day before the run.  They say you have to start carbo-loading a day before the run. But really , I laugh, what carbo-loading, I have been loading everyday hahahah.

Earlier in the day I was at a friend's for a kenduri. I had to excuse myself early.  I refrained from loading myself with the fiery curry and rendangs , yah thinking about the night run. Lucky there was a caklempung to take away my attention from all the good scrumptious spread.

Enjoyed the caklempung earlier in the day

It is a good advice actually, be a little disciplined have enough rest and proper food prior to the race or any heavy exercise besides putting in more practice.

When I got home I thought I would be tired and would fall asleep fast. No. In fact after bathing and then eating a little I felt so fresh. Tried to sleep but sleep wouldn't come. Perhaps the adrenaline was still merrily flowing hours after the run. That's what I experienced.

I know when I joined the run I won't gain anything in material and far from expecting a winning  medal or anything like that but the experience is good for body and soul. I feel the family love and support.  I feel happy. I burnt a lot of calories. I feel healthy.

So there a short account of my experience for me to share with you, dear readers.

Till next entry.


Bye . . .

Me In The Swim

Hi everyone

For days it has been raining in my area. Today I woke up to a dark rainy morning again. Perhaps the weather might clear soon to allow me to have time at the swimming pool. 

Swimming is my regular exercise and never get bored doing it though I find it is one of the most lonely form of recreation.

Alone by yourself 

There you alone in the water crawling and paddling and popping or rolling your head and body regularly for air to sustain flotation. It is a nice sensation feeling the water resistance caressing against your body.

Stretch your body and maximize your reach and feel the aching in your body slowly easing off. You swim from end to end and as you go on and on you gain tempo and rhythm and not gulping for air. If you don't call this relaxation then what is.

You kick your legs to propel yourself. You don't have to kick hard and create waves like a motorboat does. 

You keep calm and try to synchronize your leg action with other parts of your body as to the style of the swimming stroke, be it frog style (breast stroke lah ) or the front crawl (free style) or butterfly or the kuak lentang. I learn a lot from the swimming video on the you tube . You can find more tips on go swim.com.

I seldom feel tired during swimming. Of course I sometimes take a breather between laps if I try to over do that will cause a little bit of panting. I know I need to work up to a higher level in order to up the burning of calories.

After a hard swim you can relax . . .

Everybody knows that swimming is a low impact exercise. Very suitable for old people like me whose  knees are starting to give way haha. And for those heavy bodied persons ( hmm obese, me by the way is just getting out of the category hehe) who find walking or running or working out in the gym will strain their joints, well swimming is the answer. Why worry about Archimedes principle hahahah. 

Swimming in the sea is quite a different kind of experience. You have to be careful. If we are not strong we better swim just at the shallower water. You might panic if you can't feel the bottom. But then don't get panic ok, just kick , kick, keep kicking and your hands keep push and pushing the water down. There you keep yourself floating. Anyway as what people say, we must always respect the sea.

The immediate effect after swimming is you might feel very hungry. So as not to overload yourself, you know what I mean, and defeat the very purpose of your exercise, eat something like a banana or a slice of bread with a cup of nescafe to boost your energy before swimming so that you are not like a hungry tiger after the swim. 

It is advised that we should drink water after the swim even though we don't feel thirsty. We don't feel we perspire much because of the water around us. So drink to replace all those water loss.

 And believe me, when you are back home you feel so high spirited and energetic, you can even run up the stairs or can sing song while doing the cooking for the day.

Though I swim not as good as the the ducks but I enjoy all the same and what's important is the good exercise I get from the activity.


Stay healthy with swimming.


Bye . . .