Quiet Day Musings

Hi

I am having a quiet weekend.

Although now is the school holiday the four girls and their little brother Adli, my grands are not coming over but that is ok with me since I have spent time with them at their home during the first few days. I understand as the family matures they would have their own plans and programs for the children during long school holidays.

The week before the two older girls went for their separate young leadership course. I suppose it causes quite a bit of damage to the family budget as both courses took place outside the country. I have no qualms about it as it didn't affect me. Up to their parents. whatever is good for the girls' future then it should be worth their sacrifice.

In the past, they usually reserved more than a few days to be here with me. You can see my house would be like a tongkang pecah then. Hubby would vroom here and vroom there at the behest of the pampered girls. I would also be super busy in the house, hard work you know,  and also forgone all my hobby activities when they were here but that's alright as being embraced in family joy is an experience that is immeasurable.  

For me, being alone is no reason to whine and fret over. The internet, my small garden, my tennis friends, my camera and the swimmings and the walkings would fill up my time and keep me occupied. 

Quiet days and being alone sometimes pose only one problem, I tend to binge on food but of course, now I am quite strong-willed and have control over what goes into my gut. Well, I don't have money to have bariatric surgery if my body bloat to morbid obesity. Keep that in my mind.

So quiet days cannot be that miserable, but this particular weekend it is! 

Saturday and today, Sunday I am nursing my knee with ice packs. Three-four times a day is my treatment regime. The pain seems slow to subside. The doctor whom I went to see on Saturday morning assured me nothing to worry about, my knee can last me for many years more to come. Hey, how about this pain! Pain killer and rest!

The pain recurred after the Friday game. You see the club tennis committee was organizing our last monthly tennis tournament for the year. I was so gung ho to participate. I went for practice and became overzealous and played hard ignoring pain that started to creep up. Obviously, the old injury has not fully recovered. So on Saturday, I was miserably stuck at home while my friends were enjoying the year-end tennis "extravaganza" : ( 

I stopped playing the last few months so it is understandable why I am so impatient. Furthur I have stopped going for long walks let alone joining the fun runs popularly organized nowadays. Swimming saves me from being totally inactive. Yes I know I am old and not be thinking about all these straining physical activities, but then some friends are older and they can chase the tennis ball like nobody's business.

I guess I need to rest from physical activity patiently and undergo another course of physiotherapy asap. 

I long to be back here  . . .

Participated in 2018 year-end game

Ok friends, I would stop here. Will be back again for next entry.

Take care.

The Reunion

Hi

Have you ever been to a reunion?
Yes, a reunion.
The social event that is in trend nowadays.

I went the other day.
Not a family reunion or the school reunion or the alumni meet.
It's a workplace reunion.
Well, a meet up of old colleagues.

Met so many old friends.
Some meet for the first time after so many years.
Everybody was so excited, so upbeat.
Kisses, peluk cium, handshakes, high fives, salute all forms of greetings.
Smiles, laughs, shrieks, guffaw, all kinds of happy sounds as we swap stories and reminiscing.

We exchanged updates about own self, about others, about cats.
Compare notes proudly about sons and about daughters.
Hey, most forget about spouses hehehee.

Yes so happy and excited we forgot about migraine and knee pain.
One announced painlessly . . . " I have breast ca . . ."😮
(God, help her)
One announced proudly "I am a survivor"

A reunion, an event that can arouse all kinds of feelings.
Amidst the joy and happiness all around there is sadness and melancholy(?)
Of being indirectly reminded that we are approaching sunset.
Or are we already there.
What with the sad news . . .
Of friends fighting chronic conditions.
And of friends succumbing to deadly diseases.
Of friends who had taken the final journey.

But then that is life.
We just walk on, hopefully on a guided path.

Their skill, wits  and humor add to the enjoyment of the evening 

That sweet voice, our matron's

Once a tennis gang

Hiii long time no see

Posing for remembrance

Girl power

Thanks to the organizer for their hard work.
For sure everybody was happy and satisfied.

Me, still thinking about it maybe :)

Till next post.

Take care.

Images

Hi

My free iCloud storage space is nearly full as frequently notified. I think I have too many photos and videos there. Why is that so, the reason being everything that seems interesting to me I would surely take a shot. Some are taken purposely for my blogpost. I would only delete the lousy and irrelevant ones later. It is becoming a junk and unorganized as I procrastinate. 

Mobile phone photography is so easy and convenient. At any time we can just click. Taking selfies is trending. The phone follows wherever you go, no effort to carry, unlike the camera which might be bulky and cumbersome. This form of photography as everyone knows is a craze not only among the young but the old too, just like me :) So there will be loads of photographs of whatever quality in our keeping

I also received images from family and friends and most of the photos I saved. 

Some photos bring back fond memories. Those photos that ooze out happiness and joy you will find yourself viewing it, again and again.  Some captured moments are ticklish, some even hilarious. I take pleasure in viewing them when alone and free and when I don't know what else to do.  I like them all. I will keep them in my hard disk photo storage later. I have no heart to send these photos to the trash bin.

Hooking/plucking mangoes

Cake too tough?

Shopping with Adelia

Some photos, like the ones below, sent to me are of distant places like Latin America and Italy where I could not possibly go. I appreciate them all. These pictures really make me feel I am living under a shell. Do I miss out on the pleasure of traveling . . .

There are pictures of sunrise and sunset. Some almost look the same but I like them all so they contribute to the piling up. Some of these pictures make me realize why people are willing to spend and travel. Some places are really interesting and the scenery breathtaking as appeared in pictures and videos and maybe more in real life.

Sunset in Kota Kinabalu

Rainbow rising from the sea - Port Dickson

Part of my favorite walking track

But I don't understand why people travel so far just to lie on the grass and go to touch the goats  . . . This kind of picture of family fun is fondly viewed by Adelia time and time again, so I keep them.

Those are some of the photos from my collection.

Too big a collection can be overwhelming when choosing pictures for a blog post. It badly needs sorting and many photos should have been deleted to free up space.

Till next entry, bye.

Watching From A Distance

Hi

Clear day, blue sky, wonderful Sunday morning.

Cheers . . .

Where Else If Not Kuala Lumpur

Hi

Though I am quite contented to be where I am and with my life, at home, I do sometimes want to take some time off and be away from home and break the everyday routine. I seldom go far and never beyond the country's border. Say I live within a shell, I don't mind at all because it is true, metaphorically.

My good friend the neighbor would know where I go if she sees my front gate is locked, unlike most days when the gate and door are wide open. Where else do I go if not to Kuala Lumpur the great city.

Me, no travel bug, really. Usually, travel only if I have a specific purpose. The last time I went to Kuala Lumpur was actually to have physiotherapy done on my leg. Of course, after that, I could take time to wander at the multi-story shopping malls but not this time as the leg needed a good rest.

bitten by the travel bug

In past visits after having done with whatever was my purpose of going, wandering the malls was what I usually do. Real shopping or window shopping a favorite pastime but at my age now shopping is not so enticing anymore. Unless I have a specific thing to buy the goods on display fail to interest me much. However, to make the trip to the shopping haven worthwhile and to justify the fatigued leg I must splurge on something. That, of course, is at the home department, I think I can make a haul video on the purchase :D

If there is a home and furniture exhibition at the mall I won't miss them. I would go look and examine the show items with great interest especially things like the endless pool which I have seen one exhibited before. I dream of installing one at home. 

Makan makan? Hmm, I cannot eat much nowadays. No more crazy about food, those mouth-watering salty, sweet, sour or fiery hot and oily, I now try to avoid but how to ignore food like this.

What else I do in Kuala Lumpur? Visit places of interest? Museum, me not the kind. Visited the museum umpteen years ago. So is the zoo, for children. Thinking back I need to go there again. I like taking pictures of birds. But then I don't fancy taking pictures of birds in the cage. I have heard about a big bird park in Kuala Lumpur and its a shame that I have not visited it yet.

Yes, I have been to the National Art Gallery once but was not able to view much, according to the staff there was some renovation going on. So I spend more time browsing the digital images of the art collections of the gallery on the big screen. I hope to visit the place again to view the real art when I can spend more time in my future trip to Kuala Lumpur

How about watching a live performance at the Istana Budaya or at the Klcc convention center. Been there two-three times, but the most memorable for me was watching Mamma Mia the ABBA-inspired musical theatre at the Istana Budaya many years ago. Modern concerts, I like them too but if I go I would be out of place, hah old me . . .

Where else? Klcc, of course, to take a picture of the iconic twin tower though not the highest in the country now, it still attracts. The surrounding area is a nice place to walk around and at night there would be a display of colorful lights accompanied by lively music at the fountain. But going there taking pictures once twice, enough. Enough of stretching of the neck :D

So on that most recent trip, the daughter suggested that we could take pictures of the tower from a different perspective, ie if we go up to a higher level. Agreed. So after my physiotherapy session, we checked into a hotel room with the tower view. 

Nice and comfortable to rest there. You get a nice view of the twin tower while lying on the bed. I took a few shots of the tower and the surrounding area, evening night and early morning scene through the glass wall. The place did not look as cheerful maybe it was a weekday and raining.

must cross this fabulous air bridge one day

It would be a waste if you stay at the hotel and just hibernate in the room. Just go use their facilities like the gym. Use their buggy to take you to the neighboring shopping mall. Of course, I used their swimming pool. Swam for an hour, early morning then spent an hour at the breakfast buffet. 

The hotel gym view from our room

meintheswim stealthily doing the breaststroke 

Felt like a vacation but it was only in Kuala Lumpur :))

I have yet to go for another physio session. So it is the Kuala Lumpur trip again.  Will stay with Adli this time.

Friends got to put a full stop here before you get bored.


Be happy.