Love and Devotion

Love is a many splendoured things, so is the title of the song. Love is natures’ way of giving, a time to be living, a golden crown that makes a man a king……. the lyrics go on……
When I fall in love, it will be forever ……. so is another song …… or I ‘ll never fall in love….. in a restless world like this is, love is ended before it’s begun …….. and too many moonlight kisses seem to cool in the warmth of the sun….. the lyrics went on…. Yet another singer, a lady singer, sang, “What’s love got to do with it?” Everything I would say. Love has got everything to do with it!!

There are many interpretations of love and just as many definitions of it. I used to inscribe the following on my desk in class: ‘Love is the attraction of one person towards another (physical, sensual, spiritual ……. etc.) in the presence of emotional security’. I had the opportunity to visit my ‘alma mater’ many years later and dropped in into the same class. The same desk was still there and the inscription I made was also still there although others after me had added on other inscriptions to it and coloured them as well but my inscription still stood prominent in the centre of the desk.

Love need not necessarily be confined to the love between two lovers, but a manifestation of one’s inner feelings to any others in seeking ones personal and emotional stability. Love can be represented in many ways, and when it is in play, emotions will always accompany it. When one is capable of love, giving and receiving, one is capable of mustering anything one sets one’s mind to. A project to progress, a job to complete, a routine to perform or whatever one has to accomplish will be achieved easily when the process is carried out with love. When one is in love one can achieve anything, hence feel free to exercise love in one’s life.

The strongest love is maternal love, the love of a mother towards her child. A mother drops anything and everything to attend to her child’s immediate needs. No other love can match the love of a mother towards her offspring’s.

With love, devotion will automatically follow. Stability of mind and soul in the presence of love will spur one to devote time and energy towards one’s love, no matter what the love is. Therefore one should always think positive and think with love on anything one set one’s mind to.

With a lot of love, this restless world should be a better place to live in…….

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

Hectic Period

It has been a very hectic month for us. We have been to the east coast twice and in between there were several weddings, family open houses and thanksgivings to attend and loads of errands to run while all the time having little Najla in tow. It was tiring and taxing for us but it was fun all the same. All the activities took us all over the Klang Valley and at some point we had to criss cross from one end to the other to attend the functions. The traffic conditions does not help and we had to waste away precious time in slow or jammed up traffic.

One weekend some fortnight ago we had to endure traffic jams all over the Klang Valley when the traffic police decided to exercise road-blocks at all entry points to KL in an attempt to restraint a group of dissatisfied people, of the opposition actually, from participating in an organized street protest that was considered illegal by the authorities. The group had applied for a police permit to gather in a public place but was rejected by the police and in a show of protest the group decided to go ahead with their plan, with or without permit. That was why it was considered illegal. Of course when the police decided to prevent the gathering the scene became ugly. What else can happen when tempers flared? In the end the innocent public, who do not want to have anything to do with the gathering, have to suffer in some way or other, enduring the massive jams for days prior to the event.

The above traffic scenario was repeated this weekend when another group of people decided to go ahead with their plan to do street demonstrations at the British Embassy, purportedly to hand over a petition to the Queen of England on some issues that had been left in the lurch by the British Government for decades. This group had filed a US$4 trillion suit on the British Government on this issue. For that they chose to have a gathering on Sunday and decided to ignore the warnings of the police when their request for a permit to gather was rejected. True enough, the action of the police blocking traffic entering the city for days prior to the day of the event, caused massive traffic jams all over the Klang Valley. Again we had to endure this nuisance. I have no sympathy for these people at all. They are professionals but they behave like hooligans. I am sure there are better ways for them to forward their dissatisfaction, whatever they are, rather than being a nuisance to the rest of the population.

I read, in between the news and political happenings in the country, that a general election is imminent. Perhaps this was why the various groups decided to stage the demonstrations and street protests. But to me this is immature behavior. It can only disrupt peoples’ routine and create further discontentment and dissatisfaction, inviting hatred and dissent to all sides irrespective.

We are now in Sita’s house in Kerteh, having postponed our return to PJ, originally scheduled for Friday evening. We have to pass through KL to return to PJ. Tessa sent us a message that the twin towers will be closed over the weekend and to avoid going to KL. We had a free weekend without any commitment and hence decided to stay on and only return to PJ on Monday. Hopefully all the above happenings will be over by then. We have some commitments and doctors’ appointment to keep next week and have to return to PJ before then. We will be taking Najla along with us ……….. our joy…… keeping us on our toes ……

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

I Am Fine Thank You

I got this somewhere sometime ago and can't remember where.

There is nothing the matter with me,
I am as healthy as can be.
I have arthritis in both my knees,
And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze.
Sleep is denied me night after night,
But every morning I find I am alright.
My memory is failing,
my head is in a spin,
But I am awfully well for the shape I am in.

How do I know my youth is all spent?
Well, my ‘get up and go’
has got up and went.
But I really don’t mind when I think with a grin,
Of all the grand roles
my ‘get up’ has been.

‘Old age is golden’ I’ve heard it said,
But sometimes I wonder as I get into bed,
With my ears in the drawer
and my teeth in a cup,
My eyes on the table until I wake up,
Where sleep overtakes me, I say to myself,
“Is there anything else
I could lay on the shelf?”

When I was young my slippers were red,
I could kick my heels over my head.
When I was older my slippers were blue,
But I could still dance
the whole night through.
Now I am old and my slippers are black,
I walk to the corner store
and puff my way back.

I get up each morning and dust off my wits,
And pick up the paper and read the ‘obits’
If my name is still missing
I know I am not dead
So I have a good breakfast – and face what’s ahead ….


I am beginning to feel that the events and facts above are just starting to be true for me bit by bit..... ha ha ha!! Will it get worse? Ohhhh Not so soon..... I hope!!


MKI Ramblings Unlimited,
Petaling Jaya

Wales, Heathrow, KL

We had two days in Tenby before catching the flight back home. On arriving Tenby from York we were so tired that all we needed was sleep. The next morning we made another trip into Tenby town, browsing around the town, had pizza for lunch in one of the local restaurants and purchased some souvenirs to take home. There were many people browsing around like we do and I guessed that they were tourists like we were because they spoke English differently, some with slang and some others with foreign accents. I could make out a French family and a German family. There were Koreans and Japanese too. (Somehow I will not miss seeing Japanese in any town that I go to in my travels!!)

Having gone into Tenby town a second time I realized that the town is made up of a couple of main streets with just a small number of side streets. It will just take you about two or three hours to leisurely browse around the shops there. It is small but all the necessary daily requirements are available.

Dusk was at about 4.45 pm. We headed home for prayers and later went out again for dinner. We went to a seafood restaurant in another small town nearby, about only 10 minutes drive from Fahrul’s apartment, called Saundersfoot. It has a nice beach in some sort of a cove. There are also a few nice hotels in this town with one that was outstanding, on the side of a hill overlooking the sea, the beach and the cove. Again, most of the people about town were tourists and outsiders.

Little Najla Outside of the Apartment - Tenby in the Distant Background

Tenby and Saundersfoot appear to be the upper class residential areas with many of the houses being let out for short or long term rents.

Fahruls Apartment is on Level 3 - Back ViewI was told that the towns will be crowded with tourists in summer with demands for accommodation very high and that income from rent in summer covers the requirements for the whole year. Indeed a good investment for the future. I detected Fahrul’s interest here!!

Sita Pointing to Fahrul's Apartment - View From Main Entrance to the Complex

The morning of our last day in Tenby was spent packing up all the stuff we need to take home. Some clothing was left behind confident that we will be coming back. We like it here. It is so peaceful, the scenery invigorating and the pace leisurely. Pockets of villages and small towns with places of interests (at least for us senior citizens) are available within short driving distances. Not the hustle and bustle of Reading and London. We have had enough of London, having lived there for a while some twenty years ago, with the place busier than ever. We certainly will put Tenby in our future travel plans, as long as Fahrul is there, accommodation catered for heh heh.

We left Tenby mid-afternoon heading for Heathrow for our 10pm flight. M4 was busy as always but we managed to arrive at the airport timely for checking into our flight. All the formalities went without a hitch although the security checks were extremely stringent for some and lax for others, I wondered why? They scan everything, laptops, belts, coats etc etc and yet for some they don’t. One guy had to even scan his shoes!!

Najla was very good on this return journey. Asked her where we were going and she replied we were going home to Tok Bah’s house and then we will drive to Kerteh. She explained the same travel details to her other grandpa when talking to him on the phone!! She slept most part of the plane journey and when she woke up she was playing with the TV screen controls and engrossed in it. She did not give any problem at all, a contrast to the trip into Heathrow from KL. On arriving we asked her where her dad was and she replied in Tesco (Tesco is the hypermarket where we get our groceries). We corrected her saying Tenby and she said no it is Tesco. Perhaps we took her to Tesco ever so often that the name is on her lips.

No Peace Unpacking with Najla Awake and Active!!


We are now grappling with jet-lag and odd sleeping hours. I hope things will get to normal soon as we have to get back into our routines and cannot afford to be awake at night and asleep during the day……….

MKI Ramblings Unlimited,
Petaling Jaya

York

It was Sunday and it was cold and wet in the morning. We took an extra hour before getting ready to go to York. Finally dragged ourselves out of the hotel and got off leaving Reading at about 10am. The weather continued to be ‘lousy’, had to have the car headlights on when driving. Keyed in the York address on the GPRS and headed off as directed. However there was roadworks in one of the streets with traffic redirected to an alternative street and the GPRS got lost, and so were we. Well! the GPRS was not lost actually but reprogrammed the route that took us through country roads to Oxford before heading us onto the motorway northwards. The weather remained gloomy almost all the way with the sun visible only when we approached York.

We finally arrived at Syez’s house (my niece) house at about 2.00pm. Her husband Din and their three pretty girls were waiting for us. My sister, Syez’s mum, was also there having arrived in York the day after we arrived in UK. The two younger children appeared awed on meeting us. They have not seen us before and were therefore quite apprehensive I guessed. They and Najla were even cautious initially, sizing each other up. The elder daughter remembered us although it has been four years since the last time she met us. The children speak fluent English, Yorkshire English, and Najla was just staring blankly at them in wonder!! Every time I speak Malay to them they replied in English. They will have a lot to change, especially in language, when they return and attend school in Malaysia. That would probably be in a couple of year’s time since Syez, although completed her doctorate, is staying back for a couple of years to lecture in the University here.

We had a lot to talk about and lost time to catch up with. I had some photos taken at the recent silver jubilee family gathering stored in a thumb drive and passed it on to Din to copy and for everybody to view. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening chit chatting and the children were playing with each other. Najla took a long time to settle in. She kept asking her mum to take her home; that she did not want to sleep here; and so on and bla bla bla….. I think it is all because she could not communicate with her cousins. She even threw tantrums and gave her mum a rough time.

One of our activities the next day was to send the three children to school, Anis in Primary, Amira in preschool and Yasmin in nursery, all in the same location within walking distance from the house. This was also an opportunity for us to take a walk around the neighborhood even if it was just a short walk. Later in the morning we took a short drive to see the town. A very old town. One of the buildings we noted was built in 1585, that’s more than 400 years ago. It must have been refurbished many times over but the wooden structures appear to be very old and had been well preserved. The wood structures were slotted together using wooden pegs with no evidence of metal nails being used. We spent about two hours going around the town and browsing in the shops there some selling traditional Yorkshire products and some modern day designer goods. We were more interested in the local crafts and home food, chocolates and sweets.

The time came for us to say goodbye to Syezlin and family. We left at about 3.30 pm to return to Tenby. Its about 340 miles to Tenby from York and estimated travel time was six and a half hours, a long drive indeed. We were unlucky as the motorway out of the midlands southwards was busy that afternoon and we were delayed at some stretches. However we caught up lost time at some traffic free stretches and arrived in Tenby at just about 10 pm, tired and aching in the joints! Anyway, tired as we were, the trip was worthwhile even if it was just an overnight one. We were glad that we could make the trip and caught up with these kinfolks in York. May be yet a while before we can meet them again and hence it was better to make the trip now than wait until we have more time later, as it may just not happen! But we do look forward to be able to make the trip again later, God willing, and may He be pleased…….





MKI Ramblings Unlimited,
York and Tenby.

Long Distance Drive

Friday evening. It was time to drive out of Tenby and off to Reading and then to London. It’s three and a half hours by road to Reading and we arrived at our hotel just before 10pm. The drive itself was pleasant, not much traffic on the road as there was more traffic in the opposite direction. It was Friday and apparently people were getting out of London for the weekend.

The following morning we went off to London by train from Reading. We were not confident to drive in London yet, especially trying to find parking space in the city. Hence the train decision.

Reading Station To London
Najla was excited when we told her that we will be taking the train. We were invited to an Eid’l Fitri gathering organized by the London office that Fahrul belonged to, held in the afternoon at one of the halls in London. So we had plenty of time to get there. Guests at the function were mostly Malaysians from various companies and organizations that have branch offices in London. There were also others from the oil and gas industry that have some sort of working relationship with the host. We also met the Malaysian Military Attaché who happened to be buddies with Ram’s nephew through their career in the army. Ram’s nephew is now his boss as the army’s ‘numoro uno’.

Food that was served at the hall was truly Malaysian and we had a lovely time. There was also ‘teh tarik’ a concoction very familiar with most Malaysians which is really tea with milk. (Milk is typically condensed sweetened milk. Other types of milk will not give it the unique teh tarik taste). But what makes it different is when it is prepared and while still piping hot the tea is ‘streched’ (that is the tarik part) by pouring it from one container to another at an arm’s length height. This action causes the tea to foam at the top. Drinking it now gives the tea that distinctive taste. I had one big cup while Ram could not resist the tasty concoction and had two cups.

Najla was kept entertained in a children’s playroom where there was a clown and a couple of artists doing face painting and keeping all the children entertained. The artist painted Najla’s face as a cat, which was nicely done. She was beaming when she look into the mirror and was very excited after that.
The Kitten????
She kept meowing away like a cat whenever we talked to her and sometimes pouted her lips. She was so cute acting her part. She refused to have the face wiped off and remained like that until we got back to Reading at night. Wherever we went after that people were acknowledging her and she continued her cute and cheeky ‘perkings’ (is there such a word?).

We later went to Malaysia Hall to perform our afternoon prayers (a small mosque is available in the building) and also to meet up with Ram’s grand-nephew, who is studying law in King’s College, London. There is also a restaurant in the building serving Malaysian food. The place was very crowded as, by coincidence, the students in UK were having their union’s general meeting and election of its officials. We found out later that Ram’s grand-nephew was standing for the post of Chairman. He did not tell us but we heard the announcement as the proceedings could be heard from the mosque. However we could not wait much longer there and left after prayers and after the short meeting with Ram’s grand-nephew.

From Malaysia Hall we took the double-decker bus to go around London. All of us went onto the upper deck, Ram and I had to struggle up the steps but it was worth the effort. We had a good view of the city from the bus. It was getting dark by then and the lights were a fascination for Najla. She was ‘meowing’ away through the journey, and her painted face was the attraction for other bus passengers. Soon enough it was time for us to go back to the hotel in Reading to rest and recharge for our trip to York…..






MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Reading, UK

Around and About in Pembroke

We spent the day hours driving around and visiting the various towns in the Pembroke area, or is it County. There are towns like Pembroke Dock, Carmarthen, Milford Haven, Haverford west, Tenby of course and moving a little farther there are Swansea, Cardiff and Sita’s favourite now Bridgend, where the Designer Outlet is located. We enjoy driving through the countryside, up and down the country roads through the rolling hills, passing by farmlands and various industries. It was pleasant, invigorating and relaxing for us, a contrast to the busy cities we are so used to. Of course we would like to visit the cities as well, London, Reading and further afield, York and Lancaster where we have kinfolks to visit but for the moment, the countryside in Wales are indeed something we enjoy.
Longer day hours however was spent at the designer outlet where there are sales, sales and more sales with fantastic discounts…….. or so they say. The place was really crowded with people and while Sita and her Mummy were busy shopping I had to keep little Najla busy. There were plenty of kiddie rides and playthings to keep her occupied. Some time were also spent in the hypermarket buying groceries and kitchen necessities, especially when Fahrul and Sita are starting their new home here. Other times were spent getting the apartment organized and furniture assembled etc.etc. So we were quite busy for a few days.

Ram and Sita were also busy on one of the days when Sita and Fahrul had two of his colleagues and their families over for dinner. I had to distract Najla away from the house to allow Sita and her Mummy to prepare the dinner unhindered by Najla. These colleagues have been in Tenby/Milford Haven for a couple of years on another project and are due to return home soon.

So, we had quite some activities in Tenby and occupied somewhat. Our onward plans were to be in Reading and London in the weekend and then drive up to York and Lancaster, and …… we are really looking forward to it.

MKI Ramblings Unlimited,
Tenby, Pembroke,
Wales