Alzheimer

I visited a relative, 74 years old, diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer and
doing strange things in the house like, keeping the house keys in the letter
box, shoes on pile of clothings in the wardrobe instead of the shoe rack and
other similar things. He remembers me and my wife though and recalled the fun
things we did together when we were young, etc.

I checked out the subject on the net, and there were many, just by searching
alzheimer, and voila! there were so much information. Interesting read. Check
out the difference between normal forgetfulness and alzheimer. Lifting your
glasses onto your forehead and later searching for it all over the house is not
yet alzheimer, going upstairs to look for something and forgetting what it was
you were looking for when there is normal and not alzheimer....

Alzheimer is when you keep the iron in the freezer as an example, or when you
go out and forget the way to return home. One neighbour drove his car to PJ
town, did his errands and forgot where he parked the car. After a long while he
took a cab to go home. He remembered Kampong Tunku but did not remember where
his house was. Cab driver had to ask several people in Kg Tunku when ultimately
one recognised him and sent him home. Phew.... that's scary...... His wife
passed away one day, and in the evening after the funeral his children held
prayers in the house, he was asking everybody why there were so many people in
the house....

Just sharing.......

Chance Encounter Amongst Old Friends

43 years ago, 3 young men amongst many other young men, started work in a then newly established chemical manufacturing plant, a downstream hydrocarbon industry, in a then remote area of the Klang Valley. This remote area has now become a bustling industrial area with the signature congestions and traffic jams and so on so forth. The three got together very well, were close, and often do things together, mahjong, cards, outings etc. etc. that is quite personal to reveal heh heh. Time passed and one of them left to pursue a career in the airline industry which took him hopping the world over and not much time to spare for his two other friends. More time passed on and the second young man left to pursue his career in the oil and gas industry which took him to other locations far away from the Klang Valley. Meanwhile the three got married and started their families. The first two met once and somehow later managed to become immediate neighbours in their present homes. The third friend set up home not too far away. However, as close as they were they did not manage to get together.

One fine day, at the wedding of one of the children, the three met again and as far as I can remember subsequent meetings were at weddings of their other children. Phone numbers were exchanged each time they met, email addresses were exchanged, one or two emails and sms's were exchanged and that was about all. They have all retired now but still active in their daily lives in their own way. The two immediate neighbours too hardly got time for each other.
The Three Friends Who Rarely Get To Meet. I wonder how two of them manage to keep their hair black???


Two days ago, a Sunday, one of the two immediate neighbours held an open house in celebration of Eidl-Fitri. Invited guests started streaming in but the immediate neighbour could not attend his neighbour's open house immediately as he was held back at home by streams of visitors for the Eidl-Fitri as well. He managed to get away in between visitors quite a little while later after all and popped over to the neighbour's house. Most of the invited guests have left by then. And by timely coincidence the third friend arrived with his wife just then. Very timely indeed and a nostalgic meeting too. When will they meet again......? Only time will tell...
The Immediate Neighbour And The Third Friend


MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

Keeping Family Tradition Alive

It was the third day of Eidul-Fitri, traditionally a day when all 10 of my siblings and their family members gather together to renew family ties and commitments under the family grouping of WTCC . This was the 27th annual gathering and four generations, starting from Mum, were involved. Mum, the 'le pedron', the Patron of WTCC must be the happiest person in the family that day. It was a day that started off with some family members invading the hotel swimming pool very early in the morning, then breakfast, then a meeting of elders (AGM)to review and renew WTCC activities, look at its finances and attend to other normal business of an AGM, while the younger ones, went through their own activities including drawings and paintings, games galore for the little ones, the tiny tots of the family; all these were followed by buffet lunch in the hotel restaurant and the day culminated with a gala night held in the main ballroom. The gala night was not the end though as the younger ones gathered for a game of futsal the next day.

Everyone was dressed in the WTCC red and black T's for the 'day' activities and on that day one can see this red and black T-shirts everywhere in the hotel. The whole day activities were planned and executed by a team led by my sister, the second sibling, and assisted by another brother, the eighth sibling, and the COO of WTCC, and his committee members.

A serious session started off at 9.00am in the meeting room where the elders, with Mum overseeing, sat in an Annual General Meeting of WTCC, chaired by yours sincerely being the chairman 'by default'. (Mum, at 87, apparently was only interested in the finances of WTCC as she was on copies of the balance sheets, P&L and other finance data the whole meeting period!!) This was the 27th annual meeting. The meeting started off very well, the finances and investments reviewed and were in order, activities for the year reviewed and for the coming year charted, other initiatives were proposed to enhance WTCC's position in terms of member opportunities and benefits for which a working group was assigned to take an in-depth look at the proposals and their implementation if deemed viable, a SWOT analysis. There are more work to be done but it will be worth the effort. The AGM ended at about 12.30pm and all gathered in the restaurant for the buffet lunch. The kids and bigger children were already there having their lunch. As we entered the restaurant we could see, almost half of the restaurant, all in red already started enjoying their lunch.

After lunch the younger members of WTCC then prepared the hall for the Gala night, putting up the backdrop, pictures, children drawings and other preparatory activities with the help of the hotel staff. By 5.00pm everything was ready. Ram and I was invited to have a once through lookover in the hall and I obliged with a thumbs up for a preparatory job well done. It has to be, after 27 years it has become a routine now, especially so when the members in the preparatory team were led by a few members who are professionals and already familiar with event management at their respective places of work.

The Gala Night started at about 7.30 pm with the arrival of family members and children. We had our uncles and aunties and a few cousins as invited guests. Mum made an entry into the hall at about 7.45pm with four school-going martial arts exponents performing a welcome. This was followed by a photography session and by 8.05pm the gala show began starting with the tiny-tots, 4 to 10 years old, performing a traditional folklore dance. They had been practising for about a month and it was fun watching them perform. (Watch it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miSo-81nKQM&feature=player_embedded. Also watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsvh-h7LAig&feature=related). Dinner was after two short speeches by the Chairman, organising committee and by me as WTCC Chairman. There were several performances by talented family members during dinner. Then there were study and special achievements awards to family members given out by Mum as Patron of WTCC, raffles and draws, an auction to generate funds for WTCC, quiz and other fun activities drawn up by the organising committee. The night ended at close to midnight with everyone leaving the hall with something in their hands and a memory to last for at least another year. I think everybody had fun that night. It will be a great challenge for the organising committee next year whoever they will be........
Mum's arrival pushed by Chairman organising committee
WTCC Group photograph
Warisan TCC Chairman giving a speech



MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

Eidul-Fitri and Birthdays

The 1st day of Syawal and Eidul-Fitri was on Sunday. It was also my birthday. The next day was Najla's birthday. So, my children decided to celebrate the three occasions together. There were lots of food for the Eidul Fitri and two different birthday cakes, one each for Najla and me. Two birthdays and 60 years difference.

As usual we started off the day with morning prayers at the mosque. The mosque was full 'to the brim' with the congregation consisting of male and female adults and also children. On normal days only men and a handful of women congregate at the mosque for the daily and once weekly Friday prayers. But for the two annual Eid prayers the mosque will be full, just as it was last Sunday. After prayers, with our grandchildren in tow, we paid our respects to our Imam whose house is just next to the mosque. There were others visiting him too, so we just stayed for a while. The children of course were looking forward to receiving the small packets from the elders.

At home, food was ready on the table. And, there were the two cakes. Najla could not wait to have her candles blown and to cut her cake. We did it simultaneously and then proceed to savour the food spread. Our usual 'signature' sweet meat was also available. There were spice flavoured rice, white rice cubes, and also glutinous rice cooked while wrapped in coconut leaves, all taken with sweet meat and various other dishes of rendang and curries. Phewww.... diet control took a back seat that day.

Family members and Rams nieces and their families came visiting, and there were merriment all round. A whole day of eating. By evening we were ready to leave for JB, to visit my Mum, and also to spend a few days there to visit other elders but most of all to participate in our annual family gathering, the WTCC gala night. I will write a separate posting on this.

On the way to JB we stopped to visit Rams sisters, Siti and Rashidah, in Shah Alam. Rashidah, who recently went through a rough time battling cancer and whose treatment is still ongoing, spent a quiet Eid at home with Siti. It was 8pm by the time we got away from Shah Alam and the four hours drive to JB, arriving at the hotel in JB at close to 1.00am. We decided to stay at the hotel where our family gathering function was to be held on the 3rd day of Eidul-Fitri....









MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

End of Ramadhan

Ramadhan ended on Saturday. One month of fasting, of fighting against mental and bodily desires, of abstaining from food and other physical needs during the day hours, of supplicating and devoting all energy and efforts towards seeking Almighty's pardon and exoneration for past misdeeds, and His guidance for our future well being, has ended. We then seek to ponder our renewed efforts to become a more devoted person, in the hope that we will maintain good health and that we will live to meet the next Ramadhan.

As we break fast on this last day of Ramadhan we rejoice, with the thought that we have won the fight against negative emotions, against our internal mortal desires, rejoice at the thought that He has guided us well, and hope that all our efforts in the last one month meet His requirements, and seek his acceptance of the same.

We also rejoice at the presence of all our children and grand children (except for Fahrul who has to be in Tenby, Wales) in the house to celebrate the coming of Syawal, of Eid Mubarak. We also look forward to meeting up with other family members in the celebration of Eid Mubarak.

As it has been the tradition, at the end of Ramadhan and the start of Eid Mubarak, the eve of which were spent with the men and children in the neighbourhood gather together and move house to house to recite the Eid Takbir, glorifying the Almighty and seeking his forgiveness and guidance always. There were close to thirty adults and same number of children in our immediate neighbourhood going round house to house that night. The children had alot of fun, partaking in the food offered in each house and receiving little packets containing some money and in some instances goodies of chocolates and cookies. We started immediately after the Isya' prayers and ended at just after midnight. The young children enjoyed the most, although some were already sleepy-eyed but forced themselves to continue obviously seeking to receive goodies from each house visited. I think all enjoyed themselves, and the atmosphere of merriment had begun.....



MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

5 Months Old in a few days

 

Hadeef Hafiy Mohd Shaffik, 5 months in a few days, born on 18th April 2009. Bubbly, demanding and a light sleeper....

4 Months Very Soon

 

Fieras Naufal Fahrul Nizam 4 months old, born on 22nd May 2009. Quiet and observant but can really scream....