death makes you think twice about life

I cried on the drive home from work last night after receiving news from my Mum that my babysitter's husband passed away. It didn't strike me at first because he looked healthy the last time I saw him during the last Hari Raya Puasa. He was jovial and lively. He could even afford to share jokes at the expense of his wife.

I will always remember him as the first man/dad to sign my report book.

My only regret was not visiting him often. The couple whom i affectionately call Mama and Bapak.

I was in no man's land when I went over their house last night and this morning. Everyone was asking who this boy is.."Oh, ni anak Kak Sal lelaki yang bongsu.." jokingly their youngest daughter replied. The thought of being called their youngest son made me ashamed for all the years that I disappeared. Things like "Oh, I'm busy with work, I'm busy with my own family" would not suffice as an acceptable excuse. I tried to hold back my tears feeling that I'm not entitled to mourn equally with those around him.. their sons, daughters and grandchildren.

In the hole, as I was lowering his feet into his final resting place..I thought to myself, when my turn will come. Will my family be ready for it when the time comes? I thought hard about all the questions pertaining about death, its after effects and repercussions. It made me think.

Before I left for home, Mama Sal asked me come over whenever I'm free. To come while there's still time.

I felt guilty having to hear those words from her. I hid my emotions by comforting her and saying God willing I will drop by whenever I can.

On the drive home, I thought again. I've been through a few deaths in my family.

Somehow this particular one made me realized that I had to make time. It made me think about all the people I cared about. The people who mattered. The people who are still alive.

Both friends and family.

Death will be my reflection for 2009. And life will go on as we know it.

Bapak Samuri, Rest In Peace.

AL-FATIHAH, semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohmu

Amin Ya Raabal Alamin

A chillax Thursday.

Firstly, I renewed my car insurance with UOI. Maybe you guys can check out India Insurance for quotations too. I also had KK inspected at STA Sin Ming.Very fast and efficient I must say compared to my previous experiences with VICOM. So thats a total of about 1k spent. Arrghh!!

Guess tomorrow I'll renew the road tax too after work. 

Chilled out at Ladly/Enok place and watched 2012. 

Thank god we bought the dvd instead across the causeway.

Then we visited Dad and Mum and Bubbles too!!

And the official wedding photos by Ridz are also out.

And lastly, we miss our friends.. especially the people from the entourage.. boo hoo.

We have yet to meet anyone. We're so tied up with the wedding aftermath, the renovation, the furniture shopping and the family visits..and I'm sure you guys are pretty much tied up with your own holiday plans and wedding plans too..

But we will catch up soon.. we promise.

Sharing

This was put up on a friend's blog and it can't get any more honest than this.

Live the dream KC!!

Cheers!!

More damage & more to come..

Today, we went to meet our lovely ID Kevin to discuss some reno stuff.

Progress is good and if we all goes well,
We should be moving in by the 3rd week of next month.

We also went to buy lighting for the entire house..
Actual total cost was about $1,500,
But of course yours truly managed to sweet talk her way down to $1k flat...
Maaan...I'm getting real good at this.

Also got our hob, hood and oven to build into the kitchen cabinets.
Because I'm a forum stalker,
I knew exactly what I was looking for..THESE from Rinnai!

Here's a preview of our kitchen:

Still looking for the perfect refrigerator, sofa and dining set though..

Till then!

Back from Reservist

Thank you guys for making it yet another memorable ICT.

Looking forward to next year!! 13th to 18th Dec 10.

Haizu as usual always doing all the work for everyone.. One day he will run his own battalion.

Finally cleared my IPPT during in camp.. Ngoi won't be proud of my running though.

Well, comparing to last year's results, I think it is a clear sign that I am getting older.

This boots are made for walking...

i just hope we will walk less next year.

Cheers for now.

My virgin marathon

So it's been 2 days since the marathon.
The legs unfortunately, have not recovered & even walking has become a challenge.
Nonetheless, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had & I would strongly urge everyone else to give it at least one try!
As many who have done it would say,
"When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever."

I've been talking myself into doing it since a couple of years ago.
I guess it's the thrill of doing something crazy, something challenging.
And like many of my other life goals, I knew that once set, there were no excuses, no procrastination, no turning back.
And Leo/ Britney, for the record, the feeling is 1000 times better than when I said "I feel like a man!" beating most boys at 2.4km in school..heheh

To cut all 42.195km of the story short,
Though I didn't manage to go under 5hrs as planned, I had a good run generally.
Albeit having felt myself going crazy at the 35km mark.

And as cliché as it sounds, it really was mind over matter from that point on - I had to continuously talk to myself to keep on going when my body shut down.

Next up, a triathlon & at least one marathon a year – under 5 hours this time!

Before...

And after..

More Recent Randoms

Its back to work for the both of us.

With our feet firmly on the ground, its a return to the serious side of life.

Too much sweets and chocolates is never a good thing.. that I attained as I grow older but wiser with age.(Or not)

As much as I would love to amble with altruism, I think I aspire to be a scrooge this upcoming months. Like Ngoi mentioned in

the previous entry, we have discovered that Yusof Ishak has decided to be a little coy with us. Ha ha. But Mama Sue in all her wisdom says that moolah will appear in its many forms.

And Ngoi is experiencing that now!!

God willing! Amin.

The past couple of weeks, I've learned the definition of words like "broke" in depth and portraying facial expression like 'minta belas kasihan' with ease.

But on the bright side of life, I've benefited by learning the aptitude of appreciating those who had stood with me through hard times.

We love our Mummies.

We hope to fathom and replicate in your likeness.

Ok, minus the boring stuff,

Here are the pixels taken from last weekend.

Much time has been put into shuffling btw AMK and Sengkang

Our living room.

Ngoi finally completing Joget Tiang II

Ngoi picking up pointers from Mum in Law

"Birdddd... Birrdd... Mana Biiirrdddd?"

Aite Peeps.

Stay cool and funky.

Cheers!

Recent happenings & akan datang

Hi guys!

So it's back to reality for both Yea & I. Truth be told, the wedding was so much fun that we even had thoughts of "renewing our vows" every year. Hehhh...

But reality check, we are both dead broke now what with the honeymoon and the new place. So if you're wondering why we are MIA, it's because Yea says we can only do budget activities now while we recoup our losses...haha. So pls do still invite us for anything cheap, or even better free!

Next big thing for me is the Stanchart marathon. My first ever 42.195km! Am I excited? Hell yeah. Am I prepared? Erm, probably not as much as I would have loved to, but I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to complete it in a decent time. So if you're not doing anything this Sun 6 Dec, pls come down and lend Ngoi your support!! Woo hoo!!


P.S.: We miss all of you-know-who...meet up soon!