Happy holidays

This year, the gathering was at my place. Ever since my mother in law passed on, it was always at my place. My husband, being the oldest of the three siblings often offers our place as the venue.

Winter wonderland

Maybe I should begin now

I think I have enough stuff to begin my project. I have to start at some point don't I?It was something I wanted to do since I quit my job. It is just a simple thing that does not need a real brain.
Before I go and hibernate to do my project, I would like to wish everybody a merry and joyful end of year celebration from us Mr and Mrs Beach.

Of a grown-up Nutkin

I guess Nutkin the happy hopping squirrel has grown up after all. I am glad he made through last winter and through spring and summer. Now, in the late Fall I see him still at his antics. There is this hickory tree next to my deck in front of the house that every year made plenty of nuts. This is the tree that Nutkin and his furry cousins like to play and collect nuts from. They say hickory nuts (the meat in it) is second to none. They taste better than walnut or pecan. The only problem we human have is that the meat in it is so little and not worth cracking them up. Not with the squirrels which have little sharp teeth that can nibble the thick hard nut in seconds to get to the tasty meat.

Recently I saw Nutkin playing chase me around the tree with his cousins and friends. It was fascinating to see them chasing each other. They circle the tree trunk by hanging on to each other's tail. they go round and round up and down. They look so fat in their shiny brown coat. Their bright eyes look so intelligent and so happy.

They like to tease the dogs. Now that Buddy has the whole front yard to himself, the squirrels have to make a detour every time they want to get to the hickory tree. They just run near enough to excite Buddy and jump on to the tree. That makes buddy mad and that makes Nutkin and his cousins and friends jubilant. I could see that Nutkin and his friends were applauding themselves. I guess danger makes life more exciting even to the critters.

of being a woman

being a woman is really really difficult, don't you think?. Actually it became difficult the moment you realized that you are a female, a girl. There were all kinds of expectations from you. You have to dress like a girl, you have to behave like a girl etc. etc. I still cannot figure it out yet. When I was young, and have not reached puberty yet, I was playing with kids my age, swimming in the irrigation canals climbing peoples' jambu trees and catching fighting fish from morning until dusk.

Then I went to an all girls school. I made friends and expected to be just like my old friends, but when you get to mix with girls of different ages, things were different.
Things like you used to do, holding hands while walking was frowned upon. You were looked at differently when you shared your bed with your buddy. How could a year difference from your previous life be so different. Going to school tuck shop and the gym together were thought that you were weird. That was sad. Very sad for a 12 year old who did not understand why others talked about her and her friend. Nobody came forward to explain why. Later she learnt that straight girls don't have another girl as a close friend. Then what is a straight girl?

Then when you get older and in college or university, you were expected to have a boy friend. There must be something wrong with you if you do not grab a boy friend in the first week of your life in a college. I was devastated for there was not a single boy in my college I wanted to hook up with. I wanted some friends not a single senior boy to hang with. I had some friends though who were in the same boat so we sort of have a 'gang'. That saved me for a while. Don't get me wrong, I did go out a few times with someone, but I was not comfortable to have myself labeled as so and so girl. All I wanted were a group of friends, sincere in friendship and have no hidden agenda.

Peer pressure was very strong. If you are staying in your room on a Saturday night, you are labeled as 'poor girl' that no body wanted to take out. By your final year you were expected to graduate with a steady boyfriend who would be you husband. If you did not find a potential husband in your university years, you were doomed.

I was one. I did not find anyone I wanted to be with for eternity. Hey, I wanted one, but none came close to my criteria. I do have plenty of men friends that I wanted them to be my friends.

After you got your first job the pressure for you to get a partner in life was even stronger. All kinds of pressures came your way. They came from your friends, your family and from anybody. This is the real one. When you start rooming with another girl, you are thought to have unhealthy relationship. Of course as 2 people living in the same house, you share a lot of things in common. You go shopping together, you go to eat together, you go to see movies together. You take holidays together. Why not, you live together.

Now all the well meant friends you think you have are looking at your relationship from a different angle. They start to piece things together. They make assumption that since you never have a lasting relationship with a man, you must be on the other side of the wall. You are different you prefer feminine relationship. What is wrong with preferring to have close friendship with a person of the same gender?

Then again, once you got married, you are pressured to have children, no matter what. Nobody cares about your personal wish. When I said that I did not want any children, nobody believed me. Women want to be mothers, they want children. Well, get this, This woman does not.

Then there are divorced women. They were made to look like they were useless and society want to punish them like they deserved to be divorced. Then they were made to be targets of all accusations. They would be out to steal your husband, they have to be watched. What kind of evil thoughts people who consider themselves good have.

It is hard to be a woman in a blinkered society.

About Raya

Usually for Raya i don't do any preparation except confirming the day and time for prayer at the nearest mosque. However this year it was a little different. A couple of Malaysian called and said that they would make their way to my house. So, I prepared lemang, rendang, ketupat nasi impit, kuah kacang and a couple of tradtional cookies. On the eve of raya, one called and said they would not be able to make the trip after all. They would try to make it the next weekend. Well, i was left with lemang and all the above. If I knew a couple of days earlier i would not have made all those stuff. For the whole week I ate my raya food. Then I re do the preparation the next weekend.

The second week of Raya I got a package of goodies from my brother and sister in law. I once told somewhere in my blog that I do not make cookies and raya goodies so that I don't have to feel the "loss" or that there was something to celebrate after the prayer. I appreciate the goodies and now I have plenty of raya goodies to last me until raya haji.

Fall is here but the leaves are still green and I bet there will not be a colorful Fall. What i see now, the leaves turn brown from green, not turning into yellow, then orange and then red before turning brown and then blown off the trees.

This fall, there are plenty of pecans and walnuts as well as hickory nuts. The squirrels are having a nutty party every where. I can't recognize Nutkin anymore. he and his cousins are so fat and probably Nutkin is a female after all.

My dogs have grown their winter coats and wearing them. My chicken have regrown their feathers as well. So everyone is looking forward to winter.

All my precious plants are transplanted into little pots ready to get into the house. Right now they move in the garage at night and out in the sun during the day.

Happy Birthday Max

My puppy Maximilian or Max for short is 3 years old today. It was like yesterday when he was first brought home in a blanket. A ball of white fluffy fur and big blue eyes. He is now all grown, 2 and half feet tall and weighing more than a hundred lbs.

A loving and protective puppy. I still think he does not realize that he is a big dog now. He still thinks he can jump up into my arms and smothered me with kisses. Only the other day he cuddled me and broke my glasses. He walks behind me all the time and sometimes even steps on to my shoes. Never very far from me.

I love him....Happy Birthday Max, my lovable puppy.

A letter from a 4 year old niece anda 16 month old nephew

Yesterday I received a brown envelope in the mail. I opened it and inside it there are 3 separate letters. One from my sister in law saying that my niece has been pestering her to mail her letter. Another is a letter from my 4 year old niece, saying that she enjoyed having me and Aunt Debbie and missing us. She said, there were six in the house now there are only four and she likes having 6 people. In the same envelope, my 16 months old nephew colored and scratched for what I like to think expressing his feeling missing us.
Of course I missed them as well, only those pictures of them and my family in my computer menjadi penawar rindu.

Selingan

When i returned home I checked on my family, namely my dogs and my chicken and guineas. They were doing good, and well disciplined. went into their coop right on the dot at 6:30 pm or hang around the coop by 6 pm. My dogs wagged their tails like they were going to take off. I love them I love those animals which I know sorely missed me.

However, i observed, there were no eggs in the egg cubicles. Perhaps the chicken missed me so much that they did not lay eggs any more. The next day I understood why they did not lay their eggs in their respective cubicles. There were 2 big black snakes curled up there enjoying a big meal. These snakes were smart, they came just after noon when the chicken had laid their eggs. Well, i guess that was the snakes' last meal. Now I have eggs again. Of course there are some chicks that feel more comfortable laying under my steps, in the garage, on Bill's backhoe seats on the boat etc.

here is how you check your eggs

Can You eat that egg?

If not sure you ought-er
then place it in water
if it lies on it's side
then it's fresh, eat with pride

After three or four days
at an angle it lays
But, it still is a treat
so go ahead and eat

ten days, stands on end,
in your baking it will blend
'Cause it's definitely edible
in your baking incredible

But if it floats on the surface
that egg serves no purpose
'Cause a floater's a stinker
Out the back door best fling ever.

Friends came visiting

I arrived on Wednesday 22nd August after a very tiring journey. We had to go through customs because we declared we have food in our baggage. Debbie had to open her baggage because she had limau kasturi with her which was a no no in CA. I asked to follow her since she was traveling with me. My bags were not opened but had to go through the scan again.

Bill was waiting for me at Will Roger's world airport but at a different exit. Had to wait for him to come searching for me. That took almost 30 minutes after the baggage.

Was happy to reach home and put my head on the pillow for the night. Thought I was over with jetlag, but of course not. sleepy at the wrong time of the day.

The next day went to town and when i returned Bill said our friend from Phoenix are arriving ahead of schedule. They were at some ranch vacationing and decided to hit the road earlier. Well, I had to hide my opened baggage somewhere and straightenen out my little house to welcome them. I had also had to put up my Jalur Gemilang and Bendera Pulau Pinang to welcome my friends.

They arrived monday and the next day we went fishing. We had a small catch and i hope they enjoyed their stay at my place.

Pulau Jerjak

Two days after arriving in Pulau Pinang, we went to Pulau Jerjak Resort and Spa. Pulau Jerjak which was once a Leper sanctuary, a quarantine post and a detention camp is now a resort and spa. The place is nice but needs a lot of improvement. There is no real beach except the one that was constructed by the resort.

We booked an adventure package that includes, the swing bridge, the trail, the ride to the old prison site, the rock climbing and the paint ball fight. So, these two middle aged ladies were all geared up for the adventure package. After scouting the area and the "adventure sites", nothing matched the Taman negara. So we decided instead to do the trail. We wanted to go the first evening we were there but we were told that the pre war landrover was broke. Then we postphone the next morning, it was still broke. Then the next morning we insisted we wanted to go. The sports dept of the Resort sent 2 young guides with first aid kits and map etc to go with us. That was after we heard this conversation on the walkie talkie "Pompuan dua org ni nak pi jugak" tak tau matsalleh ni depa nak pi jugak". I wanted to laugh but kept cool. Luckily they did not say "pompuan tua".The land rover was ok then and we took the land rover instead of walking in the humid weather.

The food was ok but the price is a little bit too high. We enjoyed the buffet dinner at RM42 a piece and we ended up stuffing our faces with rojak buah. One night we told the restaurant manager that we paid for the buffet because we wanted to eat the rojak, so he had our dinner bill down to RM10 each. That was very nice of him.

The Resort faces Penang island and it is a fantastic view. Ferry/boat trips to the island is very frequent. If one wants to shop at the mall such as the Queensbay Mall one can take the 10 minutes ride and shopped the kilometer long mall.

I had a good time there swimming in the purple pool on top of the hill near the spa watching air planes landing and taking off. The pool on top of the hill is attached to the spa complex. there is also the jacuzzi, the massage hut and a restaurant.

I enjoyed so much there that i had this idea of having all my family down for a get together. All my sisters and nephews and in laws came to join us the next day. We rented 3 chalets to fit all of us. One chalet (executive) costs RM400 a night and has 2 large bedroom and a big lounge.
That night we had a Tahlil in one of the chalets with my youngest sister's husband as the imam.

Since our chalets were on top of the hill near the spa, we had all the facilities to ourselves. The swimming pool, the jacuzzi and the restaurant. We even had the karaoke hall to ourselves. The dinner was costly and came a little late. The service was slow and the kids were hungry. But we allhad a good time.

Losing touch with my mother tongue, am I?

To my horror I discovered that i lost touch with my mother tongue, the first few days I arrived in Malaysia. I knew what i wanted to say, but the sentences did not come out right. The simplest thing like asking a receptionist, on how much
the fare to KL from KLIA stumped me. I went like " berapa harga nak ke KL dan cara mana yg terbaik" sounded so foreign even to my very own ears. I could not compute in my head, the way people 'normally ask". I was ashamed as well as felt lost for a while. Three days in KL I could muster enough courage to go on my Penang accent. Then I felt at home.

It felt bad that i could not communicate in my colloquial language. It was not so bad to communicate with hotel receptionists or sales persons, but I was not comfortable talking to friends. I did not want them to think that I was putting on airs by refusing to speak in bahasa melayu. I tried to explain, but i do not think that they could empathize with me

I could think in my head what to say in malay and even have personal conversations in malay in my head, but it was hard to speak it out loud. I could even chat in malay most time on the internet. believe me it was different when you have not used the language verbally for quite a while.

PJs at Gurney Plaza

We decided to spend a night a beach hotel as to be able to go to the famous mile long night market in Batu Feringgi. We stayed at this little hotel that has a beach. I think it is somewhere between Tg. Tokong and Tanjung Bungah. After checking in, Debbie and I went to survey the vicinity. I remembered the area, as it was near the chinese swimming club where I used to go swimming a long time ago. It was also near Motel Sri Pantai where rumours had it, that it was a place for rich people "simpan" their mistresses.

Well, when walking to find some drinks, we were directed to the pasar malam that was just starting. We had sugar cane water freshly squeezed. We bought ketupat palas and rendang, various foods as well a kilo of the great dokong for 3 ringgit. On the way back we bought a bunch of pisang goreng and cempedak goreng.

We saw 2 singapore registerd SUVs parked at the double yellow lines and at the busy traffic light. The Pisang Goreng man was saying that these singaporean have no respect forMalaysian law. I agreed with him. These people apparently went to the pasar malam earlier and were parked there to enjoy their food. They were still parked there when I left. One guy walking across the zebra crossing with us commented that, if he had a big lorry he would certainly run over those suvs which were obstructing the traffic.

We ate or food in the hotel room and then went down to the swimming pool where my little niec and nephew had a gala time. We just walked along the beach collecting sand dollars.
At night we went to the market and of course there were all fake branded goods, like coach handbags and pirated cds and dvds. bought some, but did not browse the whole mile.

The next morning we went to the beach and the tide was coming in and of course the kids want to chase the wave and we got wet.

my jeans and debbie's jeans were wet up to our thighs and thus had to change. we had no change of clothes, so we decided to go back in our jammies. When we reached Gurney drive, my sis in law wanted to stop at Gurney Plaza. Well, Debbie and I shopped in our pajamas. Me in my pirate of the Caribbean with skulls all over my pants and Debbie in her calf length pajama pants walked in the plaza very confidently. We even ate our lunch at that restaurant that faces the sea and nobody bid an eye lid.

Berkibar bendera ku

This morning my husband helped me hoist-up the Jalur Gemilang on the bell post and the Penang flag at the gate post. In a jest he said that not to be surprised if a red neck comes and shoot the flags down. The reason being, to some, it is unthinkable for someone to fly any other flags other than the US flag. I told him I will be ready with my shotgun. After all the flags are hanging on my private property.

What a Blast

I had the most memorable visit back to Malaysia this time around. I visited my family and my friends and so much enjoyed their companies.

I met with all my closed family members and friends. There were friends that I newly acquired and there were old friends that I kept in touch and there were friends (classmates that I have not seen since 1970.)

There was a friend who was my boss. The was the mother of my friend (who considered my husband and I as keluarga angkat) who were so gracious, so hospitable that I can't find words to described. Rashidah and family and kak Munah, thank you so much.

I enjoyed my trip to taman negara with the family of fellow blogger whose friendship and generosity I can never repay or reciprocate. I hope I did not embarrass her and family by making a fool of myself gorging the fruits by the roadside. MakAndeh and family and jedi thank you.

I am so much indebted to the "KL tour guide" who made herself available all her time to make my shopping and visiting during my stay in KL. I hope she enjoyed tagging along 2 ladies who could not make their minds what to shop. Bella we appreciate your patience and time you were with us. Please thank Korbau for letting us share his precious wife with us.

There was the "judge" who arranged for a reunion of my old classmates and offering the use of her personal chauffeur to take us around.

Of Course I will never forget the generousity and the hospitality of my dearest friend who put us up at her house for the duration of our stay in KL.

My brother and sister in law and their family who put us up while in Penang. They share their children with us too. Delightable kids. Thank you all.

I will write about my adventure later. This piece is to tell all my friends and family that they made my visit so memorable.

I also want to apologise to those friends that I could not meet or make contact due to my tight schedule.

Thank you all

Roo had a turkey dinner

Usually when we leave the house we always keep the gate closed and let Roo be the Guard. Today when we returned from town, we saw Roo had had her dinner with feathers everywhere in the garage. We assumed from the feathers, it must have been a turkey. poor turkey must have got into the yard. Any critters which are not familiar to her, she would definitely does her job. This time poor unlucky turkey that wandered too close.

Visiting or going home?

It is kind of hard to admit that I have made this place my home. I have worked hard to make this niche in the woods in rural Oklahoma my own. I am already missing my husband and my home before I even make my journey back to Malaysia for a visit which was not so long ago my home too. There were strong ties and pull then when my parents were still alive to make that long journey. It was not so painful to sit for 30 odd hours on the plane and in transits. It was then worth it.

My last 2 visits were not as exciting as I anticipated. My siblings and their families were busy with their lives and hardly had time for us (my husband and me). The friends/colleagues who were "eager" to see me again after a long time did not even bother to drop by at the place I was staying (which was within their walking distance from their work place.) I was sad, but then I thought that I was not a friend enough for them to see me. I should have made plans and thought of me first rather than making meeting and be with them my priority. Lesson learned.

However there was an exception on my last trip though. My brother in law in Melaka took a few days leave just to be around and cooked me delicious meals. Those dishes we used to enjoy at my mother's. He was so thoughtful because during that time my sister as a teacher could not get away from her school activities even at weekends. (she is a primary school teacher) That thoughtful gesture is embedded in my heart forever.

This time around, I am visiting for me. To see the country i left and still very fond of. I want to enjoy the country and if anyone of those friends can fit in my schedule, i do them too. I will not be disappointed or sad if they can't come to see me.

I have very GOOD friends too who offer me a place to stay when I come and visit. I have a friend who offers a car from their showroom for me to use.
On top of it I have made many new friends on the internet whom I want to meet.

I am hoping this trip will be a memorable one, to last for a long time. I can't win all the time, but I am hoping this time around is a winner. I am not getting any younger and long distance haul does not sound attractive anymore.

It is already July huh

Tomorrow 7th Day of the 7th Month in the Year 2007 will be my 55th birthday. I am maturing to this age very gracefully. I may not be the spring chicken, but I am not much older than the woman I was a decade ago. However, I have changed a lot. I have made a 180 degrees turn in my mid forty. I have chosen to live nearer to nature and be happy with what I have. I keep to my believe that happiness is a matter of choice not a chance.

I see people whom the terms "tension and stressful" are their daily vocabulary. I can only say that I feel sorry for them. I feel life needs to be organized and have priority in the correct places. Some people can't handle even a little bit of pressure. Some people can't even make a little change. This reminded me of the time I was on duty at the punch card. I observed the same people would be late every day, not overly late but a couple of minutes or five minutes. I asked why, it was always the same, traffic jam. I just wonder, if you know that at the same time everyday, the traffic would be bad, why not leave the house 5 minutes earlier.

oh well, Now I am retired, I have no worries about getting caught in the traffic jam. I also do not need to rush anywhere. My time is mine. I drive to town when there is minimum traffic on the road. I stay home when the weather is bad. And I talked to my dogs and my plants. I race my dogs in the woods.

Oh Yes, there is plenty of peace and tranquility where I live and I thank God for this life of mine.

Of being cheap

I buy fruits when they are cheap. i eat fruits like they are my staple. I buy fresh pineapples when the price is at $1.50 a piece (regular $3.85). I buy a few of them. I buy papayas when it costs 28 cents per pound (regular at $1.28). Buy a few green ones. I buy strawberries when it is $1.50 a box (regular $2.98). Nope they are not those wilting either. they are just the overstock that walmart have.

I change my taste of fruits according to seasons. I eat plenty of mangoes (from central America) when they are 4 to a dollar. I get plenty of them because mangoes are one of my favourite. i eat plenty of seedless grapes in winter when walmart import them from Chile, those big juicy black grapes for only 98 cents a pound rather than buy California grapes for $2.98 a pound.

Now I am eating plenty of strawberries big juicy ones at $1.28 a pound. I have boxes of them in my refrigerator. I eat them with cream cheese with sugar and whipped cream or dipped in Hershey's chocolate. I top my ice cream with them as well.

This year all my fruit trees are void of fruits due to the late freeze we had in late April. The only thing I see growing in my woods are wild grapes that bounced back and a few wild plums. My "commercial table grapes" are gone. Not a single leaf left on the vines. i hope they will not die.I am not too sure with my blackberries. i saw a few buds, and that's about all. I may not have any blackberries this year.

Well, walmart have all the fruits i can eat cheap, so i do not have to pine for my home grown fruits this year.

Of little tortoises crossing the road

These few days when i drive out to town i see not less than a dozen tortoises crossing the road. I know they cross the highway to be on the other side. Most made it across, but not all do. Wonder if it is worth it. I saw little biddy ones the size of a dollar coins to those the size of big serving plates.

In my woods too, these tortoises wonder around. I even saw some mating and of course Max had to separate them. He does not pick them up any more like he used to, he just ignore them except when he sees them tortoises are "fighting".