SNOW, WOLF, LAKE, A MANDARIN MUSICAL

Finally the day of the musical arrived. I was excited about it and a bit worried too as the musical was going to be staged in mandarin and I am not that well versed in that language. But as luck would have it, I totally understood the whole play.

To say Jacky was superb is an understatement of the century! He was MAGNIFICENT! I was enthralled to be able to watch my idol in person. I watched the whole play mesmerised. The costumes were fantastic, seeing Nadia Chan and Evonne Hsu in their dresses brought The Sound of Music to mind as the dresses had can-can petticoats. The stage scenery changes were not that elaborate but sufficient to fire one's imagination to follwo the play.

But the minus points were there too. When my girlfriend and I went through the gates to get to our allotted seats, we were asked if we had brought any handphones, camera or audio recorders with us. We were asked fo leave the items (if any) at the security counter. But being obedient and good spectators, we had left our camera phones in the house. So happily we went in to find our seats thinking, "Goody! No phones ringing in the midst of the musical!". How wrong can one get? Barely 5 minutes after settling down in our seats and getting comfortable reading the free program, we were schocked to see so many of the other spectators whipping out their handphones and gleefully making calls, snapping pictures, etc! When the musical began, we were again distracted by the lady seated 2 seats away. Her handphone was ringing and then to top it off, she answered the call and proceeded to launch into a frenzied whispered conversation with the caller.

I wonder which part of the announcement about switching off all handphones did she not understand? Ah well, that is the mentality of the yuppie mindset who cannot live without their PDAs, notebooks, Blackberrry and CELLPHONES! Please lah! If ever you go for any shows, ADHERE TO THE REGULATIONS about handphones. Don't spoil the pleasure of others.

OPEN HOUSE, DO THEY STILL EXIST? (PART II)

Last week a friend invited us over to her house also in Bukit Beruntung for Raya 'open house' on Saturday 19 November. So on Friday night we drove to our home in Beruntung to stay for the weekend. My little toddler was so happy as she loves the house there with the big space that she has to run around and her toys to play with.

On Saturday morning, we went out for breakfast and decided to buy a 'baju kurung' for my little daughter to wear for the open house. We managed to find one which fitted her but was a little bit long in the sleeves and the sarong. So when we reached home, I had to stitch the sarong and sleeves so that my baby girl would be able to wear it.

As we were sitting at home doing our own stuff, one of the neighbours (we don't actually know him at all) came by and invited us to his Raya open house he was hosting that afternoon. I was totally surpised but had to decline as the time clashed with my friend's open house.

Hmmm........looks like the spirit of 'open house' still exists but only in the suburbs, kampongs and when the ministers hold theirs at PWTC etc. In other places, like apartment buildings, 'open house' still exist but only for invited family and friends. None of the neighbours who had open houses here at their apartments invited their neighbours. Ah, but I too am one of them. I barely know my imediate next door neighbours and only am on speaking terms with the couple living on the ground floor. Sad huh?

Anyway, I like to thank my neighbour who invited us to his home and maybe next year when we are able to hold a Christmas open house, I will invite him too.

Whither our ecosystem?

I am happy that the lousy neighbours with the rudest kids you can imagine have shifted off just a few days before Hari Raya Puasa. It is really good to have some peace and quiet but unfortunately they left a load of rubbish behind when they moved on the corridors, stairways and landing. Imagine our surprise one morning when we were going down the stairs and found our way blocked by a 3in high single foam mattress! Some of the other neighbours were so furious that they pushed the whole mattress over the wall only to have it land on the roof of the ground floor back gate. It is still laying there getting wet from the rains and dried by the sunshine.

The tenants on the other blocks have stated that the block I am staying in has been dubbed 'the speculator's block' as most of the owners of the apartments here just rent it out to every Tom, Dick and Harry. What's even worse is that these nights at 2am there are fire crackers being let off in the airwell area and the loud bangs have scared my little girl so much that she no longer wants to sleep in her cot.

When we bought the apartment, we told that there were only going to be a few blocks and the greenery would stay all round us. Now the only greenery we see are the grass and the small hillock which I dare not venture to as there have been reports of robberies, rapes, snakes and monkeys that attack people who go to the lookout tower.

I shudder to think about the rest of the green areas of Selangor. Will the only tree, shrubs, flora and fauna our children, grandchildren's children see will be in museum photos? What then will happen to our Earth? Will we have to buy oxygen and stay indoors?

STRANGE BUT TRUE

On October 15, 2005 I lost one of my favourite diamond earrings. 6 days later, my father-in-law passed away. On October 27, 2005 a week after my father-in-law passed away, my husband found the back stud of the earring on the bathroom floor. Believing that the lost earring would still be in the bathroom, he searched on hands and knees every nook and cranny of the bathroom but found nothing.

Early hours of November 10, 2005 around 1.30 am which coincided with my father-in-law's 21st day or 3rd week anniversary, I found the other part of the lost earring in the same bathroom which my darling husband could not find. I had given up all hope of ever finding it but strangely, it turned up on that particular morning prompting my husband to remark that his dad who loved me dearly had found it and put it in the bathroom for me to find.

We left for Melaka that morning to attend the 21st day prayers at my mother-in-law's home in Melaka. Whilst driving down, we were listening to MixFM and heard the cue to call for Mix Box Office offering 2 tickets wortn RM490 each to Jacky Cheung's musical Snow, Wolf, Lake. Being a great fan of Jacky Cheung and hearing rave reviews from friends who had seen the musical, I called in but was not successful. Thinking nothing about it, I just put it down to being unlucky in these kinds of contests.

After the prayers and dinner, we left Melaka and as usual, I turned on the radio and heard the cue to call for the Mix Box Office. I again decided to try my luck again and this time, I WON! I was so happy and my husband was so amused to see me jumping up and down in my seat. Again it struck my husband and me that it could be a blessing from my father-in-law.

So you who are out there......strange eh? But true. Have a good weekend. God bless you.

What are Telecoms up to?

Recently, hubby applied for a new phone line under one of TM Net's numerous packages and also decided to apply for TM Net Streamyx because  the package was on offer too. Imagine our disgust when we were told that our application for Streamyx was approved but we were not going to get the service as 'there was no port available'. To top it all, when I called TM Point today to enquire and report that the CLIP function was not functioning, I was told that any numbers coming out from Sungei Buloh exchange does not carry the CLIP or any other services.

What then is the point of offering the services and getting end users to sign up and then tell them that it is not available in their area? Ridiculous and very irritating. What progress has Telecoms Malaysia come to? None whatsoever!

OPEN HOUSE, DO THEY STILL EXIST?

I remember the times when I was about 5 or 6 years old. At that time my father who was with the police force was stationed in Kulai, Johor and we were living in the police barracks. We were one of the few non-Muslim families living there. My mom was very active in the officers' wives club and being a very good cook and fantastic cake and cookies maker, she was always in great demand come any Chinese, Hindu, Christian or Muslim festivals.

Mom was never one to say no to helping a neighbour in any way that she could. So we knew that come any festivities preparation time, mom would be busy. The ladies club as papa called them was one fun club.

Hari Raya Aidil Fitri saw many invitations for us to attend 'open houses' and ate our way to full and rounded bellies! There were even neighbours who would bring kuih raya over to our house once because I was sick and could not leave the house. Papa was there with me as mom was busy at the OCPD's house helping out.

Deepavali saw again another round of 'open houses' and again we were stuffed! Chinese New Year and Christmas saw mom busy with the cooking in the kitchen and papa helping out with the roasting of the Christmas turkey. This time round, we were the hosts.

These days with the onslaught of apartments and condos being built up and gated communities, open house is no longer a fun thing. In fact, come any festivities, we are greeted with the rush of balik kampung and closed doors. Is this then the price we have to pay for progress? Has the values of days gone by slipped away or are they only practiced in kampungs and small towns?

Whatever the situation, Selamat Hari Raya, Happy Deepavali, Thanksgiving and most of all, happy living. Let's be glad that we are safe and alive.