Life without it...

Sometimes I question myself of this…

My father is a retired teacher and during his era…earning over RM1500 or even over RM2000 was a big relief for a family as big as ours…6 siblings…what makes it more interesting is that how he managed that amount of salary for us…at that time I didn’t really understand the hardship or earning money but thankfully I wasn’t pampered to have all the things I wished for…perhaps the prices were a little cheap at that time compared to today's prices...Whilst in secondary school, you could buy a fried noodle with an egg for RM0.50...of that time was very delicious!

I’m absolutely 100% sure that I would not dare to have a family of my own with all financial obstacles that might occurred…frankly speaking, my earning is not that much but good enough for a single man…still I’m not dare to say I’m financially secured as a single man…..there were time I’d have extra money and I saved it for something far more important i.e. trip back to Sabah, holiday plan and emergency.....I’ve been spending my money based on priorities since a year ago and it worked out pretty good for me….well, don’t believe me though…it’s not always good…there’s always temptation and I’m thankful enough to be able to deal them quite good….except DVDs…it is the one thing that I would not dare to be taken away off me…it’s now part of me..people sometimes says, they couldn’t live without football or getting high on drug…it is almost the same case for me…I would not hesitate to be a little stingy on other items rather than stopping myself from buying DVDs (I did try a while ago and managed to skip buying DVD for only 2 months) Plus all the appetite destructions (food craving) I’ve been having….things become more easier for me to skip meal over DVDs….moreover, I’d easily get bored with something yet it never happens on DVDs…well, I'm not into shopping kind of person..buy new clothes etc when required to...good God..

Imagine this fact; an engineer with at least 2-3 years of experience would earn about RM3000 and more on monthly basis…estimation based/depending on company and field of engineering (Penang)

Monthly Expenses consist of;
House Rent, Car Installment, Utility Bills (electricity, water, astro, broadband and etc), Credit Cards, Life/Health Insurance, Entertainment (DVDs, night out, fine dining, movies and etc), Family Allocation (Parents or siblings), Own Expenses (Foods, groceries, car fuel and etc)

How much would you think this person would possibly fork out every month into saving account??

And what if that person has a family of 2 kids??
That’s the basic necessity of a normal person would have…well, some might not have Life/Health Insurance or credit card or might not even go out with friends/colleagues during weekend for a good relaxation…which indicate more money into saving??

Last couple of years ago...my salary was just “ciput”…and I wished I could have a better salary but once it got better…it doesn’t really resolve the financial although it improves the living little by little months after another…it reminds me of why most rich people would say…rich is just a title in a society but it doesn’t really up-lift your life to something extraordinary…of course you can have all the luxury but they come with higher price tags than you’ve had before...more earning means more expenses…

A draft beer of this size for the price of normal draft beer today??

This couple of weeks…my so called business is looking good…thanks to a friend because he’s willing to help me running it when I needed his help...I’d pay for his services though….hopefully things will get better and better….

Would you prefer to be rich, moderate or poor?

I’m thankful I’m at moderate level and wish I would be able to pay up all the debt soon…especially credit cards…hehe…

Emotion over money??
I know that emotion without money would not work as well....1 over 10 could probably work it out with the help of love cupids but the rest, 9 would need more than cupid to work things out...haha...living in the materialistic world now has affected our mind into believing money is everything.....*sigh*

Untold.....

A saying....

"..When you can't help the tears to flow out, then open your eyes widely but don't blink your eyes, and let the tears flow naturally from both of your cheeks. Yes, the tears make you see the world clearly instead of blurring your mind. Tears generally paralyze the sad moments rapidly.."

Why people are crying then?
- One cries due to its deep love towards life.
- One cries because of the joy in life.
- One cries to get a comfort.
- One cries on behalf of the sad moment.
- One cries because of the helpless in life.
- One cries in order to show her anger
- One cries on behalf of the condolences to the dead person
- One cries because of parting
- One cries in order to show her deep love towards her beloved person
- One cries because of the hardships of life
- One cries because of the deep emotion towards his intimate bonds
- One cries to show his love towards his career
- One cries because of the sudden disaster that struck his life
- One cries because of the deep sibling relationship
- One cries because of her loneliness
- One cries because of an unbelievable success
- One cries because his deep dignity and sacrifice for the country
- One cries because.................(you'll be missed...)

I'm going home.....

News from home...

I’ve just had a conversation with my mum on the phone minutes ago…she called me to inform me about her sis, Aunt Tina has been admitted to a hospital in KK since Monday…the most recent that I met her was when I went back to Sabah in Dec 2008...and to my surprise...she does not look healthy to me as to what I’ve used to 4 years before…I asked Aunt Utuk (my mum’s youngest sis after Aunt Tina)…she told me Aunt Tina is sick…macam-macam la sakit dia that makes her look 10 years older than her actual age….she even looked aged than my mum (the 2nd eldest of 6 siblings)

According to my mum…doctor found out that she's having virus/bacterial infection in her lung…first thing came to my mind was Dr. House….yes, I’ve had another House Series Marathon last week (watched Season 1- Season 4…look forward to buy the Season 5 next week perhaps) there have couple of reason a lung to be infected by virus/bacteria (according to House)….I couldn’t really response to the news...I was shocked but at the same time don’t know what to say….you know when you received a call like this kan…I told my mum to keep me inform of anything….and she said, she just wanted to ensure I’m aware…5 years ago, I was pissed because she didn’t tell me (she did when I called her a week after) about my grandfather’s (mum’s father) of whom I really fond with until ‘he’ (perhaps) visited me…that answered the mystery of ‘human shaped object’ sitting at the corner of my room almost every night watching me sleeping for quite a period….

mum at the age of...I don't know..early 20's perhaps (pic taken using mobile)

I can only pray that Aunt Tina will be alright and hopefully she will get well soon….also I took a chance to wish my mum...a happy birthday…it was her birthday yesterday..I had actually drafted a post but decided not to publish it…Happy belated birthday mum…God bless you, Aunt Tina and families…..Amen!

A wedding that brought a wonderful memory back...

After almost 15 days in Sabah..now I'm back in Penang....back to work..back to the reality..wake up 5 days a week to go to work to earn money to survive into the wild world....leaving Sabah after meeting and get to know several new friends ....is never be an easy thing to do...although the moment we had was just a day or less than an hour..this sweet memory will always be commemorated in my life to come..good thing I managed to get some of these friends' numbers and thanked God for the simple but pleasant memory I had in Sabah....to start the working life today in the year 2009 was not easy and I was kind of moody..masih mood cuti yang mau relax...

Bride and groom's closest family

Spending the last couple of days in Sabah was a great fun and memorable to me...even better to make me remember of my childhood moment..it was 2nd Jan 2009..I went to Sutera Harbour to attend my relative's wedding...there I met few of my relatives that I had never met before...of course, I had met some of them.....actually, I was not supposed to be in the list of guest for that ceremony but for some reason God has shown me his miracle by swapping someone's place with someone else....my sis's BF should have been the one to attend the wedding but due to some last minute trip he had to do..the seat that was meant for him was left empty...thus my Sis, also my Bro were asking me to come with them....I rejected the offer as I didn't bring any formal nor suitable clothes for that kind of ceremony...meanwhile, my mum sent a text to me asking if I'm going...I replied "inda tau lagi..teda baju jg..." sort of la...she suggested to borrow from my Bro and coincidentally, he himself offered his shirt for me (cara dia mau pujuk kasi kawan dia pigi la ni..haha...)

Datuk Pairin menyanyikan 2-3 buah lagu malam tu..one of the last person leaving that night

I was at a workshop in Inanam, chatting with a mechanic at the moment this 4 ways communication occurred...I sent my bro's car for a "medical checkup" and been given a couple of medicines to make amend of the current state of the car....changed the water pump, a hose and the timing belt (most probably the timing belt has never been replaced since the car was bought..it was already in a nyawa nyawa ikan...in the other hand, the previous water pump had been replaced with one of Thailand's production..haha..inda heran la rosak..) spent more than 3 hours at the workshop chatting about cars with the mechanic as well as fixing the damaged parts..by the time it was fixed, it was already past 4pm..went home and resting.....get prepared for the wedding..berdandan la...

My lis Sis..yang semakin gendut kuat makan..haha.

My bro came later that evening from work then we left the house after 30 minutes time giving him time to berdandan juga..haha...reached Sutera Harbour earlier than my Sis...we had to wait as we're not sure if I have a reserved seat or not...malu starring kalau masuk pigi sign tu guess book tapi tiada nama dalam list..haha...my sis arrived quite late (I think it was over 20 minutes later) Yeah..we 3 siblings went in and checked in for a table number....we were arranged to be seated at table no 6..but entah la...kana kasi rearranged to seat at table no 5...with people that I'd never met except my bro and sis..haha....my sis is quite fond with 2 of our cousins there..so we were kind of 'save' juga la..inda juga macam stranger in a strange crowd...minum and makan macam biasa bila buat wedding di Sutera Habour la...sedap tapi belum lagi sampai nasi suda kanyang..kanyang beer sama liquor pun lain lagi..hehe..

Gadis-gadis di meja no 5

Then suddenly..a cute girl was standing a meter away from me unloading small-small boxes of souvenirs out of the big box...I looked at her and coincidentally, she looked at me....as a complete stranger, I smiled at her...she responded with a smile as well...then few minutes after..she came and sat next to my bro...I was at the middle between my bro and sis ba...and there was one empty seat available next to my bro..entah la siapa yang inda datang tu...she sat there and chatted with my bro...she must be my relative as per observation..duh..mimang la..haha...after a while she became a permanent guest at that table...she ate and chatted with my bro and my sis..then began teasing me...as a pemalu, I thought of several ways to melarikan diri dari kana bawa menari..haha..yeah..I did well at first...pretending to not to stop enjoying the sweet and sour fish on a small white plate...I knew she was just joking teasing me but it went even wild..haha...the second time, I lost my virginity as pemalu when my sis helped her tarik me, forcing me to stand up and walked heading to the wooden dance floor menari sumazau..I was a virgin pemalu ba and I was not even drunk to dance yet...haha.and that was the first time for me to dance at Sutera Harbour..I'm not a wedding crasher di mana ada kawin di sana la muka saya ada..haha....from that onwards we danced continuously for couple of rounds...alternately, I took a chance to rest and melarikan diri lagi...for the first time, I was feeling a little nervous when she took my hand invited me to have a slow dance with her...wahaha....I just met and knew her for a couple of minutes ba...she's an aunt to me....that's her status to me...jadi balik-balik lah tu "mesti dingar cakap aunty tau.." plus the support she received from my Bro and Sis..apa la daya ku..aku terpaksa merelakan and apparently, it was a good moment to know my aunt juga kan..so whilst we were dancing and dancing...I took the chance to ask few questions about her....jejak kasih la ba kenen...she's short with a nice cute eyes which also 4 years younger than me....looking at her whilst chatting reminded me of something...I'd seen these 2 big eyes before...the look at her face suddenly become so familiar to me.....still I couldn't come up with anything....I ignored my curiosity and continued chatting and dancing with her 'till the night was over...before we left...she held my hand and hugged me couple of times...well because she's my aunt then I guess people would not mind, I was wrong..few of my first encountered relatives thought that I were her BF..I laughed and teased her for being a naughty aunt..haha...after all, I think more than 70% of the guests there were relatives from one root to another...even uncle Pairin was present that day to attend her nephew's wedding...

I don't know how, we ended up as the last person to shake people's hands before leaving the building that night..bediri di entrance door say good night and bye kenen...overall that night was great and it went all well...got the chance chatting with some of my grandmothers and aunt/uncles...before we headed to our own separated ways..we exchanged mobile number and took several more pictures together...a hug and a red rose from her before she left..then few minutes after..I received a text message from her..something that I would have never expected...I could only smile and told my bro that our naughty aunt just sent me a text of she's missing me...aunty muda (sumandak) dan naughty pandai mesej macam tu juga..then once I was at my bro's home....we were still chatting via text messages...It must be an angle who came and helped me remembered 'her'....I remember that 'eyes'..yeah..it must be her and it was so coincident that after almost 15 years..we met once again in a way that I would not have expected...refer weird fact no.6 of the Shocking Truth post..I asked her via text if she were the girl I was thinking about....she was.........still, we're relative and although I only knew her for couple of hours...I felt that there will be a chance for us to know more about each other in future to come....at least something good came out of the wedding that was meant not to be fun for a total stranger or a reserved seat taker like me....haha...thanked god for the miracle moment I had to start with the year 2009...cheers!

Holiday life in Sabah - Part II

I've been drinking a lot these couple of days..I reckon, that's the only activity I've been doing whenever I return home to Sabah for a holiday..huhu...

I went to Ranau (mentioned in previous post)..purposely to attend a family gathering (dad's side)..some of my cousins, I have not met them for almost 10 years, and some over 15 years..."besar-besar sudah kamu o kan...suda kahwin lagi..ada anak lagi..." that was some of the conversation I had with most of them...it was kind of a culture shock to me to see them with kids....haha..looking at them "mengendong" anak and taking care of their child was a great memory.....I spent couple of days in Ranau then went to Tambunan to reunite with mom's side...I've not visited them for almost 4 years...again "tinggi juga kamu ni.." yeah..that's how I reacted when I met my cousins...with a height of 6 foot tall..that's tall compared to me..haha....the main objective to visit tambunan this time was to attend my cousin's wedding ceremony..(I met Delasagos at the church's entrance but we didn't have a chance to chat; he's the bride's relative) there will be another 2nd celebration at the Sutera Harbour on the 2nd Jan..also to pay a visit to my untie/uncles after almost 4 years not coming to Tambunan...apparently, I missed a family gathering (mum's side) in Tambunan...well, my mum was kind of forgotten to inform me...if I were informed I will certainly attend that gathering as well because this is a problem we had been having..not knowing your own relatives..nanti silap sikit terjatuh sinta sama sumandak/tanakvagu...risik punya risik...saudara pula kan..putih mata cinta terhalang..haha...

The scenic view from my cousin's house in Kg Kituntul Ranau..the house is built on their land, located at the middle of a hill...you could almost see the whole pekan Ranau..

House in Tambunan..the kolam I used to pancing ikan dulu-dulu...years ago, the fishes were fed with baja ikan..now not anymore...the padi field where saya mengatam padi (linggaman atau sabit) also mencari katak di musim hujan selepas mengatam...decades ago, there was only a big bamboo house..

The new house next to the above house..4 years ago, I had the chance to see its foundation and I was quite surprised to see the outcome; a very big house for a family of 4...my uncle (tauke) punya rumah..huhu..


I'm so attracted to one of my niece...I can't really remember her name but she's so cute..adorable...well, it is not too much to say that my sis's daughters are all cute..a mixed marriage between [Sungai(+Suluk)]+[Dusun(+Cina)].....pictures were taken using my mobile phone..

New year..celebrated with friends..stayed at Fab's house, BBQ'ing and drinking...he was born on 1st Jan and it is timely to have a great but decent party at the right moment..hehe...a year ago, we celebrated his birthday in Penang and now we had it in Sabah...there were plenty of things happened on my way to his house..earlier I went to HSBC bank to withdraw some money and pay my debts (credit card la apa lagi..haha)...they were now settled although there was one left; CitiBank (i just realized there is no CitiBank in KK..walawei) returned to the car (my bro's previous car before he bought a new one) and darned it! The car won't start! Battery was weak and after several attempts, the bat run out of charge....I called my bro and he came and helped me to re-charge the bat using a jumper...yeah! we made it.haha..left the car idle for couple of minutes and drove heading to Fab's house in Putatan....then suddenly...I saw smoke coming from the front bonnet...I knew there was something wrong....I then stop and managed to park the car on the road side..coincidentally at a dark area somewhere in Putatan...next to a signboard of "Amaran..dilarang membuang sampah.." and next to a hutan bakau....the whole place was dark..no street light at all...I called Fab and asked him to come with lots of water...guess what..haha..the radiator was already dry...empty!(I had refilled the radiator with lots of water a week ago) Fab came couple of minutes later (with his bro in-law) with a bottle of water and a big jug of water....we then re-fill the radiator with all the water we had....then again, the car won't start! Using a jumper we managed to start the car (no wonder there's a jumper being kept inside the rear bonnet)...arrived at Fab's house, I left the car idle for over half an hour...to ensure the battery is being re-charged...the next day, refilled the radiator as I saw water dripping at the bottom of the car then ignited the engine without problem....yeah! we certainly had a great new year and birthday celebration last night although I was kind of tired...that was a very rare experience I had (New Year's Eve)..haha...I'm grateful it all went well...Thanked god!

Happy New Year 2009!