My Lil' Prince Charming

I have to stop calling my nephew - lil' sumo .... he is actually not that big. What made me call him such was - look at this picture

hahaha....for this reason only that he was called lil' sumo but he is now just my lil prince charming.....this is how he looks now !

he is so happy to pose in this position.. :-)

a lil' of me too...haha

and this taken the moment he arrived - i think he was delighted to see me ... or should I say I was delighted to see him....hahaha

Dheeran ! it's still too early to read Knowledge...hahaha...

So, that's my lil prince charming......the one that I adore...the one who has such great magnetic force and who brightens my day and makes life so very good....the real good feeling of life.....I love you,  Dheeran ! ... o' so very much !

Battle of Our Hearts

We all have faced some knockdown moments in our life. For some, it may still be ongoing..one after another. It can be frustrating, depressing, extremely painful and nothing would make sense at that moment.  It's a battle that we have to overcome. A battle to stay strong in the face of adversity. It can drain us off completely -emotionally and physically.  The pain of going thru' the days can be excruciating. It can hurt horribly. It can also seem to be the end of the world..at times. In such a situation, what can we do? When we have no strength to carry on any further. Go with the flow ? Yeah, what can we do when fate plays it's role - beyond our wildest imaginations ? Think rationally...there must be a reason behind all these...so, just build that courage, get up, fight with all our might and get back on our feet. Ha! Easier said than done we say - absolutely ! But do we have a choice? Yes. We ought to learn to navigate thru' all those struggles. We must continue to try not to let those problems take over us. How upsetting and threatening it can be, we must be brave and fight that "war"...the battle in our heart. Never slip into it. Flee from it. No matter how hard and painful life can be, never let it rule our life. Hang in there and never give up too soon. Most of us have fought life's toughest battle, a hard battle and in the end that battle which we fought would be one that was worthy of fighting. Believe me. I have been in it and have emerged out of it. I am thankful for a supportive family, relatives, friends and above all some very close buddies...Today, my thoughts are for those who may be in that situation. Their struggles can be endless. The sufferings even much more painful. Worries multiplied. The feelings may be like having the weight of the world on their shoulders. Try and try and they keep falling. My thoughts are with them. Can you imagine how soul destroying it could be for them? There is a saying - "we enjoy warmth because we have been cold...we appreciate light because we have been in darkness and by the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness"...

 And this is for you, you and you... and to a special buddy of mine, who would protect me at any time....this is for you..and I hope you will find some peace soonish......here's a beautiful meaningful poem written by Emmanuel Manirakiza....just how true it is ...."The Greatest Battle - The Battle Of The Heart"....

Sometimes the greatest battle is the battle of heart;
The battle to compromise the desires of life;

The battle to stay strong in the face of adversity;
And to break the chains of history;

The battle to choose to be yourself,
The battle to stay calm in days of anxiety;
The battle to hold back the roaming word;
The battle to face reality;
The battle to get clear about what you want;
And the battle to take your turn;
The battle to acknowledge your limits;
While you believe in your strength;
The battle to step forward when you want to back off;
The battle to face your fears
The battle to set boundaries;
And to keep resolutions;

The battle of doing what works;
And of doing what matters;

The battle to accept your flaws;
And to be satisfied with what you have;

The battle to step out of the nutshell;
And to realize your destiny;

The battle to ban the desires of fame,
And to tell the truth and not flattery!

The battle to lean alone on hope;
And the battle to believe in miracles;

Sometimes the hardest battle is the battle of heart;
The battle to lead yourself before you leads others.

And I hope, you will be strong and ....

Tourist Visa Application to India

Diwali's kinda over ! And, now the real highlight of the year is about to begin - yeah ! family vacation to motherland - India ..Incredible India ! Got our tourist visa application submitted yesterday. There were some hiccups in the submission initially. We had 2 options - either to fill the visa application form manually (hand written) or fill up via online and get a print-out and submit. We chose the later. And, online visa application has now become mandatory. Ok, let me fill you in to what happened...

This is where you gotta log in to fill up the visa form
http://www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/

You'll be given a Temporary Application ID at the beginning when you are directed to fill in details  - remember to jot it down before you start filling in other required details.

Once you've completed the form, you'll be given another number called the Myfile reference - jot this down too (although not necessary) since the number will appear in the print out. Save a copy of the visa form and print out one copy for submission. You will need to sign on the first page just below where you affix your 2x2 passport size photo (with white background) and remember to sign the second page too. Signatures should be that which appears in the passport. For a single entry tourist visa the fee is RM168. So, that's what we did on Thursday morning - filling up the form for everyone and then headed straight to Straits Trading Building, Jalan Tun Perak, KL where the Indian Visa Centre is located - you'll find all these information here http://www.indianhighcommission.com.my/notification_onlinevisa.php

(this is the indian visa centre @ straits trading building - people waiting to submit their application)

At the visa centre, all our applications were screened by a lady at the Reception and everything was in order and we were then given a number to submit the application at the main counter. We waited for about 20 mins and our number was called. We hopped over and proudly presented the applications. The guy over the counter keyed in something twice and then told us to come back tomorrow and re-submit. Apparently, for online application, we've gotta wait for a day before doing the submission. Can you believe that? I thought the moment we key in all the details it would be in their file but apparently it takes a day. Haha...so much about electronically filled forms not being able to be linked instantly on network. Anyway, that was the hiccup. So, we went back home kinda dissappointed. Yesterday (Friday) we got up as early as possible and were at the visa centre 10 mins before 9. Yay ! we were the first and got everything submitted. Fees paid and our passports are now in the visa centre's custody. The collection of passports will be on Monday evening. Now, we've got to keep our fingers crossed that there won't be any further hiccups. Btw, we can even check the status of our application (whether it's been approved) by using that temporary id number - remember the one I mentioned earlier? hmm...yup, that's it. Cool, right ?

Another thing we encountered was if the passport size photos are not as per the required size, you can actually submit manually. Only electronically filled forms must strictly follow the actual measurement. But I guess with the online visa application which has now become mandatory, you have to ensure the size of photos are accurate as I think manually filled application will become history..haha...

(haa...note the online visa application ruling enforced !)

(yay ! we'll be getting ours on Monday between 5.30 - 6.00pm)

(hopefully this peeps here get their application submitted without any hiccups!)

(ummm...being a yoga freak, couldn't resist taking a pic of this poster at the centre)

( another poster at the visa centre - Taj Mahal - sadly, will not be visiting this trip...next trip perhaps !)

So, going to India soon ? Need a visa ? Umm...just follow the above - and wait ! let me get my visa approved first then you proceed...haha....goodluck to me/us ! :-)

Lucky Colours

I always wanted to know my lucky colour. So, I went on a "search" and found that our date of birth actually decides our lucky colour. So, according to my date of birth, my lucky colours are YELLOW, GOLD, RED, PALE BLUE and my unlucky colours are BLACK and COFFEE BROWN......man ! yellow's not at all in my fav list and black is what I adore :-( 

Here, take a peek into what your lucky colour is ! And note that the luckiest colours are in bold. Btw, I'm not going to use anything in yellow...lol...

BIRTH DATE: 1
BORN ON: 1,10,19,28
LUCKY COLOURS: Yellow, gold, red, pale blue
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 2
BORN ON: 2,11,20,29
LUCKY COLOURS: Dark green, green, yellow, gold, white with green
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, red, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 3
BORN ON: 3,12,21,30
LUCK COLOURS: Yellow, blue and rose mixed, gold, orange, rose, pale blue, pale red
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Green, black, brown, dark blue

BIRTH DATE: 4
BORN ON: 4,13,22,31
LUCKY COLOURS: Pale blue, sky blue, yellow, gold, ash
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 5
BORN ON: 5, 14, 23
LUCKY COLOURS: Ash, Grey, gold, silver, pale blue
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown, green

BIRTH DATE; 6
BORN ON: 6, 15, 24
LUCKY COLOURS: Green, pale blue, reddish green
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Rose, red and orange

BIRTH DATE: 7
BORN ON: 7,16, 25
LUCKY COLOURS: Pale yellow, pale green, pale blue, white
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black , red, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 8
BORN ON: 8,17,26
LUCKY COLOURS: Blue, dark blue, yellow, gold
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown, red,

BIRTH DATE: 9
BORN ON: 9,18,27
LUCKY COLOURS: Red, blue, yellow with white
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Green, coffee brown,

Listen ! there's more to follow. This may just be some superstitious stuff.....apparently different colours have different values too. So, when we wear the right colour on the right day, it's supposed to bring good luck. Here, the colour of your day of birth is held to be your lucky colour. And, guess what?? I was born on a Monday....and oh boy !! not again...help ! it's Yellow once more... :-(

 

Yellow for Monday

Pink for Tuesday

Green for Wednesday

Orange for Thursday

Blue for Friday

Purple for Saturday

Red for Sunday

 

So much about Monday blues....

Here I am on a Monday morning wishing I could just rewind to Saturday….lol. Yeah, so much of fun and excitement over the weekend and that kinda makes me want to hang on to my blessed rest days. But, frankly …I really don’t dread Mondays. I used to resent Mondays when I was younger but now not that much. It’s just the couple of hours of waking up on a Monday morning that the lazy mood sets in. That’s when I would wish for everything. You know that feeling ? It’s really such a drag to get up on Monday mornings. And, that’s when I would wish for so many things. I remember wishing if I could just call in sick (sorry boss ! if you’re reading this…just being honest…lol). I remember how I would just get up and scowl at my alarm clock and press the snooze button. One that I remembered was pressing the stop instead of the snooze button and the rest you can imagine...lol....a rush-rush Monday it was !!…

Actually, it’s pretty easy to change your mind set about Mondays though ! Remember, it’s not only a Monday that starts the work week rolling. There are times it could be a Tuesday especially so when Monday’s a public holiday.  Then, Tuesday becomes the “bad boy” right ? Haha…..It’s pretty much the same feeling we’ll have on Tuesday or even Wednesday too.  See what I mean ?

So, let’s squash our Monday “problems” and get it going. We’ve got the choice how we want to deal with Monday blues. Mondays are for real whether we like it or not.  Go get a cup of coffee if you’re feeling sleepy and jump start your Monday. It may take a while to get tuned in but I am sure soon enough it will get your adrenalin pumpin' and you will be all alert and love your day…..your Monday !

And, remember...life is just really really really too short to dread Mondays...and we should avoid wishing for any part of our life away because every second, every minute, every hour and every day...counts !!

Love your Mondays, people. I'm loving mine... :-)

Diwali

Diwali is approaching. It's on Wednesday, 26th October 2011. I will be spending Diwali with my family - mum, siblings, relatives and my lil' sumo (nephew). It's going to be a simple family gathering since the following week after Diwali will be our family vacation to India. I have kinda planned what I'll do on Diwali. I am just going to laze around. Eat..lol (who doesn't anyway ?), watch movies, play with lil' sumo and sleep. Umm...that's exactly how it's gonna be celebrated. Just doing nothing ! And yeah, forgot to mention...it will be a cracker's free Diwali too cos' I don't want lil' sumo to jump out of fright ! So, though it may sound a lil' less interesting, however, the best part of it all is time spent with loved ones...more so, it's lil' sumo's first Diwali...that's just gonna be a super and special Diwali. I know he is too young (5 months old) to know what the celebration is all about but I guess he will be curious no doubt ..lol

So, what are you up to for Diwali ? Happy Diwali, folks ! Have a good one.... :-)

Quotes that captured my heart

Quotes speak alot. Some motivates us and keeps our spirits high whilst instilling positiveness in us. Others makes us wonder and ponder. I've seen many and these are the few that captured my heart and I hope they do for your too...

Rain, Lightning & Thunder....

Right now in my place, there's a heavy downpour... thunderstorm and fierce strikes of lightning. Is it an indication that God is angry ? I always thought so. When I was small, I used to think that God must be so very angry for something that's been happening on earth. The rain would mean God is crying and the thunder is His loud outburst and each time the lightning strikes is that of His pen writing someone's last day on earth. I used to feel so terrified thinking of all this....then, I was told that was not the case at all ! A much more comforting story about rain, lightning and thunder was that God is bowling. Each time He strikes, that's the lightning and the thunder is the applause that He gets from his angels...and the rain ? That's a lil' sad. They all cry when God misses a strike...but I found this much more comforting than the other....lol...who wouldn't anyway? Umm...I'd better stop here before I get into trouble and I don't want my lappy either to be hit by a power surge ! ....lol

My Land..My Home...My Country...My Malaysia !

Malaysia, my country….this should have been my 1st blog entry as an Introductory but then its better late than never, huh ? So, here it is !

Malaysia - This is where I was born. Malaysia is my home. It may not be as great as some other countries that I have visited and impressed with, but as for now, I am satisfied living here. We have a bubbling, bustling melting pot of races and religions - this description can be found in our country’s tourism website ..lol… it’s a fact ! We are a mixture ! The Malays, Indians, Chinese and other ethnic groups form Malaysia - Multiracial with Multiculturalism thus we have multi colourful festivals. Places of interest are many and to get a good feel of the country, a month or slightly more should suffice, I think so…haha…honestly, despite being a Malaysian, I have not seen all of my country yet. Shame on me ! ...lol

As for food, it’s awesome ! We have one too many. A gastronomical paradise ! And, coming to the people - Malaysians are warm and friendly. And, that includes me….lol…Believe me ! Anyways, before I continue bragging, be my guest to our link -http://www.tourism.gov.my/ You’ll find all that you need to know from A to Z.

How we're living peacefully in a multiracial country is a blessing thus far ! Yeah, we do live harmoniously – despite some shortcomings and hiccups here and there. So, if Malaysia is your next destination vacation – you’ve made the right choice….just because….yay ! I’m here… lol...

But be forewarned, you may or may not like our weather. We don’t have the 4 seasons :-( ... No winter, no spring, no summer or fall. It can be humid but of course some days they’re just simply beautiful. But I have to confess, I love the 4 seasons and I would gladly trade places for this...hmm....

So, having done the introduction, come and explore my land, my home, my country that I love, my Malaysia!


P/s: We've turned 54 on 31st August 2011. Check out the picture below - not an updated version though but its during our 50 years of  Independence in Y2007 - which gives you a brief description (important highlights) of what happened from 1957 and thereafter.

Lil' Sumo again....

Yay ! my lil’ sumo, my heart-throb, my sunshine ….will be here on Saturday morning. Just another 2 nights.  And, guess what ? my precious lil one will be here for at least a month or so ! Isn’t that awesome ? I am all smiles now… :-)

Some news from my sister, - Dheeran is now able to roll and turn around and ends up on his tummy. But, because he is chubby and when he tries to turn, apparently his cute little hand gets stuck under him and my sis has to have her eyes wide open all the time…lol. Such an adorable cutey lil sumo, my baby. I just can’t wait to pinch his fat cheeks and his footballer thighs. Oh ! yes…I think its similar to Diego Maradona’s thighs…oops ! no..not that I have seen Maradona’s thighs when he was a baby ….lol….anyways…


Well, I am all prepared to welcome Dheeran with thousands of kisses! Ahh…I foresee some normal issues here. When lil sumo is here, he is all mine. I know I have to share him with the rest but….hmm….I’ll think about that later…lol. I wish babies be babies all the time. So pure, innocent, naïve and who gives such joy.  I have secretly even tried to wake him up while he was fast asleep – just to carry and play with him. Gosh ! I’ve exposed myself, haven't I ? Now, am going to be monitored like a hawk…lol....Oh ! well….that’s how much I feel for this lil one…overwhelmed with love ! Having him around, makes my day. You know that feeling ? When I feel depressed, I just have to look at him and I feel better. 


My wish is that I hope I will still be around to see him taking his unaided first step to the time when he is all grown up, having a facebook of his own …lol….and perhaps his own blog too and of course, kids of his own……and I’ll be grandma to his children….oh ! no….lol….hell ! ya…something to live for…

And, yay ! that's my lil' love my cutie pie...with sunglasses…. :-)

To Forgive & To Be Forgiven

At some point in my life I have felt anger, hatred, and have disliked some people for hurting me so very deeply. Because of the pain I felt and perhaps the humiliation I faced, they were not forgiven. Years rolled by. The emotions remain because as the saying goes “forgiving someone is like peeling an onion…just when you think you’re done, you find there’s another layer to get to”. But then again, is it worth it at all to drag it on to years? Why do I need to live a life full of resentment? This has nothing to do with my ego or pride. It’s the harm done that was too crucial to the extent that they remain in the hook of unforgivable. Now, thinking of the past, I believe the best thing to do is to break down the wall, release the pain, forgive and move on.

Then, there’s another part of me which cries out loud, “Hey, Danem ! you’re far from being perfect yourself.” Haha…so very true !! Yeah, I have done some wrongs in my life too. Some people out there may still harbour anger towards me. I don’t know….could still be carrying a grudge or few. So, it’s only wise that I should ask for forgiveness. Yeah, I’m truly sorry. If I am forgiven, that’s a blessing. The past is the past. It’s all over.

So, let’s forgive and press the “reset” button….would you do the same ? If you can’t now, keep on trying….maybe one day…hopefully one fine day you will find a way to deal with it…and no longer hold anything against those who have hurt you. At the same time, do it at your own will as no one can put pressure on you to forgive and forget. It has to come from our very own conscious effort. When one forgives, it means that one is able to fully heal and move on from the pain. I am moving on. Good luck, my friends. Have a blessed day.

Quote of the day : "Life is really really really too short, to waste time hating anyone.."

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

This is about Giuliana Rancic - E! tv host. She has her own reality programmme on E called "Giuliana & Bill" - you should watch it ! She has been trying to conceive and now has news that she has breast cancer....it's really sad but the good news is that since it's been detected early, so she is much likely to recover....she will recover ( I prefer to be positive)...

So, my friends...prevention is better than cure...do self checks regularly and go get your mammograms done, if you have not done so. It is wise to give this your top priority. We may always think that it will never happen to us but we may be wrong. Take care you beauties...let's be on high alert ! And, do you know that October is breast cancer awareness month?

Well, am sharing here about Giuliana and what happened.....read on...

Our own Giuliana Rancic appeared on the Today show this morning to announce what many assumed to be news of a pregnancy. Unfortunately, we were sad to learn the E! host isn't expecting, but is in the early stages of battling breast cancer. In an ironic twist of fate, the stunning Italian found out about the cancer through her attempt to get pregnant through IVF.

"I went into the hospital in L.A., when they came in to tell me, they said it pretty quickly, they just said, 'I'm sorry, you have breast cancer.' It's what you expect, but so much more, it was like, incredible instant sobbing and the world just crashed down around me. I couldn't believe it—36 years old, no family history? I couldn't believe it."

As for how the red carpet host is faring, she notes her husband Bill as her main source of support. "Bill is unbelievable. He lets me cry when I want to cry, he doesn't say, 'Hey, look at that person who's worse off than you are.' He just lets me feel what I'm feeling."

As for what's next for the star, she'll be undergoing surgery sometime this week, and will follow that up a regimen of radiation. She is expected to make a complete recovery, and the star isn't ready to give up her baby dream just yet.

"I'm not gonna give up, I want that baby. And what's amazing is that baby will have saved my life…Now I truly believe that God was looking out for me. Had I gotten pregnant [earlier], a few years down the line I could be a lot sicker."

On behalf of her mystyle family, we send Giuliana all our love and wish her a swift recovery. We applaud the reality star for sharing her story and inspiring other women to take a proactive stance toward breast cancer.

I fear darkness...

I've always feared darkness. I can't remember since when but I guess it must have been when I was still small. Because it is dark, I don't know what's around me..or rather who is around me...haha.... I start imagining and sometimes I actually think I can figure out people around me....especially ghosts....:(..... but I think some aliens too......haha....I was only joking.... but the truth is that I have a phobia to darkness....but the good news is that I am braver now...

I sleep with a night light on.....lol...my faithful lampshade...a gift from Amber and Steve from Boston....yeah ! that's the lampshade...:o)

Btw, I am open to suggestions on how to get rid of this fear...if you share the same fear, let me know if you've been successful....:o)

P/s: Do you know what you call a person who fears darkness? It's either Achluophobia...or Lygophobia.....so, I'm Dan the Achluophobia...or Dan the Lygophobia.....haha...

My Sunshine....my lil' sumo...

My lullaby for my sunshine...

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy, when skies are grey

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away (just omit this ya...) lol

I have a 5 month old nephew. His name is Dheeran (Aalif Adam Dheeran). He is of a mixed parentage...Indian/Malay. But his dad's genes is too strong, I guess, so he does not seem to have a blend of both...perhaps not yet till he lives with us permanently...lol....it's just a belief ! And, I pray that it will be soon enough ! So, I'm introducing you to my sunshine, my lil' sumo... !

Oops! that pic is more of me than my sunshine....oh! well....that pic was taken when he was like 2 months or so....so, for now just look at me till I look for a recent pic of my lil' sumo ya ....lol.....

P/s : you guys will be wondering why I'm calling him lil' sumo right? well, in certain outfits, he looks like a sumo wrestler...i'll upload that picture soon...in my next blog...and you guys judge for yourselves...lol....my sincere apologies to my sis and her other half...all done in the name of LOVE....lol....

A lil' more about the "coming soon" India trip....

India ! here we come in 18 days and I just cannot begin to describe my anticipation. It's been 11 years since I last stepped foot on India's soil - my motherland. This time its gonna be nostalgic. I will take along the memories of my 1st trip made in Y2000 - done with my loved one. Now, he is resting in the arms of God, up above in heaven. So, this trip will be done in honour of his memory.

Well, as in all travels, we need to be a lot more careful about water and food. I've heard of stories of some of my relatives who have been there recently and a few had bad tummy and took days to recover. I hope none of us fall sick. It will certainly be bad. But I am all game to tuck in anything that is recommended but in moderation..haha...

As mentioned in my earlier post, we'll be doing Ooty, Thanjavur, Banglore, Chennai and a few others - names of which just slipped my memory.....and yes ! Trichy (Thiruchirapalli)....anyways, I know for a fact and having experienced it before, travelling in and around India will be quite an uphill especially the roads, which can be rocky, lotsa high curbs and ditches. I hope mum and our lil' nephew will be alright. I hope so too that the places we're going to do will be heavenly especially at Ooty for its cool breeze and its beautiful hill resort and Thanjavur - where we're going to visit and trail some of our family roots....

India will surely get into my blood, not just seeing all those beautiful architectures and sky-reaching towers but also those shopping spree in mind. I have a personal to-do list which ranges from haircare, massage, skincare...and of course, the shopping for myself and my buddies...not that I could afford everything but will wisely make those purchases with no regrets..lol

I will come back to this topic again after my visit...and wait for all those pictures that I will upload on return ! Till then....if you happen to be India during my visit...let me know, we can meet up and get to know....wouldn't it be fun ??? lol...