Here after 15 years. Alhamdulillah for air I am still breathing.

Penny-wise...

If you ever see me with my torn shoes, just say hi to me and ignore the shoes. The same goes to my ill-fitting shirts, my uneven hair-colour or my (lack of) makeup. For I, got to save all the money for my two darlings' for their education. I'm not talking about some private primary schools here. This is solely for their after-SPM (or whatever they may call it later) learning. I'm worried sick. Now, places like UM, UKM or UTM have become the Ivy League of Malaysian universities. One has to be a four-flat student or creme de la creme to enter one of these more prestigious universities. Then you have a list of 'trendier, costlier' universities like UNITEN or MMU. Still, one has to be of certain CGPAs to be allowed entry. To top it all off, scholarship is like an obsolete word now. A student loan, maybe. I'm not a pessimist, but Opi is no Einstein. A late bloomer, I hope. But rationally thinking - if he is one of those inside the loop of the bell-curve, then I need to come in and help.
I actually have a place in mind for Opi.

Russia. Its 'cheaper' than the normal destination like US, UK or Australia. And it offers great technology, campus-life and the cost of living is still pretty affordable. Leningrad University is recognised by JPA and it's foreign students make up 38% of it's overall number.

Why Russia again? I have no qualms against local unis. Its just, I have hopes that Opi gets to experience all these foreign exposures and diverse cultures.

For a basic, no-frills education in Russia, we're looking at RM50K per year for 4 years. And I'm not taking into accounts the economics of inflations and the volatile currency exchange rates. I'm talking 2004 rates here.

Now - let's do simple maths here. We're talking a timeline of approximately 12 years here. I should need around RM200K by then.

RM200,000 / 12 years / 12 months = RM1,388 savings per month!!!

Now I have the options of ASB, insurance, education funds...but hell I still have to save around that much to achieve that much savings.

So...ignore my torn shoes.

...blogname ni kena tukar lah

Dulu when I first started, it was in 2004 when Opi was in Year 1 and Isya was 2 years-old toddler. So when I thought of the appropriate name...all I can think of was how 'sticky' the house was, with bits of chocolate drippings and melted ice creams.

Now in 2010....Opi is in Form 1, away in a boarding school while Isya is a matured 8-year old young lady.

I haven't seen any chocolate drippings for a long, long time.

It is ironic that we waited until we have enough money to buy a bigger house for the children, and when we finally did buy a bigger house....the kids are no longer staying with us. Or even if they do (like Isya), there is no more running around the house.

Even the small house seems too big now...

Its been a while

Lama nye dah tak update.

Today is my calling to write again...I believe its more due to my crashed laptop rather than actual cravings to write. Ye lah...laptop dah crashed (translated to 7 years of data gone) and what else to do in the office but surf the net while waiting for the laptop to be repaired.

Apa dah jadik ek for the last one year??

2010 is like a blurry of events.

Firstly Opi is now settling down in that school in Kuala Kangsar. I miss him so much. Ye lah...he's the same boy that I wrote about in 2004, who failed his maths and BM consistently. He's the boy that his Year 4 teacher called "a sure failure". How he got into that school...how he got 5As for his UPSR...even as his mother, I pun tak tau camne he got it. Rezeki dia....Alhamdulillah.

2010 is the year that Hubby is spending more time in Toulouse, France more than in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. So tough year for me to run along between Nilai to Kuala Kangsar without Hubby.

I'm busy, rushing through life between Nilai and Cyberjaya...

But I'll try to make time to write again....

Diagnosed with LSS

LSS - Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

What
When your spinal bone degenerate changes causing narrowing of the central spinal canal area, where the nerve roots exit the spinal canal.

Symptoms
Persistent low back pain, numbness or weakness in the buttocks and legs, and symptoms that improve with resting. But the pain most often will come back.

When did I know
When I cannot tahan lagi the persistent pain and spared a day to run all the tests in the hospital, including the frigging expensive MRI.

What I see
Wow...very clearly that the back bones are pressing on the nerve!!

What can I do now
Since lumbar surgery to correct LSS is still considered very risky, the doctor put me on "constant" rest mode, prescribed B12 tablet for my nerve repair and endless dose of painkillers.

For how long
Apparently....forever!!!

At least it explains why I am forever in pain, it is just the degree of pain varies from time to time. Sometimes I pop the panadol...sometimes I'd go for stronger pain killers like a jab to relief the pain. Sometimes...the pain is bearable.

But at least I have an explanation.

Living Life

I did a never before in Gemia.





I snorkelled for a good 3 hours...in the afternoon sun. For once in my life I threw caution in the wind and couldn't be bothered about the "fairer skin maketh fairer ladies" crap. For so long I was scared to burn and blemish my skin. I stayed away from the water for fear of getting bitten by the sea lice. I did not do much for not wanting people to see my cellulite.





Yes, I came back with dark, patchy skin with multiple chicken pox-like boils all over my body.





So what....?





It feels rather liberated. Best tengok ikan-ikan tu berenang all around me.





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I have also made a commitment to myself. I will buy me that handbag. I nak just tutup mata and beli aje. But...hahahahha....the budget kecik aje lah. Takde sampai level LV or Fendi or Bottega Veneta BV. Hermes Birkin tu jauh sekali lah. Anyway....cantik kan this bag by BV, the new Campana design. Image from Purse Blog.

So apa yang I can buy for less than RM2K?

Hmmm....the thing is, if I want to buy just one bag...what will it be? In fact, with the sky-rocketing prices nowadays...even Bonia full leather pun dah around 2K. Takpe...slow-slow cari....

Gemia Island

Well...thats where I'm heading for the school holidays.

No one that I know has ever been there for me to ask around...so I guess this will be a "surprise" for all of us.

All I want is to be able to lie down and watch the sun rise..................

Signs that I'm old(er)

1. My kids laughed when I sang along to Britney Spears' If You Seek Amy...

2. The kid at the Baskin Robbins counter asked me politely "Auntie nak yang mana?"

3. My Beyonce's shake-the-booty moves made Opi rolled over and closed his eyes!

4. When I stopped bothering the pluck my white hair...too many already!

5. Hubby said "takpe..it comes with age..." when I complained about my aching hip bone.

6. I went make-up hunting and the salesgirl showed me the anti-aging set....without me asking...

7. I look for the lightest possible hair colour to 'blend-in' my white hair.

8. My boss asked me if I have any friends who just graduated....and I have none!!

9. I went to the bank in the morning all fresh faced and bushy tailed...then the lady at the counter asked me "Akak baru balik shift work ke? Nampak penat aje.."

But the ultimate of it all....

The waitress at one hotel asked Opi "datang dgn nenek eh?"

WTF!?

Let's try Sabah again.....

sigh...

After the failed attempt last December...we're at it again.

This time...the kids belum tau lagi as much as I gatal betul nak tell them but let's wait until the very-very last minute.

The flight is booked at 730am on Friday, 1st May. I'm thinking of letting them know about it bila they have finished all their homework on the 30th.

This time around, semua jenis document akan ku bawa...kalau tak dapat pegi jugak.....tak tau la