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Live Life As If There Is No Tomorrow...

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:11:00 +0000

I just read this email forwarded by my friend Adelyn. I had a good laugh and it eases my painful morning. It mades me realized life is just as beautiful if you can hold on to another day of goodness and to let go of the ugly moments just like this wonderful woman here:

I LOVE THIS WOMAN

An elderly lady was standing at the railing of the cruise ship
holding her hat tight so that it would not blow away in the wind.

A gentleman approached her and said, "Pardon me, madam.. I do not intend to be forward but did you know that your dress is blowing up in this high wind?"

"Yes, I know," said the lady.
"I need both my hands to hold onto this hat."

"But madam, you must know that you are not wearing any panties and your privates are exposed!" said the gentleman in earnest.

The woman looked down, then back up at the man and replied, "Sir, anything you see down there is 75 years old. I just bought this hat yesterday!"

Lessons To Be Learned!..........

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:35:00 +0000

It is always true to the saying that you always learn from your mistakes. I recently found out that my newly installed expensive induction hob which had been giving me some problems (appliance suddenly stop heating during operation) even after it had been sent for repairs could be due to human errors instead of being faulty as I had thought to be.

After reading the user's manual which had just been given to me after many phonecalls, I begin to suspect that there is not enough ventilation to cool down the hob and so the overheating protection device shut off the operation. And I see that the requirements and specification for ventillation installation are not being followed.

So whose fault is it? Pointing fingers won't solved the problem and I hope this will serve as a lesson to all who are involved with this kind of matter and also to remind those who are still ignorant.

Lessons to be learned :

1) The interior designer must always ask for a manual for a built in specification including for the ventilation before any work is done on the kitchen design.

2) The salesperson must always make sure that a manual of the new hob they sell be provided to the customer or the interior designer to prevent further problems like this on both party.

3) Consumer must make sure that proper ventilation specifications are being done to the cabinets or tabletops before giving the green light for renovations.

Problems: Consumer like me this keeps complaining to the company when the hob keeps shutting down sometimes. The company keeps sending their technicians over. Now my interior designer has to do some changes to my kitchen cabinet.

Before..............

After.....the drawer being taken out for changes........

A Visit to My Rheumy.........

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:50:00 +0000

Last month my rhuemy put me back on my old medication of 2 tablets of 2.5mg/tab Methotrexate which I had stopped for nearly a year due to my body not adapting to it anymore. I had been on prednisone for 6 months and the pain is not getting any better. I am glad this time my body did not show any bad side effects after a month back to Methotrexate.

A visit to my rheumy few days ago saw some good results. The inflamation has gone down greatly and a bonedensity scan shows that my bone is still strong enough to withstand any fall. I have been worried as prolong use of predisone which is a steroid will cause brittle bones. Hopefully the next few months will see much improvement in my well being with no side effects besides being less energetic.

The prednisone is taking its toil on my gastric. I am now weaning it off slowly for good.

Joke of 2010....AYAH.......!

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:44:00 +0000

A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out 'Ayah! Ayah!'.

His neighbour got very upset and said to him, "Can you please tell your children not to call you 'Ayah'?"

The man asked "Why?"
The neighbour retorted, "Because my children call me 'Ayah' too. They might get confused and mistake you to be their father."

Then the man told his neighbour, "Are you not ashame to say that your children do not know who is their 'Ayah'?". "So you are saying by using the word 'Ayah' your children will call me ayah too without knowing who is their father."

The neighbour said, "Yes, only I should use the word 'Ayah'."
The man said, "Then there is something wrong in what you are teaching your children. They are not sure and do not know who is their 'Ayah'."

Spring Cleaning my Fridge......

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:58:00 +0000

It just made me so mad when I could not find the things I wanted in my cluttered fridge. My instructions to my maid to clean it plus clearing all the unwanted food once a week fall on deaf ears no matter how many times I told her since the day she started work.

With still a painful shoulder I decided to do the job myself. I discover some bottles of expired sauces, some leftovers which had been there for don't know how many weeks, and a box of not properly closed chopped garlic which emit their pungent smell all over inside. Wonder why these maids never bother to look at all these detail while keeping food in containers!! Must be pure laziness on their part.

I felt so good after clearing and cleaning the fridge , seeing things in their places with no 'sampah' (rubbish) inside anymore.

I found some yesterday left over roasts and will be recycling it in my fried spaghetti for dinner or lunch.

The nightmare of having maids is not over yet and still I could not do without them with my condition. Just wonder with the new laws coming out given them more freedom and what more one day off!! which I can predict will bring more nightmares and headache to employers like me.

Ouch! Did I Eat Something Wrong...

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:33:00 +0000

I woke up with painful joints this morning. My right shoulder and wrist joints is swollen again. I don't know whether yesterday's dinner of tomatoes or the dried shitake mushroom is the culprit. Just would have to stay away from them for a while. RA (rheumatoid arthritis) is just an unpreditable disease. One moment I am ok and the next moment all the cells are at war making me weak and helpless.

Just pop in some steroids and anti inflamatory pills to stop the pain. Brushing my teeth, combing my hair and helping myself with breakfast is such a painful chore. Just have to tell myself everything would be alright in a while.

A Fresh Start to 2010.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:34:00 +0000

2009 is gone and 2010 is here. New resolutions will be made but yet to see how much is being carried out. Life goes on as usual with some hiccups here and there. Facebook is getting more members to the brim. New friends come into your life. Everyone is just hoping for a better year than the past one which is not as good with a world crisis of economic slowdown.

As for me I have a good start of the year with a nice holiday over in Perth meeting up with new friends. Enjoying life and making my life as good as I can get is what I hope for this new year.

Wishing all my friends here a happy and good tidings for the new year too.

Sick,...Sick.... With Flu...........

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Don't know when or where I got this body wrecking virus. I had not been well for 3 weeks already. It started with some sudden pain in the lower back and then spread to other parts of the body. This mysterious pain that comes with no fever or sometimes intermitantly low grade fever renders my body weak and tired. Two weeks ago went to see my rheumatologist and was told nothing to do with my arthritis and was told could be some viral infection.

Last week went to visit my physician in hospital when the pain comes again. Was taken for a blood test for suspected Chickunya, a type of viral infection caused by mosquito bites. The result came out negative and he just said the pain was due to my rheumatoid. What the heck! I just kept quiet and 2 days ago I woke up with a sore throat and it caused some irrritating cough. Worried I could get another infection went to see a clinic doctor. The nice doctor was on leave and instead a young doctor took his place. He did not even check me properly and just said its nothing serious and gave me some cough mixture , and few soothing pastilles for the throat. Guess its nothing serious huh? as news of HiNi has faded away. I came home sick as ever waiting for the virus to take its course wrecking my whole body. I have some aching body, some nasal congestion, some nasal discharged, coughing out some yellowish sputum today letting my immune system fight the virus. I gargle my throat with some salt solution and its not sore today. Hopefully will be better in a few days.

Home Sweet Home At Last....

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Cold rainy night.....................

Cold Wet day.............

A place call home.......

My new condo has been ready for almost a year and it is only last Sunday we decided to move in after much persuasion from me to be exact. Son#1 seems to be reluctant to move his butt from the older apartment which is smaller and further away from his work place. He finally move in on Tuesday after seeing he is the only one left, with no food on the table when he is home or is it the creepy feeling of being home alone.

It takes 3 days of moving boxes of household things to get almost everything settle down. One of my new kitchen sink twin taps broke down but luckily the other one was usable. To add to the misery, after 2 days of cooking on the new Fujihome induction stove, it broke down too half way through my soup dishes. Luckily I had move over my old microwave oven to continue the cooking or else I have to hope over across the road to e-gate to have some expensive dinner @ Subway, Secret Recipe, Hongkie, Tao buffet, Old Town Cafe or anything that needs me to part with my money instead of homecook food. Still waiting for the technician to repair my stove why typing here.

My stomach is groaning for food and I am so lazy to eat out in this cold rainy day. I was caught in the rain too while out shopping in Tesco supermarket yesterday. How to walk home in the rain while having trolley full of groceries. Hope it will be sunny again to dry away all my wet laundry hanging for days with no space for more.

The Art of Forgiveness.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:11:00 +0000

Many of us would experience hurt by someone in some way or another throughout our journey in life. It could be by someone whom we really care about like our spouse, children or even friends who might intentionally hurt or betray us. These hurtful feelings would pierce deep into our hearts like a sharp knife and stay with us like some sort of deadly disease in our body and soul. In order to get rid of these feelings we must know the art of forgiveness.

To forgive someone who have hurt us doesn't means we surrender to them but in reality it is to rid ourselves of misery that comes along with hurt. Forgiveness is vital to the human soul, to our ability to renew, to believe, to hope, to aspire, to change, to heal pain, to face the past, to understand justice, to move forward, and to learn.

The Art of Forgiving:

The most creative power given to the human spirit is the power to heal the wounds of a past it cannot change.

We do our forgiving alone inside our hearts and minds; what happens to the people we forgive depends on them.

The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who forgives.

Forgiving happens in three stages: we rediscover the humanity of the person who wronged us; we surrender our right to get even; and we wish that person well.

Forgiving is a journey; the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.

Forgiving does not require us to reunite with the person who broke our trust.

We do not forgive because we are supposed to; we forgive when we are ready to be healed.

Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.

Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain but to heal the pain.

Forgiving someone who breaks a trust does not mean that we give him his job back.

Forgiving is the only way to be fair to ourselves.Forgivers are not doormats; to forgive a person is not a signal that we are willing to put up with what he or she does.Forgiving is essential; talking about it is optional.

When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner we set free is ourselves.

When we forgive we walk in stride with our forgiving God.

Urrgh.. I hate hospital............!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:28:00 +0000

My bruised arm with all the needles mark...........

I have been in and out of hospital these few months due to my ill health. My most recent ones few days ago ( a day before Valentine's day) was a torturous and unforgetable experience. I have been having chest discomfort for the past few days. So on that morning when I was feeling dizzy with a blood pressure shooting up to nearly 200 ( normal 120) I admitted myself to this private hospital for a thorough checkup. First, a big needle was prick into my vein for some intravenous glucose transfusion which I do not need later but the needle stays there til I was discharge.

An hour later the physician call up the cardiologist to check my heart as my heartbeat was still going like 100rpm ( normal 60). Before I could even rest on the hospital bed and also miss my breakfast I was wheel downstairs again for more test feeling cold and hungry. Then the cardiologist suggest I do the treadmill after seeing my not too good ECG results. What? walking on treadmill with my 2 damage and stiff ankles? My cardiologist assured me that it will be specially modulated for me. Good then, I had my first try with all the wires attached to my chest. The nurse nearly had a heart attack seeing me struggling at my first attempt. She aborted the test. The suprise cardiologist could not believe I could not walk so he frighten me into a second attempt saying I might have to go for the angiogram if I could not do the stress test.

After feeling my empty stomach with a sandwich and a hot drink to calm my nerves, I went for my second attempt which shows some results. After lunch with a bowl of hospital porridge, the nurses came to find more veins to prick to prepare me for a heart scan giving more sores and painful moments.

Lying for hours in the X ray room with wires fixed over my chest from the pulse monitor I could hear my own heart thumping away. The nurses waiting for it to slow down after making me swallow a bitter pill to lower my blood pressure. Next, pricking for the right vein again after a few attempts to pump in some color dye for the scanning. Then, more injection of medication for allergy through another vein. I was a frighten vegetable by the time I was ready for scanning. But I got through without fainting but still with some allergic reaction which calls for another injection of medication.

After all these test all I got was a healthy heart with no blockage which I am thankful for and some bruise needle marks and a blue black spot where the wrong vein was being prick by a careless nurse. The end result is that I suffer from gastric reflux which only needs medication to treat it.

My Maid Ran Away..........

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:40:00 +0000

It is not uncommon to hear about runaway maids after a few months of work. But mine ran away after 3 years with me. This is her fourth year after I just renew her application and passport 2 months ago. She sneak out on Christmas eve before midnight with only her 2 bags of clothings leaving behind her passport and a lump sum of her salary which we have kept for her. It was such a shock as who would be so crazy to leave behind almost 10k of money and passport behind her. I know she left with one or some of the Indonesian workers who have just completed their renovation work next to where I stay. After seeing some handphone numbers written on the renovated building just in front my balcony few weeks ago ( the second time which I forgot to take a pic) I had question her about her liason with those workers which she totally deny having any connection. I just have to belief her but much recently I saw her acting very strangely but take it as her being homesick but never knew of her plans after her sudden disappearance.

It is such a sad thing that she just have to be so naive and stupid to go off with those Indonesian workers who must have wanted her for their own physical satisfaction. Now I can only pity her and knew that I could not do anything for her safety except reported her missing. I did tell her many many times about runaway maids being tricked to prostitution by these foreign workers and the consequences and all that. Yet she falls into the trap this time. In fact I just bought her a watch during our last outing to KL as a Christmas present and took some pics of her with the christmas tree.

Our last outing on the 19th Dec and she ran away on the 24th.....

Now I have second thoughts of getting a live in maid now that I was betrayed of our trust for her. This is the first time I have a runaway maid after more than a decade of live in maids. Just have to settle for hourly ones and do some housework myself.

Happy Birthday to Me......

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:06:00 +0000

Today is actually not my birthday. It was 3 days ago but I feel like I have not turn a year older yet. Why?...because I have not celebrated my birthday as I have done every year. Why?...because nobody has bought me a present yet. Why?....because everybody is busy as a bee or somebody really have forgotten about my birthday.Why?...because he or she is too busy with his or her problem. So I am still waiting for me to get out of my confinement to celebrate myself if no one cares. Sounds pitiful isn't it. Never mind, to some people birthday is just the same as everday. As long as I am still alive, breathing, and kicking up a storm I am just as happy but a bit disappointed.

Getting My Sofa The Harsh Way....

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:57:00 +0000

My sofa still without the curtains...............

As I had plan to move into my new condo as soon as possible, some things did not turn out the way you plan. Just like this sofa that I had placed a deposit when it was on promotion some 6 months ago. When promoting the product they say a lot of good things like getting the choice of yr fabrics and delivery on time, the latest 45 days on notice and blah..blah..

But it was not meant to be when I finally went to choose my fabric colours for the said sofa to co-ordinate with my living room colours. The color and fabric I wanted was not available anymore. So I just have to choose the second best. If this is not enough, the quite reputable furnishing store did not deliver my sofa on time after many phonecalls fr. me instead of them notifying me and many of their so call reasons for not delivering. When they told me that the lorries were not allow on the roads and the lack of workers a week before Hari Raya, I could understand and just wait. But they were silent even a week after Hari Raya. Next they told me that the container had not reach their factory with the goods. This reason still I could still swallow in. So when after a week of waiting and nearly one month after Hari Raya I call again and they told me they will deliver in 3 days time as the goods had arrived. So be it waiting for the 3 long days again. So early in the morning on the delivery date I recieve a call from the main office telling me that they could not deliver as the lorry was out of order and takes 3 more days to repair. Just awaken from my dreams I just had to take in what they tell me. But after putting down the phone, a minute of composure, I find myself on fire. I call back and told them I want my sofa by hook or by crook right today and not any other day or I just want my deposit back!!!

I question them with an angry tone how come a big company with many branches all over the country doesn't have an extra lorry to transport my miserably not too big L-shaped sofa??? Their answer is just ##@@@@***eh??? and will call me back later.....That did the trick! I got a call in less than 10 minutes later and was told I would get my sofa deliver in an hour's time.

So a lesson learned...never be too soft with these sales people. Customer is always right no matter the circumstances.

So far I still have to deal with these curtain people. My living room curtain is not ready yet. Will deal with them the harsh way if not deliver on time this coming week. Have been given many reasons for the delay too.

Reno is Almost Ready......

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:04:00 +0000

After weeks or months of planning my newly renovated condo is almost complete. My designer of Apple Interior Design has done a wonderful job for all the rooms including the kitchen. As a condo has limited space, all the rooms were furnished with as much storage space as possible to avoid clutter. Here are some pics of the reno...........

A small room with raised platform for a bed and a sliding door wardrobe. Under the raised platform were drawers for more storage space.

A long mirror between the wardrobe and the bed with 2 matching shelves to make up for the lack of space for a dressing table.

Another laminated wardrobe of a different color in another room with matching bed and dressing table below.........

I chose a maroon coloured blackout curtains with light purple sheers to match the violet walls to add some elegance to the room.

Study or computer table with bookshelf and pinboard for son's room..

A big wardrobe for the master room......

The window seating now complete with cushions.......

My dream kitchen ready for action which I still find lacking in tabletop space in contrast with more storage space......

A Fujioh hood and Fujihome hob for a cleaner kitchen....

The twin hole sink on top of white acrylic tabletop nicely done....

Renovation Frenzy.......

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:00:00 +0000

For the last few days my new condo was being swarm by a group of 7 skilled workers putting up kitchen cabinets, cupboards, bedroom furnitures for my new place. My interior designer from Ipoh came with lorry loads of furnishing to fix up everything. Til yesterday the renovations were almost 80 percent complete. Hope I would be able to move in by end of this month.

A peep into my kitchen minus the hood, hob, sink, tabletop and fridge.

My new Teka oven has been fixed.........

A big cupboard minus the sliding door........

Mirrored wall and display cabinet for my dining hall.

A built up wood platform with matching cupboard for one of the rooms.The hollow edge will be fill with drawers for more storage space.

A cozy window ledge sitting built in for reading and looking out to the sea and Penang bridge. The cushion have not been fix yet.

Going Cuckoo Over Colors.........

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:45:00 +0000

This whole week is just another busy week for me and many more to come. Was looking everywhere from magazines to images in the net for the right color for every room in my new condo. Just could not make up my mind what to choose. Last week was rushing to the furniture store to choose the color I wanted for my new sofa which I ordered months ago on a promotional price and was told to my disappointment, the color was already off their list. I had to choose another color after much imagination what my living room will turn out to be with that color.

Some websites will give good advice on the right color to choose according to your personality and some following the much loved 'feng shui'. Feng shui or not, I much prefer the colors I can be comfortable in. Now more people will love to paint their walls in a striking and warm colors or a combination of colors and it will turn out a disaster if not well toned. My too old fashioned personality dare not venture to such adventurous experiment even when my designer recommends me some colors which I do not seem too keen on putting on my walls.

But what I have done so far is choosing violets as the theme color for all my bedrooms to which my 2 sons surprisingly love to have it on their rooms too. Eldest son who does not always bother with such affairs, this time exert his rights to have a warm violet to his room even when I insist on a lighter color. So it is now 2 rooms with Dulux supreme Queenstown which has a soft alluring lavender color against a room with Dulux pearl glo Solitaire which is a few shades warmer than Queenstown. My living room will be splashed with Dulux lily white. So is the kitchen which has a fresh look of orangy zest cabinets against the white acrylic table top.

Now the next color to choose is for my curtains......so my imagination and eyes will be running wild again to continue their task in seeking out the right color ...

Burj-al-Arab..The Most Beautiful Hotel In The World..

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:17:00 +0000

The Burj al-Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, "Tower of the Arabs") is a luxury hotel in Dubai, the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates, and was briefly marketed as "the world's first seven-star hotel". It was designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. It stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the shape of an Arab dhow, a type of Arabian vessel.

Burj al-Arab has the most luxurious interior imaginable. Khuan Chew, Design Principal of KCA International was responsible for the interior design. The most expensive materials were used throughout the building. There is no exact data about the cost of the hotel, but rumours say that the return of investment could be 100 years, although the nights at Burj al-Arab start at $1000. The Royal Suite costs $28000 per night.

Burj al-Arab was the first hotel to self-declare the 7-star title, but soon another hotel appeared in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. While Burj al-Arab lies on a small artificial island, Emirates Palace is surrounded by a spectacular garden with multiple swimming pools and amezing fountains. The hotel kept the traditional arabic architectural style.

World tallest atrium at 180 meters.

Al-Muntaha restaurant..........

Al-Muntaha meaning "Highest" or "Ultimate" is located 200 metres (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 metres (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.

Al Mahara restaurant.......

Al Mahara meaning "The Oyster" which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 35,000 cubic feet (over one million litres) of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 centimetres (7.1 in) thick.

Helicopter landing pad.........

In March 2004, professional golfer Tiger Woods hit several golf balls from the helipad into the Persian Gulf, while in February 2005, professional tennis players Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played an unranked game on the helipad, which was temporarily converted into a grass tennis court, at a height of 211 meters.

Ouch !..Watashi wa onaka ga itai...

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:57:00 +0000

My really 'sampak' or 'sakai' maid cause me to have diarrhea and stomachache today. As I was busy booking for hotel rooms for another outing online with my sis, I did not notice that she heated up my otak-otak in the microwave which I had repeatedly told her a number of times not to do so. The otak-otak which contains eggs and coconut milk straight from the fridge must not be half heated as this could cause bacteria to multiply and cause food poisoning. I always ask her to steam it thoroughly on the stove and her lazy nature did not do so. Son also had some diarrhea and hope sis karen who stay back for dinner yesterday would not have food poisoning too.

So today, I have to sit on the toilet bowl for a long time clutching at my stomach and cursing her for my predicament. I have to eat cream cracker with teh kosong for breakfast and marmite porridge for lunch ansd swallow down a couple of charcoal tablets for some relieved. Still have some spasm while clicking at my keyboard here.........

International Ah Gua.........

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:26:00 +0000

At present times, you can see more and more Ah Gua or transvestite coming out to join society in the open. Most cultures and religion do not accept this man turn woman business as they consider it as a shameful or abnormal change of the unnatural kind. That is why most ah gua have to erk out a living in the red light districts.

But now, you can see them coming out in the open with so many pretty ones due to advancement in medical science and plastic surgery. Even a real woman would not look as good as these ah guas. There are even beauty contest where they compete with each other for their self esteem. I had here some pics forwarded to me by a friend of some international ah guas to share.....

Japan Ah Gua...............

Korean Ah Gua..............

Taiwan Ah Gua...................

Thailand Ah Gua.............

Singapore Ah Gua...........

And China Ah Gua...............

Of Kitchen Hoods and Hobs.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:51:00 +0000

These few days have been a bitter sweet moment for me. Have been busy running around town looking for the best deals for my kitchen appliances like kitchen hobs, hoods, oven and fridge. As I do not have a wet kitchen, I need to find the best possible hood that has the highest rate of efficiency in filtering out the greasy oil and smoke for my dry kitchen. Here is what I got........

Fujioh 1000LVD, I chose white to compliment my white acrylic kitchen table top and orangy kitchen cabinets.

Even though it is a bit expensive, I am please with its performance. It has the highest rate of 95 % efficiency level and low noise. As I hate cleaning, this model has only 2 pieces of silicon coated aluminium filter which are easy to clean.

The next thing I bought is a hob. As I am using a halogen stove now, I do not want to go back to using a gas stove. So I got myself an induction hob for easy cleaning too besides having more storage space instead of a gas tank. After looking around I still get the best deal from Fujihome hob.

This is how it looks...........

It comes with a hard to break Schott vitro-ceramic top for easy cleaning , overtime and overheating detector for automatic shutoff, fast cooling features on hob surface after cooking, and hob will automatically shut off for incompatible utensils that are put on the hob surface. I love it for its sleek and flat surface look. It also comes with a free gift of a stainless steel wok that solves my problem of looking for the right wok.

Amazing Striped Iceberg......

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:27:00 +0000

Antarctica Frozen Wave Pixs - Nature is amazing!

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions.

Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with meltwater and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.

When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe.

Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.

The water froze the instant the wave broke through the ice. That's what it is like in Antarctica where it is the coldest weather in decades. Water freezes the instant it comes in contact with the air. The temperature of the water is already some degrees below freezing. Just look at how the wave froze in mid-air!!!

5 Days/4 Nights Bali Discovery Tour...

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:24:00 +0000

Today, I just receive my itenarary for my holiday tour of Bali from my tour agent. It seems I'll be visiting a lot of temples for this tour. Here is how it goes.......

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at Bali (Denpasar airport). Meet and assist by local agent. Tranfer to hotel. Enjoy sunset view at Uluwatu temple. BBQ seafood in the evening.

Day 2 : Bali - Kintamani tour

After breakfast, introduction to the many varied faces of Bali. A visit to the village of Batubulan, watch the traditional Barong and Kris dances.

Follow with a visit to Celuk (gold & silver jewelry), Mas (wood carving) and Ubud (art & handicraft) to see Balinese artisans at work and excellent shopping. A scenic drive overlooking beautiful rice terraces brings you to the mountain village of Kintamani (5,000 f.a.b.s.l.) which offers spectaculat views of Lake Batur and the volcano. On the way back, at Tampaksiring village a visit to Tirta Empul temple and the Elephant cave, a mysterious hermit cave used by both Buddhist and Hindus from the 11th century.

Day 3: Bali - Bedugul & Tanah Lot tour

After breakfast visit the ancient Royal Taman Ayun temple in Mengwi (built in 1624), the holy monkey forest near Sangeh and the famous Lake Bratan Temple. Finally Tanah Lot, the picturesque sixteen century Balinese temple perched on tp of a huge outcrop, 100 yrds off the coastline.

Day 4: Bali

Free at own leisure -shopping spree, a swim in the sea or a visit to a famous Balinese Spa.

Day 5: After breakfast head for home.

In Memory Of Uncle Keng Tee.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:49:00 +0000

It has been a year today that Uncle Keng Tee had been called to the Lord. Here is a short poem in memory of dearest Dr. Lee Keng Tee.

In Our Hearts

© Rose de Leon

We thought of you with love today,

But that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday.

And days before that too.

We think of you in silence.

We often speak your name.

Now all we have is memories.

And your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake.

With which we’ll never part.

God has you in his keeping.

We have you in our heart.

Handphone No. On Pillar......

noreply@blogger.com (Sweet Jasmine) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:27:00 +0000

This is a shot I took just right in front of my balcony in the apartment that I am now staying recently. I did not notice this number on the pillar until my son H told me about it. It has been a few days now that the next door was constructing a building up to the first floor and as my place was on the first floor too these Indonesian workers were an attraction to my happy maid. She will always be happy to wave and made sign language behind my back or even worse still ask them for their handphone number even though I have given her my usual warning.

I have caught her using my phone to call up Indian guys staying on another floor of my block. She secretly meeting them upstairs when I am not around or when she is out on her rubbish throwing errands. We always forgive her after so many times of lies and yet this never to be trusted maid still manage to get her way to socialise with these strangers.
One day I caught her in eldest son room with the blind wide open while these workers were working on the same level. They could just look right into the room. Much scolding and threatening gets me heated up the more and I had to watch on her like a watchdog.

Now this phone number coming up right in front is really making me mad. Anyway I still have the consolation now that my place were fitted with cameras all around some months ago. As she is going to leave in a few months and me moving to a new place with much better security keeps me from wasting my anger on her.