tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56283362011-06-08T00:04:20.993-05:00Old Malaysian LadyThe ramblings of a Malaysian lady who was born in British colonial days, grew up in the newly born Malaysia, and then moved to the U.S.Monicanoreply@blogger.comBlogger491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-89474206801645179912009-01-24T16:27:00.001-06:002009-01-24T16:28:11.994-06:00I am back once again but in Malaysia. I am going to update this blog again. Look for more to come.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1162774076489032472006-11-05T18:42:00.000-06:002006-11-05T18:47:56.503-06:00Wow! It has been a while since I posted anything meaningful. However, something Jasmine said made me want to write something. She said "it is not as though you need the physical companionship!" Without listening properly, I agreed with her but then I realized that, "heck, no. If she is talking about sex, that is the important part of a relationship!" I interrupted her speech and told her, "Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1159101591775042482006-09-24T07:37:00.000-05:002006-09-24T07:39:51.783-05:00Okay, okay, I have not posted anything for a while. Life has been sweet and tough. My sister is dying in Sydney with her two girls not knowing what to do next. At the same time, I took a new job and now working too many hours. Is life always constantly a river of ups and downs, rapids and slowing moving, all at the same time. The Goddess surely is not trying to test me? Life sucks.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1104157297678095472004-12-27T08:15:00.000-06:002004-12-27T08:21:37.676-06:00Today is Monday, December 27, 2004. I have to work on my webcourse project but instead I have been surfing the net. Jas and Donnie sent me a WalMart gift card and boy, did I have fun at WalMart yesterday. Everything Xmas was 50% off. It was really fun. I actually bought an M&M dispenser. Jas told me that she would like to have that once I am bored with it. I don't think I want to use it. Monicanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1099271165713956132004-10-31T18:59:00.000-06:002004-10-31T19:06:05.713-06:00Dying has been on my mind lately; more out of the curiosity of not knowing than anything else. After learning how expensive it is to have a traditional burial, I am going to be cremated. A vault will cost more than $2,700 and a casket will cost about the same. Being cremated will only cost about $3,000. I also learnt that I can have my ashes turned into diamonds. However, I am not sure how Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1098466103367543632004-10-22T13:18:00.000-05:002004-10-31T13:18:21.683-06:00Last Tuesday, I completed my training to be a volunteer for the Hospice of Central Michigan, http://www.hospicecentralmich.com/. I have enjoyed the training very much, especially the spiritual care session. Last Tuesday, we visited the Lux Funeral Home where we received a Funeral 101 session. I learnt that it is expensive to die in Michigan. A concrete vault costing at least $2,700 is required soMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1091235144923896972004-07-30T19:42:00.000-05:002004-07-30T19:52:24.923-05:00Long time no posting. I have just been too busy and not in the mood to post anyway. Jas, my baby girl, is now a married woman. She is grown-up, independent, and riding a motorcycle. She is ready to conquer the world. Yet, it seemed like only yesterday that she was a baby wrinkling her cute button of a nose at me and saying, "no, no, no." I do not remember what she was referring to but she Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1083956686613635492004-05-07T14:01:00.000-05:002004-05-07T14:08:01.013-05:00My baby daughter, Jasmine, sent me flowers for Mother's day. She is so sweet and always remembers my birthday, Mother's day, etc. That is more than can be said for me. I tend to let these important days slide by me. Tomorrow is graduation day for the university. Excitement will be in the air and the students will be so happy to be done with school. I remember the day Jasmine graduated. SheMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1083026885247606072004-04-26T19:40:00.000-05:002004-04-26T19:51:08.340-05:00It has been a while since I wrote something here. The weather was getting warmer and then last week it became quite cool again. Brrrr.... I should be used to this kind of weather. My daffodils are really blooming now and soon my tulips will bloom as well. This summer I must take time to post pictures on this blog so that you can enjoy the colors as much I do. I did a crazy thing this past Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1081820177703922422004-04-12T20:29:00.000-05:002004-04-12T20:39:07.043-05:00I am trying to get my fed income tax done before April 15. Definitely must keep better records. I can do my own taxes but it certainly would be easier if I am meticulous about my record keeping. Oh, well.... My boyfriend's elder daughter has a job with Target once she graduates. She is happy and he is happy. I am happy for her and so is her mother. Can you believe that her mother has the Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1081301508387258042004-04-06T20:20:00.000-05:002004-04-06T20:34:32.576-05:00My younger daughter has a new Honda motorcycle. I am just worried stiff about her riding on those deadly Texas highways. Mmmm... I guess I will have to get used to seeing her in leather boots and chaps with metal-studded jacket. I wonder if both my daughter and her husband would pull the baby carriage behind them just like the way bicyclists pull their babies behind them!!! What a sight that Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1081027153015382462004-04-03T15:16:00.000-06:002004-04-03T15:21:53.233-06:00Oh, dear! My anak bunsu wrote on her blog that she is buying a Honda motorcycle to ride. My heart drops into my pants! I am glad that I have the time to think about this and not say too much too fast. After all, she is 25 and as long as she is willing to be responsible for herself, I am okay with it. I just think that motorcyles are so dangerous, especially in the U.S.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1080821630703094382004-04-01T06:04:00.000-06:002004-04-01T06:16:28.593-06:00Just returned from Chicago and had to try and catch up with work. Grrrr.... The weather is also getting warmer here and the asian beetles are out in my house. They look like orange ladybugs but they are not the regular lady bugs. The asian beetles were imported to eat the aspids on the soy bean plants but it was later discovered that they do not hibernate in the winter like the ladybugs. TheMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1080180815386534192004-03-24T20:05:00.000-06:002004-03-24T20:16:05.920-06:00Life is so short. I wonder what dying is like. To be here one day and gone the next day. Is there really an after life? Is there heaven? I would hate to go to hell because I really do not want to be burn forever. Neither do I want to be in limbo like Bill Murray in the Groundhog Day. Sometimes I feel that I work so hard and am rushing around so much that I do not have time to enjoy life. Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1079615081653677132004-03-18T06:38:00.000-06:002004-03-18T07:11:24.390-06:00Oh, oh, my elder daughter is reminding to update my blog. I have a lot to say but not enough time to sit at my computer and write. I am not sure as well that it is a good use of my precious time to write too much on my blog. I will have to wait and see what responses I receive. One thing I get frustrated with is that SOME older people are not willing to listen and make changes. Some Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1076721116255219242004-02-13T18:58:00.000-06:002004-02-13T19:13:46.750-06:00Grrr.... This snow is getting too much for me this winter. I am trying to be patient because December was pretty warm but Jan/Feb is really bad. We have had too many inches of snow already. Most importantly, I have become stuck in my truck twice already. This afternoon I was coming home and driving slowly because the roads were icy. There was no snow coming down but the wind blew really hardMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1076419296196213782004-02-10T06:53:00.000-06:002004-02-10T07:23:23.000-06:00So Chinese New Year has come and gone. So has the Lantern festival. It is time to move on and work seriously. I have the tendency to overcommit to social events as well as work too much. Let us see. I work from Monday to Friday (sometimes feel guilty if I take the morning off to work on projects at home). Of course, between the time I leave the office and going to Toastmasters, I have to goMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1075572921596403992004-01-31T12:09:00.000-06:002004-01-31T12:18:16.356-06:00Friday, January 30, 2004. I learnt that the trendy name for women like me is quirkyalones . These women are professionals, have good careers, own their own houses, and may have significant others but not really interested in marriage. They believe in waiting for the right partners to come along. They have many friends and are cool. They run around in "Urban Tribes." Use Google to find more Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1074178278888823282004-01-15T08:38:00.000-06:002004-01-15T08:57:37.716-06:00Just came in from shoveling snow off the paths to my doors and steps. Too cold and my fingertips are frozen. Morale of the story: do not have too many doors to the outside when you live in a cold climate. I have two garage doors for my cars and a small door into the garage plus two stairways to my frontdoor. Too many places to shovel. This sounds like a life lesson to learn--do not have too Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1073824504930082222004-01-11T06:35:00.000-06:002004-01-11T06:43:58.903-06:00Hiya, still trying to cope with jet lag although it is nice to get up at 4:00 am and do things. However, by lunchtime, I am tired. Last Monday, my secretary called me at home to find out whether I was going into the office! Who is the boss, me or her? Her excuse is that she was worried about whether I had arrived home. That is a good one since I would have called her if my plane had been Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1073730960551455552004-01-10T04:36:00.000-06:002004-01-10T04:37:15.106-06:00My baby girl is getting engaged! It is difficult to remember that she is a grown lady of 24 going on 25 and should be making her decisions now. I guess a child is always a child no matter how old that child is. I am trying very hard not to treat her like a kid any more. Ah yah! So hard, lah.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1073307382015105952004-01-05T06:56:00.000-06:002004-01-05T07:00:22.030-06:00Having to deal with jet lag after traveling from Kuching, Malaysia to Saginaw, Michigan is no fun. Sleeping during the day and being awake at night makes life too difficult to deal with although I am glad that I will not have to deal with the office until Thursday. I will go in either late today or tomorrow. It snowed here last night and the road is icy. Even at 7:44 am, it is still dark Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1072866300319627752003-12-31T04:25:00.000-06:002003-12-31T04:26:06.280-06:00Today is Dec 31, the last day of 2003 and on Jan 2, 2004, I will fly back to the U.S. I have a sneaky feeling that my mother will be glad to see me go. She has been really busy, cooking different dishes for me to eat. At the same time, she is having a new kitchen built for her and that is a major chore. It is interesting to see how she manages the workmen, this mother of mine who is 73 years Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1071867267155175402003-12-19T14:54:00.000-06:002003-12-19T14:55:21.233-06:00I am updating this blog from Kuching, Malaysia. I am visiting my mother and this is within one year. Wah, the flight was too long although I had an empty seat next to me and I had an aisle seat as well. I was really fed up with sitting in airports and on airplanes. Of course, having my flight from DFW leaving late and then arriving in LA to find that my Malaysian airline flight had been Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1070112205601951942003-11-29T07:23:00.000-06:002003-11-29T07:24:00.030-06:00The weather outside is just too cold now, around 34 degrees F. I had a friend for dinner at my house and I roasted an 11-lb turkey. Why would I cook an 11-lb turkey for two single ladies, I don't know. So much food and so few mouths to feed but plenty of leftovers. I goofed again this thanksgiving. Every year I tell myself that I want to eat at the soup kitchen in order to see how it feels.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1070024573470142512003-11-28T07:02:00.000-06:002003-11-28T07:03:27.170-06:00Today is the biggest shopping day in the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving. I saw something I wanted--a 27-inch TV for $149.99 plus a $10.00 rebate, plus a leather jacket for $59.99 at JC Pennys. But I think I will wait until tomorrow and also see how my checking account is bearing up against all the expenses I have. I have to pay my bills earlier this month. Sometimes I shop too much. At Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1068505866303479612003-11-10T17:11:00.000-06:002003-11-10T17:11:04.046-06:00This Saturday, on November 15, I will be one year older. In Malaysia, I would be considered much much older while in the U.S., life has just began. It is sweet to be older and yet not too old. Jasmine sent me flowers. What a nice surprise! I walked into my office and there they were. Hardly anyone sent me any flowers! ...sniff, sniff, ... The pic below of three generations of women is a Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1066834748386392502003-10-22T09:59:00.000-05:002003-10-22T10:01:56.493-05:003 Generations
Found this picture of me, my sister, my grandmother and my mother, from back in 1995. Man I was 16 then.
Jasminenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1064837419577987882003-09-29T07:10:00.000-05:002003-09-29T07:10:19.590-05:00Hey, thanks to Wena, I now have a moving calendar. I love it. hehehehe, .....Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1064719639680653842003-09-27T22:08:00.000-05:002003-09-27T22:27:19.426-05:00My neck is stiff, and now the doc thinks it may be a pinched nerve in the back of my neck. The last three weeks, I have been put on the rack and stretched so that the tingling and numbness in my right leg would go away. Although the tingling and numbness are less intense, I still experience some of it. It is a good thing that the doc is young and handsome. At least something good to look (Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1064119515340624732003-09-20T23:45:00.000-05:002003-09-20T23:45:14.866-05:00Hee hee!! Had a good laff when read Mum's posting on my quiz results. I didn't write it. Came from taking a quiz at Quizila.Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1063885106700658612003-09-18T06:38:00.000-05:002003-09-18T06:38:26.306-05:00Wow! Mother and Wena must have ESP (Extra Sensory Perception). I was thinking that I should update this blog now because it has been quite a while since I had the energy or the time to write here. I still have a lot to do but this is something I want to do.
Work has been really busy. I am in a lot of meetings where people are not very focused on getting outcomes from each meeting. So Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1063626351131744902003-09-15T06:45:00.000-05:002003-09-15T06:45:51.020-05:00A Glimpse of the Future
enjoying a succesful career,
having fun at parties and concerts,
self sufficient and independent,
you're okay with or
without a man,
you're content
just happuly living with someone -
your beloved dog!
What will you be like 10 to 15 years from now? (girls) brought to you by Quizilla
BTW, it's Wena here. :)Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1062450249909157812003-09-01T16:04:00.000-05:002003-09-01T16:10:27.880-05:00I am in my office reading my emails so that I will not be too rushed tomorrw. I will have to work tonight on my classes so that I will be more prepared next Wednesday. This past weekend is Labor day weekend in the U.S. I went up to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan to see my boyfriend and also to help him with his fundraising 5K run. He raised about $1,200 for his cross-country team and the Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1062343380264529092003-08-31T10:23:00.000-05:002003-08-31T10:23:00.300-05:00. : Granny talk : .
Granny was mentioning to me today how she never lets the past bother her. She remembers them, yes, but doesn't brood over them. Says it's very unhealthy and there are so many things to look forward to in the future. I suppose that is why she is still a gutsy person at 73 years old. And my partner when it comes to checking out new activities around Kuching. :)Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061813123027109702003-08-25T07:05:00.000-05:002003-08-25T07:05:23.066-05:00Yes, I like the lady with the gold necklace. I love gold and part of it has to do with the fact that in Malaysia and many asian countries, gold is an investment. Ladies can always buy gold with their savings and then use those gold jewellery for money to do other things. When I was a young girl, I remember my mother buying bangles and necklaces, and then when we had to buy textbooks for schoolMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061717800900227152003-08-24T04:36:00.000-05:002003-08-24T04:36:40.963-05:00. : New Look : .
Well, another new look. Mum, okay with it? Got it from Blogfrocks. I like the lady with the gold necklace. It's so Mum! :)
Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061576113617704802003-08-22T13:15:00.000-05:002003-08-22T13:15:13.633-05:00. : Generation Gap : .
Reading Mum's post again, it hits me again at the perceptions that one hears from one generation to another. Who is to say who is right and who is wrong? I suppose at the end of the day, one must be willing to hear both sides of the story rather than only one version.
I can understand Mum's frustration speaking to us whipper-snappers. Thinking we know everything under theWenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061299390199049892003-08-19T08:23:00.000-05:002003-08-19T08:24:18.343-05:00. : Insight to Mother : .
Here is an insight to my mother's personality from Cainer, especially after her last posting.
Monica is mysterious and enigmatic; deep, perceptive, powerful, passionate and terribly, terribly sexy! The sentence above must be true because Monica is a Scorpio and Scorpios as we all know are infamous for their interest in... well now, here's a funny thing. Despite what Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061244652341504642003-08-18T17:10:00.000-05:002003-08-18T17:10:52.403-05:00One difference between the values of the younger and older generations is the fact that we grew up in different times. For example, I was born in the late forties and my daughters were born in the mid and late seventies. When I went to school in Sarawak, Malaysia, I was educated in English, and Sarawak was still a British colony. When my daughters went to school in Sarawak, education was in Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061208557468411542003-08-18T07:09:00.000-05:002003-08-18T07:09:17.650-05:00Rowena, I had Helen Ato who was my classmate in Form 6 at St. Joseph visiting me this past weekend. We talked, talked, talked, too much.
I like the new look but it looks too western. I also like the garden view but I do not like the green background. I like the clear background or a blue background. Try another new look since you are into this. I will update my blog later. I am really busyMonicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1061110523927864712003-08-17T03:55:00.000-05:002003-08-17T03:55:23.860-05:00. : New Look : .
Mum, you like or not? :) The other one I was considering was this or this. Or would you want a garden view? Let me know which one you like.
Old layout was dull dull dull. And, too many other blogs have the same layout.Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1060782128964152762003-08-13T08:42:00.000-05:002003-08-13T08:48:51.876-05:00. : Blogging Nonyas : .
Spam? Off already and besides, you have to also unclick yourself off those mailing lists. :) Living in the US, you'll get more spam than I do, dearest Mumsie-poo.
Guess what I found?
My sister and I in one of our bedrooms in Miri. Girlie girlie room :)
On the back verandah in Bintulu. I luv that little pool! Didn't like the peeping tom neighbour though. :p
Wenanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1060781275074824402003-08-13T08:27:00.000-05:002003-08-13T08:32:43.003-05:00Gosh, now this blog is becoming a mother/daughters thing. I suppose it is okay but I am getting too much spam from all those things that Rowena kept signing me up for. Classes will begin for me soon, in less than two weeks on August 25, and I am not ready for it. I still want to play although I have to come to the office every day.
Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-106070299528306422003-08-12T10:43:00.000-05:002003-08-12T10:43:15.320-05:00Note from Wena to Mum : change ur comments from Haloscan (which is getting pretty unstable) to Backlog. Hopefully it works now. MUAK!Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1060695010900552982003-08-12T08:30:00.000-05:002003-08-12T08:41:38.400-05:00Just had a chat with wena, my elder daughter and she told me that others are eagerly waiting to read my next posting. Yikes! I am not sure that I like to know that others want to read my postings. One of my constant thoughts relates to how young Chinese girls educated in English and brought up in Malaysia often have questions about how they fit in the societies in which they find themselves. Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1060191374224399542003-08-06T12:36:00.000-05:002003-08-06T12:36:14.136-05:00Life is not easy and especially when dealing with those in the younger generation. I always wonder why people are so different. I still have no answer.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1059569641075553182003-07-30T07:54:00.000-05:002003-08-09T08:04:38.246-05:00Today is the last day that Tyrone Jordan, my CEEP student, will work with me. He is an incoming freshman who will begin his first semester at CMU this fall. He is smart and willing to learn. I know this because I gave him assignments such as "create a web form for me with this printed survey and here is the FrontPage 2002 book to learn how to do it." I expect people who work with me to be Monicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5628336.post-1059530166404097072003-07-29T20:56:00.000-05:002003-07-29T20:56:06.473-05:00This blog publishes the ramblings of an old Malaysian lady, who in Malaysia, would be considering retiring. However, in the U.S., she is still on the go. At the same time, she is finding that the world is changing around her and she is not catching up too quickly.Monicanoreply@blogger.com0