Well, it has been just over one week since Husbands last day at work, and it is surprising how busy it has been. Sorting out stuff, selling stuff, packing stuff, getting tax settled, Emp Pass/Dep Pass cancelled, etc, etc, etc.
Husband rearranged the furniture that was left after our friends took the stuff they wanted and suddenly the sitting and dining areas look HUGE again. Our friends who are taking the TV still haven't collected it from us. We've cancelled our cable TV, but kept the phone and ISP (all same supplier - StarHub). Can still watch basic SG television stations, but that isn't exactly a wealth of good stuff!!
We still haven't decided what to do with the waterbed - have advertised it in the Finder magazine for Dec, to see if anyone wants to buy it... but if not, we will ship it back to KL and figure out where to put it later!
We drove back to KL on 5th Nov with a car FULL of stuff - including loading up another friends car with stuff too. Unloaded everything, sorted most of it out - though all the shoes are still sitting in huge plastic bags in the guest room - just haven't had the energy to sort it out! Came back to SG yesterday (8th), and are heading back to KL on 10th. Not sure whether we have to make another trip back and forth with the car, to take the last of our stuff back or not. Not counting the stuff we are taking back on the 10th Nov, we still have bowling balls, a carpet, an iPod speaker system, 2 cushions, a large 1.1m x 1.1m painting, this laptop that I am using now, fax/printer/scanner/copier machine, and, of course, the last of our clothes and shoes, to take back......
I have to be in SG from 20th to 24th Nov inclusive, as I am helping a friend at a conference for a major educational institute here in SG.... and then we are heading back to KL on the 26th Nov. After that I guess I have a few days before I have to start work!
On the job front... yes, I have a job (again)....and my new boss will be the SAME guy who was my boss in an earlier job in KL... which is good, as he was a good boss then, and he should be a good boss now too. I am supposed to meet him on Monday to sign the letter of appointment, and I should be starting work on either the 1st or 4th of Dec. The office is in Jalan Ampang, so it is back to KL traffic jams for me again!
Husband has been getting lots of people calling him to do part time work for them - both in MY and SG, and he has told them to talk to him after Xmas and NY. Hopefully, they will still be calling then, as I still cannot imagine him being totally retired 100% of the time. I mean, after 2 days at home he gets restless and starts mooching around... so he needs to do more than just his hobbies (varied though they are) to keep him occupied.
That's it for now.... next installment will have more news :-)
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
We should be home soon :-)
Yep, we kid you not. Husband has handed in his notice, it has been accepted, and his last day at work will be 31st Oct - so only two more days of work for him, and he is DONE. We will be shuttling between SG and KL for the month of November - but we hope to be back in KL for good before Xmas.
Things to do when we get back - Look for a job (for me, not Husband), sort out our little apartment, which has been empty mostly, and has gotten a bit grubby over the last year. Husband already has plans to spruce it up, which means that he will at least be able to keep himself occupied for the first couple of months or so. This is his second attempt at retirement, and I'm hoping it will be more successful than the first attempt!
It is also amazing how much rubbish we have accumulated in SG in less than one year. One of our good friends has done us the big favour of taking our sitting room set, the dining set, and the home theatre system off our hands, while another friend has acquired our LCD Sharp Aquous TV..., between them helping to reduce our headache considerably. We still have a lot of stuff, but we'll see what else we can either sell or give away, and go back to KL with the bare minimum.
There are quite a few people here in SG that I am going to be missing - in no particular order.. Grace and Mo, Hwee Peng, Joy and Laura, Shanti M, Anita, Indu, Eleen, Stacy, Sid (hmmmm, I have to think about that!!), Jo, Jacqui, Tim and Yvonne (CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN, on your soon-to-be twins!!), Herman and his wine tasting sessions at his wine bar, ... oh dear, too many to list... so forgive me if I have not put your name here.. I WILL miss you all.
More later...
Things to do when we get back - Look for a job (for me, not Husband), sort out our little apartment, which has been empty mostly, and has gotten a bit grubby over the last year. Husband already has plans to spruce it up, which means that he will at least be able to keep himself occupied for the first couple of months or so. This is his second attempt at retirement, and I'm hoping it will be more successful than the first attempt!
It is also amazing how much rubbish we have accumulated in SG in less than one year. One of our good friends has done us the big favour of taking our sitting room set, the dining set, and the home theatre system off our hands, while another friend has acquired our LCD Sharp Aquous TV..., between them helping to reduce our headache considerably. We still have a lot of stuff, but we'll see what else we can either sell or give away, and go back to KL with the bare minimum.
There are quite a few people here in SG that I am going to be missing - in no particular order.. Grace and Mo, Hwee Peng, Joy and Laura, Shanti M, Anita, Indu, Eleen, Stacy, Sid (hmmmm, I have to think about that!!), Jo, Jacqui, Tim and Yvonne (CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN, on your soon-to-be twins!!), Herman and his wine tasting sessions at his wine bar, ... oh dear, too many to list... so forgive me if I have not put your name here.. I WILL miss you all.
More later...
Monday, October 16, 2006
Goodbye, again, to another friend
Today is a sad day. On the way to yoga this morning I got an sms telling me that another old friend of mine in Singapore, had passed away. Mary E was a truly lovely person - and I am blessed that I had the chance to know her many years ago. Losing her was sudden and sad - she had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer earlier this year, totally out of the blue. She was a non-smoker so it was even harder to accept that she had lung cancer! I guess this brings home the fact that passive smokers are at much greater risk than actual smokers.... so for those of you who don't smoke but have friends who do.... please tell them to blow their smoke elsewhere!
May God give strength to Mary's family at this time.
May God give strength to Mary's family at this time.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
It was a busy September
In the sadness of losing a good friend, I didn't say anything about what else happened in Sept, particularly the last week.
Another good friend of ours marked the half-century of her life on 26th Sept. We were supposed to drive to KL for her birthday celebration on the 23rd, but Husbands work pressures dictated otherwise. Jackie, I hope that the next half-century will be even more exciting, rewarding and full of love than the first half-century has been. All the best to you, Steve, and Liam!
Well, we did eventually manage to drive to KL on 24th Sept... keeping it very secret from my Dad :-) as it was his birthday on 29th Sept, and he was feeling down that only my mum, my sister and her kids would be around to celebrate with him, so we figured we would surprise him. Called him as usual on the morning of his birthday, pretending to still be in SG.... then Husband and I were at the Ms Read's restaurant at 1-Utama for his lunch treat, and, would you believe, he walked right up to the table before he noticed us sitting there!! Couldn't believe his eyes. Wanted to know why we didn't tell anyone - and, of course, we told him everyone knew except him :-D
It was a good meal - the food at Ms Read's is always good, and the service at the 1-Utama branch is always way better than the one at Bangsar!
In between, on the Wed/Thu, I was sick - didn't dare move from home for those two days. Then, of course, the sad news about Mohan, followed by the funeral on the Saturday. We returned to SG after the funeral, and it was an exhausting journey due to the particularly bad stretch at the Seremban exit, and other stretches, not AS bad, with roadworks happening. It took us almost one hour just to get past the Seremban stretch - so instead of the normal 3 hours and 45 minutes drive, it took close to 5 hours ... and of course, there were loads of crazy drivers on the road, driving at ridiculous speeds, tail-gating like crazy, and generally being dangerous.
You know, one thing about losing Mohan - it has brought home to me that I need to treasure my family and friends, and I need to make the effort to see them more often - well, I do see my family as often as I can, but I sometimes feel that our friends are the ones who get short shrift - we never seem to get the time to meet. So, I want to make the effort, and I hope and pray that my friends can make the effort. We never know when it will be our last get together. With Mohan and Liz, we were lucky that they had the chance to come to SG and stay with us a few days, just a couple of months ago - in late July. If it hadn't been for that we would not have met at all! So, everyone.... treasure your family and friends. Take enjoyment in their company, and treat them with love and respect... for you never know when it could be the last time you see them.
May God bless and keep us all, and especially at this time, keep His arms close around Liz and her family.
Another good friend of ours marked the half-century of her life on 26th Sept. We were supposed to drive to KL for her birthday celebration on the 23rd, but Husbands work pressures dictated otherwise. Jackie, I hope that the next half-century will be even more exciting, rewarding and full of love than the first half-century has been. All the best to you, Steve, and Liam!
Well, we did eventually manage to drive to KL on 24th Sept... keeping it very secret from my Dad :-) as it was his birthday on 29th Sept, and he was feeling down that only my mum, my sister and her kids would be around to celebrate with him, so we figured we would surprise him. Called him as usual on the morning of his birthday, pretending to still be in SG.... then Husband and I were at the Ms Read's restaurant at 1-Utama for his lunch treat, and, would you believe, he walked right up to the table before he noticed us sitting there!! Couldn't believe his eyes. Wanted to know why we didn't tell anyone - and, of course, we told him everyone knew except him :-D
It was a good meal - the food at Ms Read's is always good, and the service at the 1-Utama branch is always way better than the one at Bangsar!
In between, on the Wed/Thu, I was sick - didn't dare move from home for those two days. Then, of course, the sad news about Mohan, followed by the funeral on the Saturday. We returned to SG after the funeral, and it was an exhausting journey due to the particularly bad stretch at the Seremban exit, and other stretches, not AS bad, with roadworks happening. It took us almost one hour just to get past the Seremban stretch - so instead of the normal 3 hours and 45 minutes drive, it took close to 5 hours ... and of course, there were loads of crazy drivers on the road, driving at ridiculous speeds, tail-gating like crazy, and generally being dangerous.
You know, one thing about losing Mohan - it has brought home to me that I need to treasure my family and friends, and I need to make the effort to see them more often - well, I do see my family as often as I can, but I sometimes feel that our friends are the ones who get short shrift - we never seem to get the time to meet. So, I want to make the effort, and I hope and pray that my friends can make the effort. We never know when it will be our last get together. With Mohan and Liz, we were lucky that they had the chance to come to SG and stay with us a few days, just a couple of months ago - in late July. If it hadn't been for that we would not have met at all! So, everyone.... treasure your family and friends. Take enjoyment in their company, and treat them with love and respect... for you never know when it could be the last time you see them.
May God bless and keep us all, and especially at this time, keep His arms close around Liz and her family.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
How do you say Good-bye, when you lose a friend?
Many, many things happened during the month of September, but the hardest, saddest one of all was losing a good friend. I don't think any of us realise how close to death we all are, until it strikes really close... and last week, the first of our "gang" passed away, bringing home the fact of our mortality.
Mohan, you were an amazing person, a loving husband to your wife Liz, a fantastic parent to your daughters and son, a very good friend to my family, and we are all going to miss your inimitable presence, your directness, your sense of humour, your "what's up Doc"!
You know, one thing I will always always remember about you dates back to the days when my parents were living in "ulu" Cheras, way out in the boondocks in those days (the 80's). They never used to get too many visitors, as everyone said they were just too far away, but you two, Mohan and Liz, used to make that long trek to come and visit them very often. I never told you how much I appreciated that you took that trouble - especially considering you were coming from the other side of KL.. all the way from Shah Alam (another "boondocks"). Your visits made a lot of difference to them, and touched me very deeply, and I will always love and remember you for that.
Liz, we are all still here for you and Jo and Su and Jonathan. I know life is going to be tough for you without Mohan around to share your life, your joys, your sorrows, your struggles, but I hope you let us help in whatever way we can help, and that you remember that we do love you, and that we are your extended family.
May God bless and keep you, and wherever he is I am sure that Mohan is also keeping his arms protectively around you.
Mohan, you were an amazing person, a loving husband to your wife Liz, a fantastic parent to your daughters and son, a very good friend to my family, and we are all going to miss your inimitable presence, your directness, your sense of humour, your "what's up Doc"!
You know, one thing I will always always remember about you dates back to the days when my parents were living in "ulu" Cheras, way out in the boondocks in those days (the 80's). They never used to get too many visitors, as everyone said they were just too far away, but you two, Mohan and Liz, used to make that long trek to come and visit them very often. I never told you how much I appreciated that you took that trouble - especially considering you were coming from the other side of KL.. all the way from Shah Alam (another "boondocks"). Your visits made a lot of difference to them, and touched me very deeply, and I will always love and remember you for that.
Liz, we are all still here for you and Jo and Su and Jonathan. I know life is going to be tough for you without Mohan around to share your life, your joys, your sorrows, your struggles, but I hope you let us help in whatever way we can help, and that you remember that we do love you, and that we are your extended family.
May God bless and keep you, and wherever he is I am sure that Mohan is also keeping his arms protectively around you.
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