Memorial Day Weekend

Here are some pics from the holiday picnic in New Jersey. We were not there so I copied these from my nephew's facebook album (hope he doesn't mind).

Grandson Marc

Fun in the pool

Sons Jason and Chris

Granddaughter Brooke

Jayme needs to learn how to eat !!!

Grandson Hayden

Weekend In New Jersey

I spent last weekend in New Jersey helping my son Jason with his new house. I arrived Thursday evening and returned Monday evening. Most of the time was spent hanging new doors. Had to match the new doors to the old doors, cut a little off the width and/or hieght and chisel out the space for the hinges. It was tiring but felt good to see the new doors hanging all over the house.

The following is a short video of my grandkids. Marc is eleven and over 5 feet tall. Brooke is 6 and not a whole lot shorter than Marc. Hayden is 2 and of course is the cutest kid in the world. (Hmmm I think I said that about Marc and Brooke when they were 2.) Anyway, just a short video so you can see the kids being kids.

I AM ALONE BY MYSELF

Ah Don was invited by Jason to his new house at new Jersey. The house needs touching work. So Ah Don is there to "PAINT" the house ... Look like he is an expensive painter !! Definitely, he is going to share his good time with Jason & Chris together with 3 lovely grand kids there. Have not seen them since last X'mas! I reminded him we are no longer young! He has to do the work within his limit to prevent over strain himself and suffer later on !

Ah Don left on Thursday evening. The weather wasn't nice but he made it to Philadephia with 20 minutes delay. He will be back on Monday. I am all by myself for 5D/4 N with my 2 birds!:(:(:(

Today is Saturday and it's 10:30 AM!!!!!! Rightfully, we should be shopping around from one garage sale to another. !!! Without Ah Don around, I am unable to do that. Poor me!... I still lack the confidence & courage to drive at the wrong side of the road here !!!

I planed to make full use of this weekend to tidy my books and stuff so that I can list them in Half.com or ebay..... hmmmm but I was hooked up in the facebook and started chatting with one SGI member who is back to Malaysia.

Well.... this is exactly one of those unforeseen situation that could happen where we could be caught or out of hand when we are not disciplined enough or so not set up our priority clearly...... Sometime, we could be in a situation where it is difficult to say "NO"

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Now, I am back here... I want to talk about about my 2 birds....As any weekend morning, I took the cage out to the patio... opened the cage door.... sat there to watch them with my breakfast yogurt & banana in hand........I waited and waited, time passed by and none of them made any attempt to leave the cage !! I got impatient... put my hand in... then "Putera" came out right away,

"puteri" was unable to find its way to fly out. She remained in the cage running about trying to get herself out between the grills of the cage not knowing the door is wide open for her !Obviously, "putera" is smarter than "Puteri".... Poor "Puteri" was screaming for "Putera" to come back !!! "Putera" stayed out for a while and came back to the cage. Now they are both in the cage again.....Freedom is not what they want I guess !

Talking about "Freedom" ... It reminds me of my conversation with my lady boss yesterday in the office.

I said " Yo yo yo... so good.... without Don around..... I have full freedom to do whatever I want for this weekend ! "

Immediately, she asked me doubtfully " What can you do with your freedom, Margot ???"

OMG! I have not thought about it !! What a good question !!!...... That's right ! What can I do ?? I have no other friends, I can't drive, I don't even know where to go !!! so what's the freedom for ??? Oh dear, I am just like "putera" and "Puteri" have to remain indoors !! :(:(:(:(:( Sad!

This is definitely a "WAKE UP CALL " for me..... I need to look for the solution.

Now , I have to ask myself seriously..."Where can I go ? What could I do if something happen to Ah Don??? OMG! Since when have I became such a "helpless" person ?

Anyway, I am not going to allow this negative and fearful situation to affect my precious weekend alone... I need to shut down this thinking right now !!!

I would kick and promise myself to be sociable again..... I need friends.... I have to reconnect with SGI members again!!

Hmmmm, the best way to get away the thinking ..... I turn to my pic collection.

This is a lovely pot that costs us only $12 from the Garage Sale

( Original price was $256)

Reproduction of Victoria Princess Phone at $3.00; ebay is selling at $45 - $75

See ! I got these beads ( 21 0f them ) from the Parade

I must keep short hair !!

Don't know why my nose is getting wider.... hate it !

Don, Chris , Elida and me in Kronos

Oh , it almost 2:30 pm... have to get my lunch ! No Chinese Buffet ! "(: (: (: (:

MY MOTHER DAY 1Oth MAY 2009

Woke up this morning around 8 am, walked to my bathroom, without my glasses on, I saw something like a toilet roll near the sink. ( Ah Don & I have separated wash room for use ). When I got closer it was a jar of Peanuts wrapped with Message & and a heart created by Ah Don!!

Ha ha ha.. I could not stopped laughing !!! This is the first time he ever created such " wrapping paper " for me ! He is lazy to creat card !!! Thank you Thank You for making such a big effort !!A big Hug Hug to Ah Don!

Next, I have some other surprise downstairs..........Another jar at the Kitchen !!

After that, there was a classy black paper bag on my table !!

Guess what 's there ???????

It is a "Mont Blanc" Fountain Pen - Platinum Line!!! What a black beauty in my eyes!!!

I have been longing and loving to own a good pen !! And I think I have mentioned that accidentally to Ah Don when I bought one Cross Fountain Pen from one garage sale a couple of weeks ago. I have one pair of Mont Blanc Ball Points from my Ex Boss in Malaysia on my 10 anniversary. I used them only on good occasion. They are special to me .

Thank You and Love You for being so thoughtful !!

I will treasure this pen as much as our relationship!

I also know that it is very expensive and I always stop you from spending too much on me !

In the afternoon, we went for a good lunch ..... full baby Ribs with some wine; Unfortunately, after taking the wine, I felt very sleepy so we did not proceed with any other activities...

I asked Ah Don " Why the wine could make me sleepythese days?"

hmmm the answer is not very nice " Because..... you are getting OLD!"

Hey ! Stop it..... You use the wrong word.....It should me "Matured" Not " OLD " Understand ????

Sweet Mother Day Card

Not the Toilet Roll !!! It's Peanuts

Balck Beauty - Mont Blanc Fountain Pen

What I got for Mother Day 05/10/2009

Hernando De Soto Parade

The Hernando De Soto Historical Society, Inc., is a not-for-profit, community organization of 225 Conquistadors (volunteer members) who celebrate the historical significance of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s landing near the mouth of the Manatee River in May 1539. With his 600 Conquistadors, de Soto claimed possession of La Florida on behalf of the Spanish crown and then began his lengthy exploration of what is now the southeastern United States.

Here is the 2+ hour parade in six minutes!

PLEASE!!! NEVER LET IT HAPPENS AGAIN!!!

It was a real terrible and horrible incident that happened yesterday !!

It was about time to leave the office that I thought I should boil some water for drinking tomorrow. It is a small electric kettle that won't take much time to boil about 3 cups of water. I was thinking that by the time either myself or Ah Don would come to the pantry to pick our lunch box for home, and we could off the current easily !!!

Back to home, I cooked the dinner. we sat and ate in front of the TV while watching the American Idol. This AI has been our favour show since we like to compete and bet on the result and guess who would be at the bottom three ..... After the show.... Ah Don continued with his other show "Fringe" and I started to check my e-mails ; talked to my birds " Putera & Puteri " for a while. Soon after that I felt so sleepy and headed upstairs ........ When I was half slept. Ah Don came to the bed .......I asked him to turn off the room light.... then only I remembered, I had not done something in the office....

I asked Ah Don " Did you off the kettle fro me when you last went in to the pantry ?"

Ah Don replied, " Nope ! I didn't notice that you are boiling water !"

OMG.... It was almost 11.20PM........... and we left office around 7.15PM !!!!! The kettle could have been dried and the office could have been on fire!!!!. " What to do ?? What to do ??"

I told Ah Don, we had to rush to the office immediately........but Ah Don asked me to stay and he left immeditely to the office.

This was the worse situation that I have been.I was so worried, nervous and frightened!! What happens if the office burn down ??

While having the fear and the all the negative thought in my mind, I started to chant very hard .........." Please...... don't let undesired incident happen !!

10 minutes after that, I called Ah Don..... ..... he told me nothing happened there! The water was still boiling..... and the water was half full !!!! Thanks Gohonzon and Ah Don.

This cute little kettle was bought from garage sales sometime ago, I use it only once in a while when I felt like making coffee in the office. I didn't know it dose such a wonderful job !!It keeps water warm after boiling !!!.

This incident serves me a good lesson......From now on I must be very careful and make sure all electrical appliances are off before leaving home TO BE SAFE!!!

PLEASE........ NEVER LET IT HAPPENS AGAIN !!!

The Birds April 25

Was getting ready to go to the Hernando DeSoto parade and took some pics of the birds while waiting for BYL. The birds are on the patio on top of their cage. I had some pics of them flying but the pics didn't come out. Soooo, will try to get flying pics this coming weekend.

Nothing real exciting here but we think they are great. Will post pics of the parade soon.

OUR BIRDS - PUTERA & PUTERI

Hmmmm....... Ah Don still can'tell which is "Putera" and which is "Puteri". Obviously, he has difficulty to differentiate them because he does not know that "Putera" means the Prince and "Puteri", the Princess In Malay !

It was "Putera" that shit on his short and not "Puteri "lah ! kakakakakakk....

Both Putera & Puteri have been flying and out of the cage for the whole day. They are interesting and adorable. I like to look at them.

They make a lot of noise to get our attention. However, as soon as we get close to the cage, they keep quiet. They are getting naughty sometime .. sound like quarreling ... but they could be very loving to each other most to the time. See the pics below!

The Birds

Yesterday we went out to do BYLs favorite thing ... GARAGR SALES!!! At one of the sales we found a big cage for the birds and decided to buy it. The new cage is about twice the size of the previous cage.

For a while now, we have let the birds out to fly around the patio, because it is screened in. Putera has been the most adventurous and likes to sit in the jungle (a.k.a. BYL's plants). When Puteri comes out, he flys upstairs and sits on the bed in the front bedroom. Last weekend I had my shorts lying on the bed and Puteri proceeded to shit on them! Hmmm ... was he trying to tell me something!?!?!???

Anyway, today we let them out of their new cage. Putera flew to the jungle and Puteri flew upstairs. After a little while, BYL went looking for Puteri. She could not find him upstairs. So we looked on the patio and low and behold they were both sitting on top of the cage! They have spent most of the morning on top of the cage.

BYL's plants (a.k.a. The Jungle). She adds one or two new plants each week.

{All that flying around made me hungry.}

{HEY! When do I get a chance? You know there is enough food in there for both of us.}

Good Friday

Yesterday was the Christian holiday of Good Friday. We have been working very hard for many months so we took the day off!!! Took a little trip to Naples, Florida. It is about 110 miles south of Sarasota. Very nice area and MUCH warmer than Sarasota. Temperature went up about 10 degrees on the drive down.

We went to the main shopping/eating area downtown for lunch. Forgot to take pictures of our lunch. Guess we were toooooooooooooooooo hungry to spend time taking pics. :))

After lunch we walked down to the beach. It was very windy and BYL HATES the sun, we we did not stay long.

After the beach we drove around Naples for a while and then headed home. It was a nice day out and a welcome break from WORK WORK WORK.

Syesha Video

Syesha Concert

WOW! WOW! WOW! Went to see Syesha tonight. Great show!

She is very nice. Seems like the kid next door. Really enjoyed her singing. BYL thought the band played to loud. :)

Have some video clips but they have to be converted. Will post them soon.

More Ways To Cut Spending !!

After reading BYLs post, I thought I might share a few of my favorite ways to cut back on spending.

1.) Just "happen" to show up at your friends house at meal time. Make sure to apology for showing up at an inconvenient time and tell them you don't want to impose on them. However, do NOT leave until they insist you stay and eat.

2.) When your friends say they are going to the movies, tell them how much you really really want to see the movie BUT you are a little short of funds right now. Put on a very sad face and tell them you will just go home and sit by yourself in the dark. Continue these tactics until they insist you join them.

3.) When you want to go somewhere, ask a friend if they would like to join you. Make sure to make the trip sound very exciting. Once they accept your invitation, suggest they take their car because it is so much nicier than your piece of junk. Remember to hide your wallet before leaving on the trip so you can sincerely search for it whenever it comes time to pay for gas, food, etc.

4.) Go to a bar and order a glass of water. Tell the bartender that you are waiting for a friend and you will order something else when they arrive. When you see a "mistake" coming back to the bartender. speak up and tell them THAT is my favorite drink and you would sure like to try it.

Well, there are a few of my ideas on how to cut your spending. I have many more but I think you have to master these first. Hope these help.

Ah Don :)

HOW TO CUT SPENDING????

I thought I am a smart shopper........ I spent money wisely from young, I do not fancy expensive shopping ..... In fact, I love saving money......... I enjoy seeing my bank account figure keep growing...... even though I knew money will not follow me to the next world when I die.....

Now, the next question to me is ..... Why should I make money if not for spending ???

Money is definitely not the only thing that we are after in our lives, but the fact still remain true that we do need extra money to afford good living and the lifestyle that we want and long to have !

Why do I have this mix feeling on saving & spending ??? And why do I have to concern so much about spending at this age ?

?????????????

After working this evening, Ah Don and I decided to to grasp some Yogurt and milk for our breakfast tomorrow.at Walmart superstore..... it was supposed to be a quick jump to the store to spend less than $10.00 but we ended up paying $83.00 at check-out with some other stuff that were not intended !! This happened to us regularly !! So am I a still a smart /wise shopper ???

The following articles that I just read online give me the answer ::::::::;

Top 5 Painless Ways to Cut Your Spending

Cutting your spending doesn't have to mean lots of sacrifice. Try some of these painless cost-cutters, and watch your spending shrink:

1. Switch to Store Brands ....... ( Me : still have preference on certain brands )

Name brand products are good, but store brand products are often just as good (if not identical). Make the switch to the bargain labels, and you'll shave 25-50 percent off of your weekly grocery bill. With more and more grocery chains launching their own line of organics and other premium products, there's never been an easier time to switch.

2. Shop with a List................... ( Me : Do not go with any list at all !)

Ever gone to the store for a few items and come out with a whole cartload? Who hasn't? To keep impulse shopping from taking hold of your budget, make a habit of shopping with a list. Jot down everything you need, and then only shop for those items.

3. Carry Snacks.................. ( Me : Not my habit, bring coffee only)

Eating out always costs more than eating at home – whether it's a quick snack from a convenience store, a vending machine or a fast food restaurant. Avoid this cost entirely by keeping snacks on hand at all times. Toss a granola bar and a bottle of water in your purse before running errands; stash some goodies in your desk drawer at work--just be ready for that hunger attack wherever and whenever it decides to strike.

4. Use It Up............. ( Me : This is the worse of me... like to keep stock !)

Whether it's food in your pantry, hobby supplies or beauty care products, you probably have lots of unused or partly used items around your house. Before you run to the store to buy your next "must-have," look around and see if you can find something at home to fill your need. This simple exercise will not only help you to spend less, but also to clear out some of the clutter in your home.

5. Shop to Save .......... (Me : This is the best of me , Like Super Sale!)

Challenge yourself to save more every time you shop. If you normally buy something at regular price, challenge yourself to find it on sale. If you normally buy something on sale, challenge yourself to find it on clearance. When you're always on the lookout for a bargain, there's no end to the money that you can save; and soon it becomes a game that you look forward to playing.

If anyone of you is reading this.... check it out .....cutting spending may be a good thing during this period of uncertainty!!

MY GREEN CARD

I received my new Green Card Yesterday!!!

It took almost a year for the USCIS to issue this approval to "Remove Conditional Basis of Lawful Permanent Residence"

I am excited to be a lawful Permanet Resident in the United States. Before this, I was holding a conditional Green Card for 2 years.

What are the benefits to be a PR ??

Hmmm. let's find out what are there to offer !!!

OH MY CLOCKS

Do you know how many clocks we have to adjust back 1 hour this morning???

Ah Don said.... " Today, we have the big job to do!"

Me : "What's that?"

Ah Don : " We have to adjust all the clocks"

That's really big job!! because we have too many clocks...... Believe it or not !!

Just look at our clocks ; they are my collection since I came here!!"

Am I going to stop buying???

I guess Not!!! because whenever I came across clocks at the garage sale..... I just can't walk away without them once I found theminteresting !......after all they are not too expensive and affordable:::;;;; Not an expensive collection OKay !hahahahahahahaha....

Why do we have to adjust the time today ??

The following is an extract from what I reas this morning for reference:-

Daylight Saving Time in the United States

In the United States Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving Time return to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. During Daylight Saving Time turn your clocks ahead one hour. At the end of Daylight Saving Time turn your clocks back one hour.The names in each time zone change along with Daylight Saving Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and so forth. Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time. In the United States, Under the Uniform Time Act, the Department of Transportation is in charge of time zones in the United States and ensuring that jurisdictions observing Daylight Saving Time begin and end on the same date.On Monday August 8, 2005 President Bush signed into law a broad energy bill that extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks beginning in 2007. Since 1986 the United States had observed Daylight Saving Time from the first Sunday in April through the last Sunday in October. The provisions of the bill call for Daylight Saving Time to begin three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. Read our special section about the extension of Daylight Saving Time.


DST Begins at 2 a.m. DST Ends at 2 a.m.

2007 March 11 to November 4
2008 March 9 to November 2
2009 March 8 to November 1
2010 March 14 to November 7

Daylight-saving time began during World War I in some countries to conserve energy. The idea began in Germany and Britain and was used off and on by the United States into the 1960s, when Congress standardized the start and end dates for states that participated.In 1974, daylight-saving time again was signed into law by President Richard Nixon as a way to conserve power during the energy crisis of that era.

"During the transportation study, we found that daylight-saving time reduces electrical energy uses, it reduces traffic accidents and fatalities, it reduces outdoor crimes and it gives a lifestyle that benefits most people," said Prerau.

"Most people prefer to have the extra hour of daylight."And the reason Americans switch back in the fall is a compromise for those who don't like the daylight-saving time method, he said.