PM's wife Endon Mahmood passed away this morning at 7.55 am after a long fight against breast cancer. Heard this sad news on Hits FM on my way to work. All you women folk out there, do go for your Mammogram checkup, there is no shortcut other than early detection, through self examination, going for regular check ups and follow through treatment if need be. Endon's twin sister also died from the same problem a few years earlier.
MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE AND GIVE STRENGTH TO OUR PRIME MINISTER AND HIS CHILDREN AT THIS TIME OF THEIR GREAT LOSS.

Birthday
Today is my youngest daughter's 14th Birthday. She was born at 10.02pm on the 10.10.1991. What a lot of 10, I should have got the nurse at the time of birth to fix the time of birth to 10.10pm, but in all the excitement of watching a new life coming out into this world, I too forget the time until the nurse told me the time of birth. I liked the name Syandya, which in our language means the time between evening and nightfall. So we named our daughter Syandya.
Syandya is going through her teens when life is just booooooooooooooooring. Being the youngest, she gets bullied by her elder 2 siblings.
Syandya is closest to her cousin Durgga who is 6 days younger than her. Actually Durgga was to have been born earlier than Syandya, but Syandya wanted to see the world first and decided her time was up and came 6 days earlier. When ever they meet over the weekends, the two cannot be seperated. What a whole lot of information is exchanged is anybody's guess.
The cake that my elder 2 children bought for Syandya, carried her name and mine, as mine was earlier on the 5 Oct and I did not get a cake. So we had a double celebration with 1 cake and 2 pizzas for dinner. Syandya was made to cut the pizza saying that we forgot to buy a cake. Later after the pizza was consumed, the cake came out, my son's favourite, American Chocolate cake.

DEEPAVALI - The Festival of Lights

Deepavali is around the corner and we made a bee line to Klang, the famous Little India in Jalan Tengku Kelana to do some shopping.
We (wife, younger daughter and self) arrived at Klang around 11.00am after picking our elder daughter from MU. The place was filled with Deepavali shoppers, cars parked all over, shops overflowing with human traffic, pavements overfilling with sundry goods for sale and music blaring aloud with the latest songs. This has been our 1st time out during the Deepavali season to do shopping; normally we don’t have fixed time to buy apparels. We buy when we need them. This time as we have a few weddings around the corner we thought we will try and catch some of the bargins and also see what happens during days prior to Deepavali.
Parking was a problem, most of the parking lots were taken up by little traders but we finally managed to find a spot beside the Chattier temple. By the way this temple celebrated its Maha Kumba Abigasham on the 8th of September 2005. Apparently they had a helicopter flying overhead during the final prayers showering flowers at the crowd below. One would have thought that the Gods were showering their Blessings.
Having parked and making our way towards the main street, shop attendants were calling out to passerby to take a walk through their shops to view the apparels offered for sale.
Shops were crowded with eager shoppers looking for bargains and the latest trends worn by Bollywood & Kollywood artists.
Around 1.30pm thought that it was a good time to break for lunch, the 10 odd restaurants were filled, we had to stand around and await an empty seat. With a hurried lunch, it was more shopping by my wife and two daughters. I found a quiet spot beside the famous Gayathrie store to take a much needed rest.
Around 4pm, I was summoned by my daughter to bring my credit card as they completed their shopping. Signing the credit slip, I caught glimpse of other shoppers exchanging quiet a lot of money for goods purchased. Thankfully my wife and children did not burn a large hole in my pockets.
Business is so good no wonder Gayathrie Store from a double shop lot have taken over almost 6 shop lots. This is the same for the Madura Stores, the MAP Store and others.
My son finally came around 4.30pm having spent the previous night celebrating the 21st birthday of a college mate. We adjourned to Vasu’s place for tea. Left Klang finally around 7.00pm for home. What a day, shopping is no fun.

Being 54 years young seems a long time in one's life. What did I achieve so far. Well I am still happily married to the one and only girl in my life. We are going through 22 good long years of married life and we have 3 wonderful children that we are proud off.

When I was retrenched from Kumpulan Guthrie end 2003, I had put in 33 years, rising from a junior clerk to that of a Factory Manager. My last posting was at Bedong, Kedah at the Rubber Processing Factory. The excuse they gave for retrenching me was that they could not find a suitable job for me with my experience within the Guthrie Group. What a lot a rubbish, from the HUMAN RESOURCE DEPT, giving this sort of crap answers. Well I thought that it was high time to take a break from the rat race.

My last 1 1/2 years was spent at home enjoying pre-retirement and dabbling a little in KLSE.

Since 5th September 2005, I have again joined the rat race, helping a former colleague in Administrative work, enjoying life and a bit of work.

84th Birthday at TTDI

My Mother’s 84^th Birthday

Mother cannot remember her actual date of birth and that in India where she was born is common. They follow the Indian astrological sign and due to this the actual birthday changes year to year due to slight differences from the normal calendar. This year mother’s birthday fell on the 28^t September and we decided to hold the function on Saturday the 1^s of October at my 3^rsister (Radha) place at TTDI.

My elder sister Prema with her son Murali, my younger sister Bhargavi with her sons Vijay, his wife Suja and daughter Jenanie and Prem, were also there to help celebrate the occasion.

We (Usha, Vishnu, Geetha and Syandya and self) were the only family in full force. Joyce, Radha’s daughter played the gracious host in serving the drinks around. The occasion was a quiet family affair, with dinner served followed by the cake cutting. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMMA.

CARREFOUR
This hypermarket market near my place in Subang Jaya is French Owned.

Today my wife and I had to do some marketing and decided to pop in at the hypermarket. On entering the hypermarket, the theme that strikes you is that Hari Raya is nearing and the message is very clear, come celebrate Hari Raya with shopping at Carrefour.

By the way did Carrefour forget or is this their policy to ignore the feelings of Indians. We the Indians do celebrate Deepavali which falls on the 1st November, followed by Hari Raya on the 3/4 Nov. How come a total disregard towards Indians and their feelings, or should we Indians boycott this hypermarket in future.

October is the 10-month of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

October begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Libra and ends in the sign of Scorpio. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Virgo and ends in the constellation of Libra. The name is from the Greek Word “ octo” for “eight”.

Why am I bringing up this month, when I have not highlighted others months, it possible because I am a Libra and so is my youngest daughter together with a whole lot of relatives to share this happy month.

The month starts with my elder sister’s 1^st born, Vignesh who will turn 20 today. “Happy Birthday Vignesh”..

This is followed by Suresh on the 3^rd (my wife’s sister Sulochana/Balan Nair’s 1st born), then on the 5^th is yours truly, followed by my daughter Syandya on the 10^th, with Avilash, (my wife’s twin brother Mohan/Latchmy’s 1st born on the 11^th, followed by Durgga (1^st born to my wife’s other brother Viswan/Shamala on the 16^th, then its my younger sister, Bhargavi/Prabakaran’s 4^th son, Dinesh on the 26^th, followed finally by my younger sister herself, Bhargavi ending the month with her birthday on the 31^st.

My mother’s birthday is in between Sept/Oct due to her following the Indian calendar. Her birthday this year was on the 28^th of September, her 84^th Birthday, which we plan celebrate today with Vignesh at my younger sister Radha’s place at Taman Tun. Menu is POT LUCK . I hope to be lucky, as my tummy is empty.

So my advice to all my nephews, niece & daughter - "Live a good life and Life will take care of you" as PCK says don't "PLAY PLAY".