Boyd Schidt

My brothers and sister just left for campus after spending the weekend at home. My brothers will be going back to their apartment in Cyberia and my sister just next door on campus in MMU. Luckily all of them study in the same area, Nasha and Abang in MMU while Adik is in Lim Kok Wing.

It was like only yesterday when all of us used to be at home after school and mum would cook meals for 6. These days it’s only a serving for 3 or when i’m not back for dinner..it’ll just be for two.

Since they’ve entered university.. I only see them during the weekends or when they’re back for the semester break. It’s nice to have them around..after dinner we’d all hang around the table..drink tea..talk..then drink some more tea and talk. We’d move to the study room right after and talk some more..haha. Now that we’re all in our 20s we really have a lot to share.

Now I know why they used to look forward to me coming home during the weekends back then when I was an undergraduate..cos right after I said bye to them just now..I started to miss them. Luckily for me they’re not studying overseas.

Wonder what it’ll be like when we have our own families…bet we’ll still be close…in fact even closer…cos even today when Nasha is 20, the twins are 23 and i’ll be turning 26..all of us still jump on to my parents bed and watch tv together (it’s a pretty big bed ;p).

Tonight i’ll be having dinner with my parents..we’ll have tea.. talk..tea and talk some more..but there’ll be 3 empty seats at the dinner table. I am looking forward to next week when those seats will be filled again.

I was scheduled to volunteer and help save seahorses in Johor last Friday but because I was in Beijing on business I had to reschedule. Any of you guys interested to volunteer do let me know.

It’ll be fulfilling- to do something for the other living creatures for a change. Basically we’ll help tag the seahorses to monitor movements and contribute to their conservation. It’s only for an hour cos you can only do it when the tide is low.

On a different note- because I couldn’t help the seahorses last week, and I feel awful- I’m posting this up-something I got from a friend that I think must be shared with as many people as possible.

I used to love eating shark’s fin soup, until I watched a documentary on Discovery channel-unraveling the inhumane process that takes place before the soup arrives on our tables. Since then I’ve stopped eating them. Take a minute and check out this link and be sure to catch the doc www.sharkwater.com

And once you’re done make a stop at this website too http://www.kfccruelty.com/ This is especially for you KFC die hard fans. Was watching a PETA rep being interviewed on Bloomberg a few days ago and there were some clips on chickens being abused on farms that supply meat to KFC.

They inject stuff into the chickens to make them fat and big, they become so heavy that their legs break because of the weight, then the chickens are thrown into scalding hot water while they’re still conscious!

It’s very very appalling and sad. This is only the tip of the iceberg, it’s extremely sickening how cruel humans can get.

The force of capitalism and surge of mass production for profit is taking a toll on the ones that can’t speak and fight for their rights to be treated humanely. Can you eat them? Sure.I’m not about to propagate going Veg but if you choose to do so then by all means. If you want to consume them-do, but be humane with the way you treat them.

The Islamic way of slaughtering animals puts the highest priority on making it as painless as possible. But it’s not about whether you ‘re a Muslim or a Taoist. It’s all about plain conscience and ethics.

I still have a lot of changes to make with my lifestyle to be more eco-friendly but I’m getting there (I hope). We take in so much from nature.. it scares me to ask how much do we actually give back?

The headline that caught my attention this week:

The FP’s estimate that a person needs about 1.4 to 2.8 million to retire comfortably at 55.

Well well isn’t that a big number. Of course to the HNW (High Net Worth) individuals this is a meager sum. But to the majority of the populous the FP’S have a valid projection- with inflation, higher cost of medical care, and if you’ve got kids- then education, and the other miscellaneous expenses can add up to quite a lot.

One of the FP’s projected that in 2026 RM1.4 million is RM639,000 today..anyone ok with less purchasing power?

You can’t just count on your EPF. Cos if you retire at 55 with say RM500,000 in your EPF- minus the mortgages, expenses- and another say 20 years to live will RM500,000 be enough? So the FP’s advice is good financial planning- you don’t need to hear it from them- my parents taught me bout savings and prudence since I was a kid. Bet your folks did too. How much of that which I put to practice well that’s a different story. wink

But I can be proud that I have “forced savings”-monthly deductions from my salary to a savings account (pat pat on the back hihi).

It’s the only way I can save- I can’t trust myself to go to the bank and debit an amount every month- I’d get tempted and highly likely will end up just spending it all! So force save la.

And I do have my eyes and thoughts on doing something on my own- the appeal of autonomy and owning a business is just very appealing- so watch that space.

The need to live comfortably or maintain the lifestyle you have now (especially if it’s one of extreme comfort) would be the preference of majority of people.

There’s this subtle stereotyping that people who seek material wealth are stamped as materialistic- I think that’s silly. Though of course if you are at the extreme of loving money and living for it then yes you are MATERIALISTIC.

But while I believe that money isn’t everything I admit that it is a means to a lot of things. So for me the best diet for my purse is to save some + splurge some. After all it is about finding the perfect balance. 

All of us still remember when in…

1990s

1. Each of us held such loyalty to our houses (Hidup Shirtliffe!)

2. All of us sang with beaming pride the BBGS 100 years song

3. We all wanted our pinafore skirts to be short

4. The times during assembly when we’d sing the One man went to…pet Pomeranian pup..bottle of pop” tune..haha

5. Aspa showed us her many wonderful designs and doodles.

Febuary 2007

1. Each of us recall the blast we had on Aspa’s hen night

2. The lurvely cupcakes!

3. Our cosy suite!

4. The “fahbulous” manicure Zoey gave..luv ya Zoey!
5. Our attention grabbing hen-night badges -yeay
6. The 357 times “Aspa is celebrating her hen night tonight” shoutout
7. Aspa’s choice of a bed at the end of the night.

8. And of course nina’s “wet” episode. Hihi

10 March 2007

1. We remembered how beautiful Aspa looked that night

2. The joy on Azza’s face to have such a wonderful gal for a wife.

3. The kelam kabut- Naddy brings mug into jeep for everyone to drink, Naddy was late cos she thought we were leaving at 8:15.

4. The face painting sessions/touch ups at the bride’s suite

5. The Swan skit…aww soo sweet.

6. Our havoc photo session on the pelamin

7. Elsie’s 07.07.2007 expiry

8. The tear-into-the-wedding-presents time back in the suite

9. And…the happy couple’s face throughout the night.

The items are endless actually.

I know there’ll be many more of this type of posts..celebrating the union of friends. It’s an occasion that one treasures. We knew each other when we were budak sekolah, now as young ladies, soon wives..and hopefully we’ll still wreck havoc as mummies and grannies!

Huge hug and congrats to our lovely Aspa and Azza.

Bak kata orang tua…

“Semoga bahagia ke akhir hayat”

So whos’ next?

A teaser – Aspa this is to give u taste of what went on behind the scenes…haha

The subject came up when we were feeding ourselves with club sandwiches, dim sum and yong tau foo at Hartamas. Aspa had just passed around her creatively designed wedding invite – in black and gold, so not typical like other invites – well the bride doesn’t fall under the typical category either..right Aspa babe!

immersed in the discussion

And the two words popped “hen night”! I believe it was ms elsie who brought it up. We immediately made mental notes of our gurlfren duty and stopped any possibility of discussing the subject there-cos tak boleh la, the bride was present- we can’t plan her hen night in front of her. That’s sooo wrong.

So a few nights later, we made round calls and messages and called for a meeting: Paddington’s @ the Curve

8:30pm

on Chinese New Year.

Elsie was such a darl- she printed out item sheets for all of us (with action columns ;p) so that our discussion don’t go off tangent. We stiil did go off tangent hihi There were lot of items on the sheet, venue, F&B, theme, entertainment,guests lists.

entertainment p.i.c. and our auditor

We initially started off with wanting to invite a number of people but decided that it’d be more cosy and more efficiently-fun to just do an “us-us” party. Contrary to popular belief, too many people can spoil the fun.

At the end of the night after some blinis, coffee, juice blends we went home each with our designated “to-dos”. Item sheets got scribbled on, theme decided. We were set to go. What ensued was a week of email ding dongs and final touches on a hen night for ms Aspa.

To be continued in my next post…

I have a another post that I owe my blog- but I have to post this first.

My Kuc  was on TV this morning and I missed it cos I was stuck in a #!@# traffic jam!! Boohooooo

When almost everyone else was cuddling with their respective partners- us girls were laughing our heads off at our crazy jokes and building the excitement over the much awaited secret santa gift swapping session.

Yes, the Prada Cupcakes met again in Izzi’s ths time around on V-Day!

We decided to spice things up with Sec Santa too- was difficult shopping for something nice with a budget rule of more than 15 bucks and less than 20- but well enough everyone got really sweet, thoughtful gifts! I got a pair of cherry printed boxers from elda - just the right length and size (veryy comfy)plus a card as well-good enuf to be a wedding invite hihi…thank u so much babe..muax! (eh u got the inspirasi from my cherries on the benh pic is it …haha).

Our  pizza arrived late- you should’ve seen us ladies fussing over those complex carbohydrates- but we were well compensated. We could tell that our waiter felt bad- a few minutes later i saw him carrying 5 beautiful scoops of ice cream in ice cream bowls and I immediately guessed that it was for us and I was right so thoughtful of the guy- ya la must k since we waited for an hour for the pizza!

Wan couldn’t make it..boohoo:( We have to do something with her boss- she’s working round the clock- haih! s’ok babe- you’ll surely get one fat bonus. So poor Aspa didnt get her Santa gift cos by weird coincidence, Aspa was wan’s sec santa and wan was hers..haha.

After dinner we walked down our memory lane..the famous Bintang Walk where we used to walk in our uniforms, our school the lovely BBGS was right in front of Star Hill, for ths of you who dont know (shame on you hihi). It was fun, cos we used to walk while giggling and laughing, and that nite we still did just much louder ;p.

We headed to Lecka Lecka for some latte, Fantastico and other liquid treats. So ramai orang-ya la V-Day,love was in the air-with some couples stenching the air with their over PDA and some couples who looked so sweet like a match made in heaven.

Just before we headed home, we went to the ladies in Star Hill and I had wanted a heart-shaped balloon the whole night- but didnt get one plus Aspa had ballonaphobia-kesian nanti my gurlfren, but i culdnt resist it when Zuien found a lost ballon in Star Hill and grabbed it- I just couldnt say no. Aspa had to walk jauh from me- sorry babe :p

But at the end of the night, while waiting fr the jockey to get us our cars- we all held on to that one small balloon, made especially for that one special day- and decided to make our wishes and so we did. Just as that moment passed- we let it go, floating into the air-as if it was sending a wish-mail to God (hope our wishes are granted). It was a Hallmark moment for all of us, and it’s something i’ll treasure always.

That night reminded me of how we should be thankful for what we have.

Just celebrate the love u had

the love you lost

gave up but 

most importantly the love you have and will always have.

We were an hour late both NIgs and I. Thank God we were meeting up with the lovely ladies in Hartamas-5 minutes from where we work. i was absolutely nervous + excited to meet up with my BBGS mates yang I have not met for 10 years, yes 10!

When I met them..the first thing that struck me was how much I missed them all..and their faces..well..it has to be the BBGS magic, they’ve not aged and all of them look so youthful and each had such style..aahh yes can always count on a BBGSian to look good..right girls :p

There were so many things to catch up on, I’ve not heard anyone mention Maclay or Green House in a while..hidup Shirtliffe for me!(BBGS talk), choral speaking (Matilda should’ve won!) then of course the who’s who talk. Aspa will be a wi-fe soon. Elda’s car got hijacked and she’s a full flung interior designer now-nice. Ms Wan-such transformation..so full bloom now but her humor,lawak and energy still the same, Zuien will be like a Prada cupcake..if they decided to sell them…wait actually all of them/us are like Prada cupcakes…yes memuji diri sendiri..haha. Fasha used to work with KRU..and I didnt know that..and Elda in Nona…haih i’ve been missing sooo much!

We’re meeting up again soon and I’m looking forward to it. Ten years is a lot to make up for. These peeps were around me during those years that was so care-free and we cared about St John Boys! *wink*

We’ve all matured but one thing remains the same, friends will always have that zesty energy between them, and even though they’ve not met for long..it only takes the smile at first sight to bring us back to those lovely days and feel that bear warmth all around

To many more years ladies!

Happy Belated Birthday Bob Marley.

These days listening to his songs reminds me of the Reggae Club in Langkawi,its just a small hut by the beach, open air sitting for the guests :p (the part i like best) and of course the absolutely hebat band.

I can still recall the feeling of my feet on the sand,the waves hitting shore right behind us and sitting down listening to the guy with the extremely long dreadlocks serenading us with Get up Stand Up,Is this Love, Black Magic Woman,911, Creep.Siap with our pineapple juices and grilled sotong haha-good times!

Have to go there soon.

Kuc I miss singing along to the Redemption song while in the car with you…"oo pirates yes they rob I.." We’ll belch that out the next time ya.

Spread the love people.

The perfect gift  for that perfect someone from Carnaby Street.