A WOMAN AND A FORK

29th,April,2010

Thursday

7P.m

Dear Friends,

Good Evening!

Yesterday we had the first heavy showers!I was on my way visiting my friend.She was my neighbour and before I leave for Thrissur I meet my relatives and friends.Thunder and lightening started accompanied by heavy down pour!Wow!The maddening smell of mud!The raindrops falling on the leaves and white flowers!I was enjoying the rain!It was fun sipping hot tea and having jackfruit ada and chakka varatiiyathu![the sweet made from jackfruit].There was power failure but nature was so generous with cool,cool breeze.

Today,Iwant to share a mail with all of you!I found it really impressive and inspiring and so thought of sharing with you.

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.
So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain
aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like to read and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.Everything was in order and thePastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.''There is one more thing,''she said excitedly.'What's that''?came the Pastor's reply.'This is very important'the young woman continued.'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand''.The Pastor stood looking at the young woman not knowing quite what to say.''That surprises you,doesn't it''?the young woman asked.''Well to be honest,I'm puzzled by the request''said the Pastor. The young woman explained.''My grandmother once told me this story,and from that time on I have always tried to pass along this message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners,I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared someone would inevitably lean over and say,''Keep your fork''.It was my favourite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate
cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket
with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork ..the
best is yet to come.' The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would
be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven
than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience
and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming. At tAt the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question,
'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled. During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had
with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the
people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it
either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share .....
Being friends with someone is not just an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility.
they do remember,
every time they pick up a fork.!
And just always remember.....keep your fork! The Best Is Yet To Come!

Let us always live with this beautiful thought!It makes us dream higher,makes us realise sky is the limit!

When depressing thoughts seem to get you down,put a smile across your face and Thank GOD-you are still alive and still around!

It's Anu signing off...............

I am leaving for my summer holidays to Thrissur-the land of temples and elephants.The life style is going to change with the time table of Amma and Nanda!You will get to know!:)

Be kind and good to people around,

Wishing you a wonderful and peaceful night,

Reminding Anu loves you dilse,

Will be getting back to you through posts:)[from thrissur]

Good night and sound sleep!Sweet dreams too!

Sasneham,

Anu

Is AirAsia behaving like a spolit child?

People like me support AirAsia when it started out to give us lower fares for the long-protected Singapore-KL route several years ago.
Fares that once cost S$400 or RM800 return, have now been halved - if one were to book about 2weeks before the actual journeys.
I wrote about this a couple'a weeks back here.

Since then we have Jetstar (Qantas) and Tiger (SIA) from Singapore, and Firefly (MAS) from Malaysia also offering lower costs flights Sing-KL.
All well and good.

But today, look! AirAsia is again playing the role of the spoilt child.
It seems to be pushing people around to get what it wants.
It got badly bruised for the ill-conceived (let me just call it stupid and egoistic) plan to build an airport to actually rival KLIA, at Labu in Negeri Sembilan.
All in the name of competition, lowering costs for users etc.

I called it Airport Labu Labi. Hahaha. Kerja bodoh nak menjahamkan negara sendiri dengan menggunakan nama rakyat.
Everybody condemned it, including Dr M. And myself, egs here, here and here.
They got hit on the nose and go-stan.


And we of course remember that AirAsia at one time agreed to fly rural routes in Sabah and Sarawak, but suddenly - less than a year after doing so - passed these back to MAS after finding them not profitable.
Not unexpectedly, someone in government quickly approved it (during Pak Lah's time). See how AirAsia nicely explained it all away - the money-losing routes, taxpayers please take over.
"On 26 April 2007, the government has announced for Malaysia Airlines to take over the operation of rural air services from FAX and gave assurance that any loss will be borne by government."

I was shocked. But like every other shocking issue in Malaysia, everyone moves on quickly. Semua orang mudah lupa.


NOW, they are at it again.
I have been watching closely AirAsia X's push to muscle into MAS's territory.
Two weeks ago, when PM Najib Razak was away in Washington, suddenly AirAsia seemed to have leaked news that it has received go-ahead to fly KL-Seoul.
Eh, tak ada government announcement pun!

If you read the news reports here and here, there was not a single government official talking. Just like magic: Hey, we've got it, thank you people.
X's argument: If we didn't get Seoul and Sydney, we will be screwed because we are buying big air planes already. To me, it is obviously a bad idea to plan big when you wanna screw other people who might not like to be screwed and would fight back, like the incumbent national airline MAS.

X is saying it MUST HAVE Seoul and Sydney routes because the planes have been ordered. So please everybody, kowtow to them and say Yes.
Ini bukan zaman PakLah, when you have special ears to get things done your way.

AirAsia and its international sister AirAsia X are very good at playing this media game and using the rakyat's name to get what they wanted.
I apologise for being blunt.
Today, X's boss gave an interview to Insider to - again, using the rakyat's name and competition - get the Sydney route. See here.

Ong Tee Keat (half-out-the-door) Transport Minister, chided X and its elder sister.
Why?
Tee Keat didn't say it clearly. So let me tell you Singapore's experience.



IMPORTANT FOR MALAYSIAN TAXPAYERS


Singapore has only one national airline, SIA.
It controls SilkAir and has a stake in Tiger (34.4 per cent)

But you don't find the smaller sisters killing the elder sibling by asking to fly into the same routes.
SIA's brand is to fly into the capitals and big cities.
The rest do the other routes.
If you want to come in, open up other routes, brader.
If big sis already flies to Seoul, you ask to fly to Busan or other cities in Korea.
If big sis got routes to Sydney and Perth, you ask to fly other routes in Australia lah.

When Tiger and SilkAir fly into KL and Penang, SIA has to scale back - due to the nature of the limited awarding of landing rights. But these are no more the main routes for SIA, anyway.
If you ask a country for a certain number of landing rights a week, you got to reciprocate with a certain number for them to fly into your country.
The rights are not an infinite number.
Everybody knows SIA as the national airline of Singapore.

X now seems to want to be the SECOND national airline for Malaysia.
This will erode MAS's standing as the national airline and weaken its brand, I feel.
Does a small country like Malaysia need a second national airline that is controlled by private shareholders (not taxpayers)?
Unlike MAS, AirAsia and X profits will go to its shareholders' pockets only.
MAS, owned by government through Khazanah Nasional, will make profit for taxpayers. You and I.

X's argument is valid: Fares will become cheaper for the rakyat!
The part it did NOT say is this: MAS is a national carrier, still majority-owned by the government, ie taxpayers.
If say 10,000 people fly that route, say Sydney, a week, that is MAS's profit.  Taxpayers untung besar.
But if X goes into the same route, and lower costs, it might get a few thousand more people to fly, but it will also eat deeply into MAS profits and passengers.

Open competition is good, but as Tee Keat alludes, you got to protect your national interest in certain areas, not the interest of private shareholders.

Just like the Labu Labi idea. National interest should come first.

LET's put it another way: Petronas carries the Malaysian flag in the energy market globally, when it comes to drilling and branding overseas.
But even if other local champions, eg Petra or Crest, want to muscle in by bidding for oilfields overseas, that is not so bad.
And then we have banking, where, for example, Maybank and CIMB both have banking units in Singapore and in Indonesia.

But the airline business is a different kettle of fish.
Landing rights given by one country to another are limited.
Petronas and Crest might both come into a country and open up its businesses without much restrictions (especially in a market-driven place like Singapore).
And Maybank and CIMB can both have Indonesian bank stakes because there is no limit to their presence (subject to some Bank Indonesia rules), unlike the dishing out of landing rights.


IN POLITICAL TERMS

Whether you are from BN or Pakatan, everyone wants to see healthy finances from the national airline. MAS went through a bad patch for long years and now has been on the mend.
Whether BN remains in power or Pakatan takes over in 2013, or a mixed equation of any sort, surely no one wants a financially-bleeding government-controlled company at a time when the budget deficit is already so high.


Finally, do not think for one moment that I have become an AirAsia hater and a MAS lover. Readers of this blog might remember that I basuh MAS cukup-cukup just months ago for running a poor service out of India.
And believe me, without Tony Fernandes, MAS would be fully asleep and comfy in its Sing-KL routes.
Hail to AA, X and Tony.

But I feel there is something that is not quite right here.
Well, I can still change my mind! So, tell me.

Attack of the Pollen Monster

Gentle Reader

I'm afraid Madge is down for the count this week.  The pollen has been relentless.  She is resting and hoping to be back in the saddle soon.  No need for medical advice, believe you me she's tried it all and soon she's going to get some real help.  It's spring in the Northeast Corridor and even folks who don't usually have problems are miserable.

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

Snork.

xoxo
Madge's Personal Assistant
Okay...really Madge

We Are Off To Arlington Cemetery ...

Buttercup - Buttercup Counts Her Blessings, Marydon - Blushing Rose, and myself went off to the Arlington Cemetery for our Sunday tour. Buttercup came down from New York for the Saturday tea party. I was so thrilled to meet the beautiful lady behind the blog. She is absolutely gorgeous in person and a walking book of knowledge. I so enjoyed my visit with her. Like any visit, there is never enough time. If you haven't visited Buttercup, please pop over and say hi.  You will be so blessed believe me. After visiting my post, click on Marydon's link and go see another piece of our trip we shared together. We thought it would be fun for you all to blog hop back and forth. And we are off.

Now Mr. Country Wings gave me specific instructions to go and see Audie Murphy's burial place. He was the most decorated American soldier in World War II, and one of Mr. Country Wings favorite western actors. So, here I am DH, just for you.

One of the beautiful gardens we passed along the tour.

I was so honored to be able to stand and watch the changing of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was one of the most moving moments I have ever been privledged to observe. I couldn't wipe the tears fast enough. It tugged at my heart.

Here Buttercup and I stand in front of the tomb. It is such an awesome site.

Just me and my shadow.

Here I am at the eternal flame of President John F. Kennedy. It was put out one time by accident when a Catholic school group doused it with Holy water. A quick thinking guard quickly relit the flame with a lighter. The current flame burns in the center of a 5-foot circle of granite at the head of the grave. If it is ever extinguished, a flashing electric spark near the tip of the nozzle relights it instantly. And occasionally, the flame is shut off for maintenance.

Look at the beautiful scene behind me. You can see everything from this hillside. I found it to be quite breathtaking. Marydon and Harold, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful piece of history with me. I couldn't have asked for better guides than the two of you. You are the BEST.



As always, thank you for stopping by my little piece of heaven here in the desert, that I so love to call home. Don't forget to go and visit Marydon at Blushing Rose and see another piece of our time together. Memories to last a lifetime. Country hugs,

Kontroversi besar di dua pulau Indonesia

1) BATAM

Minggu lalu, saya terkejut apabila terbaca News Flash ada protes dan riot/pergaduhan besar di pulau Batam di Indonesia. Menjadi berita besar dalam akhbar saya.
Kerja saya monitor berita Tenggara Asia dan Asia Selatan (India,Pakistan,Afghanistan.SriLanka), jadi jika ada apa-apa berlaku kami di Foreign Desk cepat dapat tahu agar dapat muatkan dalam akhbar.

Batam ialah pulau yang sangat popular di kalangan warga Singapore. Hanya kira-kira satu jam naik feri - 20km di selatan - ia terletak di kepulauan Riau.
Rakyat Temasek yang gemar sun, beach and sea selalu ke sana. Banyak hotel-hotel yang murah.
Untuk pak jantan pula, mereka berholiday di sana dengan niat lain.
Dan industri-industri yang mahukan tanah dan gaji pekerja murah, mereka membuka kilang besar di sana, termasuk banyak syarikat dari Singapore.

Ini bermakna Batam menjadi competitor kepada Johor - di Johor ada tanah murah dan pekerja bergaji rendah, dan ada Desaru, tapi di Batam lebih murah lagi gaji pekerja, sewa tanah kilang dan harga bilik hotel. Makan seafood pun murah.
Ini kata orang, saya sendiri jejak di Batam sekali saja - mungkin 20 tahun lalu - kerana nak melawat pulau lain, nak tukar bot. Tak masuk Batam pun, hanya di feri terminal.
Masa tu adik saya nak kahwin dengan minah di sebuah pulau tak jauh dari Batam. Namanya Pulau Mongkol (betul Tok Sakmongkol, bukan saya buat lawak! Tak percaya Google 'Pulau Mongkol Riau'). Sekarang adik ipar saya tu dah jadi warga Singapore, anak dua.

Begitu ramai warga Temasek ke Batam sehingga matawang di sana - malah di banyak pulau-pulau di Riau - bukan rupiah, tetapi Singdollar.
Mereka tak suka nonton TVRI tetapi Mediacorp Singapore (samalah orang Johor ketepikan RTM dan TV3, nonton Mediacorp dan Channel News Asia).

Dan beberapa buah pulau dekat Batam menjadi tumpuan ramai warga Kota Singa.
Singapore sama saiz dengan Perlis. Tapi Perlis ada 450,000 penduduk, Singapore ada hampir 5 juta, jadi orang rimas apabila hujung minggu ramai calibut ke JB atau Batam.
Ada lagi pulau-pulau dekat Batam yang popular dengan Singaporeans kerana banyak resort tepi laut- Bintan dan Karimun. Saya pun tak pernah sampai, sebab lebih suka ke Langkawi, Penang atau Melaka. Nak makan seafood ke pasar tani Pasar Melawati di UK, Ulu Kelang.
(Hidup Malaysia!)

Jadi apabila saya terbaca sebuah limbungan kapal telah dibakar dan pergaduhan besar berlaku di Batam, dan 21 buah kereta dibakar, saya amat terkejut.
Polis terpaksa intervene dengan senapang dan riot gear menyelamatkan para pekerja India dan yang bukan Indonesia.
Apa yang berlaku ialah seorang supervisor di limbungan itu, seorang warga India, katanya menegur seorang buruh Indonesia dengan berkata warga Indonesia 'semua bodoh'.
Waduh Pak. Cari maut itu.
Dia kena bantai, mereka membakar dan terbalikkan 21 kereta, dan membakar warehouse serta membongkar pejabat.

Ceritanya dan gambar di sini, sini dan sini.

Pemerintah Singapore pun khuatir sebab banyak industrinya terletak di pulau itu - Batam saiznya sama besar dengan Singapore.
Mujur isu ini dah reda, limbungan (shipyard) dah dibuka semula.



2) BALI

Kini ada kontroversi baru.
Juga melibatkan pulau peranginan, Singapore dan orang India.

Seorang filmaker warga Singapore berbangsa India bikin filem 'Cowboys In Paradise'.
Filem belum ditunjuk pun, tapi gazeknya ada kat Youtube, jadi orang Indonesia dah nonton, lalu mengamuk.
Ia menceritakan gaya hidup gigolo di pantai Bali.
Gazek di sini (tak perlu khuatir, tak lucah).

Sedangkan isu ini bukan isu baru.
Terkejut dan rasa malu, pemerintah Indonesia terpaksa tangkap golongan lelaki di pantai Bali ini.
Lagi orang marah!
Cerita Cowboys in Paradise tu di sini, sini dan sini.

Ini macam filem Malaysia 'Remp-it'. Benda tak seberapa, tapi jadi mainan media, maka filem pun laris.

Kalau gitu, saya pun nak bikin movielah, agar cepat kaya.

Nama movie ialah 'Saya pun Kuda Melayu'.
Cerita tentang kisah dua ekor kuda - seekor bernama 'Hulu Selangor' dan seekor lagi 'Sore Loser'. Kahkahkah.
Cukuplah tu, nanti orang kata saya penyokong BN pulak.
Pada saya kalau dah kalah tu buat bertenang, brader.
BN kalah nipis di Manek Urai, tak sibuk pun ejek-ejek pemenangnya.
Mereka terima.
Pandang ke depan - untuk Pakatan, kenapa pengundi Melayu lari.
Untuk BN - jangan happy sangat. Lebih kurang 20 peratus saja Cina yang sokong kamu. Dan 54 peratus India.


Selamat malam.

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Sparkle and Shimmy Earrings

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Sparkle and Shimmy Earrings
Margot Potter for ILoveToCreate
“Mom crafted, kid approved.”

Avalon just got her ears pierced this year, so it will be a while before she can wear anything that swings and dangles.  Still she’s been observing my jewelry box with a glint in her eye. Teens love bold jewelry and these earrings fit the bill.

These feature the new Katiedids™ components my friend Katie Hacker created for Beadalon. They have empty chambers that can be filled with a variety of items. I don’t know why I thought wired tinsel when I saw these, but Aleene’s Platinum Bond Glass and Bead adhesive made quick work of this project. You can whip these puppies up in twenty minutes or less, which is the perfect project if you’re an impatient crafter like me! Try filling the chamber with fibers, crystal chain, regular chain, gemstone chips...just be sure you thread the head pin through so you can turn them into fun jewelry components.

Materials
Aleene’s Platinum Bond Glass and Bead Adhesive
4 Katiedids™ 1” open center circles
2 10mm black faux pearls
2 10mm acid green moonglow Lucite rounds
Wire sparkly tinsel
2 silver plated or sterling ear wires
4 thin gauge silver plated or sterling head pins

Tools
Wire cutters
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers

1. Cut tinsel to fit half of chamber. Repeat four times.

2. Thread the wire through the holes in the edge of the components and the center bead and back through.
For the green beads, you need to leave equal amounts of wire exposed on both sides, for the black beads bring the head pin flush to the bottom of the component.

3. Place a thread of glue into one of the components. Gently place tinsel into glue, compressing into chamber on either side of center head pin, repeat with second piece of tinsel. Repeat for all four components. Allow glue to dry.

4. Use round nose pliers to create loops at the top and bottom of both green bead components. Bend wire flush to component at a 90 degree angle, grasp wire end with round nose pliers and form a loop. Cut off excess wire with wire cutters.

5. Use round nose pliers to create wrapped loops at the top of the two pearl components. See my YouTube Channel for a video on how to do this.

6. Attach pearl components to the bottom of each green component. Attach the ear wires. Adjust loops so earrings hang properly.

We Spent A Day In Amish Country...

Marydon and I took off early each day. After a wonderful breakfast, this particular morning, we headed off to PA. and into Amish country. I had never seen any Amish people before, and they are quite lovely. I loved the childrens' faces. They were so enjoying this particular afternoon. These two were on their way to a corner grocery store. They stopped to look for cars before moving onward. Isn't the little boys face just precious?

And off they go...

This was a scene at the corner grocery.

They would pull right up, tie up their horse to the hitching post,

and then head on inside the store. I thanked this Amish gentleman kindly for allowing me to photograph him. He looked at me, and went inside the store.

Look at the beautiful horse. I love the sound of the clop, clop on the roads as they passed by. I could tell they were quite used to curious onlookers as they passed by. The sound will be forever etched in my heart. I fell in love with this countryside.

This particular gentleman was scooting along the sidewalk.

When we got up beside him, we noticed he had a baby in his basket. If you look closely you can see the whisps of hair on the baby's little head. It was precious.

Marydon and I were headed down another road, I looked to my right, and this gentleman was plowing his field with a 6 mule team. The wind was blowing, I could hear the clank of the mules harnesses as they were moving along the field plowing. Clank clank, clank clank.

They got to the end of the field, he gracefully turned the team with the plow and headed back down to plow another row. Is this not the most beautiful scene ever?

Clop clop, clop clop, here comes another carriage. This particular one was driven by a woman.

And ofcourse a day could not be complete without several loads of laundry. I loved this picture.



I hope you have enjoyed your tour of the Amish countryside. I have over 700 pictures to share off and on. Stay tuned for my next tour. So much to share.



As always, thank you for stopping by my little piece of heaven, here in the desert, that I so love to call home. Country hugs and love...