ninotaziz's Blog, page 16

Kittens : From porch to pot

Exactly a week ago, Ilena and I were on our own at home. Rudy was in Kelantan with Ikesha, Inas and Irani, at Grandma's and Iman at college. I was making Ilena her favorite dessert, bubur jagung when she came over and whispered, "Don't look Mak. Sasha is having her baby."

"Where is she?" I asked, slightly panicky. "In her basket,"said Ilena, quite coolly.

Now Sasha had refused for weeks to get into that basket I prepared for her pending kittens. I took a peek and there she was, spreadeagled in the basket, looking bewildered. She was a first time Mom and obviously did not know what to expect.

Half way through the first kitten, she ran out of the house, hid under the misai kucing bush and proceeded to the porch. I was so afraid she would run out the gate. I called out to her and she hesitated. She stopped by the car. I went closer and held her (gingerly...her kitten was dangling out, I was terrified), finally she agreed to lie down. Soon kitten no 1 was born.

I stood up to get her basket. and she stood up too. I could see she did not want me to move so I stayed with her. Sat on the floor for an hour. Stroked her neck and generally calmed her down again. Her eyes glazed then, kitten no 2 popped out. This time Sasha knew exactly what to do, stayed still and relaxed.

I could see she was more at ease so I quickly went inside to get the basket and some clean rags. After a while I transferred Sasha and the two kittens into the basket and put them all under my writing desk.



Ilena was so happy. She said, "Today is the happiest day of my life Mak. Just the two of us and Sasha gave birth. It is so special!" It was a special day. Ilena and I actually had mandi serum that morning. Followed by me making spaghetti and bubur jagung just for her. She was really content.
I was worried about Sasha, she was too young to be a mother. I was afraid she would abandon the kittens so I took care not to touch any of them. She was exemplary. The whole night she did not leave the basket and in the morning, when I woke up, she looked terribly thin and parched. I gave her water and her cat food. She went back directly to her babies. Lo and behold, by morning, there were four of them!

The next day, I switched on the fan. The minute the light breeze hit the kittens, they started meowing away. I immediately switched off the fan. Sasha gave me a stare and picked up one kitten, surveying the room. Finally she went into this flower pot. I sighed, removed my beautiful plant and there the kittens have been for the last six days. I hope she doesn't move them anymore.
Oh, they are adorable. A good thing Ikesha was away the first three days. Now every morning, it is difficult to tear her away from the pot to get ready for kindergarten!
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No, Crookshanks has not been allowed in the house for long periods. Poor Crookshanks, he is really the gentlest of cats but we are too scared to take the chance. Sasha and Crookshanks will be spayed soon so this should be a one time experience.
A most beautiful experience, i must say.
Alhamdulillah.

Guest Writer : Stafford Ray

I would like to introduce my special guest writer and good friend, Stafford Ray from Sydney, Australia. With his permission, I have reproduced his excellent article, In The Loop which subject matter is, to me, of great interest to all of us.

When I was a little girl living in Tasmania, my Mum's landlord and foster mother, Mrs Ruth Bowling often took care of me. Her logic was crystal clear. And her wit, simply marvelous.

How wonderful now that I have met Stafford on-line. Stafford reminds me of my Mrs Bowling. An amazing writer, Stafford puts thoughts into delicious chunks of concepts that all of us can understand. He cuts into the subject matter with clarity. I wish politicians would stop their rhetoric and read what Stafford has to say.

And borrow his amazing wit at times!

Stafford blogs here.

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In the Loop

I am worried about Jim.

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Jim is in an outer loop of the economy, a very precarious place to be. But first let me explain ‘loops’.

Primary Producers are at the centre where all loops begin. They grow and raise food so they are not working in an expendable industry. My maternal grandfather was a farmer who used horses for everything from hauling logs to powering the sulky that took him and Grandma to town. But that all changed when he bought a tractor. Tractors do not eat grass and do not self propagate, so his purchase started a second line of loops that include tractor manufacturers, whose demand for materials created the next level of loops of miners, oil drillers, refiners, service mechanics, you get the picture.

More tractor manufacturers joined in so dealerships sprang up and new loops were formed that managed sales for manufacturing, a services not directly producing food or an object we can see and feel. But soon the dealer no longer had time to sweep out his showroom so he hired a cleaner and yet another loop was created.

Then the cleaner became so busy he hired Jim’s Pooch Grooming Service and now, every Thursday morning, Deefer gets a wash and a brush, her claws trimmed and anal glands expressed and yet another class of loops was added. We need these loops to create employment as productivity increases and industry continues to automate but we now have more people in outer loops than inner loops and it is these outer loops that are first to go when money gets tight.

Outer Loop jobs depend on our discretionary dollar. They include restaurant staff, tour operators and Jim’s Mowing, the specialist BBQ cleaner and I must not leave out the busty blonde who bursts into the blue-collar work place in her van offering espresso coffee and hot pies to blokes who gather around to admire her legs and torso while spending twenty times the cost of a cut lunch and thermos of coffee.

When the Great Depression peaked in the late 30’s, over half the population here worked on the land so when sons and daughters lost their town jobs they came home where there was a cow to milk, some chooks for eggs, a few fruit trees and a veggie patch so they did not starve and were hale and healthy when the economy recovered.

Now, Agriculture here in Oz employs less than one in forty so where do our sons and daughters go if unemployment hits 30% or worse?

We are facing fundamental and worldwide shifts in energy, environment, population and wealth distribution. We need a survival plan and leaders to explain it and guide us through it.

It seems they are here, but their voices are being drowned out by populists of the Right, who insist the Market (that gave us the 2007 GFC) will fix it and the Left which seems more interested in same sex marriage. Both are aided and abetted by media continuing to direct our attention to which celeb is cheating on whom, obscuring the fact we are in crisis and desperately in need of a global plan and a social contract to deliver it.

That mix of undermined respect for leaders, voyeurism, platitudes, scandal and lies leaves us confused. Confusion leads to anger and so we get Greece. What happened when the Greek Government tried to bite the bullet and balance its budget? Opposition voices condemned the austerity measures so people became confused then angry and then rioted.

Political opportunists are popping up everywhere as they do whenever we are in crisis and some of them are talking war. Should we be surprised? Of course not.

War will drag our attention away from their appalling economic management and the diminishing habitat of the brown breasted miniature whistling duck! To fight each other is in our genes so war it will be and our last chance to address the issues of environment, energy and population will be abandoned.

Are we really that stupid?

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Note: No disrespect is intended towards the many good people who work in service industries, including Jim's franchises. I am really concerned for their futures, as I am for Humanity as a whole.

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More loops from Stafford here http://staffordray.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-loops.html.

My Langkawi

Je me suis réveillé aux baisers et la vue sur la mer. Je savais que ça allait être une journée spéciale.
. woke up to kisses and the view of the sea. I knew it was going to be a special day.

Où est le petit poisson?

Rudy, Girish and Sam together with his wife, Kristie were to join TJ's luncheon on a yacht. But I am not really fond of the sea so I decided to take a walk in Pekan Kuah by myself. And explore. This lovely little divider caught my eye. Little fishes were swimming lazily under the kiambang of my childhood.
I smiled to the sun.
Then I spied a little restaurant with a bookshelf full of German and English books. Intrigued, I entered and discovered an unexpected delight - and a treasure of stories.
This is Azizah, she helps the owner Dee run Domino and is a professional dancer.
While I had a lovely breakfast of pancake and maple syrup, Azizah sat with me and told me the story of Mountain Raya, Mountain Mat Cincang and Gunung Mat Sawar.
And the story of how Telaga Air Hangat, Pekan Kuah and Belanga Pecah got their names.
This is Paul, Dee and me, new found friends of mine in Langkawi.
Dee has worked at Domino for 20 years. When the owner, a German expat, Wolf, passed away,he left Dee a small inheritance and Dee took over the restaurant. He updated the place and for the last one and a half years, Domino has become a renewed novelty in Langkawi.
Try out this lovely lovely eatery, the lamb chop was excellent and the hospitality was charming, warm and genuine.
And if you happen to drop by Domino, have a look at a new book on the shelf called Srikandi by ninotaziz

Hang Tuah's Sorrow

What is my quest for one remains clear
I shall not waver in my cause
If my loyalty is worthy of its master
Even when all is lost, all is not lost

What am I, if not for my Sultan
Who is my Sultan without one so loyal
What is my people without our Sultan
Who is our Sultan without our people

For we are bound by the solemn oath
That of Demang Lebar Daun and Seri Teri Buana
Their fates and ours ever resolved
The new lands to respect the pact forever...’
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Hang Tuah is our legendary hero
a warrior who lived during the Sultanate of Melaka.

During his lifetime, he travelled to China, Mecca and Rome. A skillful diplomat, Hang Tuah knew 12 languages,

and was a master of the silat, having trained under Guru Aria Putra of Melaka
and Sang Persanta Nata of Majapahit.

Today, 500 years later, the debate goes on whether Hang Tuah was a real person.

And yet, his purpose and personality was so strong,
until today he touches the lives of Malaysian like no other.


Copyright © 2012 ninotaziz. All rights reserved.

Taking it slow...

Ikesha thinks my impromptu flower arrangement
from odds and ends in our garden is a great piece of art!


It is time to smell the flowers.

Life has been a mad rush, especially since we had to do without Bik since August 2011.

Work, writing and adjustments to new living arrangements have kept me on my toes. Inas and Irani, both in important exam years have moved to Tok Wan's place in search of better tutors, plus space and mind to study. Iman is studying furiously as her stint at matriculation comes to an end this April - her 4 flat average attest to her focus and determination.

From a household of eight, we have dwindled down to four! How time flies. Hence, it is time to smell the flowers. Flower arrangement, gardening, even cycling with Rudy and the girls in the evening was a lovely get away.

Iman and Inas were home during the Chinese New Year holidays and it was time to have one of our B-B-Qs for the teenagers again - out in the garden. Small crowd, laughter, subtle goodbyes to life as they knew it - as they move on to France, Russia and other near and faraway places to carry on chasing their dreams. Grow up.

As for me, I ponder about life as my babies become young ladies, women of their own mind etc etc etc. Time flies. Fuzana, my lovely editor from Utusan just showed me the final layout for Hikayat before it goes to print. I work on Dragon Lores at a relaxed pace.

I sigh in contentment.




Alhamdulillah.

Happy Chinese New Year fr ninotaziz

Tokoyo

One wintery night
Tokoyo dived into the sea
To challenge Yofune-Nushi

Dagger between her teeth

The monster swam in deep blue
Gleaming in the dark waters
Tokoyo struck the beast true

At its heart, exposed by soft belly

In its death throes, the sea serpent
Rose to the surface
with Tokoyo on its back

Triumphant, she stood

In one stroke, Tokoyo
Saved the island, the emperor
And most certainly her father

The wronged Samurai, Oribe Shima

Released from his imprisonment
The noble one regained his life
- he knew, his daughter’s love freed him

Man's injustice undone by a girl's courage

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Tokoyo was certainly no sushi
For the magpietales

Copyright © 2012 ninotaziz. All rights reserved.