Once a Leftie,

It must be noted that I am not at all talking about my political leaning. While I consider myself being mostly apolitical, I still cannot bring myself to trust someone with an overpowering gift of gab. Like a magazine, everyone can talk – I just want see substance underneath all the glossy cover.

Here my preoccupation lies in knowing very late in life that I am lefthanded. Correction, I was lefthanded. All the while, I don’t have any inkling as to this fantastic discovery because the thought had never presented itself to cross my mind. Recently however, a series of events provided that pivotal moment of epiphany that led me to question the opaque truth.

First, I observe Sadia’s natural inclination to use her left hand for play and eating. I had even inquired my husband if there is any leftie in his side of the family. He replied in the negative and knowing how observant he is, I could then narrow the search to my side of the family.

Secondly, the knee injury that I had sustained in early July confounded my familiar sensations and subsequently confirmed my suspicion, lying latent in the deep recesses of my mind. I have always handled Sadia with my left hand. If she falls asleep in my arms, I’d always position her with her head nestling comfortably within the crook of my left arm. I carry her with much ease utilizing the left part of my body – shoulder, hand and arm.

Also, the tendency to use my left hand for mundane tasks like picking up items, texting on the cell, and drinking offers an obvious hint to this innate ability.

Indeed, the tell-tale signs were nagging me since Sadia’s arrival but I never gave this possibility much thought. It was just like background noise. Until of course, the fated injury.

While the husband was away on business in mid-July and we – Sadia and I – stayed ay my parents’ place, I casually slipped in the question to my mother during one of our normal chats. “Ma, was I lefthanded?” Her emphatic Yes didn’t come as a surprise. In fact, it seems like I had fully anticipated the answer. It merely affirmed that long-held (yet dormant) belief that I was born a leftie.

I asked her the reason behind her conditioning me to be a rightie. She explained that she was afraid that I might have problems with eating and ‘cleansing’. Looking at her guilt-stricken face, I know she meant well and for the life of me, I’d not hold her accountable for the ‘handy’ change.

Now, at least, it makes perfect sense why my handwriting is so atrocious and looks beyond legible. If you get the chance to see my paper scribbling, you would definitely think you are looking at a doctor’s illegible nonsense – you know, the one you would normally see when the doc writes down your prescription.

I can vividly recall how bad my handwriting was in secondary (high) school when my Form teacher called me aside and advised me to improve my script lest it would be held against me in the exams, particularly the SPM! After that, I took extra precaution, not to mention effort, to write more neatly and unhurriedly during the examinations. While it worked for SPM for the most part, my barely readable scrawl must have shared the blame for my poor results in the 1119 exam.

I remember the pressure to complete the darn paper within a strict time constraint and how my handwriting suffered from the very ordeal. I bet the Briton-based marker wasn’t too pleased to see the ‘chicken scratches’ littering the answer sheet! If 1119 is a reliable indicator of one’s mastery of English, I must say I’m utterly doomed.

The closest person who can fathom my doctor-like scribbles is none other than my husband. There were however countless occasions that both of us couldn’t make sense what I had written less than 12 hours before! How funny and embarrassing at the same time.

With the full knowledge of my leftie imprints, so to speak, I am now at peace with my handwriting. Now I know why my twin sister writes neatly and almost typewritten-like whereas I struggle to a level of comprehension. To be sure, I do write relatively neatly if I pace myself and take the extra effort. But with my ‘unnatural’ right hand, patience gives way to clarity of thought and passion trumps over impassiveness.

Befittingly, I celebrate my scrawl by jotting these thoughts the old-fashioned way – with a hand-held instrument – that is strongly advocated in some literary circles. They say it pools one’s imagination into the safety net of papyrus, thus liberating oneself from the shackles of electronic persuasion.

While the jury is still out on that suggestion, I do relish using this paper medium which has seen me at my best and my worst.

Are you a Weenie or a Greenie?

(Note : This post was scheduled to finish on August 19th for obvious reason stated in the post, but due to unforeseen circumstances - relocation to my parents' house while hubby's away, a bad flu and a demanding toddler - it can only be published today. Regards)


The latest Isetan newsletter cum mailer pays tribute to our Earth by promoting the use of 'eco-bags' and other cotton-made equivalents. This move is aimed at lessening the dependence on plastic shopping bags which take between 10 and 20 years to biodegrade.

While I heartily laud Isetan's move at creating environmental awareness to the masses, I know it is a quantum leap before most Malaysians are ready to be environmentally-conscious. To-date, many recycling centers have been installed in selected areas of Malaysia but they remain at best anachronistic and at worst idled. Ill-informed people just can't seem to make out what these derelict sites are for and to what purpose they serve - are they just cold monuments to prove our worth as a civilised society or emblematic of the lip service politicians pay to reel in the votes? Or do we carry on being the apathetic folks for as long as the law affords us?

Well, I shouldn't talk. Save for throwing items into the appropriate bins in the eco-friendly mall of Ikano Power Centre, I haven't indulged in any recycling efforts since I came back exactly a year ago today. (Wow August 19th 2007 was the date when we touched down in Malaysia).

Sadly, most of us Malaysians aren't brought up to recycle or reuse. It doesn't even exist in our vocabulary. Take for instance the upcoming Ramadan month which will take place in about 10 more days. In our crazy hunger, we will hoard food with abandon at the ubiquitous Ramadan Bazaars (liken to a food street hypermarket) happening all over the country. And predictably, post-Iftar the ones which we could no longer fill our mouths will go to waste.

To be sure, we are a waste-loading nation. But I sincerely believe our cultural mindset can be shifted, albeit one legislation at a time. Yeah, that's right. We need an effective blanket ruling on recycling if we are to succeed as an environmentally-forward country.

For one, our government can enlist the help of and get feedbacks from their diplomatic officials and representatives abroad as to the recommended ways to get our citizens 'actively' involved in recycling initiatives. This would be cheaper than hiring those consultants who charge our government millions merely for showing up on our shores.

How about the average citizens, like moi, who have some fantastic ideas to impart on the government with respect to the recycling issue? Surely there is an avenue through which we can engage the local MP to act on our behalf. Or are they too busy saving their own skin?

These improbabilities aside, I'd like to share my own recycling experience whilst living in the Netherlands. These measures, which have full governmental support, are living proofs that people can become environment-savvy when they have no other choice but to toe the line. With the laws staring them straight in the face, it is more advantageous - not to mention, profitable - for these ordinary folks to follow them. For me, Holland has made recycling such a cinch that I feel so good doing my part.

This is how it goes: (1) Whenever you purchase soda drinks in a can or plastic container, you'd initially be alarmed how relatively expensive these beverages are. (2) However, there is a reason as to why the price is high in the first place - to encourage recycling. (3) People return this PET bottle or can to a supermarket that carries this 'reverse vending machine' and in turn get a refund for each item that they turn in - 10 cents for a 300 ml glass bottle & 25 cents for a PET bottle, for instance. (4) They get this refund in a form of a receipt which can be used towards reducing the amount they have to pay at the checkout counter.

The reverse vending machine

Let's say you're recycling 5 PET soda drink bottles, so you'll get a refund receipt of €1.25 that is printed out at the vending machine at the end of your 'transaction'. You then go inside the supermarket to buy your rations and at the supermarket checkout your grocery shopping comes to a total of €5.50. You then present this tiny piece of receipt paper to the cashier who will duly scan it and deduct the refund amount from your total. In the end, you only have to pay €4.25.

Here's a video showing how the machine works:


The extra price added into these bottles and other 'recyclables' by both the drinks manufacturer and retailer is called 'Statiegeld' or a deposit. Retailers are motivated to add in the deposit price to the final product in order to get back the deposit from the manufacturer. This trickle-down effort at recycling ensures a high success rate as it induces the consumers to collect these bottles/cans for a greater grocery discount and the retailers to reclaim their deposit. As for the manufacturer, it can profit from selling these bottles for recycling. Else, it can re-use them for future production which helps to further lower the cost of manufacturing.

Now, isn't that just swell? We get to do our part of keeping the environment clean without much effort or hesitation.

However, I must add that not all cans and bottles has a 'Statiegeld' attached to them, i.e., the ones purchased at mom-and-pop, late-night-opening convenience stores which are a rarity in the Netherlands and more often than not, run by people of Turkish-descent or Indian-descent. To the uninitiated like me, it was exasperating to say the least trying to insert these plastic containers into the vending machine which kept spewing them back out. In such a case, it is better to utilise the municipal's curbside collection which operates once a week.

Back on the home front - that it will take a Herculean effort to get the project off the ground doesn't begin to describe the many obstacles facing this particular recycling scheme. Of course, there will be a politically-charged public outcry over the injustice inflicted by greedy capitalists. Huh? I'm not surprised if some naysayers will spin the whole truth off for the sake of appeasing the worrisome masses.

Yet, I have faith that through full and sincere government support, this recycling scheme will see even the cynical and the lazy lining up to get a 'fair' deduction on their grocery bill. Timing is of utmost important and considering the recent fuel hike, the powers-that-be need to strategise when and how to unveil such a plan. Again, we must bear in mind that some detractors will twist the whole recycling bid in view of the higher petrol prices.

I don't expect an overnight success to this method of recycling in Malaysia, but I'm confident that we will have more 'Ayes' than 'Nays' among our well-informed demographic.

Blast From the Past

I was browsing through old photos to scan and chanced upon an old album containing those taken during my engagement.

It was a sunny day that December 14th 2003 when I was to become someone's fiancée. I vaguely remember the time, but it was in late afternoon because I could recall people having teatime food. And if I'm not mistaken, it was still the Syawal (Raya) month so the engagement also doubled up as a small Raya gathering.

But most importantly, the momentous day is forever etched in my mind as the day Saddam Hussein was captured by the allied forces! This breaking news was homed in by noisy relatives who were tuning onto the small telly in the dining hall. Luckily, the engagement ceremony had completed by then.

I also recall that my eldest sister was in confinement, having given birth in early December. The fourth-born, Elisa and her mother were cooped up upstairs in a make-shift baby room for the duration of her confinement. Moreover, my twin was almost six months pregnant and my youngest sister was already married for close to 4 months. All of us were still living under our parents' roof at this time, with the exception of my eldest who just opted to spend her confinement at my parents'.

That day also marked the first time I met my future parents-in-law and a slew of other relatives. What a nerve-racking day indeed! Luckily, it went smoothly and I didn't commit any faux pas.

THE Centerpiece - Sirih Junjung - thanks to two extraordinary aunties who are well-known for their Sirih Junjung creations.

Dulangs or Gift Trays from both sides. His - five items - in Gold and mine - seven items- in different shades of peach. ;)

When his mom finally came through the room to slid in both the engagement ring and 'merisik' ring.

With our respective parents and one of his twin nephews.

Please to meet you, my fiance :D

Short take : Cuppa Hubba-Hubba!

Inside my head, I was leaping for joy when I first got wind of this article from a friend who, like me, shares an unswerving passion for coffee. It does vindicate my long-held beliefs about the wonderful properties of caffeine and in particular, coffee.

And in light of recent developments with respect to my knee, it behooves me to highlight this point :

Bone loss. Though some observational studies have linked caffeinated beverages to bone loss and fractures, human physiological studies have found only a slight reduction in calcium absorption and no effect on calcium excretion, suggesting the observations may reflect a diminished intake of milk-based beverages among coffee and tea drinkers.

As long as you are taking the recommended amount of calcium and drink your coffee with milk (read: less of the black or 'O' version), the possible bone loss can be prevented. I hear you loud and clear here!

It should also be noted that coffee's effects on the risk of developing pancreatic cancer or kidney cancer have thus far been inconclusive. Nor there is a link between consumption of caffeinated drinks and breast cancer.

Holding sugar intake constant, another great news concern diabetes :

Another review found that compared with noncoffee drinkers, people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, had a 28 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. This benefit probably comes from coffee’s antioxidants and chlorogenic acid.

Amidst of these great benefits of coffee, there is however one low point pertaining to weight loss. Contrary to popular belief, there isn't a long-term benefit to losing weight despite caffeine's so-called metabolism-accelerating properties.

If that is the case, it will be back to the drawing board for me. Clearly, there is no short-cuts to maintaining or shedding one's weight. I had always thought coffee would fend off gaining at least some kilos.

While I am more than elated with this piece of news, I would still tread with caution with respect to my daily coffee consumption. As life has shown me, too much of something is never good! (Unless of course you're talking about clothes :P )

Image filched from here.

A Cowardly Call? You be the Judge

Have you ever experienced one of those days when you simply wish you don't have to deal with someone but the circumstance proves not to be in your favour?

Make that circumstance and conscience. That is, in the case of the latter, if you have one.

Then, there is one desperate thing left to do. Opt for Slydial.

Sly what? Well, it's this nifty technology that is gaining ground Stateside for letting people off the hook, so to speak, from facing and making those awkward phone calls.

As this NYT article elucidates:

The technology, called Slydial, lets callers dial a mobile phone but avoid an unwanted conversation — or unwanted intimacy — on the other end. The incoming call goes undetected by the recipient, who simply receives the traditional blinking light or ping that indicates that a voice mail message has been received.

Some people use it to break up with someone by leaving him or her a voice message; others depend on it to avoid talking to their superior who, despite the verbatim explanation, will put them through the third degree as to why they're on medical leave while others just want to avoid talking to somebody - relative or otherwise - who's either talkative or inquisitive to no end.

Personally, it is amusing that a company has actually come up with this type of technological 'service'. But on hindsight, I am not all that surprised MobileSphere manages to zero in on the overwhelming effect today's technology has on most people.

MobileSphere’s co-founder, Gavin Macomber, said the tool was a time-saver in a world in which conversations could waste time, whereas voice mail can get directly to the point. Part of the reason people are so overwhelmed, Mr. Macomber said, is because they are connected to devices and streams of data around the clock.

How true this is. I'm constantly linked to my phone, no thanks to the 3G technology that enables me to check my emails and bookmarked websites. I'd have this compulsion to check my phone now and then for news and interesting tidbits.

Even my husband, who had upgraded to a 'mini-computer' phone, seems compelled to read his work-related emails that flood in after office-hours and over the weekend (these people working and sending work emails on a Sunday should re-assess their priorities). Such an ingenious way of technology to suck the life out of you even on your off day.

I think some of us have committed an evasion of technological advancement in one form or another. Refusing to answer the phone, pressing the Reject Call button when a familiar telemarketing number (like Citibank!) comes a-calling, or merely ignoring an text message/sms which is so beneath you to deign a reply.

Interestingly enough, the article points to people's predilection to 'miss one another on purpose'. In the near future, the phrase 'playing phone-tag' could no longer be a succession of seemingly innocuous missed calls between two individuals, but instead has a negative undertone which plants a seed of gnawing suspicion for the two parties involved. On the back of our mind, there will always be that "Did he leave a missed call on purpose?"

This 'one-way communication' is prevalent all over the Internet with sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Radar.net reinforcing the habit on a pool of both willing and unwilling audience. I found myself sniggering at this part for I have to confess I'm a perpetrator of this mode of communicating too, broadcasting my thoughts and whereabouts with a relish that probably borders on mania. :)

As John Poisson of Radar.net puts it :
“We’re in this mode where we’re telling everybody everything all the time...It becomes about saying things — just blathering on. We’re at the apex of that trend.”

I can't agree with him more on that point.

With Slydial on the block, getting straight to the point will be much easier amid the yackety-yak one usually has to put up with. If only there's a Malaysian version on the market.


Addendum: Turns out, my husband uses the voice mail all the time at the office, primarily to schedule a meeting, to leave a friendly reminder to attend meetings and to leave specific instructions to someone. If only they have a Slydial option for meetings that will circumvent the propensity of going off on a tangent by certain people. But I've heard some companies like ExxonMobil have very strict guidelines - everything is recorded for Corporate Governance purposes - on how a meeting must be conducted, thus minimising the probability of veering off topic. Well, that should be a motivation!

He also told me about the voice mail option of my cellphone Service Provider where at the click of some buttons, I could bypass talking to a person. However, I'm not sure if the service is available and extends to those outside of one's Service Provider. In that case, we still need Slydial! :)

A Knees-Up!

I will try to keep this one short. We finally went to see the specialist last Saturday morning after I kept changing my mind about going to the hospital. You see, the said knee somewhat got better the night after I wrote about its poor condition.

It must have been the venting out that did the trick. Seriously enough, the young doctor prescribed me a stronger painkiller - with strong side effects like vomiting and fainting spells - that night I came asking for a reference letter. After that dosage, my knee didn't feel numb and weak like it was on the previous day.

But there is still residual pain and until today I still can't go back to praying the normal way as yet. I'm still assuming a sitting down solat position.

Where was I? Oh yes. The meeting with the specialist - consultant orthopaedic and sports injury surgeon - took place briefly before I was asked to go and get an x-ray of both knees for comparison. This was where I spent most of my mid-afternoon, much to my little family's chagrin.

After what felt like an eternity, my name was called to go into the imaging section. There I still had to wait since all the x-ray rooms were occupied. According to hubby, Sadia became worried in the waiting area when she saw people with slings, casts and bandages coming out from where I went.

X-rays were taken from three different positions. Standing up, lying down and sitting down.

With the consultancy clinics operating until lunch time on Saturdays, it was a quarter to 1 p.m. when we finally arrived back at the specialist's room. He promptly put the relevant x-rays on the illuminator while I waited for hubby to come back from the gents. He asked me to lie down while he examined both knees. I couldn't fold my right knee without some pain, nor could I straighten my right knee for a long period at a time.

The diagnosis? Both my kneecaps (patella) are displaced from what should be their normal position. He couldn't figure out exactly why the right knee was more susceptible to pain when both kneecaps were actually out of sync. The tissues on the outer side of the patella look like they were pulling my kneecaps from their correct place. He had however ruled out a ligament tear since I would have to be active in sports to sustain such an injury. I wouldn't know any wiser.

He did however say that excessive weight gain could exacerbate the pain. Basically, it looks degenerative - that's a fancy word for growing old, I'd think - and he prescribed me two different supplements along with a physiotherapy session once a week that I need to attend for a month.

So I'm on medication still - or it is more like I'm on supplements - and cannot bend my right knee or press it on any surface, no matter how hard or soft.

As for the physio, I plan to see how it goes first. In the meantime, on the urges (and lectures?) by well-meaning aunts I must cut down on my caffeine intake. They see the resemblance of my case to other hardcore coffee drinkers. One even had to put a metal brace down her back due to a brittle bone condition. And she's the type who must always have her coffee black!

Egad! It's down to one coffee a day for me....maybe I'll start next week. :P