Beautiful Butterfly

They came by surprise. Last week we heard some commotion coming from our two Rottweilers barking louding and faint sound of puppies crying.Upon checking the sound, we found two small white puppies propably of mixed breed hiding inside the drain of where my dad use to park his 4-wheel drive. How they got into the house,we have no idea. My mom said probably they crept through the drain from outside.

Tired, wet and hungry they did not dare to come out when we call out for them. I asked my sister to feed them some milk ….seeing them still tiny and probably just left by their mum. My mum doubted they will leave if they are being feed.However my mom gave in. At first they were afraid to come out even when milk was offer on a plastic container put inside the drain. One licked and the other was so clumsy the whole container spilled.

The next day they crept out slowly and my sister continue feeding them. A few days later they were running around the house’s basement compound. Once I saw them chasing my sis and crept on her feet playing with her while she feed them. Seeing them so much healthier is a relief. However each time they came out, our two Rottweilers will barked ferociously. The family had agreed to let the puppies stay and leave as they like but we put a barrier between them and our two dogs.

I was feeding my baby when I heard a sudden howl. Even my son looked up from his feeding. Upon checking,one puppy has walked up the basement stairway up to the garden. In front of her was my fierce Rottweiler barking and ready to launch himself on her anytime. I shouted loudly at my Rottweiler.At least it gave the puppy time to crept down the stairway.

However the two puppies are getting braver by getting out of the gate through the small opening between the steels and played with joggers who passed by the house. My sister bathed them once and they still come back with lice. They got even bolder by coming up the stairs where my two dogs guarded the house. They are indeed very smart. Once my husband and I walked my baby on a stroller around the hill. They followed but somehow they turned back and return to the house fearing that we will bring them far and leave them behind.Not only that.They barked at other dogs that came near the door.

Today my mom instructs my husband to put them in a box and send them away. We can’t keep on watching over them while they roam around the house and not fearing that our two Rottweilers will not bite them to death.Help! anyone wants them?

I believe with the Deepavali and Hari Raya celebrations being so close together,most people will take time off to spend the holidays with their families. That means that our house are vunerable to robberies when we’re not in. Nevertheless, our police force has annouced on the press that we should sms or call to the police hotline given to let them know when we’ll be gone and where we stayed so that policemen can patrol the area more often. Now, how can we be assured that the information given will be in the safe hand? What if it lands in the  hand of people attempting robberies?

I have a story here regarding sms-ing hotline. Not too long ago, most public transport ie buses,lorries and etc. were given ‘talian hotline’ and sms number (they still have it) at the back of the vehicles so that we the good citizens will call or sms the line to report of any abuse of such vehicles on the road.

Being the good citizen I am (ahem!) one day while on the highway,my husband and I spotted a bus carrying a whole load of passengers speeding along the highway at more than 130km/hr on the fast lane overtaking most passenger cars. Moreover the bus is emitting thick smoke from it’s hose polluting the whole highway.So I tried sms-ing the number given at the back of the bus with the bus number plate and stating the offence the driver did a few times but the message kept returning to me stating there isn’t such number existing. The number is too busy to receive any call? A friend of mine told me the same thing when he tried it. You can still see the hotline number and sms on all the vehicles now….anyone care to be a good citizen?

Funny! What with the human beings nowadays? Does it always have to take a God-send major disasters to rip down the barrier between race, religions,rich and poor? But in disasters, help were always being sabotage by some group of people. Why?

In Asia’s Dec2004 Tsunami, not all the money,foods and supplies donated reached the devastated people affected by the catatsrophic phenomenon. I believe much of the donations were taken by people on top…ie the government,people who do not deserve it. I watched with angered of news in television of a man in India washing his house with clean water while many others were crying for clean water to drink. I am sorry to say but this is what is happening. Even Kofi Annan,Secretary General of United Nations criticised some major power countries of not contributing enough. He has to stressed too that many countries donated short of what is being pledge.

In Guatemala landslide recently, villagers have to seached for survivors with their bare hands simply because they are the abandoned group of people,low class I’ll say.

Then there is the earthquake in Pakistan two weeks ago that kills more than 30,000 across three countries. If the earthquake has not done enough damaged, the coming cold winter is going to take more lives of those without food,clothes and shelters. Rural areas separted by mountains made it hard for helicopters to reached and we have to read distressed stories of people crying for help. One being a father walking twelve hours in cold and hunger with only the clothes on his body to reached the city for help to be send to his three daughters who were still in the village only to learn that no one listens. We also heard of women in Pakistan who would not allow men doctors to treat them because of their religion and the government that accept India’s help for helicopter but not the pilots because India and Pakistan is still in war over Kashmir. Is the war more important than sending help to your people? Also, Al-Qaeda second in command urge all Muslims and Islamic charity organisations to lend a help but what is he doing about it? Hello….Al-Qaeda,please stop all the terrorists work.

TheStar newspaper reporter SHAHANAAZ HABIB quoted," The unfortunate truth is that politics can get in the way of humanity and saving lives.   

In Aceh, two weeks after the tsunami, I left with a chill in my heart.   

In Pakistan, my heart bled."

When are we going to see humans through the hearts regardless of race and religions? It’s all in the mind. Take away the race, religions and materialism and we’ll see the purest heart and souls of all.

I’m back. Time passes so fast when you’re enjoying yourself and before you know it, it’s time to go home but this time, though I enjoyed my holiday I look forward to going home because I missed my baby so much.

This is the second time I am flying alone but this is the first time I am experiencing a cancelled flight upon reaching Schipol airport,Amsterdam for my connecting flight to Paris. It was 5am in the morning and most shops and counters were not open yet. A bit lost, I asked three guys who were looking at the flight screen and they were also supposed to be in the same flight. They suggested to go to the boarding room where our flight is cancelled but the custom officer directed me to the transfer desk.

At the transfer desk,there were already many people waiting to be put on the next available flight and one man was arguing with the lady saying that he missed a very important meeting to a point that the lady threatened him that she’ll call for security guard. Luckily most of us were put into the next flight, two hours apart from our supposed flight. Upon reaching the Gauille de Paris airport, one chinese man from the same flight who works in France for five years asked if I need help and he accompany me to the main train station where he is supposed to catch his next train. 

He thought I am from China and was worried that I came alone without knowing how to get to my hotel and not knowing French but I was more worried that he is a conned man because you’re supposed to be careful with stranger who treats you nice. He wrote in french on a piece of paper for the hotel name to be shown to the taxi driver with his mobile number and name but I was sure that I could get to the hotel by subway. I told him I would be fine but he didn’t leave so finally I took his advice to take the taxi. He even offer to pay half the taxi cost but I never take it.

I managed to get to my husband’s room by just telling the hotel staff that I am the wife. My husband was still in discussion with his customer so I did a half day tour by myself. My husband managed to close the contract with the customer so he was so happy and he decided to eat a good dinner with me. After that, we walked to Arc de Triumphe which is very near to our hotel. We also walked near Eiffel Tower to take a close up picture when we saw a monument and he joked that it looked like a ’shit’ not knowing it is the monument for Diana. Below that highway was where the accident happened. There were notes on pillars but it doesn’t look like it was well kept.

The next day we took the subway to our next hotel with all our baggages and we did some discovering by getting lost before figuring how the routes work and viola, it’s so easy after that. All you have to do is buy the one day trip ticket and discovering Paris is so easy. Our second hotel is so much cheaper than the first but the room is not much different from the first except there is no lift,no porter,lounge and other services like the 4-star hotel but we really don’t need all those. Moreover we have a nice balcony overlooking the street so we can see people’s lifestyle from above. Talk about high living expenses,Paris is definitely not cheap.

Travelling alone this time gives me more time to discover Paris unlike the previous time where I followed guided tour and need to rush for time. This trip however, we can queue up and wait to get up to most of the buildings to get a panaromic view of the city like Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower(which has so long queue) and Arc de Tromphe. Travelling as student, I couldn’t afford to pay Euro97 per person for Moulin Rouge so this time however my husband said we won’t know when will be our next time here so just watch if we want to.

The queue is also very long and each show is only limited to maybe 1000seats but somehow we managed to get in. Euro97 per person comes with a bottle of champagne for two but the dancing is good provided you get to see many bare breasts. The dancers are all young and beautiful however,we won’t enjoyed seeing old breasts right? We were rushing from Eiffel Tower to Moulin Rouge so we didn’t take dinner .After finishing the whole champagne with an empty stomach, both of us were a bit dizzy. Well, the Moulin Rouge show that comes with dinner is around Euro 140 per person…so not worth it!

I’ll say two and a half days is enough to discover the essential part of Paris. The last day however things just doesn’t seem right. Edward got the flight time wrongly and luckily we left early that morning and boy,I have never rushed for a flight like that before. We were actually running with our luggages but for a busy city like Paris I guessed they are already used to it. Somehow, our flight was delayed due to traffic congestion at the runway and even the captain was annoyed that we can’t get a clear note to allow us to fly.

The delayed caused us to miss our connecting flight to Malaysia.This is also the first time that I missed a flight and like a pro,we went back to the transfer desk and this time,they can’t get us a flight back on that day but we were put on the next day’s flight. To be happy or not, we were given a hotel room near the airport with meals and a calling card for 5 minutes. However,they won’t allow us to get our check-in luggage so Edward was chilling without his jacket. Luckily, my sweater is big enough for him and I kept some clothes in the bag I carry.

Is it a blessing in disguised? We get to tour Amsterdam for half day, the buffets at the hotel has so many variety of food and it’s good, the room at the hotel is so much bigger than Paris and with bath tub….so we maximised the bath tub use. It was much more colder in Amsterdam around 11degC and the sun set and sun rise is much earlier than Paris eventhough the time zone is the same.

My husband just asked me last week whether I want to go to Paris and without hesitation I answered with a YES! Though I have been there twice when I was studying in UK once during winter for Christmas and there other during summer, I still want to go there. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been to the city of Love with my husband and I haven’t seen it in autumn but is there really that much to offer in this metropolitan? I don’t know.

Yes, the city is beautiful and at night, u see the Eiffel Tower nicely light up but then over here we have Petronas Twin Tower also. The people? Not that I am obsessed with French guys and with a country where people prefer to speak French than English but hey its cool to think that I will be celebrating my birthday with my husband in Paris…how about that? Maybe the experience as a student and as married couple would be different…definitely different when u have seen the place before.

My husband has left Paris yesterday to meet customer first and I am to join him later on Thursday. It was kinda last minute and we just booked our hotel for last two nights just yesterday and mind you…it’s so expensive! For the price of 5 star over here, we r only staying at 2 star there. The good news is I will be staying one night at 4 star hotel close to Arc de Tromphe paid by his company.

This will be my first time going oversea since I get pregnant (Singapore doesn’t count) so I am very excited. Moreover the two times I went there, I didn’t get to go up the Eiffel Tower and I am going up this time despite the bomb threat last Sunday. Hopefully like what my friend Neil said, it doesn’t come until few weeks later. I definitely don’t like the idea where the only way out is jump..like those people in WTC on Sept 11. My heart only felt heavy to leave my baby for the first time for few days.Gonna miss him so much.Hopefully I will still be able to breastfeed him when I come back.

So….PARIS,here I come!