dailyramblings101

It is time to bid year 2008 farewell and welcome year 2009. Time to forget the past and get on with our lives. Times to ponder about lessons learnt and hope that we will live a better life next year. Time to look forward to new beginning and new start in life.

I’m taking this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year. May your year be blessed with happiness, prosperity and stability.

Keep the smile, leave the tears. Think of joy, forget the fear. Hold the laughter, leave the pain. Be joyous, because it’s new year’s day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What’s your plan to celebrate on New Year’s eve? Anything special planned tonight?

In keeping with my New Year post, A New Year A New Start and Maal Hijrah (Awal Muharram) , I am going to post something about the coming Year of the Ox.

Chinese New Year will be celebrated on Jan 26 in year 2009. Year 2009 is going to be the Year Of The Ox. The Ox, or the Buffalo sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work.

Those born under the influence of the Ox are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task or an objective. As we used this great creature long ago to plow the soil day after day, so do Ox people labor through their daily responsibilities either at work or at home without complaint or gripe. Oxen know they will succeed through hard work and sustained effort and find no truth or benefit in concocting get-rich-quick schemes.

Ox babies are those born in the year of1913, 1925,1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 and 2009.

Today marks the first day of the Muslim calendar and the start New Year for all Muslims following the Hijrah Calendar. Maal Hijrah, which is also called Awal Muharram, is an important day for muslims. The Hijrah refers to the Nabi Muhammad s.a.w and his followers emigration from Mecca to Madinah in 622 to escape persecution.

The Islamic calendar, which is based purely on lunar cycles, was first introduced in 638 by the close companion of the Prophet and the second Caliph, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab. The Islamic calendar is the official calendar in many Muslim countries, especially Saudi Arabia. Other Muslim countries use the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes and only turn to the Islamic calendar for religious purposes. The months in the Hijrah calendar are:

• Muharram
• Safar
• Rabiul Awal
• Rabiul Akhir
• Jamadil Awal
• Jamadil Akhir
• Rejab
• Sya’ban
• Ramadhan
• Syawal
• Zulkaedah
• Zulhijjah

Ma’al Hijrah also means changing from the bad to the good side, and can be said as a starting point to evaluate inner-self on self achievements.

The national level 1430 Maal Hijrah celebration themed “Generating a Glorious Ummah” is held at Putrajaya International Convention Centre today.

A few more days to the New Year. Have you made your New Year’s resolution yet?

I’ve decided to have a wardrobe makeover for 2009. So, finally I managed to do some shopping for office wear. I’m so excited to wear them next year. It’s been ages since I did any clothes shopping, the last time being during my family’s vacation in March 2008.

Even though my office is located just beside a HUGE shopping mall, I’ve been quite disciplined not to splurge on clothes.

As I was saying, I’m having a wardrobe makeover. I intend to look more polished and professional next year (but I’m not giving up on bright colours!) I’m planning to buy a few pair of pants and skirts tomorrow! Looking forward to more shopping! Yeay!

And unlike previously, I’m being frugal with my shopping this year. That clothes in the photo above cost me less than RM400.

A trip to a hair salon for me would usually set me back a couple of hundred, and if I need to do re-bonding and treatment, I would probably be RM500 poorer that day. My husband simple haircut usually cost him about RM40 with his usual stylist whom he will see every month. I try not to visit them more than I should. Cannot afford to fork out so much money on hair alone! Hahaha

For son, it is usually just a trip to the neighbourhood hair salon instead of a posh one. So instead of paying almost RM30 per kiddie haircut, we just pay RM6. My son will enter primary school on Jan 5, and the orientation will be on Saturday, Jan 3; hence the need for a haircut for him.

I need to schedule a visit soon, as my hair was damaged when I went to a new hair salon to do re-bonding instead of at my usual one. Serves me right.

Just got something to grouch about this evening.

I waited to have a shopping spree until the evening so that my husband can accompany me during the shopping. I, after all need his feedback. I had planned to have a quick trip, just showing him the stuff I had decided to buy and get his response about it.

I guess it was so long ago that I did any serious shopping with him, I forgot there’s one glitch to my plan. Unlike other guys I know, my husband likes to takes time buying things and will actually go to a few different stores just to compare the same type of shirt. It always took ages just to buy his work shirts!

There’s this one handbag that I rather liked, but he said to wait and check out other stores, but before that we made a stop to the food court and to a bookstore. By the time I returned to the same store that I had initially wanted to buy my handbag, the promoters were gone and I had to wait till tomorrow to get a new stock or else I had to take the display item.

No blouses or skirts purchased either because either the colour was wrong or the cut was weird for my husband or because I had similar colour in my wardrobe already (this comes from a man who wear the same type and colour of shirt to work every day!) So, it wasa a fruitless shopping trip tonight and I ended up sulking all the way back home!

At least I got two pairs of shoes went I went out with my girlfriends earlier in the day (during lunch hour). It literally took us 10 minutes to decide on our shoes and pay for them!

We all love freebies. We love getting discounts. And we love getting free vouchers to the outlets we always frequent.

I’m such a sucker for all three, that I would return to an outlet/shop that I had vowed never to enter just because of these. Example: I’m not that crazy about a certain outlet of Tony Roma’s but I got these vouchers and it is the nearest located Tony Roma’s, so I expect I’ll see myself in there pretty soon.

If a restaurant gave me discounts, they’ll see me there a few more times too! If you give me free gifts, I’d probably promote you to friends and relatives.

Though come to think of it, I’m still actually forking out money there even with the vouchers and maybe more than I should. Didn’t I say I’m a sucker? LOL

On their part, it certainly good for business to have repeat customers.

Oh, got a RM20 from Pasta Zanmai too. A meal for three there should set me back for RM100, so I’ll pay RM80 for my next meal. W00T!

To those who celebrate Christmas, a very Happy Christmas to you and your family. Are you back home with your family for the holidays? For those who are driving tonight, please drive carefully so that you can reach your destination safely. I bet all of you are looking forward to some holiday food. What’s the traditional food served in your family for Christmas?

 For those who doesn’t but lucky enough to enjoy a public holiday tomorrow, Happy holidays too! What’s your plan for the day off? Going back to your hometown too?

 Unlike previous year, I didn’t have any gift exchange at my office this year. No Christmas tree put up either. It’s a quiet Christmas at the office.

Talking about my son entering school in 2009 earlier, here’s Malaysian School Calendar for 2009 for anyone interested. I guess we’ll have to take note of the school terms and breaks when planning for any long vacations.

Previously, when my son was in kindergarten, we didn’t worry much and just informed his teachers whenever we are going away. He always managed to catch up with the class afterwards because he always had a workbook or two at home to study. Also, there are other ways for learning than being in the classroom for a kid his age.

The above table are applicable to the following states:

• Perlis
• Penang
• Perak
• Selangor
• Negri Sembilan
• Malacca
• Johore
• Pahang
• Sabah
• Sarawak
• Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory
• Labuan Federal Territory
• Putrajaya Federal Territory

For Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, the school calendar starts a day earlier.

For 2009 onwards we have to plan our vacations so as not to disrupt his schooling. Don’t want him to grow up thinking it’s OK to miss school!

One downside of vacationing during the school holidays: it is a peak season and prices go up. Not that we can do anything about it. Just have to save up more for our vacations!

 p.s. we’re thinking of going to Club Med Cherating next year. Not too far from Kuala Lumpur. What do you think?

Fat of Anything Goes for sharing the Spirit of BEAR-iuca with me and here’s the updated list from the Master List. I can’t edit my earlier post, so I’m putting a new post here.  

BEAR-iuca, BEAR-iuca, amazing teddy cheer.
BEAR-iuca, BEAR-iuca, we’d love you to come live here!
 

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