Orange Juice

For the record, we love to be back here in Malaysia. This is home. There is nowhere else in the world that we want to be. However, from time to time we cannot avoid missing some small aspects of our brief life in the UK. Orange juice is one of them.

Yes, orange juice, of all the wonderful things the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has to offer.

Of course, we can buy orange juice here too from just about any shop anywhere. However, simply said, orange juice here is too sweet. They are full of sugar.

So let’s speculate. I have two stories. One is that since Malaysia does not produce orange, orange juice producers have to import. To sell the orange juice cheap enough so people can actually buy them, they reduce the actual juice content and add loads and loads of sugar and colouring and other “permitted” stuff to make them taste good.

I saw one brand of orange juice at a hypermarket that promises no sugar added selling for twice the price of other sugar-loaded brands.

The second story is that Malaysians in general simply like everything sweet. The sweeter the better. Teh tarik is full of sugar. We are addicted to sugar. That is why it is such a scandal for the government to even think about reducing the subsidy for sugar.

Hmmm... whatever.

Anyway, our favourite brand was The Co-operative 100% pure squeezed orange juice with bits. Yes, that is its full name. We tried a few other brands, including Tropicana, before settling on the Co-op brand. Apparently, it ranked a close second in a Which? survey after an Aldi offering.

__________
IMAGE CREDIT: Which?

The Smartest

..among you is the one who remembers death the most.

When a good friend lost her husband on their way to work (at that time she was in her 4th week of pregnancy), I know that is the best reminder to me as a person who is always absorbed with worldly matters, and lacking of self accountability.

From that moment until now, I quietly pray for that friend to have the ultimate courage and strength to go on with life, raising a 6-year old daughter and a baby to be delivered insya-Allah.

And yesterday, Mak told me about their good friend who had seizure last Monday and is currently in the special care unit in a hospital. He had stroke two years ago and now his condition is very critical. Considering Abah’s condition, Mak decided not to visit him, although I know they really wanted to.

So, everyday I tell myself, while I’m still alive, I must make the best for the day, for I won’t know if my time will come in the next second. I want to do my best in what I am being responsible for, i.e. taking care of my husband, my son and the household, finishing up the thesis, and most importantly remember Allah at every moment. I know I’m still lacking of preparation to meet Him but at least I try my best to make sure every doing is considered as an Ibadah.

Appreciate what you have now. You won’t know when it is going to be taken from you as it is not entirely yours to begin with.

Live from NY

Well, I’m not exactly in New York City. I’m in Long Island, which is some miles away from NYC, attending a great conference, meeting up my supervisor and presenting some of my work here.

I haven’t taken even a single picture. We’ve had the occasional rain since the day I arrived. However, today we are blessed with much more sunny spells. I missed the walking tour of the research institution where the conference is held, but I did enjoy the view during the ride to the centre’s daycare. The driver did give a bit of a tour around, well let’s see if I have the time to do a bit of walking.

Anyway, things are not the same without my other half and Omar. They are coping well, alhamdulillah, and I am really looking forward to be back in their arms. I cannot imagine enjoying myself in NYC without them. To me, that I could do later, when the opportunity permits. I can’t bear the idea of enjoying myself while my Sayang is having his hands full. Maybe others have the guts to do it, but definitely not me. I think I largely owe that to my maternal genetic contribution, as my mother shares the same sentiment too.

Of course, I am enjoying the conference, keeping up with an enormous amount of new findings and information by others, and exchanging ideas as well. Most importantly, I thank Allah for this great opportunity and will surely benefit a lot from it.

Afi
Long Island, NY, Thursday 10 May 2012, 1645 EST

102 Days

Our boxes arrived on Friday, 4 May, 102 days after they were picked up from our Summertown House apartment. We were told earlier by the shipping company Allfreight that the boxes will arrive at Port Klang on 2 May. I have been keeping my mobile close at all times since then.

However, when Afi called me on my office phone on Friday to tell that the boxes were arriving that afternoon, I was a little surprised. I gave my mobile number as the primary contact but I didn’t receive any call. Anyway, they were coming at 1500, so I went home by then.

Most eager to unpack

A lorry stopped in front of our house at about 1520. A man came out and said that he was from Subalipack. There were two of them, and they unloaded all our fifteen boxes, including carrying the six large 6-cubic feet boxes and one tea chest upstairs into the spare room, in just about ten minutes. After taking my signature and having me fill a short customer satisfaction survey, they were gone.

And just like that, after 102 days, we have our stuff back, YAY!

__________
PS: It turned out I gave my mobile number as 012-xxxxxxx when it should have been 017-xxxxxxx. Earlier we missed our TM Unifi installation appointment because I did exactly the same on the registration form.