Country Cottage Arts

Tuesday 22 November 2011


The holidays have begun and I'm having a hard time trying to keep myself sane with the full time presence of my 16 year old son.  He's at that terrible stage and age  when

i ) he ( all boys ?) thinks he knows everything  about anything but who doesn't know how to put his wet towel in the towel rack... he drops it on the bed

ii)  who thinks that when Dad is not around the house, the TV remote is his for day and his sister has to plead with him


iii)  who reasons to me that exams are over and its  legally right  for him to watch  TV endlessly  and keep up with his Facebook/Internet games..or play basketball under the harsh Malaysian sun every evening, rain or shine....


iv) whose idea of cleaning/tidying  which is part of their  weekly  house-cleaning duty  is to chuck everything he sees into the wardrobe and jam the door or if  there are too many clothes littered  in his room, to  dump them conveniently  into the laundy basket, both used and unused .....

v)  who sweeps the room without a dustpan and walks up and down the stairs umpteen times absentmindedly to get it and then finally  pushes all the rubbish under the bed and  sweeps all the dust under the carpet ! Really !

The list doesn't end here but you get the picture.  I wonder if this is the norm with all boys or am I the only mum  who is facing such a smucsch.  Of course, being the 'smart and modern mum' that I am, I consciously consciously make it a point to sit down with him every other day to explain to him the triple load that I have to do to rectify these stupidities of his ( have even given him the ' Mummy is SO  tired but I've no choice but to do your chores too'  routine; the     " Mummy can't bend down, my knees are paining but since you can't do, Mummy has to do chores for you ' guilt act  routine and other methods I can think of but nothing seems to work after the first week....

On the other hand, I am a hindsight expert and so I can't really blame him if he's a chip of the old  (Dad ) block.. can I ?

And so, I would like to share with my readers this perfect substitute


Ps:  It's a pity I got to know of this substitute 20 years after my wedding ... (sigh ! )



Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi


A Perfect Substitute to Husbandly Problems

arm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores

Tuesday 15 November 2011


With all the nonsense in our education system where getting grade A is a dime a dozen and not worthy of the certificate  paper it is printed on, we should all ( especially our mumbled and jumbled  Minister/Ministry of Education et al )  take a leaf from this great man  and ask Bunker Roy to come to Malaysia on the first plane available and help set up a college. Seriously. 

Listen readers and I mean really   really listen to what Bunker Roy has to say .  It makes perfect sense to me and if our Minister of Education implements  such a policy, I will personally queue in line to shake his hands !


By the way, ever wonder    why Malaysia doesn't seem to have  and attract people like Bunker Roy in our society  or for that matter any true blue hero / thinkers like him  who strive to make a difference  and do  something for the benefit of others ?   Incidently,he was selected as one of Time 100, the 100 most influential personalities in the world by TIME Magazine in 2010.^[2]

The Barefoot College that Sanjit  Bunker Roy started in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India was also one of  the 9 recipients   of the prestigious    Aga Khan Award  and he  returned the Award on a matter of principle .  It was also the first time in the history of  the Aga Khan Foundation that anyone had returned the  award.  That speaks volumes on Bunker Roy's character,  doesn't it ? 

And here,  we have ministers and VIPs robbing the  hard pressed  Malaysian public in broad daylight !  Gosh, I get so angry when I think and read about  the injustice of the system,  the stupidity of the people and the shenanigans of the political elite in a country as blessed as Malaysia. 

The God Almighty had indeed blessed this country and its people greatly like no other country in the world and yet we have blundered big time ....................................and it looks like we are still in a stupor .



Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi

3 November 2011

The news of Elton John's  upcoming show  in November 22 at the Gentings Resort, has, as usual, brought out the  voice and thoughts of the  Conservative  Malaysian Islamic Party ( PAS ) represented by their Youth leader, whose stance and  views have since  gone viral all over the world, except maybe Zimbabwe and Tonga, I guess. And what was the reason of their objection ? " The gay singer promotes hedonism  and so the concert would corrupt young Muslims because of his homosexuality ".  Really ?  My, my ! What a great and erudite man, this PAS Youth Leader, Shahril Azman is  .  Hello Mr Shahril Azman Abdul Halim Al-Hafiz,  I've  got an urgent  message for you ,  the Talibhans are actively looking for such great thinkers like you in their midst.  Would you like to go over and  join them pronto?


Now, I'm trying to be sober and reasonable here instead of  shrieking and shooting my mouth off......... Is this the best argument he and the party he represents  can put forth to object to  a concert ? 


And in case my Muslim friends think that as a non-Muslim, I have no jurisdiction to question him, let me gently remind that I'm not questioning his faith, I'm questioning his arrogance for speaking for all Malaysians of all faith in Malaysia.    Just as he has the right to speak out for what he thinks, so have I and the rest of right thinking sane Malaysians who can differentiate the wood for the trees.

My argument is simple - I want to be able to attend the Elton John or  any Tom,  Dick and Harry  concert,  if I so wish, for its entertainment value, for the singer's  voice and his/her  songs . It doesn't matter really, it could be a myriad variety of reasons for which I may or may not want to attend the concert .  The point is this - who is Sharil to speak on  my behalf and take objection ?  If he's only informing  his party members ( preferably through sms ! ), he should only tell them   inside the  four walls of  his party's office and not seek cheap publicity and open his  mouth to all and sundry and in the process usurp my right to watch the Elton John/ Tom, Dick and Harry Show or whatever .  It says so in the Malaysian Constitution, Mister, and I suggest that you read all of it before you  open your mouth and remove all doubt of your  lack of grey matter ! Oh and by the way, if   you  do so strongly believe that just by attending Elton's concert, everyone will become like Elton, then you  should seriously put your  money where your  mouth is and buy me and all Eltons' fans,  two way flight tickets to US , including the concert tickets, of course. 

In a country as diversified as ours, there are bound to be different views, perceptions and values  acccording to their beliefs and faith.  The maxim " one man's meat is another man's poison" hold so true and I'm surprised that a Youth President of a political party is so shallow in thinking and is not aware of it.  It's really mind boggling the kind of people elected to party/political posts in this country.  Are the citizens so bereft of good and right thinking leaders to elect or are the members of political parties such nitwits and simpletons from the boondocks that they vote for the first one who makes the most noise, like in empty cans?    This is directed to not only PAS but to all the 'itsty bitsy', " kuching kurap"  and major parties in Malaysia, the Government of the day included .

We have Prime Ministers who blatantly buy voters in elections,  Deputy Ministers who flaunt their race first rather than be Malaysian first, a string of imbeciles appointed as Education Ministers who have messed up the education system of this country big time  and still doing it with great gusto, the Sports Ministry which bought 23 horses for RM5.66million without approval and the Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek has the cheek to say that he goofed when he explained " we are  not a horse-breeding nation and don't have the expertise.  We followed the recommendation of foreign breeders enthusiastically " .

That's not all.  We have the Ministry of Tourism  which  paid millions for a facebook feature ( even my good friend ,Tengku Norashikin , a relative  newcomer to emails, is facebook savvy in a matter of days ! ) ministries which exceeded their budget by RM3.73 billion ( did  you  know that our national debt has exceeded 50%  (53.1% ) of our GDP at RM 407 billion  ), the Ministry of Agriculture disbursed RM8O million to one single feedlot company (  linked to the Minister of Women &  Welfare ) which was to produce 60,000 heads of cattle annually  for local consumption  but which only produced 3,289 heads - meaning the company spent an average of RM25,000 for each cattle which also means about RM 170.00 for a kilo of meat !  ( Now  I cannot stop myself )

The list doesn't stop here, of course ,and  all these and more  were in the Auditor General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang's 2010 report . Go read it, people  and decide for your self what our beloved country has come to - the laughing stock of the world  and it happens every year ( Now I'm really angry ) The downright stupidest ( if I can call it that ) one of all was the error in placing a decimal point  which  resulted in a pensioner receiving RM21433.00 a month instead of RM214.33 ( the Sun Nov 1, 2011 )


Also extracted from  the Sun,( dated 2 Nov 2011) is  a letter written by one Mohd Yusoff which I have copied here

Matter of faithPosted on 2 November 2011 - 05:04am
IT appears that this is a hostile world for Muslims. Every individual, group or organisation appears to be conspiring to erode the faith of Muslims in their religion. Hence about four to five thousand Muslims (out of the expected one million) were crying out to the government for help to protect their faith at the Shah Alam stadium.I find this episode to be sad and pathetic. I would have thought that one’s religious faith, or the onus of guarding one’s faith is on the individual. It is incredulous that a Muslim requires government intervention to help protect his faith. It’s the height of naivety. Muslims everywhere, do grow up.Mohd YusoffShah Alam

Write on, Mr Yusoff, write on for the likes of Sharil and his types

Finally, I received this email going viral and thought that I'd share with my readers. Came at the most opportune moment, it did !























Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi

Monday, 31 October 2011


For the first time in as many years as I can remember, I spent the first part of the day watching TV  and I couldn't believe it myself !! It was a special Deepavali  programme on ASTRO -an hour long Oddisi performance by  the famous Ramli Ibrahim and his troupe of dancers.  That was at about  7.30am in the morning when I should have been having my traditional oil bath and preparing to go to the temple !  Mesmerising and utterly utterly  captivating..... I was so in awe of his fluidity of movement,  his nuances, his precise and exacting step work, his grace and stamina, his perfect timing .... .... Gosh, I'm  still not over him yet !   (Sigh )  If only I could dance like him and dance with him !! I couldn't take my eyes off  and  was transfixed with my eyes bulging out of my sockets..... ... By Jove!  it was that beautiful an experience for me, to put it mildly.

I was feeling guilty  of " wasting time " as there were so many things to do but yet couldn't resist the lure of Ramli Ibrahim's masterpieces of  dance ( there I go again !) And so,  against my better judgment and with 2 manipulative kids who  i ) 'advised' me to enjoy myself for once without prancing around the house bugging them  and ii ) told me that  this was a one off ASTRO special and no repeats ,   I sat through the 1 hour show  and was  thoroughly and truly in a world of my own.

Now, that was a smashing  great start for me on Deepavali


Later after fetching my  youngest sister, Poonam, from the train station, we all went to offer our prayers at the temple and had a leisurely breakfast/brunch/lunch all rolled together, sort of  a  "three-in-one" kinda of thing.  My sister had us in stitches with her tales of office happenings and I was glad of her presence.   That was a 'first' too.  Normally it would have been friends pouring in from the word GO at 9am  and me bustling  frantically making thosai after thosai after thosai  and hollering  at my kids to refill the chutney, the chicken curry, the cakes, cookies, traditional sweetmeats etc., etc.  No wonder my kids were smiling all day .  I didn't realise I had made them all stressed out all these years until my daughter told me what a difference it was this year. " For once we enjoyed ourselves" they said ! Didn't know that I was such a dragon ... dear me !

The torrential rain made its appearance in the afternoon and gave us all a respite .   Watching the rain pouring down as I sat down in the  cosy wing chair with my feet on the footstool and a  cup of ginger tea clasped in my hands, a feeling of gratefulness of the blessings I have enveloped me  -  a roof over my head,  food on the table, 2 lovely  children and a husband  who loves and provides for us.  A contented and  warm  feeling came over me.  My thoughts then  strayed  to the families in the low cost apartments/houses I had visited with my kids - those  who were struggling to make a living, whose houses leaked and  were  often flooded by the same torrential rain  that I was enjoying  watching ;  the  countless children of struggling single parents  who had nothing to celebrate about; the children stranded by bickering and abusive parents; the abandoned families which I have seen on the streets.............. and the corners of my eyes became blurred  and a small lump starting rising in my throat.  " Is this what we call 'karma ' or is this because of man's greed ? I couldn't figure it out.  I finished my tea silently and  offered a prayer of gratitude  to GOD for what I have and a prayer for the those who didn't.   



My sisters-in-law, spouses and their family members  came for dinner at our home.  Since I'm the only Hindu in the family and they are  all Catholics, I make it a point to invite them for Deepavali dinner every year. It was a warm and happy occasion with lots of food, jokes and  laughter and family/holiday discussions. For aperitifs, I served  Bailey's Irish Cream for my sisters-in-law  and the men, Scotch .  As was usual, I served  hot thosai and iddly with chicken masala, mango chutney, coriander salsa,  fried chicken,  my  " once in a year mutton varruval " ( dry and spicy mutton ) which I really  cook only once in a year ( it's too time-consuming and tedious ) and  cucumber and pineapple yohurt raita to balance the spiciness.

Desert was traditional cookies like murruku, achi murruku, pineapple tarts, a  sugee cake  and a traditional a rich " whiskeyed " fruit cake  ( there was no brandy   so I sploshed my husband's whiskey in the fruit mix  when he was not around  ).  Hmm, I'm just realising that I didn't make the frienzed variety of cookies, cakes and pies  that I usually do  when I'm on the baking spree........ Geez,  ! Now I understand ...  this was part of the stress build up with my kids !


( Just to digress and  elaborate a little, the hallmark of a good fruit cake is to have the chopped  fruit mix - raisins, sultanas, cherries, apricots, dried figs, nuts,)  soaked/macerated in a cup or so of   brandy for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to a month before it is added to the cake mixture.  The aroma of the fruit mix will fill the whole house and everyone will  know that the festive season has started . The slowly  baked cake is then covered in greaseproof paper and foil and kept in an airtight container to mature for a minimum of a month  and up to 3 or 4 months.   This brings out the  taste and rich  flavour of the cake and you only need a small slice of it to enjoy with a good cup of coffee/tea .  This is how a traditional fruit cake is done.

Those who are prohibited from using alcohol can substitute with fresh orange juice but it cannot keep well and has to be consumed  within a week. )


Everything went well, I guess because they left only at about midnight with containers of my special mutton dish.  ( They had already informed me a week earlier to cook extra and 'ta pau ' { pack } for them )   After clearing all the dishes, wine glasses, plates, cutlery and  what not and putting away the leftovers in tupperwares for consumption the next day (!) ,  I slumped into bed around 1 am.

Not dead tired as I was used to but pleasantly tired this time.  I think I'll do the same next year !



Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi

Tuesday, 25 October 2011


My blog was temporarily removed due to someone trying to hack into my blog and my email...... God knows what was so important or top secrets were hidden in my articles !  Google  had  to do what was necessary and so readers might have had some problem having access to my blog lately.  Oh well, it's back to normal now and so I can ramble on............


It is already Deepavali eve and I have taken a laid back attitude in my celebrations this year.  For the first time, I'm celebrating Deepavali with only my family members.  It's a new  kind of feeling when I don't have to slave over the stove making ' thosai ' and chicken curry, etc ....  for my never ending guests streaming in all day..... This year  I'm visiting my sister so I can put up my legs a wee bit.

  In the morning, after offering my prayers at the temple, I'm  going to visit some of the children in the low cost flats located in Shah Alam and give them goodie bags .    My kids and I went there last week and gave away soft toys, mugs, cookies , etc to the  small kids playing in the car park .  One twiggy like child of 5  wore  an adult size flip flop and  climbed down 8 flights of stairs .......    One single parent of a child asked me why I was doing it .   I was quite taken aback and  I  really didn't know how  or what to answer her .  Another mum asked if I was from some welfare dept and had  to register her name with me.  Most of them were curious and I guess a wee bit suspicious  of my motive !     Well, the secret is out ! I did it because I wanted to .  That's it. The cookies, I had  baked myself... the soft toys of Winne the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse,  tigers, teddy bears, etc .,  belonged to my kids during their childhood days which I had lovingly packed them away to keep as keepsakes and for memories  ( they had quite a large collection )  and the  mugs, plates,  and souvenirs were collected from travels and family members  ) .  

 In retrospect, I think I wanted to see for myself the surprise and happy feeling on their faces, hear them hollering out their friends name with  their squeals of laughter and see them  prancing around with delight with their new found toys/gifts.  I am quite tired of just giving money to homeless  organisations and welfare homes.  I have found it more meaningful to go down to meet them face to face  and do/give whatever I can .  Not everyone is registered with welfare homes or NGOs... most of the lower income families just go about their lives doing their  work and try to cope with the pressure of work to make ends meet.  They would hardly have time to play with their children and it is  these category of people/ their small ones  who need  a bit of cheer.  

If truth be told, it was  the children who made me happy that day with their toothy grins and shrieks of laughter and delight .   And  I'm grateful they gave me an opportunity to experience it.


On another note, I was browsing through the SeniorsAlound.blogspot.com and viewed this touching video.  It's a short film of 12 mins which I have uploaded here after watching it. You'll understand it when I say you don't need subtitles  .........

Wishing all Hindus ' A VERY HAPPY DEEPAVALI ' and GOD BLESS

Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi

Tuesday,  11 October 2011



You simply have to watch this movie.  I did it a few times and it humbled and  touched me profoundly... and then I smiled  knowingly as I read the ending.


http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html






Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi

Saturday 8 October 2011


The nine days of ' Navarathri ' ( Sanskrit for 9 days and nights )  prayers observed by Hindus all over the world are now over and  I have found time to upload the other paintings of Tengku Norashikin.

                       
These 3  cooking utensils were done quite some time ago but they still look good for hanging on the kitchen wall.

A lovely basket of roses filled with cookies

Ooooo! so so cute and cudly - perfect for the nursery room

A beautiful ' kampung' scene complete with chickens.....

                              

If I were in Hogwarts School of Magic , I'd  wave my wand and make the mouth-watering cake appear before me this instant.

' Langadium Laviosa ' ......... hmmmm my magic wand is not working and my stomach is growling. Must try again !


Texture paste work done on two different bread boxes with subtle variations ..... both look absolutely delicious


Well,  what are you waiting for ? Pick up that brush and get a move on, people, start painting now !



Happy reading and painting



Lakshmi

Thursday 5 October 2011

Something we should all ponder about  .  The quoted words are very familiar to all Malaysians  that  they roll off our tongues so  easily and have  become, sort of standard operating  answers .       Although it is written in a satirical tongue-in-cheek way, we Malaysians are really " guilty  as charged  ", aren't we ?



NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR HAIR LOSS:
Ajinomoto  




NATIONAL INSTANT FOOD :
Maggi Mee  
 

NATIONAL BREAKFAST :
Nasi Lemak  
 

NATIONAL LUNCH :
Nasi Ayam  
 

NATIONAL SUPPER :
Roti Canai & Teh Tarik    
 

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR BEING LATE:
Traffic Jam  
 

NATIONAL FRUIT FOR INDUCING MENSTRUATION :
Pineapple            


 
NATIONAL APHRODISIAC DRINK:
Stout. Many Malaysian men swear by it. But then after a few pints they start swearing at everything.. .

NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (MEN):
Food Poisoning
 

NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (WOMEN):
Menstrual Pain       
 

NATIONAL CURE FOR DIARRHOEA :
Cap Kaki Tiga.  
 

NATIONAL CURE FOR HEADACHES:
Panadol.  
 

NATIONAL CURE FOR DIZZINESS:
Minyak Angin Cap Kapak.

 
NATIONAL CAUSE OF DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
Happy Hours.  
 

NATIONAL INSTANT CURE FOR DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
The sight of a police road block.  
 

NATIONAL RICE COOKER :
NATIONAL Rice Cooker



NATIONAL RUBBISH DUMP:
Anywhere, as long as it is not your house.  
 

NATIONAL MOST MIS-PRONOUNCED NAME:
Carrefour.  
 

NATIONAL ANSWER FOR 'WHERE ARE YOU?'
on the way.    


 
NATIONAL OFFICIAL TIME FOR BEING LATE
-10 minutes  
 

NATIONAL REASON FOR PRICE INCREASE
Petrol naik  
 

NATIONAL REASON FOR PETROL INCREASE
Still cheaper than other country  
 

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR CAUSING TRAFFIC JAM:
There was accident on the other side of the road  
 

NATIONAL REASON WHEN REJECTING INVITATION  :
'I got some work to do..u all go first'  
 

NATIONAL REASON FOR COLLAPSED BUILDINGS & LEAKY PARLIAMENT ROOFS:
An act of God.  
 

NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR IRRESPONSIBLE POLITICAL STATEMENTS:
None. We were misquoted.  
 

NATIONAL MINISTERIAL REASON FOR INCREASING TOLL RATES:
Lu ingat ini jalan saya punya bapak punya kah?
 (you think this is my father's road ah ?)  
 


NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR JUMPING QUEUE:
everybody jumping what!


NATIONAL EXCUSE NOT PAYING SAMAN ACCORDING TO DUE DATE:
government will give discount one of these days  
 

NATIONAL EXCUSE TO BRIBE:
minum kopi                                                                                             








( Thanks, Gouri , for sharing this with me )




Happy reading and painting






Lakshmi

Friday 30 September 2011



I attended a 'Hari Raya ' lunch do ' at Tengku Norashikin's house recently  and came away rejuvenated and inspired by her decorative art paintings.  That lady sure finds time to paint away despite her many family obligations.   Of course, I couldn't stop myself from click  clicking away like a mad woman when I saw her whole kitchen/studio filled with her works.  ( Urgghhh ! I felt so guilty for not  painting any new pieces myself  after feasting my eyes on hers and have resolved to buck up.................... soon !. )


The pictures below are some of  her paintings;  I'll be uploading the rest at regular intervals, so have patience ya !

A beautiful piece of Hindeloopen ( Dutch)  strokework  on a stool.  The basecoat was Jo Sonja's Red Earth.  Don't forget to note  the little bird amongst the floral motives. . An inspiring piece, I should say.




                                            A door stand with fluffy  pale red   roses





                                                  A door stand with berries and daisies





A door stand resembling a wooden barrel filled with bunches of hydrangeas with bows..........




                           lovely bunch of pansies  on a barrel themed base with olive green bows




                                                A welcome sign with poppies, poppies, poppies






A  lovely  bouquet of   roses in  a basket weave design  and red ribbons  to match .......... simply gorgeouso !





                  This is Zuliana's  piece.  Couldn't stop clicking even though she was still painting....



                                   Hmmmm..., wish I had this  hanging in my house........





This is really a change from the florals..... way to go Shikin  ( and thanks for letting  me loose in your beautiful house  ! )



Oh, by the way , Shikin, I thoroughly enjoyed myself with your delicious feast of '  ketupat and satay ' , my absolute Malaysian favourite.  Next time I come, please make my other Malaysian favourite ' nasi lemak ' ya !

Happy reading and painting



Lakshmi

Thursday  22 September 2011



I simply have to upload this one for all my friendly readers .......... they are too beautiful  not to be shared  with everyone . The person who created this really has a  beautiful  heart .  I hope these words move your heart as it did mine. 



Thanks, Gouri, for sharing this with me.

 Happy reading and painting



 Lakshmi


 Ps:  Went to Tengku Norashikin's house for lunch yesterday.  have lots of painting to upload.... be patient ya !!