Random Rambles of Lotfi

Yesterday, I found myself back in my alma mater, the main campus ground of UiTM, Shah Alam. The last time I was there was for my own graduation. The ceremony was held at DATC, short for Dewan Agong Tuanku Canselor, a new auditorium for all formal university functions. The truth is, I didn't know where the shuttle bus took us from where we parked our car at Section 7, Shah Alam. Bimbo moment, made worst with the heat of the day and the fact that we didn't know our way around the area plus we were late...(which is not unusual based on our track records). The grand DATC So Aisyah completed her Diploma in Artistic Writing last year. We're all glad that part of her life is over and done with.  I attended the ceremony with the hubs and her grandfather. Got there in the nick of time. All her course mates were already in the hall, and she was 'inserted' into the line. And less than 15 minutes later, I heard her name being called up. My first born, recipient of...

After Mount Irau, we decided to explore FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia). I have been there twice for a run and some work activities but have never tried the Canopy Walk or hiking the trails. Didn't do much research on the place. This is one of those 'redah je' trip. We reached FRIM before 7.45am. Just a 20 minutes drive from home in the weekend traffic. To park your car in the park, you need to pay RM7, otherwise you can park outside and walk your way in. Waited for the rest and after much deliberation because we know very little about the place decided to head to the waterfall route. The  9 of us walked at leisure, took lots of pics and marvel at the greenery around us. Since we were there early we decided to just walk around the area. FRIM was already bustling with activities. Walkers, runners, cyclers, cyclists, picnickers with families and friends in tow. I saw that they had bicycles for rent too. Cool! We walked into the trails to the waterfall,...

I don't remember ever celebrating Mother's Day with my own Mak. I don't even remember people talking about it when I was a kid. Maybe old age is getting to me, but yeah, I don't remember. It's only when I became a mum of 4 that all these talks about Mother's Day came about. And we see the commercialisation of the whole thing. The flowers, the cards, the gifts, the whole jing-bang. Nothing wrong with it all. If all the kids and dads in the world need a day to remember to celebrate us mummies, so be it. Bask in the attention, eat all the delicious food, indulge in the desserts, cherish the gifts, flowers and make them feel good celebrating us. My own Mak in JB is oblivious to Mother's Day. Even more so now, 2 years after her stroke. I called just to speak to her and asked her how she's doing, which is rare coz she doesn't answer the phone herself. I get updates from my sisters. I would rather sit with her to ask her how she is. But she sounded ev...