And this is only 3 days...

Raihanah had her first real away-from-home experience when she participated in a community programme organised by the District Education Office of Gombak. It was an activity of the Pandu Puteri Tunas or Junior Girl Guide and participated by 6 primary schools under the district.

She was among 4 guides selected to take part - in fact, she was thrilled and had insisted on going when the teacher in charge asked if she would like to take part. As parents, we had to subsidise some of the costs involved in this excursion, which was not an issue for me. As long as Raihanah wants to take part, is eager to take part, we will encourage her with whatever means we can. We hope she would gain valuable experience from this activity, and of course, this would also look god on her resume!

I felt sad, though for not being there to help her pack and send her off. Coincidently, Hanafy and I were away in Seberang Jaya, Butterworth delivering a programme to a corporate client there. It so happens that the community service activitiy involves an Adoption programme where the students have to stay with families of the local community for the 2 nights of the programme.

Tiny's mum gave birth to a litter of 4 kittens about a week already. And she is such a devoted mama cat. This time round, all 4 are male kittens and she is making sure they all survive.

The last time she gave birth to 3 kittens, only Tiny survived. And to think that Tiny was the least that she cared about then. One of the kitten died of suffocation - mama wanted to keep them warm so she had cuddled them close to her body. The next day, one of Tiny's siblings stopped breathing - mama cat had accidently slept on it the whole night. Tiny's other sibling died from undernourishment.

With only Tiny to look after then, mama cat made sure she wasn't out of sight. And we helped in any way we can, including building a shelter for them to sleep in right outside the kitchen door. On cold and rainy nights, we moved the basket of mama cat and Tiny, then an odd looking scrawny fur ball, to outside the front door where it was warmer.

I had not wanted to start the habit of keeping them indoors - they were after all still 'strays'. And I'd like to keep to the relationship we have with them now. In the day time, we feed them. Sometimes we allow them in to play around, But night time, its strictly outdoors.

The cats that seemed to favour our house and taken to us, and vise versa, somehow know not to soil the house inside and outside. If there are droppings found on the front lawn, that would most probably be the work of other strays or cats owned by others in the neighbourhood or some of the 'tame' cats' "friends"...

Jogging shoes in use...

Upon our return from our short 'balik kampung' holiday to Singapore during the recent school holidays, the first outing we did was to a mall to get running shoes for Hanafy. As promised.

Today, 1 July, marks the second time the shoes were worn and for the purpose of the purchase. The first time was last Saturday when we were in Penang to deliver our talk to a few schools there. We stayed at the Gurney Hotel along Persiaran Gurney, fronting the sea and with a wonderful stretch of concrete walkway point to point, connecting the hotel to Gurney Drive, and suitable for avid joggers and brisk walkers alike to partake their interests mornings, evenings or nights.

We brisk walked point to point and back. I am very sure we covered an area of about 4 km in total, judging from the amount of sweat that poured out of our pores. Once we got back to where we started, that is right in front of the hotel, we walked right up the 1 flight of spiral stairway to the coffee house for breakfast. A healthy one, mind you.

Ahhh....I had 2 bowls of their oatmeal and mixed dried fruits in milk plus yogurt, chilled and ready to scoop. Have always wondered how they did the mixture - whenever I tried to concote this tasty serving, it just did not come out the same delicious way! I had a few crackers with cheese. I had coffee and a glass of manggo juice. I had 2 half-boiled eggs, grade C in size.

The Gurney...I am sure their buffet breakfast spread is one of the best I have ever tasted. But then since we have been staying here regularly for the past 3 years, the spread never seemed to change. Not that I am complaining; as long as the oatmeal and mixed dried fruits in milk plus yogurt is there...eemmmmm...