45th

Today I turned 45. Goodness...half way to the big 5 0. Ya ya ya age is just a number. Nothing to fret. But I do wonder. What have I done in the past 45 years? Is it enough? Could I have done more? Am I contented? Is there still more ground to cover? Have I marked off my bucket list?

I am happy. Always have and always will be a "happy fruit." 

I have wondered. My answer is not enough. I can still do more. As long as I am still breathing and willing, I want to keep on growing fat and round! I want to be bursting with knowledge. I want to be fat with learning. I want to be obese with dreams and goals and wishes and hopes.

I am contented with life. A simple one always works for me. I am grateful for a roof over my head, my Proton, and glorious food within my reach.....and oh, the eternity of shoes that I can own!

I have sacrificed a lot. Who has not? Every second was worth it. Especially now, when I see the seeds that I have sown budding healthily and with much confidence. Not in a million years will I change anything in the past. For what I am today, I owe it to yesterdays.

I still have a long way more to go and am not aiming at 50. I am aiming at the stars over the milky way. For my dreams and goals and wishes and hopes are all there. I will reach every one of it. In time. In determination. In faith. In love.

A big shout-out to my Facebook friends whose good wishes came rolling in since the day before my birthday. People have been interrogating me as to how is it possible to have friends whom I have never met, for years! I don't have the answer but I guess I am lucky to have met so many good and kind people over the Internet. Friendships just bloomed. We stayed together through seasons and never broke up. I firmly believe I have the best bunch of Facebook friends throughout the world. 

Today was a happy day for me at work. If Dad and Mom were here with me, it would be a perfect day. But they are with me in spirit; they live right in the core of my heart.   

At work, colleagues were with me in celebrating my birthday with a luscious chocolate cake that was fit for a king. The presence of my bosses meant a great deal to me. It was good to see all relaxed and just being together for a meal and a song.  People say a picture says a thousand words. My photos for today tell it all.

A perfect boutique of yellow and pink roses from my husabnd arrived at noon.

A sinful chocolate cake for all of us to enjoy

Colleague and Bosses

Pandan and coconut cupcakes

Red velvet cupcakes

Laksam Kelantan

Can't smell enough of the fragrance

My inspiring boss

My beautiful colleague from Iran

My colleague helped with the cutting of my birthday cake

My big boss

Cutting my cake

Singing the birthday song

Make a wish

My delicious chocolate cake

Love my colleagues

Beautiful people

My very young colleague

Wefie time.... always!

My serious colleague. She is a fun person really. 

Silliness struck! What in the world were we doing? I had no idea!!!

Happy day

Sweet gift from a sweet colleague who couldn't stay for the party.

Cameron Highlands: The hills are alive!

The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears

(The Sound of Music)

History corner:

Cameron Highlands was founded by William Cameron, a British colonial government surveyor, in 1885. He traveled by elephants with his companion Riau to explore the Titiwangsa Range.  Cameron Highlands grew famous when British planters realized the potential of the fertile mountain slopes for growing tea. Today, it is Malaysia's largest tea-producing region.  

April 2016 I made a trip to Cameron Highlands (for work) after so many years of missing it. I don't even remember when was the last time I was there, maybe around 5 or 6 years old. It was amazing seeing the changes and progress. So businesslike nowadays. Little hotels mushroomed at every corner. Stalls all over the place, selling souvenirs and knick knacks. And oh.... the night market was a blast.

Paid a visit to one of the nurseries. Little, medium, chubby cactus for sale.

Peach colored flowers are indicative of gratitude and thankfulness. It means that the affection you seek to express is genuine warmth and appreciation.

Was fascinated with this little door on the wall. It was drizzling when I shot this; the rain didn't worry me a bit. Gotta have this shot. So King Arthur-ish!

Ferns. Beautiful greens. I was hoping that no snakes would jump out of this. I had my face against this green carpet a few times!

Plants and flowers galore....

Gerberas to your fancy. These flowers I love. Big hearts. Rich colors. A pure joy to photograph.

You are the blood in my veins and the beating of my heart. You are my first waking thought and my last sigh before sleeping. You are - bone of my bone and breath of my breath. (Daughter of the Forest)

Hairy balls milkweed...hahaha (certainly make me laughed out loud when I spotted them!) ... fascinating plant. I believe these are butterflies' best friends. I wonder what the butterflies see in them?

Grilled corn on the cobs. Super duper sweet and yummy. Sold in the markets.

Morning Glory is the best name. It always refreshes me to see it. (Henry David Thoreau)

Purple star petunias. Bravo! Looks like it is carrying a star right in the middle of its heart.

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell

It fell upon a little western flower

Before milk white, now purple with love's wound

And maidens call it love-in-idleness

(A Midsummer Night's Dream)

A gazillion petunias smiling back at you in the cool Cameron weather.

Feeling in the pink???

What a beautiful mess!

A visit to the Strawberry Farm and ended up being a glutton. Strawberry jam, strawberries and cream on waffle. Strawberry sundae. Strawberries and cream. Strawberry coffee. You name it, they've got it!

Roses in bouquets, sold in the market. White roses are my favorite. But so are red and yellow and purple and blue...hehehe!

The BOH Plantation. What a grand view - scenic, tranquil, and fresh air.  Founded in 1929 by J. A. Russel, a British businessman.

The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is actually a tree rather than a bush as popularly regarded by many people. In Cameron Highlands, black tea is the most popular variety, followed by Oolong and Green Tea.

White turnips for sale!

The cordiality of Cameron Highlands will always be in my heart; coolness of air, serenity of the tea gardens, the emotions of life, and the lust for desserts!  It was a good reunion for me. Now I have newer contemporary picture of Cameron in my mind, one that would stay for a longer period of time I hope. With a grateful heart, I managed to seize precious moments to photograph some memorable live sketches of flora; a fancy of mine since forever.  Thank you Cameron for my new memories and experiences. I will be back!