Pulau Perhentian - Part 2

After putting it off for some time, I managed to scan the disposable underwater camera's pictures. Being an al-cheapo camera, I knew that the pictures would not turn up perfect, but those that did was pretty ok ( maybe need to invest in those underwater casing for digital cameras soon).

Coral Fishes, where we moored our boats

Poisonous Anemone - house of the clown fish (Nemo)

An anchoring point left by a boat

A pair of turtles - male & female

Turtle swimming gracefully

Charlie's Angel

The mrs. finding her water feet

Syakirin & Jools

Jools & Jaz

Me & Aiman

Jools trying not to drown

Yours truly

The snorkeling trip proves to be a great outing activity where the whole family members can enjoy. I just wish that the authority would maintain and check development around the marine park as this could conserve the corals for the future generations. I have seen uncontrolled destruction of corals which would leave the sea bed as barren and dead as the desert, with only remnants of the majestic corals left.

Wonder when the next trip is going to be :-).

Hooked on HEROES

Being a 'no-satellite-tv-at-home' proponent, I sometimes miss out on supposedly good tv shows and need to rely on local tv channels to show the reruns, obviously several months late or 'durian' dvd's. But with the age of information, one can do wonders if you know where to look. Had downloaded the whole of Season 1 - Heroes from a friend and started to watch it. And boy was I hooked, basically I spent about 3 episodes/day.

What made the storyline interesting is that some of the don't know that changes are happening to them and they have a new found ability. They were like normal human being coping with their normal life and to some these new found abilities actually burdens them.

It made me wonder, if we were given a choice of superpower to choose from, what sort of power should we choose? For me, it used to be invisibility, where I could get anywhere unnnoticed (but it might turn me into a perverted voyuer). Or invincibility? It's kinda of hard to decide. What say you?


ps. The mrs. is having a mini 'school reunion' at our place tomorrow. Now I wish I can teleport myself somewhere to escape from the session :-) ( just kidding, Bi!)

Al Fatihah...

Heartfelt condolences to the family of Faizal, a nieghbour of mine who passed away on Tuesday during his posting in the UK. From what we heard, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia's and succumbed to it after a very short hospitalisation. Arrangement has been made to bring him back to Malaysia. To Umi, Sabrina & Adam, semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan dikalangan orang yang soleh dan beriman.

Grrrrrrrrr....D**n Mat Motor

There I was, minding my own business, on the way to send my mrs. to work, joining the main artery road towards KL when I saw, in my driver's side mirror, a motorcyclist swerving in & out of traffic. Thinking that he was a bit too fast to be swerving in & out, I saw he was struggling to control his motorcycle and then suddenly, BANG....he hit my side mirror, become unbalance on his scooter but manage to regain his balance and without any signs of remorse or even any form of apology...leaving me with this .....

The mirror bit has been ripped clean of the plate, lying somewhere on the KL-Seremban highway, just off Sri Petaling exit. The damage is estimated to be around RM 400 (chop shop) - RM 1000 (new) as they don't just sell the mirrors, but the whole motorised assembly. I was hoping I could source only the mirror by itself, but it would have to be quite an effort. So in the mean time, I could revert back to the boring old side mirrors (lucky I still kept those).

To the Mat Motor (WPW *7*7) who inflicted this damage, I hope what comes around goes around...

ps... I might need help to trace the plate number & slap him some lawsuit for property damages
( or send some muscles to bash the daylight out of him )

Pulau Perhentian Trip

For the last school holidays, Jools & Me have planned a family trip to Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu. This is to cater for the kids, whilst the parents could do things at our leisure. But prior to the trip, I was struck down with the flu, but still went ahead with the plan regardless. March was considered a off peak season where the seas have calmed down a bit from the annual monsoon, but was told that the best time to go there is during April - September.

We left KL on Thursday 18/3/07 at around 7.15am in Jools brother'S Naza Ria. The whole drive towards Kuala Besut took about 6 hours, under the guidance of GPS. This is my first time using a full-blown GPS with autorouting and I'm impressed. Now how do I get it past the mrs. without her knowing? (looks like it's gonna be a trade off between in-car DVD or GPS).

The posse at Kuala Besut Jetty for lunch

The boat ride to Pulau Perhentian took 30 minutes by speed boat, mind you some of us in the party regretted having a heavy lunch. Nevertheless what awaits us at our designated accommodation managed to take away the sea sickness.

The chalet at Fauna Resort

The kids was so excited seeing the fine, white sandy beach that everyone wants to have their change of clothes so that they could hit the beach. The tiredness from the long drive was soon forgotten. The chalet is located at Teluk Dalam and the beach there was shallow.

Making sandcastles

Crystal clear water

Bluish and shallow beach

Inviting for a swim

The first day was spent on the beach in front of the chalet. The second day we have arranged for a snorkeling trip at various spots on the island. We are guided by Lim@Cheng & what an outstanding guide he was. There's not a lot of pictures taken during the trip using our digital camera for the fear of wetting it, but I've bought a disposable underwater camera and now awaiting for the prints. (It'll be in part 2)

Testing out snorkeling gear

The snorkel boat ride

One of the snorkeling location, the boat looks like floating in mid air

We've been taken to a spot where's the depth is about 8-10 meters deep, and you could see the seabed and all its inhabitants clearly. Colourful fishes swam around us, with various shapes and hues. Theres a spot near Perhentian Island Resort, where the clown fish (nemo) could be seen i their anemone. They also took us for turtle watching, where it was really exciting to see the majestic turtles swimming about without any care in the world of people snooping about taking their pictures. We were also taken to Shark's Point, where the black tip sharks swims in between us. The sharks proved to be too fast for us to even snap a picture of them. Part of me felt anxious knowing that there where at least five sharks near us at any one time and they would easily out swim humans and they are strong and sleek creatures. And the snorkelling was fruitful too, apart from seeing the magnificent sea inhabitants that we came for, Jools amhaged to find a watch and snorkeling gear as well. ( He found it, but Lim was the one retrieving it )

I felt that the trip to Perhentian was great. Where could you find the pristine, white, fine sandy beach, untouched corals and sea life, crystal clear water. Wouldn't mind doing it again. There no feeling of being rushed, no land based motorised transport on the islands and you have to bet by the water taxis / boats. Also there's not a lot that you could do at night except enjoying and soaking up the nature.

We left Perhentian on the first boat out Saturday and we headed towards Bachok, where Jaz's aunt lives. The journey took about 3o mins from Kuala Besut. The ladies have set on shopping in KB, so the dads have been left to be in-charge of the brood. The house was set facing the sea and nicely done, ala resort. There a big compound so the kids was let loose there and we managed to walk about on the beach. The host were very warm and hospitable, welcoming us to their home. To Hans & Makcik *, thanks for having us. We headed back to KL at around 3 pm, reaching home at midnite with stops along the way.

Resort style bungalow

Facing the sea

Plenty of shades and coconuts

Wakaf to relax

Look dad! A Starfish!

Aiman & Kazima

Hope that I could make it back to Perhentian again. Now planning to go back for Open Water certificate sometime in June/July. Cant wait to organize it.

A great read

At the recent MPH Warehouse sales, I've managed to get this book which I reckon is a good read :

I'm not good with book reviews but you can find some about if if you google it. For me it represents the hardship of growing during the during the 1930-1940, with a father who would spend every penny earned (either by working or on the dole) drinking it away, and tragedy after tragedy that struck the family. It seems to me that it could be summed up by the Malay proverb, "sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga".

It is recommended for those who like a good story, albeit no gun totting henchmen or cloak and dagger operatives, but excellent to have kept me riveted.

Another pair of Crocs sighted

Bandar Kinrara - Another pair of Crocs have been sighted in the vicinity of the suburbs, this time it was reported to be bigger than the ones sighted. Eyewitness reported that this pair is more muscular looking than the previous sighting, with a more natural tone to it.

This discovery confirms the theory that even adults have been smitten by Crocs and its not only for kids. It is reported that the owner would take the newly found pair for some sun, sand & se* at a paradise island soon. ~ retuers~

Revenge of the Sith(ck)

The flu & coughing took a turn for the worse, I'm up all night last night. Hence a visit to the GP and here I am, resting at home on MC. This tend to happen when we have something nice/grand planned around the corner. Just hope that I could overcome this before the trip on Thursday. Now curled up on bed but still not able to doze off......

p.s. Had a farewell lunch for a colleague yesterday. He's leaving the company for greener pasture in O&G industry in Sarawak. T*o, wishing you all the best in your future undertaking.

p.s.s Was a bit disappointed upon learning that I was not considered for further stages of interview for a position that I applied, anyway it goes to show that I still have a lot to learn in my new job function.

The sandbars are back

What do you get when you have a touch of flu and cough? Sleepless nights....Here I am at 4.30 am, breaking sweat and coughing like nobody's business and I can't sleep...It has been two nights in a row now and even though I feel tired,I still couldn't get a decent 40 winks...

With the recent weather patterns, the mighty Pahang river behind my mrs house has became shallow and sandbars are emerging. Normally, this is the time where we would go down and mandi sungai and play on the sandbar. On a good day, you could almost walk across half of the river, which is almost 200 metres in width. We used to play on the sandbars, some kickabout, kite flying or collecting shellfish (etak), but with the flu & all, I didn't get the chance to do it during the weekend that we were there. Plus, I need to recover fast enough for the upcoming Pulau Perhentian trip, which is going to be this coming Thursday.

So I will try to catch some sleep or I'll be groggy in the morning.....

Najihah & Soffee's Wedding

It was a simple affair. The weather was hot and scorching, with hints of rain coming but never materialized. The akad nikah ceremony was held at the nearby surau, with my father-in-law himself doing the solemnisation. The reception was held afterwards, with traditional Pahang dishes - Daging Opor, Daging Kari, Nasi Minyak etc.

Najihah is the sixth of seven siblings, with only two boys in the family, hence she was the last one that my father-in-law would give away. The groom hails from Selendang, which is about 20 km away from Kuala Rompin.

The bride before the akad nikah ceremony

The groom waits patiently prior to the ceremony

Three sisters - Tik, Lah & Jihah

Akad nikah in session

The band of son-in-laws

To Najihah & Soffee, welcome to the world of matrimony.

Fun At The Pool

This week we went to the pool after a long break....this is to train for the next upcoming snorkeling break that we're planning during the school holidays...I know now that I'm way behind in the fitness category, what used to be a breeze lap now turns into quite an ordeal....also thinking of ordering an Aquapac so that we could use the existing digital camera for some wet shots....hopefully it will arrive in time.

What I did this weekend : -

• Attended 2 birthday parties and 1 aqiqah kenduri ( to the chagrin of my dad :- takkan takde songkok? ) also piling on the food..chocolate fountain, briyani, satay, cakes, nasi dagang, wahh..so much calorie added
• sent the mrs. for a follow up test, & I happened to be taking a call when her turn came for the blood drawing, hence mini me stepped up to the plate and comforted his mum..
  
• Happy Birthday to my lil' sister who turns 18 yesterday....pity we didn't find any iPod shaped cake....
• also got some books to read at the MPH warehouse sale, loads of book at great reduction (loads of people and it was hot under the makeshift tents)
  
• loaned my beginner golf set to my brother who's being 'racuned' to do the 'corporate' thing....at least if he takes it up, we gonna have kakis in the family
  
• finalised the short snorkeling trip with Jools.....looking forward to it
• looking for info on some home fitness equipment, so that the two of us could have some exercise during the weekdays whilst waiting for the normal weekend jog around the taman..hehehe
  

Great power comes with great responsibilities

Just something I observed today, the VP of my division gets no rest...even when having lunch there would be people surrounding the VP discussing work..I guess when you get to that stage your life & soul would belong to the company, befitting the salary that they pay you.

Also the decision that you make could change the destiny of your division, be it to the better or the worse, you are still accountable for it. Imagine, getting cornered politically by some hopeful vendors with political connections to supply substandard products to the company, which way to go...do you bow to the political masters and have inferior product infiltrating your network and causing more harm than good plus incurring the wrath of the workforce, or defying the powers-that-be, protecting your chain of supply but committing political suicide in the corporate ladder?

I was told that the VP would only sleeps at 2 am everyday, going through the vast amount of paperwork that needs to be looked into and signed off. That does not include days where you have to finish up late, attending meeting & functions etc....And that is just running a division of a company, not even the whole company, or country for the matter...

As for me, I'm now contented with where I am. True enough, I've got aspirations to be higher than a minnow in the corporate scene but at the moment I am in my comfort zone....maybe my fortune might change somewhere in the near future? They say that this is the year for tigers...just watch this space, ok!

The innocence of kids

I managed to catch snippets of the movie during the CNY break and what I saw was quite good that I've gone out and bought the movie myself. The movie revolves around the childhood memories of 5 friends growing up in the 80's.

As a product of the 80's myself, the movie brought out in droves memories and nostalgic moments in my life. I could still remember at that time the only thing that you need is a transport, which is most likely going to be a 'chopper' bicycle, with selectable speed on the centre beam (bmx came much later), the games are mostly makeshift and not store bought, eg. teng-teng, galah panjang, soldiers, police & thief, konda-konde, selipar tiga, doctor (ATARI was the in-thing, as was Game&Watch and Pac-Man is the coolest game ever), and kids could wander around without any care in their minds. The adults would need to be notified that we're going out to play, and normally we would end up playing way off from where we told them in the first place.

The world felt different then than it is now. The pace of life was not hectic, we were looking forward for any chance of a break from school to continue with playstuff. My mum is quite strict with afternoon naptimes during the weekdays, but we have devised a method to maximise our playtime and quickly rushes in for *fake nap* and when she was asleep, we would slip out of the house to continue playing again. Also pocket money was kinda small at 30 sens per day, so that if you missed the school bus home, than bye-bye your pocket money as the bus fare home is also 30 sens.

Also surfaced the memories of saving up to buy 'branded' stuff, eg Nike's, OP, skateboards ( Powell Peralta, Tony Hawk). We were instilled the 'savings culture' so that we would appreciate more of the thing got.

As for now, I wouldn't think that I could let Aiman wonder around our neighbourhood, maybe not now, but who knows. Wouldn't want him to be deprived of those experience gained from playing around and discovering things on your own. But what I could do now is reminiscing the olden days for him, even though it may sound 'ancient' to him.

I love to fly my kite....

Normally the term 'go fly a kite' would mean that you're telling the other person that they are a pest, and you commanding them to go away and do something else that would keep them busy for a while so that you can get your work done. Considering the things that I have been through for the past week, I guess it was kind of appropriate to just chill out and do some kite flying.

The pinnacle last week was an interview that I attended. It was sort of evaluating the technical knowledge gained for this post that I'm applying. I've been preparing for this interview and upon nearing it I guess that I'm in a good shape. Boy was I wrong! It left me feeling less knowledgeable after than before. The thing is, the interviewer was the sort of person that you see didn't take any notes about what are your responses to the questions, but manage to capture and hang on to your words and use it in a way that left you wondering what the h**l you have said in the first place. IN the end, the interview left me feeling very not "intellectual".

But thank god for the long Chinese New Year break..at least I got away and fly my kite on a beach...but no banana boat in sight ;-)...

Happy 8th Anniversary Dear

Actually it is 8 + 6( prior to marriage ) anniversary.

As a special treat to mark the occasion, I brought the other half for a Japanese Dinner. Actually, we have been trying to get the anniversary cum Valentine's meal last Sunday but due to busy *shopping schedule* we missed the lunch slot. ~ refer to previous posting ~

For me, I was introduced to Japanese cuisine when I started working about 10 yrs ago. The mrs. was one step better as she had actually set food in Japan and had enjoyed the authentic meal at the land of the rising sun. My only claim to fame was that I was brave enough to try it in the first place...( but still wouldn't even remotely consider the puffer / blow fish)

I can still remember when she had the craving for california temaki, and could finish three in a sitting. To be honest, my choice would still be conservative to others but considered adventurous according to my palate.

All in all, it was quite an enjoyable dinner with a relaxed ambiance (rather than the over hyped and over priced valentine's dinner )

Pebbles decking the walls

Table setup - from the next table


some appetizer - didn't manage to get the name but tasted like seaweed ~ nash, any input?~

shisamo - grilled pregnant fish

shiki bento - what the mrs had. a mixture of tempura, miso soup, salad, grilled salmon and selection of sashimi ( raw fish - salmon, tuna and cod )

Unagi bento - grilled eel set with miso soup, rice and salad.

There was a free flow of hot green tea and to cap it off we had some mochi ice cream. If only I could have experienced the real deal and enjoy the meal in Japan itself. Siapalah nak belanja pergi Jepun ni, *wink* ( if any kind soul * you know who you are* in Japan reading this, YM je le )

There's no therapy like .......

..............retail therapy. After all that has been going on for the past month, we feel that it's time that we put those incidents behind us and continue with our normal routine. Hence the 'self indulgence' trip sans du fil is exactly what the doctor ordered.....

It started off with the mrs. wanting to replace her trusted and battered *Sony Ericsson K500i* which she had for almost 2 years (the shop doesn't even considering a trade in - "ini macam third hand punya phone ah...) . It has a long lists of faults and the replacement has a big shoes to fill. The requirement for the new phone is simple :- no fancy-smancy-smarty-pants multifunction-all-in-one-convergence device, just a nice form factor and could handle loads of .mp3 files.

After window-shopping and data gathering, Nokia 5300 fits the bill nicely, plus it has some interesting offer packaged in - eg, bluetooth stereo headphone, memory card upgrade thrown in as well. Plus I got a good deal on a blue tooth handsfree device, to replace my *lost* wired handsfree. Actually I've been meaning to get one since I first got the Treo but putting it off till now.

Also as our anniversary is just around the corner, we decided to have a his & hers complementary fragrance so that we could smell good together. Actually the mrs. has already knew what she been looking for, and upon sampling the fragrance, I agreed with her. Hence we got ourself these ...........

Mont Blanc Starwalker pour homme et Femme Individuelle

As the self indulgence trip took a bit longer than expected, our supposedly advanced anniversary lunch had been postponed as the restaurant was closed when we got there and only would reopen in the evening, but as we've been away for most of the day from our son, we decided to head home and have a some quality time with him instead ( plus to set up the plethora of gadgets picked up during the trip ).

The hardest thing now for me is where to take her for the dinner, as it will so close to Valentine's Day and everything would be commercialized and the price sky high during the 'week of love'....any ideas guys?

Surprise Visit

Today I had the pleasure of my *mentor* and friend came to visit today. He was my first immediate when I first started work and took me under his wing in terms of learning the ropes of working life in a corporate environment. A lot has happened since and we couldn't believe that it has been almost 10 years since I first reported duty. He has quit the company about 7 years ago and now runs his own business, which I think suits him better as he has a special way of creating rapport with people.

As usual, the meeting would be started off with updating of whats going on the personal front. I found out that he had just recovered from an acute cardiac arrest 2 days before X'mas. At 37!!!! The way he was relating the incident to me, make me feels that man, I could in the situation in 5 years time. (which means I have to watch my comfort food intake ) So now he has to keep tab on his diet, reduce his smoking and stress level. Which gonna mean more golf and leisure. Also the conversation was peppered with words of wisdom about his experience venturing out of the company and what I could expect to happen along the line.

To Sam, thanks for the words of comfort and insights. Cheers....

Comfort Food

Part of my new year resolution is to keep my weight below 70 kg. As of now, I'm a tad overweight as per pic :

As 2007 has gone into Feb, the result is still not showing due to the fact that :

1. busy schedule not being able to implement to proposed plans
2. having indulged in too much comfort food
3. excuses instead of action...hehe...guilty as charged

These are some of the food that I had today for tea/dinner :-

Home-made lasagna by yours truly.

The thing about self cook food is that you could control the ingredients used, e.g. not using MSG and to suit the taste to your liking, but could also have the drawback of having too much of the good stuff, where they would be normally skimped in process food (such as loads of beschamel sauce and cheese topping).

Cempedak Goreng

The drawback that having out-of-season food is the out-of-season price. For example, the chempedak weighs in at 2 kg but could only yield 20 pieces of chempedak goreng, which if selling at 3/RM1 would not cover the price of the fruit in the first place...Grrrrr...

Not forgetting the tub of Baskin Robbins acquired on the 31st January..No wonder the waistline is the hardest thing to lose but the easiest to gain...

Oh well, there's still 11 months to go in 2007 and keep watching this space......

Wohooo! Got myself a Ferari 360 Modena !

I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!

You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Touch of Healing Hands

I always believe that most of our medical condition needs the right treatment irregardless of whether it's modern medicine or traditional remedies. But one thing that I don't believe at all is leaving it to fate alone, without any effort to seek any option at all and the very thing I'm a bit sceptical is seeking out bomoh/shaman / quacks to cure you. Sometimes I wonder what does these so called medicine man / bomoh / shaman & what have you have over tried and tested ways. To me it seem like mumbo jumbo yet most people believe it, and you have read all about it in the papers, victims of these so called healers. Some of them more established ones even have ads in tabloids/magazines.

But what I experienced over the weekend kinda changed my perspective. I have been urged to seek a more traditional method to relieve the pain and to help me regain my mobility, which up to that point was a tad better than a slug. I mean I can either sit/lie or stand without twisting my body or not to put my whole weight on my right leg. Even laughing became painful. Under the pain killers I could manage to drive, but once it wears off the pain came back with a vengeance. I couldn't perform my prayers in the normal way as I can't bend my body without wincing. I was in such a state that I'm willing to try anything just to get better.

At the suggestion of the mrs. family, I went to see someone who might be able to help me in this matter. When I got there, there were others waiting to have a one-on-one session with him. Once he was available, he diagnosed my condition as over-exertion of the back :-0. I was preparing myself for an intense massaging to the affected area, only to find out that the whole session only lasted about 15 minutes but with tolerable pain (bukan tak ingat dunia punye sakit). To my surprise, I was able to turn my body, get up on my right leg alone, squat, do push ups etc right after the session.

The pain was still there but at least I have regain most of my mobility again. Looking back, I would expect for some pain relief with some improvement in my mobility but to my surprise I'm like 80% there and I can even laugh. He didn't put any price on his treatment, but I've given him some token of appreciation. He told me that this would be a quick-fix relief and asked me to come back for a more thorough session when I have the time as it would require more than 2 sessions . For me, the treatment that was given plus the relief that it brought was worth it. I felt that I've been touched by hands that do really heals.

ps. I'm considering on the more thorough session even though have been forewarned that it might be painful, worse than I had experience for the 'quick' session

pss. Men are interested in talks about improving your 'prowess' and would have a long chit-chat session about it.

Which superhero are you?

Got tagged for the survey. Didn't feel anywhere remotely superheroic as experiencing lower back spasm, which is excruciatingly painful. Got it when I was going out for breakfast in the morning and now lying in bed on doctor's order. :-(

Your results:
You are Green Lantern

Green Lantern 90% Catwoman 85% Superman 70% Hulk 70% Spider-Man 65% Iron Man 60% Robin 55% The Flash 55% Supergirl 50% Wonder Woman 40% Batman 40%

Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

The one that wasn't meant to be

Everybody Hurts - REM

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When youre sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on.
Don't let yourself go, everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes.

Sometimes everything is wrong. now its time to sing along.
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think youve had too much of this life, well hang on.

Everybody hurts. take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts. don't throw your hand. oh, no. don't throw your hand.
If you feel like youre alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If youre on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think youve had too much of this life to hang on.

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. and everybody hurts sometimes.
And everybody hurts sometimes. so, hold on, hold on.
Hold on, hold on. hold on, hold on. hold on, hold on. (repeat & fade)
(everybody hurts. you are not alone.)

The Year That Was 2006

I know its kinda late to have a look at the year before, but due to some events my schedule have been thrown haywire. It might not amount to much, but I think it would be great to reflect upon what the past year's doing, for which can be a good yard stick for 2007.

Jan 06

• Loss of a colleague due to accident at work. It was kind of hard on everyone in the office plus I've known him since 1997. The hardest thing is to face the grieving family, as they expect you to have all the answers to why they are in the predicament.

• Organised Qurban, Golf Session plus obtained my Lead Auditor Certificate.

Feb 06

• Quiet Chinese New Year in hometown plus a short break in Bukit Merah.
• My 7th Wedding Anniversary dinner wedding and met my boss at the restaurant
  
• Got my Treo 650, started seeing the gynae for another attempt to have addition to the family

March 06

• Outing with Jools & Family at Janda Baik
  
• Went for live ammo shooting for the first time in my life
• Merisik for my brother

April 06

• Disney On Ice
• Maulidur Rasul Parade in Shah Alam
• My SIL's wedding

May 06

• Sabah Trip
• Achik's Engagement

Jun 06

• Won preview tickets for CARS & Superman Returns (which I slept in for abt 10 mins)
  
• Aiman's Birthday

July 06

• Transferred to new department
• Mrs' Birthday

Aug 06

• Went to Melaka for a family day
• First time trying Archery
• Snorkelling at Pulau Kapas

Sept 06

• Organised Detailing Day for MyBenz.org
• Short break to Genting Highlands

Oct 06

• My Birthday
• Various Buka Puasas
• Aidil Fitri

Nov 06

• Our Raya Open House
• 2 cousins got married
• Unforgettable Experience at ********** Embassy

Dec 06

• Langkawi break + snorkelling at Pulau Payar
• Good News - the two thin blue lines
• Achik's Wedding

I know some of you may have a more jet-setting life than me, but at this point of time I felt that I have done good for myself in the past year. May good things be along the way for the next one.

Reliving your yo-yo-uth

These days all the toys have some sort of electronics to it. From simple toys that can do what has been programmed the the more sophisticated such as Gameboy, PSP etc.

One things that we could notice is that things tend to be 'cyclic' in terms of popularity of games. Who could amongst us still remember our childhood games that we used to play, eg selipar tige, konda-kondi, galah panjang and that sort. It used to be seasonal, where we would play one game to the max and then shifting to other games after the current one has fall out of flavour.

The 'in' thing now is a yoyo and for any boy to be 'cool' would be seen with one. I got my son a yoyo and it might surprise parents at the range of prices available, from RM 5 at the night market to RM70 and above at upmarket shops. It used to to be a simple fixed axle yoyo, but now they have a plethora of axels utilising bearings for more 'sleep'. They even have an accompanying CD for tricks plus with special lubricant to ensure that the yoyo would spin effortlesly.


Playing with it has brought back memories long gone, but there's still a lot of it that I need to relearn to be deemed 'cool' ........

ps....I felt kinda 'over the hill' as the things deemed vintage now was the things that I grew up with ;-)

Like Father Like Son

For the upcoming new year, we have decided to try a new haircut, plus the barber was giving a 2 for 1 special :-0

Eid Mubarak & A Happy New Year !

A Really Hectic Two Weeks for Me!

The past two weeks has been really hectic for me. It started off with loads of work to do at the office due to the year end, pending & new investigation that need to be wrapped up, my brother's wedding preparation, the flood in the southern states and the mrs. condition due to the pregnancy.

It all started last week when I was supposed to do finish tidying all the outstanding works, only to find out that there has been a major failure that warrants investigation. Then there was the news that flood has rendered three southern malaysian states into emergency status. On top of that, the mrs. has to visit the gynae twice for some observation wrt the pregnancy.

Then the weekend came with all the wedding preparation and the actual function itself. I've applied leave until the year end to finish off my annual leave allocation, only to find out that there was an urgent meeting on Christmas Day, plus I was on standby at the operation room after that. Then came the day trip to JB on Boxing Day, in which it was raining and gloomy all day long. I had only slept 4 hrs max. per night.

Then when I got back, the mrs. was in such a weak condition that when we went to the GP, he straight away asked for her to be admitted to the hospital, as it was a severe case of Hyperemesis Gravidarum. So off to the ER we went, had her admitted for three days. This is when I discovered I was I in the wrong profession, as a mere 5 mins visit by a so-called 'specialist' could earn him RM150++(Our gynae was away for a holiday, hence we got the backup gynae, which was supposed to be a 'class' above than ourr normal gynae, but I found that his bedside manners was lacking as he keeps fidgeting around and never had any physical contact with the patient and yet command high RM for his consultation). Anyway, the mrs. is still in not in the clear, hence our plan to 'balik kampung' for the upcoming Eid is stil 50/50.

The new year is just around the corner and I still haven't settled the boy's school matters yet due to all the event above, and I still need to do some shopping during the year end sale. Hope things would turn around for me in the coming new year.


p.s - to the kind friend who has been my GPS during the JB trip, your assisstance was highly appreciated. Without the help, I wouldn't have discovered the 'seedy' side of JB ;-), cloak & dagger operations of some 'stall' operators and the thought that Pasir Gudang in on the same direction as Stulang (guilty of being a KL'ite all my life)