...at no charge!

I just had to post this commercial....This is just relevant all the time!

Mom and dad recovering

Mom and Dad were too tired the day folowing Ib's discharge that they decided to splurge on breakfast.....The Bakery, Ukay Heights were where they flocked to!

Mom had ratatouile quiche (our all time fave here) whilst dad had the junior big breakfast (the chcken breast sausage was divine and the sauteed mushrooms were just right!).

The Bakery bakes authentic french breads daily....And our fave bread here is the sun-dried tomato...!

The Bakery is located at No. 1 Jalan Chong Khooi Lin, Ampang Jaya.

Compund Fracture - Prequel and Sequel

Thanks for all the well wishes, Praise to Allah, Ib is his usual self i.e. being hyper!

He has three more weeks before the K-wire is pulled out without anaesthesia - yes this is what the ortho surgeon told us when he signed the discharge form (But before the op, he told us it'd be taken out in the OT under anaesthesia)! Well, I prefer it without the G.A as there are risks involved in any procedure under anaes. Wife has given me the task to accompany Ib when the surgeon takes (as Minah Celoteh's husband puts it - "yank" out the wire!)out the wire....and I hope Ib will not be in his always panicky-state in the presence of doctors (the irony is - Ib's ambition is to become a doctor!)

And how did it happen?

I have a 70 year old octagon-shape marble top table which then sat in the middle of our second sitting area at home....The marble top just rests on the table frame like any other old marble top tables. Ib's favourite preoccupation at home is (according to my daughter after the accident happened) to lie down beneath it and kick the table top slowly, in a vertical continuous motion, so it'd move up and down (I wish he'd stick to his transformers and the like!). On the fateful day the top slid down and he tried to stop it (this is not yet verified and only my theory as there were no witnesses) from falling which obviously was too heavy for his strength! Like tey say...the rest is history.

And the table is now resting peacefully on our patio whilst Ib is still trying to find replacement for his unconventional toy!

At the GP...

Wheeling him to the OT

Self-sedated

Compound Fracture and Yusof's Birthday

Ib had a compound fracture on his right thumb.....Warranted a 40 minute operation for axial K-wiring (in layman's term - inserting wire like "kebab" skewer through his thumb [this is exactly how the ortho surgeon described to us) about 11 pm last night.

It is Yusof's 10th birthday today...Sorry son, we have been bogged down because of Ib's injury. Will make up to you very soon! HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY DEAR YUSOF!

Will post when time permits.

Teknik Katak

As usual, I have father to sons talk in the car whilst sending them to school....Two mornings ago, I was commenting on how I like the way Umar runs as it's a bit unusual...

DoF - "Umar, I love the way you run especially during the sports day......"

Umar - "Owh.....that is "teknik katak" (frog technique)!"

DoF - (bursting laughing) "What is that?"

Ibraheem - "Ya Umar "teknik katak" is when you squat and leap"

Umar - (smiles sheepishly) "Tak tengok Naruto...tu lah teknik katak (Don't you watch Naruto; that IS frog technique"

And all of us laughed.....

I must watch this Naruto cartoon and see what he means by "teknik katak"...

Kids - they never fail to amuse you!

Dancin' with momma

I thought this was sweet.....

Touch Wood...No 2

I have been without a secretary since last August. I have not been fortunate the past one year. That's the grumble we hear within the circle of legal eagles! These experienced secretary just won't hop around. Even if they want to move....- a person with more than 15 years of experience expects to be remunerated at least 4 grand! (We had a male secretary a few years back- who claimed to be experienced and came from one of the biggest law firms; turned out to be an empty can! And we paid him RM3k. Another lady secretary also from one of the biggest law firms whom we paiud about RM3k also.....had to wash her hands every 15 minutes. Inevitably her work became a victim of her obsessive compulsive disorder!

I had resorted to, quite a reputable, headhunting firm (who never came back after agreeing to engage them) for legal secretaries and what they said was, there are plenty of them looking for jobs but they'd rather not go back to "legal" line! I can understand why - the hazards of working in legal firms are indescribable!

I had advertised in at least three neswspapers; J*bstr**t and Bar Council website countless times. I found and offered 4-6 candidates over the past year; it's either they don't turn up on the scheduled commencement date (after waiting for a month with their promise to turn up) or they turn up but are hopeless (Read here of how I was soo excited and eager for the arrival of the hopeless secretary who could not finish typing a simple letter in a day whom we paid RM2.5K) or they turn up for a day or two and leave even before I was able to physically meet them (happened twice...- one girl started while I was away for my Umrah trip and I spoke to her over the phone once to welcome her and give instructions. She disappeared the following day!).

My new secretary will start tomorrow......(BTW this girl was recommended by superwoman's staff)...

I'm prepared for the worst case scenario...! Owh...may be I should think positively but heck..after what happened within the past one year, why bother!

Truly, I'm leaving this to God's hands and hoping for the best!

Wallahualam (God knows best)!

Touch Wood

It's been a week and a half now that the new maid has been with us...

I told wifey that I some time have mental lapses calling the new maid Acha (as in .... Acha Septriasa) - and she said I wished! LOL! BTW her name is Aris Septiani...Ain't that close?

Anyway, she has been quite decent! It really boils down to attitude at the end of the day....Regardless of the efficiency, if the attitude sucks....., she'd not be in our good books! This Acha oops Aris, has a smiley and friendly face and that helps! She's also good in pacifying and cajoling the two younger ones!

Well for the time being, we are enjoying ourselves being called "Sir" and "Ma'am"....Our previous helpers called us "Dad" and "Mum". We are also getting used to be asked "excuse me" all the time "Excuse me sir, boleh saya istirehat" ("Excuse me sir, can retire for the day?"); "Excuse me ma'am, boleh saya makan?" ("Excuse me ma'am, can I have my meal now?"). Don't get us wrong, we have given her a blanket permission for meals and yet she will seek permission unlike my Dawn French (in terms of size) maid who'd eat before everyone even though wifey cooked the meals!

Well like they say......it's too early to tell!

You mean there's more to come?

My daughter turns 13 today......"Happy Birthday my not-so-little baby!". But look at her birthday wish list here.... Wifey and I decided to let her organize a small do with her close friends at *bucks (her fave coffee joint - she takes after wifey when it comes to coffee! LOL!)today as her birthday gift...(dad & mum will be watching and supervising nearby though!).

I kind of miss those days when our conversations went on like:-

"Dad can I have the barbie which twirls and sings?"
"Can you piggy-back me please?"
"I want to hold your hands so that I won't get lost"
"What do you think? xyz or abc?
"Yes, dad"
"I promise dad"
"Will you read for me?"
"Don't tickle me"

Get the idea?

Raising a teenage girl can be a bit daunting but manageable (we are still hanging on and toughing it out AND the best thing is that there is so much to learn! Enjoying every minute of it!).

This is the age when the opposite sex just surfaced in her life out of the blue and peer pressure sets in. We had a very scary roller coaster ride a couple of months ago but thanks to Allah, it's all pink and rosy now. But that's not the end of it is it?

Wifey and I have this attitude now...."take one day at a time" and "smell the roses along the way". After all, parenting is a life long journey!

I am Yoshiyuki Nanba

Your Japanese Name Is...

Yoshiyuki Nanba

What's" your Japanese Name?

Sleepy....

Sephia picture of Ibraheem and Umar and an another model shot at our house courtyard

Our new maid, Aris, arrived yesterday and we fetched her from the agency after sending the previous one to LCCT this morning. Her flight was at 7 and the counter closed at 6.15 am - we arrived just two minutes before it closed (by hook or by crook she must board the plane as wifey just couldn't stand another minute having her around).

I had just woken up from my half hour nap as I had to wake up at 4 am.Getting three kids ready as early as that is no joke...Luckily makcik didn't miss her flight! I'm still sleepy.......

The old maid just took off without even bersalam (shaking hand) or bid goodbye to wifey and the kids... (wifey had to park the car as we were late already and I had to rush off to check-in counter to make sure she boarded the plane). She just shook my hand and said "thank you" without even asking me to bid goodbye to my family on her behalf and netiher did she apologize! God is great - at about 11 am, she called wifey frantically pleading for her help as when she arrived, the syndicate who cons returning "expatriate" citizens of Indonesia who are cash-rich (in their currency of course), had whisked her to another terminal en route to forcibly send her back to her home town and had asked her to pay RM100 as deposit despite her saying that her dad was waiting for her at the arrival lounge. We had to sort this out and call her dad to say that she was at the other terminal and of course they were reunited....And they are living happily in Ceribon now..LOL! Wifey's only comment was never had the maid been most sincere and honest than that time she needed our assistance!

The maid agency is in Bangi and it was just nice to time the departure on the same morning as the "delivery" of the new one! Well - it was a meticulous plan well executed for should the "make-my-wife-happy-plan" had failed you would be seeing one miserable daddy today! LOL

It was still early before the agency was open and we dropped by a kopitiam owned by a couple of friends in Bangi itself aptly called BANGI KOPITIAM. This was our second time since it is a bit far out from where we live. The first time, obviously, when it first opened! There are pictures of my dad and Ibraheem on Umar on the wall.....If you are ever around in Bangi....just drop by....it's the corner shop within the block which is behind the block opposite Bandar Baru Bangi mosque!

Interior of the kopitiam

Picture of my dad in the frame below

We are going to miss you...NOT!

I don't like to call them "maids"...House helper sounds more decent! And this is the picture of ours which was taken a week or so after she first arrived in Malaysia. Her size now....has increased by one third.What good life she has. Even the agency exclaimed to her "Have you been doing work or have you been eating a lot?". She really CAN eat (half a pot of a small rice cooker is just lunch!)!

Having her is like, to quote wifey "having another child of ours in the house except that she irons and play with the two younger ones"! My wife cooks at 5.30 am for breakfast and lunch every day, mops the floor, washes all the toilets (including my maid's) and I do the laundry of about three loads a day.

Her contract is ending in January 2008...but wifey decided to send her home before it expires since wifey wants to train her replacement before our fifth baby arrives early October or late September. She's flying off this coming Saturday.

Called her dad this morning and told him to wait for her when she arrives in Jakarta and the first thing he asked "Berapa uangnya kesemuanya" (How much is the wages in total that she's going to be paid?) I was like....."Aren't you going to ask the flight details etc etc.....?". When I broke the news to her...it was exactly the same response "Bagimana dengan uangnya..mahu dibayar dengan cek atau apa?" (What about the wages? How are you paying?By cheque?). In my heart, wasn't she interested why we are sending her back earlier than she is supposed to go back? The thing about her and her dad is that it's all money money money...It doesn't matter whether she actually deserves to be paid the wages in full or otherwise. What is due to her is still due to her...., right? Regardless of how incompetent she has been and how wifey and I have been doing half of her workload thusfar!

We have had good ones before....One was with us for almost six years until she was betrothed to a man who was 10 years younger than her and who was really leeching her financially that she had to resort to keeping and seling my wife's wedding ring and jewelleries (in spite of us bringing her for a holiday abroad, buying her jewelleries and giving bonuses). We just had to send her home! She actually named his son with the new husband after our second son, Yusof whom she looked after since he was three month old!

The other one only lasted for a year because she was offerred a teaching position back home after paying the middle person (did you know that to secure a government job you need to pay thiese middlemen fees? That's the extent of corruption there) her one year of salary working with us...Only to find out after she got back that that middle man wanted more and she was left in the lurch! She recently gave birth to a baby girl and named her after our first daughter, Siti Khadijah....My parents are flying over to Medan next Monday and I have told this ex-helper to wait at the airport to get goodies from us which I am sending through my parents!

But this present one......I don't think she'll be sorely missed.....

Keeping our fingers crossed that the new one who's arriving tomorrow will be better tah the existing one! Pray for us, yah!

Hectic Weekend

Putrajaya mosque carpet

Last weekend was another hectic one or wifey and me. It began at about 5 am for wifey (the usual pasar tani) and slightly later for me (about 6.15am)...

Sent Khadijah to school for her canteen day and headed home for breakkie which wifey got from Mak Jah. Had nasi berlauk, nasi dagang and kuehs. Had to wait for Khadijah to finish school at one pm (and she had to skip her french class becsue of this replacement) before we headed to Cheras/Balakong for my cousin's (thrice removed) son's wedding reception. Good food - the caterers are RTM caterers (since my cousin-in-law works for RTM). Met all my mom's relatives whom she has not met for ages and the usual family stuff.

Had a craving for durians after that and we headed to Langat en route home. Man...it was a fiesta of fruits along the way. Since we had rendang as take-away from the wedding, we bought a couple of lemangs. Whilst choosing for good durians (or was it cempedaks?) wifey received a call from a friend who asked us along to watch Menopause..the musical staged at Putrajaya Holdings' auditorium (brought in by Gardner&wife)...I immediately jumped for joy because this is the show I missed 3 years ago when it came to KL! I'm a sucker for all theatre stuff etc but wifey was a bit knackered that she almost refused and suggested that Khadijah went instead. We were sopposed to leave home by 630 pm and at 5pm we were still choosing durians and cempedaks! Luckily the traffic was kind to us!

Of course after a lot of persuasion and convincing from me that this one wasn't going to bore her to death, she agreed to come along (the last time I brought her along was the KL Music Festival 2006 at Istana Budaya (jazz night) - she slept almost half of the show...Mr Gambus and the Australian capella quartet, The Idea of North, were superb, btw !).

Our friends picked us up at 6.40 pm and we headed quite breezily to Putrajaya! We went to the mosque first to perform maghrib prayers and I was impressed with the mosque....The cross-ventillation was astounding...they don't need air-conditioning! But the finishing at the ablution area, I thought, was of inferior quality! Had dinner first at the food court which has an amazing lake view!

The show was hilarious and wifey didn't complain at all....! She enjoyed it! This is THE show you must not miss (currently touring Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and various cities in the US) - from hot flushes (err...flashes), insomnia, memory loss, wrinkles, to se* life etc were presented in re-lyricized songs ("I heard it through the Grapevine", "Staying alive", "Night Fever" - and 25 other songs). It began with four ladies (a corporate lady, an actress, a housewife and a "hippie" lady bumping into each other at a lingerie department during sale who ended up as friends talking about the CHANGE during the manopausal phase! Aah..we had a good saturday night!

The weekend ended with another khenduri on Sunday and we dozed off by 9pm!

Fruits galore!!! and tempoyak (fermented durian)



Lemang for sale

Putrajaya mosque


The musical.....

Men that night were not spared - information booklet on andropause and recommended wholesome therapy rather than "Viagra"