Ivan and Kai of the GOKL gaming group dropped by to visit us for Aidilfitri. The Aidilfitri visit is of course an excuse for some gaming shenanigans. [[image:heroclix-pacrim01.jpg:L-R Slattern, Knifehead, two Gipsy Dangers, Coyote Tango and Scunner:center:0]] Once upon a time – about a month ago – I asked Kai if he knew where to get any Pacific Rim Heroclix figures. At the time, there was none in town. When his order from Noble Knight Games arrived, he offered to sell two figures so Irfan and I can play! The jaeger I picked was Gipsy Danger and the kaiju I picked was Knifehead. This game needs more jaegers and kaiju. A Tacit Ronin clix would be awesome. But since a host of clix were arrayed on the dinner table, Kai taught Irfan to play. [[image:heroclix-pacrim02.jpg:Needs more whipswords:center:0]] Here we have Kai playing Scunner and Irfan playing Gipsy Danger. Gipsy Danger […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Family Pics
On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese
A list of our family’s adventures through this simulated universe. Strangely, this is represented by several methods. Firstly, my thoughts in words and then a host of two-dimensional images configured for the human visible spectrum. Finally the blog itself as a medium of information. Also, sometimes there is cake.
The Many Yops
Irfan’s Atok and Opah came to visit over the weekend. Here’s a picture of the three Yops together. Apart from Atok’s car having clutch problems less than 10 klicks from reaching our place, there were no glitches during the visit. They picked up Irfan from school when my weekday exam schedule did not permit me to do so. Here’s Irfan biting my little finger as he usually does ever since he was a baby. It hurts now though. Also, Cikma’s fiancé Farid came for dinner and met Atok and Opah.
Continue readingAidilfitri plus Engagement at Pasir Mas
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin from Irfan, Ain and I. As per the alternating location format our family uses, we spend this year’s Aidilfitri in Pasir Mas. We miss Atok, Opah, Ayah Cik, Cik Dik, Yaya and Adik. Hope to have a Hari Raya together some day. [[image:aidilfitri-2013-01.jpg:The family is at least two years after the midway point where Irfan lives with us…:center:0]] A big news for this holiday season is that Irfan’s Cik Emma gets engaged on the third day of Aidilfitri. [[image:aidilfitri-2013-02.jpg:Emma and Farid get engaged:center:0]]
Continue readingSelamat Hari Raya 2013
We wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Eid Mubarak! [[image:2013-aidilfitri-10.jpg:Chuffed that it’s Hari Raya!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Just a quick one with pictures. We begin with a photoshoot of the kids wearing their Raya finery (thank you Opah and Atok!): [[image:2013-aidilfitri-08.jpg:Happy Adik in his baju melayu:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-09.jpg:Eid camaraderie:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-11.jpg:Another good one of the kids together:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-01.jpg:This is Yaya’s impression of a Malaysian girl (aka “where did I go wrong?”):center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-13.jpg:Yaya talks Papa into posing like that too!:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-12.jpg:Yaya and Papa, normally this time:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-16.jpg:Adik in the kitchen:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-14.jpg:I love this photo – too bad it’s blurry!:center:0]] [[image:2013-aidilfitri-15.jpg:Togetherness is the Raya message:center:0]] The above pictures were taken on the day that the package arrived from Malaysia. On the actual first day of Raya, I worked. But I did make beef rendang and nasi minyak: [[image:2013-aidilfitri-03.jpg:Somewhat traditional Eid food:center:0]] No kuih […]
Continue readingThe One with the Actual Birthday and then the Party
So on Yaya’s fifth birthday, we went to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton as her birthday treat. We had originally thought about going to the zoo but the fact that it was a cold and rainy day (seriously? This has never happened in July to have a spring-like rainy day) forced a change of plans. However, it turned out to be an awesome experience, and since we are now members of the museum, we look forward to repeat trips there. [[image:2013_yaya5th_25.jpg:Yaya is all dressed up to go out on her birthday:center:0]] I love the above photo as you see how happy Adik is for his sister. Also contained in this entry are a few photos taken a week or so later when we had Yaya’s birthday party. Vin and I were so busy running around on that day that we took maybe 5-6 photos in total. For the […]
Continue readingFun Yaya and Adik pictures from July
So it seems we took way too many photos in July and there were a few with the kids together that I couldn’t fit into either of the “usual” blog entries, and they were too cute to not post. So here it is. No stories, no information. Just some gratuitous pictures of the kids (and I snuck in some photos taken during Vin’s birthday as well). [[image:2013jul-yanda-03.jpg:Happilly spinning on the office chair:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-01.jpg:On Papa’s napping chair:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-02.jpg:No sign of a nap though:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-04.jpg:Yaya could not wait for Papa’s cake ceremony, Adik blew a candle out:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-05.jpg:Papa blows out the remaining candle:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-06.jpg:Let’s all blow (/spit?) on the cake!:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-07.jpg:Sitting by the rocks:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-08.jpg:Fun in the pillow fort on our bed:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-09.jpg:More fun on the bed:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-10.jpg:Plotting something together?:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-11.jpg:Sayang Adik! Love Adik!:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-12.jpg:What did naughty Adik do to Yaya?:center:0]] [[image:2013jul-yanda-13.jpg:Awww, all is forgiven:center:0]] That’s it. Thanks for watching! 🙂
Continue readingRafe’s 19 Month Birthday
During the whirlwind that was Ramadan, where Yaya and Papa both had (real) birthdays, Adik sneaked in to being 19 months old! [[image:2013_0729_rafe15.jpg:Deer in headlights?:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions I was going through the archives and looking at Yaya’s 19 month entry, and according to it, she had four teeth and two more were cutting through. They say that “every child is different”, and they were not wrong. In contrast, Adik has at least twelve teeth with more sprouting! Not that I am comparing the two children, necessarily. I was just thinking about the fact that I was cooking a lot of foods for Yaya at this age, processing all the hard things (meats, hard veggies) so that she would eat a balanced diet – and I am not doing very much of that for Adik. This is because he is eating table foods now. We are […]
Continue reading60 Months (a.k.a. the Fifth Birthday)
The girl is five years old now! A whole half decade! 60 months! 1826 days! Wheee! Happy birthday, beautiful! [[image:2013-yaya60month-03.jpg:Peek-a-boo! Like the humongous bow in my hair?:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions It’s been another whirlwind month! We went to Elkhart for the 4th of July weekend, and got to see a bunch of family. No work trips, luckily, but somehow every day goes by so quickly. Before we realize it it is 11 PM, the kids are asleep and Vin and I are exhausted. We also of course had two birthdays this month (happy birthday to Yaya and her Papa!) so there were activities surrounding the birthday. Food status: despite turning five and agreeing that at five she would start trying new foods as she was a big girl now, Yaya is backpedalling. At her 5 year checkup, her pediatrician had a serious talk with her about […]
Continue readingRafe’s 18 Month Birthday
Here we are at Adik’s 18 month entry! The boy is now 1 and a half years old! [[image:2013_0629_rafe22.jpg:Short break in the action:center:0]] * Mouse over the picture for captions Adik is now fully mobile – walking, running, and climbing. He can now manage to walk down the stage steps face first without falling over (after some practising of course), while carrying something in his hands. He was determined to not be the only one backing down those steps I suppose. He climbs up the stairs when we go up to bed, but we do not allow him to come down the stairs yet as he thinks he is too big to go backwards, feet first. But overall, his coordination is pretty good. He can throw objects with pretty good speed and accuracy, and loves to bounce a ball off the wall and chase after it. He loves to run […]
Continue reading59 Months
One more month till Yaya hits the half decade mark! Woohooo! [[image:2013-yaya59month-01.jpg:Poster child for barrettes?:center:0]] Note: Mouse over the pictures for captions It has been a busy month of June. We started off at the end of May going to Maryland to visit the family, and then working in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before returning home at the end of the first week of June. I think we are all still recovering from that long and crazy ride! But everyone did well, and we made it home and back to our usual routine. Food status: No change. What can I say? The child is strong willed. We were never able to get her to do anything she wasn’t ready to do (e.g., talking, potty training) and we just have to keep being patient I guess. One day, she will snap out of this and start eating normally again, inshallah. Yaya […]
Continue readingOpah’s Orchids
It’s the school holidays! So we headed back to Sitiawan to spend time with Irfan’s Atok and Opah. [[image:sitiawan-garden01.jpg:The pond has a school of koi in it:center:0]] When we arrived, some orchids hanging at Irfan’s grandparents’ garden over the koi pond were blooming. It was quite a spectacular sight as the following photos of the individual plants show. Does anyone know what species of orchids they are? [[image:sitiawan-garden02.jpg:Some yellow orchid with a red centre:center:0]] [[image:sitiawan-garden03.jpg:Some red-speckled yellow orchid:center:0]] [[image:sitiawan-garden04.jpg:Some violet orchid with a yellow centre:center:0]] Someday we might even have some place with our own garden. Someday.
Continue readingRafe’s 17 Month Birthday
And so, another month has passed by and the little guy is now 17 months old. He’ll be a year and a half soon! Wheeee! [[image:2013_0529_rafe15.jpg:Pleased as punch:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik can now pretty easily climb the sofa. He doesn’t need help or a boost, he can do it all by himself. He has trouble and needs help if he’s carrying something in his hands while he does the climbing but if he has his hands free, boom, he’s on the sofa before you know it! He enjoys sitting on the sofa, playing with his gadgets or reading a book. The bad thing is, he still doesn’t quite understand that jumping face-first off the sofa might not be the greatest idea. So we have sit with him and monitor him and make sure he doesn’t accidentally hurt himself. Adik is still quite obsessed with brushing […]
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Bye Tim
Tim the Turtle had grown too big to reside in its tank. And there is no surplus space in the house for a bigger tank. Which meant it was time to say goodbye to Tim. Thankfully we had the foresight to scout for release locations in the city beforehand and had already decided on the lake at Ampang Hilir Park. The lake was large for a body of water mere kilometres away from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre. It shot to the top of the list of release locations because it was big and had a sizeable population of red-eared sliders (and assorted fish) within its waters. We also hoped Tim would find a girlfriend some day. Or a boyfriend. We never really determined if Tim was a male or a female. If Tim was female, its name would have been a contraction of “Timah”. When we opened up Tim’s […]
Continue reading58 Months
Two more months till the big birthday! And how much do you love backdated entries! Woohoo! [[image:2013-yaya58month-13.jpg:My beautiful baby:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: No change. Nothing new passed through her lips this month. On the other hand, it is cheap to feed her and it is cheap not to have to get her any toys or games. I guess I’m a glass half full kind of person. 😉 We had some work travel at the end of the month, and fun travel to Chicago at the beginning of the month, and everyone did OK. We managed to do a big east coast tour during our work travels – saw the family in Maryland, friends in New Jersey and crammed a lot of socializing into a short thirteen days. Whew! Yaya really is a sweet child – I learnt that when we went to the Children’s […]
Continue readingChicago: The Children’s Museum
So on the second day in Chicago, it was freezing cold (high of 38 F / 4 C – in May!!!!) so we decided to do something indoors. We went to the Children’s Museum which conveniently, was a short (and cold and windy) walk away from the hotel. As it turned out, it was one of the best things ever! Yaya had a fabulous time and still talks about it. [[image:2013_may_chicago23.jpg:Hard-hat Yaya:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions At the museum, Vin and I pretty much had to separate. One of us stayed with Yaya and the other with Adik, and at some points we switched up. So there aren’t very many pictures of the kids together. However there are plenty of pictures: [[image:2013_may_chicago24.jpg:On a CTA Bus:center:0]] [[image:2013_may_chicago25.jpg:At a treehouse:center:0]] [[image:2013_may_chicago26.jpg:Fishing for toy fishies:center:0]] [[image:2013_may_chicago27.jpg:Adik and Vin at the cushioned baby play area:center:0]] [[image:2013_may_chicago28.jpg:Telescoping for Mama:center:0]] [[image:2013_may_chicago29.jpg:Look at all […]
Continue readingBeach Escapade: Part II
We continue our adventures in Orange Beach, AL with a beautiful sunny day! It more than made up for the rainy afternoon that we had: [[image:2013_april_orangebeach44.jpg:What a beautiful day:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions After a quick breakfast, we are on the beach! Vin makes his own sandcastle since Yaya insists on making sand-cement in her buckets and not being able to get the sand out. [[image:2013_april_orangebeach25.jpg:King of his castle:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach26.jpg:Adik continues to geram the sand:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach27.jpg:Striking down Mama’s castle:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach28.jpg:Build me more castles to tear down, Mama!:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach29.jpg:Happy boy loves the sand:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach30.jpg:Yaya paddles while Papa takes a stroll:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach31.jpg:Adik loves being buried:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach32.jpg:Let’s throw sand!:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach33.jpg:Papa ensures that Yaya isn’t pulled out to sea:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach34.jpg:My family:center:0]] [[image:2013_april_orangebeach35.jpg:Adik wades in the surf:center:0]] Adik loved the sea – he kept running into the surf and giggling as the waves crashed around him. He stayed in until he started […]
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