And it came to pass that Irfan was accepted into a course at the nearby Polytechnic. For many weeks, we prepared for his going. Before long, we discovered that it was time for him to go. We drove him to the Polytechnic where he registered for his 2-week quarantine period. During this time, he would be living alone in a room with neither official activities not classes. Because entry protocols were strict, we had to follow the directions laid out by the security officers and the student facilitators. Even at the main gate, there were personnel in PPE taking our temperature from both sides of the car. The officers placed a green sticker on Irfan’s entry form which presumably meant that he was from the green zone. At his block, Ain had to ensure the facilitators that despite Irfan’s Kuala Lumpur identity card, we live in Perlis. The facilitators assigned […]
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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.
Birthday Dinner Consolidated
In order to save some money, we consolidated the birthday celebrations of both Ain and I earlier this evening. Her birthday is today, but mine will be coming around in ten days or so. There is a steamboat restaurant between the town and our house which we have never visited six years we lived here. It was finally time to visit it; not to mention we could finally afford a visit. Again, I do not have much to write about concerning my slow but sure march towards being half a century old. Only that I am very grateful to still be here to be able to spend a birthday dinner with my loved ones. Here there be photos: Time flows onward and wends its way like a river, and I continue to eagerly see what comes next around the bend.
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The Cousins at Kangar Street Art 2.0
Once upon a time, we posted a blog article about Kangar Street Art. Some time in the last year, they have upgraded the alley to Kangar Street Art 2.0. It looks much better now even though a lot of the previous murals have been replaced. Tonight, we visited the alley with Anya and family. Here are the photos of our jaunt. It was great to see the cousins Anya and Irfan have a lot of fun together.
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Anya Visits Lakes and Mountains
On the second day of Anya’s visit, we sent to Tasik Timah Tasoh Resort, then to the viewing point of Wang Ulu. Anya was delighted to see dinosaurs. Videos can tell the story better than still photos, or words even. Here are two videos from today.
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Sunday Dinosaurs
Several years ago, we drove in to check out Timah Tasoh Resort, right by the Timah Tasoh Lake not too far from the Timah Tasoh dam. I remember it that it was a weekend and although the gates were open, there was hardly anyone there. We did not even take photos as we drove through the resort. Fast forward to this weekend, and we now have dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are quite well-sculpted. They possess no feathers and I suppose featherless Jurassic Park-style dinos would be more popular with the visitors. They seem to be made from foam, so I hope the public does not damage them. Check out the video and photos above. Both contain a guest starring cat. Besides the dinosaurs, there were a whole load of other things you could do such as renting a bicycle, an electric motorbike and a children’s train ride. Check out the video […]
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A Walk at Gua Cenderawasih
There was on Star Trek Adventures session on Discord this fine Sunday morning. Earlier today, Ain and I drove to Gua Cenderawasih to burn some calories there. It was a pleasant, cloudy day. Everything was green. Various flowers were blooming, and pictures do not them any justice. There were fishies in the lake and stream, monkeys in the playground and monitor lizards basking on boulders. See for yourself: Long story short, we would like to return here to burn some more calories in the future.
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View from the Top of Wang Kelian
Earlier today, we thought we would travel to Wang Kelian to take a look at the Perlis countryside from the observation plateau there. It was a Sunday and I had just finished running a Star Trek Adventures game over Discord. We were not disappointed. I made a video of our trip there, which is viewable below.
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20th Wedding Anniversary
The story so far… 20 years ago, Ain and I took each other as husband and wife on a sunny afternoon in Pasir Mas. As it was a chaotic day, I had to spend a lot of energy to ignore what things might go wrong, what might come tomorrow and other conjectures. Instead I focused on the moment. One thing at a time, I traversed the day. 20 years later, Ain is a warrior at my side, the same as I try to be one by hers. As I approach middle age and gain a modicum of hindsight, it becomes clear that I would not have any other person by my side, undergoing all the trials and tribulations that were thrown our way a we made our way along two decades. Much more than just a partner… Much of the tribulations have not been recorded on this weblog, but I […]
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18 Years of Irfan
I still remember the day of Irfan’s birth like it was yesterday. When we left for the hospital, when she was wheeled into the labour room, when I went to see his birth and when I recited the azan in his ear. I cannot believe it has been 18 years since the day. For his 18th birthday, we had dinner at a local restaurant called Watanabe. It was the site of the old Burger Republik. Throughout an odyssey that took us through 12 years in Kuala Lumpur and 6 years in Perlis, Irfan has done nothing but make us be proud of him. I say it every year, but he has come a long way, and I wish him a blessed future and the strength to undergo upcoming tribulations with goodness and dignity. We love you, son.
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Dinner by the Bendang
A bendang is a rice field. Ain and I thought we would try out a new restaurant we saw earlier. Its speciality was char kuey tiau. Irfan decided to sit this one out as he wanted to study. Besides the char kuey tiau, we also had the restaurant cat to keep us company. He just sat at our table without asking for anything from us.
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Aidilfitri After The Lockdown
During hari raya, we were unable to cross state borders to balik kampung thanks to the COVID-19 quarantine. It was not the first time for us. As the MCO downgraded because of the reduced infection rate, we discovered that we were able to travel back to Sitiawan to meet up with Atok and Opah. We thought it would be good to celebrate Aidilfitri with them, and we could check up on them after the months of relative isolation. The first morning, we took our late family hari raya photos. The sun shone brightly. Later that day, the sun decided to call it quits. Suddenly it rained There was a torrential downpour in town. According to later reports, it submerged parts of the streets downtown. It never rained this hard in recent decades here in Sitiawan, so this must have been a freak rainstorm. Because a construction crew was building a […]
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The Outbreak Aidilfitri
And so it came to pass that Hari Raya Aidilfitri was held during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were forbidden to cross state lines, nor be in a gathering of souls that numbered more than a prescribed number. Thus we stayed at home during the first day of Eid. Ain made nasi dagang which was delicious. We packed some in takeaway packs and sent them to a number of neighbours later. But before that we held our first home bound Eid prayers. Shortly after, we had a Google Meet call with Atok and Opah and Sila’s family. Even Anya showed up for a while. During the day, I played Star Wars: A New Hope on TV, though I did not really pay attention to it. Later than night, as a family movie we watched Alien. That’s two Charles Lippincott movies in a day! As the sun dipped lower on the second […]
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First Tarawih of the Plague Year
Ramadhan Mubarak, everyone. Tonight was Ramadhan Eve. We had our first Tarawikh prayers of the year, during a semi-quarantine pandemic-based lockdown. Ramadhan usually brings joy, but with the outbreak everyone feels fear and uncertainty. The authorities have suspended congregational prayers at the masjid to prevent spread of the Covid-19 disease. This suspension also covers Friday and Tarawikh prayers. Some places in the world do feel a disquieting woe and sadness as thousands die of the plague. What will the future bring to us all?
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Two Cousins Doing Stuff
We headed back to Pasir Mas for a wedding the past weekend. Likewise, Anya and family also travelled back from the Klang Valley. With the looming threat of the virus, we decided to attend the wedding early before the bulk of the guests arrived. Also, we ate the food away from where other early guests were having their food. Additionally I did not take any photos at the feast. In the meantime, Irfan and Anya played together as cousins are wont to do. Here are some photos of them hanging out together. In other news we also visited Pantai Senok in Bachok, where Anya wanted to fly a kite. Here is the video of the occasion: We arrived home yesterday evening safe and sound.
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Easterly Wind Festival 2020
This weekend was the Pesta Angin Timur Perlis (Perlis Easterly Winds Festival) and they have been advertising it everywhere from meatspace to cyberspace. This year, they held it at Kampung Oran which is not too far from home. Although word on the street (and digital streets as well) say that it would be more spectacular at night, we went in the afternoon under the scorching sun to avoid the crowd. We could see the kites in the skies as we approached the site. Thankfully, parking was easy and as we presumed the crowd was light. We already had lunch so we did not purchase any food offered there, except for the… Well, watch the video below.
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The Third Driver
Once upon a time, Irfan needed us to carry him around for mobility. Now he has the ability to drive a car. This means there is a third driver in our household which will be very convenient. I like the way he drives. It appears he attempts to be perceptive when controlling the vehicle on the road. May he keep out of harm’s way when driving cars in the future.
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