In anticipation of Irfan’s schooling days, we bought a new desk for him, which came by pretty cheap at Carrefour. After hauling the furniture, allowing it to percolate for 2 days before assembling it last weekend, Irfan finally had a Homework Desk. However, he didn’t seem too interested about it… until his first homework was assigned. Comparing with some of his photos in the rotating, blue-tinged header images on this blog, it seems like he’s really changing fast from being a little kid to a big kid. We see him hard at work, in the picture above. He learned what the colour ochre looked like just minutes earlier. After his homework, he planned on doing his Ben 10 jigsaw puzzle which is current favourite activity. He’d already done it twice before working on his homework. But before he could start on the jigsaw puzzle, there was a knock on the […]
Continue readingTag Archives: Around the House
TV first
Here are blog posts of things and events that happen at home…
December Musings
Here we are, December again. There was snow on the ground last week, and it has since melted. However, as I write this entry, it has begun to snow again. Winter has arrived, even though it is not yet December 21st. This bums me out majorly… 🙁 The difference this year is that our lives are filled with happiness as Allie grows and grows. Every day she learns new things. Every day she seems a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little cuter. And even the bleakest, snowiest days don’t seem quite so bad. [[image:allie116a.jpg:Giggle giggle:center:0]] And before I forget, a belated Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha to everyone! Parenthood is definitely one of the coolest things in the world. I never really understood it (only imagined it), but watching your child change daily, reading parenting books, trying out what the books say and seeing her react, it’s just amazing. […]
Continue readingHair! The Sequel
So, I finally did it! a) I got a haircut b) I left Allie at home with Vin for the first time. Oh my. It was more than a little nerve-wracking. Vin had expressed milk in the fridge, and a baby in a good mood. I was showered and dressed to go out. So. I left without her. It was quite strange, I felt discombobulated and scattered. Like I had forgotten something. I kept checking my pockets and my purse. (Was I expecting to find Allie on my person somewhere? I don’t know). Anyway, it was a successful outing. Hair that desperately needed to be cut (can we say post-partum hair loss? aka telogen effluvium) got cut, and I didn’t have any real separation anxiety attacks. And when I came home, Vin had kept a detailed note of what he and Allie did together. Wasn’t that sweet of him? So […]
Continue readingMusings on The Chicken
It’s been months now since we last saw the chicken. I wonder whatever happened to it? Aside from having made it into the blog, and becoming one of the entry header pictures, did it also end up being somebody’s lovely free range roasted chicken dinner? Did it get repatriated to the countryside, and sent to a chicken-friendly environment? Did it get auctioned off to the highest bidder? Did it wander back home (wherever that might be) to be reunited with its family? Is it hobnobbing with Mel Gibson and the Chicken Run gang? Is it lolling in some warm climate (not the oven), getting a sun tan? Anyway, we have not seen the chicken for a loooong time. I sort of miss it. No more random yelling, no more worries about it pooping everywhere and eating the birdseed that Vin puts out for the birds and squirrels. Perhaps the chicken […]
Continue readingHappy Halloween!
Although today is Halloween, for some reason, our town decided to do Beggars Night last night. So we filled our candy bowl and awaited the trick or treaters. Of which there were three! Batman, Barbie, and I believe, some kind of Harry Potter (I was a little distracted when handing out the candy as Lily was trying to escape out the door). Our little Allie was kitted out but way too young to be out trawling for candy: [[image:allie93a.jpg:I want my Mummy!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Allie practised kicking/batting/grabbing the purple hanging critter: [[image:allie88a.jpg:Kick-n-grab, complicated maneuver:center:0]] [[image:allie89a.jpg:Bubbly with determination:center:0]] Hanging out on Daddy’s lap: [[image:allie92a.jpg:Where’s my share of the candy?:center:0]] [[image:allie91a.jpg:Thumb is better than candy?:center:0]] [[image:allie90a.jpg:Trick or treat!:center:0]] [[image:allie94a.jpg:Chilling out:center:0]] She then had her bath and it was bedtime for little girls. Happy Halloween, all! Don’t eat all the candy in one sitting! 🙂
Continue readingAllie’s 3 Month Birthday
Yesterday, Allie passed her first quarter-year mark. She turned three months old! Wheeeee! Of course this means pictures! 🙂 [[image:allie83a.jpg:Musing on Daddy’s shoulder:center:0]] You know the drill – there will be baby pictures aplenty to follow. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🙂 * Mouse over the pictures for captions Honestly, her day wasn’t much different from the day she had when she turned two months old. She comes down in the morning with Daddy and Lily, then comes back up to Mak for breakfast, then we all come downstairs. She spends a lot of time eating/napping while Mak works. She hangs out with Daddy too. And we both hounded her like paparazzi, trying to take pictures of her smiling. Allie is quite generous with her smiles and even giggles sometimes. But to get her to do so while the camera is on her – extremely difficult. It’s like she […]
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A Time of Reunion 2: The Sequel
Last year, we had a gathering up here at the Tenth Floor. This year we found some time to coordinate another, but this time it was after Aidilfitri. So it doubled as an Aidilfitri open house, although theoretically it was not. Starting from 1900 hours the roster started to fill, starting with Kok Soon, then Yu Hoe, Samsul, Laksh, Anson and finally Mei Lin. Last minute cancellations included Kanesh, Sathya and Ah Bau. Ain (aided by Cik Emma and Ciksu F) made rendang for lemang, kuah kacang for nasi himpit and a whole pot full of bihun goreng with tomyam paste. Our support troops, Kok Soon brought a bucket full of chicken and Mei brought dessert. Our just desserts. Will there be more photos next year? Stay tuned to find out… well, next year.
Continue readingAllie’s 2 Month Birthday
We can’t hardly believe it, but time has flown and last Monday, Allie was 2 months old! Here’s what she did on her 2 month birthday: * Mouse over pictures for captions She started the morning strolling around with her Daddy and Lily took a ride too. Mak got to sleep a little extra while this happened. [[image:allie59a.jpg:Strolling with Lily:center:0]] She also did a lot of lying on Mak’s lap, nursing/napping while Mak multitasked and worked. [[image:allie60a.jpg:Grinning up at her mother:center:0]] [[image:allie63a.jpg:Chewing on Mak’s shoulder:center:0]] Then some hanging out on Daddy’s lap. [[image:allie61a.jpg:I’m an airplane!! Wheeee!:center:0]] [[image:allie62a.jpg:I love to hang out on Daddy’s lap:center:0]] In the afternoon, a bit of mobile fun: [[image:allie64a.jpg:Fascinated and absorbed:center:0]] Here she is after her bath: [[image:allie65a.jpg:Sweet smelling in a sleep-n-play:center:0]] [[image:allie66a.jpg:Daddy combed my hair:center:0]] How about some gymini action? [[image:allie67a.jpg:I’m gonna get that elephant someday!!:center:0]] [[image:allie68a.jpg:Oooooh so many things to look at:center:0]] And before bed, […]
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Six Years Old Today
It’s September 21st again and once more it’s time for Irfan’s birthday. Wearing his Iron Man t-shirt a gift from Ayah Cik, he greeted the arrival of his cousin Aiman (as well as Aiman’s parents) with whom he immediately shared his cache of toys. Aiman was overwhelmed by the amount of Hot Wheels collected by Irfan over the years, which Ain had recently kept in a single plastic container. While the kids were playing at (and making a mess of) the living room, Ain was busy in the kitchen producing food, food and more food. Above: Atok and Opah Irfan weren’t able to come (’cause I wrecked their car) but, they’ve prepared in advance with this awesome Spider-Man birthday card. Above: Aiman claps his hand – mostly because of other people prompting him by clapping their hands. Above: Nasi ayam Chinese-style a recipe taught to Ain by Opah Irfan is […]
Continue readingIn Ike’s Path
You’ve all heard about Ike and the devastation it wreaked in Texas and other places. Well, Ike came through here last Sunday. It was very strange – bright sunny day, and huge wind gusts. We lost power around 2 or 3 PM, and when my wireless router finally conked out after the TV and all other appliances died, we felt totally cut off from the world. Never mind that we still had the phone and the cell phones. It just felt so weird. Luckily Vin has a little battery operated transistor radio – we caught the end of the Reds game (very windy there too!) and then at the post-game program, heard that over 700,000 Duke Energy customer had lost power. That translated to about 1.5 million people in the Greater Cincinnati area without electricity. Also that the wind gusts translated to a Category 1 hurricane, basically. Can you imagine […]
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A Conjunctivitis Onslaught
Well, it’s not really an onslaught, but Irfan’s right eye seem to be suffering from viral conjunctivitis. He’s home from school today with a note from the doctor, and seem to enjoy eyedrops being applied onto his cornea. I think Ain’s going to pop an artery when she sees the mess in the living room when she gets home from work in an hour.
Continue readingIrfan Moves Pieces Around The Board
[[image:irfan-chess-player01.jpg:Armored Knight takes Cyborg Pawn with Charged Plasma Bolt:center:0]] Irfan’s Cik Emma got a free chessboard after a trip to the PC Fair at KLCC. So I spent a short while teaching Irfan to play chess, showing him how the various pieces move across the board. I checkmated him quite easily in the first game. However, if I remember my last games (which might have been with Sila, about a quarter of a million years ago), I get wiped off the board pretty easily because I usually carry out suicide runs which in the end leaves me with nothing but one or two pawns guarding my king.
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Communications As If It’s Science Fiction
Earlier today (well, about 5 minutes ago) Hisham, Ain and Irfan talked with Sila, Vin, Atok Irfan and Opah Irfan for almost an hour with one of those new-fangled tee vee phones. (Well, we used Skype.) We could hear them perfectly but not vise versa… no idea why. Irfan showed off his drawing skills live to the other side of the planet. Atok Irfan is contemplating installing a webcam on his machine at home. Here’s a screencap of what transpired.
Continue readingNursery – Part 1
So to while away the time until the baby arrives, how about a look at the nursery? It’s almost finished – but here’s a view of it from the beginning until what it looks like right now. * Mouse over the pictures for captions First, the original paintjob: [[image:nursery01.jpg:Purple!!!:center:0]] [[image:nursery02.jpg:Twin bunk beds:center:0]] [[image:nursery03.jpg:Seriously purple walls:center:0]] Seriously, the picture doesn’t show how dark that purple actually was. There were two colors, dark dark purple, and lavender, and both are more suitable for teenaged girls (that’s who last occupied this room). For a baby, I wanted brighter and happier colors. So Vin started work (since the doctor nixed the idea of me on a ladder, Vin did most of the hard work). I did help though – couldn’t keep out of it. 🙂 [[image:nursery04.jpg:Taking fixtures off the wall:center:0]] [[image:nursery06.jpg:Replacing purple with “Macadamia”:center:0]] [[image:nursery07.jpg:Macadamia-colored walls:center:0]] [[image:nursery05.jpg:Halfway done:center:0]] [[image:nursery08.jpg:Here’s where we stopped:center:0]] Then Mak […]
Continue readingSpringtime, Finally!
YAYYYYYY! I think the snow is over (knock wood)! The daffodils finally bloomed, and our party-crashing lilacs (or hyacinths?) have crashed the party again! Check them out: [[image:spring02.jpg:Cheery daffodils:center:0]] [[image:spring03.jpg:Happy sunny yellow goodness:center:0]] [[image:spring01.jpg:Purple Party People:center:0]] Seriously, the daffodils blooming always makes me smile! 🙂
Continue readingGRRRRRRRR SNOW GRRRRRRRR BLIZZARD – Follow up
So those of you who romanticize snow, and think it’s cool and stuff, sure it looks pretty until you realize that in order to get out of the house you have to shovel the entire driveway or you’re stuck. Here’s poor Vin, shoveling first a path to the mailbox (so he can pick up the mail and his newspapers): [[image:snow20.jpg:Shoveling the front porch first:center:0]] Here’s a little comparison – first photo is the front porch prior to shoveling, second photo is after: [[image:snow16.jpg:Can’t even see the front porch, snow level with the 3rd step:center:0]] [[image:snow23.jpg:Front porch shoveled:center:0]] See how much snow Vin had to remove? Sheeesh. Anyway, more pictures below, as always mouse over for captions: [[image:snow21.jpg:Lily watching Vin shovel:center:0]] [[image:snow22.jpg:Unearthing the second step:center:0]] [[image:snow24.jpg:Made it to the driveway!:center:0]] [[image:snow25.jpg:Shoveling shoveling:center:0]] [[image:snow26.jpg:Are we there yet?:center:0]] Vin shoveled a path to the mailbox first, and the next day shoveled most of […]
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