So we went to Kulim to visit Irfan’s aunt Cik Su who works there. Because Kulim was very close to Pulau Pinang, we thought we’d take a drive there. We ended up going there twice in two days, and enjoyed a ferry ride to the island each time. When Sila and I were small we loved our family trips to Pulau Pinang with our parents, some of them were way before there was a bridge across the strait. Although the ferry rides by cars were special events, they were very old, half-forgotten memories. Many times I’ve wondered if it was really fun as I remembered them. The last time we were there as a family was 1994, if memory serves. I’m happy to report that they still are. These cranes are like sentinels. Once the car is parked, we all got out to enjoy the ride out at the bow. […]
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A Decade of Irfan
Once upon a time, this baby thought it’d be a good idea to come live with us. Ten years later to the day – last night, he’s celebrating his birthday with his parents and aunt by having dinner at a restaurant. He’s been wanting spaghetti and meatballs for some time now. We thought we’d put a candle on a slice of cake. The restaurant provided the cake, but no one had a match or a functioning lighter. To tell you the truth, I could do without lighted candles on cake. Many thanks to Cik Emma for treating us all at Secret Recipe. I had the chicken salad and Ain had the black pepper chicken with corn by the way. After reaching home, Irfan opened up his presents. He now has a microscope set – along with prepared and empty slides – because SCIENCE! Thanks to Atok and Opah Irfan for […]
Continue readingTransforming into a Tiger: An Additional Birthday Story
A short addendum on becoming and being a tiger on one’s fourth birthday. [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-09.jpg:Happy Tiger!:center:0]] You know what to do for captions, right? You begin with face paint and instructions to do what the face painter tells you to do (remember that listening isn’t exactly Yaya’s strong suit right now): [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-01.jpg:White goes on first:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-02.jpg:Then a layer of orange:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-03.jpg:Some yellow for depth:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-04.jpg:Painting in white above the lips:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-05.jpg:Blackening the muzzle:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-06.jpg:Finally the stripes:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-07.jpg:Transformed Tiger admires herself in the mirror:center:0]] Tigers like to be at the zoo with other tigers. [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-10.jpg:Tiger with white siberian tiger in the background:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-11.jpg:Tiger communing with her own kind:center:0]] [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-12.jpg:Tired Tiger goes home:center:0]] And most of all, Tigers love their fathers! [[image:2012-yaya4thtiger-08.jpg:Happy Tiger and her Papa:center:0]]
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Abang Ngah’s Wedding
Six years ago we attended Abang Long’s wedding kenduri at Kampung Permatang during a balik kampung trip back to Sitiawan. It was now time for his younger brother Abang Ngah’s wedding, though technically the aqad was performed in Ipoh the previous weekend. As always it was great to see relatives pooling together to get the kenduri running, working the logistics, greeting and serving guests. We had visited the previous night when they were building up the main table and backdrop from scratch. The following morning it looked like this: Here are assorted photos from the kenduri that day. Congratulations again to Abang Ngah & Kak Ngah.
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How Everyone Lost Their Tooth In Sitiawan
We balik kampung to Sitiawan the other week and everyone – Irfan, Ain and I – lost one tooth each while there. Irfan extracted his own tooth even before we arrived at Atok & Opah’s house. He proudly showed his freshly drawn molars. He’s been doing it a lot with his baby teeth lately. Then, we thought we’d visit the government dentist for a check-up, because it’d be less expensive than going to a private clinic in Kuala Lumpur. Ain had a wonky tooth and she had that extracted. Come my turn and the dentist discovered a dead tooth. It was a different colour from other teeth and the top part was brittle. Ain had complained for a long time that my mouth had a strange smell – a rotten smell. A silvery, glistening needle was produced and I swallowed my fear, and allowed the cold metal to plunge into […]
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Quick Run To Kinokuniya
I am in school. Second year plus change. Which means I am eligible for the RM200 book voucher giveaway for university students. With voucher in hand, the boy and I quickly dropped by Kinokuniya Sunday morning before the overwhelming weekend herd shambled in. Without consciously deciding to purchase only horror books, we ended up with them anyway! Irfan wanted the Hellboy and The Walking Dead books. I checked out the storylines online before deciding he was old enough for them. I also bought for him Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. I grabbed for myself Charlie Stross’ The Atrocity Archives because one day I want to play the Laundry RPG. You’d think two hundred is a high number and could buy a dozen books, wouldn’t you. Sigh. Well, I suppose four is better than nothing!
Continue readingAidiladha 2011: Back To Sitiawan
This Aidil Adha we drove back to Sitiawan. As per standard operating procedures, we took a family photo Aidiadha morning, before heading out to visit others. [[image:aidiladha-2011-01.jpg:All who were present at Aidil Adha 2011:center:0]] I love this photo of Irfan on the wooden pier by the river. I should have waited 30 seconds later, because by the time I stowed the camera, a little boat went by with a happy-looking bunch of children. Here follows a selection of photos of our time in Sitiawan. [[image:aidiladha-2011-02.jpg:Behind Opah Long’s house at Kampung Permatang:center:0]] [[image:aidiladha-2011-03.jpg:Irfan and Opah:center:0]] [[image:aidiladha-2011-04.jpg:Huorns! Huorns on the loose!:center:0]] [[image:aidiladha-2011-05.jpg:Beachcombing at Lumut:center:0]] [[image:aidiladha-2011-06.jpg:The Lumut Naval Base can be seen in the back:center:0]] We didn’t stop to have ABC at the Lumut Promenade though. Eid Mubarak everyone.
Continue readingA Mini Comic Con in KL
Last Saturday, Earth 638 the comic shop located at Kelana Mall – in colaboration with Banshee Creative held COMICS ARE COOL, the first unofficial mini comic convention. From 4pm to 9pm, visitors came to the store to buy comics and meet creators. Local indie publishers also sold their comics and signed their work. There was also a line where artists drew sketches for visitors. Below, Sheldon Goh draws! [[image:cac-08-2011-01.jpg:with his honour guard, one of the twins, standing by for combat:center:0]] Tan Eng Huat sketches Thor on the big collaborative card thing! [[image:cac-08-2011-02.jpg:Recently, he worked on Marvel’s Annihilators:center:0]] Artists’ Alley (or perhaps Artists’ Nook would be more precise) is just bustling with all the participating comic professionals before visitors form a line for signing and sketches. Among the guests for the day were Sheldon Goh, Tan Eng Huat, Lefty Julian, Alan Quah, Yazid and Muhamad Azhar. Even Reggie Lee dropped by […]
Continue readingSalam Aidilfitri from… uh, Ipoh?
That weekend we tagged along Abang Ngah’s engagement convoy from Kampung Permatang all the way to Ipoh, or more precisely near Simpang Pulai. As usual the adventuring party that was formed by the family was a fun and boisterous one – despite the inordinately hot day we had. [[image:aidilfitri-2011-ipoh-01.jpg:Atok and Opah at the kenduri:center:0]] One thing’s for sure: the food prepared by the other family was very delicious. [[image:aidilfitri-2011-ipoh-02.jpg:Negotiations:center:0]] The adults negotiate the terms of the future wedding as the rest of us kids play. [[image:aidilfitri-2011-ipoh-03.jpg:Abang Ngah and fiancee:center:0]] Abang Ngah and his fiancee posed for photographers after the negotiations are done. [[image:aidilfitri-2011-ipoh-04.jpg::center:0]] Abang Ngah’s brother Abang Long with his younger son awaits outside. Once upon a time, Abang Long’s wedding was also featured in this blog!
Continue reading36 Months (aka Third Birthday)
Not too terribly late this month! And here is the 3-year-old Yaya on the morning of her birthday! [[image:2011_0722yaya01.jpg:3-year-old Yaya says Hi!:center:0]] Before we start, just a note that this is going to be the last of the long monthly blog recapping her entire day. While I’m torn about the decision, I think three years of this has been a lot. I’m not going to stop blogging on her birthday, just not quite as long an entry just chatting about what she’s done or accomplished, and maybe one or two pictures. Three years is a long time. I’ll miss it. But there will still be long entries when we have stuff to say. Plus with Yaya’s Adik’s impending arrival, inshallah, in the interest of equality I will try to do a monthly blog for the new little one when the time comes and Yaya will no doubt be prominently featured […]
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Adventure on Langkawi Island
A couple of weeks earlier, Irfan, Atok, Opah, Ain & I went on a three-day vacation to Langkawi, where I had been on work assignment before twice since 2006 but never had the time to relax there and enjoy the sights. And it ultimately freaking hurt! But thanks to previous journeys to the island, I called a contact and booked a homestay bungalow, the one we rented during LIMA back in December 2009. I had thought back then that it was a great location, and promised I would return there with the family to enjoy it. Usually when tourists travel to Langkawi, they would find a chalet or hotel near the beach. The homestay we rented was situated on the side of a hill, surrounded by a kampung and overlooking a spectacular landscape, not far from the Langkawi Airport. Elsewhere on the island, we stopped by beaches, tourist spots and […]
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Irfan Takes A Train To The Mall
One activity Irfan and I did this school holiday was to take the Light Rail Transit (LRT), the city-wide train network. He rarely gets to ride on it, since we drive everywhere which is sometimes cheaper depending on the situation. So we thought we’d go to the Mall. We set forth to the station after lunch and soon train came along. The Mall is a mall that is named “The Mall”. It’s like a boy who’s named “The Boy”, or a building that’s named “The Building”. The Parkson department store used to have a good bookstore up at the second floor. I used to browse there while waiting for the intercity bus. (The Putra Bus Station is just across the street.) We went to pick up some art supplies at the Big Bookstore, where Irfan bought this book: Later, we went to the Parkson’s toy section to check out the […]
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Irfan Goes To Petrosains
We all went for a trip to Petrosains Discovery Centre located at the fourth level of Suria KLCC today for the first time. It was quite an informative and entertaining jaunt with a lot of interactive scientific experiments that children can participate in. There was even a Science Show where kids (well, one kid from the audience) participated in. There was even a short 3D film in a small theatre they had. It was quite an elaborate set-up and it took us three hours and forty minutes to complete the entire circuit. I tweeted bits and pieces of our visit to Petrosains with photos. You could sift through the timestamped tweets here to the posts in question. But I thought this blog post would be a great way to consolidate all the posts (with photos) and insert untweeted photos as well. We started off in a ride through a dark […]
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The Savage Battle at ToysRUs
Today, we took a trip to Empire Shopping Gallery at Subang Jaya – a mall we’ve not visited before. Somewhere near the top floor of the mall was a Toys’R’Us outlet. Toys’R’Us as many of us are aware of sells toys. There are many sections in the store which I usually browse (but don’t normally buy at the moment). One such section is the Star Wars aisle. There was something I discovered here that caught my eye. A fantastic Star Wars: The Clone Wars diorama using dozens of action figures, some vehicles and a fantastic environment. It was a battle scene, with the Grand Army of the Republic laying siege to a Separatist stronghold. And the Republic’s heavy hitter was the Kuat Drive Yards A6 Juggernaut toy vehicle. Modified to have physical damages and custom-painted with carbon scoring, the Juggernaut (also known as the “Clone Turbo Tank”) made a spectacular […]
Continue readingIrfan Meets Mia
Once upon a time, Irfan’s Pak Alang got married. Yesterday, we all visited them at the hospital to see their new baby Mia who was born a couple of days before. [[image:2010-11-20-irfan-meets-mia00.jpg:Scream! Scream!:center:0]] When we first arrived, Mia was located in her bassinet in the post-natal ward’s nursery with perhaps half a dozen other screaming babies. [[image:2010-11-20-irfan-meets-mia01.jpg:A second cousin:center:0]] Irfan poses with his second cousin, once Mia was transferred back to her mother. [[image:2010-11-20-irfan-meets-mia02.jpg:Who is this lady?:center:0]] Ain picks Mia up for a photo op. Mia sticks her tongue out at her aunt. [[image:2010-11-20-irfan-meets-mia03.jpg:Bunch of people:center:0]] Pak Alang Iwan, his new daughter and I. [[image:2010-11-20-irfan-meets-mia04.jpg:Two mother-type people:center:0]] Ain and Siti. [[image:2010-11-20-irfan-meets-mia05.jpg:More people:center:0]] The expeditionary force that went to Pusrawi Hospital for a visit hangs about the sixth-floor lobby for a photo. Congrats, Iwan and Siti!
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Here’s To A Decade
Ten years ago today, there was an aqad ceremony where Ain and I were wed. Here we are 10 years later, together and eating chicken at Kenny Rogers Roasters after so many trials and much struggle. The dinner was courtesy of Emma. It was a great dinner. Thanks, Cik Ma! I can still remember the anxiety and distress almost 2 years later, when embryonic Irfan did not move for hours and we rushed to hospital in panic to check up on him. Here he is still with us now 8 years later. I love the pasta salad. I should have told the waitress to give me pasta salad for all three of the side dishes. This was Ain’s. Unless it’s Emma’s. But it’s certainly not Irfan’s. Another dead bird about to be devoured. Happy anniversary to us. Here’s to another 10 years and more!
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