I’m in Malaysia now, just arrived last night with Huzaifah and got a really warm welcome from Ayah, Mak and Lia, our helper – who rushed to hug and kiss a surprised Huzaifah. He was okay in the flight – not quite cranky like he was on his first journey by flight last March. I guess, it might have something to do with the fact that he enjoyed the spacious and automatic seat in the business class. No, I don’t normally travel on business class unless on official trip. But this time around, I bought the business class ticket because the economy class was full, or so I was told by the travel agent I dealt with. Huzaifah and I took a walk down the aisle all the way to the back of the flight, and found out that in fact there were many vacant seats in economy class… but I am not complaining because traveling alone with a child who has just learned to walk but not yet understand how to stand still for a while could be quite a harrowing experience. I know I definitely received a lot of glances from others while trying to fill in the embarkation forms for both Huzaifah and I right before we went through the immigration in Narita airport. Alhamdulillah, Daud and Sarina went back on the same day with me (but they boarded an earlier flight), so they could give me a lift to the airport, otherwise, managing both the luggage and Huzaifah could prove to be yet another nightmare… Not to mention that the side handle of the big bag was broken while hubby took the bag downstairs…
There’s a long list of things to do – getting replacement for MyKad, driving licence, getting Huzaifah’s one-year-old injection, making new passport, getting new visa for the new passport, paying debts and the usual stuff of meeting and visiting family and friends. Actually neither hubby nor I planned to return this summer, but hubby had to attend to some stuff pertaining to his official appointment as a government servant, so Mak and Ayah persuaded me to take Ujai back home too, to celebrate his first birthday here in Malaysia, insya Allah. Not that we are planning a big celebration, but at least they get to be with him on his first birthday. Lia, our helper too, has miss him a lot. Huzaifah has just been back for less than a day, but already he’s been pampered like a prince. Since the house is not baby-proofed, Huzaifah is more likely to be seen on either Mak’s or Lia’s arm, rather than being allowed to wander and roam all over the house. Mak made beef soup especially for him today, even fed him some Ferraro Rocher chocolate when she saw that he was not that keen to finish the bottled baby meal I brought with me. The slightest ‘eek’ or ‘uuh’ uttered in raised voice by Huzaifah was quickly attended to, even when it was, well, nothing.
Huzaifah is definitely going to be subjected to a reorientation of living with just his dad and I when we go back. Oh, his dad is still in Tokyo right now. Will only be back in Malaysia on 5th September and we will go back together on 20th September, insya Allah. I know – just four days before Ramadhan… Zannen… But I don’t have much choice since the registration for new students in Waseda had been scheduled on 21st September.
I’ll try to update if I can manage to while I am in Malaysia, since the internet seems to be working better this time around than when I came back last year. Till then, take care and have a nice day.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Not some blog-wash after all...
* A belated entry which had been sitting in my draft bin for quite some time...
I chuckled when I first heard the news from hubby. I just came back from the hospital, while hubby stayed home that day, not visiting Huzaifah because he himself was not feeling well.
“Ofis lama Haida kena pantau blog-blog pulak…”
Eh, eh, pulak dah…
Hubby was referring to a nwspaper article stating that the Malaysian Cabinet had directed KTAK (as in K.T.A.K, not ktak, or even katak - it used to be KTKM, which were often confused with KTMB, but when the Water related functions were introduced, became KTAK. There had been some efforts to change the abbreviation to KKTA or KKAT, but the request had been turned down by the Cabinet...) to monitor blogs. The Communications department of the Ministry functions according to the provisions of Communications and Multimedia Acts 1998. And Section 3 (3) of CMA 1998 expressly stated that "Nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting the censorship of the Internet.” . So, why should blogs be monitored when there should be no censorship of the Internet... But I guess, this will be one of the tasks that would go under “lain-lain tugasan seperti yang diarahkan dari semasa ke semasa”…
The government is worried about the spread of rumours and lies by way of blog, or so I was told. If found guilty, identified blog owners would be charged, perhaps under Sedition Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act or even Penal Code. But not CMA – so why ask the Ministry to undertake an effort that the Ministry could not act upon. Hmm, maybe the stakeholders want the Ministry to cooperate and liaise with other government agencies. The police, perhaps, or the Internal Ministry, or even the Bahagian Keselamatan of the Prime Minister’s Department. I chuckled at the thought of liaising with the police force though, remembering how long it took to convince all telecommunications service providers to cooperate with the police in order to increase the efficiency of the emergency call system. Chances are, it would probably be better for the Special Branch officers to continue their own monitoring of identified possible hazardous blogs, rather than relying on the Ministry.
It is funny to think that the call to monitor blogs came not long after a national newspaper loudly pronounced blogs as hokum bunkum (with the cover screaming BLOG-WASH). On one hand the mainstream media are saying that blogs are just some craps not to be minded, yet on the other hand, the government think highly enough of blogs to be capable of influencing the people’s thoughts and opinions. Ah-hah.
But when the task of monitoring blog was awarded to the Ministry, I wonder who will undertake the actual task anyway when the Ministry has almost always been understaffed and overworked for the past couple of years. Probably someone from the Content division. Or maybe someone from the Regulatory division. I also wonder, why not delegate the task to Communications and Multimedia Commission - they certainly have more people there than the Ministry... But then again, they too are supposed to function in accord with CMA 1998, which brought us to my above-mentioned point...
I wonder what will be the Key Performance Index (KPI) for this task – perhaps, how many blogs should be monitored a year, or how many blogs had been taken action against (when necessary), or that blogs would be classified so that some would not be touched at all (the kind that rants on and on about on and on, but nothing of great importance so as to pose a threat to national security) but only a handful which fulfill certain criteria would be subject to close scrutiny.
At the end of the day, I pretty much envy the person who would be in charge of monitoring blogs. Imagine, spending all day long blog-hopping, possibly becoming addicted to some, and one can honestly say that he or she is just carrying out the assigned official duty…
I chuckled when I first heard the news from hubby. I just came back from the hospital, while hubby stayed home that day, not visiting Huzaifah because he himself was not feeling well.
“Ofis lama Haida kena pantau blog-blog pulak…”
Eh, eh, pulak dah…
Hubby was referring to a nwspaper article stating that the Malaysian Cabinet had directed KTAK (as in K.T.A.K, not ktak, or even katak - it used to be KTKM, which were often confused with KTMB, but when the Water related functions were introduced, became KTAK. There had been some efforts to change the abbreviation to KKTA or KKAT, but the request had been turned down by the Cabinet...) to monitor blogs. The Communications department of the Ministry functions according to the provisions of Communications and Multimedia Acts 1998. And Section 3 (3) of CMA 1998 expressly stated that "Nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting the censorship of the Internet.” . So, why should blogs be monitored when there should be no censorship of the Internet... But I guess, this will be one of the tasks that would go under “lain-lain tugasan seperti yang diarahkan dari semasa ke semasa”…
The government is worried about the spread of rumours and lies by way of blog, or so I was told. If found guilty, identified blog owners would be charged, perhaps under Sedition Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act or even Penal Code. But not CMA – so why ask the Ministry to undertake an effort that the Ministry could not act upon. Hmm, maybe the stakeholders want the Ministry to cooperate and liaise with other government agencies. The police, perhaps, or the Internal Ministry, or even the Bahagian Keselamatan of the Prime Minister’s Department. I chuckled at the thought of liaising with the police force though, remembering how long it took to convince all telecommunications service providers to cooperate with the police in order to increase the efficiency of the emergency call system. Chances are, it would probably be better for the Special Branch officers to continue their own monitoring of identified possible hazardous blogs, rather than relying on the Ministry.
It is funny to think that the call to monitor blogs came not long after a national newspaper loudly pronounced blogs as hokum bunkum (with the cover screaming BLOG-WASH). On one hand the mainstream media are saying that blogs are just some craps not to be minded, yet on the other hand, the government think highly enough of blogs to be capable of influencing the people’s thoughts and opinions. Ah-hah.
But when the task of monitoring blog was awarded to the Ministry, I wonder who will undertake the actual task anyway when the Ministry has almost always been understaffed and overworked for the past couple of years. Probably someone from the Content division. Or maybe someone from the Regulatory division. I also wonder, why not delegate the task to Communications and Multimedia Commission - they certainly have more people there than the Ministry... But then again, they too are supposed to function in accord with CMA 1998, which brought us to my above-mentioned point...
I wonder what will be the Key Performance Index (KPI) for this task – perhaps, how many blogs should be monitored a year, or how many blogs had been taken action against (when necessary), or that blogs would be classified so that some would not be touched at all (the kind that rants on and on about on and on, but nothing of great importance so as to pose a threat to national security) but only a handful which fulfill certain criteria would be subject to close scrutiny.
At the end of the day, I pretty much envy the person who would be in charge of monitoring blogs. Imagine, spending all day long blog-hopping, possibly becoming addicted to some, and one can honestly say that he or she is just carrying out the assigned official duty…
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Another new Muslimah
We received the phone call when we were in the middle of attending to our child when he was terribly sick.
It was a Yemeni guy, asking us about necessary documents for someone to convert to Islam, as well as trying to make an appointment for a new Muslim conversion. I told him that he could bring his friend for conversion anytime but right then the timing was a bit off because we had a sick child to attend to. Hubby asked him to come to the mosque the next day.
At that time it did not occurred to us that Huzaifah would be hospitalized. Thus, when he was, hubby asked me to call up more senior members of ICOJ to attend to the Yemeni guy’s request since we might be held up at the hospital. We called, but it seemed that nobody was quite free that night to cater to the Yemeni’s guy request. Hubby decided to leave the hospital earlier than me, to prepare all the necessary documents and gifts (Islamic books for beginners) in case the guy show up with his friend - “Orang nak masuk Islam tak boleh lengah-lengahkan, nanti kalau jadi apa-apa, kita nak jawab apa…”
I left the hospital at 8.00 pm, after Huzaifah had gone to sleep. (Alhamdulillah, he always napped right before I had to leave the hospital, making it easier for me to leave quietly without seeing him crying, protesting my going away) I noticed the two extra pair of shoes on the shoe rack, but I found hubby alone in the office. We went upstairs together, and only then hubby noticed that there were two people waiting in the mosque after all – the Yemeni guy and his Nihonjin girlfriend.
Turned out that they hadn’t been waiting long, just that they didn’t know where to look for the Imam. They first introduced themselves in English, but soon after that hubby began conversing in Arabic with Hadi, the Yemeni guy while I chatted in my limited Nihongo with Sonoko-san. I apologized for our late welcome since I myself had just returned from the hospital. (It had been a long day for me – what with having to register Huzaifah for child welfare in Taito-ku ward office in Ueno first, and they requested some documents I’ve never heard of before, making it a lot more complicated than it was back in Gyotoku… In fact, that day, I reached the hospital later than Huzaifah’s other visitors – Kamarol and Mizan and his family, who were kind enough to visit all the way from Chiba…)
Things went far smoother this time compared to our first conversion experience. Hubby had prepared his script beforehand, spoke in Arabic and Hadi acted as translator for Sonoko-san. I was impressed with Hadi’s Nihongo, because he was so fluent and there was little trace of Arabic slang if at all in his Nihongo. I later found out that he’s a teacher in Yemen who works part time as tourist guide for Japanese and that was how he first met Sonoko-san. He was in Japan on Sonoko’s family invitation, to visit Sonoko-san’s father who has been hospitalized for some old age-related problems.
Actually, I was not only impressed, I was also envious. To date, while I may not be fluent, most Nihonjin I’ve talked to, often remarked that my Nihongo is rather good for someone who has been here for less than a year. However, since Nihonjin are known to be extra polite sometimes, I’m unsure whether they were honestly stating a fact or just being polite. Since our move to this mosque, my priority in learning Nihongo has shifted from trying to understand Japanese dorama, to at least be able to explain basic stuff in Islam to others who are interested to learn. The truth is, I can understand TV programs in Nihongo up to some extend now, but my spoken Nihongo is still too poor for me to be able to explain even Rukun Iman or Rukun Islam… I could answer simple questions like what time is Jumu’ah prayer held in the mosque, or do we have Quran lesson in the mosque, but whenever we get some phone calls asking fiqh related stuff, I always had to direct the callers to call others. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and that was exactly we had been advised to do by ICOJ committee members, but I still feel that I should be able to do better than that…
Anyway, back to the conversion…
Sonoko-san’s interest in Islam was first generated as she toured in a few Muslim countries – Yemen, Syria, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, to name a few. She too has taken an interest in learning Arabic, and in turn was further encouraged to learn more about Islam by her Indonesian Arabic language instructor. Understandably, her decision to convert was not well received by her family, but the presence of her Yemeni boyfriend in person had helped her to get that extra boost of confidence to take the leap of faith.
Just before converting, hubby asked her some questions relating to her interest in Islam, and her understanding of Islam so far, as well as whether she has come to Islam out of her own free will. It seemed that she had found a good coach in Hadi, who has helped in explaining and answering her questions before this. She too had ‘rehearsed’ uttering the syahadah, so when the time came for her to declare herself as a Muslim, it went rather well, as her Arabic is rather jouzu for a Nihonjin. She chose an old Arabic name, Lamees, as her Muslim name (as opposed to Fatimah, Aisyah and Mariam, popular names for Muslim Nihonjin), even saying “Ismi Lamees” (”My name is Lamees” in Arabic) when hubby asked her what is her Muslim name. No, it is not compulsory to have a new Muslim name when one becomes a Muslim, (Rasulullah’s companions did not change their name after their conversion just for the sake of changing their name – Umar was Umar before he became a Muslim and remained Umar after he converted) it is just a custom to do so, but I thought Lamees is a beautiful name which suits her nicely.
Hubby then proceeded to explain to her the basic tenets – Rukun Islam and Rukun Iman – in Arabic which was translated to Nihongo by Hadi. Then, after she was done with filling in her details, with Hadi and I acting as witnesses for her conversion, hubby handed a copy of the new Muslim certificate over to her. She held it with a wondrous look for a moment just before I requested for permission to take a photo of her showing off the certificate. She looked happy posing for the camera. Hadi even clapped his hand as he muttered omedetou gozaimas (congratulations) to her.
I then promised to call up another Muslim Nihonjin who might be able to answer her questions better and have better knowledge than me regarding Islamic classes conducted in Nihongo held in other Islamic center and mosques. She would like that, because she really want to learn more about Islam. It’s a new start, it’s a new life and she looks forward to learning being a good Muslim.
She knows that it’s not going to be easy. It is never easy for many. Most Muslim Nihonjin take some time adjusting to their new faith – to stop their drinking habit, change their eating habits, start praying… She was aware that it’s going to be a tough challenge, and it may take her five, six, or even ten years before she could be a fully practicing Muslim I encouraged her to take her time. What is important first and foremost is her belief in Allah AlMighty. Everything else will fall in its places accordingly, insya Allah.
I was surprised to learn that she lived in Shibuya, not too far from a famous mosque. I wondered loudly why they did not go there instead of coming all the way to Asakusa for her conversion. Hadi explained briefly that when he called them up, stating his interest in bringing a friend for a conversion ceremony, the mosque’s response had been rather cool. Yet, when he called us, both hubby and I welcomed him warmly, sounding eager to assist in any way we could. Thus, they chose to come to us.
Shocked and sad – my expression must had conveyed what I felt right then to them because she immediately reassured me that it’s okay, it doesn’t matter where she does it right, because she is already a Muslim now.
She is getting married to Hadi soon, and insya Allah I will share more about their wedding ceremony because they had chose to get married in Asakusa too.
It was a Yemeni guy, asking us about necessary documents for someone to convert to Islam, as well as trying to make an appointment for a new Muslim conversion. I told him that he could bring his friend for conversion anytime but right then the timing was a bit off because we had a sick child to attend to. Hubby asked him to come to the mosque the next day.
At that time it did not occurred to us that Huzaifah would be hospitalized. Thus, when he was, hubby asked me to call up more senior members of ICOJ to attend to the Yemeni guy’s request since we might be held up at the hospital. We called, but it seemed that nobody was quite free that night to cater to the Yemeni’s guy request. Hubby decided to leave the hospital earlier than me, to prepare all the necessary documents and gifts (Islamic books for beginners) in case the guy show up with his friend - “Orang nak masuk Islam tak boleh lengah-lengahkan, nanti kalau jadi apa-apa, kita nak jawab apa…”
I left the hospital at 8.00 pm, after Huzaifah had gone to sleep. (Alhamdulillah, he always napped right before I had to leave the hospital, making it easier for me to leave quietly without seeing him crying, protesting my going away) I noticed the two extra pair of shoes on the shoe rack, but I found hubby alone in the office. We went upstairs together, and only then hubby noticed that there were two people waiting in the mosque after all – the Yemeni guy and his Nihonjin girlfriend.
Turned out that they hadn’t been waiting long, just that they didn’t know where to look for the Imam. They first introduced themselves in English, but soon after that hubby began conversing in Arabic with Hadi, the Yemeni guy while I chatted in my limited Nihongo with Sonoko-san. I apologized for our late welcome since I myself had just returned from the hospital. (It had been a long day for me – what with having to register Huzaifah for child welfare in Taito-ku ward office in Ueno first, and they requested some documents I’ve never heard of before, making it a lot more complicated than it was back in Gyotoku… In fact, that day, I reached the hospital later than Huzaifah’s other visitors – Kamarol and Mizan and his family, who were kind enough to visit all the way from Chiba…)
Things went far smoother this time compared to our first conversion experience. Hubby had prepared his script beforehand, spoke in Arabic and Hadi acted as translator for Sonoko-san. I was impressed with Hadi’s Nihongo, because he was so fluent and there was little trace of Arabic slang if at all in his Nihongo. I later found out that he’s a teacher in Yemen who works part time as tourist guide for Japanese and that was how he first met Sonoko-san. He was in Japan on Sonoko’s family invitation, to visit Sonoko-san’s father who has been hospitalized for some old age-related problems.
Actually, I was not only impressed, I was also envious. To date, while I may not be fluent, most Nihonjin I’ve talked to, often remarked that my Nihongo is rather good for someone who has been here for less than a year. However, since Nihonjin are known to be extra polite sometimes, I’m unsure whether they were honestly stating a fact or just being polite. Since our move to this mosque, my priority in learning Nihongo has shifted from trying to understand Japanese dorama, to at least be able to explain basic stuff in Islam to others who are interested to learn. The truth is, I can understand TV programs in Nihongo up to some extend now, but my spoken Nihongo is still too poor for me to be able to explain even Rukun Iman or Rukun Islam… I could answer simple questions like what time is Jumu’ah prayer held in the mosque, or do we have Quran lesson in the mosque, but whenever we get some phone calls asking fiqh related stuff, I always had to direct the callers to call others. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and that was exactly we had been advised to do by ICOJ committee members, but I still feel that I should be able to do better than that…
Anyway, back to the conversion…
Sonoko-san’s interest in Islam was first generated as she toured in a few Muslim countries – Yemen, Syria, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, to name a few. She too has taken an interest in learning Arabic, and in turn was further encouraged to learn more about Islam by her Indonesian Arabic language instructor. Understandably, her decision to convert was not well received by her family, but the presence of her Yemeni boyfriend in person had helped her to get that extra boost of confidence to take the leap of faith.
Just before converting, hubby asked her some questions relating to her interest in Islam, and her understanding of Islam so far, as well as whether she has come to Islam out of her own free will. It seemed that she had found a good coach in Hadi, who has helped in explaining and answering her questions before this. She too had ‘rehearsed’ uttering the syahadah, so when the time came for her to declare herself as a Muslim, it went rather well, as her Arabic is rather jouzu for a Nihonjin. She chose an old Arabic name, Lamees, as her Muslim name (as opposed to Fatimah, Aisyah and Mariam, popular names for Muslim Nihonjin), even saying “Ismi Lamees” (”My name is Lamees” in Arabic) when hubby asked her what is her Muslim name. No, it is not compulsory to have a new Muslim name when one becomes a Muslim, (Rasulullah’s companions did not change their name after their conversion just for the sake of changing their name – Umar was Umar before he became a Muslim and remained Umar after he converted) it is just a custom to do so, but I thought Lamees is a beautiful name which suits her nicely.
Hubby then proceeded to explain to her the basic tenets – Rukun Islam and Rukun Iman – in Arabic which was translated to Nihongo by Hadi. Then, after she was done with filling in her details, with Hadi and I acting as witnesses for her conversion, hubby handed a copy of the new Muslim certificate over to her. She held it with a wondrous look for a moment just before I requested for permission to take a photo of her showing off the certificate. She looked happy posing for the camera. Hadi even clapped his hand as he muttered omedetou gozaimas (congratulations) to her.
I then promised to call up another Muslim Nihonjin who might be able to answer her questions better and have better knowledge than me regarding Islamic classes conducted in Nihongo held in other Islamic center and mosques. She would like that, because she really want to learn more about Islam. It’s a new start, it’s a new life and she looks forward to learning being a good Muslim.
She knows that it’s not going to be easy. It is never easy for many. Most Muslim Nihonjin take some time adjusting to their new faith – to stop their drinking habit, change their eating habits, start praying… She was aware that it’s going to be a tough challenge, and it may take her five, six, or even ten years before she could be a fully practicing Muslim I encouraged her to take her time. What is important first and foremost is her belief in Allah AlMighty. Everything else will fall in its places accordingly, insya Allah.
I was surprised to learn that she lived in Shibuya, not too far from a famous mosque. I wondered loudly why they did not go there instead of coming all the way to Asakusa for her conversion. Hadi explained briefly that when he called them up, stating his interest in bringing a friend for a conversion ceremony, the mosque’s response had been rather cool. Yet, when he called us, both hubby and I welcomed him warmly, sounding eager to assist in any way we could. Thus, they chose to come to us.
Shocked and sad – my expression must had conveyed what I felt right then to them because she immediately reassured me that it’s okay, it doesn’t matter where she does it right, because she is already a Muslim now.
She is getting married to Hadi soon, and insya Allah I will share more about their wedding ceremony because they had chose to get married in Asakusa too.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
That one Halal Shop in Shin Okubo...
Sorry for not writing for so long - I was held up by a lot of stuff, including but not limiting to having to be extra attentive to my son who after being discharged from the hospital seemed to be need double assurance at all time that he's never far from his parents, and on-and-pff internet... We've never subscribe to any internet service provider thus are strictly relying on unpredictable access to some unsecured wireless networks nearby...
Anyway, if you are a Muslim staying in Tokyo or its neighboring area, and like me, is a fan of a particular Halal shop in Shin Okubo due to its low price… I’m pleased to let you know that we can now place our order to them through phone, fax or e-mail. An extra takkyubin (courier) charge will be added in accordance with our order’s total weight. The other day, my order was 31kg and we had to pay 900 yen for courier. It definitely beat carrying all those stuff ourselves since the courier guy dropped everything right in front of our footstep – on the fifth floor (with no elevator), no less.
The contact details are as below:
Nasco Telecom
Phone: 03 5337 1477
Fax: 03 5337 2183
Email: nasco786@snow.ocn.ne.jp
Payment should be made to their Yubin (postal) account no: 10160-50050221
And no, I’m not getting paid for this. Consider this as a public service announcement of some sort.
Anyway, if you are a Muslim staying in Tokyo or its neighboring area, and like me, is a fan of a particular Halal shop in Shin Okubo due to its low price… I’m pleased to let you know that we can now place our order to them through phone, fax or e-mail. An extra takkyubin (courier) charge will be added in accordance with our order’s total weight. The other day, my order was 31kg and we had to pay 900 yen for courier. It definitely beat carrying all those stuff ourselves since the courier guy dropped everything right in front of our footstep – on the fifth floor (with no elevator), no less.
The contact details are as below:
Nasco Telecom
Phone: 03 5337 1477
Fax: 03 5337 2183
Email: nasco786@snow.ocn.ne.jp
Payment should be made to their Yubin (postal) account no: 10160-50050221
And no, I’m not getting paid for this. Consider this as a public service announcement of some sort.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Not so good news
I was hoping to blog about last Saturday’s ladies night right after I was done with submitting the last term paper I had to do.
But that was not to be.
Because a day after I was done with submitting that particular term paper, my dear son was terribly sick. So sick that now he is spending the night in University of Japan Hospital (Nihon Daigaku Byoin) in Ochanomizu, Chiyoda-ku.
Huzaifah had running nose beginning late last night. Then his temperature slowly increased. This morning I gave him some left-over medicine prescribed for fever and cold which we got in spring. His father recited the ayat syifa’ for him, fed him some air zam-zam, some dates and some water mixed with honey. He refused to drink or eat anything. We fed the medicine and the small amount of zam-zam water in small feeds using a 3ml syringe.
Then he started wheezing.
I knew it was an asthma attack. Both hubby and I have asthma. But we both made the mistake of assuming that it was a mild asthma attack. Because we never had to go to a child clinic since we moved to Tokyo, we did not know where exactly to go to consult a paediatrician.
First, we went to Asakusa Hospital which is right behind our house. No, they don’t handle paediatric cases. Rather , they specialised in elderly care - no surprise there considering Asakusa is filled with aging society. The girl behind the receptionist counter made a photocopy of a map, and directed me to the nearest child clinic.
The nearest clinic was not so near after all, and we managed to get lost before we met a kind Nihonjin who directed us to the clinic herself. Only to find that the clinic was closed, as the doctor was away for a health inspection in a primary school somewhere. We were advised to go to another clinic in Imado. Only that we had to wait until after 2.30 pm because by then the clinic was already closed for lunch break.
Went back home, for lunch and Zohor. Then went to the clinic in Imado.
The doctor looked grave as he advised us to go to a bigger hospital since his clinic did not provide any treatment for asthma. Apart from that advice and some kiddy stuff for Huzaifah (no sweets, but a balloon, a sheet of stickers with a matching postcard to be used with the stickers), we got yet another photocopied map, directing us to Senjoji Hospital, at the back of the famous Senjoji Temple.
On the way to the big hospital, I suddenly realized that, after paying the fee at the clinic earlier (I haven’t register Huzaifah for child allowance in Taito-ku yet , so not only we haven’t receive any Child Allowance but we also have yet to receive the Medical discount card which entitled us to pay minimal fee for his medical services), I didn’t have that much cash so we went to the bank first to withdraw some money.
By the time we reached the Sensoji Hospital, it was nearly 4 p.m. I was so relieved that the doctor who attended to Huzaifah could speak English well. But my relief quickly turned to horror as the doctor told us that Huzaifah had to be hospitalized because he was going through a severe attack of bronchitis asthma. And guessing from the symptoms, he told us that he suspected Huzaifah might even be suffering from pneumonia.
He could not be hospitalized in Sensoji Hospital because there’s no such facility there. The kind Dr. Hiroshima called up a few other hospitals with ward facilities before he finally told us that there’s a vacancy at Nihon Daigaku Hospital, and that we would all go there in an ambulance. The Sensoji Hospital has no ambulance facility too, so he had to get one from Tokyo Ambulance service.
While waiting for the ambulance, Huzaifah was given some therapy first – a combination of inhaling nebulizer, IV drip infusion and steroid injection to expand his chest and made breathing easier. Since the oxygen rate in his blood was less than 96%, he also had to wear an oxygen mask, which I held close to his mouth and nose since he kept pushing the mask away when the nurse held it.
It was heartbreaking when the doctor told us that we could not stay with Huzaifah in the hospital since all visitors, including parents, have to leave the hospital by 8.00p.m. It was even more heartbreaking to hear Huzaifah wailing as the doctor put on the drip. And it had to be done twice because the first time Huzaifah struggled so violently that after the drip needle was inserted, it later became mixed with his blood since the needle was not firmly inserted or something to that effect.
The doctor boarded the ambulance too, accompanying us to Nihon Daigaku Hospital, checking Huzaifah’s heaving chest every few minutes, keep glancing at the oxygen level and pulse rate monitor throughout the 15 - 20 minute journey. The journey was shorter than normal trip by car because in addition to siren, ambulances in Tokyo are equipped with loud speakers, enabling the driver to politely but firmly requesting cars to move aside as they pass and to thank the drivers for their kind cooperation. We reached Ochanomizu at around 5.30 p.m.
As soon as we arrived at the hospital, a group of doctors immediately hovered around him. One doctor acted as the coordinator as the team was briefed by Dr Hiroshima. Right after that, I was interviewed in Nihongo – someone seeking explanation why we were late in getting medical treatment, then there was someone asking the basic history of Huzaifah so far – past record of immunization, where was he delivered, was it a normal delivery, his weight at birth, my health when I was pregnant, including whether I was hospitalized during pregnancy. I told them about my hyperemesis gravidarum episodes, and one doctor quickly ran to find the translation in Nihongo because no one among them knew what hyperemesis gravidarum is in Nihongo. Not surprising since we were at the paediatric unit, not O&G.
The doctor who was acting as the coordinator turned out to be the only one among them who’s good in English. He then explained every step of the therapy they suggested for Huzaifah. From the symptoms – high fever, coughing, wheezing - they tried to exhaust all possibilities – viral infection, bacterial infection, pneumonia - which would be ruled out by different tests.
If only listening to Huzaifah wailing was heartbreaking, it was even more heartbreaking to see Huzaifah struggling as he was subjected to a blood test. I leaned on hubby, usurping some extra strength from his presence as we saw Huzaifah being subjected to other tests – the x-ray, the extraction of some hanamizu (hingus) as they tried to check for and culture the virus. The doctor informed us that if Huzaifah’s condition worsen during the night, he would be given oxygen therapy using a tent, which they set up at the next bed, as a precaution. A nurse even showed a sample of a special cloth that Huzaifah might had to wear for safety purpose so as to ensure that he won’t fall from the bed where the tent for oxygen therapy was set up.
We prayed solat hormat waktu for both Asar and Maghrib. But we did not stop praying. Hubby continued reciting ayat syifa’, while I held Huzaifah in my lap after I was given the go-ahead by the doctor. The oxygen rate in his blood gradually improved from 96% to 100% as his pulse rate decreased from over 160 to 130 a minute and the wheezing stopped after he got his second 0.2 cc dose of nebulizer.
Sometime around 7.30 p.m, all the doctors assembled near our bed, this time with a new face I hadn’t seen before. Huzaifah had already went to sleep, and was not disturbed even when the new doctor, who turned out to be the Chief Medical Examiner, examined him.He consulted his notes before telling the English speaking doctor to tell me that Huzaifah was out of danger, that he would turn out ok, but since he had just went through a severe attack, they would like to keep him under observation for maybe up to five days, to ensure that there’s no repeat of such attack. I thanked the Chief Doctor, and thanked all the doctors for their efforts. Huzaifah got a viral infection which led to his asthma attack - not bacterial infection since his inflamation was not serious, and no pneumonia as proven by his x-ray.
I could not help feeling impressed with their level of efficiency – from the doctor to the nurses, all of them worked hard as a team to ensure Huzaifah’s quick recovery and comfort. The nurse who changed his cloth – I was glad that I brought a pair of change in his bag – even checked on his daily routine – what time he normally goes to sleep and wake up, how many times he feed on milk daily and how much per feeding, how many times he eat a day and what does he usually, how many teeth does he has so far (she checked them personally despite Huzaifah’s feeble attempt of restraint), what brand of milk does he drink, down to do I normally feed him when he’s sleeping.
Huzaifah was still sleeping soundly when his father and I left the hospital with heavy hearts. I pray that he will get well soon. I hope he will be discharged even earlier than the predicted 5 days. I wish he didn’t have to be left alone at the hospital, but I had no choice. I can only pray that he would be okay and that if needs arise, he would be comforted by the nurses – even if he had to listen to Nihongo lullabies rather than my usual recitation of selawat.
I know there’re wars going on right now everywhere. I know that I am going through nothing compared to what they are facing right now. But I hope that you, my friends, in between making do’a for our Muslim brothers and sisters who are affected by the ongoing wars, would be kind enough to insert a small prayer for my son’s health and quick recovery.
But that was not to be.
Because a day after I was done with submitting that particular term paper, my dear son was terribly sick. So sick that now he is spending the night in University of Japan Hospital (Nihon Daigaku Byoin) in Ochanomizu, Chiyoda-ku.
Huzaifah had running nose beginning late last night. Then his temperature slowly increased. This morning I gave him some left-over medicine prescribed for fever and cold which we got in spring. His father recited the ayat syifa’ for him, fed him some air zam-zam, some dates and some water mixed with honey. He refused to drink or eat anything. We fed the medicine and the small amount of zam-zam water in small feeds using a 3ml syringe.
Then he started wheezing.
I knew it was an asthma attack. Both hubby and I have asthma. But we both made the mistake of assuming that it was a mild asthma attack. Because we never had to go to a child clinic since we moved to Tokyo, we did not know where exactly to go to consult a paediatrician.
First, we went to Asakusa Hospital which is right behind our house. No, they don’t handle paediatric cases. Rather , they specialised in elderly care - no surprise there considering Asakusa is filled with aging society. The girl behind the receptionist counter made a photocopy of a map, and directed me to the nearest child clinic.
The nearest clinic was not so near after all, and we managed to get lost before we met a kind Nihonjin who directed us to the clinic herself. Only to find that the clinic was closed, as the doctor was away for a health inspection in a primary school somewhere. We were advised to go to another clinic in Imado. Only that we had to wait until after 2.30 pm because by then the clinic was already closed for lunch break.
Went back home, for lunch and Zohor. Then went to the clinic in Imado.
The doctor looked grave as he advised us to go to a bigger hospital since his clinic did not provide any treatment for asthma. Apart from that advice and some kiddy stuff for Huzaifah (no sweets, but a balloon, a sheet of stickers with a matching postcard to be used with the stickers), we got yet another photocopied map, directing us to Senjoji Hospital, at the back of the famous Senjoji Temple.
On the way to the big hospital, I suddenly realized that, after paying the fee at the clinic earlier (I haven’t register Huzaifah for child allowance in Taito-ku yet , so not only we haven’t receive any Child Allowance but we also have yet to receive the Medical discount card which entitled us to pay minimal fee for his medical services), I didn’t have that much cash so we went to the bank first to withdraw some money.
By the time we reached the Sensoji Hospital, it was nearly 4 p.m. I was so relieved that the doctor who attended to Huzaifah could speak English well. But my relief quickly turned to horror as the doctor told us that Huzaifah had to be hospitalized because he was going through a severe attack of bronchitis asthma. And guessing from the symptoms, he told us that he suspected Huzaifah might even be suffering from pneumonia.
He could not be hospitalized in Sensoji Hospital because there’s no such facility there. The kind Dr. Hiroshima called up a few other hospitals with ward facilities before he finally told us that there’s a vacancy at Nihon Daigaku Hospital, and that we would all go there in an ambulance. The Sensoji Hospital has no ambulance facility too, so he had to get one from Tokyo Ambulance service.
While waiting for the ambulance, Huzaifah was given some therapy first – a combination of inhaling nebulizer, IV drip infusion and steroid injection to expand his chest and made breathing easier. Since the oxygen rate in his blood was less than 96%, he also had to wear an oxygen mask, which I held close to his mouth and nose since he kept pushing the mask away when the nurse held it.
It was heartbreaking when the doctor told us that we could not stay with Huzaifah in the hospital since all visitors, including parents, have to leave the hospital by 8.00p.m. It was even more heartbreaking to hear Huzaifah wailing as the doctor put on the drip. And it had to be done twice because the first time Huzaifah struggled so violently that after the drip needle was inserted, it later became mixed with his blood since the needle was not firmly inserted or something to that effect.
The doctor boarded the ambulance too, accompanying us to Nihon Daigaku Hospital, checking Huzaifah’s heaving chest every few minutes, keep glancing at the oxygen level and pulse rate monitor throughout the 15 - 20 minute journey. The journey was shorter than normal trip by car because in addition to siren, ambulances in Tokyo are equipped with loud speakers, enabling the driver to politely but firmly requesting cars to move aside as they pass and to thank the drivers for their kind cooperation. We reached Ochanomizu at around 5.30 p.m.
As soon as we arrived at the hospital, a group of doctors immediately hovered around him. One doctor acted as the coordinator as the team was briefed by Dr Hiroshima. Right after that, I was interviewed in Nihongo – someone seeking explanation why we were late in getting medical treatment, then there was someone asking the basic history of Huzaifah so far – past record of immunization, where was he delivered, was it a normal delivery, his weight at birth, my health when I was pregnant, including whether I was hospitalized during pregnancy. I told them about my hyperemesis gravidarum episodes, and one doctor quickly ran to find the translation in Nihongo because no one among them knew what hyperemesis gravidarum is in Nihongo. Not surprising since we were at the paediatric unit, not O&G.
The doctor who was acting as the coordinator turned out to be the only one among them who’s good in English. He then explained every step of the therapy they suggested for Huzaifah. From the symptoms – high fever, coughing, wheezing - they tried to exhaust all possibilities – viral infection, bacterial infection, pneumonia - which would be ruled out by different tests.
If only listening to Huzaifah wailing was heartbreaking, it was even more heartbreaking to see Huzaifah struggling as he was subjected to a blood test. I leaned on hubby, usurping some extra strength from his presence as we saw Huzaifah being subjected to other tests – the x-ray, the extraction of some hanamizu (hingus) as they tried to check for and culture the virus. The doctor informed us that if Huzaifah’s condition worsen during the night, he would be given oxygen therapy using a tent, which they set up at the next bed, as a precaution. A nurse even showed a sample of a special cloth that Huzaifah might had to wear for safety purpose so as to ensure that he won’t fall from the bed where the tent for oxygen therapy was set up.
We prayed solat hormat waktu for both Asar and Maghrib. But we did not stop praying. Hubby continued reciting ayat syifa’, while I held Huzaifah in my lap after I was given the go-ahead by the doctor. The oxygen rate in his blood gradually improved from 96% to 100% as his pulse rate decreased from over 160 to 130 a minute and the wheezing stopped after he got his second 0.2 cc dose of nebulizer.
Sometime around 7.30 p.m, all the doctors assembled near our bed, this time with a new face I hadn’t seen before. Huzaifah had already went to sleep, and was not disturbed even when the new doctor, who turned out to be the Chief Medical Examiner, examined him.He consulted his notes before telling the English speaking doctor to tell me that Huzaifah was out of danger, that he would turn out ok, but since he had just went through a severe attack, they would like to keep him under observation for maybe up to five days, to ensure that there’s no repeat of such attack. I thanked the Chief Doctor, and thanked all the doctors for their efforts. Huzaifah got a viral infection which led to his asthma attack - not bacterial infection since his inflamation was not serious, and no pneumonia as proven by his x-ray.
I could not help feeling impressed with their level of efficiency – from the doctor to the nurses, all of them worked hard as a team to ensure Huzaifah’s quick recovery and comfort. The nurse who changed his cloth – I was glad that I brought a pair of change in his bag – even checked on his daily routine – what time he normally goes to sleep and wake up, how many times he feed on milk daily and how much per feeding, how many times he eat a day and what does he usually, how many teeth does he has so far (she checked them personally despite Huzaifah’s feeble attempt of restraint), what brand of milk does he drink, down to do I normally feed him when he’s sleeping.
Huzaifah was still sleeping soundly when his father and I left the hospital with heavy hearts. I pray that he will get well soon. I hope he will be discharged even earlier than the predicted 5 days. I wish he didn’t have to be left alone at the hospital, but I had no choice. I can only pray that he would be okay and that if needs arise, he would be comforted by the nurses – even if he had to listen to Nihongo lullabies rather than my usual recitation of selawat.
I know there’re wars going on right now everywhere. I know that I am going through nothing compared to what they are facing right now. But I hope that you, my friends, in between making do’a for our Muslim brothers and sisters who are affected by the ongoing wars, would be kind enough to insert a small prayer for my son’s health and quick recovery.
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