Suka, suka juga, Allah jangan dilupa...

Mak tanya - "Agaknya acara yang mana yang membuat hati tersentuh bahawa Allah tidak dilupai. Apa jua acara yang kita buat harus mendekatkan kita pada Allah."

Para AJK ada buat acara tahlil ringkas dan makanan tengahari tu sebenarnya jamuan daging aqiqah oleh 6 orang warga pejabat.

AJK Rewang yang keletihan semalaman dan sepagi menyiapkan hidangan

Bila acara sukaneka berakhir, mana dengan penat mengejar Huzaifah, pening nak membahagi 'harta rampasan' hadiah-hadiah dan letih selepas pulun bermain macam-macam acara satu pagi adatlah - kalau dah namanya sukaneka secara sukarela, bukan ramai yang nak jadi sukarelawan, jadi balik-balik kena 'kitar semula' peserta yang sama, tak adalah ambil gambar. Yang ada ini pun gambar ihsan Hawa (terima kasih Hawa!)

Macam biasa, rumah dah siap, pahat berbunyi... Ada yang kata forum itu tidak sesuai untuk acara tahlil, sebab iyalah, dah meriah-meriah bersorak, bernyanyi, berlagha (siap ada pertandingan menyanyi ala-ala Malaysian Idol lagi) lepas tu bertahlil pula. Dan sebenarnya yang bertahlil betul-betul pun tak ramai - agaknya yang pegang mic saja kot. Tapi mungkin mengambilkira yang 'apa jua acara kita buat harus mendekatkan kita pada Allah", jadi program tahlil tetap diteruskan jua.

Antara yang hadir ke majlis tahlil/jamuan aqiqah - ada juga yang sudah pulang walaupun AJK sedari awal mohon kerjasama semua untuk hadir ke majlis agar jangan sampai membazirkan makanan yang banyak

Mungkin perlu disarankan kepada AJK Hari Keluarga akan datang untuk atur acara-acara yang tidak membawa kepada pergaulan bebas, tiada pertandingan yang jelas lagha (menyanyi secara duet antara pasangan bukan muhrim misalnya) senamrobik sambil berzikir, gambar untuk acara mewarna bagi kanak-kanak yang membuat hati tersentuh dengan keindahan ciptaan Allah dan kebesaran Allah dan para peserta diingatkan untuk berpakaian yang menutup aurat (jadi tidaklah canggung untuk ikuti program tahlil sebelum makan tengahari)

Dan nama program pun akan bertukar daripada Hari Keluarga...

kepada Hari Usrah...

Ok apa?

1 Department 1 Family Day

The presents tent

Red Team (Bara) Tent

Blue (Samudera) and Yellow (Mentari) Tents

Green (Rimba) Team Tent


Won the "Best Dressed" Tent competition - probably because of this arrangement

(ya, bunga itu saya yang punya... bunga kat pelamin masa kahwin dulu)

A clown brought in especially to entertain the kids (of all ages)

"Pasangan Beracun" - ala musical chair with a twist (bonding couples together)

No running-in-a-gunny-sack competition but pulling-the-sack (ala 'upih pinang')

Dressing up the Mummy

Finished up two whole rolls of toilet paper

Among the staff from our sector

Natsukashii... minum Milo free dari van...

Encik Pauzan and his "membara" family

More familiar faces - from the sector

Idy the Project Director and Nabil, one of the committee members

Kak Bib - one-day-only-adopted-sister of Nule'

VIP event - 'Kelim karipap' for male senior officers

My direct boss was really good at it - impressive!

Rimba won first prize for this...

VIP event - Datin (wife of numero uno) and Encik Zainal's wife decorating cupcakes

Again - Rimba won first prize - I guess the 'flower' was kinda different...and nice

Azhan and his two 'flowers'

The "tarik tali" gang getting ready

I said , "1...2... rentapppp!!!"

"Yeay, I won! I WON!" -Excited Encik Razak won the best 'lucky draw' present...

Among the prizes gotten by Rimba - arguably "Rumah Paling Meletoppp" of the day

Go Rimba, Yeay!

Tengah buat apa tu?

Picture taken during an event on the office's Family Day yesterday (which was held in ILKAP, Bangi)
Guess what's the name of the event?
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Masam-masam Manis

Trust me though - it was sour all the way and not sweet at all to munch on young mangoes. The sourish taste stayed on the tongue all day long!
And as if that was not enough - I ate the super sour mango first thing in the morning!

Note: Hubby had to give his fortnightly kuliah subuh in Ampangan, thus we started late and arrived in Bangi only at about 9.00 a.m., where else the event had started around 8.00 a.m. Breakfast was provided by the committee members - but I was so 'teruja' to join the game, I dove right into it and forgot that I had not taken any breakfast... Alhamdulillah I did not suffer any stomachache...

Prezzies From Ozzie

Since Kit just won first prize at a cool birthday bash, and Erma blogged about gifts from fellow bloggers, I thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon...

It's a belated entry actually. My aunt Nyah and her family went to Melbourne last month in conjunction of my cousin (Dr) Hafiz's graduation. My cousin Syahril, his wife Ain (aka Seri) and their adorable daughter Iman Sofea were there too. And since both hubby and I collect fridge magnets (or at least we try to, since already more than half of our collection had been destroyed by our 'creative and innovative' sons that we now try to buy the tough-and-hard-to-be-broken type only), we asked them to get some for us.

As it happened, we got more than what we asked for...

I was in the office when Ain dropped by our house and she texted, letting me know that there were some souvenirs waiting for me at home.

And what a delightful surprise it was!

Candy to the eye

A' mysterious' brown bag for me and hubby

A bright red t-shirt for Huzaifah

A cool black t-shirt for Humaidi

A moss green t-shirt for baby Haniyya

Fridge magnets and 2 cute cling-on koalas for hubby and I

It's always nice to be remembered.
It's extra nice to be showered with unexpected gifts.
(Alhamdulillah - kecil tapak tangan, nyiru kami tadahkan...)
Thank you Ain & Syahril & Iman...
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
:-)

Objective hearing test and RDI

Alhamdulillah, Humaidi's objective hearing test in PPUM last Friday went well.
But not before he was subjected to some sleeping syrup. We tried to make him take the test without him taking the syrup, but he kept taking the wires out of his ears and he simply refused to sit still, making it impossible for the test to be conducted on him.

I dragged him to the paediatric clinic with a letter written by Puan Siti at Audiology Unit requesting for Humaidi to be given sleeping syrup. Had to weigh him (12.9 kg) and then waited for a while before a nurse appeared with a 20ml disposable syringe filled with 15 ml of chloralhydrate (or something like that - it can be difficult reading the doctor's writing sometimes).

Dragged Humaidi back to Audiology Unit where it was a lot more peaceful than the paediatric clinic. Made him sleep on his back on the couch in the wiating area, and together with Mira the helper, we forced the sleeping syrup on him. Mira held his hands and legs tightly while I pinched his nose so that he had to open his mouth. I think he managed to resist about 5ml by spitting the syrup out but the rest went down his throat anyway.

Lulled him to sleep and he went to sleep in less than 10 minutes. And stayed asleep for more than 2 hours. During which, an hour or so was used for the audiology test procedure.
Puan Siti explained stuff to a female Indian doctor who wanted to observe the whole procedure but unable to do so until then. Humaidi slept with test wires applied to various points on his forehead and near his ears. I was told that the results were quick, which was a good indicator that his hearing was okay and the final result of the objective hearing test confirmed that his hearing is within normal range.

So, next appointment will be on 9th February. Meanwhile, I'm doing some research on ASD. Went to my friend Yam's place on Sunday. Her second daughter, Aisyah, has autism, thus Yam and her family has gone through a lot in the past 8 years or so.

When I texted to ask what's her plan for the day since we were unsure what time we could reach Ampang, she wrote back, "I will plan my programs around yours."

We haven't seen each other in four years time but it sure didn't feel that way. It was good to note that her house is child-friendly - no carpet, no white upholstered sofa, no expensive but fragile looking house ornaments in view. With lots and lots and lots of toys for kids of different ages (Her eldest is turning 11 and youngest is slightly above 4) Her kids are so accepting of others. Khadijah Najwa, her eldest is good with the boys, and was especially fond of baby Haniyya. Iman, Yam's only boy, who is a couple of months younger than Huzaifah was keen to share his toys. It goes without saying that Huzaifah and Humaidi were estatic to play with Thomas the Tank Engine set (with a Thomas video playing on the DVD player). Aisyah was reserved, understandably so since kids with austism mostly prefer to keep to themselves.

Yam sends Aisyah to a government school which also provides special education. She wanted to send aisyah to a highly recommended school in Wangsa Maju, but the class there was full. So she send her daughter elsewhere, but not before she made personal inspections on school facilities from one school to another until she was satisfied. Beginning this year, she and her husband make further 'investment' by signing up for Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) therapy/program with a certified consultant. Which means, Aisyah goes to the government school twice a week and spend three other days for RDI therapy. And both the parents as well as the siblings are also involved in the RDI program.

Just before I left, Yam made me follow her (by car) to a book shop, Pustaka Rakyat. Apparently to pick up a copy of a book on RDI. "This is a must read," she handed it to me and refused to let me pay for it. "I have a lot more other books - but this is the best. I hope you can benefit from it. And mind you, it's not only for kids with autism..."

I know it's not confirmed yet, but if it's true that Humaidi has ASD, I hope at the very least, I'll have as much strength, courage, patience and love that Yam has.

The undescended...

The day after I gave birth to Baby Haniyya, a paediatrician checked on him before baby & mother could be discharged from the hospital ward. I thought everything was okay - until the doctor asked me, "Ibu sedar tak baby ini telor dia cuma ada sebelah?"

What??

There she was, next to me, holding the scrotum with a missing right testis to support her words.

I was shocked. Flabbergasted.

What???

As I held the limp empty pouch for myself, there was no doubt that the doctor was only pointing out the obvious.
Yes, I already checked the digits and Haniyya seemed perfectly normal at birth.
Until the doctor directed the attention to the missing testis.

"It's here, only that it has not descended to the right place yet," the doctor pressed gently on the lower abdomen.

I nodded weakly. So many questions started to form in my head, but I did not know from where I should start.

"It's nothing too extraordinary. A lot of babies go through this. It can be temporary, the testis can descend on its own down to the scrotum. But if it doesn't, it is advisable for the baby to undergo a corrective operation before the age of 2. Otherwise it might impair the normal production of sperm in the future and lead to infertility"

Gasps.

#####

Fast forward 10 days later.

Apparently PPUM has a policy of allowing mothers with babies below 1 month (or was it 2 weeks?) to be on the 'privileged club' of sort as we were given priority to meet the doctor without having to wait for very long.

The paediatric surgeon on duty was a young Chinese female with long straight flowing hair - I can't remember her name. But she was gentle with my baby. And very reassuring.

"It's not normal but not too abnormal. Happens to lots of babies. But in many of them, the undescended testis move down on their own. We normally let the spontaneous descent happen. But if it doesn't, it's important to get treatment because testis that remain undescended may be damaged, which could affect his manhood later on or lead to other problems."

"Let it happen naturally first. I would suggest you to stay away from traditional masseurs for the moment. We'll see how it progress in 1o months time. If he's like many of his peers - there will be some progress. But if by the time he reaches 18 months or 24 months and there is no progress at all, we might have to consider going for an operation"

#####

Funny how once we learned of Haniyya's not-normal-but-not-that-abnormal case of undescended testis, suddenly we get to hear of so many other similar or close-to-similar cases.

There's the story of Pakcik Hambal's grandson, whose testes 'dissapear' from the scrotum at night but reside in the scrotum during the day. Yup, there's this thing called retractile testes, in which the testes can on ocassion temporarily retract or pull back up into the groin. Funny, but true.

Then, there's the many stories heard from different friends and colleagues - about this Pakcik or that Pakcik who apparently only have one testis each, but alhamdulillah had proven their manhood (and fertility) by having kids of their own. Stories that are supported by medical facts since most doctors believe that boys who've had a single undescended testicle will have normal fertility potential and testicular function as adults, while those who've had two undescended testicles may be more likely to experience diminished fertility as adults.

And Baby Haniyya only has a single undescended testis. There was hope yet.

#####

Last Friday was the second time Baby Haniyya was brought to see a paediatric surgeon.

This time we met a different doctor, a male Chinese in his thirties.

"Eh, he's already circumsized aah?"

I grinned looking at his startled expression. "Yup. We explained his situation to the doctor (in Al-Islam Medical Centre), and he said it was okay...". Haniyya was circumsized when he was three months old in Kampung Baru, in the same hospital (but with different name - it used to be called Kampung Baru Medical Centre) where Huzaifah was circumsized when he was 4 days old.

After a thorough physical check on baby Haniyya and a few questions thrown on the general health and progress of my boy, he shared the verdict.

"There has been some progress. The testis has descended. But it hasn't reside inside the scrotum yet."

"Look, it's here", he pointed to a bulge on the groin area and pushed it down into the scrotum. Voila! Two normal testicles!

But the right testis immediately retracted once he removed his hand from my baby's body.

"We'll meet again in 6 months time. I think it can go down and fill the scrotum on its own. But we'll see. Anyway, you don't have to worry too much. We only have to consider operation if it still doesn't come down by the time he reaches 2 years old."

Progress is good. Alhamdulillah.

I can take this, insya Allah

Masni: So, how are you taking this? (news that Humaidi might have autism)
Me: I guess, this is my 'share', and I just have to live with it.

Every time life sends me some 'lemons', I have always take comfort in knowing that "on no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear" (Al-Baqarah: 286). Yes, I guess instead of letting the 'lemon's' sourness get at me, I do try to make lemonade instead.

Of course, I was surprised when the doctors told me their suspicion. Yes, I was numb for a moment. But if it's fated, I'll live with it. I can take this - it might not be the easiest thing to live with - but Allah knows my limit. And He would never test me with something beyond my limit.

Besides, it's not confirmed yet. The doctors only suspected him of having ASD, not diagnosed him as having it). There is still hope yet, insya Allah.

Anyway, life is like that - all of us having our own 'shares' of trials and tribulations. Most people would like to live a 'normal' life, but 'normal' has different meaning to each of us, with different trials and tribulations.

When one remains single, people prod him or her, "when are you getting married?"
For all that we know, to that particular person, normal life is living without a spouse who keeps pestering him/her after he/she was done being pestered by others (to find the person to keep pestering him/her - for life)

When a married couple remain childless - people ask them, "when are you going to get a child?"
For all that we know, the couple may or may not remain childless out of their own choice. If they have tried but failed anyway, normal life to them would be spending more quiet time together and venture on adventures that are deemed impossible for couples with children.

'Normal' is subjective.
And Insya Allah, I - with three special children; Huzaifah with his extra right thumb, Humaidi who is suspected of having ASD and baby Haniyya with one of his testicles still undescended to the right place - am going to try my best giving all of my children a normal life as normal can be.
At least what 'normal' is meant for us, anyway.
Insya Allah.

4 mornings in the hospital - Part 3

Morning 4 - Tuesday 12th January 2010

1. At 2.oo a.m. Baby Haniyya woke up crying - and wheezing. So yet another early morning trip to the Emergency Department of Hospital Putrajaya. I have a feeling that Dr Ooh - who was on duty during all three trips - must have felt like it was deja vu again and again seeing me bringing a child to the asthma bay. Only that the children are of different ages. And sizes.

2. Like Humaidi, Baby Haniyya fought against us putting the gas mask on him. But since he's still small, and this time hubby was with us, it was not as difficult as it was with Humaidi. After a while, when the dose was almost finished and the 'gas' was thinner, Baby Haniyya quit stiffening himself.

3. One dose, a calmer and back-to-normal-breathing baby, a quick check by the doctor and we were told that it was okay to return home - with a prescribed bottle of Salbutamol syrup.

4. This morning I asked Mira how often does she mop the house? She answered 3 times a week. I asked her to mop the ground floor daily - like what Yati, my previous helper used to do. That's where the kids spend most of their time in the house. And all three of them are highly allergic to dust and dust mites.

5. Admittedly - trips to the hospital is not one of the best part in being a parent. Being told that your child might be diagnosed with autism is easily one of the hardest parts in being a parent. But that's life - you just have to take both the good and the bad; and learn how to make the least of the worst, and the most of the best...

6. I thank you Allah for Your 'loans' in the form of my beautiful children, and I pray that You will grant me the strength and courage to face it all, come what may, for I believe You, Most Gracious, Most Benevolent, Most Knowledgeable, will test not a person beyond their limit...

4 mornings in the hospital - Part 2

Morning 2 - Saturday, 9th January 2010

1. Humaidi woke up at about 1.30a.m., coughing and wheezing. I jumped, put him on the car and drove right away to Putrajaya. I was so in a hurry that I didn't realise I mistakenly wore the wrong side of my tudung. It was only after I arrived at the hospital and Humaidi was attended by the Medical Assistant in the Triage bay when I realized that I had my tudung on with the wrong side facing out. Good thing that the MA on duty was an understanding Muslimah, so she let me removed- quickly flipped it to the other side - and-wore my tudung again behind the curtain in the Triage bay.

2. Unlike Huzaifah, Humaidi violently struggled against the gas mask. A nurse tried to help me out but Humaidi succeeded in ripping the oxgen hose away and spilling the medicine in the process.

3. We put him on a bed, and wrapped him - tightly swaddled him in fact, like he was a newborn instead of an almost-3 year old before he was given another fresh dose of gas treatment. He struggled, but with the makeshift 'swaddle blanket' (kain bedung), it was not easy for him to avoid the gas mask.

4. Good thing he did not need a second dose like his brother did, alhamdulillah. It was hard work, hugging him tightly to keep his arms and legs still even with the 'swaddle blanket' on. And good thing that it was quite a quiet night/morning in the Emergency Department of Hospital Putrajaya then, because otherwise I might not receive any assistance from the kind nurse.

Morning 3 - Monday 11th January 2010

5. I had to take Humaidi to PPUM (Universiti Malaya Medical Center) for an appointment with the doctor. No, not due to his asthma, but to check whether or not he actually has ADHD.

6. Good news - the doctor ruled out ADHD. He was fidgety yes, but not that fidgety to be considered as ADHD.

7. Bad news - the doctors are worried that he's showing signs of austism - or aspenger's syndrome - delayed speech, lack of eye contact (he usually is good at making eye contact with me and others at home but he simply refused to make any with the doctors - yes, plural because there were 2 doctors who observed him then) and he just ignored the doctor's numerous attempts to communicate with him, be them in plea, request or question forms.

8. So another appointment was set up for Humaidi in PPUM on 9th February. This time to meet Dr Priya, the Specialist in Child Development Clinic. I was told to come early on 9th February because apparently Dr Priya spends easily 1.5 - 2 hours per patient and she only sees 2 patients in the afternoon so it's better if I get to be the 1st rather than the 2nd patient in the afternoon session what with Humaidi being oh-so-active and all.

9. I was also asked to take Humaidi for an audiology test but when I took him to the Audiology Unit, the person in charge of tests for small children, Puan Siti Hufaidah, was not available. I left my number, and she called me later in the evening. The doctors at the Paediatric clinic explained that they need to establish that Humaidi has no hearing problem thus the screening at Audiology.

10. After listening to my situation, Puan Siti suggested a proper test - instead of merely a screening - being done. But I need to make sure that Humaidi is sleeping during the test. "Let him sleep extra late the night before, and wake him up extra early. Keep him awake in the car during the journey, and he might go back to sleep by the time you reach the hospital, and we can conduct the test. Otherwise, we might have to prescribe a sleeping syrup for him". She tentatively schedule Humaidi for the test this Friday, 15th January. I seriously hope that we won't have to resort to using the sleeping syrup on him.

11. Oh, for the record, apparently, many young kids with autism are fascinated by trains, including Thomas the Tank Engine. And it is no secret that Humaidi knows how to say 'Thomas' more clearly and way earlier than he could say 'Ibu'.

12. There was this small incident at the Registration area (where I was asked to give the date of appointment with Dr Priya to the clerk in charge for it to be recorded in the computer). Humaidi succeeded in prying loose of my grip on him and ran away from the counter, so I ran after him, and pulled him back to the counter, and Humaidi being dreamy as he could at times, accidentally bumped onto a small girl in front of the counter, who in turn, hit the wooden front of the counter softly. I quickly apologized, but the mother raised her voice at me (but did not look at me) "Kok ye pun nak tarik anak, tengok lah sama". I repeated my apologies, "Maaf, maaf. Tak sengaja", trying to look at her while doing it, but she did not even turn to look at me. So be it.

13. The child looked up to me and grinned, showing no sign of pain when the mother rubbed her temple. I wondered if it was necessary for the mother to raise her voice. It was not as if Humaidi purposely bumped onto her child. And it was just a soft hit, not a hard thud.

14. Granted, the mother must have felt stressed out - being at the clinic means something is not quite right with the child. It was an accident, I apologized immediately, and the child was not even hurt. I must admit that I was partially dazed in some way. Being told that your child might have autism is not great news and my mind was still trying to process that bit of information. I do not know about the real situation of the young mother and her daughter - but I would surely appreciate if she could just accept my apologies with "takpa", a nod of her head or some similar acknowledgement gesture instead of being publicly and rudely told off in a raised voice.

15. So her reaction might be because she was worried for her sick child - does she think mine is any healthier than hers? Physically, Humaidi might look okay, but if he actually has autism, physical clumsiness is part of it. Can't parents at the paediatric be more empathetic and cut the kids there some slack ?

16. Yesterday evening, when I returned home, Baby Haniyya started showing some signs of asthma. Gave him 2.5 ml of Salbutamol to help reducing his coughing. Seemed to work before he went to sleep.

4 mornings in the hospital - Part 1

Morning 1 - Friday, 8th January 2010
1. On the day Huzaifah turned 4 years and 4 months old, he had to be taken to the Emergency department of Hospital Putrajaya - to get quick relief treatment for asthma. It's been a long while, and the attack took us by surprise.

2. Tried to think up what could have been the cause that trigger this attack - for an asthmatic child, Huzaifah could eat ice-cream, watermelon, stand cold weather better than many of his peers and keep being physically active even when he's asthmatic. The big no-no for him is dust - that's why back when we were in Japan, Huzaifah usually got his asthma attack during summer- when it was dusty, instead of in winter like feared by many others.

3. Now that he's four, Huzaifah is more receptive to putting on the gas mask in the asthma bay in the hospital. Very unlike how he used to struggle and fight against us (me, hubby, the nurse or anybody nearby who would give us a helping hand) to put the gas mask on him. My guess is, Faizly can still recall the time he helped me out with this particular task at the hospital during summer 2008... Yes dear, that evening when I was 'disappointed' that the doctor who attended to Huzaifah was not the kakkoi one... (Sabar jelah, kan?)

4. My eldest's condition was so severe that Friday morning that he had to use up two doses. After he finished the first round of 'gas', he was checked by a doctor and immediately prescribed another round of gas treatment. Poor boy, but I was proud to note that he did not make a fuss at all - because he's big enough now to know that it is only for his own good. Oh, how quickly they grow up!

5. As if that was not enough, when I returned home that evening, Humaidi started showing symptoms of asthma too. I gave him 3ml of Salbutamol, hoping that it will help preventing it from getting worse. Happened that we have to send Mira, my Mak's helper to Sungai Way that night for her day(s) off. When we returned from PJ, Humaidi looked better.

Sayang Sarawak - part 3

1. I met an old friend who I haven't seen in more than a decade, Emy. We were neighbours back in college days and although we used to belong to different group of usrah, we got along fabulously well. It was amazing how even after more than ten years passed us by, once we met, there was almost no feeling of awkwardness that one would normally expect in such reunion.

2. We chatted all night long, filling on each other's development since we last met in Glasgow in winter 1996 or 1997. We went out for dinner in Satok and after that Emy's husband, Azhar drove all over Kuching so that Emy could play tourist guide as she pointed out and described places of interest, assisted by her lovely 8-year-old daughter. Meeting her 8-month old son helped to alleviate my missing Baby Haniyya a bit. I'm touched to have Emy and her family coming all the way from Samarahan to Kuching just to take me out to dinner - and it felt really good to be back in touch with her.

3. I was supposed to meet up with another old friend who I haven't seen in ages and who shares similar birth date with me - Syafiq Anas. As it happened though, Syafiq was too busy with work and then with Christmas (he is a Muslim revert, and his family is Christian, so he goes back to Bau for family get-together during Christmas). Maybe next time...

4. I didn't plan on meeting her but was so glad to meet Kak Jasmine Andrew just as I finished Kek Lapis shopping in Kampung Gersik. Turned out her car was parked right next to our host's car. She had already reversed her car and was set to move away when she noticed me at the road side and honked at me. I was surprised by the honk, of course, thinking "what? what did I do wrong?". She re-entered the parking lot, parked her car, pulled down her window and exclaimed "Hey! What are you doing here?". We were so excited to see each other as we jumped and hugged each other. Must be quite a sight for the passerby - a 30-something tall Malay hugging and jumping with a 40-something not-so-tall Bidayuh, hehehe.

5. Kak Jas is currently on study leave, doing her PhD. Turned out that she was in Kampung Gersik to order some food for Christmas. She invited us - hubby and all his friends as well - over for lunch at her house on Christmas, but alas we could not fulfill her invitation as we had to return back to KL that day.

6. Also made some new friends -

• Puan Habibah and her family - the 'sponsor' who invited hubby and co for the 'assignment' and invited me over to one of the all-week-long-nightly solat hajat at her home where I tasted ambal (bamboo clam) and cempedak masak lemak for the first time;
• Nor, Puan Habibah's daughter, who fetched me from the Airport and sent all the entourage to the Airport on the last day. A single mother, raising a 7-year old son Amirul, she seems to be very strong and positive in facing life's many trials and tribulations;
• Salimi and Jais, who had been very accomodating in driving us all over Kuching from 360 Hotel in Padungan/Pending area to places we wish to go - Satok, Gersik, Gambier Road (to witness the row of 7 shops in a historical area which burned down while we were there), Pasar Tamu, Petra Jaya, Water Front, Riverside Shopping Mall, Semariang etc;
• Dr Jamal's team for the assignment - Azizul, Razlin, Abang Jai, Azzyzul and Aza Faizal. Granted, hubby and I got teased (often in 18SX tones) mercilessly sometimes, but they are good people to hang out with.
• Nor, Salimi's elder sister, and her husband, who hosted a lunch for us, took us out to Pasar Tamu to buy freshly-salted ikan terubuk masin, taught us how to eat buah Dabai and introduced Mee Jawa Sate to us. They used to live in Putrajaya, and we invited them over to Presint 11 should they come and visit Semenanjung.

Pictures will be posted later, insya Allah.

Sayang Sarawak - part 2

1. Notwithstanding hubby's not-so-good experience with AirAsia flight, I must admit that we had pretty much a great time in Kuching.

2. No, we didn't go the Cultural Village. Transport plus ticket from our hotel to the Cultural Village was RM80 per pax (Rm20 for transport and RM60 for the ticket) and I felt that it was ridiculously high since Sarawakian only have to pay RM20 for their ticket. I can understand if foreigners are charged higher - that's how things are done in say, Angkor Wat, where local and foreign visitors are charged differently, but why do fellow Malaysians from outside Sarawak have to pay such exorbitant price to enter the Culture Village? Shouldn't all Malaysians, regardless their state of origin (MyKad is used for verification purpose) - in the 1 Malaysia spirit - be charged the same for the ticket?

3. We were told that there was not much to see and do in Kuching itself - but I loved it anyway. The good thing about travel is that it breaks stereotypes, as we get to see for ourselves and form our own impressions. Yes Kuching is not that big compared to KL but my oh my, there are plenty of stuff to enjoy in Kuching.

4. When in Kuching, suggested things-to-do include:

• A stroll along the Water Front at night. Boarding the Equator for a cruise on the Sarawak River at sunset would be better.
• Shopping for souvenirs at Water Front area
• Sipping Teh C Peng Special or 3-layer-tea. Very unlike the normal teh tarik, its a concoction in three layers of (top-to-bottom) tea, evap­o­rated milk and gula melaka (palm sugar). Nice!
• Buying home-made Kek Lapis Sarawak (Sarawak Layer Cake) in Kampung Gersik, Petra Jaya - across the Sarawak river from the city centre. Dayang Salhah is arguably the most popular Kek Lapis cake house, but I was told that some smaller entrepreneurs use butter instead of margarine to make the cakes, hence theirs are superior in taste and texture. Kek Lapis Sarawak are also available from Mita or Taka cake houses with many outlets all over Kuching. Warning - home-made variants sold in Kampung Gersik do not last as long as those bought in Mita or Taka cake houses since they contain no artificial preservatives.
• A ride on the penambang boat. Hubby's group 'chartered' one boat for twenty minutes for a 'cruise' along the river for only RM20
• Trying out Mee Kolok in Satok
• Buying ikan terubok masin in the wet market
• Tasting local dishes like Laksa Sarawak or Mee Jawa with Sate in a local kopitiam
• Buying and tasting exotic Buah Hutan such as Dabai and Isau in the Pasar Tamu.

5. Other first time experiences? Tasted Ambal (bamboo clam) and Masak Lemak Cempedak. Yes, cempedak, not nangka as we in Semenanjung are used to. Interesting, eh?

Sayang Sarawak

"... travel makes us porous to new customs, beauties, ideas, and dreams. I can't think of a better vaccine against dogmatism or a quicker cure for self-satisfaction. As we struggle to reconcile what we're experiencing with what we take for granted, we strip away what's arbitrary in cultural practice and approach what is universal." - Robert Fuller

1. For the record, Sungai Sarawak is not narrow, no matter what the song said...

2. Hubby was there for a day over a week due to an assignment. He already told me that even if I joined him, he wouldn't be able to spend much time with me, but I insisted on joining him for a few days anyway.

3. It is a tradition of sort for us to explore a new place together to celebrate our anniversary. We played tourist in Tokyo during our second anniversary. Explored Nikko a week before our third. Spent one night in Singapore to commemorate our fourth. And this year, Kuching it was.

4. For the first time ever, we spent our annual 'anniversary' holiday away from the kids. Which was both nice and kind of weird. I missed my boys, but spending some time just with hubby helped making us feel closer and more connected to each other. Not that we've never done things together back home, we do. But those outings felt more like a routine rather than a bonding experience.

5. Like I told my newly-graduated-and-now-a-medical-doctor cousin (congratulations Dr Hafiz! *winks and grins*), I missed traveling. Yes, I still travel every now and then as part of my job requirement but after a while it starts to feel "same old, same old". I yearned to explore someplace new, view new sights, taste new stuff, meet new faces. Sarawak provided an excellent opportunity for me to do just that.

6. It was my first time to Sarawak - and hopefully it won't be the last. I must admit that alhamdulillah, I had better luck than hubby when it comes to having a nice journey to and fro Kuching. We both took AirAsia flight - hubby went there on 18 December and returned on 25 December while I went there on 22 December and returned on the same day with hubby. Only that hubby told me that his return flight was at 3.00 p.m. (he did not buy his own ticket, it was provided by his sponsor), so I bought ticket for 3.05 p.m. Turned out that hubby's ticket was for 3.50 p.m. We decided not to change the ticket because it was less than an hour difference and I don't mind waiting an hour in LCCT - I still had another book-in-progress.

7. What actually took place was - while I basically experienced little delay (typical of AirAsia) on both my journey to and fro, hubby's flight to Kuching was delayed for more than three hours. And his flight back from Kuching was delayed for almost six hours. I guess it's true after all - that AirAsia tagline, "Now everybody can fly" is interchangable with "Not everybody can fly" (on time). Oh well...

First day at 'sekolah'

1. Today is a milestone of sort - our firstborn Huzaifah went for his first day at kindergarten. Since Huziafah is turning four years old and four months come this Friday, we felt that he's ready for 'sekolah' - or kindergarten to be exact.

2. Why do we send him to a kindy?
Well, we figured it's time for him to learn skills like making friends, listening to authorities as well as to get him engrossed in activities other than bothering his younger brother at home. For me. it's more his social rather than academic progress that I'm concerned about. He needs to get used playing and learning with other children, to learn how to interact better, to sit still and listen sometimes rather than actively exploring, exploring and exploring.
Besides, I guess the helper will appreciate having a more 'peaceful' morning with Huzaifah being away from Humaidi for a while.
(Btw, Yati, our helper had just quitted last night. I'm having my Mak's helper, Mira, on loan until I get a new one... Maid, oh maid... can't live with them, can't live without them...)

3. Huzaifah was so excited about it that he woke up at four in the morning to take yet another look at his new schoolbag, stationery and all. He went to sleep with the bag next to him.

4. He adamantly refused to take his breakfast before we left the house - insisting on just taking "scott emasen" (Scott's Emulsion chewy Vitamin C) and the star-shaped multi-vit tablet, so I packed some choc chip cookies and a chocolate cream roll for breakfast to be taken at the kindy.

5. Happened that Humaidi woke up early and was furious when I left the house together with Huzaifah unlike before this when I waved bye-bye to all three of them before I go to work. He cried and cried and threw a huge tantrum, but well, what to do?

6. Huzaifah was so cool about his first day at school.
We entered the class
Got him seated at a cluster-table while waiting for our turn for registration
He ate some cookies and drank some warm chocolate drink
I got him some magazines from a rack at the back of the class for him to flip through just before I was called to the front for the registration
Measured him up to confirm his uniform size and paid the fees
Went back together to his seat
Had my final say - reminded him to behave, to follow what the teachers said and to be good
He kissed my hands and muttered 'bye-bye'
And off I went out of the class.
To observe from outside the window, of course.
He was cool with it.
No signs of nervousness, fear or sadness.
No crying, no wailing, no tugging at my hands and refusing to let me go.
No drama.
How he made me felt oh so proud of him. Good boy!

7. I didn't wait for long. Only until after it was his turn to introduce himself. When he seemed fine and in good hands, I left for work. I was in the office at 9.00 a.m.

8. Reminded hubby to pick him up at 11.40 a.m.. Forgot to tell him that they haven't started the Iqra' class yet, so kindy is over by 11.30 a.m. until further notice

9. Called the teacher to ask how did my son fare on his first day at kindy.
"Dia baru nak sesuaikan diri.
Tak nangis
Tak kacau orang
Dia buat hal sendiri je
Tapi betul lah, memang semua benda dia nak sentuh
Biasalah baru-baru lagi
Lama-lama nanti oklah tu"
I already 'warned' the teacher beforehand that my son does not know how to sit still for long.
Even before I left, I intercerpted him once from going out of the classroom straight to the playground next to it.
And even before I left, he was already pushing some cabinets to form a 'train'.
Yes, he is indeed very active.
And very imaginative.
I can only imagine how interesting life will get for us - Huzaifah, the teachers and we the parents - in this new year of 2010...

P.S: My cousin Zulfa, who is a little over a year, had just underwent a surgery for 'jantung berlubang' at IJN this morning. Ayah Lang send an SMS saying that alhamdulillah the surgery was a success. But she still needs to be warded to be observed by the doctor for quite some time. Please join me in making do'a for my cousin Zulfa's quick recovery, ya?

P.P.S: It's Nita's son, Afif's first day at proper school today. Nita texted me early morning, letting me know that she let the father to deal with her son's first day at school while she reminisced old times as she opened up old albums. She misses the good old times. She misses the good memories. She misses me.
Well, I miss you too Nita.
Engok hek!
(While the last statement may sounds like 'ngok ngek' which might not be deemed friendly, it actually means "I love you" in Orang Kita's language - can't remember which one though. It's what Nita used to say in reply to me telling her "I love you" back when we were in college because she found it difficult to say the three little words)