Not quite a real entry

Sorry for not posting an entry for so long.

The main reason?　

Still no internet line at home. Cancelling YahooBB was quick and easy, with no fuss at all. But trying to install @TCom using existing NTT line at the mosque proved to be a real struggle – that in the end we decided to cancel our application to join them. We have decided to go back to YahooBB but the line would only be installed in early October, so there.

During the past one month or so, it was a cross of lots-of-things and nothing-much. Highlights would include:

- Attending and witnessing hanabi taikai (fireworks display) in various places. Hanabi Taikai is a common way for most Japanese to enjoy summer. It’s also one of the best time to witness lots of Japanese wearing yukata (summer kimono made from cotton). And it is a lot more enjoyable than the common at-most-15-minutes-with-not-much-variety firework display we get to see in Malaysia. In Tokyo, the display usually lasts for an hour or so and a friend of ours said that in Sapporo it lasts up to 3 hours…

Ø Went to Kita Senju for Adachi-ku Hanabi Taikai (rather family friendly because it was held on the last Thursday of July, not during the weekend, hence not too crowded or drunken-filled);

Ø Viewed Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai – the big one which was shown on TV annually – from the rooftop of Asakusa Mosque with hubby and some friends (no Muslimah gathering this year during the last Saturday of July, instead we had a meeting on the second Sunday of August);

Ø Viewed another hanabi taikai from the rooftop from afar – we were not sure whether it’s the one in Matsudo or Iitabashi, but they must had been rather grand because we could still enjoy it from miles away.

Ø Went to Odaiba for Tokyo Wan Dai Hanabi Saimei (Tokyo Bay Grand Fireworks Display) with a few friends, cruising from Asakusa to Odaiba using Water Bus (for the first time), and returned by train (and took about an hour lining up to board the Yurikamome train). It was by far the most colourful fireworks display compared to Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai, with lots and lots and lots of different types of fireworks. We went at the last minute, so didn’t managed to “book” a nice seating area – and it became worse when pedestrians who were supposed to pass by actually stopped right in front us and simply ignored the loud “mienai” (can’t see) protest by a child sitting right next to us. Hubby went on his own to look for better photography spot, the friends took Huzaifah to a higher spot, leaving me with Akif at a lower area, forcing me to be satisfied with mere glimpses of the actual fireworks while bracing lots of personal “fireworks making” embraces right in front of me. Yes, the fireworks was nice with lots of varieties – resembling smiley sign, sunflower, hearts, great waterfalls, great fountains, planet Saturn – but I don’t think I’ll come back again next year unless we find a really great place to view it way ahead.

- Visited by one esteemed blogger – Kak Lela, accompanied by this blogger, I already told Kak Ani to bring Kak Lela for lunch – but Kak Ani told me that they were coming on the night before they came, when I was in Ichikawa Ono attending a majlis for Isra’ Mikraj, which meant I could not plan the menu well ahead. So that explained the simple menu – plain rice with asam pedas, ikan gelama masin and sayur goreng, with pudding and nashi (Japanese pear) for dessert. Never mind the food – what mattered more, was we – hubby included - hit it off so well, that three hours just flew by in no time at all. Huzaifah too took an instant liking to Kak Lela, “bullying” Kak Lela like he used to “bully” his Embah. Kak Lela remarked that my son is like an ant – wiggling there, wiggling here, never stopping for a minute. Well, that was a first – previously, Huzaifah had been called the Energizer Bunny – as in “dah lah Ujai, auntie dah tak larat, auntie ni bateri biasa je, Ujai ni Energizer…”. Thank you Kak Lela and Kak Ani for making time to visit us. And for not complaining being served lunch and tea in mismatched tableware. Kak Ani – I will never forget your “beg siam” story – thank God I have friends who feels secured enough to wear identical handbags bought at Watson’s.

- Reading lots of story books. I know, I know, I should be doing my literature review – or studying for PTK. But I am a self-confessed procrastinator after all, and old habits die hard and all…

- Hosting one “bakar sate” session which initially was meant for a handful of friends but ended up enjoyed by lots of friends over two days period. It was a request by Syafiq, who brought lots of ingredients from Malaysia – lengkuas, serai, bawang merah, jintan, ketumbar – the works. Basharan, Syafiq, hubby and I spent one whole evening (that morning we had some guests to whom I served some spur-of-the-moment mee bandung which tunerd out okay, alhamdulillah) dicing meat (chicken, beef, mutton) blending spices (for the satay as well as the kuah) and cucuk satay. While Basharan and Sayfiq had previous experience of making satay, it was a first for me. Luckily, the kuah making part is not that difficult since Mak had always shown me how to make kuah kacang during Raya, and I had prepared nasi himpit in advance too. Basharan’s friend, Chee, had to play nanny for Huzaifah for a while and after that become tourist guide for hubby’s father’s friend, a Dean from UKM who was in Tokyo for business who wanted to buy some stuff in Akihabara. Then, Syafiq’s friend, Rinie and her boyfriend Nohara-san, had to babysit Humaidi and Huzaifah respectively while watching us preparing the satay feast. Rinie alleged that Nohara-san is not that good with kids, but I must say that he did okay with Huzaifah, maybe not as brilliant as Syafiq (who must have gotten some tips from Super Nanny), but given that Huzaifah is an Energizer bunny, he wasn’t too bad... Anyway, it turned out our 5kg of chicken, 2 kg of beef and 1 kg of mutton satay (and 1 kg of bbq chicken on a side) was too much to be consumed in a night by 8 adults, so we continued the “bakar sate” thingy the next day with different set of guests – Basharan’s friend, Salehuddin who works for Petronas, Syafiq’s Muslim Japanese friend, Isa-san who married a Tanzanian, Ziah and 3 fellow teachers undergoing Nihongo course (in various universities) and Zafran and family from Hachioji. Basharan had to leave early to meet up with his brother who came to Tokyo on business, but Syafiq stayed through it all. We didn’t have rice for two days because there was plenty of satay to go by, with extra at the end of the day – to date still waiting to be barbequed in the freezer.

School will reopen end of September – so if I didn’t get to update this blog earlier, at least you have been warned…

And last but not least - Happy 50th Merdeka Day to all Malaysians wherever you are...

The meaning of kids' names

The tag on the meaning of one’s kids’ name (and the history of naming them) reached me over a month ago, courtesy of An, an old schoolmate… Sorry for the late response, ye An...

First, some background. Long before I was actually married, I thought that when the time comes, it would be cool if I could be given the right to name the boys and the father to name the girls. I wished to share my initials with my sons, and there were two names that really took my fancy – Azmi Hakimi and Azri Hafizi. No, I had never known any individuals with these two names, but I just thought they sounded cool, with nice meaning.

As it happened, I married someone with the initial MA. After some discussions, we finally agreed to share responsibility in choosing names for our kids, regardless of gender. The rule of thumb is simple – for a boy, the initials would be MAH, the M for Muhammad and a girl’s initial would be AH – as a combination of both parents initials.

1. Huzaifah

In the case of our first born, since we were expecting a girl, we thought of naming the baby Aliyah Hanani. (Aliyah – noble, Hanani – mercy). As it turned out, we got a boy – so the baby remained unnamed for a few days although I was fixed on naming him Azmi.

Why Azmi? Mainly to honor my Ayah, the same way he honored my late Tok Ayah by naming his first son after my Tok Ayah. Azmi (determination) is not Ayah’s formal name, but it is a name used by the family to refer to him.

Hubby had no problem with accepting the Azmi part – but was quite unsure about the Hakimi part. So he referred some kitab, and seeked his uncle (the current Mufti of Negeri Sembilan, who also graced our wedding by reading the khutbah nikah) for some help. Hubby presented three choices of names beginning with H – Hakim (wise), Haziq (intelligent) and Huzaifah – and his uncle quickly chose Huzaifah.

Huzaifah is taken after a sahabah’s name, Huzaifah Al-Yamani. He was one of the select few Rasulullah entrusted with the knowledge of identifying Munafiq. It was said that during his time as Muslim ruler, Saidina Umar would observe whether or not Huzaifah Al-Yamani attend one’s funeral, before deciding whether or not to lead the jenazah prayer for the deceased, as Huzaifah’s absence from a funeral was taken as a sign that the deceased was a Munafiq.

So we named our first son Muhammad Azmi Huzaifah, and I hope, like his namesake, he will grow up to be highly trustworthy too. I already know that he is highly determined －with his gambare spirit obvious…

2. Humaidi

There was no surprise with the gender of our second child. We had been expecting a boy all along, so hubby prepared a list of possible names.

The H part was easy – it was either Humaidi (of praise, commendable) or Husaini (after Saidina Hassan and Hussein, the grandchildren of Rasulullah). We both prefer Humaidi.

The A part was a bit tricky. Hubby thought Aqil (intelligent) would be nice – and so did most of our family members. But I thought Akif (one who iqtikaf in mosque) would be more appropriate to commemorate the fact that we were living in a mosque when he was born. Another point is that since we are in Japan, both the ‘ain and qaf pronunciation of Aqil would be lost when the name is written in katakana – it would end up being pronounced Akiru. However, Akif would not sustain much injury through its katakana pronunciation – Akifu. We even asked our visitors at the hospital as well as friends through emails for a vote – in which, to my delight, Akif eventually won. (Pokcik, who voted for Aqil said that I must had won by extortion, to which I smilingly replied, “tak guna paksaan… guna pujukan je”.)

So there, that’s how we end up naming our second son Muhammad Akif Humaidi

Birth registration for Malaysian baby born in Japan

Since we were rather unfortunate during Humaidi’s registration at the Embassy, hubby suggested me sharing information regarding required documents for birth registration for Malaysian baby born in Japan. When we asked around before we went for the registration, it seemed like most friends had already discarded the list and when we called the consular desk in the Embassy, we didn’t get a full list, so we hope this entry could be helpful for other Malaysians seeking such info.

A child born outside Malaysia can obtain Malaysian nationality if the father is a Malaysian citizen and the baby is registered at the Embassy within one year of birth (before the child becomes 1 year old), notwithstanding the required birth registration at the respective ward/city office within 14 days of birth.

We share here documents needed in a scenario where both parents are Malaysian (it might differ a bit in case the mother is not a Malaysian).

1. Passport of both parents
2. Birth certificate of Malaysia of both parents
3. MyKad of both parents
4. Certificate of marriage/Islamic Certificate of marriage issued by Malaysian government/ Malaysian Islamic Authority
5. Certificate of Alien Registration ("Gaikokujin Toroku Genpyoukisai Jikou Shoumenshou") of both parents, (not the Alien Registration card) issued by ward/city office (must be within 3 months of issuance)
6. Baby’s certificate of birth in unified form issued by the hospital ("Shussei Shoumenshou") or copy of such document issued by ward/city office
7. Birth registration certificate (in boshi techo) issued by ward/city office
8. Passport sized (5 x 3.5 cm) photos of baby faces the front and both eyes open.

Additional notes：

Make three photocopies of all required documents in A-4 sized paper.

Photocopy of passport requires pages with records of passport number, personal information, visa, extension (if applicable) and signature of holder.

Photocopy of MyKad must show both front and back on the same page

In case where original copies of documents 2, 3, 4 are not available, certified true copies could be accepted. Documents could be certified as true copies by Malaysian Embassy/Consulate officers.

Applications could only be made from 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. on working days. Consular desk telephone number is 03- 3476 38409, fax is 03-3476 4971

I said three copies, since most parents also apply for baby’s passport on the same day, which basically require similar documents. For those living outside Tokyo, you could even ask for same day delivery of baby’s passport (non chip-based) by consulting the Consular officer in advance.

5 copies of baby’s passport-sized photos are needed – 2 for birth registration, 2 for the passport and another for the Embassy record. It has to be Malaysian style passport photos – 5 x 3.5 cm with blue background – so, it could not be taken in the ordinary photo kiosk. There’s one photo shop next to Donki Hote (Don Quixote actually, following its katakana pronunciation) outlet in Shibuya where such photos could be taken. Hubby tried asking at a few photo shops in Asakusa, but none could accommodate the required blue back or the different size. The photographer took 9 shots before we finally got an acceptable pose from the baby, so be patient. If I’m not mistaken, 6 copies of the photos cost us about 3000 yen. But if you are a good photographer, has suitable blue back and color printer, you might want to opt for a home-made Malaysian-style passport photo.

Humaidi's first passport photo, taken a week before he turned 3 months old

Huzaifah's first passport photo, taken when he was a little over 3 months old

For mothers, please ask for two original copies of Certificate of birth before leaving the hospital after childbirth. One is needed for the birth registration at ward/city office while another is for the birth registration at the Embassy. A photocopy (or a copy from the ward/city office) is needed for the child’s visa application. I only got one original copy of Certificate of birth at the hospital, so I needed to get the copy from the ward office which cost 350 yen each.

And lastly, don't forget to bring the baby along for the registration/passport application because they need to get baby’s fingerprints…

UPDATE

Hafiizh and Jan from Hitachi, Ibaraki requested me to add 3 more points:

1. To bring along Certificate of Alien Registration for the baby, obtained from the ward/city office. That blue card, instead of the normal Alien Card for adults, issued for kids below 16 years. And respective copies.

2. To get Jyuri Shoumensho from the ward/city office. I have no idea what this is exactly since I was not asked for it.

3. To bring enough money and avoid going to the (not-so-near) nearest kombini - more than 6000 yen for both baby's passport and registration. Baby's passport is RM150, but the price in yen changes monthly, in accordance with the current exchange rate.

So there...

Sometimes...

I feel like I want to
Look at baby Humaidi all day long...
Let his still tiny fingers grip my not-so-tiny ones
Softly massage his chubby yet fluffy body
Goo-goo gaa-gaa back as he attempts goo- goo gaa-gaaing
Smile back at his toothless smiles

He is over 100 days old now
Could no longer fit real "newborn" clothes
Yet sometimes,
I still feel like
I want to keep holding him all day long
Look at him all day long
Cuddle him all day long
Just like the way I felt on the day he was born

That's normal, right?

Felt so touched...

1. Being told “I was so happy to see you on the train” by a French Muslim soccer player (of Moroccan origin) who is currently in Tokyo, trying out his luck with several Japanese soccer clubs.

He and his two fellow French Muslim (one also of Morocan origin, the other of Algerian). I was on my way back home from school that night, when he came near me and greeted “Assalamualaikum”. He asked if I know any halal restaurant in Asakusa, to which I said yes. He gave me a piece of paper, asking me to write the direction to go there. It was a bit difficult to draw the map since he was not very familiar with the area, so I volunteered to show them the place myself. There are two restaurants serving halal meat in Asakusa – one is Siddique and the other Shagorika. But I usually direct people to Shagorika, because the owner, Brother Kamal (a Bangladeshi) and his workers usually pray Jumuah at Asakusa Mosque, and Brother Kamal too had personally contributed some food to the mosque on several occasions previously.

When we reached the restaurant, I personally introduced the soccer players to brother Kamal. Initially they said that they would like to go back to their hostel to shower and come back to the restaurant later, but upon learning that they could also buy take-outs, they opted for the latter. The leader of the troop, the first guy who greeted me, asked me to order something for me and hubby, as his treat. I asked for cheese nan and tandoori chicken like his two friends, and we chatted a bit while waiting for our order.

“I was so happy to see you on the train,” he said. Because tudung-clad Muslimah is not an everyday sight in Tokyo. And somehow it is comforting to see a fellow Muslim in a foreign land. And he was so happy to meet someone who is able to direct them to a halal eating place and the mosque.

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2. Being told that I am a most treasured friend by an equally treasured friend (you know who you are)

Like I said – I am only human. I tried to help where possible, I tried to give wherever possible, but I am not flawless. And when I give, I try not to expect anything in return from fellow human beings – because everything comes from Allah. There would be times when we find ourselves indebted to some kind souls, yet at other times we found others feeling that they are indebted to us…

And then there’s also that “tidak sempurna iman seseorang sehingga dia mengasihi saudaranya sebagaimana dia mengasihi diri sendiri” part that I try to live with…

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3. Being told that I write well.

I know I have a lot more to learn, but being complimented so, by a more popular blogger (if numbers of comments left in the blog could be the base of one's popularity), well, stirred something inside me. Thank you kak D!

Shuffle My Music - Part 2

Since I got less than half correct answers for the music shuffle tag thingy, I thought why shouldn’t I post another entry on the answers (nicked this idea from Theta’s blog, actually, heheheh)

So here goes nothing – where possible, clicking on the song’s title will link it to the video clip at YouTube.

1. Telah ku mungkiri janjiku lagi/ walau seribu kali kuulang sendiri/ aku takkan tempuh lagi - Mirwana x Jay Jay, "Aku Tanpa CintaMu"

2. Oh Allah the Almighty, protect me and guide me / to Your love and mercy – Sami Yusuf, “Hasbi Rabbi”

3. Kimi ga ima koko ni iru koto/ tobikiri no unmei ni/ kokoro kara arigatou – SMAP, “Dear Woman” (Tsubaki syampoo advertisement song)

4. Agar terlerai kesangsian hati ini/ Sekadar air mata tak mampu membasuhi dosa ini – Hijjaz, “Sebelum Terlena”

5. Cause who used to hold you, and clean you and clothe you? / who used to feed you and always be with you? – Yusuf Islam and Friends (Rashid Bikha) “Your Mother” (as often heard on RTM - who next? Your mother, who next? Your mother…and then your faaather…)

6. Shinjiyou/ futari dakara/ai shiaeru - Ito Yuna, "Precious" (theme song for Limit of Love, Umizaru 3)

7. Boku no me wa/ kimi shika utsuranai – Kinki Kids “Hakka Candy” (theme song for Moto Kare)

8. Diciptakan manusia sebaik-baiknya supaya menjadi insan berguna/ agar beriman dan bertaqwa – Hijjaz “Zapin Kesyukuran” (aka nasyid terkejut because its starting “Subhanallah” could actually made some people terkejut)

9. Now I ‘m alone filled with so much shame / for all the years I caused you pain - Sami Yusuf, "Mother"

10. Tangan yang disangka lembut menghayun buaian/ mengoncang dunia mencipta sejarah - Hijjaz, "Sumayyah"

11. Atsui namida ya koi sakebino/ kagayakeru hi wa doko e kietano – Keisuke Kuwata “Ashita Harerukana” (theme song of Propose Daisakusen aka Celebration Love)

12. Ku harap dia adalah yang terbaik buatku / kerana Engkau tahu segala isi hatiku/ Pelihara daku dari kemurkaanMu – InTeam, “Doa Seorang Kekasih” (our wedding song – played during the cake cutting ceremony)

13. When you find that special someone/ Feel your whole life has barely begun/ You can walk on the moon, shout it to everyone – Zain Bikha x Dawud Wharnsby “Allah Knows”

14. Sabishii toki wa/ato sukoshi tsukiatte/ umaku hanashi o kiite kurenai ka - Hirai Ken, "Kimi wa Tomodachi" (theme song for Wonderful Life )

15. Kokoro no koe wa/kimi ni todoku no kana/ chinmoku no uta ni notte – Mr Children, “Shirushi” (theme song for 14 sai no Haha)

16. Kekasih sejati teman yang berbudi/ kasihnya bukan keterpaksaan – In Team “Nur Kasih” (my cousin Azman’s wedding song)

17. Dosa-dosaku bagaikan pepasir di pantai/ dengan rahmatMu ampunkan daku Oh Tuhan ku – Raihan, “Iktiraf”

18. No you can’t take your big screen TV/ nor your variety of DVDs/ No you can’t take your designer shoes - Zain Bikha x Dawud Wharnsby, "Can"t Take it With You"

19. Arigatou to kimi iwareru to/ nandaka setsunai/ sayonara no ato mo tokenu mahou/awaku horonigai - Utada Hikaru, "Flavor of Life" (song often played in Hana Yori Dango 2)

20. Iman tak dapat diwarisi dari seorang ayah yang bertaqwa/ Ia tak dapat dijualbeli/ Ia tiada di tepian pantai- Raihan, "Iman Mutiara"

21. Hontou no yume wa itsumo soba ni aru/ hateshinaku hiroi sekai hitotsu dake kagayaita – Arashi “We Can Make It” (theme song for Bambino)

22. Omoi dashita keshiki wa/ tabidatsu ni no kirei na sora dakishimete - Shuuji to Akira, "Seishun Amigo" (theme song for Nobuta o Produce)

23. Bahagia itu ada di jiwa/ mahkota di singgahsana rasa/bahagia itu adalah suatu ketenangan – UNIC “Hakikat Bahagia”

24. You, you’re not aware that we’re aware of your despair/ don’t show your tears to your oppressor - Sami Yusuf x Outlandish "Try Not To Cry"

25. Diam-diamlah sayang, jangan menangis/ doakan ayah semoga diterima - Ae-man (Originally by Nadamurni), "Di Pondok Kecil"

See Zyrin, I told you I mostly listen to a lot of Japanese dorama’s theme songs…

No circumcision just yet

Called up San Iku Kai Hospital this morning. Asked for Iga-san, the nurse/surgery coordinator with whom I had a long interview last week regarding Humaidi’s circumcision procedure. Just to inform her that I’m canceling the appointment for Humaidi’s circumcision.

Why?

Because his Embah and Tok Ayah said so.

Mak called up last night – just to make sure that we didn’t go on with the plan to circumcise Humaidi this week. Not with full body anesthesia. They are cool with it only if local anesthetic is used – unfortunately we couldn’t find such procedure here.

“Do you know how many people did not survive full body anesthetic? 2 percent. Why risk being that 2 percent only for circumcision?,” Mak practically shrieked at me via the phone last Saturday. “I would be very disappointed if you go on and do it. Kalau anak Mak, Mak tak buat...” she continued when I lamely mumbled something along the line of isn’t everything involves risks.

When Iga-san asked for explanation on the sudden decision not to circumcise (Humaidi is supposed to be hospitalized tomorrow), I told her that the baby’s ojiichan and obaachan in Malaysia are worried and do not want us to do it. She asked if we would like to book another date, but I just told her that we will just wait until the baby grows older and bigger, so no thanks, no alternative date is necessary.

So, no circumcision adventure to share, after all.

A note of thanks...

A note of thanks to:

1. Kit – for her unending support and for sending me Dina Zaman’s “I am Muslim” as a combo belated-birthday-and-congratulations-on-new-baby gift. I finished reading the book the night of the day I got it. I have started to enjoy reading Dina Zaman’s writing back when I was still a teenager, chuckling over her musings in Din’s Dalca. Have always been a follower of her blogs before they went defunct and currently a follower of her column in The Star. I have read parts of “I am Muslim” when Malaysiakini began allowing readers to read Rentakini without having to pay subscription fees. Like Kit I found the book refreshing and an eye-opener. Unlike Dina, I don’t know any murtad person(or at least someone who openly declare him/herself to be murtad), I don’t have gay friends, I never exchange e-mails with tudung clad possible lesbian-wannabe and I don’t think any of my friends lost their virginity before marriage. So yes, reading Dina’s writing enable me to see Kuala Lumpur and its people differently. Her writing has always been “refreshing” as I gasped, gawked, chuckled, nodded and shook my head in due course. Not that I agree with everything that she has to say, but then again – that is exactly why I read her writings – to get a different viewpoints. And learn new things. And learn to appreciate differences so that I could learn and think about ways to bridge gaps between Muslims in different forms (than the ones I am used to.)

2. DPA 2001 colleagues undergoing JICA training in Tokyo – Joe, Zaini and Kak Wan - for taking the time to visit our family in Asakusa despite their tight schedule. And I thank Fary for being the guide. Joe obligingly brought a bottle of Gripe water for my colicky baby and 1 kg of Milo for the Milo-holic parents, while Kak Wan generously presented me a bottle of Kimball chilli sauce and some packets of instant santan. Loved how they gushed over my masak lemak cili api, sweet-and-sour salmon and ayam goreng, as they were going for a 2 weeks course in Tochigi and knew that it would be some time before they could eat Malaysian food (or at least food cooked a`la Malaysian style – because I know I would never cook sweet-and-sour salmon in Malaysia. Bawal is more like it). A note to Tini - I am sure I have invited you to my home before, but in case I haven't made myself clear, please come visit us anytime you are free :-)

3. DPA 2001 ex-classmate, Amal, who had offered to bring a lot of goodies from Malaysia (although I have to pay for them - but these things are a lot cheaper in Malaysia and some could not be found in Japan). Am going to ask him to bring back some stuff to Malaysia on my behalf too... Amal with his usual 'poyo'ness (which I never really minded because whatever else he is, Amal could be a reliable friend) earlier remarked that if we couldn't find to meet up, then maybe he could ask some lower guy to send the stuff direct to my place, now that he is an M48 officer (and yours truly have not even sit for PTK 1 yet - but have already signed up to sit for it in December). But Shah, another ex-classmate who is currently studying in Tokyo too - has told me that he is going to take Amal to visit Asakusa on Saturday. Should be interesting to hear Amal's take on this and that as it has been quite some time since I last listened to his poyoness...

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Special thanks to Hubby for being so accommodating when Humaidi turned 3 month old yesterday.

We went to Shibuya to register Humaidi’s birth at the Embassy as well as make his passport. I have called the consular office before, to find out what are the documents needed. I thought we had them all, but turned out the copy of birth registration that we got from the hospital (which we paid over 4000 yen for) was not the one the Embassy wants. Hubby offered to take care of the kids at the Embassy while I took care of other matters.

So I went alone to Ueno to get a copy of the wanted birth registration form from Taito-ku Ward Office (where I submitted the original in order to get a “birth certificate” label to be pasted in my/Humaidi’s boshi techo). As well as getting hubby’s and my certificate of alien registration (not to be mistaken with the Alien registration card that we carry everywhere). While I was already at the Ward office, also managed to fill up tax form, confirmed that both hubby and I are not eligible to pay tax, as well as got a discount for health insurance installments. We got a huge discount – we only need to pay up until July and no more until March next year since the amount we already paid is sufficient for the whole fiscal year (which begins in April).

As we were in the mood to celebrate Humaidi’s 3-months birthday, and the weather was gorgeously sunshiny, we went to Ebisu Garden Place after leaving the Embassy. Bought a 5 flavor Special Day ice cream (only on sale on the 5th, 15th and 25th) at Haagen Dazs shared by Huzaifah, hubby and I while the birthday boy drooled.

Next, we went searching for Hiroo Mosque (also known as Arab Islamic Institute) which is actually closer to Roppongi than Hiroo. Had some difficulty to locate it at first, until we met a florist who gave the right direction. Funny to note that so far we had found two different mosques (the other being Otsuka Mosque) with the help of florists. Prior to that we tried asking a patrolling policeman and a security guard at an apartment block but both were ignorant of the mosque’s existence. In fact the security guard asked back in shock “Nihon ni mosuke ga aru?” (There is a mosque in Japan?), to which I laughingly answered “Atta yo. Ippai mo” (Of course. A lot too). Wonderful sights (Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Tower), modern (with elevators and vending machines inside mosque plus great sound system), big, clean, nice-smelling toilets and ablution area (even equipped with diaper-changing fold-out table) - it goes without saying that Hiroo Mosque is of of the nicest mosques in town, perhaps second only after Tokyo Camii. Hubby waited until Isyak there, but by then it was getting more difficult to control our ever active Huzaifah.

Noticing that I was already tired and walking with a slight limp (my right calf hurt like hell), hubby sportingly suggested dining out. Thus we went to Roppongi and had dinner at Aladdin Restaurant. It is more exclusive (read: expensive) than most halal restaurants we usually frequent, but I love the fact that there was no alcohol served there even though it is located right across a liquor store. Hubby too got to practice his rusty Arabic as he chatted with the Egyptian restaurant staff.

#####

Internet connection at home is currently in limbo between cancellation (of Softbank BB) and new installation (of @TCOM). Am posting this (and the previous) entry from school, but I don’t go to school often now (just once a week). So please bear my temporary hiatus until we get it all sorted out and I get a proper 24/7 broadband connection at home again.

Complicated...

Honestly, I didn't know that circumcision in Japan could be oh-so-complicated.

Went to San Iku Kai hospital this morning, taking Humaidi to what I thought was going to be his circumcision. It was that simple with Huzaifah when we did it in Malaysia. We got ourselves an appointment first, and on the said day brought him to the medical center, where Ayah took him inside the operation theatre and it was all over in less than half an hour. The doctor gave us some medicine and then we could go back home. Then, the outer skin fell off the bell-hop after 5 days...

Humaidi first met the surgeon who does circumcision about two months back, when we were advised to see the doctor after Humaidi is over 3 months old. He gave us an appointment for today, so I mistakenly thought that Humaidi was going to be circumcised today.

Turned out, it was another consultation session – the surgeon just want to check baby’s condition before giving the go-ahead for the real thing. The nurses took some blood sample (in a different room, but I could hear him howling in protest… poor baby) to determine his blood type and to check for any signs of infections. No circumcision for infected babies or those having flu/cold. No immunization within one month prior to, and after circumcision. Yup – they are that particular.

Next, the surgeon gave me an outline of the schedule. Humaidi will need to be hospitalized for 3 days. On day 1, he will first meet a paediatrician. Only if he is given a clean bill of health, then he could be warded. He will then will have to be x-rayed. Followed by ECG.

Day 2 will be the actual surgery day. It will be a 30 minutes surgery, during which he will be wearing the gas mask. I was surprised by the gas mask part. The surgeon assured me that putting the baby under the gas mask will be a lot safer than just applying local anesthetic. I can be sure that the baby will not be moving around so the surgeon will be able to carry out his work quickly and more efficiently. Oh…

Day 3, he will be discharged if he develops no symptoms of infections. Then he will have to be brought to the hospital in a week’s time for a final check-up by the surgeon.

The surgeon then explained a lot of documents to be signed and to be brought to the hospital on the day Humaidi is to be hospitalized. Agreements on this and that. He advised me to seek some help from Japanese-educated friend to understand the content of all the documents before signing them. Stuff like I understand that allowing my son to go through this procedure involves risks for pain during peeing and as such. I nodded dutifully. Basharan is coming to visit us tomorrow – so he will be my sensei. (But our good friend Mizan will always be our main sensei – in fact I have already named him as point of reference in case of emergency for this time, like I did when I was admitted to give birth to Humaidi)

Will share more of this circumcision adventure next week insya Allah. As it is, Humaidi is scheduled to be hospitalized next Wednesday, and circumcised on Thursday…

Things that make me go "errrrr...."

1. News on negligence for a supposed-to-be-simple circumcision procedure in Malaysia has caused me to lose some sleep. I have an appointment for Humaidi to be circumcised this coming Friday in San Iku Kai hospital, where I gave birth to him. Huzaifah was circumcised when he was only 4 days old, but here, circumcision could only be performed on person over 3 months old, due to the anesthetic used. My cousin Hafiz who is studying medicine in Australia reassured me that the negligence cases in circumcision is very, very rare… but still, it does got me rattled…

2. Long before I was married, Mak spelled it out quite clearly that we should not depend on her and Ayah to take care of our children. However, as it was, Mak was the one who took care of Huzaifah for the first 6 months of his life. Now that I have two kids to look after, Mak has asked me to consider sending Huzaifah back to Malaysia, so that it would be easier for me to study/write my dissertation. Mak said that while it is probably best for kids to be raised by their own parents, circumstances may differ from person to person and time to time. Ayah asked me to seriously consider this too. I casually cautioned Ayah that having extra energetic Huzaifah around might cause his Tok Ayah to be extra letih. But Ayah just said “bagus lah, cucu aktif, nanti Tok Ayah pun aktif la sama…” Hubby said he is leaving the final say entirely to me…

3. My younger brother is going to get married in November. I would very much like to go back at least for the kenduri sambut menantu. I believe Mak will be glad to have someone else to see to details of the kenduri. And these things could only be done in person, there in Malaysia, not by someone who is thousands of miles away. But there are other more pressing (financial) matter that we have to handle right now, so I am not sure whether or not I will be able to go back home for his wedding…

4. I don’t think I fit in my current zemi (sort of homeroom, where students who share the same supervisor belong to). I actually asked for a different supervisor, but upon entrance as full time student, was assigned to this. My proposed thesis has nothing to do with the so-called expertise area of my supervisor. I was hoping to be able to mix (and practice Nihongo) with more Nihonjin in zemi since I am not attending a lot of classes now, but there is none in my zemi. None. Instead Mandarin is often spoken in the zemi when I understand zilch. Frankly, I am jealous of other zemis where the members seem to get along so well, able to go on trips together, hang out after class, celebrate birthdays, and the Nihonjin members helping their gaijin zemi counterparts with stuff like explaining letters/notices or making phone calls in Nihongo in time of need. Mine? Well, for a start, none of them visited me at the hospital or merely called to congratulate me when I gave birth to Humaidi even after I told the zemi’s ‘monitor’ the happy news. Oh, and the monitor herself sometimes call me “Arza”. I seriously feel like changing my zemi, but I have been advised by others not to do it, because we never know if we might end up having the current supervisor as the second examiner who might not take the decision to change to another zemi very kindly…

5. Huzaifah is still not talking in any language his parents could understand even when we are only using BM exclusively. I know, the positive effect of using three different languages while he was a baby might not show just yet, but I really wish that he could talk properly now. I have seen parents with toddlers his age able to actually chat with each other yet Huzaifah is still stuck at having “ta-ta” as the only vocabulary that his parents could understand…

To pity or not to pity...

A recent chat with an old colleague...

*names have been changed accordingly

Dwn: remember N? he has resigned…

Me: eh? Why?

Dwn: turned out he hasn’t graduated. He repeated one paper but flunked it. He bumped into his former dean at his old university during a short course, and the dean was surprised to learn that he is now an executive in our old office, knowing that he never graduated.

Me: oh…

Dwn: the dean actually enquired about this at the HR department. Upon investigation, it turned out that when he applied for the job, N only submitted his transcript, and told the HR department then that he was waiting for the result of the repeated paper.

Me: and then?

Dwn: he flunked the paper again. But once he got the job, he kept very quiet. Until it all came out recently… so, he resigned.

Me: why was the dean so sebok like that?

Dwn: they said that back in the old days, the dean used to have some issues with N…

Me: so, where is N now?

Dwn: he is currently working at Company XYZ. Our former CEO found out about his situation and used his connection to get N a job.

Me: Alhamdulillah. Maybe his rezeki will be better there…

Dwn: true. But some of the officers in our old office are not looking at him kindly though. In fact, just the other day, your old manager said “macamana lah kita nak pandang dia lepas ni…?” Seems like our old office does deal with Company XYZ, so N might have to attend meetings in the old office…

Me: I’m sure he must had been thinking of something to remedy his situation… Besides, I personally think he performed well as an executive…

Dwn: apparently, he didn’t do anything for 3 years to rectify the problem. And he was already a senior executive, albeit on probation… In fact, when HR asked for a copy of his degree for confirmation purposes, he claimed that the university has not release it because he hasn’t paid his tuition fees in full…

Me: He is full of potentials…

Dwn: yes, I agree. But you don’t have to be too sympathetic though…

Me: huh?

Dwn: He seemed so ngam with you, yet he said bad things about you behind your back.

Me: really?

Dwn: yup, I can’t remember what exactly he said but I remember him saying such things… even though he often visited your room and discussed stuff with you…

Me: oh…

Dwn: yup

Me: never mind lah. I hope he will fare better in Company XYZ… he has a lot of potentials and it will be a waste if it is overlooked just because he doesn’t own a piece of paper called degree…

Tag for charity

Found this on Idham’s blog.

Got so excited over it that I quickly spreaded the words by mailing to mailing lists I susbscribe to, accidentally pronouncing that it had to be done by 26^th June when in fact the original dateline is 26^th August. Heh. Oh, but there's a new announcement saying that the tag mustbe completed by end of July because they will be visiting Darul Izzah Orphanage on 11th August

Anyway, here's the rules:

If you are tagged, you need to write an entry related to the meme. At the end of your entry you just need to tag as many persons as you like. You will then leave a comment in their blog to let them know they have been tagged. And to include this message, "By doing this meme you are contributing rm127 to the Darul Izzah Orphanage".

Then please copy and paste this rule somewhere in your entry.

The meme is about completing at least seventeen out of the following twenty seven sentences........ *These can be copied and pasted to your entry*

1. A person is only as good as... both his words and actions.
2. Friendship is always ..something to treasure
3. To love is to …accept the loved ones as they are
4. Money makes me ...pening!
5. I miss …being able to curl up in my own bed reading a favorite book without having to worry about anybody else
6. My way of saying I care is by ...showing I actually do care
7. I try to spread love and happiness by...not forwarding junk mails
8. Pick the flowers when..it is the right time, at the right place
9. To love someone is to ... be together, stay together and grow old together
10. Beauty is..often overrated, sometimes understated
11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was...feeling oh-so-grown-up being sent to a boarding school
12. When I was twenty one, I remember ...understanding what "broken-hearted" means for the first time.
13. I am most happy when ...everything goes well
14. Nothing makes me happier than ...making my loved ones happy
15. If I can change one thing, I will change ...the current president of USA
16. If smiles were…given more freely .then I..believe it could be the beginning of attaining world peace.
17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could…be more tolerant and accepting
18. If you want to ...get results..then you have to ...work at it
19. Money is not everything but..it is a necessary evil.
20. The most touching moments I have experienced is…kissing my parents’ cheeks right after I was pronounced a wife, since I was no longer just their daughter, but also daughter-in-law to others.
21. I smile when… I see a stranger voluntarily assisting an old/pregnant/disabled person
22. When I am happy, I..hum a favorite tune while I carry on doing houseworks
23. If only I don't have to ..write a lot of academic papers, then..being a post-graduate student would be a lot more fun.
24. The best thing I did yesterday was …being able to entertain my sons’ needs even when we were entertaining some guests
25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title,…"Life is not all about getting all As"
26. One thing I must do before I die is...perform hajj with hubby
27. Doing this meme, I feel like ...asking every other blogger I know to do this too for charity.

The originator of this tag is aiming to collect at least rm10,000 worth of meme/tags from bloggers by end of July, so to support his noble cause, I in turn am tagging:

Kit
Zyrin
Kak Pia
Dikja
Kak Lela
Theta
Dakwanie

and all those who feel up to doing this

Once this tag is done, please leave a comment in Idham’s blog to inform him that you have done the tag. Many thanks and hope this small tag could contribute towards making some orphans happy, insya Allah...

Kamogawa Sea World

This is a belated entry – a really late one in fact because this particular trip was taken back in March, using Seishun 18 kippu. Well, remember that we had to postpone hubby’s birthday celebration? We bought combo tickets for Kamogawa Sea World and Mother’s Farm. We both went to the former, but hubby took Mak instead to the latter because by then I already gave birth to Humaidi.

The quiet Awa-Kamogawa eki

Although the easier way to go to Kamogawa from Tokyo would be by taking the express bus from Tokyo Eki; since we already bought seishun 18 kippu, we took the over-2-hour train journey to Awa-Kamogawa from Asakusabashi. From Awa-Kamogawa eki, we took the free shuttle bus to the theme park.

Entrance of Kamogawa Sea World

We purposely went to Kamogawa Sea World on a weekday to avoid the large weekend crowd – but we forgot that it was during the school holidays, so the place was packed with shrieking kids. Like many places of interest in Japan, the theme park offered various rubber-stamping opportunity with the stamps located at various parts of the park. They even sold a souvenir stamp-booklet for 200 yen meant for kids that offers a small pin-up badge for those who completed all the stamping needed in the book. I bought the booklet just for fun, as it contained information on featured animals in hiragana and could be kept whether or not one got all the stamping. But yes, it was also fun queuing with kindergarten kids (exchanging shy smiles part, not the ignoring almost-rude stares part) to get the booklet stamped. In fact, I guess some of them might be thinking along the line of “what is this walrus-like obasan doing collecting stamp marks”. Well, I was huge then – what with being 9 months pregnant and all… In the end, I managed to get all the stamping needed and was presented with a silly pin-up button of a grinning sea-lion. Hubby asked me why didn’t I ask for the nicer button of the killer whales, to which I just shrugged and replied “ala saja-saja je, tak kisahlah apa-apa pun”

By the time we arrived there, it was almost noon, so we had to plan our move well so as not to miss any of the performances. I asked for a map in English at the counter, which also listed the schedules for all the performances, to which we tune our movement. It wasn’t that difficult to strategize actually since the performances last less than 30 minutes each and the grandstands are located almost in a row.

The major highlights are performances by a family of killer whales, some dolphins, a family of sea lions and two beluga whales. Then there were also side performances – such as feeding time for the penguins, the pelicans and the sea lions. It was interesting to note that we could see both penguins which could stand higher temperature in the outdoor as well as their bigger Polar counterparts which had to be showcased in icy aquarium.

Napping pelicans

The turtle said "Hi" on behalf of the shark and the sting ray...

For extra fees between 200 – 1000 yen, visitors could also interact and have closer contact with the animals as they could kiss, touch, take pictures and exchange smiles with the sea animal of their choice. I thought it would be cool to have a picture taken with the killer whale, but hubby immediately killed the thought by saying “tak payahla, buang duit aje”

1,2,3, JUMP!

We enjoyed all the performances tremendously – especially the killer whale show. It is actually a dual performance since one could either view it on the grandstand stadium or from the window of a viewing gallery below water level. Mind you – those who want to sit at the front seats must be prepared with rain coats because the splashes they caused were certainly huge. The park organizer even color-coded the benches (orange for possible wet areas, blue for potentially safer ones) and warnings were announced several times before the show began.

Lepas tangan pun tak jatuh tau...

Ok, jaga-jaga ye tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, lepas ni nak buat splash besar punya...

It would be better to purchase the rain coat in advance – perhaps at the Daiso store in the shopping mall at the back of Awa-Kamogawa eki. Snacks and drinks could also be purchased ahead at the Jusco outlet there- because yes, just like in other theme parks, the drinks and snacks in the Sea World are quite costly. (Unlike in Malaysia where Jusco is often regarded as a middle-class shopping place and are mostly found in big cities, here in Japan, Jusco outlets are mostly located in smaller towns. I think the only Jusco I’ve seen in Tokyo is the one which could be seen as one passes from Minami-Sunimachi to Nishi Kasai on the Tozai line subway, but I digress…) The cinnamon imo sticks sold at the stadiums looked very tempting, but I resisted it, instead just bought some potato fries for Huzaifah to munch on as we watched the comical sea lion show. It was humorous, provided one could understand nihongo, since the sea lions were performing some sketches.

Johnny-kun, the star comedian in the sea lion family

As for the exhibits, my favorite is their extensive collection of bizarre crustaceans. I especially enjoyed watching huge crabs which hubby and I refer to as ketam Hokkaido. And now we know that Huzaifah is terrified of eels. Our hero who normally is curious about a lot of things and rarely shows his fear, yelled whenever his Ayah put him close to the display window of some huge eels (which looked more like pythons than eels). I must say that I appreciate that information on the creatures are also provided in English, although most tourists we saw that day were Nihonjin. The “Tropical Island” exhibit area is a good reminder of home sweet home – what with fine white sands, coconut trees and even lying coconuts on the “beach”.

Ujai was really terrified of this huge eel...

Sungguh besaaaaarrrrr ketam itu...

Eh, ini kat Kamogawa ke kat Teluk Kemang ni?

Breathtakingly beautiful imitation coral reef

We spent more than 5 hours at the park – a worthy excursion since all of us enjoyed it, hubby, Huzaifah and preggy me. However, by the time we finished seeing the last performance by the Beluga whale at the Marine Theater, there was no more free shuttle service going back to Awa- Kamogawa eki, so we had to walk back to the eki, which took us about 30 minutes or so. Nevertheless, I must say that Kamogawa Sea World provides a healthy balance of education and entertainment, so personally I would recommend it for parents with school-going/kindergarten kids. I wish I could say the same for Mother’s Farm, but since both hubby and Mak (who went there when I was still in the hospital after Humaidi was born) gave it thumbs-down, I shall not comment any further.

Intelligent Beluga whale

Random compliment

Conversation with a Caucasian guy in shorts and t-shirt I met briefly in the elevator :

Stranger: Are you from Malaysia?
Me: (startled) Yes, I am from Malaysia. Where are you from?
Stranger: I’m from California. I’ve been to Malaysia recently. I can tell that you are one from your nice headscarf.
Me: Yes, there are a lot of Malaysian women wearing headscarves.
Stranger: They are really pretty. I really like ‘em. I even bought some for my wife
Tink! (the door opened at ground floor)
Stranger: (as he moved out of the elevator) Well, see you around. Have a nice day.
Me: You too, have a nice day.

It is nice to get a random compliment. And nicer when you know that the compliment comes with no alter intentions. Even though it was just my scarf that got complimented on, it managed to get me smiling for some time as I paced the 10-minutes walk to the eki.

Of course, I didn’t confess that the particular scarf was actually bought in Salzburg, Austria, one hot summer, exactly 10 years ago...

Shuffle my music

As tagged by Zyrin

I already confessed to her that I mostly listen to nasyid and JPop - so this might be a rather odd mixture. Anyway, the J-Pop I listen to are mostly J-Dorama's theme songs (one that appeared in the list happens to be a song often heard during commercials here in Japan), and I think are quite popular at karaoke halls. I personally think Cik Kieli - yes, you my dear silent reader - might be able to guess most of them correctly.

As for the nasyids - well - it's a mixture of Malaysian and international; with songs meant for children, young adult and general public. I have a feeling that not many songs would be guessed correctly (if at all), but enjoy guessing anyway :-)

"Shuffle your music.

* Take the first 25 songs that come up and post a line or two of lyrics from each one. Try not to make it too obvious by posting something from the middle of the chorus or that has the name of the song in it.

* Post it to your journal and let your friends try to guess the songs. No one likes a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater.

* When a song is correctly guessed, strike it out and put the title and artist next to it."

1. Telah ku mungkiri janjiku lagi/ walau seribu kali kuulang sendiri/ aku takkan tempuh lagi - Mirwana x Jay Jay, "Aku Tanpa CintaMu" (Zyrin)

2. Oh Allah the Almighty, protect me and guide me / to Your love and mercy

3. Kimi ga ima koko ni iru koto/ tobikiri no unmei ni/ kokoro kara arigatou

4. Agar terlerai kesangsian hati ini/ Sekadar air mata tak mampu membasuhi dosa ini

5. Cause who used to hold you, and clean you and clothe you? / who used to feed you and always be with you?

6. Shinjiyou/ futari dakara/ai shiaeru - Ito Yuna, "Precious" (Cik Kieli)

7. Boku no me wa/ kimi shika utsuranai

8. Diciptakan manusia sebaik-baiknya supaya menjadi insan berguna/ agar beriman dan bertaqwa

9. Now I ‘m alone filled with so much shame / for all the years I caused you pain - Sami Yusuf, "Mother" (Theta)

10. Tangan yang disangka lembut menghayun buaian/ mengoncang dunia mencipta sejarah - Hijjaz, "Sumayyah" (Hanis)

11. Atsui namida ya koi sakebino/ kagayakeru hi wa doko e kietano

12. Ku harap dia adalah yang terbaik buatku / kerana Engkau tahu segala isi hatiku/ Pelihara daku dari kemurkaanMu

13. When you find that special someone/ Feel your whole life has barely begun/ You can walk on the moon, shout it to everyone

14. Sabishii toki wa/ato sukoshi tsukiatte/ umaku hanashi o kiite kurenai ka - Hirai Ken, "Kimi wa Tomodachi" (Cik Kieli)

15. Kokoro no koe wa/kimi ni todoku no kana/ chinmoku no uta ni notte

16. Kekasih sejati teman yang berbudi/ kasihnya bukan keterpaksaan

17. Dosa-dosaku bagaikan pepasir di pantai/ dengan rahmatMu ampunkan daku Oh Tuhan ku

18. No you can’t take your big screen TV/ nor your variety of DVDs/ No you can’t take your designer shoes - Zain Bikha, "Can"t Take it With You" (Theta)

19. Arigatou to kimi iwareru to/ nandaka setsunai/ sayonara no ato mo tokenu mahou/awaku horonigai - Utada Hikaru, "Flavor of Life" (Cik Kieli)

20. Iman tak dapat diwarisi dari seorang ayah yang bertaqwa/ Ia tak dapat dijualbeli/ Ia tiada di tepian pantai- Raihan, "Iman Mutiara" (Zyrin)

21. Hontou no yume wa itsumo soba ni aru/ hateshinaku hiroi sekai hitotsu dake kagayaita

22. Omoi dashita keshiki wa/ tabidatsu ni no kirei na sora dakishimete - Shuuji to Akira, "Seishun Amigo" (Cik Kieli)

23. Bahagia itu ada di jiwa/ mahkota di singgahsana rasa/bahagia itu adalah suatu ketenangan

24. You, you’re not aware that we’re aware of your despair/ don’t show your tears to your oppressor - Sami Yusuf x Outlandish "Try Not To Cry"

25. Diam-diamlah sayang, jangan menangis/ doakan ayah semoga diterima - Ae-man (Originally by Nadamurni), "Di Pondok Kecil" (Anonymous)

UPDATED 24 June 2007

I am not sure who I should tag next since personally I found this one to be rather difficult. Nevertheless, I hereby pass this on to:

Kak Pia
Dikja
Theta
Rad
Dakwanie

Thanks!

More flowers...

... to brighten up your day!
These were all taken in last spring. Unlike in UK when there are so many different kind of blooms in each season, the parks here are prettiest in spring and autumn.
Mind you, some of these shots were actually taken by hubby (who went out to Kinshi Park near the hospital) while waiting for me to deliver Humaidi ;-)

Enjoy!

"Turning to leave
cherry petals flutter around
departing guests"
~ Jane Reichhold

"My life flower
A millisecond
In an hour of time"
~ Hatamoto

"Striving at excellence
The tallest shrub
In a rose garden"
~ Hatamoto