MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan Yg ke 50 Tahun everyone!

How was your merdeka day? We ( myself & the 3 boys) had a quiet morning and we had merdeka-related activity in the afternoon ( not for lutfil, though).

I am glad that I registered Umar and his 2 cousins (nadia & nabila) for the Merdeka-themed cake decoration activity@ UkS centre yesterday. We had great fun. At least I did, HAHAH.

I teamed up with Umar and Nabila with Nadia. There were 2 other teams ( Uks owner's ckids, and one of another Uks member and her little girl. Umar was so excited that he got to play with the icing, and knife, and other 'tools' needed to get the job done. Once in a while ( or was it most of the time?0, he would lick his ingers, wrist, and get some more icing from the container. He even ate the moon and the star (fondant), that were supposed to be placed on top of the cake.

Luckily, they have many more extras of those, phew!

We finished quite early, but the decoration was far from fancy. very simple, teramat sangat. No wonder other people finished theirs about 30 minutes later, rupa-rupanya they were creative enough to put up other sorts of lip-lap, lip lap for the decoration. And we had our plain bendera. 'kwang, kwang, kwang...

Releks Umar, this is our first attempt, remember? We'll do better the next time we do this..

UKS Charity Activity 25TH AUG 2008

This is the first time i joined the Ummiku Sayang (UkS) charity group for their mission,
the location was the Kajang Hospital ( so, that explains my participation, dekat dengan rumah lah!). The targeted group was the Pediatric Ward of the said hospital. It was great fun to see such a crowd, but of course those kids turned-up with all the bandages, IV lines, arm sling, etc. At first, they looked a bit uncomfortable, what with the 'costumes' and maybe the fact that they are not well ( we were in the ward, remember?!). The moment they got the gift packs, the printed paper merdeka-themed cap, and of course, the big beautiful cake of the same theme, they started smiling and being bubbly again. I managed to capture a few smiles, not only from our little patients, but from the parents as well ( oh, some with the whole family in tow!).

There was also a story telling session (Read Aloud), by Mdm Nita with her 2 beautiful daughters on stage, giving the children an excitement of 'A Walk in the Jungle' and 'Nasi Lemak Ibu'. Hmm...this RA session made me wonder, when will I do mine? My audience is usually my 3 boys, of whom I can act silly with, or put up some hillarious actions ( diaorg gelak, apaaa..). But infront of other kids? Other kids, and THEIR PARENTS? Oh..no no..NO! I think the first thing those parents would do, is to ban their kids from further watching this 'over-acting auntie', next is to cautious their kids from befriending my 3 musketeers, and ..OK! I KNOW I'M EXAGGERATING! I KNOW, I KNOW!! STOP!! back to what i wanted to write, people.

The UkS children were kind enough to hand out a big Get Well Soon card for our little darlings. I am no stranger to wards, nut gov3rm3nt hospital wards? Taking care of sick kids in the hospital wards like I have seen last Saturday, is something else. When I say , that my children checked-in and checked-out from hospitals, i have already made that sound like spending a few nights and days in a good hotel. In fact Umar thought that if not for the IV lines and the process to insert the IV lines, it was a good hotel, no doubt! What with a dedicated doctors, and kind nurses who always check on you.."fever?, no fever?, here's your lunch!, here's your medicine', ooh..no wonder he thinks of hospital wards so positively!

As much as I want to say to the mothers I met that :" I understand how you feel", or 'I've been through this', or "Anak saya pun baru keluar hospital Isnin lepas", I can't. I just can't.

While I always had a spacious room only for my son and me, with a bathroom, mirror, cupboard/wardrobe, a sofa, a chair, a cable TV , lights here and there, newspaper, air-conditioned room, sometimes request for a baby cot, so that I could sleepmon the bed, or ask for another bed if the need arises, good food for the mother and son, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

The mothers or whoever were taking care of the children in the ward, do not have all this.

I'm not sure of those in first class wards, though? Any such thing as first class wards?

They can't just sleep in private, the children who obviously need lots of rests may not have the proper nap they needed, what with the neighbours crying out loud, they are oblivious to the passers-by, etc,etc,etc. It would have been a good lesson for Umar, too! Plus, it was his 4th birthday on that Saturday, 25th Aug. But I didn't bring him along. Maybe I should, the next time I join this kind of activity.

All in all, i would say that it was a success and I'm glad that I made the effort to be there. Bravos to UkS members who were there, (physically or in spirit), who made great effort to give the children of the Kajang Hospital's Pediatric Ward, a day to remember. Clap, clap, clap..

For more picture of the events, please go to my flickr. Wait, not yet uploaded, soon, InsyaAllah..

Oh yes, Umar was warded again, on the 17th Aug, this time of asthma. He was breathing very heavily started Thursday evening, and I heard a funny sound everytime he exhaled. I brought him to Az-zahrah medical centre, Bangi at 12.00am, and he was giving the gas once and some medication. I plan to bring him to GMC, since they have his records of croup, bronchiolitis, etc, but early Friday morning he had difficulty in breathing, even telling me that "Ibu, Umar penat". He looked vey pale when we were in the car, and looking at my watch , it was 7am on Friday, knowing the traffic, I was just scared that we might not make it on time, since he looked very pale and breathing very slowly, as if he was so tired of taking deep breaths. So, I made my move to Az-Zahrah, about 20 minutes from the house, and he was admitted. We spent 2 nights in the hospital, and since it was near, we took a home leave on Saturday morning to see the 2 little brothers. They were at home with Bibik. My DH was always at the other end of the telephone line, and knowing that i can always call him, however,whenever I wanted to, helped a lot too!

Last Sunday, we had a makan-makan for Umar's birthday. Oh, did I tell you about the Creative Music & Movement class i attended last weeks, with teacher Farra? OOhhoo.. I had a good time. I was the only mother/non-teacher in the class, out of 12 participants. The rests are pricipals/teachers from various kindergarten & enrichment centers. Alamak, berderau darah belajar dengan cikgu-cikgu nih! heheh..

InsyaAllah, will post about them later...

art attack..the beginning

demam-demam pun masih berkarya..

What do you make of a pen and a paper!
This is what Umar made!
I should have taken photos of his other creations, like fish from newspapers, stingrays, eumbrella, all from paper/newspaper.
He was doing his own 'work' when he put this on his head and announced "Tutup kepala, salji turn"
(sorry, obviously, he had never seen snow before..hehe)

it's not wong, but err..

Hafiz was soo happy that Ayah came back for him

Terlalu suka

Hafiz spent a memorable 5D4N in GMC, Jln Ampang

We were in the car heading towards Bangi, and had my usual chat with Umar.
He likes to look up in the sky, and when he spots an aeroplane, will make a big fuss about it.I think, the fact that our area is quite near to the Sepang KLIA, we always spot aeroplane flying low and that excites him further more.

Being-the-good-and-modern-mom-I-am, I always talk about the real thing, explaining the real situation, would offer some theories (scientific, mine or ancient greek's ;-)) where possible.

Me: "Umar tau tak, kalau helicopter , dia naik terus ke atas, vertically. kalau aeroplane, kan dia naik slowly, at an angle, baru dia naik tnggi ke atas. Landasan dia panjang" (Me thinks: Faham ke Umar ni!?)

Umar: "Ibu, sebab itulah aeroplane tu ada tayar, helicopter tu kan ada kaki, takde tayar!!

Me: ooooooo...

------------------------------------


Umar knows his ABC just by singing it out loud. I noticed that he recognizes A, O and a few numbers like 0 (hehehe..), 1, 3, 4, and 7, 10. For the rest of the numbers, he decided to just ignore them or trying to change the civilization by giving them other values.

Last night , I was SMS-ing DH, and Umar was lying besides me. He insisted to take a look at what i was typing. Thinking maybe that I should then 'test' his alphabets skills, I pointed out to the 'Exit' menu, and pointed to the letter 'E'.

umar: "B" (hmmmm..)

me: Pointing tu the letter 'x". Apa selepas E ni?

Umar: lepas "E", "F" lah.. (tunjuk terer lah pulak, tak pe Ibu should be v e r y p a t i e n t!!!!)

Me: Pointing to 'x' again. Ni apa?

Umar: Oooh..tu huruf yang untuk tulis salah.. ( get it? that's what he gets when he made a mistake in writing, etc, TANDA PANGKAH X !!)

Me: oh Umar!

why the silence?

take this: I'm writing from the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, Jalan Ampang!
My last day was on Friday, the 29th June, and the next day, Saturday, I brought Hafiz for his check-up, and he had been having a cough for quite sometime. The doctor asked him to be warded for further blood and urine test.
He was then diagnosed with pneumonia. hmm..poor baby! DH was of course in Sudan, and 2 days later ( Monday), he arrived in KL for his 5 days emergency leave :-)
Hafiz was discharged on Wednesday, 4th July. The bad thing was, all 3 kids ( and the ibu) were not feeling well, down with fever and flu. We took turn to bring Umar and then Lutfil to the pead.
All of them were then on antibiotics and DH then was due for his course in Singapore on Saturday, 7th July.
Umar then suddenly fell sick on Sunday night, and aftre a visit to his regular pead on Monday, 9th July, still had a very high fever, and I think we didn't sleep at all that night ( Sunday and Monday). Tuesday, 10th July, I brought Umar to another pead in GMC, and he was admitted!
So, I spent my days and nights in hospital wards, for the past 2 weeks, well, almost!

I have just paid the telephone bills i was using ( ye lah, menehjut je kena admitted, charger pun tak bwk, so guna telephone bilik hospital lah) , and we'll be going home tonight after Umar got his antibiotics at 6pm.

I have to go, I promised Umar to buy some sweets, and now he's reminding me about it..

Wish us well!

PS: Abang, appointment for Lutfil has been done for tomorrow morning. Pray that he's going to be ok ( err..I mean, hopefully he's not going to be admitted). Not that i don't like the hospital food... ;-)

i'm looking for this book!

I've been looking for this book. The one I have right now is sooo old, i am looking for the newer version. If nay of u have any info of any of the title below, or if u want to let go yours, please let me know!

This is one of my favourite book, ever!

The New Book of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information by David Wallechinsky

Best Book Of Lists Ever! by Geoff Tibballs

People's Almanac Presents the Twentieth Century: History with the Boring Bits Left Out/Revised and Updated by David Wallechinsky

The Disinformation Book Of Lists by Russ Kick

The People's Almanac Presents The Books of Lists, No. 2 by Irving Wallace

PS: i tried amazon, but they don't ship to malaysia, at least, for this order! sob sob..

thanks..

makan-makan, and where 2 party next bithday

Thanks to the friends here in equeue for being here, today, in conjunction with the makan-makan agenda. I was thinking of giving a treat to the officemates, and the Ghazal Restaurant's Nasi Beryani (Wangsa Melawati branch) comes to mind! We had their nasi bryani at least 4 times now , I think, and from the cakap-cakap, commnets and complaints, I'd say that that's what we should be having for lunch, today.
So, from 10am, the secretary, and the office boy and myself was out of the office, went to Giant Taman Permata for the paper cups and plates, and fruits, not forgetting the cordial.
Then we headed to the restaurant, and picked up the nasi bryani and the accompanying dishes. We also had a cake, Chocolate Indulgence ( tak bagus untuk kesihatan betullah menu hari ni) from SRcp.

I'm not sure how many of you know that Petrosains does have a Birthday Party Package for those who would like to have an educational big-bang party, dinosaur and hands-on science experiments included. Wooo hooo..sounds fun!

According to a friend, the party used to be at a cost of RM700, and it caters for 20 childrens and 5 adults. This package includes 1 cake, kids meals from Burger King, also meals from BK for the adults, a 45-minute tour in Petrosains, and it is arranged in such a way that the group will be able to see each show they have at their Science Station. At the end of the tour, somewhere at Station 2, meals are provided, and the kids will have great time with all the hands-on experiments...ohh...umar will loves this, but errkk..no, the last time we went there, (that was 2 weeks ago, he IS STILL afraid of the friendly-singing-TRex..oh boy!
I think our Petrosains visit will be an entry by itself. It's one of the place sthat I love as an outing for me and the whole family..tak tau lah kenapa..

*I kalau naik that round-oil-shaped ride yang bawak u back to millions year ago era, mesti I terharu, , jantung berdebar-debar dup-dap and I will feel like crying. It is such an emotional experience. It is mainly because of the voice of the narrator (??ye ke), and the background musics, something that really heighten up my spirit. Out of pride? Dunno. Out of fear? naaahh.. mestilah tidak..

Oh ya, that birthday party package is not available during school holiday (as far as I know).
But, it sounds good and if your kids love celebrating their birthdays outside, and they have always had it in McDonald or TGIF, try Petrosains... for a change..

Umar doesn't understand about birthday celebration yet. He knows birthday cake, or the birthday song, but whose is it, where is it, he doesn't care! bertuah I. So far, his birtday had always mean party packs for his friends at the nursery. And no candies..hehe .We only allow raisins, cookies, wafers, cupcakes, pudding, (no sumi jelly, either..bahaya, and I ngeri!), and yogurt drinks. Like Umar always says:" Tak apaa, manis sikit aje.." (yo lah tu!)

Next party pack for Umar's friends is due in August.

..and come the news..

ladies selling kissra

Thanks to grouchiosa for this article. Should we now be proud that we are about to move to one of the expensive cities in the world? Nope! (Are you kidding!)
I am nervous. I have browsed in the intenet, looking for some info for Sudan and surprisingly, one of the issues the expats are concerned about are the expensive prices of the groceries. Imagine a minimum of RM20 for chicken and RM4 for a kilo of onions (it doesn't help that i use a lot of onions, and garlic in my cooking- konon rasa lebih sedap). Luckily, we have not started our kids with fast food ( yet!). If not, the husband will have to spend RM 76 on a KFC single plate (one piece of chicken, fries and soft drink).

Morine, kalau u duduk sana and Angel is her usual self yang go for fancy restaurants every now and then, habis la you...

With US sanction, and EU , too, soon? It's not helping, at all.
Okay, I'll do this. I will definitely have to go to the internet, look for some local main ingredients that are used in local dishes, look for the recipes, and make sure I know how to prepare them. At least tak lah bengong sangat sampai sana. Plus, with the very s l o w connection we'll have there, ....just hope it won't discourage me frm blogging! :-)

This reminds me of someone was given some flax seed from Sudan, and both the guy and his wife do not know what to do with it. After asking around, he was informed that in Sudan or over Africa, they just spread the seed on their bread or rice*

*me: i thought flax seed are also great for bread making? just like what we have in the hi-fibre gardenia bread yang ada raisins, peaches, apricots etc tu , ye tak?

BTW, DH told me that, over there, only the rich eat rice. ..( sedih la dengar..)

Over and over again, to show how expensive things are there, DH will relate how he bought a Conetto ice-cream for RM11 ! okay, now I'm convinced! Looks like Umar and his siblings will stay inside the house all the time! Only tour to the local dry market ( where they have goats, camels, goat's milk, camel's milk, etc) are allowed, no shopping malls for them! hehehe..

No worries! Umar will love looking at live animals at the market, than he will at the malls!

little updates of the little ones..

Last weeks, all three boys; Umar, Hafiz and Lutfil were down with fever.
Hafiz had been coughing for more than week and the Azidoe, and Virtec didn't help at all. Neither Mucosolvent (??) I recently bought a chinese herbs-base medicine, something like an ointment where you just rub a little portion of the liquid on the chest, neck and nose.
I guess, I should be more consistent on applying the medicine on Hafiz, then I will be seeing results in less than a week .. okay, sabar, sabar ..

Umar is in his normal mood, when it's time for school (taska). Almost every afternoon,when I pick him up from school, he would say: "Ibu, esok Umar tak nak pergi sekolah, okay.". I used to asked him why , but he didn't answer. Or sometimes he would say, "Arif buat Umar, or "tadi Arif marah Umar". What should I say? So, I just told him, "Arif tak sengaja kot" or "Umar main elok-elok dengan Arif, nanti dia baiklah dengan Uamr"..

Yesterday, I was driving to Giant Kajang, and as always, Umar would be the chosen one to follow me.

He asked me," Where are we going ?" " I don't want to go to school" (Kita nak pergi mana ni, Ibu? Umar tak nak pergi sekolah..)

Me: To Giant, we need to buy milk, remember? Why don't you want to go to school?
(Kita nak pegi Giant, kan kita nak beli susu)

Umar: The teacher said I don't know how to read, because I'm small.
(Cikgu kata Umar tak pandai baca, sebab Umar kecik lagi..!!)

What I don't understand is (wondering):

1. cikgu kata Umar tak pandai baca sebab Umar kecik or
2. cikgu kata Umar ni tak pandai baca , and THEN umar reasoned that he doesnn't know how to read because he is small

(btw, Umar is 3+ yo, will turn 4 yo this coming August)
I know that other kids could read when they turn 3, or 4 yo. But personally, I don't think that if he doesn't read when he is already 3+ yo, that's a bad sign, like "You are not smart enough".
Plus, I didn't actually sit with him and teach him like ABC, pointing to some cards ( hmm..I'm lazy , I guess) and then proceed to some phonic cards or whatsoever.
That's not my way. But, but, what i usually do with him, is to sit with him and read the book (read: as in pointing to the picture, identifying objects, shapes, colours, making up stories, making up dialogues, explaining to him how some things work, actually tell him the names and functions of stuffs and things, etc- (you know like planets, plants, bugs), answer his questions ( he always relates new things that he sees to the stuffs that you have told him previously and I'd be amazed at how he remembers, and understands and uses his 'database' to question you further about his surroundings!) . He loves books!

So, it's maybe my fault, then. I'm the one who didn't teach him enough. Instead of just singing Ants On The Apples, or ABC, or make up my own songs, or singing songs he learnt from school, maybe I should have a proper 'How-To-Read" lesson with him.

And oh yes, he likes to zikr as well. I remember a few times when we were shopping or at the wet market, (dok sibuk pilih udang), and he would go" Subhanallh, walhamdulillah, etc.."..all the way. Even at clinics. One Atuk-like gentleman, even commented ."Bagusnya dia berzikir, bertuah dapat anak cam dia". hehe..malulah i..

Next week, there would be a perjumpaan dengan guru for Umar. So, I guess, I would have a chance to ask how he is at school, in his class, does he seem to enjoy his day at school..

Oh yes, I meant to write that Lutfil has one tooth showing up, err..you can hardly see it actually. tapi, when I put my fingers on it, woww..definitely terasa tajam..
I guess Hafiz has a rival now.. berhati-hati ..

oh, i feel gneiss..

granite formation on Pulau Tepur, Langkawi


layers in sandstone

The fact that langkawi given geopark status as reported today is very much welcomed. After the Tg Balau magnificent structural formation is known as one of the Geological Heritage Sites in Malaysia, this recognition is never too late. Geologist/geology students in Malaysia or from South-East Asia, ( if not the world) have long branded Singa Formation and Machincang Formation as a must stop for outcrop lovers.

Geological sites have not only remnants (rocks, rocks and rocks). Take a closer look, and you would see communities of sponges, bivalves ( the humble, oyster, calm-like), gastropods ( that's like your modern looking snail), and yes,humongous lizard, etc. But of course, outcrops like the famous Morrison Fm, A'insa Fm have been in the limelight since years ago. Give a chance to our local 'lipatan and nendatan', kekar, ricih, batu kapur berfosil dan batu pasir berstratifikasi (jenuh nak ingat the 'local' term, are they correct?) to make the headlines.

Next time you are in Langkawi, stop by these formation/geoparks and have your photos taken there. Bear in mind that in the background, you have there, rocks (geologically) that were formed billion years ago. As for the formations in Langkawi, they are one of the oldest, dated back to Cambrian (eg: Machincang Formation is the eldest in Asia). Singa Formation (mudstone, silstone, ), Setul Formation - a limestone , with some secondary sandstone and shale. Another limestone formation is the Chuping Formation, which is also the youngest among the four formations.

For those in Johor, another attraction for geological park, is the Tanjung Balau area. It has a resort nearby, with a small nelayan community. (On a lighter note, 1 minggu di Tg Balau, aktiviti mandi laut di waktu petang itu musti selepas seharian 'berjemur' di atas batu-batan).

For yr reading pleasures: wikipedia, europeangeoparks, Grand Canyon, more Grand canyon! Jurassic-Morrison

oh those days..

I was so glad when Na uploaded a photo in her flickr, of us during our sedimentary field trip in Raub-Mentakab, back in 1998. Thanks to Na, I get to see the pic, since I don't have it in my collection!

..but I'll be back..!

a signboard in surburban chicago

I have tendered my resignation last week, with one month notice, effective 30th May 2007.

My last day at the office would be on the 29th June 2007, if you exclude the Saturday, 30th June. I am preparing a presentation for a project I am working on, mainly busy preparing for the materials and rushing to get it done with the proper v0lumetric calculation ..

It was not easy making the decision to move to Sudan. It wasn't easy either to tender my resignation, even harder to actually tell my bosses and my all dear colleagues that I am leaving. Even so it is for the sake of my family. I had a great time working for this company, surrounded by these warm, ever-friendly, good people. When I first joined this company, I realized that I'm about to work with some of the legends in the 0il & gas industry business. I was nervous when I was introduced to all the very familiar names I have heard over and over again, from former colleagues, even from DH, and in my busy mind, I was having things like: "Oh, so THIS IS so-and-so, or "eh, he's not like what I imagined him to be", or the :"he looks younger than I thought" or the reverse: "hmm..never thought that he looks this old"..heheh..

Being given the opportunity working with the experts, (some with 30-year-experience, with local and global technical expertise and recognition), I would say that I'm lucky. I'm grateful, very, very grateful.

It's funny how the gap between the very expert senior people, compared to the juniors (me included!). When we moved from U0A building , to the legendary Menara Promet in Jln Sultan Ismail, we, the green ones, had so many boxes, of print-outs, maps (isopach/sructure, time map, correlation ), ( and I thought we are in the digital world; paperless la sekarang wooiit!), books, references: journals, all sorts of blletin, etc.

The expert? Needles to say, they have everything inside their brains! They just get up, walked out and then in, to the new office.Talking about mobility here!

I can see my hope of achieving that level of seniority and expertise crash right away when I decided to quit. Not working, means I will loose my seniority, and perhaps by the time I'm ready to get back to work in a few years time, I'll be interviewed by the at-present-internship-students who have just came in this morning. They will be my future bosses, no doubt!

Oh I see them already, better go and ask them if they need anything! *wink*

how do you like africa, maam?

I hope that when i am asked this question in the future, i'll be positively answering it with : "O' I love it very much, can't wait to go back there!". Before I can answer that question, I guess, I have to be there, live there?! Yup! You are right, my friends! In a few months time, I will have a world map poster on the wall, and the tag "YOU ARE HERE"" will be pointing right on Khartoum, Sudan .

I am in between, can't really decide whether I'm excited ( to be able to be with DH ) , nervous and worries after warnings, after warnings, after warnings from everybody ( well, almost!). But, thanks to a few friends who have given me some very sound advices about raising children in such condition, I am,.. well, a bit calm..

* my busy brain is asking these questions: how do i pack my things, what to pack ( DH said, bring almost everything?, huh?, how to buy milk powder that will last for one year? where to get it? where to get it at a cheaper price? diaper supplies? if current maid cannot follow, so how?, is it easy to get a maid there?, stocks of medicine for the children?, what dried food to bring? how about our current house?, what will I do there? will I be okay? will the boys be okay? will I be okay if the boys are not okay?, will DH be okay if I'm not okay?, should I be bringing all my books, take with me as many books as I can, any book shops there?, if I order online, how sure it will reach me? UKS will send to sudan tak? , hehe.. what, what, what...*

in the news

i got the news that a group of employee (4 of them) from my previous company were abducted from their office! *gasp*. This is in one of the African country, where there's a lot of chaos, and marked as red zone. I know one of them, we worked together once, he's of different nationalitiy, though. I hope they will be ok, i really hope they will get all the help they need.

when he talks..

Umar is one smart boy (of course, he's my boy! hehe), and he regularly switches from his mischief-kuat ragam-self to very sweet-demure-loving boy in just a second! This morning, he almost made Bibik cried. Of 'terharu'. He was already inside the car when Bibik who was holding baby Lutfil was standing beside the car. I was about to get inside the car when I heard him murmur something to Bibik. Looking out from inside the car, I saw Bibik eyes were red, like she was about to cry! So i asked, what did he said, and Bibik replied: "Tak apa-apa, cuma dia kata: 'Nanti Bibik tolong suap adik makan ya!'" Not in his high-pitch-loud-voice, but so softly, in a very brotherly manner, in a very concerned way as if telling Bibik, please, please take good care of my little brother.

Knowing my eldest baby, he is very loving towards his younger brothers, always in a soft voice, almost a hush, consoling and comforting them when they cry ...and I would sometimes heard him telling the little ones: Hush..hush, jangan nangis, ibu ada, ibu ada.."

Oh Umar..

But wait till you see the other side of him...

Well, the other side of him, is totally ....opposite..you get the picture! heheh..

apa cerita mu?

It was worth it!
It has been what, 9 years, since we last met. My brother Yang and wife, Yang Gemma were warm people,as ever, always try their best to make you feel at home. And they did! In seconds!
M0nah is tall, taller than I am (not that I'm very tall, 1.54m ada la hehe!) and she's one smart lady, that's for sure!

We arrived in Champaign, a day later, after spending the night in the grocery store (shop) in Carbondale. We reached there after midnight and Yang Gemma who was supposedly be sleeping was woken up by our voices and got up and greeted us. The moment we saw her, both Eman and I were crying. One thing we noticed was that she was a lot better thatn we thought she was. Apart from the right arm which is a bit stiff, she manages everything gracefully and efficiently. The next morning, I started my duty as the cook/chef. I know that she likes our Malaysian cooking, well, all 3 love malay cookings, especially the spicy ones. So, I tried my bst to make cucur tepung ( spicy, with anchovies, dried shrimp, onion, fresh prawns, chillies), cekodok, and rendang, sambal tumis, cecah kicap, air asam with tomato ( to be eaten with ikan terubuk bakar. Yang runs an oriental grocery store, so I have all the ingredients I wanted. Whatever you want; from belacan ( shrimp paste), to serai, daun limau, kicap manis, durian, kimchee (no, i don't eat them!), etc. So, I guess I have no excuse not to cook!
I even left some of the recipes for Monah or Yang to try it out. Monah even told me that aftre we left, she prepared rendang ayam for her classmates during her creative class pot luck that they have early this week. Knowing how she's one American girl who eats rice with 'chili boh'.
Oohh.. I should have prepared sambal belacan (lots of it), so they can freeze it! ;-))

We didn;'t actually travel to places like theme parks, or some fancy tourist attractions spots. ( Well, we had our grand toiur in the previous visits, anyway). Apart from going to Chicago ( the Sears Tower from afar this time!) accompanying Yang to get his supply from the distributors in the suburban area, we mainly spent the time in the garden (backyard), or going to the local mall ( Wal-Mart included, ehhe) or Monah's school ( Uni High in Uni of Illinois area). I went to see a play staged by Monah's classmates in their school auditorium, and it was a very enjoyable one.

Emak was especially glad when she had the chance to help both Yang and Yang Gemma in their rose planting activities. They planted roses around the house, just like they did last year.
In the 5-acre land they are occupying, they made a point to have an orchard , up to 100 trees: apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries (yeay! love it), pears, but sadly, no grapes. But they promised to Emak that they will have grapes this time.
The apple trees have the young fruits and it will be ready to be eaten in fall. This is the 2nd time that the trees bear fruits, and the neighbours , relatives and Monah's schoolmates were the lucky ones to be invited to sample the fruits last season!

I am happy that everything goes well for Yang Gemma, especially when she ;s the one who's into gardening. No wonder she looks alright even with her history of strokes and breast cancer. I think her loves gardening, give her a spirit and determination to get up, and be there where she feel happiest. It;s a wonder that she manages to water the plants ( Yang will do the tanam and korek tanah and baja pokok-pokok itu), tend to the trees, pull out the weeds, trim the roses on her own. But as she always says " Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah".

Monah is at school from 8am-4pm. She 's in her final year in high school, and supposed to enrol in one of the Ivy League soon. Since she skipped one year, she has one extra year to be doing something else, and the parents are not rushing her to immediately starts her degree.
She's been busy with exams, and this June, she's scheduled to tour Europe, on an educational trip, Oxford and Cambridge included to have a look in some of their offered courses. Last january, she was also selected to represent her school to go to Washingt0n DC and meet the C0ngressmen, and see the g0verment-thingy-stuffs for real.
I guess,during her extra cuti, she could do with some Islamic educational class? I'll be asking around for classes in KL, if there's any. Requirenments would be with hostels, a few months durations, etc. I'm hoping there is one for her. Perkim, maybe?

Anyway, spending a week there helped us to feel re-united. I didn't talk about her cancer ( can't bring myself to ask her about it!), and didn't mention about why or how-could-you-forget-me, or i-didn't forget-u-but-i-just-couldn't..you know what I mean....

Not until when we were at the Lambert International Airport, St Louis, when I hugged her to say good-bye, we cried and she told me: "All this while when you didn't send me any news, when you just kept quiet, I was hurt" . So, she was..

I thank Allah for making this trip a reality, I thank my beloved husband for giving me this chance to do what I thought I had to do, and my children, of course, and million thanks to Yang, Yang Gemma and Monah for having us there and for making us feel right at home!
Also for giving us the opportunity to show you that we care, that we were sorry, that we love you..

apa mau ku..

I really want to write something..
I haven't had any entry since I last wrote from Champaign,IL. And I have sooo much to say.
About the trip itself, about us being there, about me and my daily traffic observations, about the decisions ( Yes,,I have made a decision, and the decision is..)

I'll write later..hopefully very soon..

from carbondale, Il, USA with love

This time, the trip is a lot better.
The way i remember it, it used to take a lot longer to reach LA , even from Narita airport.
This time, from KLIA, we flew via Taipei, and it omly took about 4 hours from KL to taipei. The next 11 and half hour was a pleasant flight from Taipei to LAX. It's only 5 hours afterward that we flew to St Louis by American Airlines, and we paid another USD 1123 for 2 round trip tickets, because according to them, our tickets are no longer valid, when the initial date was changed from 21st March to 5th May.
We ahve expected penalties, but to pay a full ticket price for both of us, (however expected) was not very nice. Huuuhuu.. .
Anyway, we arrived safely in the US, Yang saw us at the airport, and we drove back to his grocery store in Carbondale,Illinois (where Soutrhern Illinois Uni is), since he had to be in charge the next day. His 2 workers are taking the day off today. It took 3 hours to drive from the Lambert International Airport to Carbondale.
Tonight, we will be heading to Champaign, Illinois, after Yang closes his store.

At the store now, there's a PC, and internet connection. It's just great.
People are coming in and out of the store, people of different nationalities, races, and they bought breads, beans, tofu, sugar canes ( batang tebu!), brooms( penyapu gandum), sambal ikan bilis- anchovies fried with chilies?), guava, mangoesteen juice, pickled garlic, etc.
It'll be great to see Yang Gemma and Monah.

Oh yes. The first thing that I noticed when I first saw Yang, was : How old he look. he has some streaks of white hair. And I cam't stop crying when Emak said that : Kita sama-sama dah tua!

oh, i have to go. People at the cashier counter have started looking at this lady in tudung-clad, who is so busy at the PC typing...

see ya all in a week.

It's TODAY!

I'm so happy today. Well, I should. DH is coming back. Though I got his SMS that flight was 2-hour delayed, I can't stop calling his number, just to see whether he's actually arrived in KLIA.
There was no answer, guess, he'll arrive after 2pm, when the initifor our Tripal arrival was at 12.30pm.
I can't even sleep last night. I think I smiled in my sleep. hehe..
Tomorrow, we will be heading to JB, his hometown, and we're going to have aqiqah for Umar and Hafiz. It's going to be 4 goats altogether. Hoping to see some friends who live around JB, Kota Tinggi and Kluang area. I hope they can make it to our kenduri.
I would not be online, not until Thursday, maybe, because I'll be off on Monday.
Arrghh..that's not far from Saturday 5th May, kan? That's too short to prepare for our trip to the US! Tapi apa nak prepare pun? Nothing much except my clothes ( never wears abaya when travelling oversea, wonder if that's convenient?- I was always with jeans and long sleeved shirt/blouse).

Having said that, I'd better go. The news that I'll be having a 2-week vacation has spread around, so , now I'm finishing some works, in advance! snif, snif..

Last but not least " YEAAYYY!!!

real geologist in action..

How to be a Real Geologist

LESSON 1. ACT LIKE A REAL GEOLOGIST

Real Geologists...

• don't eat quiche. They don't even know what it is. Real geologists like raw meat and tonsil-killer chili.
  
• don't need rock hammers. They break samples off with their bare hands.
  
• don't sit in offices. Being indoors drives them crazy. If they'd wanted to sit in offices they'd have become geophysicists. ( orang sebelah i la tu, heeh)
  
• don't need geophysics. Geophysicists measure things nobody can see or feel, make up a whole lot of numbers about them, then drill in the wrong places.
  
• don't go to meetings, except to point at a map and say "DRILL HERE" and leave.
  don't work 9 to 5. If any real geologists are around at 9am it's because they're going to a meeting to tell the managers where to drill.
  
• don't like managers. Managers are a necessary evil, for dealing with bozos from Human Resources, beancounters from Accounting and other mental defectives.
  
• don't make exploration budgets. Nervous managers make exploration budgets. Only insecure mama's boys try to stay within exploration budgets. Real geologists ignore exploration budgets.
  
• don't use compasses. That smacks of geophysics. Real geologists always know exactly where they are, and the direction of the nearest place where food is available.
  
• don't make maps. Maps are for novices, the forgetful, managers and pansies who like to play with coloured pencils. A real geologist will only draw a map to show the ill-informed managers where to drill. ( whoops!)
  
• don't write reports. Bureaucrats write reports, and look what they're like.
  
• don't have joint venture partners. Partners are for wimpy bedwetters who are unable to think big.
  
• don't use computers. Computers are for geophysicists, other nerds and limp-wristed quiche eaters who can't think for themselves.
  

by J. Garter from Geolog v. 19, pt 4, Sept/Oct 1990.

* am i in trouble? gasp!

this shouldn't happen again..

Keluar dari ofis dah lambat. 6.30pm baru keluar dari KLCC basement parking. Sebenarnya awal jugak keluar dari ofis, tapi singgah di Maybank ATM at KLCC concourse, deposit kan duit to akaun travel agent, untuk bayar segala jenis re-issuance fees, penalties, airport taxes, untuk tiket Emak dan I.
Ikut Jln Taman Dagang, masuk MRR2, seperti biasa, kereta banyak, tapi smooth, dan laju. Samapi nursery Hafiz, seperti biasa tanya cikgu dia how was he, dia pooped tak hari tu ( this is a must question sebab hafiz selalu constipate), cikgu Hafiz asks how Umar is, whether kepala dia dah ok, etc. Keluar simpang tu, terus menderu , by default menuju ke SILK Highway. After about 1 .5 km from taska Hafiz, tiba-tiba telefon berbunyi:

Me: Hello?
Suara itu: Kak, kak kat mana ni?
Me: Sg Ramal. Siapa ni?
Suara itu: Akak tertinggal Umar kat sini!

SHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRREIIEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!
ALAMAK! ANAKKU! Camna la boleh tertinggal pulak!
Taska diaorang ni ‘bertemu-belakang’, tak connected, tapi cikgu Umar boleh nampak kalau kereta I lalu ambil Hafiz. jadi, dia peliklah bila I laju aje, tertinggal Umar kat taska dia yang belakang taska Hafiz tu.

Well, yesterday was the first day after 4 weeks, Umar tak ke taska. Because of his eczema, I purposedly let him stayed at home, thinking that it’s better that Bibik took care of him, what with 2 types of medicines, 3 time a day, plus the many creams and shampoo, that needed to be applied.
So, after 4 weeks of just sending and taking Hafiz from the Taska, I now forgot that Umar is back at school, and just followed my 4-week-routine.
Tu pasal boleh tertinggal anak sendiri. Ngeri jugak bila I fikirkan balik, kalau tertinggal kat tempat lain? Nauzubillah..
Umar, maafkan Ibu, ya!

bundle of joy..

Ura, my sister ( the puteri bongsu in the family), gave birth to Mohd Afiq Adham Shah bin Mohd Hazhar (2.97kg) on Friday, 20th April 2007. Afiq , I think, is my mom's 25th cucu, and Ura's first child. They were married 4th June 2006. Congratulations from Yong & Abang Zaki and anak-anak.
Just a month ago , my 6th elder brother was blessed with a baby girl, Nur Saidatul Amirah, which is like a copycat of her arwah sister, Nur Aisyah Ashikin who died of brain tumour on 14th Nov 2005. All of us who saw Amirah for the first time was so kaget with the striking resemblance of Syikin, and we held and touched her face, look at her every features, as if you had just found your lost valuables. We all blurted out the same thing: 'Serupa syikin lah!'. she was very much like Syikin, not when Syikin was a baby, but Syikin when she was 4 0r 5 years old. Holding and kissing Amirah, rindu kami terubat..

Oh yes, Afiq, welcome! We have been waiting for you! Umar , Hafiz and Lutfil will be delighted to see u, I'm sure. Nanti next week, InsyaAllah, kita datang melawat, ok?

6 days and counting...

I can't wait for 27th April 2007 ! It's been , what, 70 days? Two and a half months? 10 weeks ?
It seems okay, it looks like I can manage, everything is under control! I even get to the office early, reaching KLCC usually @7.25am, surface to the G floor @ 7.40am, if I am lucky, a few friends would already be in their office in one of the towers, and i could call and ask them to join me for breakfast. Sometimes, I do have my breakfast alone, though! With one book in hand, that's fine! Good friends and good books, both make good companions, kan?

Weekends are still full of activities. My grocery lists consists of milk powder and diapers on the very top, veggies and fruits for baby's porridge, then chicken/fish and veggies for the adults at home, mainly for bibik or my mom if she's staying with me. I also make sure i have some frozen kuih in the fridge, in case i have guests coming over for the weekends. We used to borong a lot from Iwani's dealer in our neighbourhood. Iwani is one of the frozen food manufacturer, and so far, their products are ok. Apart from the pau which I like best, I also love their swedish meatballs. A few weeks ago, I bought kuih cucur badak , a frozen one, of course, a product of company called Manis. They are very good, the dough is just right, but the insides/filling is just marvellous. It's rich with coconuts, udang kering, a bit moist, a bit hot, sweet and spicy, I would say, just how i like my cucur badak to be.

But you see, with the non-stop entertainments from my children, visits from relatives ( far n near), the best cucur badak -in town ( to me lah!), it can't beat the feeling having my DH around. The time when he's not around, is killing me! Well , yes, after the kuliah subuh on Ikim.Fm, I can always switch to SinarFM or Light N Easy ( dengan DH mana boleh, heheh), i even sing Umar's songs from the taska, but still I would prefer having him on the driver's seat, with me hmm..telling him to: 'give yourself an out; not too close to the car infront; don't overtake, yet!; that was close!; or just anything.
It feels sad not to be able to say anything or not having any conversation in the car, or at home.
We speak on the phone several times ( at least twice) a day, but that is different. I can't whine on the phone ( or can, I?), i cannot gossip too much on the phone ( it's more of me telling him what's, who's, where's , when's ..)- ye lah, dia call when i am in the office in the morning, mana sesuai!. In the afternoon/evening and after midnight (the main reason why I now blog after midnight), the phone conversation are about ourselves and the kids, and the next day activities, etc. tak sempat jugak gossipp, hehe
When I do my grocery, everytime I saw a family ( ada husband, the wife and the children, I feel..sad, hollow, terkilan, it just remind me that I miss him badly). Sometimes when I am with Umar, I feel sorry for him, when I saw other kids with their father. Even when I am at hospitals or clinics, I can't stand the sight of a complete family, if I see one. I pretend I didn't see them.
Err..is it jealousy? I think so. I envy those ladies whose husbands are by their sides, no matter where they are. Whether you are Sudan, or in NZ or Rawang, Tmn Dagang, Europe or Middle East, it is a blessing !

well, can't wait for him to be back! 6 days and counting..

the lighter side of earth science

Never lend a geologist money. They consider a million years ago to be recent!
--------------------------------------------------------
Talking to a group of primary school teachers about geology, and how to introduce it to the young. The inevitable discussion on dinosaurs...all kids are fascinated about dinosaurs.So I asked the teachers, if so many kids were interested in dinosaurs, why wouldn't be there more geologists...The answer...most kids grow up!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Mom and Dad Volcano:
What did the dad volcano say to the mom volcano?
Do you lava me like I lava you?
---------------------------------------------------------
Q: Why did the Apatosaurus devour the factory?
A: Because she was a plant eater!

Q: What did the dinosaur say when he saw the volcano explode?
A: What a lava-ly day!

Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
A: Because the chicken wasn't invented yet.

Q: Why didn't the T-rex skeleton attack the museum visitors?
A: Because she had no guts!

Q: What was T. rex's favorite number?
A: Eight! (ate)
----------------------------------------------------------

Have a nice day!

when he speaks..

Di rumah, semasa main dan gomol Lutfil ;
ibu: mmm..ensemlah lutfil ni kan. cantiklah rambut dia ada minyak, bau pun wangi, dah mandi, patutla hensem.

Caught Umar staring at both of us. (he was playing with Hafiz, lari keliling satu rumah). He stopped near me, and touched Lutfil’s cheek. So, I said:

ibu: Abang Umar ni pun hensem jugak. Dia pandai pakai baju sendiri, dia pun baru mandi, patutlah hensem kan ?

Umar (without hesitation) : haa, aa..dua-dua hensemkan, ibu ?

ibu: ye lah tu…( oh anakku!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At a hypermarket:

Umar: Umar nak beli coklat, nak beli gula-gula merah, hijau, purple ( the catepillar-shaped-jelly yang masam giler tu), nak beli mainan..kan ibu?

ibu: Umar nak beli banyak-banyak ni, Umar ada duit tak?

Umar: Umar tak ada duit. Ibu ada duit tak?

Ibu: Ibu ada duit sikit, nanti nak beli susu Umar, Hafiz, Lutfil, nak beli diaper Umar, adik-adik lagi, kalau beli gula-gula semua, mana cukup duit nak beli susu?

Umar: ooo..duit tak banyak ye, bu? Sikit ye , bu?
Kalau sikit tak payah, kan? Nanti tunggu banyak kan?

Ibu: Secretly grinning ear to ear, dlm hati, “nasib baik faham jugak konsep duit sikit, tak payah beli”. selamat..selamat..hehe

YEAY! All about Yin.

YEAY!! Yin had finally been found. Alhamdulillah. It was a great relief , not only to the parents and immediate relatives, but also to all Malaysians, I believe. The support that the couple received from strangers , I guess helped them to be strong, and it just showed how much we care about other citizens. The couple who had been keeping Yin with them have been detained by the police, but that's another story.

To parents of Amira , Nurul Iman , Seong Sheng , Siti , Nur Farah Ain , whom children are still missing, only Allah knows the pains that you are going through. May Allah bless you and your beloved children wherever they are.

Lutfil on the move!

Umar VS Hafiz

umar oh umar!

Starting Monday ( yesterday), my new routine (until this coming Saturday)is like this: Have both of them in the car. First drop Hafiz at the nursery,
Next, head for Az-Zahra, go to the paediatric ward at level 2, and get Umar ready for his jap. Well, at least the ‘line’ was prepared/inserted since last Sunday, and today is already his 3rd day of visiting the ward. The moment they prick the back of his palm, he cried, only after the paed was about to withdraw the needle, leaving the tube attach to the back of his palm. Pity him. As much as he wanted to hold himself from crying ( he was closing his eyes, lips tight, only muttered ‘eh, hh,hh) , he let out the cry finally. Mesti dah sakit sangat tu.
Even the paed said: eh, dah sudah cucuk baru menangis, ya”. Well, that’s Umar. He hardly complains of pain, even when his ankle was swollen from bugs bites ( our guess),
or when one of his fingers had a cut, or even now when the eczema got the better of him, and started becoming worse. It’s just now that the seborrhoeic eczema appears ( on his head), and since all the anti-biotic and topical creams didn’t work, we resort to the 7 days injection. InsyaAllah, things will get better, and hopefully he’ll be able to greet his Ayah with no itch :-) at all! As for now, his only complaint? ‘GATAL’!

laguku lagumu jua..

i love this song Umar picked up from his school.
It is even more entertaining with the right moves and co-ordination. It 's one of the songs that I make him sing or I sing in the car, too! I wish to make a video of Umar singing the song, but every time I tried, the video is too long, and I had to edit /cut some part, in order for it to be able to go through uTube..hmm nantilah, maybe one of these days!

here it goes:

'Mari, mari ke mari,
saya ingin membeli
apa di dalam raga
cuba tolong buka

'kuih koci, kuih koci, kuih koci,
nasi lemak, nasi lemak, nasi lemak,
goreng pisang, goreng pisang, goreng pisang,
pulut panggang, pulut panggang, pulut panggang,
kuih donut, kuih donut, kuih donut,
k a r i p a p!!

All the kuih come with their own body gesture/hand-signs, and you know he doesn't even know what pulut panggang is, be cause he pronounces it as 'purut patang' heheh..
So, I guess he means pulut panggang.

Another song is:

'Gajah hidung panjang,
kaki macam tiang,
Dua telinga lebar,
Telinga macam kipas,
Jalan bongok-bongkok
Gajah tidak malas,
Rajin tolak bonggol ( Umar insists that it's 'botol' instead of bonggol!)

bz as ever

One of the things i want to do right now, is to update my blogs, leave comments in the blogs I visited, update my flickr, read all 3 unfinished books that I have started reading since 2 weeks ago, but I just can't.
We had our 3rd r3vi3w yesterday, and instead of it being our final one, it seems like work, have already just begun. eaay..ingat dah tutup buku dah blok nih, kena dok tengok s3ismik ngan w3ll log balik ke..whoaa..nasib baik, I tak presented apa-apa, kalau tak nangis kena hentam! ehehe..

okay, gtg! what a relief that now i ikut jln Taman dagang tu, instead of the usual Jln Tun Razak, or jalan Ampang ke Grand Saga tu..org lain naik keta berdesap pergi, kita naik keta merangkak..hemm camna tu ya?

I heard..

Pheww..I am so glad I did not make it to the US this time, as originally planned.
Abang Pa called from Taipei and guess what?! The MH 94 flight to LA was delayed for 4 hours.
To think that the connecting flight to St. Louis is due in 3 hours after they landed in LA?! heee....ngerii.later found out that instead of the direct American Airlines 768 to St Louis, they were routed to Chicago, boarding at 10.40pm 21st March, touch down at 4.50am, then on board to St Louis at 6.50am, arrival at 8 am, 22nd March. Can't imagine if I'm on that flight, on and off, on and off, with emak, and Lutfil (9 month-old baby), aiiyoh..

bukan sekarang

The trip is postponed to May, when DH is back for his 20 off-days . Abang Pa and kak Jun, however are busy packing their stuffs for their trip tomorrow. Good Luck, you two! Just a little reminder: do not wear a belt unless you are willing to take it off, when you are asked to do so, wear a selipar jepun, they might ask you to take your shoes off (lagi senang, apa..), no liquids/gels, whatsoever, only bring clothes that you WILL wear, not you think you'll need to wear 'in-case' of anything happens..". Hmm remember the spanish prover: "On a long journey, even a straw weighs heavy"..how true! uhh..I hope I wil remember this when it's time for me and Emak bermusafir soon.

oh ya, i love the cartoons I posted above..

One of them reminds me of mama22beas, who's specialization is in karst geomorphology (limestone fm, gua batu kapur,etc), and who also is pregnant with her 4th child, after the 3 girls she had. This time, it's gonna be a boy! hmm..I have 3 boys, so when is the girl coming??!!

bittersweet and a bit sour..

yang and monah

yang gemma and monah

The last 2 days saw me in not quite a normal state of mind.
I have made my mind that ‘No’, I’m not going.
But my conversation with Emak last Sunday was something that I couldn’t just ignored or forget. I imagined if I was on the phone, talking to Yang, how would I feel hearing him crying at the other end, would I be able to say things that comforted him, or would I just keep quiet, or do I sob, too? I have heard from many people that taking care of sick people, people with citical illinesses, requires
patience, lots and lots of it. It wasn’t easy listening to Emak’s strory as what told by Yang to her. I can say I understand Yang Gemma and how she feels, but actually I didn’t. I do not know how painful it, is going through chemptheraphy, and later foound out that your body cannot stand it, and in the end, you need to take oral medication to replace it. How painful it is , not being able to stand on your own and be the strong woman, she was once ( she is still strong , ar very determined one, I know). She was once a popular and respected teacher, once made her name in the Who’s Who list in her field. Her figure may be small, but her dreams and her achievements were big. She quit teaching, and decided that she wanted to stay at home and taught her own daughter to master
the subject/world that she knows best: world of mathematics.
She became her daughter’s chaeffeur, driving her here and there, from soccer ( yes, her daughter plays soccer), to violin class, to karate class, to Russian language class, everywhere). I once accompanied my sister to a private clinic that was referrred to her by her student’s parents (both are also medical doctors).
The nurse was not very interested in seeing us, just gave my sister a brief glimpse, and then proceeded with the formal /standard questions, till she asked about who referred her there and so forth.
Upon hearing that she was once a lecturer, and now a private high school teacher at that particular school, I saw her expressions changed. I swear that her eyes brighten up, she looked down ( the nurse, is of of course tall, very, very tall, and my sister is very very small) on my sister, and as if she hadn’t seen her before, she again looked, but with a different perception, I guess. I think she was so impressed to learn that this tiny woman is the one that has been talked so much among the parents whose children won some mathematics quizzes at the national level. I was so proud of her.
When I was in uni, she would send me boxes of books (novels, encyclpedia) from US, and she would even write captions/descriptions for the photos she sent me. Also, she made me a subscriber to national Geography magazine, I miskin masa tu, mana ada duit rm100 nak subscribe, heheh..
She even renewed it for a year after that.
Well, of course, the 2 trips I made to the US previously was made possible by her. Oh, and all my decent clothes ( blouses, jeans, slacks, boots) were bought while I was there and it last until I graduated , I think.
if not because I gained some meat later on in life, I would have worn all the clothes till now, I guess..
I didn’t even realized that she had bought me all the branded stuffs, even I myself wouldn’t have bought for me, now. I mean, I would not spend rm400 on a pair of jeans, or USD125 on a pants from Liz Clairborne. So, if you see me wearing a levi, or Calvin Klein, Rockport boots, or T-shirts, or a Liz Clairborne, it’s not from my pocket money. All were sponsored!

I had the ‘best’est time of my life travelling across the US too. I didn’t study there, though some of my friends thought I did. I studied in the UM of KL.
The first trip was with my parents and younger sister and started from the West Coast, cross-country all the way from LA,Ca to Festus, Missouri. My parents got to the southern part, and then to Orlando in Miami, crossing the other states like South Dakota, etc. I didn’t get to see Mt. Rusmore, isk, isk.
I came back earlier cause it was time to register for the Asasi Sains Hayat in UM on late June 1992.

the 3 of us

The 2nd time I was there, n a special assignment. She was scheduled for operation to remove her fibroid, and not long after that, we travelled from the mid-west to the east part of the country. It was great to see the Appalachian mountain ranges in the Pennsylvania ( among other things like the Statue of Liberty, United nation, and yes, the World Trade Centre!).
I would also remember following my bother to St Louis and Chicago spices dealer, and bigger oriental outlets there, for supplies of ketchup, japanese tofu, noodles, all sorts of nuts/spices for the indians, bermacam breads for the middle-eastern, even belacan, jalapeno, instant noodles, milo(from Thailand), even Hindi and Korean movie video tapes ( zaman tu tak famous lagi vcd nih..). It was back in 1996.
it was fun, but it was also an eye-opening experience. I knew then that it wasn’t easy for my brother making money. There he was using all his kudrat, lifting all sorts of things, smelling like spices plus belacan, all alone, driving his pick up truck to his grocery store which is like 3-hour drive from their home almost everyday. He has one or two assistants in the shops, they are only part timer. He had been cheated before , by people who also came from the nusantara, where this lady’s husband used her key to ‘break-in ‘ and stole the money. She knew but didn’t do anything. The husband then later caught by the police.

I once heard my brother told someone we met at a shop in Chicago:” My brothers are smartly dressed and they work from 8-5pm. And here I am, working like a dog”. I pity him. He has a degree in accountancy ( he studied in the US, that’s why he was there in the first place), and later did his MBA . It’s just that the economy was so bad in 1997 and he made a choice to stay in the US, and runs a grocery store. I just knew that eventhough it’s not easy for him, at least that ‘s what he wanted to do, and he is satisfied with his little store.

errkk..this is my longest post, yikess..i don’t even think I have the time to edit, so I’m just going to post this..