Friday, October 31, 2008

So bad


Been a bad 24 hrs for me. Firstly, I scored only a 51 for my TMAs, that got me really upset. But the one that really got me was the fact that my Melayu is so bad, I can't even complete a K2 assignement for Adam. Sigh...

So for today, I've sent Su to school at 7,00am. After which I bathed and read the newspaper till 9am. Had breakfast with Adam. And now I'm coaching him in his Malay revision. But not after I went to Jalan Kayu to buy eggs. $5 for 30 eggs. Not bad, quite big.
Not being a good tutor though, Adam just said he is hungry. Sigh...
I think we are having nasi lemak today.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Swelling



Body has started swelling again and I don't mean I'm getting fat. The meats and the proteins during the Hari Raya feasting must have crystallised themselves again. Sigh. Now it hurts at my left hips, the sole of my left feet.
Went to JB today. Brought mum along. She said that her radio sessions are almost done. I hope the cancer gone. She is such a fighter. I mean, she can't eat, she can't pissed and yet she walks faster than me to take a look at the buffet line. We went to Jalan Padi Emas today to service dad's car. It's near, in fact, next to angsana shopping center in JB. While waiting for the car to be serviced, we had lunch at Osman's restaurant. Wished I had taken some pics. I had mee goreng (very nice), and my mom had beef murtabak (which she took only a bite of) and a bowl of chicken soup. She then pack some rice and dishes for dad. Cost us RM21 for a meal for four. It took about 45 minutes for the car to be serviced. I had the engine oil, the oil filter, the spark plugs and one of the tyres air valve replaced. Cost RM35. Of course, I brought my own oil filter, engine oil, and spark plugs. I usually buy my oil here. But this time, dad chose Mobil 1 5w-30. I'd personally would choose a 0w-20 oil but then. He got it for $13.50 per quart so that means about $54. I'd go for amsoil. Then we went to angsana and it was here that I regret not bringing my cam. The salesgirl at the kuih bahulu outlet has this pair of huge, er slippers (yeah slippers). And she wore the er slippers covers so tight... Oh well. As for me, I bought for Su a tub of bahulu, 10 tabs of declofenac (painkillers), 50 tabs of colchicine (gout medicine) and refresh eyedrops for Su. Smooth driving to the immigration, as usual. Only we were stuck at Singapore customs. As usual. Reached home 2.20 pm. Just enough time for dad to take over the car to send mom for another radiotherapy sessions. As for me, I went up to my parents place and played Total annihilation...again.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

SOTA music faculty christmas concert.





Just came back from a concert in SOTA (school of the arts). Its the music faculty christmas concert. One of the piece that they played was the same one in one of Mr Bean's episode. Anyway, the head of the faculty is Dr Joyce Koh. Google her name to find out more.

Love the event. The concert was special for me because of the seating arrangements. Fellow pupils and members of the audience was encouraged to bring their own cushion and sat on the floor. This allow the audience to be real close to the musicians. The musicians, students of the school and some from Singapore Youth Orch, played instruments not native to them. For example, the double bass players are specialising in Chinese musical instruments and the pianist were made to be percussionists. I thought it was cool.

The Principal instead of being seated together with the VIPs sat on a plastic chair together with the audience. Come to think about this, there was no special seating arrangements. Either you sat on the floor, or the plastic chairs or you stood. No class distinction there! The VP because of the lack of space, stood for that hour of performance.

It may not be much, but it symbolised how credit is given where credit is due, at least to me. The credit should be given to the musicians, and those involved in the making of the concert.

The second half saw me within half a meter away from the performace. The music, the noise from those instruments as the notes gel together in harmony seeped into me with an explosive sensation. It was living in a higher plane. I'm so glad I'm given this opportunity to experience this.

Walk-walk








Had a hari raya walk-walk yesterday. It practically blew my mind. Laughed so hard, had problems going to that night. Started at 12nn and I reached home around 10pm. 8 houses. It was really fun. We were really ourselves that day and even the kids chum along nicely. Hope we would do it again.
The day before, had my neighbours in for Hari Raya lunch. That was great too. But not all came, only 4 families. In the evening, had a sort of mini reunion with my nie buds. Have not seen all of them for over 12 years. Met on facebook and I volunteered my place for the meet up. We had roti jala, rendang pinang, tahu telur and a friend brought beef stiks, another bought pizzas and another brought snacks for the kids. Started at 7pm and they left my place around 10-11pm.
Hari Raya sure was a late bloomer for me this year. Was kind of depressed in the beginning and ending as this year, HR was during the exam period. But what an ending. And the food, oh man, the food. I had subsuka, tulang, samosas, gado-gado, lontong goreng, fried kway teow, and not to forget the kuihs and the nuts...oh....the gajus...kacang jawa...oh...
Now I'm just wating for my ankle to swell again.
Met new additions, like dahlila, and the other kids... and oh well, it was such a swell ending, And to top it off, its my exam today, and I am going to die!!!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Woman murdered.

From the sunday times today.
Malaysian woman murdered in Little India. Seriously in Singapore? People would not believe it but yeah, it happened and many other ghastly JB-like crimes are being committed here. We, the so arrogant lot, who thinks that our northern neighbours are more barbarian than us would best reset our minds. With in the influx of foreign workers, whatever the colour of their languages, its best to have a more open mind that crap happenes, where it may be.
Could not find the link online. Will scan the article later.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

19%

I've only got 19% of batt juice left in my laptop, so I do not know how long I got. Woke up at 8 in the morning today. Adam and Su already changed into their swimming attire. I then remembered that it was moi big mouth to suggest swimming on Saturday morning. In the end managed to coax them to go Pasir Ris park and cycle. So there we were having breakfast when my neighbour S and her son L came down and asked whether Adam would like to play some basketball. I suggested Pasir Ris park instead.
So off we went, to Pasir Ris park car park C. 3 adults, 2 kids and 2 bicycles.
There is a stable there and Adam and L fed the ponies. After that we made our way to the playground. Of course, its now we, its them, I had to double back and get the car and then drive the car to car park E. Adam cried foul saying that it's not fair I can use the car while he had to pedal: "Not FAIR!" Reached back home around 11 am and got Adam for whizz club class at 12.00nn.
Risa did a good job in managing the kitchen today as we had some important guest coming in at 2.30pm. They actually came at 4.00pm though but the food was ready. She is now cutting up chicken to prepare for tomorrow. Several groups of important guests coming.
It's 9% now.
See you guys again.
Picture is crappy as it was taken by my mobile phone.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

10 minutes

Just spent some quality time with wifey. She was surfing the net and we saw the zoo site. Not bad leh. They have interesting programs coming for this Dec hols. The link is here. . Adam bathed and then our quality time ended.
Anyway, for that ten minutes, I managed to whip up several slices of toasted garlic bread using home made garlic spread.
It was fun while it lasted, well not exactly fun, she said I smell. It's nice to hear she saying that. I mean we must be really closed for her to smell me... Anyway she smell nice.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Breakfast.

Wow! A good start today. Actually, the "good" started yesterday!
Started with going to sleep at the balcony with wife and Adam. Woke up at 12 mn and went back into my room. Wife did not wake up so I had the whole bed to myself.
Chest did not hurt that much so I did have a better night's sleep.
Woken up by my wife at 7.00am...oh so gently...
Re-woken up by Adam, at 7.10am with a toy car in my mouth...oh so ....
Send wifey to school.
Brought Adam to Jalan Kayu to buy eggs...30 eggs for $5. (big though they are)
Came back home, feeling very good.
Bathed and then chased naked Adam into the bathroom...
Watched T.V for ten minutes.
Cooked breakfast!
2 eggs scrambled with onions and sliced cherry tomatoes.
3 slices of toasted multi grain bread smeared oh so lightly with grape jam...
Coffee sweetened oh, so delicately with unrefined brown sugar.
Took me only 10 minutes, less than that actually if I could have walked faster.
Adam had half boiled eggs...he set the table.
What a wonderful day!

Monday, October 06, 2008

Kampung Raya.

The plan was, 5 of the cars would go the Gelang Patah R and R and wait for the other two cars. The brainchild of my father, who is phobic of traffic jams.
So 5 cars were at the R and R area at 8.00 while the other 2, mine and my aunt met them at 9.00. There was no jam...
The plan was to hit straight to Malacca and visit my grand aunt. After that we would drive back southwards to Kahang, where we would visit another of my grand aunt. That was the plan.
What happened was, 7 cars went to Malacca. After saying our good byes, 6 cars drove Southwards back to Pagoh R and R while another headed towards K.L.

Oh by the way, if you drove towards K.L, and you do stop over at Machap, the Cafe sells good toast.

There were 7 cars, all except one were driven by experience drivers. That 1 car was driven by my cousin who happened to have just passed his licensed for about a month and has just gotten his car.

Anyway, what usually happened is, all cars would stop immediately after the toll gates and regroup. But somehow that did not happen that day.
After visiting Malacca, and passing through the toll gates, only 3 or four cars stopped. The fifth car, drove without stopping and we gamely followed, without realising that my cousin has not cleared the gates. I would think that he went towards K.L instead of JB. We only realised that he was not with us about ten minutes into the drive.
We then started to panicked and like all cheap thriller movies, it started to rain. The police too came. It was very drama. And then, we realised that my aunt's car windshield wiper came loose. As such, she can't operate the wiper. So we try and we try to solve this new problem while the current problem is giving us more problems.
My father, then give instructions to head towards Pagoh where we will wait for my cousing to arrive.

This all happened at Ayer Keroh exit. If you head towards K.L, the next exit where you could make a u-turn would be at Alor Gajah.

Once we reached Pagoh, news came that my cousin has passed Alor Gajah and now is about 30 minutes to K.L. When asked why he did not turn out from the highway, the answer was, they did not see any exit. From here, we could sense that panicked has started to set in in that car. We waited for about an hour at Pagoh, and we received word that he made the U-Turn at Seremban.

Oh boy. More drama coming up.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Hari Raya

Its Hari Raya Eid today. So to all who knows me, I wish you guys the best of Eid, and in the spirit of Eid, I forgive you all...and ask the same of you.

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Dzahir Batin.