Christmas 2011

Just got back from the cottage, after a long 2 hours drive ...which was thankfully congestion-free ...feeling really tired, after spending the whole Christmas holidays and some at the cottage ...being back in Kuching is like coming back to reality ...that next Tuesday I am BACK AT WORK .....arghhhhhhhh

But, tuesday is 3 days away, so I still have time to relax ....still enjoying the Christmas mood ...

some highlights of Christmas 2011 for our family:

Unfortunately, I did not snap the whole tree ....

Our tree was decorated by my nephew, Al ...it was a bit loopsided and most of the ornaments were at the bottom half of the tree ...due to his height! Dad helped him with the lightings and his daddy helped him with the Star of David and the sparkly ropey thingy ...

Al trying to figure out the hymn book 

We had a group of carrolers from Siol Kandis at our place on 20th Dec. Al had fun singing along with them ..my uncle, who is a priest, led the team ...and they have been coming to our house since 4 christmases ago ...

a simple food spread for the carrollers ...as token of our appreciation

Al is thinking that if he stayed there long enough, one of the abangs will let him play the guitar!

22nd Dec - a visit to winter wonderland
We went to Dom's workplace as they were having this winter wonderland display ...they even have a snow machine! We were excited ...unfortunately, the machine was broken on the day we visit the winter wonderland :-(

adik, nenek and aki in front of the huge tree

But that did not deter adik from enjoying himself ...he explored the area happily ...but he was not happy to see Santa Claus ....his daddy wanted adik to take photo with Santa but he absolutely refused to do so LOL ..he is scared of the beard ...

24th Dec - we made an exodus back to the cottage ...for a quiet family celebration. The plan was to have a Christmas BBQ  on Christmas Day ...with my cousins ...they are the ones who are responsible to help dad with the gardening, planting and looking after our orchard, ponds and cottage ....

Before that, we put our presents underneath a tiny tiny christmas tree given to me by my colleagues when I was in Newcastle - for our section's desk competition) .......the boys unwrapped their presents early on Christmas day ...too much noise, especially Al's who shrieked out loud seeing his presents ...Adik was not bothered at first but soon became very involved with unwrapping his presents ...

present from Daddy ...Thomas & Friends Top Loader  ...the boys were mesmerised by this toy! They would stay put for hours playing with this toy :-)

The boys left for Kuching on 27th and are now in Betong to celebrate New Year with the other grandmother ....

It's december ALREADY!!!

Time does fly rather quickly ...very cliche but very true ...it is now the second week of December ..before long it will be Christmas ..and a week later it will be the New Year ....it is always that time of the year when I'll be asking myself (i) where did the time go?; (ii) what have i done this year; (iii) what is my plan for next year ...

Well, i guess I have been very busy this year ...both in my work and the personal front. Let see, what i have done:

(i) Holidays & mini breaks

Ciater Hot Spring, Bandung (January 2011)

Well, I did a fair bit of traveling in 2011 ..I started with a mini holiday to Jakarta and Bandung with Kiky and Tijot, which was really great - but when I come to think of it, it seems like years ago ...then I had my family holiday to Sabah - also an awesome adventure, tiring but great fun! Then comes the unexpected trip to Kuantan to visit my best buddies ...in between we had a family beach retreat at Sematan ...and here, there and everywhere weekend trips ....family bonding time!



(ii) Work related travel

My WOW trip was the Shanghai trip ...awesome, seeing a country that is very much contradictory in nature ...a very modern city with its traditional values very much intertwined ...a city of contrast ...and my usual Penang trip for conference ...as well as other research trips to various areas in Sarawak ...

(iii) PhD thingy

At long last, I am ready (both mentally and physically) to do my PhD ..so, this year was busy with proposal writing, applications and so on ....obstacles emerged, solutions and alternatives to be considered and so on ...still yet to be finalized ...fingers crossed, I'll know the outcome early in 2012 ...

(iv) financial planning (I hate this!!!!)

I managed to refrain from shopping and put up some $$$ into my future ..hahahaha when I say refrain - it does not mean all the time ....but, I am proud to say that I did refrain from excessive shopping and put a bit for my future ....enough said, it will make me want to go to the shop and BUY BUY BUY ...

(v) new office

Yes, finally moving to our permanent campus ...got a nice room with nice neighbours ..this was my 3rd move since joining the university ..and this is the last move (I'm told that even when I am going away for my PhD, the room will still be mine - waiting for me to come back!) ...


Now that I have it listed, it doesnt seem much! But I like my dad's motto in life ...it is not about the numbers, it is about quality ...if you are happy that is all that matters ....if people asked me if I am happy with what I did in 2011, i guess I am happy with it ...with how things turned out ...

Things to look forward to in 2012:

a new life as a student?
more holidays to far-away places?
more $$$ to spend?
quality time with friends and family - DEFINITELY!!!


There you go folks ....always be happy in life ...and be thankful for what you have ...

Photo taking Bolt-style

Bolt has been one of the boys' fav movies ...we have seen the movie for hundreds of times, to the point that my mom can recite the dialogues in the movie ...yup, we are fanatical about Bolt - the superdog ....When adik is throwing a tantrum, a sure way to mitigate his anger is by putting Bolt's DVD and play it for him ...will calm him down and he will be distracted by the movie ....

One of the thing that they imitate most is the way Penny (Bolt's person) and Bolt take their own picture ....here's are some examples of our pictures - Bolt's style :-)

hehehehehe ....

Wordless posting

Yummy lunch dish ...one of my fav food

A hurdle passed, 2-3 more to go ...

The thought of becoming a student again is lingering in my mind ...this has been going on for the last few years..when i joinned a univeristy as its member of academic staff, I knew that I would have to do my PhD sooner o later ...it is very obvious ...nonetheless, I have been postponing the inevitable for a while now ....my reasoning was that I was not ready - mentally, emotionally, physically and financially ...the later refers to my ability to finance myself for trips to visit family back home :-) ...see, I have yet to go, but am anticipating some level of home-sickness ....been there before, so i know what i am talking about ....

anyway, i made a few progress in the past 3 months ....i finally accepted the fact that I am ready to go ...ready to face the daunting prospect of doing a doctoral research study ....of being away from my comfort zone ...from my family and my adorable little monkeys .....accepting and knowing that I am ready to go is a huge deal ....i was not willing to go if i am not ready ...coz once you are there at the start of your study, there will be no turning back ...it comes with a huge responsibilities ...to finish PhD in the time allocated to you ...a tough feat to accomplish ...i knew a few people who did not achieve this ..and how this affect them personally and professionally ....and, dear God, please make me a strong person, with grit and determination to pursue my goals ....

another accomplishment was that I managed to discuss my proposal with prospective supervisor face to face ...it was by sheer luck that they (three of them) were visiting Sarawak ...and make a point to meet me ...the outcome was positive - wont go into details here - and another good news, is that i will be posting my full package application tomorrow ...i finally got everything in order ...signed and certified the necessary papers ...fill in the required forms ....wrote necessary paper, statements etc ....one thing was missing ...I seemed to have misplaced my academic certs ....i have been looking high and low for them but to no avail ....so, my challenge this weekend is to turn my house upside down looking for those elusive papers!

So, i'll be waiting for the results with fingers crossed in the next few months ....this is only the first round ..i'll have to go through another 2-3 rounds before I know for sure whether I am successful or not ...Dear God, please please hear my prayers ....

Wordless Thursday: My cheeky nephew @Kundasang Memorial Park

All Souls Day

It is All Souls Day today ...
it always falls on 2nd Nov ...
a day when we remembered our dearly departed ...

I am sad to see how sad my mum was today ...
she is remembering her own loss
her parents, grandparents, brother and relatives who have passed away ....
their graves are far away in our village ...
and it means that we are not able to visit the graves ...

As for myself I am remembering my grandparents, my aunties and uncles, cousins and so on
people who have left this world
but still remembered by us


we may not have visited their graves as often as we should
but we do try, especially during festival
but i hope they understand
that deep down in our heart
they are always remembered!

my late paternal grandmother

my late paternal grandfather ...Al is named after him

May God bless their souls ....

How to make a child take his medication?

I am so bored right now. Everyone is asleep ...i am still up as i had had a long nap this afternoon ...adik is coughing ...i can hear him coughing ....mum and i had given him his cough syrup just now ....guessbthe medicine takes time to do what it is supposed to do ....

Do you find it hard to give medicines to kids? With their wriggling? With their cries? Well, Al is worst ...we always have problem giving him any medication since he was a little tot ...when he has fever and the temperature shosot up, we always resort to rectal paracetemol ...anything other than oral medicines for him ....but adik is a bit different ...he is ok with paracetemol syrup, especially the cherry flavoured one ....my mum just show him the bottle and he would willingly take the medicine ...but he is not fond of antibiotics ...and his cough syrup ....now that he is a big boy, we i.e. Mum and i found it harder to get him to take his meds ...one person has to distract him and hold his hands, while the other feed him the meds ...

My dad and my brother are only watching or giving us instruction ...the reason is that they are unwilling to become the bad guy ...the one who force the kiddos to take the meds ....Jane, is also the same ...but during emergencies, she would help mum with the meds ....so, the bad guys are always me and mum ....

I remembered when we were little, i am one of those person who hate to take my meds ...i still do! But coz i was such a skinny kid (hard to believe ehhh) i was advised to take vitamins ....so, my dad would put the vitamin inside a banana ...and my brother and i would eat our banana not knowing that the bananas were spiked with vitamins ...lol ....tried itvwith Al ...he absolutely refused to eat his banana coz he saw my dad put "something" in the banana ...hehehehehe we also tried diluting the cough syrup or paracetemol syrup in his formula ...in cirdial drinks ...but he still knows and thus refusing to take it ....

It is funny now but in desperate times we really are at the loss as to how to get him taking his meds ...any idea anyone?

the many faces of Tasha & Aariz

I spent a very short weekend with my dear friends a few weeks ago ....i have not met them in a year ..the last time I saw them, Liz was heavily pregnant, whilst we were not even aware of Fida's pregnancy ...so this time round I get to met the two new additions to our "clan" for the very first time ...

photo from Liz's camera: with Aariz before he goes bald :-)

Encouraging Al to write

Al is going to start school next year ...the parents are going to enrol him in a kindy soon ...he is quite intelligent, but has really low attention span ...he is quick to remember things but lack the inclination to follow things through ....and, me being me, decided that he should do some sort of exercises daily to familiarise him with preschool ....

A couple of month ago, we bought him a huge placard of alphabet complete with illustration ...he is able to memorise from A to I the moment .....The common scenario at home, someone would say A for ....and he'll answer A for Apple .....B for Balloon ...C for cat ....D for Doll ...and so on ...we are so proud of him ....Other than that he recognised a few alphabets here and there ...like P for Penguin ...and everytime he sees a U-turn sign by the roadside, he'll say, look there is an upsidedown U (u dah accident kata nya!) ...and my dad purposely went to a supermarket and bought a couple of apples ...just to show Al that the apple is the same as the one on his placard ....the length that he is willing to go to teach his grandkid is amazing ....it is just the same as what we went through during our childhoods ...my dad would do something like that ...and it makes us remember things better ....now he is doing it with the kids ...the legacy lives on ...yeahhhhh

Last week i started to encourage him to write ...my problem is to motivate him to write ...he is very restless and hyperactive ...very difficult to make him sit down and concentrate on writing ...imagine, for one whole week i only managed to get him to write the letter A ...he exhibits lack of self confidence when i asked him to write on his own, but was more confident when i am there to guide his hands through the lettering ...today we started on the letter B ...same scenario ...he would give up after a couple of tries ...if i force him, he would not be doing it wholeheartedly ...so i try not to force him ....i will stop when he shows signs of frustratiin ...when he is getting restless ....

But motivation is the name of the game....he is so into iPad, laptop and smart phones ....always requested that i let him use my iPad, my lappy or my phone ....now, i would tell him that he can use these things AFTER, and ONLY AFTER, he had done some writing ...or reading or drawing .....i make it as a reward for him ...so far, it is working!!! He did a couple of scribble earlier, and i let him use the laptop ...when he did a few more writing willingly, i upgraded by letting him use the iPad ....he is happy, i am happy, the rest of th family are happy with the progress ...

Still a lot of things to be done ...a lot of challenges, i would say ...i just hope i am doing th right things ...not pressuring him, but more like encouraging him ...

Appreciating your love ones

It is already halfway in october ...we are already two third into 2011 ...time seems to fly super duper fast ...lots of things that i should have done are yet to be done ...lots of unexpected things happenned ....one of the unexpected is my dad's health ...he seems to be having problem since june this year ...first it was his postural hypotension ...the ambulance ride to hospital, followed by a rather frequent illness ....in fact today, it just hit me...he seems very frail ....in my mind, he is always the healthy one ....i only recalled the only time my dad was admitted to hospital was when i was either in kindy or primary one ....an aeon ago ...i vaguely recalling us visiting him at the hospital....nowadays, particularly the last 3 months, i have been sending him for various check ups nearly every other week ....

Then one of my colleagues, who recently lost her dad to dementia, advised me to put family first ....and to drop everything at work, to take leave and so on so that i can send my dad for check ups ...she said that work can always wait, our parents can't wait ...appreciate them while they are still here ...i take that advice to heart ...i know last year i had been very busy at work ...i often worked late, brought work home and what not ...but nowadays, i have cut down my late evening workings, and brought work home instead ....i spent more ime with my parents ....i just hope that they are listening to me when i want to send them for check ups ...it is frustrating at times as my dad can be very difficult ...we, i.e. my brother and i had to twist his hands in order to get him to hospitals ...

It struck me that both my parents are not as healthy as they used to be ...and it saddens me ...

A lost pirate

One of Al and Adik's fav show is Jake and the Neverland Pirate ...so, it is not surprising when he started humming the theme song of the show ...and started to act scenes from the show ...he usually tied a handkerchief around his head, so that one end would cover his eyes ...and one day, my dad decided to make Al an eye patch ...hahahah with a cut round paper, tied up with rubberbands .....

Al was very excited ...over the moon in fact with his eye patch ...and he uses the cowboy hat we bought in Sabah as a pirate hat .....

very little to keep him happy ...all it takes is just some creativity!

Expensive fares ...not everyone can fly

Last Wednesday a good friend of mine sent a text message inviting me to a kenduri. Liz, my dearest friend, is going to celebrate her sons' birthday as well as a kenduri for her youngest son ... I really really wanted to come and visit her ...in fact i promised her that i would be visiting her in Kuantan this year ...a promise made early this year when Aariz was born ...so, by friday morning (after i got her text message) i decided to check out the flights to Kuantan ...lo and behold, the cheapest quotes that i got was RM 1,300 ....using MAS ...as there is no Airasia flights that serve the Kuala Lumour -Kuantan sector ....felt like crying ...was so looking forward to meeting her ....it is nearly a year since we last saw each other ...the last time we met was last Nov, when she was heavily pregnant with Aariz ...

This brings me to this issue that has been bugging me for a very long time. I am very disappointed with the Malaysian air transportation nowadays ...there was a time where all fares under MAS was fixed ....and you know what price you are supposed to pay ...but because of profit, they (under Idris Jala) started to emulate Airasia ...you book early, you pay less ...you book late or last minute you pay more ...this is a disgrace coz this practice is actually victimizing those people who are facing emergency situations ...those who have an urgent, unexpected businness that require them to use the air transport ....my dad was complaining about this all the time ....orang susah jadi lebih susah sebab tambang mahal ...if you have alternative mode of transport, then it wont matter much ...but if you are in semenanjung and have to go back home to Sarawak or Sabah for family emergencies ...or in situations involving life and death ...you wont have much choice ...unless you have a boat or sampan handy ...and that alone take days ...an utterly impossible feat ....

So, people turn to Airasia ...Yes, it is cheaper comparatively... But with all the add-ons that one has to pay ...the price is also rather steep ...it is ok if you are earning 6k a month ...but those people with limited disposable income and saving really dont have any choice ....i really thought that the old pricing was great ...but as younall know ...money and profit rule!!!!! by the way, do you guys know that Airasia is now having this RM10 fee if you are checking in at their counter??? this is because they are encouraging people to check in online ....again, those without access to internet or smartphones are the victims ....but do they care???

How can airline serves the public better? Merging airasia and MAS services? Dont think that is the solution ....Let's stop and think about this for a moment ....

Liz, my promise is still a promise ...i will visit you in Kuantan ....just have to find a cheaper ticket ....have a great kenduri ....

another week goes by ...

Yes, another week goes by rather quickly ...i have been extremely busy this week ...and it is also a short working week for me. I have already applied for a day off for friday, which the Dean had approved, and that means i only have tomorrow left as my working day this week **** am so happy :-)

well, the reason for that day off was because I had to go back to the village ...the whole family is going ...we are having a memorial service for my late cousin. He was 2 years older than me, and he died 2 years ago ...something related to organ failure ...my dad wants us to be there,  not just to show our face at the service but also to lend a helping hand ....since it will be in the village, there will be lots of tasks to be done ...

Me, on the other hand, is expected to help mum with the kids ...and knowing my little nephews, they will be a handful ......so we are expecting a busy weekend ...with lots of catching up to do with relatives ...

yes, we will be bringing the laptop, the iPad, the DVD players etc to keep these little darlings entertained :-)

Enjoy your weekend guys!!!

Headaches ...

I just had an awful week ....i had a really bad headache this whole week ..the pain was unbearable that I had to swallow painkillers at a frequent rate ...and locking my office door so that I can doze off for a few minutes in between appointments ....the last time i had this kind of pain was when I was under severe pressure workwise ...when I dont have enough sleep ....well, thinking back ...i had not have more than 6 hours sleep for at least 3 weeks ....i had to stay up to do some work and reports ...and i had this "dateline" that is approaching fast ...i just hate to be in this position ...and sometimes I just feel so stress out ...hence, the headaches!!!

Today, i went to the saloon with my mum ..she wanted to get a haircut ..and while I was there I decided to get a head massage and hair treatment ....the fruity yogurt treatment and steaming always makes me feel better ...and today was no different ...i feel much much better ....i didn't have to take any medication today :-)

looking forward to a relaxing Sunday ...

Airell's birthday

Today is Airell's 3rd birthday ......my little boy is a year older ....i still remembered how tiny he was when i first saw him 3 years ago ....and how i was struggling to take care of him when he first stayed with us in Kuching ...tomorrow I will be bringing him to the clinic for his check up ...oooowwwwhhh my boy has grown!

mischievious look ...my cheeky little monkey

mama's boy

the first time I held him ...and at the same time taking the photos (no wonder it is blurry!)

Airell, Happy Birthday my little munchkin ...mama loves you ...hope you'll grow up to be a responsible man, destined for greater things ....

Shanghai: The Old and the New

I went to Shanghai for a conference a few weeks ago ...the trip was an eye opener ...my first trip to China ...and I am hoping it wont be my last ....i found that Shanghai is very modern ...with tall, modern buildings ..and at the same time, it retains its old, traditional elements ....a city of contrast ...

Some photos which I took during my trip ...more posting on my trip in Shanghai will be available in the other blog...

view of the Financial district in Pudong from the Bund ...awesome view! A testimony of how Shanghai has developed over the years!

view of the Bund ... one of the top attraction in Shanghai

shopping area with traditionally designed buildings ....Renmin Road near YuYuan Garden

the impact of globalization ...Starbucks ...

one of the building inside YuYuan Garden

Kinabalu Pine Resort

the wonderful scenery at Kinabalu Pines Resort .....the lovely flowers ...the nicely done landscape ...the pine trees ...the chalet ...all in all a very captivating place ....especailly if you just want to unwind, escape from the stress ...

Booking is easy...i went to their website and just made an inquiry ...they responded very quickly ..i paid in advance so by the time we arrived, it was just a matter of checking in  ....very hassle free ...i asked for rooms that are next to each other as they dont have any connecting rooms ...and all of the chalet here comprises of two individual rooms, sharing a large balcony ....they have different chalet with different price ...the most expensive is, of course, those rooms (superior deluxe) with unobstructed view of Mount Kinabalu ...which is Block S and N ...the features and size are the same with the the other deluxe rooms but these two blocks are located at the crest of that resort ...there are other rooms which are cheaper: standard room and superior standard ...

i made a package reservation, which include breakfast and dinner for two persons per room. Since there were 6 adults and 2 toddlers in our group (a nice way to describe my family), the other two persons just paid for the meal separately. If i am not mistaken it was RM13 per person for breakfast - the selection was standard - some local malaysian dishes like fried noodles, porridge etc ...and western breakfast of toast etc .... As for the dinner there were two options - the set meal (where the menu have already been fixed) or pay an extra M10 per person to upgrade it into a steamboat dinner ...we tried both ...it was good :-)


We chose the set dinner for or first night there ....there were for courses (3 main course + soup) ...we wanted to order more in case it was not enough but the staffs assured us that it would be enough for 6 person, the other two just need to add rice ...we did just that ...yes, the meal was ok ...but the portion was sufficient for all of us ...my only suggestion is that you can always choose to add other order if you don't like the set me :-)

as for the steamboat ..there were plenty of stuff! We were thinking of adding ala carte dishes in case there were not much option ...but upon seeing the spread, we changed our mind ...in fact it was too much! the vegetables were plenty ...and fresh!  I love the vege here ...

a nice way to warm up on a chilly night! but their al-carte is also not bad ...we tried a few dishes on the first day of arrival as some of us missed lunch on that day!

Photo entry: Food ...fabulous food ....

all taken during my last trip to Penang ...it was awesome .....am looking for another opportunity to go to Penang, and its fabulous food ...LOL ....

pasembor - my must-have when in Penang

laksa Penang ...this is from a buffet table at the hotel ...the street version is more paced with spices and herbs

roasted chestnut near Chowrasta Market....eat it while it is hot :-)

char kue teow ...this one was from Tanjung Bungah Food Court

ABC at Penang Hill .....yummy!

fruit preserve (a.k.a jeruk) at Chowrasta Market ...hard to choose coz too much to choose from!

*sigh ....all these are tempting ....am making a mental note not to open this link when I am hungry or craving for food ...

Horse and Chicken Story - something to reflect on ...

Got this in my inbox earlier today ...something for us to remember ...but, hey, it happens all the time ...


Horse & Chicken Story

There was a farmer who collected horses; he only needed one more breed to complete his collection. One day, he found out that his neighbor had the particular horse breed he needed. So, he constantly bothered his neighbor until he sold it to him. A month later, the horse became ill and he called the veterinarian, who said: Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days. I'll come back on the 3rd day and if he's not better, we're going to have to put him down.
Nearby, the chicken listened closely to their conversation.
The next day, they gave him the medicine and left.
The chicken approached the horse and said: Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they're going to put you to sleep!
On the second day, they gave him the medicine and left.
The chicken came back and said: Come on buddy, get up or else you're going to die! Come on, I'll help you get up. Let's go! One, two, three...
On the third day, they came to give him the medicine and the vet said: Unfortunately, we're going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise, the virus might spread and infect the other horses.
After they left, the chicken approached the horse and said: Listen pal, it's now or never! Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up! That's it, slowly! Great! Come on, one, two, three... Good, good. Now faster, come on.... Fantastic! Run, run more! Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you're a champion!!!
All of a sudden, the owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting: It's a miracle! My horse is cured. This deserves a party. Let's kill the chicken!

Point for reflection: This often happens in the workplace. Nobody truly knows which employee actually deserves the merit of success, or who's actually contributing the necessary support to make things happen.

LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT RECOGNITION IS A SKILL

If anyone ever tells you that your work is unprofessional, remember: amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic.

Kids and playground

Kids and playground ...what can I say ...they just get along LOL ....when we were in KK, our apartment was on the same level as the playground ....and nobody seems to be there ...so, we sort of conquered the place during our stay there ....we came early in the morning, when the boys were still in their pyjamas ...hahahah ...it was fun! and the boys loved it!

a happy boy trying the slide

adik was hesitant at first ..and after watching Al having a grand time ..he was game to try ...

his first try ...still scared by the looks of it ...but he got the hang of it ...and refused to go back to the apartment

the swing was not that interesting to them ...they sort of just glanced at it and tried it once ...and went back to the swing LOL ...I was MORE interested to use the swing hahahahahaha

but one thing to remember when going to the playground is to make sure that it is safe ...children wont care as long as they are having fun, but as adult we have to take care of that part for them ....check the equipment for faulty and hazardous parts ....and my dad keeps on stressing that I must be there to supervise the kids ...kids should not be left alone at the playground (it's common sense really) ...so, play at will as playground is entertaining for kids ...but be safe!