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