I felt slightly better today. At least my nose is not running like a tap anymore. I don't want to take MC. That'll ruin my 100% M.C free record for this year. Plus I think I can survive for 9 and a half hours at the office today.
Oh dang, I forgot I rarely work at the office. My job is most of the time outdoors and outside the office. So today I went to 3 different places in Putrajaya, Subang and PJ. So much for my rest-at-the-office plans for today.
Home alone tonight. I miss my wife and kids already. Yes I do appreciate them so much more now. You don't know what you've got till it's gone.
30 March 2008
This is the last day I'll be with my loved ones for the next few weeks. I took Adam to pick up my grandma in Pasir Mas this morning. I wonder if he'll ever miss me when I'm not around. For now though he's more pre-occupied with the new toy robot that I bought him earlier. My grandma will be coming with me to KL.
I've decided to leave early for KL this time, around eleven-ish so that I can have enough rest since I am working tomorrow. Leaving Linda, my new born baby girl and Adam was probably the hardest thing to do . In fact I can't even hide my feelings this morning and tears flowed freely from my eyes as I kissed my loved ones goodbye. The last time I remembered crying was 4 years ago also when I left Linda and Adam in Tanah Merah. His Atuk had to take Adam to a nearby store to buy some sweets or else he'd be screaming his head off wanting to follow me. It was a sad-sad affair indeed.
To make matter worse, I was also down with a cold today. Still I had to stop by Kota Damansara this evening to pass on some stuff my grandma bought for my uncle. Then only I head back to Seri Kembangan, took my cold medications and slept like a log. Tomorrow's gonna be a dreadful day.
I've decided to leave early for KL this time, around eleven-ish so that I can have enough rest since I am working tomorrow. Leaving Linda, my new born baby girl and Adam was probably the hardest thing to do . In fact I can't even hide my feelings this morning and tears flowed freely from my eyes as I kissed my loved ones goodbye. The last time I remembered crying was 4 years ago also when I left Linda and Adam in Tanah Merah. His Atuk had to take Adam to a nearby store to buy some sweets or else he'd be screaming his head off wanting to follow me. It was a sad-sad affair indeed.
To make matter worse, I was also down with a cold today. Still I had to stop by Kota Damansara this evening to pass on some stuff my grandma bought for my uncle. Then only I head back to Seri Kembangan, took my cold medications and slept like a log. Tomorrow's gonna be a dreadful day.
29 March 2008
Balik kampung once again.
Since there's no one to look after me wife here, I have no choice but so send her back to Tanah Merah where she has her parent to take care of her there. We left early in the morning, right after dawn. I have to take an emergency leave today because obviously I didn't have enough time to apply for a proper annual leave. I think this is the 2nd (or is it 3rd?) time that I've ever taken an emergency leave since I worked here. I know my boss doesn't approve his staff taking emergency leaves so often but once or twice a year should be okay kan?
We stopped twice, first in Bentong for breakfast and the other is for a toilet break in Gua Musang. Traffic was relatively clear all the way to Tanah Merah.
In normal circumstances, I'm the kind of driver who usually abide by the rules. I never cut queues, over take at double lines and only occasionally drive over the speed limit. Today is no different also. I followed all the rules up until this one place in Kuala Krai where I was trailing this ridiculously slow van down the road. The driver is either enjoying a leisurely cruise or his vehicle has a speed delimiter of sort, like those F1 cars do which limits his top speed to around 50km/h. Anyway I got so fed up of waiting behind this old man, I overtook him at this one corner which happen to have a double line on it. Just my luck, about 100 meters from there, a traffic police flagged me into their pit stop. To cut the story short, I got ceremoniously fined that day. The second time in my entire driving career. My first police summons was for parking my bike in Petaling Street. Damn !@#$%^ van driver!
That pretty much ruined my time in Tanah Merah. I did gave the ticket to Linda's dad hoping that he could somehow kowtim with his peers in Kuala Krai so that I can get a discount or something. I read somewhere on the Internet that the rates have come down recently but I guess only time will tell.
Since there's no one to look after me wife here, I have no choice but so send her back to Tanah Merah where she has her parent to take care of her there. We left early in the morning, right after dawn. I have to take an emergency leave today because obviously I didn't have enough time to apply for a proper annual leave. I think this is the 2nd (or is it 3rd?) time that I've ever taken an emergency leave since I worked here. I know my boss doesn't approve his staff taking emergency leaves so often but once or twice a year should be okay kan?
We stopped twice, first in Bentong for breakfast and the other is for a toilet break in Gua Musang. Traffic was relatively clear all the way to Tanah Merah.
In normal circumstances, I'm the kind of driver who usually abide by the rules. I never cut queues, over take at double lines and only occasionally drive over the speed limit. Today is no different also. I followed all the rules up until this one place in Kuala Krai where I was trailing this ridiculously slow van down the road. The driver is either enjoying a leisurely cruise or his vehicle has a speed delimiter of sort, like those F1 cars do which limits his top speed to around 50km/h. Anyway I got so fed up of waiting behind this old man, I overtook him at this one corner which happen to have a double line on it. Just my luck, about 100 meters from there, a traffic police flagged me into their pit stop. To cut the story short, I got ceremoniously fined that day. The second time in my entire driving career. My first police summons was for parking my bike in Petaling Street. Damn !@#$%^ van driver!
That pretty much ruined my time in Tanah Merah. I did gave the ticket to Linda's dad hoping that he could somehow kowtim with his peers in Kuala Krai so that I can get a discount or something. I read somewhere on the Internet that the rates have come down recently but I guess only time will tell.
28 March 2008
Yesterday while I was a Tesco, I saw this line of Apple's Ipods for sale at the store. Although some people say Ipods are just one over-hyped and over-priced mp3 player, let's face it - they're really-really cool. No matter what their detractors say, Ipods are indeed the benchmark for today's portable mutimedia player.
But hip comes with a price, and an expensive one too. Like all other Apple products, the cheapest Ipod, the modest Ipod Shuffle costs something around RM359 in the local market. That's why I cannot believe my eyes when I saw this Ipod Shuffle going for just RM189 at Tesco Puchong yesterday. I asked the salesperson 3 times to confirm the price and whether it's an original unit. And it is. For RM189, it's really a steal. My heart yearns to get that but my head said no, you don't need an overpriced mp3 player/usb drive. Besides, my wife won't be too happy with me if I did. Think of baby Mia.
Sigh.
But hip comes with a price, and an expensive one too. Like all other Apple products, the cheapest Ipod, the modest Ipod Shuffle costs something around RM359 in the local market. That's why I cannot believe my eyes when I saw this Ipod Shuffle going for just RM189 at Tesco Puchong yesterday. I asked the salesperson 3 times to confirm the price and whether it's an original unit. And it is. For RM189, it's really a steal. My heart yearns to get that but my head said no, you don't need an overpriced mp3 player/usb drive. Besides, my wife won't be too happy with me if I did. Think of baby Mia.Sigh.
27 March 2008
So, Mia Ariana it is. Adam and I went to the registration office in Serdang this morning. He behaved well at the office but showed his true colors while we're at the bank. Contrary to what somebody said, BSN in Sri Serdang is still open for business when I went there this morning. Then I had my windscreen replaced at some accessories shop in Serdang. That's another RM480 down the drain. We're still undecided whether to claim for insurance or not.
My car is clean! Well, at least on the inside. The new vacuum cleaner works like a charm albeit a little bit noisy for my liking. Since our windscreen is still brand new, the guy who replaced it advised me not to wash the car for at least a week. I'm more than happy to comply.
Tomorrow, back to work.
My car is clean! Well, at least on the inside. The new vacuum cleaner works like a charm albeit a little bit noisy for my liking. Since our windscreen is still brand new, the guy who replaced it advised me not to wash the car for at least a week. I'm more than happy to comply.
Tomorrow, back to work.
26 March 2008
Finally I get to have some rest.
Earlier this morning my sister in law arrived from Perak followed by my mother in law a few hours after that. Then I had to dig up a hole to bury Mia's placenta and stuff. It was no easy task. For so long I've been working with keyboards and mice only and suddenly I have to something so physical like digging up a deep hole outside my porch, my body now aches all over. My left fingers is still numb and my thigh is still aching yesterday's digging and shoving. I really need to work out soon.
We went to pick up Linda and baby Mia later in the afternoon. Overall, we paid RM420 for the delivery which is very reasonable. Their service and hospitality have been nothing short of excellent and I have to commend them for that. This is our 2nd child born there and God-willing should we have any more children in the future, Putrajaya hospital will be our first choice. Not to put down anyone but I've heard several complaints and grunts from people whose been to Serdang hospital.
In the evening I went to Tesco in Puchong for our monthly groceries, alone. The vacuum cleaner there got discount some more so I bought a new one to replace the old one which is broken. Trust me Mama, you won't regret this! :)
Earlier this morning my sister in law arrived from Perak followed by my mother in law a few hours after that. Then I had to dig up a hole to bury Mia's placenta and stuff. It was no easy task. For so long I've been working with keyboards and mice only and suddenly I have to something so physical like digging up a deep hole outside my porch, my body now aches all over. My left fingers is still numb and my thigh is still aching yesterday's digging and shoving. I really need to work out soon.
We went to pick up Linda and baby Mia later in the afternoon. Overall, we paid RM420 for the delivery which is very reasonable. Their service and hospitality have been nothing short of excellent and I have to commend them for that. This is our 2nd child born there and God-willing should we have any more children in the future, Putrajaya hospital will be our first choice. Not to put down anyone but I've heard several complaints and grunts from people whose been to Serdang hospital.
In the evening I went to Tesco in Puchong for our monthly groceries, alone. The vacuum cleaner there got discount some more so I bought a new one to replace the old one which is broken. Trust me Mama, you won't regret this! :)
25 March 2008
Earlier this morning, 3:30 AM to be exact, my wife woke me up and told me she's feeling some labour pains already. 5 minutes later we left Adam at his nursery and at around 3:45 AM we're already at the Putrajaya Hospital's maternity department.
When I got to the hospital, the guard was sleeping blissfully at her desk. Of course you don't expect her to be awake and does her job do you? Okay la to her credit she did lift an eyelid when we got there. It's okay I'm not mad at her or anything. I bet she thought people come there for delivery all the time, big deal.
Thankfully the nurse in charge was awake (yay!). She was not at her desk but she quickly came when I rang the bell. The nurse was really helpful and efficient, plus she hails from Tanah Merah too, same as my wife. While the nurses checked on my wife, I went downstairs to register and pay for the deposit. The staff downstairs took her own sweet time to key in our details. Suddenly, to my horror I saw that she was using Windows 98! I was worried that it would hang or crash at such critical times but thank God it didn't. It's high time the government embraces open source system.
10 minutes later after filling up another form upstairs, I was finally beside Linda's bed in the delivery room. It was already 5cm by that time but we need to wait until it opened up to 8 centimeters before she can do any pushing. I stood there unmoving for nearly three hours and I could only hold her hand and console her as she occasionally writhe in pain. After what it seemed like an eternity, around 6:30 AM Linda was finally ready for labour.
3 nurses and a female doctor were present to help her with the delivery. They guided and coaxed her to push the baby out but some how our baby just won't come out. Around 6:40 they decided to call in another doctor, a guy name Marsha. As you might have guessed, Dr. Marsha was a little bit on the soft side but he did a wonderful job at motivating my wife to get the baby out. At exactly 6:40 AM, our second child, a healthy and bouncy baby girl weighing 3.24 kg was born. For me, it doesn't matter if the doctor was a guy or a woman, Malay or otherwise, I just couldn't bear to see wifey in pain any more, All that really mattered was my wife and child is safe. And yay it's a girl after all!
Unlike during Adam's birth, Linda doesn't even need to be stitched at all this time. I had to leave the delivery room while they cleaned up baby and her mom and I took that opportunity to tell all my friends and family this happy-happy news.
For all yer Muslim fathers out there, if you ever get a baby girl, you need to Iqamat at her left ear while facing the qiblat. I almost said the Azan to her right ear before I remember the correct thing to do. Hey you can't exactly blame me, I've never had a baby girl before!
About an hour later a few medical students came in to do an interview with me missus. I was in a really good mood then. So I just let those bugger bugs my wife for a while.
About two hours after delivery, they moved my wife and kid to the obstetric ward upstairs. My mom came around 10 o'clock and at 11 they nurses told us to leave and came back an hour later which we did. Then I went back home, pick up Adam and try to get some sleep cause I was so tired after a long-long day at the hospital. Adam who said he missed me decided to bug me many times so there goes my much needed rest.
6 o' clock we were back at the hospital for our final visit. It was Adam's first visit too and he was all excited and eager to see his little sister. When he finally gets to meet her Adam turned into this caring and loving brother. He stroked her gently and spoke to her even wanted to hold her in his little arms. I hope he won't just do that for today only. Linda can't leave the hospital just yet so she's staying there for the night. So it's just Adam and his dad alone at home tonight.
When I got to the hospital, the guard was sleeping blissfully at her desk. Of course you don't expect her to be awake and does her job do you? Okay la to her credit she did lift an eyelid when we got there. It's okay I'm not mad at her or anything. I bet she thought people come there for delivery all the time, big deal.
Thankfully the nurse in charge was awake (yay!). She was not at her desk but she quickly came when I rang the bell. The nurse was really helpful and efficient, plus she hails from Tanah Merah too, same as my wife. While the nurses checked on my wife, I went downstairs to register and pay for the deposit. The staff downstairs took her own sweet time to key in our details. Suddenly, to my horror I saw that she was using Windows 98! I was worried that it would hang or crash at such critical times but thank God it didn't. It's high time the government embraces open source system.10 minutes later after filling up another form upstairs, I was finally beside Linda's bed in the delivery room. It was already 5cm by that time but we need to wait until it opened up to 8 centimeters before she can do any pushing. I stood there unmoving for nearly three hours and I could only hold her hand and console her as she occasionally writhe in pain. After what it seemed like an eternity, around 6:30 AM Linda was finally ready for labour.
3 nurses and a female doctor were present to help her with the delivery. They guided and coaxed her to push the baby out but some how our baby just won't come out. Around 6:40 they decided to call in another doctor, a guy name Marsha. As you might have guessed, Dr. Marsha was a little bit on the soft side but he did a wonderful job at motivating my wife to get the baby out. At exactly 6:40 AM, our second child, a healthy and bouncy baby girl weighing 3.24 kg was born. For me, it doesn't matter if the doctor was a guy or a woman, Malay or otherwise, I just couldn't bear to see wifey in pain any more, All that really mattered was my wife and child is safe. And yay it's a girl after all!
Unlike during Adam's birth, Linda doesn't even need to be stitched at all this time. I had to leave the delivery room while they cleaned up baby and her mom and I took that opportunity to tell all my friends and family this happy-happy news.
For all yer Muslim fathers out there, if you ever get a baby girl, you need to Iqamat at her left ear while facing the qiblat. I almost said the Azan to her right ear before I remember the correct thing to do. Hey you can't exactly blame me, I've never had a baby girl before!
About an hour later a few medical students came in to do an interview with me missus. I was in a really good mood then. So I just let those bugger bugs my wife for a while.
About two hours after delivery, they moved my wife and kid to the obstetric ward upstairs. My mom came around 10 o'clock and at 11 they nurses told us to leave and came back an hour later which we did. Then I went back home, pick up Adam and try to get some sleep cause I was so tired after a long-long day at the hospital. Adam who said he missed me decided to bug me many times so there goes my much needed rest.
6 o' clock we were back at the hospital for our final visit. It was Adam's first visit too and he was all excited and eager to see his little sister. When he finally gets to meet her Adam turned into this caring and loving brother. He stroked her gently and spoke to her even wanted to hold her in his little arms. I hope he won't just do that for today only. Linda can't leave the hospital just yet so she's staying there for the night. So it's just Adam and his dad alone at home tonight.
24 March 2008
It's been a long day.
Today I'm on a one man show in Puncak Alam. As usual since it's Monday I've been given heaps to do there. I can almost say one in every three person I met there got something wrong with their computers. So I spent the entire day at the construction site from 10:00 till 6:00 PM.
This project is supposed to finish at the end of this year where the first intake of students come in. There's still much to do but at the current work rate, I'm confident they can finish this thing on time, within schedule.
From Puncak Alam I went straight to KL meaning to pick up Linda. It was 6:30 PM and it rained cats and dogs all the way to Jalan Duta. Going to KL at 6:30 during the rain is the biggest mistake one could make. It took me one and a half hours to get to Jalan P. Ramlee from Jalan Duta. Furthermore, the not so smart people of the SMART tunnel decided to do their test run and closes the tunnel this very evening. Couple with some flash flood here and there, I think I just survived the traffic jam of the decade.
Thank God it took me just 30 minutes to get home from Linda's office using the KLP.
Today I'm on a one man show in Puncak Alam. As usual since it's Monday I've been given heaps to do there. I can almost say one in every three person I met there got something wrong with their computers. So I spent the entire day at the construction site from 10:00 till 6:00 PM.
This project is supposed to finish at the end of this year where the first intake of students come in. There's still much to do but at the current work rate, I'm confident they can finish this thing on time, within schedule.
From Puncak Alam I went straight to KL meaning to pick up Linda. It was 6:30 PM and it rained cats and dogs all the way to Jalan Duta. Going to KL at 6:30 during the rain is the biggest mistake one could make. It took me one and a half hours to get to Jalan P. Ramlee from Jalan Duta. Furthermore, the not so smart people of the SMART tunnel decided to do their test run and closes the tunnel this very evening. Couple with some flash flood here and there, I think I just survived the traffic jam of the decade.Thank God it took me just 30 minutes to get home from Linda's office using the KLP.
23 March 2008
It seems like all of our games against United has become a ritual heartbreak even for The Reds supporters. Tonight is no different. After falling a goal behind, Javier 'Monster' Mascherano decided to test the referee's patience and got himself ceremoniously red carded just before the half time mark. He got booked earlier on and he should have know better. Stupid would be an understatement.
Well I guess we can really concentrate on fourth place and the Champions League now that all our hopes of challenging for the title went into the dustbin after tonight's dismal performance. Only a Champions League final berth will guarantee Benitez's future for next season. Anything less is a failure and I won't shed a tear should he gets the boot.
I want to believe but my faith is wearing thin.
Well I guess we can really concentrate on fourth place and the Champions League now that all our hopes of challenging for the title went into the dustbin after tonight's dismal performance. Only a Champions League final berth will guarantee Benitez's future for next season. Anything less is a failure and I won't shed a tear should he gets the boot.
I want to believe but my faith is wearing thin.
21 March 2008
An accident and a false alarm
Earlier this morning one of my officemate was involved in an accident in Seri Kembangan town. My friend accidentally rammed into the back of another car at this busy intersection near the Petronas station. Abang Din, Bujal and I quickly rushed to the accident site to help our damsel in distress who was surrounded by no less than half a dozen tow truck operators. The owner of the other car didn't stop to argue with my friend because he left immediately after the accident. Instead we haggled with those relentless tow truck operators for nearly an hour before we finally agreed to let them tow the car to the nearest police station.
Honestly, I don't trust those tow truck operators. They're like vultures hunting for prey. My mom had to use their services twice before and they charge a bomb to tow her car only for a really short distance. Then the workshop that they towed the car into will charge an arm and a leg for the repairs.
Later in the afternoon, Linda complained of intermittent pains on her tummy. Being the caring husband as I am (ahem), I quickly rushed to her office to pick her and head for the hospital. As I was making my way there, my wife informed me that she's quite okay now and she didn't think she's going into labour anytime soon. I fetched her anyway and went to Klinik Jameaton to get her checked up. The doctor confirmed that our baby girl is not ready to come out yet so I guess it's just a false alarm. Still, since Linda is already in her 36 week, delivery is a real possibility.
So to Bujal (who got really excited) and all my friends at the office, my wife is okay and you guys don't need to buy those presents yet. Tomorrow I'll be coming to work as usual. Everything is fine. Thanks for your wishes and concern.
Earlier this morning one of my officemate was involved in an accident in Seri Kembangan town. My friend accidentally rammed into the back of another car at this busy intersection near the Petronas station. Abang Din, Bujal and I quickly rushed to the accident site to help our damsel in distress who was surrounded by no less than half a dozen tow truck operators. The owner of the other car didn't stop to argue with my friend because he left immediately after the accident. Instead we haggled with those relentless tow truck operators for nearly an hour before we finally agreed to let them tow the car to the nearest police station.
Honestly, I don't trust those tow truck operators. They're like vultures hunting for prey. My mom had to use their services twice before and they charge a bomb to tow her car only for a really short distance. Then the workshop that they towed the car into will charge an arm and a leg for the repairs.
Later in the afternoon, Linda complained of intermittent pains on her tummy. Being the caring husband as I am (ahem), I quickly rushed to her office to pick her and head for the hospital. As I was making my way there, my wife informed me that she's quite okay now and she didn't think she's going into labour anytime soon. I fetched her anyway and went to Klinik Jameaton to get her checked up. The doctor confirmed that our baby girl is not ready to come out yet so I guess it's just a false alarm. Still, since Linda is already in her 36 week, delivery is a real possibility.So to Bujal (who got really excited) and all my friends at the office, my wife is okay and you guys don't need to buy those presents yet. Tomorrow I'll be coming to work as usual. Everything is fine. Thanks for your wishes and concern.
18 March 2008
I'm writing this as I sat at a McDonald's outlet in Bukit Bintang. I've always wanted to do this, have breakfast at McD in the morning, reading the morning's newspaper without a care in the world. And today, after so many years I did it. Not that it's a big deal or anything. Plus today I come here to KL with a critical mission. To upgrade and repair the notebook of the CEO of the company which supplies water to everyone in Selangor. Actually we received the notebook 2 weeks ago but since everybody in my dept have been stumped with work for the past few weeks, what's with the election and all, we kinda put the notebook on hold. I know that's not a solid excuse and we should have sorted out our priorities but let's face it, we can only do so much with two persons on the job.
Anyway The Boss directed me to make sure everything is done by the end of the day so here I am, waiting for Plaza Low Yat to open at this McD outlet right in the middle of the city center. I've just finished cleaning up this notebook from viruses (all 2 dozens of them) and along the way I stumbled upon some interesting pictures and video clips inside. Let's just say the CEO has 3 lovely daughters he he!
Fast-forward 5:00 PM, we managed to deliver the notebook with everything fixed and upgraded just in time. There we (Bujal and I) met our old colleague Jali and we went to Bangsar for a drink after work. First we stopped at a Nokia store cause Jali wanted to buy a brand new phone. I saw this neat little phone, a Nokia 2630 which caught my fancy. And at RM499 (original set) it's really affordable too. Yes I can afford it but then I have other responsibilities too. The reality is, when you're married with kids, you'll have to think long and hard before you spend your hard-earned money on anything of luxury. Therefore I could just watch with a slight envy when Jali bought that brand new 3G Nokia phone today. Dam jealous one!
We caught this picture of an ogre right outside the Nokia store..
Anyway The Boss directed me to make sure everything is done by the end of the day so here I am, waiting for Plaza Low Yat to open at this McD outlet right in the middle of the city center. I've just finished cleaning up this notebook from viruses (all 2 dozens of them) and along the way I stumbled upon some interesting pictures and video clips inside. Let's just say the CEO has 3 lovely daughters he he!
Fast-forward 5:00 PM, we managed to deliver the notebook with everything fixed and upgraded just in time. There we (Bujal and I) met our old colleague Jali and we went to Bangsar for a drink after work. First we stopped at a Nokia store cause Jali wanted to buy a brand new phone. I saw this neat little phone, a Nokia 2630 which caught my fancy. And at RM499 (original set) it's really affordable too. Yes I can afford it but then I have other responsibilities too. The reality is, when you're married with kids, you'll have to think long and hard before you spend your hard-earned money on anything of luxury. Therefore I could just watch with a slight envy when Jali bought that brand new 3G Nokia phone today. Dam jealous one!
We caught this picture of an ogre right outside the Nokia store..
Alterchart e#5
01 With you - Chris Brown
02 Teardrops on my guitar - Taylor Swift mp3
03 Low - FloRida feat T. Pain
04 10:04 - One Buck Short
05 Stop and stare - One Republic
06 Don't stop the music - Rihanna
07 Touch my body - Mariah Carey
08 Love song - Sara Bareilles
09 Mercy - Duffy
10 Crank that - Solja Boys
02 Teardrops on my guitar - Taylor Swift mp3
03 Low - FloRida feat T. Pain
04 10:04 - One Buck Short
05 Stop and stare - One Republic
06 Don't stop the music - Rihanna
07 Touch my body - Mariah Carey
08 Love song - Sara Bareilles
09 Mercy - Duffy
10 Crank that - Solja Boys
14 March 2008
Seri Mutiara restaurant (Bursa Malaysia: SERI) until recently has been one of my favourite eatery in Seri Kembangan and Serdang area. It was introduced to me by a friend who couldn't seem to stop babbling about it. Therefore one day I decided to give it a try myself. True to its reputation, Seri Mutiara does indeed serves the best Malay food you can find south of Kuala Lumpur. From that day onward, anytime I feel like eating out (that's like every other day) my first choice would be Seri Mutiara restaurant. It's rather difficult to pinpoint the exact location of this restaurant and all I can say is, it's situated in Bandar Putra Permai between Pasar Borong Selangor and Vista Pinggiran, across the road from Equine Park. If you know where Samir Maju restaurant is then Seri Mutiara is just around the corner near a 7-Eleven outlet.
Unfortunately that was before the change of it's administration. Previously Seri Mutiara was run by this excellent cook in his mid 40s along with his lovely wife presumably from southern Thailand (judging by the license plate number). After the elections though, those couple are nowhere to be seen and the restaurant is run by their helpers instead, some young boys who are certainly don't know how to cook. We started to notice the decline in quality earlier this week and yesterday was the last straw when they made a really awful mee bandung for my wife and the nasi goreng pattaya I ordered was somewhat bland. So until the real cook shows up at that place I think I'm gonna stop visiting them for a while.
Crap, now I have to go to Selera Waris restaurant and risk being stung by killer bees.
Unfortunately that was before the change of it's administration. Previously Seri Mutiara was run by this excellent cook in his mid 40s along with his lovely wife presumably from southern Thailand (judging by the license plate number). After the elections though, those couple are nowhere to be seen and the restaurant is run by their helpers instead, some young boys who are certainly don't know how to cook. We started to notice the decline in quality earlier this week and yesterday was the last straw when they made a really awful mee bandung for my wife and the nasi goreng pattaya I ordered was somewhat bland. So until the real cook shows up at that place I think I'm gonna stop visiting them for a while.
Crap, now I have to go to Selera Waris restaurant and risk being stung by killer bees.
13 February 2008
Are you one of those unfortunate people who is allergic to corn and potato chips like Twisties, Cheezels, Pringles and the like? Do you suffer from allergic reaction from eating sweets too? No? Well I know I do. Although nothing serious but I do develop a mild allergic reaction whenever I consume certain junk foods with high MSG content such as Twisties or Pringles and also to ordinary sweets. It'll start with that feverish feeling and if I'm really unlucky, I'll get a cold soon after that. Yesterday I had some sweets and today I bought and ate a large pack of Chacos corn chips against my better judgement. Sure enough I am not feeling well at the moment.
I know you must be saying that sucks, not getting to enjoy everyone's favourite junk food right? For me I see it as a blessing in disguise. At least I could spare myself from all those fattening food right?
I learned a valuable lesson at work today. If you're not sure of something, do ask someone who knows. And it's advisable to be extra cautious when in unfamiliar territories. Know what I mean?
I know you must be saying that sucks, not getting to enjoy everyone's favourite junk food right? For me I see it as a blessing in disguise. At least I could spare myself from all those fattening food right?
I learned a valuable lesson at work today. If you're not sure of something, do ask someone who knows. And it's advisable to be extra cautious when in unfamiliar territories. Know what I mean?
12 March 2008
Now that Linda's over 8 months pregnant and I've got a pay rise and all, I go to KL to pick up Linda from work almost on daily basis. Previously, I was put off by the thought of going through crazy traffic jams and for the fact that driving to KL everyday would burn a hole in my pocket. Now I had to put that all behind at least for a while cause I do love Linda you know :)
11 March 2008
Back to work today. As expected, politics is the subject everyone is talking about today. I don't want to get too involved with their discussions so I go about with my own business. Linda took the day off today that means I can go home early have dinner and don't have to worry about picking her up at Jalan P. Ramlee just for today. I spent most of the evening writing my opinion about the last general election. It took me nearly 4 hours plus interruptions from Adam to finish that. My brain is completely drained now. I think I'll retire early tonight.
Whoa, 1870 page views! Malaysia Today rocks!
Whoa, 1870 page views! Malaysia Today rocks!
10 March 2008
Thank God I applied for a leave today. I'm still very tired from yesterday's driving. I sent Linda to the train station and Adam to his nursery and then I slept almost all day. Woke up later around 4:30 PM to check my e-mails and surf a few websites. The Internet connection was ridiculously slow today. It's like everybody in this country goes online all the time or something. I had to turn off and turn on my modem a few times and refresh my IP address a gazillion time already.
9 March 2008
I am still recovering from yesterday's euphoria. Although I didn't get much sleep last night, I woke up this morning and drove to the nearest newspaper stand to get the morning's paper. Then I turned on the TV hoping to get the latest news on the election but I only see cartoons instead. Dang. I am definitely delighted with the results. We finally managed to deny them 2/3 majority in Parliament and as a bonus, got 5 states from their grasp. PAS even won a landslide in Kelantan, taking 39 out of the 45 state seats. I'm glad that I played my little part for this historic change. That proves if we all play our own part, no matter how small, we can always succeed in whatever we do.
Tired as I am, I can barely sleep this morning from all the excitement. So at 2:30 PM, I decided to drive back to KL anyway despite my lack of sleep. The first few hours was okay la, but it rained almost all the way to Bentong and after Bentong I started to get very-very sleepy. I can barely keep my eyes open and focus on the road while I'm driving through Cheras. Thankfully we arrived in Seri Kembangan in one piece. I swear I'm not going trough all that ever again (driving without enough sleep). It's not worth it.
Tired as I am, I can barely sleep this morning from all the excitement. So at 2:30 PM, I decided to drive back to KL anyway despite my lack of sleep. The first few hours was okay la, but it rained almost all the way to Bentong and after Bentong I started to get very-very sleepy. I can barely keep my eyes open and focus on the road while I'm driving through Cheras. Thankfully we arrived in Seri Kembangan in one piece. I swear I'm not going trough all that ever again (driving without enough sleep). It's not worth it.
8 March 2008
So this is it. The big day. We had some delicious authentic Kelantanese nasi dagang (or nasi dage as my friend calls it) for breakfast. It was superb of course. I wish my friend is here to enjoy it with me or I could tapau it back to KL or something but that's not possible la kan? We started early to the polling station. It poured for a while before turning to drizzle all afternoon. We're among the first to arrive there at SRK Sultan Ibrahim 3. The school was mostly empty except for a few early birds like us. I went straight to my polling stream (saluran 4) on the second floor (thanks Rina!). The classroom was filled with the SPR people and 2 representatives from the candidates. First I checked my name with the SPR guy. He took some time to find my name on his list. I was almost worried that it might not be there at all. But then he found it at last. Within 5 minutes, I've done my responsibility as the citizen of Malaysia.
On the way out, the crowd was growing and my mom managed to drag me to meet her UMNO friends. I felt really awkward trying to make small chat with them especially when they asked me who I voted for. Usually I'll say my vote is confidential (i.e none of your business) or I'll just grin and keep them guessing. Later we went to pick up my grandma who voted at SMK Sultan Ibrahim 2, that's next to my old primary school. There's was much more crowd at her polling station because it's nearer to town plus a lot more people lives around there.
Afterwards my mom and my grandma went shopping in town and then in the afternoon I rushed back to Tanah Merah to pick up Linda cause she hasn't cast her votes yet. Linda's polling station is just near her home and we all (including Adam) went inside the school to accompany her. Adam wanted to go inside the classroom but obviously he can't. I don't think the policeman on duty would let him in anyway. Fortunately it was all over within 5 minutes and we went to pick up Linda's mom next. She's voting in Bukit Panau, that's some way outside Tanah Merah town and by 4 o'clock, everybody in our family has performed our duty. And now we wait for the results.
On the way out, the crowd was growing and my mom managed to drag me to meet her UMNO friends. I felt really awkward trying to make small chat with them especially when they asked me who I voted for. Usually I'll say my vote is confidential (i.e none of your business) or I'll just grin and keep them guessing. Later we went to pick up my grandma who voted at SMK Sultan Ibrahim 2, that's next to my old primary school. There's was much more crowd at her polling station because it's nearer to town plus a lot more people lives around there.
Afterwards my mom and my grandma went shopping in town and then in the afternoon I rushed back to Tanah Merah to pick up Linda cause she hasn't cast her votes yet. Linda's polling station is just near her home and we all (including Adam) went inside the school to accompany her. Adam wanted to go inside the classroom but obviously he can't. I don't think the policeman on duty would let him in anyway. Fortunately it was all over within 5 minutes and we went to pick up Linda's mom next. She's voting in Bukit Panau, that's some way outside Tanah Merah town and by 4 o'clock, everybody in our family has performed our duty. And now we wait for the results.
7 March 2008
I woke up at 4:30 this morning having slept around 11:00 PM the previous evening. Linda's brother, Pak Tam arrived earlier this morning and will be joining us for the trip back home. We departed around 5:15 AM, stopped at a petrol station in SK and heads toward Gombak through MRR2.
At 5 in the morning traffic was blissfully clear. We deliberately chose to go at around this time of the morning in anticipation of traffic jam during the usual morning rush hour. Last time when we go back for Raya, we were caught in a massive traffic jam from Sungai Besi to Gombak. Nothing is worse than having to crawl through traffic at the start of your journey. By the time I got out of the city, I'll be tired already.
An hour later we arrived in Bentong just in time for Subuh prayers there. My mom wanted to buy us breakfast at McDonald's but we couldn't find any there. So I drove ahead to Raub and still no McD there also. Both got KFC though but no McD. I don't know maybe McDonald's think kampung people don't eat McD or something. In the end we stopped for a late breakfast at a roadside restaurant just outside Kuala Lipis. That was around 10:30 AM. After a hearty breakfast, I started to feel really-really sleepy. Some more, everybody else in the car decided to take their beauty nap all at the same time. I forced myself very hard to stay awake and focus on my driving. We arrived in Gua Musang an hour later as it started to rain. It rained all the way to Kuala Krai later. Around 1 o'clock we finally arrived safe and sound in Tanah Merah. Alhamdulillah.
Linda's sister also returned to vote along with her hubby. They arrived here from Manjung last night. We had lunch at Linda's place before continuing to Pasir Mas sans Adam. Linda will be voting in Tanah Merah while my mom and I in Pasir Mas.
One thing I noticed, unlike in Selangor, the poster war here is really intense. From Gua Musang all the way to Pasir Mas I can see posters, banners and party flags everywhere. You can really feel the election atmosphere round here. In Kelantan, the election battle is basically two way between PAS and BN. And judging by the campaign and posters I can tell the competition is really huge. After all Kelantan is the last remaining stronghold for the Opposition in this country. This is the only state that eludes BN grasp for 18 years now. The stake is high.
After I got to Pasir Mas I immediately went to my room and sleep. So tired. And there's no Adam Farihin to bug me for one whole day! What bliss.
At 5 in the morning traffic was blissfully clear. We deliberately chose to go at around this time of the morning in anticipation of traffic jam during the usual morning rush hour. Last time when we go back for Raya, we were caught in a massive traffic jam from Sungai Besi to Gombak. Nothing is worse than having to crawl through traffic at the start of your journey. By the time I got out of the city, I'll be tired already.
An hour later we arrived in Bentong just in time for Subuh prayers there. My mom wanted to buy us breakfast at McDonald's but we couldn't find any there. So I drove ahead to Raub and still no McD there also. Both got KFC though but no McD. I don't know maybe McDonald's think kampung people don't eat McD or something. In the end we stopped for a late breakfast at a roadside restaurant just outside Kuala Lipis. That was around 10:30 AM. After a hearty breakfast, I started to feel really-really sleepy. Some more, everybody else in the car decided to take their beauty nap all at the same time. I forced myself very hard to stay awake and focus on my driving. We arrived in Gua Musang an hour later as it started to rain. It rained all the way to Kuala Krai later. Around 1 o'clock we finally arrived safe and sound in Tanah Merah. Alhamdulillah.
Linda's sister also returned to vote along with her hubby. They arrived here from Manjung last night. We had lunch at Linda's place before continuing to Pasir Mas sans Adam. Linda will be voting in Tanah Merah while my mom and I in Pasir Mas.
One thing I noticed, unlike in Selangor, the poster war here is really intense. From Gua Musang all the way to Pasir Mas I can see posters, banners and party flags everywhere. You can really feel the election atmosphere round here. In Kelantan, the election battle is basically two way between PAS and BN. And judging by the campaign and posters I can tell the competition is really huge. After all Kelantan is the last remaining stronghold for the Opposition in this country. This is the only state that eludes BN grasp for 18 years now. The stake is high.
After I got to Pasir Mas I immediately went to my room and sleep. So tired. And there's no Adam Farihin to bug me for one whole day! What bliss.
6 March 2008
It's been a really-really busy day for me and I'm so-so tired right now. Been in Puncak Alam the whole day and also went to KL to pick up Linda after work. I ate a lot during dinner meaning to get me sleepy so that I can retire early (and it worked too!)
In a few hours (5 o'clock thereabout) we'll be leaving for Pasir Mas to do our part as a responsible Malaysian. So this is it. Our chance to create history. Choose wisely, our future and the future of our kids depend on this.
Pray for our safe journey.
In a few hours (5 o'clock thereabout) we'll be leaving for Pasir Mas to do our part as a responsible Malaysian. So this is it. Our chance to create history. Choose wisely, our future and the future of our kids depend on this.
Pray for our safe journey.
5 March 2008
Firstly I'd like to apologize to my loyal readers and friends (all 7 of them) for leaving this blog without updates for a few days. Thanks for spending your time to read this remarkably boring blog everyday. It's only a few days what, I thought nobody would notice. By the way that's nothing compared to Rin who neglected her blog for ages last year remember? In between juggling my career and baby sitting Adam, bear in mind that I also have to attend to other important matters you know like finding a solution for global warming, peace in the middle east, Iran and North Korea nuclear programs, rising global oil prices, etcetera-etcetera. It's not easy doing that all by myself you know. I don't even have time to bake shortbread and chocolate cookies or make egg tarts anymore.
Today is Bujal's turn to treat everyone breakfast and he arrived this morning bearing roti jala, roti canai and some local cakes. I like the roti jala. It reminds me of my aunt who use to make them back home in Pasir Mas. News flash: we're still waiting for the rest of our staff (all 57 of them) who also got a raise last month or who just joined the company recently to buy us breakfast. This message is brought to you especially for Abang Din (who also got a raise).
Today is also my friend/office mate Fiza's birthday. She turns 35 years* OLD today and I think it's about time you find a real boyfriend now so that you can celebrate your birthday with someone special and that somebody will give you presents on your birthday ha ha! (note: Safuan is NOT AVAILABLE and he doesn't count as your boyfriend).
* Ok I made that up
Today is Bujal's turn to treat everyone breakfast and he arrived this morning bearing roti jala, roti canai and some local cakes. I like the roti jala. It reminds me of my aunt who use to make them back home in Pasir Mas. News flash: we're still waiting for the rest of our staff (all 57 of them) who also got a raise last month or who just joined the company recently to buy us breakfast. This message is brought to you especially for Abang Din (who also got a raise).
Today is also my friend/office mate Fiza's birthday. She turns 35 years* OLD today and I think it's about time you find a real boyfriend now so that you can celebrate your birthday with someone special and that somebody will give you presents on your birthday ha ha! (note: Safuan is NOT AVAILABLE and he doesn't count as your boyfriend).* Ok I made that up
3 March 2008
Today is Irwan's last day working here at this company so he decided to serve everybody a farewell breakfast like any good leaving staff would do. So we nasi lemak, bihun and several kinds of kuih for breakfast today. I had 2 helpings of nasi lemak with rendang and they were okay la although not as good as my favourite nasi lemak at Warung Rindu. In case you didn't know, Irwan is leaving to continue his studies at his old college (KLIUC) doing CCNA and MCSE some more, don't prey-prey arr! Well good luck to you buddy and all the best in everything you do.
2 March 2008
This evening we went sight-seeing around Putrajaya, you know, enjoying the view, dreaming of the future and stuff. I know there's only one place where you can rent a house here and that place doesn't look very inviting compared to others. Our only other choice is to purchase a home here and we know it's a long way to go before that dream is realised. Still it's good to have a vision, a target to achieve in life. No one likes to be stuck in the same spot forever right? And hopefully, it would be for the better for us. Amen.
We also saw a lot of political activities around the place, ceramah here, gathering there. Believe it or not, I've never been to a ceramah event before (except for those where they made us go in school and university) and I'm really curious to attend one. But then my wife would be extremely bored and Adam will go crazy and turns the place down. Maybe some other time.
We also saw a lot of political activities around the place, ceramah here, gathering there. Believe it or not, I've never been to a ceramah event before (except for those where they made us go in school and university) and I'm really curious to attend one. But then my wife would be extremely bored and Adam will go crazy and turns the place down. Maybe some other time.
Alterchart m#5
01 Hanya kau yang mampu - Aizat mp3
02 Selepas kau pergi - La Luna
03 Sekali ini saja - Glen Fredly
04 Dua hati menjadi satu - Gita Gutawa feat Dafi
05 Sebelum cahaya - Letto
06 Meninggalkan aku sendiri - Hujan
07 Chantek - Altimeet feet Adeep Fabulous Cat
08 Makhluk Tuhan paling seksi - Mulan Jameela
09 Bukti - Fiq
10 Ku mahu - Siti Nurhaliza
02 Selepas kau pergi - La Luna
03 Sekali ini saja - Glen Fredly
04 Dua hati menjadi satu - Gita Gutawa feat Dafi
05 Sebelum cahaya - Letto
06 Meninggalkan aku sendiri - Hujan
07 Chantek - Altimeet feet Adeep Fabulous Cat
08 Makhluk Tuhan paling seksi - Mulan Jameela
09 Bukti - Fiq
10 Ku mahu - Siti Nurhaliza
1 March 2008
Today we went to my uncle's place in Kota Damansara together with my mom. We had an interesting conversation on the way there when the topic of politics was brought up. As I said, my mom together with grandma has been a staunch supporter of UMNO and BN and she was rather surprised to find out out my political preferences for this upcoming polls. Obviously she doesn't read my blog. I tried to explain to her what is wrong with the current government but nothing I said can possibly change her mind. My mother has been a teacher and a civil-servant all her life so she said she's really grateful for everything the government has done to her. I'm quite at lost on how to convince her to change her mindset because like so many other older generation in this country, once they have made up their minds, it's almost impossible to change them.
So before we get into a heated and awkward argument, I decided to let the matter go. It is her exclusive right who she chooses to vote at this upcoming elections and I respect her choice no matter what. I do wish our senior citizens and folks living in rural areas have more access to the alternative media other than BN-controlled mass-media. Some of them don't even have an inkling of what's happening with the top echelons of this country, their wrong doings, scandals and corrupt practices. Until that happen, I don't see any other party capable of denying BN the 2/3 majority that they've won year in, year out.
So before we get into a heated and awkward argument, I decided to let the matter go. It is her exclusive right who she chooses to vote at this upcoming elections and I respect her choice no matter what. I do wish our senior citizens and folks living in rural areas have more access to the alternative media other than BN-controlled mass-media. Some of them don't even have an inkling of what's happening with the top echelons of this country, their wrong doings, scandals and corrupt practices. Until that happen, I don't see any other party capable of denying BN the 2/3 majority that they've won year in, year out.
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