Happy Birthday Mama

Tomorrow is Mama's birthday.

We have grown together, through the ups and downs. I know I havent been the perfect husband and father to our kids, but I try my hardest to make you happy. I am happy with all the years we have been together, from our courting days to our dating days. The marriage that we enjoyed together further bonds us.

Together with AF1, AF2 and AF3, we have seen each other grow, evolve, nurturing them together with the love that we have. I do hope I can celebrate more birthdays with you.

I know we have our up and downs... lidah lagikan tergigit, but we have come back stronger each and everytime.

I will always be there to love you, support you, cherish you in everyway that I can and in everyway I know how.

Wish for your happiness when you blow those candles out. I will forever pray that I am worthy of your love, and hope we can lead a long, loving and prosper life together.

Here's to you Mama... Happy Birthday and I love you always and forever

Back in the groove

Well, everything is back to the normal routine. Kids to school, AF3 to his kindergarden, tuition, homeworks, bla bla bla...

My AF3 was very good this time round. No fuss like last year, went to school happily so far, although he might be a bit behind on his reading. Last night when we got the message from the kindie teacher, Mama grilled him on his reading. Everyone scooted out from the room leaving Mama and AF3 in the room for his reading session. Ended up he knows his key words, only that he is too lazy to read at home, more engrossed in his TV programs and his Internet games. This morning he is as talkative as usual, chirpy as I dropped him off at his kindie.

My AF1 and AF2 now have their own rooms. We redecorated the guest room to become AF1's room. But realising that they have a close bond AF2 spends most of her time in her sister's room. AF1 also persuaded AF2 to sleep with her at night on the queen bed in her room instead. Now they spend most of their time in AF1's room. I just let them be as long as they get along well together and let them decide where they want to sleep or spend their time.

Tuition for AF1 has started, and I have started to worry about UPSR this year. I try not to show my worry, but from time to time I try to remind her to dive into her books. She watches less TV nowadays, but still buries herself in storybooks. I just pray that she would do well in her exams.

Last weekend as Mama and I were browsing through at PJ Digital Mall, managed to grab (what I think was) a good deal. Managed to buy a new SDRAM (I was told that it was expensive since newer computer doesnt use this type of RAM anymore) 512M for RM 180. I enquired at Summit subang - new 512M - the going price was RM 340. Another outlet on the 1st floor of PJ Digital Mall was selling a used 512M for RM240, and an online offer of used 2x256M RAM for RM 130 (minus delivery charges). So I hope that I got a good bargain. Now my old AMD Duron PC is running faster, since it was running Windows XP with only 128M RAM! So I figured since I was there I got a 1G DDR for RM 70 for my other computer...... Both are Kingston by the way...Did I get a good price? I really hope so.. since I didnt go survey at Low Yatt...

Anyway, besides all that it has been a routine few weeks into 2008. Here's looking to more exciting moments for 2008.....

An expensive lesson

It was an expensive lesson.... a big mistake on my part which really burned a hole in my pocket.

My maid returned from Indonesia last week and I thought everything was fine. I had to renew her passport (here). But what I didnt check was her permit. I didnt read what was printed on her permit on the old passport which was cancelled. So I let her go back to Indonesia with both her passport (the new and the old) assuming that the permit on the old passport was still valid.... HUGE mistake.

She came out from the airport saying that there was a problem with the Immigration, and I was to go to the Immigration branch that issued the permit.

Went there on Monday, and I was told that the permit was no longer valid, and I was supposed to have the permit transferred to the new passport (at no cost) before she made the journey. And I have to pay for the JP Visa, since she is now considered as entering the country without a proper working Visa or Permit. Luckily Mama was with me and at least she was still calm enough to talk to the Immigration officer. Me... I was really angry, angry at myself really for being so stupid. But there was nothing that I can do and at the end of it I had to pay RM515 for the JP Visa, and got the previous permit which expires in April 08 transferred to the new passport.

So the moral of the story

1. Always read whatever fine print or even what is clearly stated or written
2. Never assume, when in doubt ask....
3. Never lose your cool....always stay level headed otherwise you'll end up in more trouble
4. Never forget the things above....

That was really a lesson for me. What with it being January and a lot of expenses for this month for school fees, transport fees deposits, kindergarden deposits, tuition center deposits and on and on.....

Sigh....

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone

I know its a bit late for the greetings, but I was away from the office and was too lazy to update this from home. The kids occupied the two computers with internet connection at home most of the time and I couldnt be bothered to switch on my notebook.

Oh well.... to everyone, happy new year and may the new year bring more treasured memories.

New year resolution? I have none. I dont want to be tied to an arbitrary date to make any resolution. Why make resolution if by end of Jan you have achieved it and what next? a new month resolution.

So what I do is actually constantly make resolution or goals for short term, medium term and long term... (long term here is between 3 to six months coz things change too fast nowadays). I always re-evaluate the goals and know when I cant achieve them or when to let go. I cherish the small victories when I meet my target.

So there you go... my attempt at being perfect.... the results.... unlike job appraisal at year end where everything is perfect and every results achieved, my resolutions and goals are more of a hit and miss affair......mostly misses.

My objective, everyday is a learning process, and no matter what the goal is, the journey is the adventure.


Make sense?.... I think not....

Pseudo-random thoughts for today

I am maidless for the next three weeks. We (Mama and I) allowed our maid to go home for Hari Raya Haji since its been three plus years since she's been home. So the current arrangement is that we will take turn to take care of the kids for the time being. I will be taking a bulk of the turns to stay home since I still have a lot of annual leave to utilize.

So the last three days (Monday to Wednesday) I really spent time with the kids. It was relatively easy, make sure there is food for the kids to eat, do the laundry, and everything else that needs doing (hey, there so much with my ability that I can do...:)

My precious AF1 have been very good, helping me out with the chores and so on... she is quiet dependable. I am proud to be her father :)

Well today & tomorrow I am in the office and its Mama's turn to be at home, and I am sure that the kids is in better hands than their father's.......

Then I'll be off from next week onwards and Mama will join me from wednesday onwards, and hopefully after Hari Raya Qurban, the whole family can sneak of for a holiday somewhere for a well deserved break...

On another totally different note....

I was reading wanshana's blog the other day.. and it took me back to my yonder concert days. I actually started out going to so called 'concerts' during the KPP Shah Alam days, when they had the funfair across the road (those days there were no Giant or all the shops there, there were only huge desert). I would go with my group of friends, and watched Search, Bumiputra Rockers and the rock group of those times.....

It continued when I was overseas, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue (with opening act by Skid Row), Bon Jovi at Wembley Arena. Then Suzanne Vega and Tanita Tikaram at Brighton (how diverse was my taste in music - go figure)

Back home, Sheila Majid Concert in Stadium Negara, then after I met Mama, smaller gigs such as Harvey Malaiholo at Barn Thai Jazzaraunt (I think) and Go West at Hard Rock Cafe...


And those are just the ones I remembered...

So I admit that my taste in music was quiet weird... I listen to

Rock...
Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motley Crue, Guns n Roses, White Lion, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Halloween, Poison, Extreme, Heart, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Linkin Park... to name a few

Other types
Tanita Tikaram (she's no longer around I guess), Suzanne Vega, Sandra, Amy Grant, Bangles, Matchbox Twenty, Rick Astley (I dont believe it myself), Wet Wet Wet, Toni Braxton, Sadie and the list goes on...

These are the most notable ones that sticks to my mind.. Hey I even listened to the old classics.. Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong... and even classical classics Bach, Beethoven and the likes just because I liked the sound of the instruments coming from my Hi Fi....

I still have my Hifi sets from those crazy student days...

Musical Fidelity B1 integrated Amp
Musical Fidelity Speakers
Philips CD610 CD player
Denon Tuner
Denon Cassette Deck....

Probably I'll write about those much much later.

Back to my taste (or lack thereof) in music. Nowadays my taste is much simpler..... whatever is playing on radio, or whatever CDs that Mama or I bought, or whatever I downloaded for the kids, that now becomes part of my current music favorites...

So that ladies and gentlemen, ends my (scattered) ramblings for today

Ever got that feeling....

Ever got that feeling when you come back from a tiring day at the office, only to be greeted with three smiling faces, scrambling to get the first inline for their hugs and kisses. They would then talk simultaneously to tell what they did for the day and whoever loudest would get heard?

Ever got that feeling when its bedtime and they would drag you to come and tuck them in, to give them a hug, and to kiss their forehead and say the goodnights and 'I love you's so that your voice will be last voice they hear before they go to sleep

Ever got that feeling when they kiss you goodbye before you go to work, and wave to you as you drive off

Ever got that feeling when they kiss you hands and say their goodbyes before alighting the car to go to school

Ever got that feeling when they say their thank yous when you buy them something, even if it is something small and blase

Ever got that feeling when you hear their laughter when thay are playing outside with their bicycle or roller blades

Ever got that feeling when looking at how excited they are before entering the cinema for a show

Ever got that feeling when you take them for a holiday where swimming pool and the beach rules and how eager they are to splash in

Ever got that feeling when you are being a bit sentimental like what I am feeling right now....?

Champions!

Alhamdulillah. We came out tops in last weekends Treasure Hunt. The four of us came back with the perfect score and won the first prize of RM3,000. We got all the treasures correct, answered all the questions correctly. We came in quiet early, got to the midway control 10 minutes before it opened, and only the media teams came in earlier than us. We breezed through the questions to arrive at the final destination 30 minutes before the opening time.

Well.. the people at corporate comm office knows me now... and so does most of the people in the group.

On another note, went out on Sunday with the family and bought a chess set for my AF2. I am trying hard to teach her how to play, and she knows the basic moves, but I am not a good teacher :( She sometimes gets bored playing with me, since I dont let her win, although I gave her hints on what I am doing. Oh well.... thats why I never became a teacher although bot my late parents were teachers.