The Entrance & memancing

IMG_2520
Originally uploaded by wazdie

Pada hari Ahad yang lepas, kami berkonvoi 6 buah kereta ke The Entrance. Perjalanan mengambil masa hampir 2 jam dari Sydney. Ia merupakan sebuah pekan kecil yang menjadi tempat kunjungan pelancong sama ada untuk lari dari kesibukan kota bersama keluarga, bermandi-manda di pantai, berkelah, serta menjadi tempat kaki pancing melepaskan gian mereka.

Kawan-kawan saya sekarang ramai yang dah terkena demam memancing. Pantang ada masa terluang, pasti mereka memancing. Keterujaan untuk memancing jelas tergambar apabila masing-asing membeli batang pancing serta kelengkapan lain dan juga mengambil lesen untuk memancing memandangkan ianya kegiatan yang dikawal di NSW, Australia.

Saya juga ditanya, "tak mahu 'join' sekali ke?". Buat masa ini, tidak. Tak tahu kenapa, tapi bagi saya memancing bukanlah antara aktiviti yang saya ingin cuba.

Kalau di zaman dahulu, memancing merupakan suatu aktiviti yang penting, di mana ikan yang dipancing akan menjadi makanan ahli keluarga. Bagi keluarga yang kais pagi makan pagi, tiada hasil tangkapan bermakna mungkin akan makan nasi berlaukkan garam sahaja. Orang zaman dahulu perlu kreatif untuk mencari makanan menyara keluarga.

Di zaman ini, memancing lebih merupakan hobi. Kepuasan ketika mendapat habuan menyebabkan kaki pancing seolah-olah ketagih untuk memancing lagi. Bermula dengan set memancing yang murah dan pendek, di'upgrade' kepada yang lebih mahal dan panjang. Yang lebih berkemampuan pula, lengkap dengan bot laut dalam serta 'sensor' untuk mengesan lokasi yang banyak ikan. Kalau hendak dikira, ikan di pasar pelbagai jenis boleh dibeli. Kecil besar, murah dan mahal semua ada.

Di NSW ini, terdapat undang-undang yang membatasi kegiatan memancing. Umpamanya, ikan yang ditangkap mesti dilepaskan semula jika tidak mencapai saiz yang dibenarkan. Ada juga ikan yang dilindungi yang tidak boleh dibawa pulang, mesti dilepaskan. Ini antara sebab mengapa saya agak 'kurang' dengan aktiviti ini. Ikan yang ditangkap kerana 'hobi', sumbing mulutnya, kalau dijadikan makanan alhamdulillah, rezeki. Kalau tidak mencapai saiz yang dibenarkan, terpaksa dilepaskan semula dalam keadaan 'sumbing', mungkin sepanjang hayat.

Barangkali saya silap, mungkin teknologi mata kail terkini tidak 'mencacatkan' langsung ikan-ikan ini, itu saya kurang periksa. Melihat ikan-ikan kecil saya yang di dalam akuarium, beserta dengan anak-anaknya yang sedang membesar, hati saya mungkin tak akan terbuka untuk cuba memancing. Tapi siapa tahu, suatu hari nanti saya akan memegang juga batang pancing.

Sydney Market - Flemington

Yesterday we went to Sydney Market. It has been a long time since the last we went there. When Aiman was still somewhere else, we used to go there more often. Easy to move with no stroller, it's always very crowded in the market.

Its summer, so the fruits were very cheap. Cherries were $5 for 10 kg, but you need to 'pilih' and sort out yourself. Furthermore, people were shoppingfor christmas i supposed, so there were extra traffic that police were called to handle the traffic. Mama and Aiman just waited outside while I went in for the seafood. It was packed. I bought sardines, calamari, banana prawns, and crabs. Got out and looked for mama and aiman.


Then we just walked along the outside stalls, bought some greens and fruits. Went through the swap & sell market. Up to the carpark and time to go home. We stopped at Centro for lunch and met ibu-ibu from Eastlakes who came to Centro for window shopping.

Australian Museum

Australian Museum
Originally uploaded by wazdie

Last weekend the three of us went to the Australian Museum. It is not as big as the British Museum, but it is interesting enough to spend almost 2 hours inside a museum. That does not include the children sections and the resource centre that we did not get into. If we went to the children's activities area we could end up spending 1 hour just there to let Aiman play until he satisfied.

The old Sydney Grammar School...

From Australia Museum

tinggal tulang daa...

From Australia Museum

interesting!

From Australia Museum

Actually there are a lot of places around Sydney that we have not explored yet. We just been to the Mrs Macquarie Chair and the Royal Botanical Garden, after more than 3 years here in Sydney. I guess it happened to lots of us, we never get to the places close to us, but we've been to other places far away from home. So, I've decided that every week or so we will find a place to visit, be it a tourist spot, sight seeing, nature, or even shopping complex (this last one is my wife's favourite I can say).

Today is Friday, and tomorrow's plan is to the Sydney Marker in Flemington. Not that we have not been there, but it has been so long since the last time we went there. I bet there will be cheap fruits and vegies, they go by boxes. Come afternoon, they can sell as low as $5 a box of oranges. $8 mangoes (10-15 mangoes), and lots more like strawberries, blackberries, honey dew, all sorts of apples, and cherries. Not to mention tomatoes, bak choy, cauliflower, broccoli and list goes on. There are also seafood sections, selling quite cheap compared to other places.

Then, later in the afternoon, I plan to go to the Botany Bay national park, to walk through the pathway up to the headland facing the open seas. I hope it is accessible by wheelchair, so we can push Aiman in his stroller.

I'll snap pictures and will update soon. Actually I am doing this thru flickr, trying to figure out how it works. Have a nice weekend everybody!

10 Zulhijjah 1429H

Hari Raya Haji or Eid al-Adha. As usual we went to Malaysia Hall for the Eid prayer. We started from home nearly 6.30am. The traffic was not too bad at that time. We arrived at MyHall around 7.15am. Just nice. Ustaz Zuhir was already there. The saf was not full still. Aiman and I sat in front, close to the opening between males and females, easier to pass Aiman to mama in case he wants her.

The takbir raya went on until 7.45am. People kept on coming until then. The prayer started, continued with the khutbah. Aiman was with mama since before the prayer started. After the khutbah, everyone lined up and shaked hands with each other while praising Prophet Muhammad. Lots of new faces, I don't recognized them.

A small 'jamuan' was held outside the hall. There were nasi minyak, fruits and more. After taking some pictures, we went to Eastlakes and spend time until evening. On the way back, we stopped at Pak Yaman's house, as we have promised Tante Elli to come and visit them. We were served with lontong (nasi impit) and satay padang. The difference with satay padang is it has tongue (lidah). The gravy was also different. Elyn's face changed when Ririn told her that she might have eaten the tongue, but she swallowed it though. As for me, I enjoyed every new food I tried.

Well, that's a day in our calender...

Selamat datang ke dunia...

Hari Rabu, 3hb Disember 2008, merupakan hari bersejarah buatku. Setelah lebih seminggu aku keluar masuk wad bersalin, masanya telahpun tiba.

Semenjak awal pagi, perutku yang mengembang beberapa kali ganda terasa semakin sarat. Kelihatan luar biasa bulatnya perutku. Sekitar jam 9 pagi, akhirnya kelahiran yang pertama di dalam wad bersalin yang masih baru ini disambut dengan kesyukuran dan kegembiraan. Namun begitu, perutku masih membuyung, dan aku masih resah, gelisah, seolah-olah masih ada yang belum selesai.

Rupanya ramalanku benar, aku melahirkan anak yang kedua selang beberapa minit kemudian. Alhamdulillah, bulat dan sihat. Comel sekali kedua-dua anakku ini, dengan mata yang bulat dan hitam sekali. Tetapi, perasaanku tetap tidak berubah. Perutku masih sengal-sengal. Selang beberapa minit, anak ketiga ku dilahirkan. "Wah, dah tiga! Ada lagi kah?" fikirku.

Ditakdirkan Tuhan, aku terus melahirkan anak demi anak, sehinggalah anak yang ke tiga belas, sekitar jam 4 petang. Pada waktu ini, perutku kelihatan amat berbeza berbanding pagi, dan aku semakin selesa. Selera makanku bertambah, berapa banyak makanan yang disediakan, aku jamah sampai licin. Mungkin untuk mengisi ruang abdomenku yang telah dikosongkan oleh anak-anakku yang 13 ini. Aku semakin kuat, maka pada malam itu aku dikeluarkan dari wad bersalin. Akan tetapi, anak-anakku ditahan buat sementara waktu untuk pengawasan dan pemastian yang mereka benar-benar sihat dan selamat, sebelum dibenarkan keluar.

Aku seekor ibu gapi, dan ini anak-anakku yang comel...
Mengintai dari luar wad...
Aku (bawah), pasanganku (hitam menawan) dan maduku (kecik aje dariku)...

things to ponder

It was my turn to present to the group in our Journal Club meeting today. The last one for this year.

I talked about the relationship between marital status & gender and food insecurity. We always thought that women are more likely to report food insecurity after a divorce, but this article proves otherwise. Divorced men are more likely to have food insecurity.

While mounting evidence is available on food insecurity is related to obesity, especially among women, looking at the marital status is an interestingly new area. Evidence shows that in men, the worse food insecurity gets in a household, their body weight tend to decrease compared to fully food secure men. As oppose, in women, they tend to become overweight and obese as the food insecurity level getting worse. We always thought that women-headed household or single parent might likely to have food security problems. Nevertheless this is not always the case.

Another interesting point to note is that men will get heavier after marriage. This is because their eating habits have been influenced by their partners'. Another theory is most married people tend to eat more with families around, and they are happy and well taken care of. Some papers said that getting married will make you heavier and getting divorce will make you loose weight. For me this might be transitional, while they try to cope with the changes of the situation. But it might be right for most men, as they do not normally cook or do the food shopping.

All in all, targeting obesity problems has become more complicated. While the epidemics has become major problem, the caused and factors contributing to overweight and obesity discovered has also varied. It used to be a disease of the wealthy, but now it spread among the poor. We thought people with full access to food will become fat easier, but now people with not enough food to eat are fatter. What's next?

D24

I'm sure most Malaysians knew what we are referring to when we mention D24. It is a type of durian that commonly produce in Malaysia not only for local market but also for export. While shopping some groceries at Lakemba Halal Market, a mini market owned by fellow Indonesians, I found the D24 in the freezer section. As a ‘hantu durian’, I was very delighted and bought it to see how it tastes like. You don even have to ‘kopek’ the skin as it was carefully packed in the plastic wrap. What you have to do is just put it in the microwave for a minute and wallah, the durian is ready to be enjoyed. Is was not frustrating at all, the taste and smell was there. Only the thrill of opening the skin that you’ll miss. However, with the price of $8.50 a box, and you will get only 5-6 pieces, I can't really enjoy it until I'm full enough with durian. Well, wait till I'm back in malaysia...

Talking about durian, terms always used to describe a durian are mangkar, kucing tidur, ganja, durian tembaga, and many more. It is always fascinating to learn that people have different terms referring to durian. I always missed my childhood time during the fruit season. We went to dusuns belong to somebody related to the family, but as a kid, who cares. We just want to eat fruits and enjoy mandi sungai or air terjun. It's fun to be a kid though huh!

Before I Started Writing...

It was 11am. The house was so quiet you can hear the clocks ticking with different pace and sound. Suddenly I heard a sound in the living room, like something was moving. I slowly got up from my chair in my room and peek to the front.

I can’t see anything, moved out of the room and stand near the dining table. I saw Aiman’s RC car’s light blinking. Then it started to shake. I looked around, thinking that someone was in the house. Heart was beating faster, adrenalin all over me, ready to fight or flight. The door was closed. Windows closed.

Then suddenly the car moved forward, almost fell down from the shelf. With a drumming heart, I pushed myself to grab the car. The switch was on. I switched it off. Opened the drawer nearby as I was sure the remote control was there, and there it was. What’s happening?

The TV did something similar a few times before. While it was in standby mode, suddenly the voice came out, but not the pictures. It stays a few moments before it went off back. Now I just turn the main switch off if it is not in use. Funny huh, or is it creepy? So did some toys of Aiman. Sometimes when you wake up at night to go to the toilet, the toys make sounds.

I guess it is because of the interference or waves around us that we can’t see. Nothing to be afraid of.

Terlajak perahu boleh diundur...

Saya mulai posting kali ini dengan pantun keadaan semasa,

Terlajak perahu mujur tak karam,
Terlajak kata buruk padahnya,
Terlajak posting boleh dipadam,
Sesen tak guna orang dah baca,
Kalau asyik suka menggodam,
Kita tanggung la tulisan kita,
buat apa baru nak padam,
Ada malu ka?

Cakap pasal perahu, hari Sabtu yang lalu kami tiga beranak melepak di tepi Georges River. Tak ada sebuah perahu pun yang lalu, semua dah diganti dengan bot laju barangkali. Orang asli pun mungkin dah tak pakai perahu lagi.

Dari pagi cuaca amatlah mandom sekali, matahari seperti malas nak menjengah. Bila hampir petang, saya membawa Aiman yang kebosanan di rumah ke tepi Georges River untuk bersiar-siar. Berani budak ini, jalan di tepi tebing sungai tanpa mahu dipegang. Kita yang risau. Aiman kelihatan gembira kerana akhirnya lepas bebas untuk berlari sambil menghirup udara segar. Ramai juga kaki pancing sedang memancing ikan di sepanjang teing sungai. Selepas Aiman puas berlari, kami pun kembali ke rumah.

Two hundred and fifty three

Two hundred and fifty three days more to go before I am MERDEKA, even not fully free as there might be some correction to do subsequently after you submit your thesis.

Looking at the figure, 253 seems not a very long time from now. We celebrate Raya every year, so does Christmas holiday, New Year, and also Ramadan. In most cases we normally feel like ‘aik, rasa baru je sambut posa dah nak posa lagi’, or ‘it’s already new year?”. And 253 days is a lot less than a year. Hmm… I’m sure the time will fly fast and without realizing it I am at the school office, handing over my thesis. Fuh, ‘lega!’. Can’t wait till that moment...

Well that is the joyful ending I am looking forward to, but the road to a happy ending does not always full with happy lovely things, and quite more often than not packed with pricking thorns and sad moments and headache, heartburn and tearing eyes. Sometimes you feel like full of shit, absolute dumb, other times you are the brilliant scientist. Mental block, writer’s block and whatever blocks and barriers they have are all the way down the road, not to mention road blocks. Like it or not, the story plot is quite similar for everyone doing research study. It is like a Hindi film though, you’re somewhat happy in the beginning, than the scenario changes, one after another obstacles come up, and for those who are stronger and fight back, usually the heroes, will win and claim the prize at the end.

So in order to be the hero, I guess I just need to be strong, fight back and go with the flow. With 253 days left, I feel like there are a lot of thing I need to accomplish. Juggling between study and life is not an easy task. I used to think why I can complete my master on time, but this PhD has dragged quite significantly. I assume that I am the same me, but in totally different situation, responsibilities and place. It is like chalk and cheese.

I completely aware that nobody can straight away create a well written piece of writing without starting with a humble paragraph full of mistakes. Keep on moving and don’t stop learning. One presenter did say in a seminar, “Get it written first, then get it right.”

Dear me...

Hunter Valley Gardens

Ahad lepas kami tiga beranak ke Hunter Valley Gardens. Dua jam lebih perjalanan ke utara SYdney, HVG terletak dalam kawasan Newcastle. Berada di tengah-tengah kawasan penanaman anggur atau vineyard, pemandangan sekeliling yang penuh kehijauan dan jauh mata memandang amat menenangkan hati. Kebetulan pada masa ini sedang berlangsung Rose Festival dan musim bunga masih belum habis, keseluruhan kawasan taman penuh dengan bunga-bunga yang pelbagai warna dan bau.

Bertolak sekitar 6 pagi, kami singgah di McD Bankstown membeli kopi dan breakfast McMuffin serta hash brown. Cuaca agak muram pagi itu, doa semoga hujan tidak turun di HVG. Alhamdulillah, walaupun matahari tidak muncul sepenuhnya, namun hujan juga tidak turun. Tiba di HVG sekitar jam 9, kami pusing-pusing sekitar kawasan itu. Semuanya ladang anggur, dan juga winery. Kalau memang dibenarkan, dah lama kami singgah makan di steakhouse yang menggamit-gamit dengan bau daging bbq yang enak.

Takpa sebab bekalan dah ready, semalam lagi dah masak spageti goreng udang besarr. Bila perut dah kenyang, hang mai la apa pun bau tak kisah dah. Penat round satu garden, kami pi ke HVG village, konon nak cari la souvenir, takdak yang menarik.

Komen lawatan:
1. Hunter Valley Gardens memang cantik, dengan lanskap yang pelbagai. Sebab itu dia guna perkataan jama'/plural gardens, sebab dalam HVGs ada banyak tema seperti Rose Garden, StoryBook Garden, Indian Tea Garden dan lain-lain.

2. Bagi mereka yang suka kepada keindahan alam memang sesuai. Musim bunga paling menarik sebab seluruh taman penuh dengan bunga. Rose paling best, hat wangi tak wangi semua ada. Besaq2 gedabak sampai yang haluih2, semua cantik2.

3. Akan tetapi bagi yang lebih suka kepada hutan batu-bata, taman tema, rides, dsb tak payah la pegi. Perjalanan menuju ke HVG ni saja dah tentu membosankan bagi korang. (Nasib baik bini aku suka bunga hihi).

4. For Muslims, bawak bekalan makanan. Jangan harap ada kedai yang jual steak halal, pasta, nasi bAriani batu pahat dsb kat sini. Kebab pun takdak. Nak pekena wine memang sesuai la. Tapi nak belasah sandwich tuna boleh aje.

5. Bagi yang ada kamera DSLR, sesuai untuk menunjukkan bakat tangkap gambar pelbagai pesen. Yang baru beli DSLR, boleh praktis guna teknik-teknik yang berbeza untuk hasilkan gambar yang menarik.

5. Ada satu makcik omputih ni masa kitorg lalu kat area tepat makan pandang tak lepas kat kitorg. Agaknya tempat ulu2 mcm ni jarang org kita masuk kot. Atau adakah aku terlalu hensem?

Destinasi seterusnya..... meja komputer.

Buah oh Buah!

Dengan teknologi yang canggih serta sistem pengangkutan yang pantas di darsa warsa ini, boleh dikatakan semua jenis buah-buahan bermusim boleh didapati sepanjang masa di mana-mana ceruk rantau di dunia ini. Namun begitu, tidak ada yang lebih nikmat daripada merasai keenakan memakan buah-buahan segar yang tidak melalui proses pengawetan atau penggunaan hormon. Lebih-lebih lagi mengecapi kemanisan buah-buahan yang masak di pokok. Bagi mereka yang peka dengan alam sekitar dan mementingkan kesegaran, buah-buahan tempatan adalah yang terbaik.

Bagi peminat buah-buahan yang berada di negara empat musim, musim panas merupakan masa yang amat dinantikan. Ini kerana pada musim ini pelbagai jenis buah-buahan boleh didapati dengan harga yang murah. Di Australia, musim bunga telahpun bermula, dan bunga-bunga ini akan berkembang menjadi buah-buahan yang enak di musim panas kelak. Walaubagaimanapun, beberapa jenis buah telah pun mula dijual, dan harganya semakin murah. Antara yang mudah didapati ialah buah peach, nectarine dan aprikot.

Buah-buahan ini terdiri daripada keluarga yang sama iaitu prunus dan ia mempunyai ciri-ciri yang hampir sama seperti isi yang lembut dan berair serta mempunyai satu biji atau stone/pit di tengahnya. Mereka juga dikenali sebagai stone fruits.

Buah peach kadangkala disebut sebagai queen of fruits, merupakan buah yang cantik. Kulitnya mempunyai bulu-bulu halus seakan-akan baldu dan berwarna kuning kemerahan. Isinya ada yang berwarna putih dan ada yang berwarna kuning. Buah yang cukup masak mengeluarkan bau yang harum.

Buah nectarine kelihatan seakan-akan peach, namun kulitnya licin dan tidak berbulu. Saiznya kecil sedikit berbanding peach. Walaupun bau dan rasanya seakan-akan sama dengan peach, ia lebih berasid daripada peach dan isinya berwarna kuning, putih atau kadangkala pink.

Buah yang kurang ranum boleh digrill diatas api atau dicelur di dalam air panas. Namun peach dan nectarine lebih enak dimakan mentah. Semasa memilih buah-buahan ini, tekan sedikit untuk memastikan ianya tidak terlalu keras, tetapi jangan terlalu lembik. Ia tidak tahan lama dalam simpanan. Buah yang belum ranum boleh disimpan pada suhu bilik untuk dibiarkan lembut selama 1-2 hari. Buah yang masak boleh disimpan di dalam peti sejuk dan dibungkkus dengan plastik. Basuh buah sebaik sahaja sebelum memakannya, tidak perlu basuh sebelum disimpan kerana kelembapan akan menyebabkan isinya melembik dengan lebih cepat.

Sejenis buah lagi dari keluarga yang sama ialah apricot. Buah ini lebih kecil berbanding peach dan nectarine dan baunya harum apabila masak ranum. Warna kulitnya kuning-jingga dan sedikit berbulu halus dengan bayangan merah jambu apabila masak. Isinya tidak lembut seperti peach dan nectarine, manis dan harum, serta mempunyai hanya sedikit air. Apricot tidak terus masak jika diperam, oleh itu pilih buah yang betul-betul masak dan boleh dimakan terus. Elakkan membeli buah yang masih mempunyai warna hijau atau yang telah mula berkedut.

Buah-buahan ini semulajadinya kaya dengan vitamin terutama vitamin A, B dan C serta mempunyai kandungan kalori yang rendah. Selain dari itu ianya juga membekalkan fiber atau serat yang amat diperlukan oleh tubuh badan. Buah-buahan segar lain yang boleh didapati dengan mudah dan murah di musim ini ialah plum, prun, ceri, pelbagai jenis anggur serta mangga. Nikmatilah buah-buahan ini kerana anda pasti akan merinduinya kelak apabila ianya menjadi berkurangan dan semakin mahal, lebih-lebih lagi apabila anda telah pulang ke tanah air!

German Measles

Last Wednesday, we noticed there were some faint red spots on Aiman's face. The night before his body was a little bit warm, 'dedaq' kata orang utara. Then the spots appears to be like rashes and it continued to grow. So yesterday, after 3 days the symptoms appeared, we went to Ashby Medical Centre just to confirm that it was measles, and yes it's German Measles.

The doctor said that this type of measles does not make you really sick and it will goes away without anything to be worried. No wonder Aiman was as active as usual, just a little bit cranky and lost his appetite. Nevertheless, he still drinks his milk and likes to eat fruits as usual.


Measles is a very infectious disease. So we decided not to go out and just stay at home until Aiman is totally recover. Today we are going to miss two Raya open houses, and we might be canceling our plan to have an open house at our place too. Just don't want to jeopardize other people, particularly young mothers who might be pregnant and babies.

An excerpt from http://www.medicalonline.com.au/medical/child/german_measles.htm :

"Rubella, or German Measles as it is commonly known is a viral disease transmitted by the inhalation of infected droplets from the air.

German Measles can be transmitted by the infected person to others for one week before the onset of the rash. The incubation period is 14 - 21 days with an average of about 6 days before the appearance of symptoms. One atttack usually confers permanent immunity.

The main feature of the disease is the appearance of a fine pink rash often preceded by mild symptoms of a general virus infection, a slight fever, conjunctivitis and a general feeling of not being well. Adults, especially young women, may develop joint pains

. The rash starts on the face and spreads to the trunk and extremities and may only be present for a matter of hours to 3 days. It may also be so faint as to be missed altogether.

The treatment of rubella consists mainly of treating the symptoms which may be very mild indeed. Aspirin may be all that is required. If you are concerned that you or your child may have caught rubella then your doctor can have you tested for positive signs of the disease and he can also put your mind at rest by establishing the presence of antibodies which guarantees your immunity to complications particularly in pregnancy."

Raya Open House

Since it is still in the month of Syawal, every weekend there will be someone's open house. Talking about open house, here in Sydney, ‘open house’ means that particular property is on sale, and it is open for inspection for prospective buyers during the open house day. Whereas among Malaysian, it is the day when we open the door of our houses to people to join the feast and enjoy the celebration, not matter who. Nowadays, it has became a tradition in Malaysia for every culture to do so during their annual celebration particularly Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Deepavali; the biggest celebration rejoice by Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnics.

The tradition of open house does not only practiced by people in Malaysia, but it continues when they are overseas. Here in Sydney, the same thing occurs. Although it is usually not fully ‘opened’, cause we normally choose people we would like to invite to our ‘semi’-open houses, the tradition brings happiness among Malaysians and provide the opportunity to meet fellow Malaysians that we might not know before. It is a good platform to revive our culture, especially to inculcate and make sure the younger generation aware about their own traditional celebration.

It is a good practice if we sincerely and open heartedly invite people to our house to have party and share many kinds of food together. This is the time we can enjoy ourselves and talk about our much-loved home country, and forget about research, assignment and so on for a moment. The food, not forget to mention, are the main attraction and with the rich cuisine of Malaysia, there are a lot of different kinds of food to enjoy and try. As food is my passion, I normally try to taste all kind of food, especially the one that is not familiar to me. This is usually the main cause people gain weight after Raya, following the hard work losing some kilos during Ramadan fasting month.

Anyhow, it has been more than a fortnight we are in the month of Syawal. But I reckon this year we do not received as many invitations as last year. I wonder whether there are not many people doing open house, or we are just being forgotten eh. Yea, there's a lot of new students that we don't really know, or not really close to. And the old batches are getting smaller, many has gone back for good. And there's a rumour that the new batches does not get along very well with the old one, huh. I thought that only happens in high school, but here? All with families, matured age and most are the intellects of the nations.

Thanks to those who had invited us to their houses. Ours? I know people are questioning that. We will think of it and inform later if ever we would like to have one, hehe. Even though open houses are still happening on weekends, we must get back to WORK!

1 Syawal 1429H

It is mid week, Wednesday. Sydney's inhabitants went to work as usual. However for Muslims, it was the Eid Al-Fitr celebration. As previous years, we went to Malaysia Hall for the Eid prayer. We woke up at 5am, get ready and had a breakfast with my rendang dan ketupat instant. Than at 6.25am, we started our journey to MyHall, about 25km from home. It was still early, but there were so many cars on the road that I thought we couldn't make it on time for the prayer scheduled at 7.30am. But anyhow Allah knows best, we arrived around 7.15am, and we joined the crowd for takbir. The prayer started at about 10min to 8am. After prayer there were a little food prepared under the tent, such as lemang, rendang and pasta. The real celebration will be this Saturday where lots of food will be there.

We went to visit our friends until night, about 6 houses altogether. Enjoyed a lot of different kinds of food, went back exhausted. The following day Elyn went to the Uni, while me and reena just stayed at home, finishing hatever food left in the fridge. And every weekend untill Syawal ends, there will be open houses among the Malay communities around Sydney...

Whatever it is, how happy we look in the picture, I miss my home, my mom and dad, my family....

Di Hari Raya, Terkenang Daku Kepada Si Dia.... lalala

Lagi dua hari nak raya. Dapat kad raya dari anak-anak menakan, rupanya semua dah ada kat rumah opah ngan tok abah kat Taiping. Gambaq tu masa raya haji yang lepas, kami dok ada kat Malaysia masa tu. Tu yang ada complete family picture tu...

Seronok sakan la depa budak-budak ni beraya. Aku dah email kad raya aku kat abang dan kakak, so hari ni depa balik tunjuk gambaq Aiman pakai baju melayu ni, depa kata nampak macam dah besaq, macam dah 5 tahun. Iffah kata tak best la Aiman dah besaq. hehe, nak buat macamana budak2 memang cepat besaq. Takpa nanti Aiman dapat adik buleh main baby lagi kan, tapi tak tau la bila tu...

Dulu2 ujung2 posa ni biasanya aku memang akan ada kat rumah dah, dan aku la yang balik dulu. Dua hari sebelum raya, kontrak aku ialah cuci pintu besaq. Pintu cermin tu senang ja, tang grill tu yang lece. Rumah dulu2 grill dia bebunga-bunga, renyah sikit nak lap, tak macam lagu rumah la ni petak2 ja, senang nak lap.

Lagi satu kerja tetap aku ialah tulung mama bukak daun palas nak buat ketupat. Dalam kami 3 beradik, aku ja mama kata buleh lipat ketupat palas ni. Mama pun turun dari pah dan wan, depa memang buat sendiri dari dulu lagi. Last day posa mama biasanya sebok kat dapoq la. Menu wajib mama ketupat palas, rendang pedas daging, kuah kacang ngan nasik impit. Biasanya raya pertama makan benda2 ni ja, sebab pastu kenyang pi makan kat rumah sedara mara. Menu lain abah join masak sekali macam laksa ka, mee rebus ka, nasi minyak ka. Kat Taiping saja dah ada berapa buah rumah adik beradik; rumah maksu, mak tam, pakcik; tu belum masuk rumah belah kak ipaq ngan abg ipaq aku lagi, semua dok ada area2 situ jugak. Aku ja kawen ngan orang luaq, ekekeke...

Dulu masa kecik2 masa pah ngan wan ada, tok wan pun idup lagi, biasanya kami balik kampung kat Parit Buntar. Mama ada 10 beradik, so sepupu sepapat aku memang ramai la. Dan kami memang rapat sampai la dah besaq ni pun. Abah pulak ada 4 beradik. Biasanya lepas balik parit buntaq kami terus la ke penang jumpak belah abah pulak. La ni aku dah jadi cucu yatim piatu, tadak kampung dah nak balik. Sesekali rindu jugak nak ada pah ngan wan ngan tok wan macam dulu2, but life goes on. Mama dan abah aku dah jadi tok pulak, jadi kami semua berkumpul kat rumah la. Abah anak sulong, adik2 dia memang akan mai berkumpul di rumah kami, tak raya pertama, raya kedua. Hmm... tahun ni first time la pak lang hussin tak dak, dia baru meninggal beberapa bulan sudah. Belah mama pun dah tinggal 8 orang je mak/pak menakan. Nak buat macamana, kitaran hidup lagu tu la. Bagi yang masih ada tok, rajin2 la jengok depa, balik kampung jumpak. Esok dah takdak baru dok teringat. Mak bapak jangan lupa time2 raya ni.

Plan kami raya kali ni, pagi raya pi smayang raya kat Malaysia Hall, pastu tak tau nak buat apa dah. Hari Sabtu ni baru MyHall buat sambutan hari raya. Macam biasa, MyPSA akan amik satu stall; kuih-muih dan buah. Dan weekend2 berikutnya akan ada la jemputan rumah terbuka. Kitorg tadak plan nak buat open house lagi, tengok la macamana. Ni dok geram pasai apa duit elaun tak masuk2 lagi. Hmmph takpa la, buat rosak mood raya ja...

SALAM AIDILFITRI

Kurang lebih 5 hari lagi kita akan menyambut Aidilfitri. Tahun ini Aidilfitri jatuh pada pertengahan minggu. Ini bermakna bagi rakan-rakan pelajar terutama yang berada di negara yang tidak menyambut Aidilfitri sebagai cuti umum, mungkin kebanyakannya terpaksa beraya di makmal, kuliah pengajian atau mengadap komputer untuk menyiapkan kertas kerja dan tugasan yang masih belum selesai. Atau mungkin juga ada yang kurang bersemangat untuk menyambut hari raya dengan ketiadaan ayah bonda dan keluarga di sisi, di mana hari raya tiada bezanya seperti hari-hari biasa, cuma pada hari ini kita sudah dibenarkan makan dan minum di siang hari. Bagi yang telah berkeluarga, hari raya disambut sekadarnya. Biasanya ibubapa akan melebihkan anak-anak, dengan baju baru, kasut baru dan serba-serbi baru. Sambutan hari raya akan diadakan secara sederhana namun tetap meriah, dengan pelbagai juadah disediakan dan dikongsi bersama. Bagi kami di sekitar Sydney. Malaysia Hall merupakan tempat kami berkumpul saban tahun untuk sambutan Hari Raya.

Tahun ini adalah tahun ke-empat kami beraya di perantauan. WAlaupun rindu pada sanak saudara di Malaysia tidak dapat diungkap engan kata-kata, hidup harus diteruskan. Mujur ada Aiman sebagai penyeri hidup kami, penat lelah sering terubat dengan telatahnya yang semakin pelbagai, tak kurang juga jerit pekik mama dan abah aiman yang sering kedengaran tatkala Aiman dengan sifat ingin tahu cuba melakukan aksi-aksi yang mungkin mendatangkan bahaya. Dia amat suka memanjat sekarang, ingin mengeksplorasi kawasan-kawasan yang selama ini tidak dapat dicapainya. Namun begitu, anak yang aktif dan sihat memang merupakan sesuatu yang penting bagi kami. Raya ini, Aiman yang paling hebat bergaya sekali, dengan 2 pasang lengkap baju melayu bersampin serta songkok, belum dikira entah berapa pasang lagi pakaian lain. Kebanyakannya pemberian tok mama yang sememangnya begitu teruja membeli itu dan ini untuk cucu sulungnya ini. Alhamdulillah, terima kasih kepada tok mama dan tok abah, lega sikit poket abah dan mama Aiman.

Kami mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri kepada semua tak kira di mana berada. Maaf Zahir Batin.

Changing season...

I’m feeling better today, guessed I’ve recovered from the syndrome, hayfever as they normally called here. Even though the body temperature and muscle ache have subsided, my nose is still block and my head is still feel like ’nyuut-nyuut’, it comes and goes though. However, the back pain is still there, don’t know when it will go away.

It is the turning of the season. Spring has just begun in the southern hemisphere. The weather is changing. Cool and hot wind blow interchangeably. One day it’s cold, the other it’s hot outside. The temperature in my house is now around 20oC, just nice and comfy to wear a t-shirt without any heavy clothing anymore. But since I have a blocked nose, I have to stay a bit warmer by putting on my woolly jumper. I even wore double socks on each foot.

With the flowers blooming, pollen is everywhere in the air. Not to mention the air borne microorganisms are also getting awake from long winter dormancy. For people who are sensitive or allergy to this changing condition, they might catch this syndrome. The tv also starts to air advertisement on various medications to treat hayfever and allergies. Well, they are good in taking advantage of and make use of the current affairs that are happening around.

This could be, and should be my last Spring as a PhD candidate. I am going to end this chapter of my life by July next year. Well, shouldn’t I be writing up my thesis instead of blogging? Yes, I should. But what’s wrong with blogging, ‘fotopage’ing, ‘myspace’ing, ‘friendster’ing etc? I presume that as long as if it has not become your main job, then just go on.

People might say and think that students need to study all the time, not messing around, wasting time writing blogs or uploading pictures into the net, which might or might not be viewed by anybody. ‘waa, this person still got time blogging eh! I thought he is in his final year already,’ you might hear someone said this before. Hmm, wonder how one knew that particular person were blogging, if one didn’t wasting time surfing and reading other people’s blog, eh? Haha, just came across my mind, if ever my boss, head of department, supervisors, came across and found out about me blogging? Huh, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? Well at least they will know me better through my writing, won’t they?

Personally, I consider blogging is one way one can practice writing and improve writing skills. As a saying said, ‘Practice makes Perfect’. For me, writing in English is a necessity, one for my thesis, and the other is for my future career advance if I want to move further in the academic world. So, writing in English, no matter what the topics are, I guess is a good practice for me. Instead of writing and keeping it to myself, publishing it in the blog will, well, if so, be read by other people who then can comment or share their opinions and ideas if they want to do so. For instance, my wife, who I guess is the only enduring visitor to my blog, always point out my mistakes, be it grammar, spelling or even the content of the writing. I found it useful so as for me to improve and make sure I won’t do the same mistakes in my academic writing. Got what I mean? I wish there is a technique where we can practice speaking in the similar approach. You know, we talk talk talk, post it on the web, people listen and can comment and talk back to us. Hehe, maybe the technology is already around, it is just me who were left behind.

OK, kind of taken away and written quite long already. Hope tomorrow I will get better and no more blocked nose, sigh!

Separuh Ramadan berlalu

Sedar tak sedar telah dua minggu kita berada di bulan Ramadan yang mulia. Bila dilihat semula kebelakang, adakah tercapai segala azam kita pada awal permulaan Ramadan? Apakah kita mampu mengkhatam seluruh isi Al-Quran setibanya penghujung Ramadan kelak? Bagaimana pula pengisian harian kita di hari-hari yang penuh barakah ini? Bagaimana pula malam-malam Ramadan yang telah berlalu, adakah dimanfaatkan atau kita terus dibuai mimpi, terlena dalam kedinginan malam yang mengulit diri? Adakah kita masih terus menonton TV yang penuh dengan rancangan-rancangan yang tidak mendatangkan faedah kepada kita dan keluarga kita, bahkan mungkin boleh mendatangkan mudarat? Adakah kita berjaya mengawal mulut kita daripada berkata-kata perkara yang tidak baik, mengumpat dan bercerita hal orang? Bagaimana dengan telinga kita, mata kita, kaki kita kemana melangkah? Apatah lagi berada di negara kulit putih, yang mana majoriti umatnya tidak mengamalkan ajaran yang dibawa oleh Rasul kita Muhammad S.A.W., godaan dan cabaran sentiasa berada di sekeliling kita tanpa diundang, terkadang begitu mudah kita tersasar daripada matlamat berpuasa tanpa kita sedari.

Salah satu perkara yang kita sering terlepas pandang ialah betapa pentingnya menjaga makan minum kita sepanjang bulan puasa ini. Tubuh badan kita adalah amanah Allah, maka menjaganya adalah perkara yang wajib ramai yang tidak sedar. Tidak dinafikan bagi sesetengah orang bulan puasa dijadikan sebagai bulan untuk mengurangkan berat badan. Berlainan pula dengan sesetengah yang lain, bulan puasa menyebabkan berat badan mereka bertambah. Ini memang mudah berlaku sekiranya waktu berbuka puasa dijadikan ibarat waktu menjamu selera semahunya, makan sebanyak yang boleh. Sebaiknya berbuka dimulakan dengan makanan yang manis, tamar merupakan yang terbaik dan ia juga sunnah nabi. Tamar atau lebih dikenali sebagai buah kurma bukan sahaja mengandungi gula, tetapi juga terbukti mempunyai khasiat serta kandungan nutrien yang penting untuk tubuh badan. Dengan memakan benda-benda yang manis terlebih dahulu, ia dapat merangsang perut untuk mula beroperasi setelah seharian berehat dengan merembeskan enzim-enzim pencernaan. Ini penting agar perut tidak 'terkejut' dengan kedatangan makanan-makanan berat dan pedas lagi berlemak yang mana merupakan makanan yang disukai oleh masyarakat Melayu kita. Selain dari itu, minumlah segelas air untuk menambah semula kandungan cecair badan yang hilang di siang hari.

Sebaiknya selepas menunaikan solat Maghrib, berulah mula menjamah makanan berat seperti nasi. Makanan yang kita makan perlu mengandungi komponen karbohidrat seperti nasi dan mee serta roti; protein terutamanya ayam, ikan dan daging, yang juga mengandungi lemak perlu untuk tubuh; serta serat dengan adanya sayuran dan buah-buahan. Sayuran dan buah-buahan juga perlu untuk membekalkan vitamin dan mineral. Air perlu diminum sepanjang malam untuk mengganti semula air yang hilang dari badan serta mengelak sembelit.

Waktu sahur juga perlu dimanfaatkan sebaiknya. Sahur penting untuk menyediakan tubuh badan kita dengan tenaga bagi meneruskan aktiviti seharian kita di siang hari berikutnya. Sebolehnya, makanlah makanan yang dapat membekalkan tenaga secara perlahan dan lebih lama dengan mengambil makanan berfiber seperti roti wholemeal dan beras perang. Bagi mereka yang tidak mempunyai selera di awal pagi, kurma dan susu sudah memadai. Sesungguhnya pada makanan sahur itu ada barakah.

Ramadhan Kareem

It is almost a week since the month of Ramadan has started. For Muslims who observe the teaching of Islam, it is the month when they fast during the day, beginning from dawn until sunset. During this time, one should not only prevent oneself from eating and drinking, but also avoid doing things that can cease the fast and stop doing unbeneficial actions. It is the best time to double one’s ibadah and recite the Quran, aiming to conclude reading the entire book in one month.

Nevertheless, Ramadan does not stopping us from doing activities together with family and friends. There are two types of pleasures promised for those people who fast: one in the day of judgement and another is during Iftar, or breaking the fast. And these two ni’mah will only be enjoyed and experienced by true Sa’im. It will be more blissful if we can get together for iftar, prepare food for other people, enjoy different kind of food together and perform Solat Tarawih jointly, which only present during Ramadan.

It is the third Ramadan for me and my wife in Australia. Fasting in a foreign country, where the majority are non-muslim, is an experience not everybody will have. “OH! It is that time again! I’m sure you will lose some weight”, said one of my friends. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to eat slowly in front of you, since you can’t eat” said another thoughtful friend. Meanwhile, some just bite the Pringles hungrily. I keep on telling them to just proceed as usual, nothing different is happening. I am just fasting, I am not starving myself to the point that I can’t control myself when food is around me. In fact, these type of challenges will make us stronger.

So, to celebrate the beginning of this holy month, a few friends around Sydney have gathered for an iftar at Abg Ghazali’s house yesterday, Saturday, in Blacktown. Among the special menus are satays, curry mee, sup kambing (not sure whether lamb or mutton), bubur lambuk and a lot more. There were lots of food that everybody ended up with full tummy, and have some take-away before going back home. We also enjoyed performing solat Maghrib, Isya’ and also Tarawih in jamaah. Another special event, there was also a Fathers’ Day cake, prepared by the mothers, since today is Fathers’ Day celebration here in Australia. Thanks to all mothers who have done a really good job in remembering special events like this, not like us fathers, haha. Hope you guys were not looking forward for the same kind of thing in the coming mothers’ day celebration…

A FLAT TYRE...

OK, fine! So I was wrong. I parked my car in the wrong place. I don’t have a sticker saying I can park my car here. Even if you have one, you are not guaranteed to get a space for your car. So what? Nobody says anything. But this moron had took the law into his own hands by deflating my tyre just because he thought that car space was his!

It happened last Tuesday, the same day that I discovered that my lit rev file was gone. What a bad day it was. As usual I went to get Aiman and ready to drive home when an Indian pass my car while I was reversing from the parking area, pointing at my front tyre. I lowered the windscreen and make a questioning face, “What?”. “Your tyre,” she said. I stepped out from the car and gosh, my front tyre was completely flat. Not a single molecule of gas was in there. I drove back slowly to the parking space and call K.A to take care of aiman while I was going to change the tyre. Luckily A.F and A.A. were around, they helped me out with the job.

I was told then that the Friday before that day the same thing had happened to a guy, but it was worse where all 4 tyres were deflated. Poor guy. A.A knew the one who did this because he saw him doing his dirty job while on the way for Jumaat prayer. I was lucky enough just to have only one tyre deflated. I guessed he wanted to deflate all my tyres as the back tyre's tube cap was gone too, maybe he doesn’t have enough time or someone passed by that make him went away.

Anyway, lesson learnt. I will not park my care in that place anymore, does not worth the risk. Good thing that he didn’t scratch the paint or smash the mirror or whatever thing that could cost me money. But I still think that it is a stupid, selfish, silly, bloody fool thing to deflate my tyre just because you think it is your carspace that I’m taking. You can always put a note, swear if you like, warning me not to park my car there! Well, not everyone who gone to Uni possess a brain that could think of better ways of doing things, huh!?

So today I drove around the Uni to find a parking space, ended up paying $4 to parked closed to my school. It wasn’t that I’m not willing to park a bit far and walk my way to my school building, but everywhere was just full.

At the end, I always thought that there might be something I’ve done wrong, and God want to teach me a lesson, or as a punishment for my sins. But still He loves me by sending someone to notify me that my tyre was flat, and my fellow Malaysian were out there around to help. Just imagine if I had already entered the freeway, climbing uphill and stranded in the middle of the freeway while the day is getting dark? You see, these kind of things sometimes trigger your mind to think more, muhasabah a little bit further, how far have you've gone astray from God, forgetting Him while busy with your daily life, and does not repent and ask for forgiveness from Him.

TULUUUN!!

Sakitanya jiwaaa! Mana pi file lit review aku nih?? Tadak dalam usb drive aku ni? Hat yang lama ada la pulak, yang latest draft yg aku dah edit ni pi manaaa?? Aku rasa ni gara2 minah iran yang pinjam usb aku aritu ni la ni… ish… aku dah perasan yang bbrp article ilang, takpa la buleh donload balik. Tapi ni aku punya writing! Alaaaaah!!! Menyampahnyaaa! Mintak2 ada la kat dalam laptop. Dah hari ni laptop pun aku tak bawak! Gong sungguh la. Aku dah siap edit, err belum siap sepenuhnya la. Tapi nak mola balik mesti dah jadi LAAINNN! Arghhhh!!

YA ALLAH, ampunkanlah dosa hamba Mu ini YA ALLAH… bantulah aku YA ALLAH!!

Aiman and mama

It is now already half past ten at night. Aiman and i are staying in the car while mama is doing her work in her lab. Luckily Aiman has just fallen asleep so i can go to sleep too. Mama just called telling that she will probably finish an hour from now. So i guess i just go to sleep and hope Aiman will not wake up till mama is done.
Actually we were at Abg Ghazali's house earlier tonight, had a dinner there with some other people involved in silat. His new house is bigger than the old one, and beautiful too. They invited us to their house warming party last time but Aiman and me were having diarrhea. So this time we just happy to go and visit them. I've made seri muka but the bottom was a bit hard and the top was soft. It has been a long time i haven't cook seri muka.
I think i'll pen off now as i gave a few yawns already. It is still drizzling outside. Hope mama won't take too long to finish whatever thing she's doing. Tata!

Endless Smiles...

WOLLONGONG, 18 July 2008 - Today must be a historical and happiest day for Dr Shamsiah and Dr Qian. It was their graduation day after completing their studies at the University of Wollongong. Dr Shamsiah is from Malaysia, completed her PhD in the Faculty of Engineering, while Dr Qian, DrPH, was in the Faculty of Health & Behavioral Sciences, University of Wollongong. All their hopes, hard works, ups and downs during their studies has earned them an utmost happiness and priceless gratifications.

The graduation ceremony was held in the UoW Great Hall. It was a fine and sunny day although a little bit chilly as the wind blew the cool winter air. Happy faces were everywhere around the University compound, with cameras clicking the lights flashing here and there. Families and friends congratulated the graduands, hugging and shaking hands, and even shed some tears.

Congratulations again to Dr Shamsiah and Dr Qian. May the guy with the brown jacket and a pair of sunglasses be motivated and work harder in order to finish his study and be celebrated in the same ceremony sometimes next year. And at that time, he is the one who will be wearing the blue robe with hunter's hat on his head! - WAN AZDIE -

Population Health Congress 2008

The Population Health Congress 2008 was held at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 6-9 July 2008. It was a big congress, having more than 1000 participants attending. I was a poster presenter in the congress and my poster entitled "Measuring Food Insecurity in Wollongong".

We arrived at Brisbane Airport on Sunday morning. Zarizi was so kind he fetched us up from the airport and took us to his home in Moorooka, about 20 minutes drive from the airport, and had a breakfast there. He even let us borrowed his Nimbus to travel around, and we went to Gold Coast 2 days in a row driving his Nimbus. Thanks a lot mate!

Hotel George Williams was where we stayed for 3 nights. It was a 3 star hotel, 15 minutes walk to the congress venue. Had to cross the Brisbane river to get there. It is also adjacent to the Queen Street Mall. The weather was not so good as it was drizzling most of the days, and raining quite heavily one morning when I was in hurry to attend the breakfast sessions on Food security. Thanks that there was a guy invited me to join into his cab.

Overall, the congress was a success and I am sure that everyone enjoyed listening to the presentations and reading the posters, as well as good coffee and food made available throughout the congress.

We arrived back in Sydney on the Wednesday night, and life goes on as usual...

Apa?

"Saya dulu study 14 jam sehari. Masa writing-up berenti hanya untuk makan dengan sembahyang aje. Duduk dalam bilik berkurung sorang2 selama 6 bulan." "Saya siap PhD 2 tahun, bukan nak kata saya ni terer." Begitulah kata beliau.

Macam ni lah. PhD ni bukan hanya pi sekolah, belajar, balik, buat revision, exam. It is a learning thru experience, not structured, exam oriented whatsoever. Its totally yours, only you don't really know what it is until it is in a form of hard-bound copy. PhD is not a joke. Seriously. So kalau nak banding2 kata "aku buleh hangpa takkan tak buleh", pastu kata lagi "orang lain buleh takkan kita tak buleh", dah tu tambah pulak "ada orang tu buat 2 tahun buleh abis, kita pun bagi la perabih cepat", sori na, pi balik naik lori. Kalau nak compare2, apa kata satu donia ni buat benda yang sama, pastu banding la kot mana pun. Hmm... tak buleh jugak, takkan budak maths nak kena buat research pasal kesan makan tempoyak campur budu terhadap perut kot? Nak compare lagu mana?

Nak habaq bagi, rata2 ramai yang kena extend. Ada yang sampai masuk tahun ke lima pun tak abih lagi dok kalut nak mintak extend. Mintak extend 6 bulan atau setahun tu biasa la. Memang la kita plan nak perabih on time. Ingat suka ka, saja2 ka, buat lambat ha? Manusia ni bukan sama. Ada yang tuhan bagi lebih sikit, tak banyak dugaan, rintangan cabaran. Smooth aje. Ada pulak masalah bertimpa-timpa. Yang single lain experiencenya, yang dah beranak pinak lain pulak storyline nya.

OKlah, tunggu ja la result extension aku. Kawan tu kata dah dok dalam proses dok tunggu respond dari kawan ni. Yang kawan ni pulak kata dok tunggu communication daripada kawan tu.
Mana satu daa. Ha, ni pun masalah jugak tau! Hangpa ingat senang ka nak urus manusia?

Dah lah, malaih nak melalut.

Selamat Hari Lahir Aiman

Sedar tak sedar, seminggu yang lalu, Aiman dah pun berusia setahun. Tanggal 18 Rabi'ul Akhir 1429, genaplah usia Aiman satu tahun mengikut kalendar Hijriah. Rasa sat aja dah setahun. Gigi dia masih dok 8 batang, dah makan macam2 termasuk la gulai, sup, kek dan mcm2 lagi. Apa yang kita makan semua suap kat dia sama, bagi dia rasa serba serbi. Tapi makanan utama dia masih lagi nasik lembik dgn ikan/ayam/daging dan sayuran, without salt or any perasa tambahan. Boh la bawang2 sikit, kadang lada itam bagi berasa. Kalau dulu suap semua masuk, la ni dah pandai 'puek', I mean dah pandai tolak dengan lidah dia kalau dia tak suka ka, dah kenyang ka. Dulu ulang makanan yang sama berhari-hari pun takpa, la ni dah pandai boring.

Dari segi physical development, Aiman dah mula tauk tapak. Dua tiga tapak, bedebuk jatuh. Tapi dia kompiden la, nak lagi kalau ada ramai orang, excited nak jalan. Takpa la, jalan la lekaih sikit. La ni asik dok merangkak merata, pastu tangan dok kotoq pi masuk mulut. Ni dok tengah batuk & selsema. Badan pun ada temperature sikit. 3 perkataan yang rasanya dia paham dan buleh sebut (selain babah & mama) ialah fish, bird dan lampu. Dia dok try mengajuk cakap org dah, bleh la sikit2 bila kita dok sebut ulang2 kat dia.

Tok mama & tok abah baru sampai semalam. Syiok la Aiman ada orang nak ulit mayang layan dia. 5 Mei ni birthday lagi. Esok mama dia excited nak ajak kawan2 mai rumah makan2, sempena birthday dan masuk rumah baru ni. Tak ramai dalam 20 org je kot.

OKlah nak pi siap pi masjid. Hari ni kan hari JUmahat.. ekeke..

Chiow

Goodbye Penshurst...

As been told in azdielyn.blogspot.com by my other half, we have already moved in to our new house in Bankstown. The article seems too much about me liking everything in this new home; banyak hook la, koleksi jam la; whereas her interest was not much discussed, which among others are; very close to Centro shopping town and Mimi's on the park (a restaurant), etc.

Actually, I am rather sad to leave Penshurst; both the apartment and the environment. It is mostly BLUE, from the walls to the lamp shade and the kitchen cabinet. The balcony is long, where I put my BBQ set, plus my chilly plants (pokok cabai) and other stuffs. It was also a favorite spot for elyn to hang dry the clothes for days if not weeks, hehe.. One thing I don't like was that it doesn't have a car space, totally roadside parking and it's a first come first serve basis. Some days I have to park the car far out of sight, and if you are lucky you can park right in front of your window. There is a tree where if you park your car under it, your car will be covered with bird droppings all over. I guess it is the chosen one, coz other trees have no bird sleeping in them, thus no shit even if you park your car there for days. Wonder how these birds choose a place to sleep..

That place has a sentimental value. It was the place myself and wife stayed longest, more than 2 years, since we got married. Aiman was conceived and born when we were there, our parents came to visit us for the first time there, and lots of things happened when we were staying in Penshurst. You feel safe to walk around outside even at night. It is also close to 2 train stations; Penshurst and Mortdale. The closest shopping centre is the Westfield Hurstville, whereas there are 2 supermarkets within walking distance, IGA and Franklin. There are a lot of specialty shops around. Blockbuster Video, where we normally rent DVDs, is just around the corner.

So, if everything sounds so good then why do we moved out? It is because the landlord is selling the house. Every Saturdays people will come into the apartment to inspect. It is not really because of the inconvenience we have to face every week that made us move out. We were thinking about what will happen once the unit has been sold? Will the new landlord rent it out? What if he/she wants to move in? Can we get a house within 4 weeks time or so once we receive the notice to vacate? and the questions go on and on... So that's why we decided to grab the opportunity to move into this new home of ours, since the previous tenant is our friend that they just recommended us to the agent. Our neighbor, Dot, who was also in the same situation, had moved out to Ashfield the same week as us. Alhamdulillah, without neither fuss nor having to go thru much trouble, we have became the new tenant of this lovely apartment. And, we are still in Unit Number 1! In the picture you can see Aiman was doing the inspection in his new territory.

Talking about this new place, yeah, it was just 2 weeks since we moved in. That's not much time to know the area and falling in love with this place. Wait till after 40 days and you will get use to it. $280 per week, sounds expensive huh!! That is because house rent were far far lower when we first arrived here compared to what it is now. It is more expensive around Penshurst than here. With $280, even $300 you only will get a good size 2 bedroom apartment and a car space there. Here, we have big lounge area, a lock up garage and even a storeroom. Even the room are bigger than the apartment we have inspected (and applied 2 of them but rejected) in Penshurst. Bebudak baru tak kisah pun harga rumah sampai $300, coz they don't know how fast and high the rate jumped up.

Yesterday we went to clean up the Penshurst apartment. Might need to go there again tomorrow as the Landlady asked us to clean the stove and windows again. Looks like OK to us, maybe we missed some spots. Once we clean it up, we will drop the key at the agent's office in Beverly Hills, and that's goodbye Penshurst....