Scratch That Itch: 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Faizi's Birthday

Photos taken during my brother-in-law's recent birthday. The birthday party was extremely well organised by his wife, Along (being in the catering business, it better be!). It was the first time I've ever had "steam boat" - and the food was delicious and plentiful:) Particularly funny was Amar's very tune deaf version of "happy birthday" and him trying to put out the candles by licking them!

The date (22/1/2007) turned out to be a very significant one for Mama Sarah's birthday as it was also the date of her grandmother's birthday (pictured below), and the date when her grandfather (Terengganu side) and grandmother (Johore side) passed away.

Happy birthday Faizi, many happy returns!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Port Dickson!!!

I was in the middle of updating my previous post (it was scheduled for the weekend), when Mama Sarah reminded me of a prior engagement. Rewind a few weeks back - Mama Sarah and I had plans with Izani & Kak Pa, our long, long, long time friends back when we were in Cardiff (Izani and I became friends when I was still a bachelor, and when I got married Kak Pa and Mama Sarah naturally became friends - anyway, that's for another story [that may not be told here]).

The "plan" was for our two families to enjoy the weekend in Port Dickson!! Mama Sarah and I have always dreamed of going to P.D, what with seeing all the lovely pictures of other families on their respective blogs.

Izani managed to get us accommodation provided by his company and what an accommodation it is: a three bedroom apartment, two toilets, a living room, air conditioning, and fully furnished with a TV, Astro, DVD (complete with DivX capabilities;)) microwave oven, toaster, fridge, pots and pans, silverware - everything including the kitchen sink! Did I mention the apartment was only a few steps away from a swimming pool and it's also near the beach. The word "perfection" comes to mind...

We spent the weekend catching up with Izani and Kak Pa (afterall, it has been around 4-5 years since we last had a proper meet up) and getting to know Izani and Kak Pa's two lovely daughters; both whom we had met when they were only toddlers. Sarah liked the two almost instantly - and soon they were inseparable.

The time we didn't spend catching up, we spent catching the sun - in the pool, by the beach :) Sarah and Izani's two daughters LOVED the water, but it took Amar awhile of spluttering and shivering before he too joined in the fun.

Aside from the pool we also spent some time at the beach. I noted how the beaches here are so different from the ones in Terengganu. The beaches here have more features (rocks, mud, etc2, instead of just sand) but more importantly, it is less deep and (the one we went to was) cleaner, making it more "swim-friendly". One other important thing for someone who likes photography like me, is that the sun sets over the sea here - apparently it has something to do with P.D being on the West coast and all...

Speaking of photography, I'll shut up now and let the photographs do the rest of the talking:

ps. Thank you Izani and Kak Pa for inviting us to P.D for the weekend. It was wonderful getting to know your family - especially your two very cute daughters - and the weekend was enjoyed by every single one of us.

pps. *cough*Lets go to Langkawi next *cough*cough*

Monday, January 14, 2008

The past few months

So, just to include a much needed update to this blog. Please pardon the dust and cobwebs around the site! It may take me a few days to finish this post, so please bear with me.

I've been up to quite a lot in just the few weeks or months since my last update. It has been a fantastic past few weeks where; both Mama Sarah and I have each found jobs, Sarah is learning to read and write, I have been spending quality bonding time with Amar and Sarah, and it has been a time of reunions. On with the story!

So what have I been doing for the past few weeks? Read on;

1. Now that we are in Malaysia, I have been spending time to reacquaint myself with my family - especially the ones on the Sarawak side. It has been a shocking experience: members who I had last seen as babies are now in school and have become sophisticated complete with their own unique personalities. A cousin I last saw when she was cheerful, shyless at 10 years of age is now complex, layered and a teenager. I am meeting ten year old family members I had never before met. It feels to me as if I have traveled 12 years in the future and everything has changed with the times. It's shocking, yet a satisfying experience to meet them and for me to try and carve a niche for myself in their lives.

So far so good; there has been numerous outings, meet ups, photos, lunches, teas, movies and Facebook notifications with my cousins, aunties & uncles, and grandparents and even as I write, I am planning for more in the future.

Above: my cousins Zachary and Zee, who are both less than 10 years old. Sarah is quite enamored with Zee , I guess because Zee has really good interpersonal skills (i.e she's very friendly) and Sarah just looks up to someone who slightly more matured and graceful than her.

Below is a picture of my Nenek, who I see more often now that she's staying close.

2. Attending an old friend's wedding (by "old" I meant I've known her for a long time, not referring to her age in any way) & a reunion with my A-Level buddies:

Nik Shizalia looking elegant and matured and her wedding day.

I've never before seen an illuminated cake. Consider me -ehem- enlightened.

My old friends!!!!

3. Seeing Afar's newborn; Nur Aliyyah (name to be confirmed with Afar, sorry). A bit more pictures than the rest to show various angles of Aliyyah.

Above is the updated picture of the whole family - the latest member included.

4. Congratulating my brother Adan for his graduation and awards in Geomatic Sciences. Adan is now a working man and lives by himself. I'm proud to see how reliable and, dare I say it, matured he has become.