Games with Kids

My kids enjoy playing the game where you ask, "Which country (place etc) has .....?"

e.g.
Germany - many germ?
Palestine - many palaces?
Norway - not street / road?
Japan - you can use to write a lot?
Singapore - a lot of lions?
Hungary - always hungry?
Iceland - a lot of ice?
Greenland - very green?

I went to Petaling Street today. My first visit this year. Even though I usually end up not buying anything but still like to check-out the offerings. Old habits (since my student days) die hard.

Anyhow, while waiting for my wife to buy ice-cream for my son in the 7-Eleven there, I ended up looking at EPL/Serie A jerseys on sale at one of the stalls. The 'sales-person' (looks like a Bangladeshi to me) tried extremely hard to sell them to me.

I asked whether they have Man U's.

Failing to find Man U, he started offering me "Samsung", "Siemen", "Carlsberg", "Vodaphone" etc..... I quickly walked away.

September for us

Forgot to mention.

Our birthdays were last Thursday & Friday. Anniversary on the 9th. Sept is really a busy month for us. We had dinner at Seri Angkasa. Good experience, great view but don't go there for the food.

Well, back to the birthdays.... this year on Sat is the first time I've received birthday gift from my children. It a pen from my 8 yo daughter and what really makes it special is the fact that she bought it from money she had saved from her pocket money....... I am so touched, happy, proud...... thank you dearie......

My son gave me one of his wonderful craft. He loves making them and will never forget to make on for me and his ummi. Thanks dear

Someone approached my other half yesterday with the million dollar question (literally).

TP: "Ma'am, are you interested if I'm telling you that you can be a millionaire in 2 years?"

MO0.5: "What's this? MLM?"

TP: "No, we are not MLM, we are from SBB Mutuals*".

MO0.5: "If it's not MLM, I'm willing to listen?**"

TP: "It's best if you join our seminar session."

MO0.5: "Huh? ***"

TP: "Yes, you can join us every Wednesday night at 8.30pm."

MO0.5: "Oh, sorry, I can't."

TP: "Why can't you?"

MO0.5: "I've got school going children and I don't have maid."

TP: "Hmmm.... why don't you have maid?"

MO0.5: "Well, I don't want my children to be brought-up by complete strangers. People we don't know anything abt."

TP: "Ooooo... okay... thanks for your time...."

WHAT WENT WRONG? No millionaire then.....


* I remember reading in the newspaper last weekend abt a 22 year old millionaire from SBB Mutuals.
** Long story here, won't bore you with it. Or maybe next time - basically around lives and business - no work life balance.
*** My written expression of her facial/body & vocal expression.

Am going to Bangkok this week. Well, nothing much to tell except that to those looking for halal meals in Bangkok, there's a great (as in good food, friendly service) place for halal/malay Thai food in Sukhumvit. Called "Usman", this place serve all the familiar dishes you can find in any Thai seafood warung in Malaysia & to top it off, they speak Malay.

Best direction I can give is, it's located next to Imperial Queen's Park Hotel (from the hotel - it's on the left - the little street right on the left of the hotel, there's a signboard and while it doesn't look like an eating joint can exist there, just keep walking in & you won't miss it. I think it's Soi 10 but not sure, will check and update.

Went to the kids' school's family day. Taman Tasik Perdana - good outing for all.

My 5 yo son entered a competition with my wife. Mum read from a list and child to find the things in a pile. 1st thing in the list - a book. Guess what, my son lost. He insisted to know the title of 'the book'.....

don't know

Yesterday I saw hundreds of people riding motorbikes without helmet.
Yesterday I saw a couple on motorbikes without helmet with the wife holding a baby in her arms.
Yesterday I saw people coming back to their homeland & being very happy with it.
Yesterday I saw hundreds of people waiting the the airport's concoure waiting for loved-ones.

This morning I saw a basket being lowered to be filled with provision and then raised to the upper floors.
This morning I was charged US$4 for a laundry bag from the hotel.
This morning I saw all the things I saw yesterday, again.

MERDEKA.... last night .... fireworks.... life ..... living///

My kids wanted to see the firework display at midnite. Being a 'caring father' that I am, we made a deal. Bed early and I'll wake them up just in time for the show. An woke them up I did, at 11.50pm. Initially we planned to drive around but then from the front gate I could see throngs of people walking across to the viewing area *. Thus we decided to join the crowd and walked. All went well.

Next day, 1st thing in the morning my 5 year old son asked, "Abah, do we only celebrate merdeka by watching the fireworks?**.

That's the sort of questions he likes to ask ***. I was still half-asleep (or is it half-awake?), needed a quick answer. "Why don't you watch the TV, there'll be parade."

Watched TV, he did & merdeka we are... or are we?

* There's a viewing area about 50 metres from our place that gives a superb view of KLCC (when the haze is not around, that is).

** This is the first time ever the word "merdeka" as an event means anything to him... still wonder what it is though.

*** Others being, "Why is it that we we ride the car, we move?" or "Why is it that yesterday (which can be any time in the past), when I look outside I saw the clouds that look like a house?"

What if......

I've been doing most of my surfings now from airports. Bored and tired.
Looking forward to get home, and sleep on my own bed again.

Best bed in the world.

Changi Airport. One of my favourite. Efficient, quiet, comfortable and with a lot of facilities.

BTW, am tying this standing up. Yup, one of those free internet access points but quite fast and efficient. Though not as fast as the one in LAX.

Am in Singapore. Kota Singa.... been here since Monday night. Actually reached here after midnight. What a flight.... sendiri cari... hati punya mau...

Anyhow, Singapore is a great city though people are less friendlier than most other places I normally visit.

Tired and will be tiring..... on going.... non stop.

I've been diagnosed with 'Tension Headache' on Monday, 6/6/05. Started with a headache on Saturday that turned very severe on Sunday and persisting till Monday.

What a life?

What's life if full of care?

Am I wasting my time here?

Am I wasting my precious life?

I don't really know what I am doing?

Day in, day out, I'm wasting time doing something I dislike....

And it stresses me out.....

Forgot to mention abt my destination last week. Jakarta and frankly I've been there too many times (this is my 6th in 6 months). Hectic and chaotic but at the same time, if you know your way around, it is quite nice. The good thing with Jakarta is, food is not a problem to me and that's a great thing to have instead of having to be temporary vegetarian like when I was in the States the week before.

Will write more abt this neighbour of ours. Got to go as they are calling the flight and I definitely do not want to miss it.

I nearly did on the way here where the traffice was horrendous from home to KLIA and in the end I reached KLIA 3o mins before departure time. Good thing that Malaysia Airlines provide telephone check-in nowadays.

I'm in the lounge at the TSN airport, Ho Chi Minh City and insya-Allah will reach KL in abt 2.5 hrs. Lounge is nice and decent with a good spread of food. Interestingly, instant noodles are very prominent.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (previously known as Saigon). Despite all the movies I've watched depicting it as an unfriendly place, the real thing is simply the opposite. HCMC is a vibrant city where motorcycles rule the roads - with the rider not wearing any head protection (helmet). To me it reminds me of my kampung folks going around on their trusty ''kapcai'' around the kampung road, a long the ''batas ban'' (the paddy field dividers), and once in a blue moon, a trip to nearby town. Leisurely ''drive'' here is a stroll on motorbikes along the main roads in the city totally oblivious to everyone else.

Anyhow, I also discovered a wonderful restaurant, Satay House - serving wonderful, very authentic Malaysian food and everything is Halal. It's a big yellow frontage unit with unmistakably Malaysian touch throughout (I lost count of the number of Malaysian flags in there). The satay (we only had beef), was wonderful. The fish curry (tenggiri) was nice with the right balance of spices. The sambal udang was also good though slightly hot fare would have given it the oompph. Kangkung belacan was just like home and they''ve ran out of the beef rendang (and we thought we were early - got there at 7pm).

Anyhow, it's at 35 Mac Dinh Chi St, Dist 1, HCM City. Tel no. 8221 727 (and they do deliver to Dist 1 and 3).

I was staying at Sofitel Plaza Hotel and it was only a short walk away.

I'm in LAX. LA Airport.

The Golden Lounge is like a 'canteen' to quote a friend.

Worst ever lounge I've been in.

Though it has got the fastest internet connection in the whole wide world (to me that is).

Not flying tonight.

Stranded in Manila. Had quite an adventure (mental, that is) when after abt an hour on the flight the pilot announced that we are going back to Manila instead of KLIA. They are still figuring out what's wrong with the aircraft. Hopefully I get to go home tonight otherwise it will be another night in this city of .....

Luckily I've got access to the airline lounge, at least I can get something to drink and finally, after more than a year, I've eaten the instant noodle that my beloved always packed for me in my luggage (I only carry hand luggage when travelling). Checked-in luggages are still under the belly of the 737.

Ludicrously, the flight attendant announce "Welcome to Nino Aquino Airport, Manila" - that greeting put a lot of people at ill-ease with Malaysia Airlines tonight, believe me.

I wish they had trained for such circumstances and use a more appropriate greeting. Anyhow, I don't fancy another night here. The experiences (I've had quite a few) in the airport here are simply torturing. And the problem is, the staff are not travelling thus they take their own sweet time in everything; that is EVERYTHING. Oh... you are in a hurry, or you are exteremely exhausted... heh..heh.. tough luck.