Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Selamat Hari Lahir.....Mak

P.Ramlee - Ibu

Petikan Filem Ibu (1953)
Lagu : Ahmad Jaffar

Ibu, ibu
Engkaulah ratu hatiku
Bila ku berduka
Engkau hiburkan selalu

Ibu, ibu
Engkaulah ratu hatiku
Tempat menyatakan kasih
Wahai ibu

Betapa tidak hanya engkaulah
Yang menyinari hidupku
Sepanjang masa engkau berkorban
Tidak putusnya bagai air lalu

Ibu, ibu Engkaulah ratu hatiku
Tempatku menyerahkan kasih
Wahai ibu

Untuk Mak tersayang.....

Selamat Menyambut Hari Lahir ke-63 (26/11)....

Dari Anakmu Sekeluarga di Dubai

Monday, November 24, 2008

A "Shooting" Weekend

I arrived at the Dubai Airport Terminal 3 almost midnight. Two of my SoGul colleagues were with me.....they had a market visit in Tehran. So, the waiting for the Emirates flight at the IKIA that night was a bit bearable as I had somebody to chat with.

Once the plane touched down in Dubai, I texted my wife....wishing her a happy 36th birthday.....

Luckily, this time I didn't have any problem passing through the customs....Thank God....

Makan2 at Al-Attar Escala

That Friday evening, we had a little makan2 session up on the rooftop....It's actually a birthday dinner for Apit and my wife. We had Khairul and his family for guests....Apit has a new friend now....three-year-old Khalif.....Khairul's son. The kids spent the evening in the swimming pool while their parents chatted and ate.....

Saturday morning.......I had my driving lesson.....830am to 1100am.....My driving instructor told me that I only need one more lesson after this before going for the assessment test next week.....Hopefully, I'll get my driver's license before the year-end holidays.....so that I can bring my family somewhere during the off-days.

Then, at 1100am, Khairul picked me up and we when to the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club....KP was organizing shooting sessions....We met him, and his friend Peter Lim, at Uptown Mirdiff and off we when to Jood Mandy for lunch.....A few others joined us there.

After lunch, we when straight to Sharjah, the Emirate neighboring Dubai....

I had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.....to shoot a gun.

The first time, the shooting instructor gave me 22-caliber CZ-75 semi-automatic pistol. It a Czech Republic product...a small and solid handgun. The best thing was that it was a recoil-less handgun. My first few shots weren't very good but after a few rounds....I felt quite comfortable with it.....I shot 25 rounds with this gun.

How I did at the shooting club...not bad for a first-timer

After a shot break....I re-enter and picked up a 9mm CZ-75B Luger. The same make as the previous gun but much bigger in size and bullets. This gun had quite a nasty recoil each time I shot....and it's heavier than the 22-caliber one....It took me some time before I got the hang of it....

Well....If I were to own a gun...I think I'd go for the 22-caliber one....It lighter, smaller and it's quite easy to use....but I don't think guns are for me....I don't think that I would have a use for it....and it's dangerous...not to mention the responsibilities that come with it.....

My-UAE Shooters....(thanks to Sheila for the photo)

Anyhow...it was a pleasant experience....I'd go there if I have the chance in the future....and I'll bring the family a well....The kids will surely enjoy it....seeing their father shoot...like Horatio Caine from the CSI:Miami fame....

Friday, November 21, 2008

Happy Birthday Sayang



There’s another important date in my life....21st November... It has come to be important since 16 years ago and it will still be in years to come. It’s the birthday of my dear wife, Domestic Engineer Nor Azilah Salih aka Ziela. We have been celebrating this date ever since we first met in 1992.

A petite lady with a big heart... that’s how I’d describe her. She’s a teacher by profession but is a lot more than that at home....





She’s the Queen of my castle, the inspiration and the shoulder that I can cry on....




The most important thing is that she’s the mother of my 3 children.....and only God knows the ordeals that she had been through bringing them to the world... I guess that’s why the children are so close to her...





We had a few squabbles now and then....we had arguments.....but that actually made our love stronger.... She’s been there beside me through thick and thin. And I'm so grateful to God for entrusting her to me....

Mere words can’t describe how much I love her....how much I cherish and appreciate her...




And on her 36th birthday.....I’d like to say....


HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAYANG....I LOVE YOU

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Epi DeBay Apit

19th November 2004......one of the happiest and proudest days of my life......the birth of my one and only son.....Ahmad Afiq Hilmy aka Apit.

One of the happiest and proudest moments of my life

At the Putrajaya Hospital...his first few days....

The interesting thing was that we knew the exact date of his birthday.....the doctor at the Putrajaya Hospital set that date for the Ceasarian Section, through which Apit was born....just like his two elder sisters.

That was 4 years ago.....he is pretty much a big boy now.....a hand-full though but youshould expect that from a boy like apit.

He reminds me of someone.....Yours Truly!!!.....from eating raw Milo to the Combat games.....from Tom and Jerry to the Transformers to the Incredible Hulk......only that I didn't have Power Rangers when I was growing up......

And he also doesn't seem to have any problem taking a long walk....in fact, he likes walking judging by his body language.

He also adapts well to this different environment (in Dubai).....just like his father...hehehe....

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Rewind back to 4 years ago.....

I was waiting anxiously in the waiting room near the Operating Theatre.....when suddenly I heard this very loud cry.....I thought to myself....it had to be a boy.....The nurse wheeled him out and she opened the blanket.....There it was....a penis (hehe)....and I muttered "Alhamdulillah"....Praise be To Allah.....our prayers had been answered. We had a healthy baby boy. I conveyed the good news to my parents-in-law.....but not before I recited the Adzan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear. Then, I called my parents who were waiting anxiously at home in Kota.

Unfortunately, he had a serious case of jaundice....we had to let him stay at the PICU for a few days before we were able to bring him home......

He was our center of attention.....especially to his sisters....They enjoyed having a small baby to play with......It was a joy watching him grew....and it still is now.....

But, just like any other child growing up.....he's not without any mischief or any unfortunate events associated with him....

* Once, he was locked inside the car when we were stopping at the Gunung Semanggol RnR on our way back from a family vacation.....It was actually self-inflicted....he locked himself in.....It took us almost an hour to get him out....with the help of some good samaritans nd the PLUS people.

* He also had this nasty cut on his brows. He head hit our coffee table table when he fell down while eating some snacks......

* Then he had this severe chicken-pox.....his body was full of those red, itchy, fluid-filled spots....What an unpleasent experience for a small kid.

* Another thing was that he only stop breast-feeding at the age of 3+ we were already in Dubai by then)....which really annoyed me and his mother as well...hehehe....

We held a big kenduri when we had his head shaved (majlis cukur jambul)....It's as a sign of my gratefulness to Allah for granting us our wishes......We slaughtered a cattle....it was really a big affair....just like a wedding reception.....And we did it "kampung style".....almost all the neighbours lent their hands......

A bald-headed Apit....after the kenduri

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Fast forward...4 years later today.....

A big little boy, with an emotion of his own....hehehe.....sensitive, independent, active and a hand-full but still need his mother's cuddling at night.....

Yes.....an MU fan in the making

He has also started to wear the Manchester United jersey that I bought for him for his 2nd birthday.....I'm going to make him an MU fan...like his father, that's for sure.

And to Apit......Have a Great 4th Birthday....I love you....We all love you.....

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PS: Here are some collages of Apit throughout the years (4 years exactly).....enjoy....!!!

Apit: Year 0

Apit: Year 1

Apit: Year 2

Apit: Year 3

Apit: Year 4

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Strip-searched!!!

The Emirates flight from Tehran reached Dubai (Terminal 3) on-time....even though it was more than half an hour delayed. Then it was another half an hour wait for the luggage to arrive at the carousel.....

That's not the "main event" that night......The customs officer decided to check my luggage.....He ushered me to the inspection area, I put my bag on the counter and this pretty Emarati lady customs officer started to go through my luggage.....majority of which were my dirty laundry from the biz trip.....

She searched every nook and crannies of my luggage, jacket and my knapsack....I was feeling quite uneasy.....It's after midnight and I was feeling very tired from the marathon seihan meeting the other day (the meeting started just after 830am and finished a few minutes before midnight).

After the luggage check....I was ushered by a customs inspector....a short and stocky young guy....to the inspection room.....I was told to take off my shoes and socks.....my belt....and lastly my pants.....WHAT???? Yes....for the first time in my adult life....I had to take off my pants in front of a stranger....

I asked him what's the point of all this....but he didn't answer.....maybe it was one of my unlucky days......But at the end, he took my passport and wrote my particulars on some kind of record....I saw at least 30 names in the record......Frankly speaking....I praise this guy for being so professional about it......maybe he's so used to having people taking off their pants in front of him.....hehehe.....

What an experience......