UK Panoramas

Here are some more shots from our UK holiday (Click each one for a much wider version!)

Inside Windsor Castle

View of the Docklands from the Observatory at Greenwich

The family walking in St. James Park, near Buckingham Palace

Stonehenge

View of the Serpentine in Hyde Park

The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column

Ever since I had my dSLR, my interests have been piqued by the concept of panoramas. To me it's mind boggling while insanely beautiful; it's eccentric and mystifying (the latter describes immersive, or VR panoramas). To that end, I invested in an ultra wide angle lens, a Sigma 10-22mm. That lens sort of got me started due to very wide angle shots, with the only problem that pictures were warped near the edge of the field of view. The quality is very very good and I loved the pictures that came out of Istanbul.

So, I next tried another technique : the multiple panning shot technique using my normal zoom lens - and used software to digitally blend and merge the pictures into one continuous panorama. My poison of choice is Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0; it's a cool piece of software, but you do need a serious kit to run it fast (mine takes forever to complete tasks on a 3 yo Tosh). While preparing for this post, I also found this website that have these amazing immersive VR panoramas. I'll probably try doing that when I invest in a proper tripod and rotating head... I hope I can find a printer in Malaysia to print some of these; I'd love to mount them on my walls one day!

4Es in the UK

The explorers at Trafalgar Square

Alhamdullillah, after being 11 years away, and after a year of planning, researching, saving and swearing, we finally made it to the UK, specifically London and some spots in the south and west of England. Our rendezvous was on Monday 23rd June, in London where Baba, Mama and Fyan came in via Dubai, while the 4Es traveled from Khartoum via Doha. Our trip lasted about 10 days and I'm glad that everything went to plan (except some last minute changes).

I know Ckn will be doing a day by day breakdown (like with previous 4Es outings), hence I'll just do a simple post to list down the experiences and things that we enjoyed (and a few that we didn't!)

Meeting a Beefeater who served in Malaya, at the Tower of London

What we enjoyed on our trip...

1. Buying an off-peak travel card and taking the London Tube
   
2. Crossing over to the Eastern hemisphere at the Greenwich meridian line
   
3. Finding (and buying) seven Ben 10 action figures - at Woolworth's and Argos
   
4. Experiencing Stonehenge
5. Revisiting 10 Upton Close, Henley-on-Thames, where I lived 27 years ago
   
6. Doner kebabs (got to love those unhealthy meat products!)
7. Strolling through Hyde Park
8. Enjoying a street performer's breathtaking show at Covent Garden
   
9. Taking pictures - with a total of 4 photographers and thousands of snaps
10. Meeting Penn Steynor - my mother's English friend since the 60s
    
11. Learning the history and tales of wharfs and canals on the River Thames
    
12. Getting a sun tan - in England
13. Shopping
14. Finding the Ckn Pfordtens' family coat of arms
15. Catching a west end show - the Lion King
16. Having an interesting conversation with a London cabbie - on Malaya, the Empire, and God
17. Picnicing on the grounds near Templeman Library, at the University of Kent
18. Witnessing Ehsan giving his mom a buttercup flower
19. The weather; it was perfect throughout the trip despite the forecasts
20. Testing the hot springs at the Roman Baths
21. Being treated courteously, wherever we went

Ezal & Ckn posing at the Tower Bridge ...auuw!

What we did not like...

1. 6 hr transit times at Doha Airport, each way (thankfully, we all slept have way thru it on the way back)
2. Early shop closing times
3. Getting tired from all the walking
4. The Security, The crowds in Heathrow Airport
   
5. Changes at the immigration hall in Khartoum upon our return - really tested our patience and nearly spoilt the whole holiday
   

Thanks go out to

1. My family for being such sporting travel buddies and were so helpful with us and the kids
   
2. My friends Shahrin Imran, Raja Zurina, and Azam Abdullah(who all live in the UK) and Salina (who still thinks of the UK), who all helped fill in the blanks
3. and last but certainly not the least, My Ckn - the inspiration, the support and for being such a good packer!!

4Es at Stonehenge - it was my first visit too

Henley-on-Thames - the annual Henley regatta would have started a day after we left for home...

Though it was hard for us all to say goodbye to London, I felt happy knowing that I've finally fulfilled my plans to bring my wife and children to show them the country where I spent 10 years of my life. Who knows; maybe next time, I need not wait another decade to return?

The Attack

I think by now everyone has heard of the JEM attack on Khartoum, which is unheard of - I don't think since the Mahdi times (when he fought the British in the 19th Century) has Khartoum itself been under siege by armed groups. but then again, I've just been here 2 years and Sudan has been through numerous coups in its 52 year history! Anyway, it's been 2 weeks since the rebels descended onto Ombdurman, which is the old capital city of Sudan, and is located just under 20km from our home in Khartoum Two.

Friday, 9th May
We heard of it at first as a possible threat, and we were advised to stay indoors - which we did - I was supposed to bring Ehsan swimming that evening.

Saturday, 10th May - evening
When nothing happend, we assumed that it was just rumors flying about. Until the next day that is, when Ckn received a call around 6pm, from a friend who is working in Ombdurman (the person was specifically in a place called Souq Libya - a market next to where we have our kharouf breakfasts). She told us that she could hear gunshots and a huge commotion from the streets. The fighting had begun.

The first thing going thru my mind was the safety of my family; I knew it was safer to stay put, and not appear on the streets. Ckn took it on herself to start communicating by any means necessary with all our friends in the city (ym? facebook? u name it, she had it! both my cousin Azlie and brother Fyan helped manned the Malaysia end!) while I tried to contact our security manager. The phone lines were undependable due to the congestion. I received a call from Mama from Malaysia the moment the news broke on CNN. Although we have never been thru this kind of experience before, I think we all kept our heads as everyone in our block was kept informed of what was happening in Ombdurman.

I kept going to the rooftop to check the conditions on the roads (which looked pretty normal to me - people were milling about, but traffic was light. A curfew was being imposed). But I felt something in my gut (and gasped!) when I looked to the west; we can make out the smoke trails in the distance, and see flashes from the fighting - and once in a while, we can hear loud noises, booms and even felt vibrations in our appartment.

Saturday, 10th May - night
Major fighting ended at dusk. In all, heavy fighting lasted for about 3 hours that Saturday, although reports said it started much earlier than that. Khartoum was eerily quiet that night. Most buildings were lit, including the Fateh tower which can be act as a beacon for anyone looking for the Presidential Palace (which was the prime objective of the rebels). The main road in front of our block was blacked out, but a strategic bridge leading to Khartoum North was lit.

Ckn wouldn't leave her makeshift communications center (read:laptop in the bedroom!), so I made us a simple instant noodle dinner, which she readily devoured despite earlier protests. The kids were their usual selves, but even they noticed our anxiety and kept out of our way (most of the time!). I wasn't concerned about food or drinking water lasting a few days, as we just went shopping on Friday, but I did fill the kids wading pool and charged all 3 emergency lamps, just in case (Others weren't so lucky. My big boss was due to leave on the ill-fated day, but had to turn back as the airport was closed - and as he was not expecting to stay in Khartoum, he didn't keep extra cash or had fresh food for 2 days...)

Throughout the day, Sudan TV was only broadcasting folk songs and documentaries, until around 9pm when the first news report on the 'failed' attack was broadcast. We couldn't understand the news, but the pictures spoke for themselves - burning 4WDs on the roads, captured vehicles and heavy weapons being driven around by security personnel and militias, prisoners, and of course, bloodied corpses. I stayed up late to watch all the news channels to get any scrap of information possible.

Sunday, 11th May
Although the rebels didn't cross the bridge from Ombdurman into Khartoum, they did however, managed to disappear in the vast surburbs of Ombdurman. So the curfew was extended a few times, and we all just 'worked from home' that Sunday (hehe if you can call it that). The situation was calm, but we _think_ we heard some shooting in the distance.

Monday, 12th May - midday
On Monday we were told that the situation was under control and that we were allowed back to the office. Traffic was nearly normal, although Ombdurman was still closed off. There was a sense of normalcy at the office, and everyone was excited to share their experience of the attack.

But any illusions of safety were crushed when we started hearing about 'clashes' at midday - and in Khartoum no less! So we just put everything down, and scrambled for our block drivers to come and pick us up! hehe - got an earful from Ckn for that episode! (We learned later that there were clashes with students and not rebels, and that the city was secure). To be sure, we only went back to work on Tuesday, 13th May, and even that was at midday. Alhamdullillah, nothing untoward happend!

So that was how we spent a 'nice' weekend cooped up while the city was under siege. We have friends who have even revisited the kharuf market recently and reported things are back to normal. We didn't realise how many friends and families prayed for our safety. Life here may have returned back to normal, but it doesn't feel normal - not anymore. We are comforatble going out, but seeing the extra 'uniforms' on every corner does raise our anxiety occasionally. The rebels may have lost terribly, but they did win in some ways too.

Epilogue
Back in the office on Monday and Tuesday, we all came together to try and figure out how the rebels managed to attack Khartoum. I've enclosed our observations here for my benefit (there is nothing secret here; everything was as reported in the press, but the maps are mine). Click on the picture below for a bigger size :

p/s Our home in Khartoum Two is right next to the airport...

Mirai - A New Day (and the cool shows Ehsan Watches)

I think a lot of my loyal readers (Thanks Sayang, and myself...I'm sure there are a few more!) are getting tired with my tinkering with the my template. Well I've found the perfect one! It's highly customisable, and links nicely with Blogger so it makes my job of editing (or changing the elements within the template easier!). Thanks to ourblogtemplates.com! (link's at the bottom)

Now to a more serious topic. They say that our children become their parents, but in some aspects, there are loopholes that cause the parent to become their children. Case in point ; TV shows for the young...

When Ehsan was with Ckn in Malaysia last year, he enjoyed the Astro Ria channel, in particular 2 shows : Tom Tom Bak (Whatever that is) and ... Ultraman Ace (I think...). Of course, we don't get that channel on Showtime, so Ehsan can't get his daily fix on these two shows. I did the next best thing - and it involves the internet, and a software protocol made by the kind people at bittorrent (and utorrent). But where were we to get a regular supply of the 'good stuff'? Well, I managed to find a nice website called Fushigi-Chan Fansubs.

Ultraman Mebius (Brave) - upon combining his powers with Ultraman Hikari's Knight Brace in episode 18 where th... **groan** don't ask...

This cool website, based in Japan, provides 1) english subtitles to the most recent kid friendly Ultraman Mebius (Japanisation of the Mobius strip?) show, 2) torrent links to the TV show...28 episodes and counting (including one movie. The show has 50 episodes). Well, at first I downloaded just the odd 1 or 2 episodes, to keep the little tyke quiet, mind, but over time he got bored watching the same old monster getting the crap beaten out of him, so I was 'forced' to procure more...so much so, that said father (i.e. me) started to enjoy the show... The stories are actually really good, and the translators did a great job in capturing the humor. Nowadays, I can't wait for new episodes to be released by the Fushigi-Chan team, while Ehsan has moved on.(Yes, I have all 28 episodes and the movie in my Media Center). Mirai is the hero's name, and it does mean A New Day according to the subs...

'WAITTOORR'

Moving on to the second show that tickle's Ehsan (and my) fancy is a little known cartoon called Spongebob Squarepants. Now, I've heard of this cartoon for years; my friend Arman keeps praising it. But it's not until Ehsan caught it on Nikelodeon that I also started watching it. Let's just say that I enjoy - REALLY enjoy - their brand of 'comedy'. Which is absurd and hilarious, but cute in a way. We (father and son) don't bother with the regular TV episodes..we just watch the excellent Spongebob Movie. The best bits for me were 1) when Spongbob and Patrick get smashed on the Goofy Goober sundae and shouts 'WAITTOORR' 2) The Hasselhoff - like I said...hilarious.

Going Hero... Ooohh Maan!

Finally, we come to the creme-de-la-creme...of Ben 10... Oh Cartoon Network, you really hit me here! Ben 10 is a cool cartoon where the young hero, Ben Tenesson (or something) finds an alien watch called the Omnitrix (don't worry - Ehsan has his own. thanks to Ebay Malaysia) which allows Ben to convert to various Aliens like DiamondHead, Speedfreak, Grey Matter, Heat Blast, Four Arms (God Stop me!!) - and he saves the day. (p.s. check out the website - it's got tons of cool games!)

And the best part of all this? Erica's started to have the same interests too!! so I'll enjoy watching all the past episodes of Ultraman Mebius and Ben 10 all over again...

Our Pear turns One!

We celebrated Erica's 1st birthday last weekend on the 29th of March - for me and Ckn it was our very first kid's birthday party, that I can proudly say we planned and executed! by ourselves (well, Erica helped by turning 1, and Ehsan helped blow out Erica's candles...). We never had the chance to celebrate as a family as Ehsan was away in Malaysia on both his birthdays. InsyaAllah, we'll have one for Ehsan when he turns 3 in June!

Anyway, I created this video and put it into a VCD and gave it to the parents. We also had goody bags for the kids; I know Ckn is working on some updates on her blog so keep an eye out for her next posting on Erica's birthday bash!

A Message of Hope (Or Perutusan Pengharapan in B.Indonesia)

There are many things in a man's life that are cherish; for example, I fondly remember my kain busuk (mama's baju satin from the 70s - which was cut into 2 - double the fun!), or the times I get sick when I go on theme park rides, and of course, when I lost my virginity...to CD players (1993, a Philips boom box bought from Argos in the UK!) ...

So it has passed that someone dear to me, my brother, is close to experiencing what will be a cherished moment in his life; entering a new chapter of sharing his life with someone else.

Tomorrow, InsyaAllah, Firhan shall be leaving for Indonesia with Karee, Rafek, Baba and Mama to meet some very important people (hehe, namely the parents of a certain young lady pictured here) to ask their permission for my dear brother to wed their daughter.

To be honest, both my wife and I still can't believe that this time is here! I've just finished the 'obituary' for my sis, and now my brother is also getting on the act? Well, people say that we shouldn't delay good things, right? Although this is just the first step towards their wedding and marriage, it is an important one, nevertheless - as it sets in motion the 'tidal wave'!

In my opinion, Firhan and Zariah really make a nice couple. I've had a lot of opportunities to see them together and with the family, and I can feel the love and respect that they have for each other, and for us all. Firhan has always been helpful to my parents, siblings and family (hehe anak bongsu, so easy to make the scapegoat for me and Karee!) and Zariah has been a good friend to my wife and kids.

So, on this, the start of more cherished memories, I do hope that both of you will enjoy starting to build your futures together, and that apart from love, you must also have patience and perseverence. Your journey together will be filled with joy (and the occasional bump; now that's where the fun really is!). Remember that from this point on, we shall be responsible for our lives and for all the decisions (big or tiny!) that we make.

Now for my hope for you is very administrative; save all your money! I've made that mistake of not saving enough in the past (I guess Karee is so much better at this than me). Yes, I know how tempting gadgets are; takpe, get Zariah to include one or two in the hantaran ok?

Finally, it is now my duty to pass a piece of wisdom that I received from both Mama and Mummy. When in doubt or the situation looks grim, please turn to our parents for guidance and advice. They are truly knowledgeable and caring, and will dispense wisdom to help us. You also have your Abalone and Kak Ngah to turn to (just make sure of the time difference when calling me ok? I won't answer if you call at 3am sudan time...)

More than words can say...

To my dear sweetheart | may you continually be blessed with bountiful rezeki, love, and happiness, on this, your 30th birthday | may we always have each other and our loving family | from your partner, lover, and friend | truly, madly and deeply - yours I remain | Ezalman xox

Obit : Cik Farah Kareena (19 Feb 1979 - 22 Dec 2007)

This is an Obit(uary) for my Sis being a single girl, anak dara, and my little sister. This is a statement for all the times that we never shared then; when I was away at boarding school and overseas. For all the advise that I never shared or bothered to tell you.

This is a farewell to all the fights and raised voices we shared over the years. Of all the unfair requests and orders that, as your Abalong, was issued in spite. For all the anguish that I may have caused; is there a time limit for forgiveness to be given?

This is my hope; that you will find 'eppiness' (a play on your very words) with your chosen partner. That you will, together, go thru thick and thin, and thru sickness and health. May Allah bless all of us, insyaAllah...

Note : I planned to post this in December, just after Kareena tied the knot. But after reading her latest post, I felt obliged to post this in response to her recent loss. Our sincere condolences and doa to you, sis...

Selamat Hari Raya!

By this time, most of my friends and colleagues in Malaysia would be winding down for the final days of Ramadan, making preparations for Balik kampung and, most importantly, celebrating Eid with friends and families!

Salam Aidilfitri, Mohon Ampun dan Maaf dari kami semua - 4Es di Sudan!

[ Please click here for our greeting card, hosted by Ckn on her blog ]

InsyaAllah, we'll be celebrating Eid in Istanbul, hopefully on Saturday. We've got a busy week ahead of us but I am very excited nevertheless. We've planned a lot for the trip, and we pray that Allah will give us clear skies and strength. Amin!

Preparation : Istanbul - Travel Plans

So far we've been progressing well on our preparations for our trip next week. We've just got back our passports, with a 1 year extension on our temporary residence permit and multiple entry/exit visas.

As I posted earlier, we've confirmed how we're going to move the kids around. On October 2nd we had a late night discussion to plan our itinerary; the exact hour-to-hour breakdown of our holiday! Ckn beat me to posting about this, so you can read it over at her blog


Field test in Progress : Using the Tamrac Camera sling-bag at Assaha Restaurant. I recently got this bag in KL to carry all our camera gear for the trip. I think Ckn will use the Tamrac, and I'll be taking my beat-up Deuter day bag to carry the kids stuff and misc.

The main things that drew the boundaries for our trip was of course the kids. Unlike our last holiday to Egypt with my parents, we'll be traveling alone this time. Also, we needn't worry about Erica's transport because she was 'attached' to the party (...she was resting peacefully in her mama's tummy. I don't think her mama was restive however...). This time around, we have to factor in the mobility and limits of the kids.

We came up with a plan that allows for at least half a day of sight seeing, with ample time to rest in the afternoon, followed by some light plans in the evenings. Taking into account the time we have in the city, we've divided our plans to cover several areas in Istanbul :

• Sultanahmet - Old Istanbul; This is where all the main Ottoman and historical sites are. We'll be staying here as well so most of the places we want to see will be minutes away


• Galata - North of Sultanahmet, across the Goldn Horn. This is 19th century Istanbul (or older?). There are embassies and Parisien style buildings here, with a museum and a palace
  


• Bhosphorus Sea - The main ferry terminal of Eminonu is also north of our Hotel. We hope to catch a cruise to get a vista of Istanbul from the sea.
  

• The Bazaars - There are 2 or 3 bazaars in the area, the biggest being the Grand Bazaar, followed by the Spice Bazaar. I know it'll be full of tourists and may not be the cheapest place to shop, but then this is a once in a lifetime visit!
  

We've also planned some must-do things in Istanbul, and hope to do all this in our down time after the sight seeing during the day:

• Watch a swirling Dervish dance

• Shop! I hope to find a Hereke kilim rug to hang in our home, some unique decorative plates, apple tea, a Fez hat for Ehsan, and costume jewelery for Ckn. From what i read, shopping in Istanbul should be a nice experience!
  

• Experience a Hamam - a traditional Turkish Bath, with soap massages and a sauna

• Dine - I guess Turkey is known for it's kebabs, but we hope to find a decent fish meal as well

The biggest challenge I feel is the timing. We'll be going before or on Eid and we expect the city to be 'different' because of the holidays; closed businesses, busy-than normal public transport and the crowds. The sites ought to be opened, but I'm emailing the hotel for assistance on some of our other plans. It would be lovely to see places outside of Istanbul, but I think we won't do justice to the city; so all our plans will focus on Istanbul (for now...)

Preparation : Istanbul - Children Conveyance

Well the 10 day countdown to our family escapade to Istanbul will be starting tomorrow. We've been preparing a lot over the past few weeks - tickets and the hotel, but I still haven't sorted out the main deliverable - our travel itinerary! Ckn has been a dear in finding out all there is about the city and Turkey in general, while I've been doing some research myself. I think we've agreed on the places we'd like to see, but we haven't figured out the order that we do so.

One of the main things nagging me is how we will be moving about, the 4 of us. Due to the weather and the amount of walking that we expect to do, we think bringing Erica's stroller and our Mothercare Onyx 3 way carrier (hehe all technical, natch!) would fit the bill.

I tried the carrier on with Erica first - she seemed comfortable, and with the lumbar support, so did I. But that was for about 10 minutes, walking in the house. Would we both be able to stand the sun, pavements, uphill downhill walks? In the end, we decided to bring both strollers and the carrier as well - that way, we can choose the appropriate conveyance for the kids to match our travel plans.

Ehsan wanted a piece of the action, so after testing the carrier with Erica, we tried it on Ehsan. Well, let me share the experience - do not consider putting a 2+ yo child in the carrier! he was moving all about, my back was killing me, and he kept playing with my head...and more importantly - we both just looked plain silly in the contraption!

Ramadan is Back!

Ramadan Kareem! Allahu Akram!

Time sure flies and so much has changed - Last Ramadan, there were only 3 of us; Erica was still some ways away! Now Ehsan has hair(!), we have a helper in the house, and finally Erica - who was made in Sudan, gets to see Sudan with her own 2 eyes. We are truly blessed, Alhamdullillah!

August was a hectic month, as I went home in early August to take charge of my wards that I have left under my parents' supervision since January. This was a truly hectic trip as I only had 6 days to repatriate my family. The most challenging I feel, was the packing - between the 4 of us and our helper, we had approximately 170kg baggage allowance, to bring back our clothing, foodstuff and RM400 worth of fresh fish! We managed to meet the allowance (thanks to group check-in!) and the fish (which was frozen solid) arrived safely in Khartoum still frozen solid.

Well it's the 2nd day of fasting, and while I don't consider myself a good fast-er, I guess I'm coping well (ask me again in 2 weeks time!). We do miss going out to the bazaars to look for juadah berbuka, but it's more laid back here. We do have our own Malaysian-organised bazaar that happens every Friday, but that only starts next week. So for the next few days we're going to iftar ala-carte, Ckn style!

Summer Madness

...technically it wasn't summer, because it just ended...

In 2004, the whole Hadenan family (plus Ckn, minus Ehsan and Erica) went on holiday to Perth. My brother Fyan had his graduation ceremony, so we all took the opportunity to tag along. The picture above was taken at Penguin Island and Seal Island, Rockingham. I don't recall who had the gall to suggest taking this photo, but looking at it more than 3 years later, it looks damn cool!

Looking at Ckn in the photo above brings me to a long-standing belief I've had - that one must be born with the ability to 'roll' their tongues. I've always felt like the odd one out, since Farah, Fyan, Mama and Baba (I think) can do it. To add insult to injury, even my loving Ckn can do it too.

Well apparently, it's a myth - the art of tongue rolling can be learnt OR there's no proof at all that it's genetically hereditary. So that means...I can learn to roll my tongue too! But going thru the explanation, I think that I've missed the boat on this one! and since it can be prevalent in children, I wonder if both Ehsan and Erica have this hidden special ability...

A Poem for Erica

This is a lovely poem read by the head of the Marhaban group that presided over lil' Erica's majlis kekah last June 17th. Ckn was so touched by the kind words and advise contained in it. I was busy snapping photos to hear the full version, so it's great that she forwarded it to me.


Dengan Bismillah kami mulai
Alhamdulillahi wasalatu’alannabi
Dengan takdir ya Ilahi Rabbi
Sampailah maksud yang kami hajati

Seorang anak cinta yang lama
Sekarang sudah kami terima
Seorang puteri diberikan nama
Kami ayunkan bersama-sama

Kus semangat puterimu tuan
Jangan tergamam di dalam buaian
Dipanggil kami orang sekalian
Hajat ibu bapamu minta dibuaikan

Bismillah itu mula pertama
Zat dan sifat bersama-sama
Keadaan zat mengatakan istimewa
Qadm martabat sediakan lama-lama

Ayuhai anak muda bangsawan
Pengajaran ibumu jangan dilawan
Wahailah anak jangan dibantah
Ibumu memelihara terlalu susah
Dipeliharakan daripada ribut dan taufan
Takut terkena penyakit dan syaitan

Jikalau pandai engkau berkitab
Sertalah dengan jawi dan arab
Barulah ibumu hatinya tetap
Makan dan minum barulah sedap

Kitab al-Quran jikalau qari
Disuruh pula pergi ke Haji
Pergi menjejaki tanah yang suci
Supaya terbuang fi’il yang keji

Jikalau dapat ilmu yang setia
Sertalah engkau yakin percaya
Di dalam akhirat tanah yang mulia
Duduk di dalam Pangkuan auliya

Jikalau mendapat ilmu yang teguh
Engkau amalkan bersungguh-sungguh
Tertutuplah pintu neraka yang tujuh
Teranglah jalanmu seperti suluh

Jikalau terang jalan nanti
Ingatlah kamu bersuka hati
KepadaNya tuhan engkau terpuji
Mendapatlah engkau syurga tertinggi

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs : Messages for Pear

Just after Erica Reeda was born, I sent out about 20 text messages to friends and relatives both here in Sudan and back home in Malaysia. Some of them were kind enough to respond. While I didn't transcribe the congratulatory phone calls, I did keep the text messages. I've had these messages in my Palm for the past 4 months, with the intention of publishing them on ezalman_too. So here it goes, listed in order of them being received :


Sabri Azam (24/3 10:16 am): Congrat for the new entry in yor family. Hope ShIkeen recivering well n baby grow faster. Dah ada nama ke belum? My wife send regds to Syikeen.

• This is my ex-boss in Sudan. He has the honour of replying the fastest to my message
  

Hackean (24/3 10:58 am): Sykr & thniah 4 u & syikin 4 the birth ur baby girl. Frm us hackean & yana

• My cousin on my mom's side. He just got married a few months back, but I didn't manage to attend

Saiful Azli (24/3 12:05 pm): Congrats!smoga smua sihat.

• My friend and neighbour in Sudan. His indonesian helper helped iron my clothes (but she's gone home now and I do my own ironing - and it feels so rewarding and satisfying!)
  

Lanie (24/3 1:34 pm): Congrats! You've got a pair.

• My friend and ex-colleague from KL. The one person I always make time to have lunch with when I'm back in KL.
  

Razman (24/3 2:47 pm): Salam,alhamdulillah,congrats from both of us 2 u & syikeen.Moga erica mnjadi anak solehah.Our regards to your family&parents-razman&dila

• Nice couple, who care our close friends in Sudan
  

Paska Mia (24/3 3:07 pm): Congrats! Happy to hear the news.

• My current boss in Sudan

Nonnie (24/3 3:30 pm): Congratulations! Our warmest regards to Ckn. Luv, Nonie, Fino, Syaqil, Fariqe

• A good friend who I knew only through the phone and emails for a whole year before meeting her in Sudan!

Shanizam (25/3 12:50 am): Congrats. Selamat berpuasa

• Colleague and friend in Sudan. I wonder what he meant with the 'puasa'?? haha, of course I do! But he's getting his Karma; his wife Ira is now back in Malaysia expecting their fourth child in September. Who's doing the 'fasting' now?
  

Aman Pfordten (26/3 12:36 pm): ASW, ckin&rizal, i tried to call both ur hp but it goes straight to ur mail box. anyway, congratulation on the new born baby. tq

• My brother in law, currently residing in Jakarta. One of 2 people that Ehsan always confuses with me; guess we all look alike!

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I always know that a simple sms with a simple message are the best ones to be appreciated and cherished..

Breaking Down the Walls at Kota Damansara

Khartoum last week - nearing dusk, I caught this nice pic of blue skies and 'habub'. There hasn't been a sand storm for some time, on accord of the coming rainy season

Continuing on from the previous post...

I've had a sucky day - I'm bored beyond belief, and just can't wait for my kids to run around here and for Ckn to be here and cook up something nice for me. Rest assured, I didn't sit around and mope all day long! I played at our weekly badminton meet; the difference this time is that I walked to the venue, which was about 2 km away. It helped - my mind was clearer and was warmed up for the games (well just a little...!)

Progress of Renovation

Since it'll be sometime before we move into our beautiful home in Kota Damansara, it's only prudent to do some of the renovation and preparatory works. We've always thought that the living/dining room downstairs could do with a bit of extra room, so we decided to do the ground floor and kitchen works in phase 1.


The Living/dining room before the renovation...


Here's a view of the works in progress - the kitchen wall will soon disappear


...and the same, circa last week

Luckily I have a good Project Management Consultant; Ckn! She has been dropping in to check up on the progress for the past 3 weeks. Together, we decided on the look of the kitchen (we wanted it to be open and practical) and living room (cosy) and the dining area, and the electrical circuits for the lights and power points. The 2 major parts of the works, includes what you see here; ie resizing the living room and storage room. The second is to extend the kitchen to the back yard.

From what I'm seeing so far, I'm quite pleased with the progress. To draw the plans in Photoshop and seeing it being translated into reality is a joy! I think I now know how architects feel when their creation comes alive (for me it was just some walls up here and there, so of course my accomplishments are minute, comparing!)

Once this phase is completed, I'll have all the windows and outside doors grilled and locked up - it'll be like a bear in winter hibernating! Hopefully, we'll move on to Phase 2 in the coming year - and I can't wait to design our interior decorating...

P/s Blogger is real cool - it has a spellcheck now!

Sis Gets Engaged - Story Below!

My babies! and my Babe!

Time to catch up - it's been 3 months since we had our little Pear - Erica Reeda. She's growing up a treat, thank God! I miss them all back home, but one must do what must be done eh?

I've had the good fortune of making several trips back to KL. I enjoyed all my trips naturally, and they all ended as soon as it started. Oh well - on the bright side, in about a month and a half, we'll be a complete family in Sudan again. Let's recap what events have transpired recently (in no chronological order!)


My Sis got Engaged!!


Rafik's mom symbolically puts the engagement ring on Farah's finger

The reason I highlighted the title a Shrek-ish green is because that was the colour of the day; a nice pale green! I still can't believe my sis Farah is a step closer to getting married and having her own family. I did wish I could be there for them, but I have promised everyone that I'll be there for the wedding in December

Well like any good Abalone, I pledged to provide some kind of support for Farah. I thought of something that was personal and after discussing with Ckn, we thought sponsoring the photos and videos portion would be meaningful, and ultimately, uniquely attributed to me!


Farah posing with her hantaran - where's the latest mobile or car key

My mom contacted the photography at my wedding : Zainul at Studioline Photography. We were pleased with the pics he took at our wedding so it was only natural that we went back to him for the job. Although he couldn't make it for the Engagement, he did promise to personally handle the events at our house and hall in December.

From what I heard, Thank God, the event went well! I can't wait to see the video and all the pics.. Farah if you're reading this; the pressure will only get worse as it gets closer to the BIG DAY! haha don't say I didn't warn you...!


Here's the lucky fella - Rafik; whoa nelly - ni baru bertunang!

[I'll have to continue this story in another post - the internet at home is doing a yoyo; going up and down every minute or so! So rather risk more of my story being lost, I'd better stop here]

Erica Reeda

Alhamdullillah, 2 weeks ago on Saturday 24th March 2007 at 8.38am, we welcomed the arrival of our second baby - Ms Erica Reeda Ezalman Reezal. She was delivered by Caesarian section by Dr Ummul Wahiy at Apollo TTDI Hospital (haha not a lot of people know of this small establishment...).

Of course we planned to have a normal delivery. but it wasn't meant to be (again). At least it made it easier for me to plan my travel plan to go home. We walked into the hospital at 7.30am and had Erica just over an hour later! I think it was better this time around as we knew what to expect. I was allowed back in the Operating theater; alas, without my handycam - I guess I'll just show the kids Ehsan's 'introduction' video when they're big enough and explain that the process was the same (down to the 'popping' sound when their heads, well, popped out!)



Here's mama with the little princess. She had slight jaundice, but nothing to worry about according to Dr Sharifah, her Paed.



Now it's Baba's turn! In some ways Erica has benefited from her being the 2nd child; we're more comfortable handling her, changing and bathing her. But there are some minus points too; we're always comparing her with Ehsan...but I think things will improve when she gets older - we have a pair now and I'm really looking forward to seeing them interacting with each other, and the fun of raising both a boy and girl, InsyaAllah...



Here we have Dr Ummul doing a checkup on Ckn's stitches. Dr Ummul asked for our permission to have her niece (Aisya) and her friend (Max, English guy), both pre-med students, to attend the C-Section. We consented since they'll just be observing the procedure. The funny thing is that towards the end, Max fainted - right there and then in the OT! He'd already witnessed a vaginal birth (euww - that is the technical term!) but I think the sight of Ckn being cut open and a head popping out from the wound was just too much. Guess all doctors have to go thru this 'rite of passage'! We met Max a few days ago during the checkup - I'm happy to report _he_ is doing OK - I don't think you can faint from manning the patient registrations at Dr Ummul's clinic! haha

So far Ckn's healing quite well, and we even imported a tukang urut from Kelantan specially to urut and tunku and take care of Erica. I got all my family members (and mummy) helping out to take care of all three of them; thankfully, since as I'm writing this I'm on transit in Dubai back to Sudan. I don't think I can ever repay my baba, mama, fyan and karee...



...now we come to one my favourite pictures - Ehsan and Erica together. I feel so proud coz ever since Ehsan first laid his eyes on his sister, he's always wanted to kiss her, encourage her, touch her hands, and cuddle her (supervised of course!). I think that's a good sign, don't you? I pray that they will grow up loving each other. He's the Abalone now (just like me!) and one day he'll do all the Abalone stuff; and I hope I'll be there to give him advise.



p/s Erica looks like Ehsan when he was first born, with 2 differences; she has a more 'sepet' eyes, and a wider/bigger nose...but look at the pic above; they have the same hairstyles!

Happy Birthday, Young Man!

Happy Birthday, my lovely son
I can't believe you're already One
Your smile, your laughs, your little touch
God, I miss you oh so much

Once, you were so very small
Now, you're proudly standing tall
My, how you've grown to be so strong
We pray to God you'll do no wrong

To baba and mama, you're our brightest star
We'll love and cherish you, wherever we are
We'll show you how big the world can be
And how you can change it, son, you'll see

For now, do help to look after mama
As we can all be so near, yet so far
and do enjoy yourself in being One
A Happy Birthday to you, my lovely son