This year's and Next???

Looking back in 2008..

3 major travels, Viva 'Los' Vegas, Malaysia for 2.5 mths (not enough, want more more more) and a week in Christchurch.

work wise - a dizzying year, two linacs and a CT sanner and squillions of other physics gadgets. 2009 would be the year to play with all these gadgets?? I don't think I will be going to any conference in 2009. Probably sign up for accreditation? aaah cold sweat even thinking about it.

home - acquire more clutters whilst getting rid of some.. , tried knitting [not so hot], quilting [yessss] and must do something about my weight issues. maybe enroll in gym? [wakakakakakka] or train for something like 'overland track'??? (walking in bushland for 6 days???) alright lads... this would be on my 2009 to do list: overland track (can't believe I typed this on the blog)and to finish my first quilt.

farewell to Bert, no matter how ready you are for the sad news...

Notes from Aladdin

Orion wanted a set of pens while we were shopping at chicken feed. They were two blue pens and two red pens. Aladdin sort of assumed the red ones are his... Okay find by me.. I like to teach my children about sharing and caring for others. Orion is good that way. Aladdin??? he still has a long way to go.

There're pictures of superheroes on the pens [ye lah apa lagi kan - kalau yang O suka tu?]
we were trying to read what they were.. and Aladdin purposely broke the lid of one of the blue pens because he wanted to read what was under the lid, instead of doing it to his own pen [which has the same design] he did O's. I had to fix this - so I broke the lid of the red pen. Woooooo he went ballistic and started to point at me and broke down horribly.. [tak boleh jadi ni]... My plan backfired badly and I was getting upset with him for being rude to me now.. so off I sent him to his bed.. "You stay there! don't come out until you realised what you did wrong!"

I went outside after that to catch up with some gardening - it's a bloody jungle out there.. Aladdin came out later with a note..."Mummy, you have a note.. pls read".
"No, go back to your room until I tell you to come out, I am still angry with you"
He then read his note.."Mummy, I said sorry to Orion... but now mummy has to say sorry to Aladdin"
"WHATTTT??? - go to your room"
so off he went away..
few minutes after that he came out again...with another notes
"Mummy if you don't say sorry, Aladdin is very sad"
.....
I sort of ignored him... but he is free to go out of his room by then...
then we had dinner... and it's close to 10 pm by the time they are ready for bed.. and he still demanded that I apologise to him! GOSH!

Goodbye Bert

Bert was my beloved father-in-law. He passed away on Boxing Day 2008. He was 86, survived by Joan (wife), 2 sons and a daughter and 12 grandchildren. Good Bye Bert.

Calling Earth From HOME...

YeSSSSSSS! finally we got connected!... now - finding time in between cleaning, cooking, gardening and shopping???? TOUGH!

Silly Season

I am boycoting all christmas do's at my work place. Normally at work, there'll be christmas breakfast, formal lunch OR dinner and breakup party.

Breakfast - for $15, you can attend a big hot breakfast [starts at 7:30] there'll be bacons and eggs, mushrooms, hashbrowns.. muffins.. naaah??! I mean at 7:30?? I sometimes only just got up at 7:30! (hehehe)

last year I paid and didn't go. I don't really want to go but I sort of felt obligated to go... but this year I put my semi-brave foot down... NOPE... not going, not paying.

..even the breakup party - normally can't really escape the breakup party because it's around the department... no ends of haram foods and haram drinks.... normally I sort of 'have' to join.. this year - lucky for me -I can pretend to be busy with the new CT scanner we have [I'd dreamt up some tests]

Actually having ducked three christmas parties doesn't make me feel proud of me-self.. somehow I feel like I am the biggest 'party pooper'. I thought... owww well.. next year I will just have to go -show my face- and eat one mushroom. or just have a glass of water!!! $30 glass of water... weak weak weak

Postcard Club

I was inspired by my little cousin Ilah and my friend Sherry about collecting postcards. I love postcards. In my travelling days (how many life times ago?) I always send myself postcards. I wonder if mum still have those postcards.
I know many of us love postcards too. I got talking to Arum yesterday, why not we form a postcard club??
I don't exactly know how we are going to do this. Basically I will send her postcards and she'll do the same for me.. you know whereever we go or nice postcards of our places.. so any of 'yous' who wants to join this postcard club, don't be shy - email me your snail mail address we'll see if this club can bring some little joy to us.

Now.... who wants to start a 'fridge magnets' club ??? heheheheehehehe

My Little Spiderman

You know I have one particular son who adores Superheroes.. I lost counts how many times he watched spiderman, superman, batman, ironman [his latest]. I blame all this fanatism on his Dad [who else?]
whatever toys that rings around these superheroes characters are his. Good thing is he doesn't mind sharing them toys with his brothers.

Mummy: Orion, go put 'baju' on
O: I don't have any
Mummy: Look in your drawers
O: I don't want them, I want a 'cool' 'baju'

and you don't have to guess what's 'cool baju' is..

so toyssssssss, bajussssssssss even dreams????
one night he was getting ready to sleep, in his bed, he closed his eyes and said to me "I want to dream about spiderman tonight"

Aiyyo!

Christchurch Botanical Garden

Where do I start?
This is entrance to vege patch (only small vege patch)

Avon River

Conifers

Artichoke - mine struggling to be even half that size! - soil in Christchurh must be very good.

This is actually apple trees - trained in this way in the middle of vege patch.

'Historical Boat Shed'

Two parts of punting - through the city - which we took and through Botanical Garden. We wanted to do the punting in the garden but that day they were doing charity punting for the cancer fund raising.

Cafes at the Botanical Garden

Wild man of Borneo with 3 little monkeys :-)

I wish I can put all the pictures I have on the blog... not hard to get good pictures here - because everywhere you look it's pretty - just point the camera anywhere.. she's composed.

World Class Botanical Garden

This is just a small part of it that I managed to go. My feet were so sore by this stage but the Botanical Garden is just next to the Art Centre..
A bit of mapple bush n roses garden - ArrrrGGHHHHH! hard to take!

Christchurch Art Centre

This is the 'famous' art centre in Christchurch. My boss been there and raved about it, cik wang cun also suggested as 'to see places' to me. The conference ended about lunch time on Thursday, I felt 'dizzy' with tonnes of new information by then.. all I wanted to do was - go grab that halal kebab and lie down (hehehehe).. Hisham been roaming Christchurch City for the last 3 days.. and he said I HAVE to go and see the Art Centre. I have some arty-farty bend but my feet was so sore and I just wanna go back to hotel [shopping maybe?]. "Please come".. I went eventually.. yup it was mind boggling. I didn't see everything.. I think to really explore the whole thing.. you need a good two days [just a guess - cik wang can confirm this maybe?] you see the 'living' art sort of.. people doing it and displaying.. from wood working to leather art to brass to even chocolate? I just see the ground floor exhibits - can't be bothered taking the stairs.. [my chronic desease - sore feet]

The building itself fascinated me the most - those stone buildings.. I wish wish wish.. (nevermind...)

Btw, I didn't buy anything there - 'arts dahling' - so the price more or less outside my tight wart range - though I nearly bought this gorgeous leather 'patchwork' handbag.. but.. tight wart remember?

The ground plan

courtyard - there's a pool behind these archs

Above this door it actually says "PHYSICS"
Imagine studying here in those innocent days... one could even brush shoulder with 'Rutherford'

Even the lawn was immaculate

Tired Troop - Grand Tour - concluded

By the time we got back in the city, everybody was very tired and just want to go back to the hotel and relax BUT mummy - being herselfish self (again) said NO.. we had to go on the Tram today because she won't have enough time to be a tourist after that day [you can choose the Tram ride - which was part of the grand tour some other day]

Sumner Beach - Grand Tour Pt. 3

This is the Sumner Beach that CikWang considered living at. Not a bad spot if you like seaside, greyish and crowded beach, surfing and some sand in your fish and chips (fersh and chirps - as kiwi will say)

I prefer golden sand beaches like in Penang (once upon a time ago - wondered if it's still golden?).

But the Cave Rock was awesome, brought old memories back in my head.. sea caves near Miri.. (can't even remember what's the beach's called (maybe Charles can refresh my memory?)

This is the entrance to that cave rock

You can even climb up the rock (but not today boys - let's have 'fersh n chirps' now shall we?

Part of the grand tour was lunch at Sumner Beach. I guess we were very lucky to have such a nice weather (20 deg) in middle of Nov. In fact the weather in Christchurch felt very similar to Tassie's weather (you can get 4 seasons in one day). We walked around the little town and can't find anything interesting to buy or eat. There's a lot of pub type restaurant which I'm sure it's nice but we don't want to go where the smell of alcohol intermarinate with the smell of our food. We went to the bakery hoping to get some nice fresh buns or bread.. that bakery turned out to be a 'fakery' - nothing fresh at all.

so fish and chips for everybody. I ordered 2 packets of fish and chips (NZ$4 each) and crumbed 'tarakihi' for another NZ$4. (I heard a lot about tarakihi fish from our defacto kiwi friend, Yati). "Nice fish Yati - very sweet". I thought we will get two normal packets of fish n chips and one crumbed tarakihi.. but what we got was a huge package (I had to carry it as if I'm carrying a baby!) - inside, laid a bed of chips with three pieces of fish on it. We were very hungry at that time but the 5 of us cannot finish the colossal .. mound of fish and chips. By the time we had to go back into our bus, we still have some leftover chips (garnished with sand by now because the wind was quite strong and blowing sands every where) even though we shared our lunch with the American guy who's in the tour with us... and a flock of seagulls at the beach!

I guess kiwis are very generous with their 'chirps'???

Good Old Alah

Cameron: Are you lunching today?
Me: No, I'm fasting
Cameron: Why?
Faridah: Because I was sick in ramadhaan and missed 5 days or so.. so I am doing it now
Cameron: Ooooo, you can do it later if you sick??
Faridah: Yup
Cameron: Good that Alah let you do that eh?
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Some time ago in ramadhaan...

Cameron: Can you drink??
Faridah: not in the day time
Cameron: Are you sure??? I am sure you can at least drink water, I think you should check again with Alah -- gee surely water is OK..

{this type of conversation happens every ramadhaan by the way}
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Yup - that's my officemate, he is Mr. Happy [as few people think of him]
for me... yes he is sometimes grumpy and bitchy but he is a good bloke. He can make me feel like sh*** or he can make me feel good with just one sentence!

Lets just focus on the positive thingies

when I see Allah..

Aladdin: Mummy, when I see Allah can I ask Him for anything?
Mum: Sure.. what do you want?
Aladdin: I want a superhero power - so I can fly

sMark you!

Rohan is increasingly becoming a 'pest' to his older brother, and at the same time, the older two have a 'pet' to play (bully) with. Quite often it will ended up in screams [Rohan's] - he will come to me or daddy and trying (desperately) to tell on them {either 'Oyon' or 'Addin'}. Sometimes he will try to tell them off himself by screaming 'smack you!' -- or at least that's what I think he say... though it did sound close to "'beeep' you!"

Orion has lost a lot of weight - and Rohan is gaining all that weight? he is more cuddly than ever now.. n he talks back!! Rohan put that down please.... "Why?" came the reply
he is pretty much a 'why' boy now - he answers everything you said to him with a 'why' sometimes a 'what'?...very cheeky!