I'm up in the clouds.
There are four different parties involved in this new project - the Client, the PMC, my company and our Consortium partner from the UK. We've rented office space up on the 73rd floor of Tower 2. It takes me about 2 1/2 minutes to get up here, and involves two separate lifts. Even at the transit level 42 I'm already higher up than most of the surrounding buildings, so being up on level 73 gives me quite a good view of the Klang valley. It's also the first floor where the outer beams start tapering to form the pinnacle 15 storeys above.
Everything in this office is spanking new, albeit on loan for two years. The cubicle dividers are bright yellow (priming us to work for Shell in the future, as one of my colleagues observed), the desks a pleasing beech colour with ergonomic semicircular cutouts (so much better on the eyes than my old grey table downstairs) and everyone's got those LCD monitors with sleek black-and-silver CPU's.
We've been getting 'visitors' from the old office who wish to check out the new surroundings on quite a regular basis. And we've been swapping CD's and mp3 files to listen on the headsets that come with the PC's. The headsets have nifty little microphones attached as well, so maybe one day we'll have a Karaoke competition, or our very own version of Malaysian Idol.
AFUNDI Dian, anyone?
Wednesday, 14 September 2005
Sunday, 21 August 2005
A little scare....
We had been to Mak Su's house yesterday in Bangi for a housewarming doa selamat around lunch time, where again I faced a traditional Malay food spread of nasi minyak and rendang. My in-laws were planning to spend the night with us, and we had agreed to eat out for dinner (I don't need to cook, WOOHOO!!). Around 6 pm, after Hubby had done his Asar prayers and could keep an eye on Nuaim, I went to take a shower.
That was when I saw the blood stains.
It was dark brown, almost black. I quickly took a shower, trying to calm myself down. Maybe it's nothing serious.
Maybe God took me seriously when I was saying to myself that I wasn't ready for another baby yet.
Please God no.
I came out of the shower and told Hubby. He panicked, while I tried to stay reasonable. We went to the hospital's A&E section, it being a Saturday evening.Nuaim came with us, oblivious to the panic swelling up inside me as I held him close.
After recounting my whole fiasco with the missed birth control pills and everything, the MO concluded that it may have been a false pregnancy and this was just my period starting again. When I told him that I did two tests and was experiencing all the typical symptoms, he looked at me and said "Well you probably really are pregnant then."
My usual Obstretician was on leave, so they got Dr Roslan in. He was very nice, and suggested an ultrasound scan.
The first thing I saw was a little round sac in my womb. But is it still...?
Fortunately the little one is still intact. Dr Roslan said that the discharge was probably due to an old bleeding or my past menses which somehow still remained in the uterus, based on the colour and consistency of the blood. He told me I should only be worried if it was fresh blood, or if there were clots and bits of tissue in the discharge.
On a positive note, he estimated that my pregnancy is 6 weeks old, based on the size of the sac (2 cm long).
Adik Nuaim will be due around early April next year, Insyaallah.
That was when I saw the blood stains.
It was dark brown, almost black. I quickly took a shower, trying to calm myself down. Maybe it's nothing serious.
Maybe God took me seriously when I was saying to myself that I wasn't ready for another baby yet.
Please God no.
I came out of the shower and told Hubby. He panicked, while I tried to stay reasonable. We went to the hospital's A&E section, it being a Saturday evening.Nuaim came with us, oblivious to the panic swelling up inside me as I held him close.
After recounting my whole fiasco with the missed birth control pills and everything, the MO concluded that it may have been a false pregnancy and this was just my period starting again. When I told him that I did two tests and was experiencing all the typical symptoms, he looked at me and said "Well you probably really are pregnant then."
My usual Obstretician was on leave, so they got Dr Roslan in. He was very nice, and suggested an ultrasound scan.
The first thing I saw was a little round sac in my womb. But is it still...?
Fortunately the little one is still intact. Dr Roslan said that the discharge was probably due to an old bleeding or my past menses which somehow still remained in the uterus, based on the colour and consistency of the blood. He told me I should only be worried if it was fresh blood, or if there were clots and bits of tissue in the discharge.
On a positive note, he estimated that my pregnancy is 6 weeks old, based on the size of the sac (2 cm long).
Adik Nuaim will be due around early April next year, Insyaallah.
Wednesday, 17 August 2005
I don't know what triggered the thought.
Maybe it was my thickening waistline (which I started noticing in Bangkok, but that could have been due to the good food). Or the constant lethargy despite having a relatively stess-free workload. But I think the strongest sign was the nausea and heatiness I felt after a particularly spicy meal (and with 3 Malay weddings in one weekend, it certainly put me in a bad mood). The sensation reminded me so much of my first one that I thought to myself, "Could it be....?"
So after a week of feeling continuously sea-sick, I went to Guardian Pharmacy to get me one of those home test kits. And this was only three days after I stocked up on Noriday. Thank goodness I hadn't started taking them yet.
Anyway, the home kit seemed to test positive - it was difficult to tell when there seemed to be three lines instead of just two (positive) or one (negative). "It means you're super-pregnant. Maybe it's twins!" was my husband's hopeful response to my query. So yesterday, on my way back from Bangi, I decided to stop by the clinic just to make sure.
It's official. Nuaim is going to become an Abang Long.
How many weeks already?
That's difficult to answer. My period's been really irregular (the last one was almost 10 weeks ago, and that was only the third since I gave birth last year) but that was probably due to breastfeeding. I already took a test a month ago and it was clear. The doctor told me I could start taking Noriday immediately, but I decided to stick by my gynae's advice and wait till my next period. Fat chance of that happening any time soon.
Anyway, I debated over when to tell Mak. The chance came when she showed me some cloth she bought for Nuaim's baju Melayu, but one was exactly the same as one he already has. "Oh well, we'll just keep it for his adik then," I quipped nonchalantly.
She didn't pick up the hint.
Hubby and I exchanged glances.
Then Mak commented how Nuaim seems so hypercharged and attention-craving these days.
"Maybe he knows he's getting an adik," I tried again.
This time she got it right.
Maybe it was my thickening waistline (which I started noticing in Bangkok, but that could have been due to the good food). Or the constant lethargy despite having a relatively stess-free workload. But I think the strongest sign was the nausea and heatiness I felt after a particularly spicy meal (and with 3 Malay weddings in one weekend, it certainly put me in a bad mood). The sensation reminded me so much of my first one that I thought to myself, "Could it be....?"
So after a week of feeling continuously sea-sick, I went to Guardian Pharmacy to get me one of those home test kits. And this was only three days after I stocked up on Noriday. Thank goodness I hadn't started taking them yet.
Anyway, the home kit seemed to test positive - it was difficult to tell when there seemed to be three lines instead of just two (positive) or one (negative). "It means you're super-pregnant. Maybe it's twins!" was my husband's hopeful response to my query. So yesterday, on my way back from Bangi, I decided to stop by the clinic just to make sure.
It's official. Nuaim is going to become an Abang Long.
How many weeks already?
That's difficult to answer. My period's been really irregular (the last one was almost 10 weeks ago, and that was only the third since I gave birth last year) but that was probably due to breastfeeding. I already took a test a month ago and it was clear. The doctor told me I could start taking Noriday immediately, but I decided to stick by my gynae's advice and wait till my next period. Fat chance of that happening any time soon.
Anyway, I debated over when to tell Mak. The chance came when she showed me some cloth she bought for Nuaim's baju Melayu, but one was exactly the same as one he already has. "Oh well, we'll just keep it for his adik then," I quipped nonchalantly.
She didn't pick up the hint.
Hubby and I exchanged glances.
Then Mak commented how Nuaim seems so hypercharged and attention-craving these days.
"Maybe he knows he's getting an adik," I tried again.
This time she got it right.
Monday, 15 August 2005
Sorry for the long silence....
It's been quite hectic for the past three weeks. Okay, where do I start?
The last week of July I was in Bangkok for 5 days. Purely job related, but it was fun. The first two days was a Field trip organised by Yokogawa, one of the big Instrument and Control System vendors that have installed bases in our plants groupwide. We stayed at the Imperial Queens Park Hotel (jacuzzi bathtub, woo hoo!!) off Sukhumvit Road, but the trips took us two hours out of Bangkok to Sara Buri and Rayong. The remainder of the trip was a Users Group Symposium organised by Honeywell, another I&C vendor. My boss had assigned me to present a paper at the Symposium, which I only finished preparing the night before the presentation itself. It went very well, I have to say. Being the first presenter does have its advantages. Oh yes, the shopping and food was really enjoyable too. And I would really recommend the Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa on the Chao Phraya River to anyone (not to be confused with the Bangkok JW Marriott on Sukhumvit Road).
The first weekend I got home, I had to attend a KAED (Kuliyyah of Architecture & Environmental Design, UIA) function that my sister was a committee member of. I guess it's all part of the Convocation festivities at the university. Most faculties organised their own fests, and part of the KAED Fest was an 'Image Enhancement Workshop' for female students. The wrokshop consisted of several events, the first of which was a Forum entitled 'Challenges & Dilemmas faced by Professional Career Women'. I was one of three speakers, and the only one not from an architectural background.
The week after that, the first week of August was the most hectic. I could write three separate blog entries on that week alone, but I'll try o condense it all into this one.
You see, my son has been suffering from a teary right eye for some time now. It started off as conjunctivitis, complete with the puffiness and redness, but after the swelling and redness disappeared his eye started tearing. He'd also squint during the day and seemed particularly uncomfortable with bright light. We saw a specialist who said it was a viral infection of the cornea, but when the teariness didn't disappear Mak advised me to get a second opinion. Someone recommended a Professor Muhaya from HUKM, so I took my son to see her. The first visit my son was so uncooperative, and after the third visit, which was on Tuesday after the Bangkok trip, she told me that the best thing to do was to put him under General Anaethesia just so she could have a good look and determine what was really bothering him.
So on Wednesday morning I took an EL, and checked myself and Nuaim into 'Hotel HUKM'. We were advised to get in by 10 a.m. so that the anaesthetist could visit during her normal rounds, but she didn't get to see us till 5 p.m. The Operation was scheduled for 8 a.m. the next morning, so Nuaim had to fast from 4 a.m. onwards. I set my alarm to wake up and prepare a bottle of milk at 3.30 (6 ounces should keep him fairly satisfied till after the procedure) but he would only drink 2 ounces before going back to sleep and refused to wake up till an hour later. By then, of course, he was really hungry but I couldn't feed him then, so he got really upset and cried for a whole hour. He would only quiet down for the Subuh azan, and by then I wasn't even allowed to feed him water. What made things worse was, his operation was delayed by an hour due to some mix-up with the schedule. And Nuaim simply refused to be put down all the while, so I had to carry him for a whole hour. Both Ummi and baby were tired, hungry and intimidated by the unfamiliar surroundings.
When they finally managed to gas him, I was told to leave the OT and wait outside. It took all of my resolve not to cry. I mean, it's only going to be an examination, there's no surgery involved or anything. I wonder how people can endure worse.
The good news was, they found nothing more serious than a surface scratch (could've been caused by his own nails) which should heal on its own in time. We were still given some medication, and some eyepatches to help speed up the recovery.
And then the HAZE hit KL and PJ.
Oh well....
The last week of July I was in Bangkok for 5 days. Purely job related, but it was fun. The first two days was a Field trip organised by Yokogawa, one of the big Instrument and Control System vendors that have installed bases in our plants groupwide. We stayed at the Imperial Queens Park Hotel (jacuzzi bathtub, woo hoo!!) off Sukhumvit Road, but the trips took us two hours out of Bangkok to Sara Buri and Rayong. The remainder of the trip was a Users Group Symposium organised by Honeywell, another I&C vendor. My boss had assigned me to present a paper at the Symposium, which I only finished preparing the night before the presentation itself. It went very well, I have to say. Being the first presenter does have its advantages. Oh yes, the shopping and food was really enjoyable too. And I would really recommend the Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa on the Chao Phraya River to anyone (not to be confused with the Bangkok JW Marriott on Sukhumvit Road).
The first weekend I got home, I had to attend a KAED (Kuliyyah of Architecture & Environmental Design, UIA) function that my sister was a committee member of. I guess it's all part of the Convocation festivities at the university. Most faculties organised their own fests, and part of the KAED Fest was an 'Image Enhancement Workshop' for female students. The wrokshop consisted of several events, the first of which was a Forum entitled 'Challenges & Dilemmas faced by Professional Career Women'. I was one of three speakers, and the only one not from an architectural background.
The week after that, the first week of August was the most hectic. I could write three separate blog entries on that week alone, but I'll try o condense it all into this one.
You see, my son has been suffering from a teary right eye for some time now. It started off as conjunctivitis, complete with the puffiness and redness, but after the swelling and redness disappeared his eye started tearing. He'd also squint during the day and seemed particularly uncomfortable with bright light. We saw a specialist who said it was a viral infection of the cornea, but when the teariness didn't disappear Mak advised me to get a second opinion. Someone recommended a Professor Muhaya from HUKM, so I took my son to see her. The first visit my son was so uncooperative, and after the third visit, which was on Tuesday after the Bangkok trip, she told me that the best thing to do was to put him under General Anaethesia just so she could have a good look and determine what was really bothering him.
So on Wednesday morning I took an EL, and checked myself and Nuaim into 'Hotel HUKM'. We were advised to get in by 10 a.m. so that the anaesthetist could visit during her normal rounds, but she didn't get to see us till 5 p.m. The Operation was scheduled for 8 a.m. the next morning, so Nuaim had to fast from 4 a.m. onwards. I set my alarm to wake up and prepare a bottle of milk at 3.30 (6 ounces should keep him fairly satisfied till after the procedure) but he would only drink 2 ounces before going back to sleep and refused to wake up till an hour later. By then, of course, he was really hungry but I couldn't feed him then, so he got really upset and cried for a whole hour. He would only quiet down for the Subuh azan, and by then I wasn't even allowed to feed him water. What made things worse was, his operation was delayed by an hour due to some mix-up with the schedule. And Nuaim simply refused to be put down all the while, so I had to carry him for a whole hour. Both Ummi and baby were tired, hungry and intimidated by the unfamiliar surroundings.
When they finally managed to gas him, I was told to leave the OT and wait outside. It took all of my resolve not to cry. I mean, it's only going to be an examination, there's no surgery involved or anything. I wonder how people can endure worse.
The good news was, they found nothing more serious than a surface scratch (could've been caused by his own nails) which should heal on its own in time. We were still given some medication, and some eyepatches to help speed up the recovery.
And then the HAZE hit KL and PJ.
Oh well....
Saturday, 16 July 2005
My Moud Feeld Funny & My Nothe id Blogged
Poor babies. My poor, poor babies.
As Hubby now has only 4 days of annual leave left - having used up 10 days for the Acheh Mercy mission - I decided to take some days off of my own 19-day entitlement to redress the balance. I gave myself three days to properly hand over his work back at the office, and applied for leave for the rest of the week.
The plan was to spend a couple of hours at Honeywell's office in PJ polishing up my presentation for the Bangkok Symposium, pay off my HSBC credit card bill and clean up the house. And do a spot of sightseeing and shopping at IKEA. But all didn't go to plan.
Hubby fell ill on Wednesday. I was at a vendor seminar at Prince Hotel, and was SMSing him just to keep myself awake when he replied that he was going to pick me up immediately after the seminar finished. When I got to the car, I could see he was in no right state to drive back home, what with the traffic jam that is a constant feature of the KL-Damansara route. By the time we reached Mak's house, he was shivering while his skin was hot to the touch. He'd been having a headache since the day before, and matters got worse this morning after he'd slept the night without a shirt on in our air-conditioned bedroom. Apparently someone else i.e. me was hogging the comforter all night, leaving him at the mercy of the cold night elements.
Anyway, we decided to spend the night at Mak's house, since he seemed unable to move any distance more than 10 feet. We had to sleep with the AC off, so he could sweat the fever out. I told him no way he was going to work the next day from the look of things. So I spent my first day on leave tending to his needs - which weren't much, mostly sleep, eat then sleep again.
But my in-laws were coming to stay the night, so I still had to go back to my house and get it in ship-shape condition (Believe me, one week away and all the cicak's come out to play on the balcony). By the time they arrived for dinner, I was starting to feel a bit light-headed myself.
Hubby got up this morning ready for work, though he was still coughing and his temperature was high. I decided to sleep in and miss breakfast, till baby decided to wake up at 7.30 with a temperature and coughing of his own. So my next day on leave was spent tending to a feverish baby who just refused to take food, medicine or just sit down.
As Hubby now has only 4 days of annual leave left - having used up 10 days for the Acheh Mercy mission - I decided to take some days off of my own 19-day entitlement to redress the balance. I gave myself three days to properly hand over his work back at the office, and applied for leave for the rest of the week.
The plan was to spend a couple of hours at Honeywell's office in PJ polishing up my presentation for the Bangkok Symposium, pay off my HSBC credit card bill and clean up the house. And do a spot of sightseeing and shopping at IKEA. But all didn't go to plan.
Hubby fell ill on Wednesday. I was at a vendor seminar at Prince Hotel, and was SMSing him just to keep myself awake when he replied that he was going to pick me up immediately after the seminar finished. When I got to the car, I could see he was in no right state to drive back home, what with the traffic jam that is a constant feature of the KL-Damansara route. By the time we reached Mak's house, he was shivering while his skin was hot to the touch. He'd been having a headache since the day before, and matters got worse this morning after he'd slept the night without a shirt on in our air-conditioned bedroom. Apparently someone else i.e. me was hogging the comforter all night, leaving him at the mercy of the cold night elements.
Anyway, we decided to spend the night at Mak's house, since he seemed unable to move any distance more than 10 feet. We had to sleep with the AC off, so he could sweat the fever out. I told him no way he was going to work the next day from the look of things. So I spent my first day on leave tending to his needs - which weren't much, mostly sleep, eat then sleep again.
But my in-laws were coming to stay the night, so I still had to go back to my house and get it in ship-shape condition (Believe me, one week away and all the cicak's come out to play on the balcony). By the time they arrived for dinner, I was starting to feel a bit light-headed myself.
Hubby got up this morning ready for work, though he was still coughing and his temperature was high. I decided to sleep in and miss breakfast, till baby decided to wake up at 7.30 with a temperature and coughing of his own. So my next day on leave was spent tending to a feverish baby who just refused to take food, medicine or just sit down.
Sunday, 3 July 2005
Home away from home
When I first thought of buying a condo 5 years ago, it was because I always wanted to live the life of a single female professional in KL. I relished the idea of having a whole address all to myself, with my own private study, my own kitchen, my own TV and space to entertain friends and family. And no garden to worry about (too much work la). And since the condo I bought is barely ten minutes' drive from my mum's house, I could always quickly hop over for a family meal and leave again when things start getting too uncomfortable. In a way, it was supposed to be my escape portal from whatever family issues I don't want to get involved with.
Things didn't quite turn out the way I planned. I got married just before the construction was completed, so it made sense to make this 900+ sqft space our first marital abode. And it doesn't quite look the way I wanted, because who would expect that my husband's personal property amassed throughout his bachelorhood and the wedding gifts we received would fill up the whole house? And we still have some of the gifts left at our parents' in DU and Alor Setar, while my clothes are transferred to my siblings' wardrobes at mum's (some without my prior knowledge).
But it's okay. We could still build this into our little lovenest. Or so I thought.
The first four months or so after the wedding, hubby was outstation in Bintulu so we only met up every three weeks. Sometimes he would take leave and come home for a week, when we'd go shopping for furniture and display cabinets to house the 15 or so crystal vases we received as wedding gifts. And as most neighbours hadn't moved in yet, I would stay at my mum's place whenever he was out of town. So the condo wasn't quite lived in as much.
That pattern seems to have continued till now, and it's been two years already. The space still isn't quite as lived in as I'd like. That ambience (or lack of it) seems to be an aspect of the whole building, with its shoplots on the ground floor that barely seem to be generating any business, let alone make a roaring profit. And this despite having IKEA and The Curve just down the road. Or maybe it's because of having IKEA as a neighbour that's pulling the business away. But that's another story too.
My idea of a lived-in home would be to have traces of the inhabitant's personality stamped on it. This place doesn't. Apart from our some family photos on the sideboard, nothing much in the condo says it's my house. The walls are bare, and the only decor are the crystal vases that reflect more of the givers' personalities and status than mine. If it was up to me, I'd have frsh flowers, vibrant paintings and rows upon rows of bookshelves in the living room. Like in Impiana or House & Garden. But, despite having redeemed precious Maybankard points for a Black & Decker drill, Hubby is reluctant to put anything up on the walls as 'this is only temporary till we move to a proper house'. And I bet he's going to say the same thing when we move to a 22x70 link in Bangi (that's all we can afford right now) and he starts dreaming of a bungalow in Putrajaya.
Whatever it is, hurry back home sayang, because any house isn't a home without you.
Things didn't quite turn out the way I planned. I got married just before the construction was completed, so it made sense to make this 900+ sqft space our first marital abode. And it doesn't quite look the way I wanted, because who would expect that my husband's personal property amassed throughout his bachelorhood and the wedding gifts we received would fill up the whole house? And we still have some of the gifts left at our parents' in DU and Alor Setar, while my clothes are transferred to my siblings' wardrobes at mum's (some without my prior knowledge).
But it's okay. We could still build this into our little lovenest. Or so I thought.
The first four months or so after the wedding, hubby was outstation in Bintulu so we only met up every three weeks. Sometimes he would take leave and come home for a week, when we'd go shopping for furniture and display cabinets to house the 15 or so crystal vases we received as wedding gifts. And as most neighbours hadn't moved in yet, I would stay at my mum's place whenever he was out of town. So the condo wasn't quite lived in as much.
That pattern seems to have continued till now, and it's been two years already. The space still isn't quite as lived in as I'd like. That ambience (or lack of it) seems to be an aspect of the whole building, with its shoplots on the ground floor that barely seem to be generating any business, let alone make a roaring profit. And this despite having IKEA and The Curve just down the road. Or maybe it's because of having IKEA as a neighbour that's pulling the business away. But that's another story too.
My idea of a lived-in home would be to have traces of the inhabitant's personality stamped on it. This place doesn't. Apart from our some family photos on the sideboard, nothing much in the condo says it's my house. The walls are bare, and the only decor are the crystal vases that reflect more of the givers' personalities and status than mine. If it was up to me, I'd have frsh flowers, vibrant paintings and rows upon rows of bookshelves in the living room. Like in Impiana or House & Garden. But, despite having redeemed precious Maybankard points for a Black & Decker drill, Hubby is reluctant to put anything up on the walls as 'this is only temporary till we move to a proper house'. And I bet he's going to say the same thing when we move to a 22x70 link in Bangi (that's all we can afford right now) and he starts dreaming of a bungalow in Putrajaya.
Whatever it is, hurry back home sayang, because any house isn't a home without you.
Saturday, 2 July 2005
Antara Anyir dan Jakarta...
... or to be more accurate, KL and Banda Acheh.
Hubby decided to play the good Samaritan and join Mercy as a non-medic volunteer. He took 2 weeks off work and left me in charge at the office (literally!). It was supposed to be a journey of discovery for him, away from schedule reviews, meetings, progress reports to ... a different set of meetings, progress reporting and scheduling.
As this was a Re-Construction mission, Mercy specifically wanted technical professionals to assist them. Hubby qualified on the basis of being an Engineer. But when they started asking him about drilling wells, they found out too late that he's not exactly the kind of engineer they had in mind, despite working for an Oil & Gas multinational. No matter, he could still be of some use to them somehow.
And so he has been. So much so that they've extended his two week stint for an additional seven days. And it has opened him up to so many enriching experiences.
One of our SMS exchanges went like this:
Hubby: I visited an orphanage today. One of the kids even looked like Nuaim (our son).
Me: Give them lots of hugs and kisses from me.
Hubby: I touched their heads. Now I know why it is sunat to usap kepala anak yatim. I bought them a football, they played like anak ayam.
Another time, he was in Lampulo, where they'd only received rice after 6 whole months of waiting.
On a lighter note, Siti's popularity in Indonesia is undisputed, as evidenced at a kenduri he attended. But Hubby is now an Indo-pop rock convert. I'm looking forward to our reunion with Gigi, Padi, Dewa and SO7 playing in the background.
Oh shoot, have to get the CD player fixed first.
Hubby decided to play the good Samaritan and join Mercy as a non-medic volunteer. He took 2 weeks off work and left me in charge at the office (literally!). It was supposed to be a journey of discovery for him, away from schedule reviews, meetings, progress reports to ... a different set of meetings, progress reporting and scheduling.
As this was a Re-Construction mission, Mercy specifically wanted technical professionals to assist them. Hubby qualified on the basis of being an Engineer. But when they started asking him about drilling wells, they found out too late that he's not exactly the kind of engineer they had in mind, despite working for an Oil & Gas multinational. No matter, he could still be of some use to them somehow.
And so he has been. So much so that they've extended his two week stint for an additional seven days. And it has opened him up to so many enriching experiences.
One of our SMS exchanges went like this:
Hubby: I visited an orphanage today. One of the kids even looked like Nuaim (our son).
Me: Give them lots of hugs and kisses from me.
Hubby: I touched their heads. Now I know why it is sunat to usap kepala anak yatim. I bought them a football, they played like anak ayam.
Another time, he was in Lampulo, where they'd only received rice after 6 whole months of waiting.
On a lighter note, Siti's popularity in Indonesia is undisputed, as evidenced at a kenduri he attended. But Hubby is now an Indo-pop rock convert. I'm looking forward to our reunion with Gigi, Padi, Dewa and SO7 playing in the background.
Oh shoot, have to get the CD player fixed first.
