Greek Odyssey Day 1: Dubai-Athens

At Dubai International Airport, waiting to board the plane to Athens.

As proof that I WAS there - this is taken from our Hotel balcony. We stayed at Hotel Attalos on Athenas Street.


The first day was just a stroll around the area, including a park with the Acropolis behind us.

End of the first day. In front of the Monastiraki Metro station.

House Arrest

I can't believe this has happened.

We were supposed to go to Mak's house in Damansara this morning, our usual weekend routine. Just after we entered the NKVE at noon from the Bukit Jelutong toll-house, Nuaim exclaimed that he had left his favourite pillow at home. I took the next exit at Subang and headed back to TTDI Jaya via Glenmarie.

When we arrived home and I had picked up the right pillow, I noticed the automatic swing gates - which I always close after entering the drive - was half ajar. The car would not be able to get through, so I pressed the remote control again. One gate opened swung inwards, then opened fully, while the other moved a couple of inches before resuming its half-open position. I pressed the remote several times, but the same thing happened.

Maybe it needs to be fully closed before it swings open fully again, I thought to myself. I resumed my efforts, this time with the intention of getting the gates closed, which eventually they did.

And then they would not open again.

Frantically I searched for some way of pushing the gates open manually, but the motorised levers kept them rigidly in place. I inspected every part of the mechanism, hoping for a button, a switch - SOMETHING!! - to override the circuit, buit still I could not find anything. Finally I attempted to open the control box, but a warning on the cover stopped me.

There was no address or telephone number on the box, and I don't remember ever seeing the manual (the automatic gates came with the house), and even when I googled the model number there was nothing. It wasn't listed on TM directory either.

By then it was 2 pm and the kids were hungry. Luckily there was some cooked food that I had intended to take to Damansara for lunch, which my maid quickly heated up. I gave it a rest, and an hour later called the contractor who had done the house renovations to see if he could help.

It was almost dusk and no one turned up. I called him again, but as expected there was no answer. My contractor very clever one, only gives out his business number which he switches off after 5 pm.

Fortunately Hubby called and informed me of another technician that could help, but since it was already late, I decided to leave it till tomorrow.

So here we are, spending the odd weekend at home, and grounded. I just hope it'll get fixed by Monday.

Home Schooling

Nuaim throws tantrums when things don't go his way. And the only way to deal with it is to explain a complex situation with all the really minute details. Which he completely understands.

Episode 1:

Some time ago, his uncle bought him two Lego Creator sets from Sydney. He loves these Creators - Hubby had purchased three previously - as each set has an instruction booklet that shows you how to build three different items using the same pieces. The booklet from the Sydney pack also showed the other available Creator models, one of which Nuaim took a fancy to. He started asking why his uncle didn't buy him that particular set, so to cut it short I told him they had run out in Sydney. Being Nuaim, he wouldn't drop the subject, so he kept pestering me about it till I promised to buy it at Toys'R'Us. Alas, Malaysia does not seem to have a market for Lego Creator.

"Why don't they sell here?" he asked.

"No one wants to buy them." I answered.

"I do. Why don't other boys buy them?"

"Because other boys aren't clever enough." I was hoping this compliment would make him feel better. It backfired.

"No! I want other boys to be clever enough to build them!!"

"Well, they're too expensive to make in Malaysia."

"Why are they too expensive?"

"The factory is too expensive to build here."

"I want Lego to build a factory in Malaysia!"

"Nuaim, do you know what it takes to build a factory?"

"No. How do you build a factory?"

Then I launched into a full description of a Project implementation framework that would put SKG19 TP's to shame, complete with basic design, long lead item procurement, installation, pre-commissioning inspection, performance test runs and delayed start-ups.

By the end of it, Nuaim looked pensive.

"So you see why they can't build the factory here?"

"Yeah, it's really difficult."


Episode 2:

We were watching Animal Planet on ASTRO today. As usual, the signal started breaking up with the slightest sign of bad weather. Nuaim began asking me to clean the VCD, not realising that the two were totally unrelated.

"It's not from a VCD, Nuaim. ASTRO is from the sky."

"Why is it shaking?"

"The wind is making it shake."

"Turn off the fan!"

"No, dear. It's not the fan, it's the wind in the sky."

"Close the windows! Don't let the wind come in."

"No, no. It's shaky from outside, not inside the house."

Nuaim still didn't look convinced. So I had to go all technical again.

Armed with a piece of paper and a pen, I described how microwave signals travelled from the main ASTRO broadcasting station to our receiver dish on the roof, down a cable to the ASTRO decoder and finally into the TV set in the family hall. Professor Charles Turner would be so proud of me.

Nuaim really appreciated this piece of information, then looked at my sketch thoughtfully.

"Where's the staircase?"

ARRGHHH!!!

Very Late Movie Review

I just watched "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" on DVD.

It was a movie that I had waited so long to watch at the cinema, but by the time it reached Malaysian shores I had so many business trips in Kerteh that I missed it. Fortunately I managed to get the DVD, but finding the time to watch it was another thing. It is a well-known fact that the only DVD's allowed to play in my house are either Barney, Disney cartoons or BBC's Planet series.

Today I managed to convince Nuaim to let my play it by enticing him with the Spanish Armada.

"Pirate ships?" he asked.

"Sort of."

Hardly 10 seconds into the movie he started pestering me for the the pirate ships. The sight of one dashing pirate in the form of Walter Raleigh wasn't enough for him. He gave up and started building his own pirate ship with Duplo blocks.

What I love about the movie? The costumes, the set and Cate Blanchett.

What I hated about it? Everything else.

Well, not quite HATE. But the movie felt like a very long drawn out history lesson, with too many slow-mo scenes that had no real effect on me. Clive Owen wore the same look throughout (in fact he looks the same in almost every movie), Geoffrey Rush looked bored, and there was greater chemistry between Elizabeth and her lady-in-waiting than with Raleigh (was that intentional?). There was so much more to tell about Elizabeth's Golden Age. If you don't believe me, go watch 'Black Adder'.

Greek Odyssey

I asked for Spain as a 10th wedding anniversary. Granted, it's only been 5 years 9 months, but this is a good precursor, isn't it?

6 years ago on Christmas my true love gave to me...

... a marriage proposal.

I was doing time as a Construction Supervisor in Kerteh, and it was a busy period so I could not afford to take leave to come back to KL. He called a few days earlier to say he had a wedding in Kemaman to attend so hey, why not just meet up?

A couple of days before Christmas, after I kept asking which friend was getting married, he confessed that there was no wedding - he just wanted to see me. He was taking a morning flight from KL to Kuantan, so could I spare some time to drive down from Kerteh just to spend the day with him before he flew back in the evening?

I remember not being exactly thrilled at the idea - I must've been planning to catch up on work that day. Anyhow, he missed his flight, took the next one, so I picked him up at the airport just after the lunch hour. He told me he was hungry and felt like having a Big Mac, so we headed off to Teluk Chempedak.

Along the way I berated him for spending so much money on a return KL-Kuantan flight just for a day trip. He bore my nagging with the most gracious of patience. As we sat at an al fresco table with the Big Mac, I asked him in mock seriousness (in an attempt to mimic Dumbledore from one of the earlier Harry Potter movies), "Is there something you want to tell me?"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I thought, "Ohmigod, what if..." and he said the exact words I was thinking.

Thank you, sayang, for making that trip 6 years ago.

Princess Pictures

Somehow the pictures loaded in reverse chronological order. Never mind lah...

"I'm so excited. My very first car!!!" At Kak Iman's 3rd birthday party.

"I am a model, you know what I mean..." Doing the catwalk at Tok Su Ina's house in Bangi during Aidil Fitri.

Bollywood princess looking a bit glum. Hero has not turned up yet.

"Be off with ye, Cap'n Jack Sparrow!! I be the cap'n of this ship." Ummi's attempt at making Aiesyah look demure in a headscarf during Aidil Fitri backfired. Nu'man doesn't look too impressed either.

Someone's really happy to be sitting in her Ummi's lap. Again taken during Aidil Fitri. (She's got more teeth now).

Gettin' jiggy with it. Aiesyah learning to walk a week before Aidil Fitri.

"Alamak jatuh la pulak..."