SAHF

I am sure many moms are familiar with the term SAHM because it stands for Stay-At-Home-Mother or moms who work at home. They could be housewives or moms who has a part time business.

Since leaving Palembang, I have been a SAHF (Stay At Home Father). Initially, it was a blow to my morale since I was the major family income provider for the past 6 years. Suddenly, I felt as if I was no longer contributing to the family cause, plus there were so many new things to learn about living in Brisbane and Australia. Experiencing a new environment change is never easy. After 2 weeks of struggle and support from my wife, I finally found my footing and also bearings around doing things in Brisbane.

Life suddenly became full of purpose since I now have more time to spend with my 3 year old son and my wife. Teaching my son, reading to him, playing with him, taking him out for a ride or run in the park.... nothing beats spending quality uninterrupted family time. Now, I have ample time to learn about being a stay-at-home father, at least until uni starts again.

Entertainment That's Worth The $$ - The Wiggles Concert

Many of you might think that $35 Wiggles Concerts were only meant for kids but you were wrong. We managed to buy last minute tickets for the Wiggles Concert 2 weeks ago.

The event was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Center. We drove off 1.5 hours before the event and were surprised by the number of cars entering the car park. We had to line up for almost 30 mins before we could get a car park and it costs $10!

I did not have very high hopes of an entertaining event because I thought that it would be more like a kids event whereby the Wiggles (Sam, Murray, Jeff and Anthony - the yellow, red, purple and blue Wiggles respectively) provide kids with some sing-a-longs. We managed to get front row seats which were just 2m away from the stage.

The concert had a big round platform in the middle, trapezes and swings hanging from the roof. The show started with the circus ring master Ringo introducing the Wiggles. Acrobats and gymnasts came out performing their respective feats and created a circus-like atmosphere. Of course there were singing, jokes and performances by all the Wiggles.

I was surprised that many adults were as excited as the kids when they saw their favourite Wiggle perform on stage. We also knew many songs that they performed and had a great time as well. For sure, the $35 front row seats were definitely worth it for the 1.5 hour concert!

New Chapter in Brisbane - starts with free, free & free concerts

I have finally settled down in Brisbane for good (at least for the next couple of years). Leaving Palembang was difficult but I have finally started my new chapter in life in Brisbane.

Not having to work until school starts next year means everyday feels like a Sunday. Sometimes it is hard to even keep track of the dates and days of the week. Due to the many activities being lined up, I seldom have time to even log on to the internet or use the computer!

Summer is starting in Australia now, which also means we are gonna have a HOT Christmas in a few more week's time. All the places are decorated with xmas ornaments and xmas trees. It also happens that the city of Brisbane starts to organize free concerts. For the past 5 days, I have attended 3 free concerts: The Lord Mayor's Xmas Carols Concert, C&K Children's Concert and the City Hall's Senior Xmas Concert.

The Lord Mayor's Xmas Carols Concert was held at the Botanical Gardens. We were there 2 hours before to reserve our seats but the place was almost jammed packed by the time we got there. We managed to find a place along the grass slopes by the side of the concert stage to place our picnic spreads. It was fun to be in a picnic cum concert atmosphere like this.

The C&K Children's Concert was held at the Brisbane Convention Center. They had a small animal exhibit (a bilby - see above photo, and a slink), play sessions with kids with the C&K staff (C&K is a kindergarten chain) followed by the concert. The City Hall's Senior Concert was held at City Hall. Supposedly meant for seniors but we booked tickets for the whole family to attend.

So far, my new chapter in the world down under is filled with concerts and days out. Have not had a stay without any events or stay-at-home days yet.... which is good! It's gonna be a HOT HOT Christmas!

Short Trip Back To Malaysia

Finally I left Palembang (the place that I used to call home for the past 3 years) and headed back to Malaysia for a short trip before leaving for Brisbane.

My wife was a bit upset when she got to know that I had my "holiday" in Malaysia while she had to manage my active toddler son at home. Anyway, I got to meet up with many childhood friends (up to 25 years of friendship) and former colleagues.

I spent most of the time with my dad as I stayed with him. We had almost every meal at Penang's famous hawker food stalls nearby my place. I managed to slot in afternoon tea and supper with friends while major meal sessions were "reserved" for my dad and my relatives.

"Brisbane" will be the beginning of my new chapter in life where I shall become a dad for the 2nd time and go back to school to further my studies. I am still anxious to be unemployed and had to stay with my in-laws (not that I've never done it before but this time is for a longer period of time). Will I be able to turn on my "study brain" after so many years? Will I be able to cope with studying, take care of a toddler, take care of a newborn and manage a good family relationship at the same time? It looks as if I have too many balls to juggle at the same time.... Nevertheless, I am still positive about my new life in Brisbane and what lies ahead of 2010.

Interesting Indonesian Language

After 3 years in Palembang, I could speak and write Indonesian "dikit dikit" (a little bit). Here are some of the alphabet pronunciations that are different from English:

A - ah
B - beh
C - chey
D - day
E - er
F - eff
G - gay (no kidding!)

H - ha
I - aye
J - jay
K - ka
L - el
M - am
N - an
O - oh
P - pay

Q - kee
R - ar
S - ass
T - tay
U - ooo
V - fey

W - way
X - axe
Y - yay
Z - zet

Try to sing the ABCD song in Bahasa Indonesia....LOL!

When I first arrived, I was pretty "bingung" (confused) when somebody mentioned to me that he drives a "Fey-Way" car (VW = Volkswagon)!

Despite the fact that Indonesia was never colonized by the British (30 years under Dutch's rule), the Indonesian language has a lot of terms similar to English (just to name a few):

1. Halte (hall-ter): bus stop, from the word halt.
2. Helm (hell-lem): helmet.
3. Amplop (aam-plope): envelope.
4. Baut (ba-oot): bolt.
   

Some slight difference between Indonesian and Malay terms (just to name a few also):

1. Karna, Karena - Kerana (Malay) - Because (English)
2. Bisa - Boleh (Malay) - Can (English)
3. Butuh - Perlu (Malay) - Need (English)
4. Becak - Beca (Malay) - Trishaw (English)
5. Wewenang - Tanggung-jawab (Malay) - Responsibility (English)
6. Sendok - Sudu (Malay) - Spoon (English)
7. Cangkir - Cawan (Malay) - Cup (English)
   

I guess that's all for my limited Indonesian translations. Tomorrow will be my last day in Palembang.... # leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again #. Palembang will always have its place in my heart despite all the power problems. I am sure that sometime in my life, "I'LL BE BACK"! Adios Palembang!

Geisha - Indonesian, Not Japanese

For the past month that I was in Palembang, my cable TV was disconnected and I was forced to watch local Indonesian TV. I discovered this band called GEISHA that has very nice songs. The female vocalist's voice reminds me of the group HEART. My friends kept saying that I am intoxicated by Indonesian music after 3 years here but I still love it.

Here are some of my favourite songs from Geisha with their MVs:

Jika Cinta Dia - If you love her


Takkan Pernah Ada - Never Have Been


Selalu Salah - Always Wrong
(this song does not have the original music video)

Leaving With A Price

I have submitted my resignation from the company last month but the company did not have any replacement identified for me until earlier this week.

I was glad that I was finally able to leave Palembang since my family is already in Brisbane. Thanks to the internet, I was still able to chat using Skype and Windows Live Messenger with my wife everyday and also see them via video once in awhile.

It has been tough for my wife to take care of my energetic son by herself. I decided to request for an earlier departure. My employment contract states that I will need to provide 2 months advance notice prior to departure. Therefore, I have to stay until mid Dec'09 which is too long for me a wait.

I talked to my GM and also MD in a nice manner about this dilemma. My MD did not get angry during the conversation and said he will discuss the matter with my GM. Later that day, I received a call from my GM saying that the company has given me permission to leave by middle of this month but will not be paying me 1/2 a months salary because I broke the employment contract. However, I need to work until middle of the month. He said that the company could have taken legal action against me for my premature departure and should take on this "small penalty".

At first I wanted to appeal but in the end I figured that the company needed a way out and they need to do something in order to prevent people from leaving the company at a short notice.

Is 1/2 a month's work without pay justifiable for earlier freedom?

A Baby's (Not Mine) Day Out

Last weekend I invited my driver Iwan and his wife Ida to visit the museum in Palembang. Iwan did ask me whether it is ok to bring along a 6 month old baby and I agreed. He told me that this baby belongs to Ida's aunt who has 7 children. Every weekend Iwan and Ida will babysit the 6-month-old boy overnight. Iwan said that that baby is very easy to handle and does not REWEL (make a fuss).

I was also anxious to see how a 6 month old would not make a fuss if taken out for a day.


The baby's name is Satria (aka warrior). The couple dressed him up in a thick furry jacket on that hot Sunday morning. Satria also had a singlet covered by a red and white shirt. Iwan was dressed in black (2 layers) while Ida was in tudung (head dress) plus a jacket. I could not understand why they mentioned that they are afraid to catch a cold in this hot weather!


We spent approximately 2 hours visiting 2 different museums at the Ampera bridge area (both within walking distance). They fed the baby milk in a bottle (mixing sachets of milk powder with normal temp water). Satria did not make a lot of noise, only soft grunts and burps. He does not like to wear shoes. So he often kicks his shoes off.

After the museum, they smelt something foul but realized that they did not bring any spare nappies! Iwan said, "he normally poops in the afternoon". It shows that they still need some training before they get to know how to handle babies...Scout's motto, "Always be prepared"!.....LOL!

Therefore, we had to drive to a sundry shop to buy PAMPERS for Satria. Nappies in Bahasa Indonesia are called Pampers irregardless of whether it is Pampers brand or not. After Satria was cleaned up in a public toilet nearby, we headed out for lunch.

I took them to the famous MI CELOR stall in Palembang. Mi Celor is a noodle dish with thick coconut gravy. Iwan held Satria with one hand at the side but the baby kept wanting to pull the plates and spoons from the table. In the end, I finished up my mi celor quickly and temporarily baby sit Satria while the 2 dug into their noodles.

After lunch, we headed home. The A/C in the car was so comfortable that Satria fell asleep. As you can see from the photo, his arms were bent like a bow facing upwards as he snoozed throughout the way home.

It was an interesting day out for us. Not so much of the contents inside the museum but because a 6 month old baby was tagging along. The weekend stay for the baby should serve as good practice for Iwan and Ida but I warned them not to expect the same of their own newborn when Ida delivers sometime in March next year. Every baby is different.

Until now I still have Blog formatting problems: everytime I insert photos, my formatting will get screwed up. I have looked in the FAQ sections of Blogger but could not find a good solution for my formatting problems yet. If you have any ideas on how to resolve it, please let me know.

Photos Of The Week - Tofu & Trucks

2 weeks ago I taught my maid to steam tofu. Obviously she has never done steaming before with a steamer, so I told her to put the square soft tofus onto a metal plate and steam it for 10 mins. When I came back I was surprised to see the following dish on my table!

This was her steamed tofu dish with fried garlic on top.....but it was all mashed up and out of shape! So the next day I asked her what happened and she told me that she steamed the tofu for >1 hour!!

No problem, she was on her learning curve. However, last week the steamed tofu dish came out to be like this....

I was surprised again. Not only the tofu is all mashed up, it was perfectly round. I ate half of the tofu dish and asked her what happened the next day. She said, "I used a plastic container to close up the tofu and steam it".



I almost fainted when I heard that she put a plastic container covering up the tofu and put it on a metal plate to steam under the >100c steamer! The plastic would have melted and I would have eaten all the toxins from the heated plastic container. I have been poisoned by my maid.... She was banned from steaming tofu from that day onwards.



In Palembang, all the trucks that carry fertilizers into the estates are only limited to 8 tons compared to Malaysia's 20 tons due to the bad road infrastucture. Any trucks > 8 tons will not be able to enter the dirt roads.



They have funny funny writings all over the trucks and this is one of them.... KEKASIH HALAL - literally it meant LEGAL LOVER. So what does Legal Lover mean? I am sure it does not mean THE WIFE.

What Is A MOCAK?

Yesterday afternoon when my driver came to pick me up for lunch, he told me that there was a power outage at home. Therefore, I was not able to heat up the food from the fridge and had to buy some take-away food. I wanted to try this Mi Aceh (Aceh noodles) from a nearby shop, so we drove there. It was pouring. When we got to the Mi Aceh stall, we saw a MOCAK (sounds like "mow-chuck") or Motor-Becak (Motorized-trishaw).

The Mocak belongs to the Mi Aceh guy. He is from Aceh (northern Sumatra) and claims that he brought the mocak to Palembang by bus. It was dismantled into smaller pieces then put on a bus. When it got here, he re-assembled it back. He said it is very popular to have mocaks in Aceh and it is legal. The Palembang city regulations prohibit mocaks to be driven but I guess he is still driving it illegally around this area.

If you examine the mocak carefully, you can see that it can take on a total of 7 passengers - the bike rider and pillion rider on the bike section (2), plus 3 leaning back at the carriage section and 2 more facing opposite the 3 persons!

The Mi Aceh guy stir fries the noodles then use a lid to cover them up and steam it. It is a spicy dish. If you look properly at his stall, you can see a piece of beef hanging there. Other than the Mi Aceh, I also took away some BATAGOR which is something like dumplings and fried tofu (see photo below). I would not say that the Mi Aceh & Batagor were nice but at least I got to know more about the MOCAKs.

I Work At Home

Everyday passes really slowly especially when my wife and son are away in Brisbane. I am alone in the house after work. I managed to go through some of the photos that my wife took in the laptop.

I recalled my son telling me that he works at home when I told him I was about to go to work in the morning.

Exactly what work does he do??

1. He cleans the dead leaves and twigs that falls into our fish pond at the back of the house. This is normally our driver's job but my son likes to help adults do chores. Maybe I can get him to wash the plates next time!...LOL! Washing plates is my most hated chore as both my brother and I were forced to wash up after dinner every night (we had to rotate everyday)!

2. He pretends that he is an excavator digging the soil that we put into this cut-into-half oil drum from my work place. We had to plaster the sharp edges of the drum so that he does not get cut.

My son normally would find worms and caterpillars and cut them up! We tried to let him cut the caterpillars only because they eat up my wife's plants whereas the earth worms help loosen the soil for the plants to grow better.

3. He is also the construction team coordinator. He instructs his shovel to scoop soil into the dump truck. The soil we have on the ground is mostly clay, so it is hard to dig and gets messy when it is wet.

We thought of building him a sand pit. However the thought of cats doing their business in the pit put off our idea. My friend also just reminded me that it would be very difficult to find clean sand in Palembang.

Wishing that I could reunite with my family in Brisbane soon, all that I could do now is to continue to browse through the many photos that my wife took throughout the 3 years we were in Palembang. I never really had time to go through all of them when they are around. Yes, 3 year olds do work at home!

Dismal Display At Anfield

The Liverpool-ManUtd match yesterday was a disappointment for United fans. ManUtd lost 0-2 to the "wounded animal" Liverpool who desperately needed a win to overcome their 4 loses in a row crisis.

I drove to the mess to watch the match at 8pm WIB (Waktu Indonesia Barat - west Indonesian time) only to know that the live match will only start at 9pm WIB. The schedule provided by the local newspaper was inaccurate.

After the start of the match, frustrations mounted as Utd struggled to dominate the mid-field area and the first half ended 0-0. Thinking that the second half will turn out to be better for Utd, came the Liverpool goal where Spaniard Fernando Torres (aka El Nino) outpaced out-of-form England and Utd centerback Rio Ferdinand to shoot past keeper Edwin Van Der Sar. 1-0 down, Utd tried to fight back but the introduction of former Liverpool man Michael Owen did not provide Utd much magic that we hoped for. Nemanja Vidic (Utd) and Javier Mascherano (Liv) were both sent off after 2 bookable offences. After added time beyond the 90th minute, Liv scored again and my heart sank.....

After a whole week of taunting and exchanging "fire" with my Liverpool friends on Facebook, I had to swallow the bitter pill. Can't stand my friends keep talking about the "you'll never walk alone" crap (motto of Liverpool), so I called their home site ANT-field instead of Anfield. The "Liver-POO vs. Manure United" rivalry will have to wait till the next match at Old Trafford in 2010. Funny how the people give names to the players and teams of their rivals.... the best is still "ARSE-Shavin" playing for "ARSE-Anal"! (Andrei Arshavin playing for Arsenal)....

The Reds deserved to win at home against a woeful United side yesterday. The win also temporarily delayed the crisis call at Liverpool and their manager Rafa Benitez' job is gonna be safe at least for a few more games. It was also time that Utd lost their 11 game unbeaten streak so that they could bounce back in the next few games esp the tough test at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea on Nov 7, 2009.

I hope this is a blessing in disguise for United as last season they also lost both games to Liverpool but ended up clinching the ultimate prize - being the Champions of the English Premier League!

THE Match Preview - Liverpool vs United (25/10/09)

Many readers do not like to read about my Manchester United posts but tomorrow is a BIG match where Liverpool hosts Manchester United at Anfield.

Liverpool has had a 4 consecutive match losing record coming into tomorrow's game while United (current league leaders) are seeking to avenge their double loss to the reds last season. Liverpool is weakened by the absence of their influential skipper Steven Gerrard while United will be without their star striker Wayne Rooney who is still out injured.

I will need to watch the match at my colleagues place in the company's mess because they have Indovision cable TV (the new EPL match broadcaster). I am sure Liverpool will want to use this opportunity to bounce back with a win over their arch rivals. I am anticipating a 2-2 draw but as a Devil fan I hope former Liverpool star Michael Owen (photo below) will tip the scales with a last gasp goal for United against his former club.

Can't wait for the cracker match tomorrow! Go Red Devils!!!

A Visit To Our Former Maid's House

Last week, we received news that our former maid has delivered a baby boy. My wife has been to her house in Mata Merah last month to visit her but I have not been. Yesterday after work, my driver and me went to pay her a visit.

Mata Merah is 10 mins drive away from my work place. I thought it would be a "poor" area but the houses looked pretty nice and well maintained for Indonesian standard.

Aini was our 2nd live-in maid in Palembang. She was one of the hard working ones that we have had and my wife also liked her because of her pleasant personality. She was so efficient and throrough in her work that we let her study in the afternoons (to finish high school). After she got married and left us, we still kept in touch with her.

Aini looked pretty happy when we met her. She was carrying her 10 days old baby boy. His name is Ruslan, named after his great-grandfather. According to customs of people from her husband's hometown in Kayu Agung (2 hours drive from Palembang), their sons and daughters are named after their grandparents. They said this custom will enable their ancestors to be remembered.

In fact, the elder Ruslan is just staying a few roads away. According to Aini, he is 80 years old and having some mobility problems. However, the baby's great-grandpa is still quite healthy, eats well and still smokes 1 pack of cigarette a day! Unfortunately, the 2 Ruslans still have not met one another yet. Aini's father still has not visited her and her newborn yet. So I felt priviledged to be one of their first visitors.

Aini told us that her baby is a deep sleeper. He seldom wakes up despite loud noises and only cry when he is wet or hungry. She said her baby kept wanting to get out from the swaddle... I could imagine how uncomfortable it is to be swaddled up under these hot Palembang weather!

She only started breast feeding her baby 2 days after it was born. She had a natural birth and was happy not to have a C-section because they would still have to pay for 50% of the medical cost despite being subsidized by the government. She delivered her baby (3.3kgs) in a mid-wives' home (BIDAN) instead of a hospital. Most of the people living in this area go to a BIDAN instead of a doctor. Therefore, there were many cases where they could not accurately predict the delivery dates of the baby because they did not have any ultrasound scanners at the BIDAN's place. Aini's baby only came after 3 weeks of her expected delivery date.

Aini stays with her in-laws now in a house with 6 occupants. Her father in-law has 12 brothers and sisters! He was there to chat with us as well and said he was very proud to have his first grandchild as a boy. I guess people here prefer to have boys over girls (same as other parts of the world). I told him that as long as the baby is healthy, the gender should not matter. He had to nod his head in agreement after I stared at him for a few seconds...;)

We brought Aini some baby clothes, nappies, nappy cream and a baby soft toy. We only stayed at her place for 30 mins and left after bidding farewell. She was appreciative of the gifts and even sms'd to thank me for it later. Hope that Aini would be happy enjoying her new life with her newborn baby.

Photos Of The Week - Ampera Area

As mentioned in my previous posts, my driver and me both took the local bus to Palembang downtown and here are some photos that we took:

The following photo was taken on a pedestrian bridge with the Ampera Bridge and Palembang's water fountain round-about at the background. My driver Iwan is still not smiling...

This pedestrian bridge is called Jembatan PUSRI because it was built by Pusri (Pupuk Sriwijaya), one of the largest urea producers in the world. Supposedly there are a lot of pick pockets along this bridge but we did not encounter any incidences. Palembang is also full of satellite dishes (look at the background) because there are less government restrictions on their installations as compared to Malaysia. Once you have a dish installed, you can get any channels around the world. However, it was not something that we wanted to invest in.

This is Mesjid Agung Palembang (Palembang's Mosque) located right next to the Ampera Bridge. The horns on the roof came from a mix of Hindu and Chinese influences.

Across the mosque is this MONPERA monument. MONPERA stands for Monumen Penderitaan Rakyat. It is a monument to commemorate the suffering of the Indonesian people under the rule of president Soekarno in the 60's.

The front gate of the Palembang mosque.

Unique Palembang architecture and decorations.

An "angkut" or mini van is Palembang's other most common mode of public transport other than the BUS KOTA (city bus).

Busy street away from the Ampera Bridge just in front of the Monpera monument.

Water fountain round-about right before crossing Ampera bridge to the other side of Palembang (Plaju area where Pertamina's refinery is located). The city council only turns on the water fountain at night. They also have colored lights shooting at the fountain. The houses at the background have been painted in multiple colors for the Visit Musi Year 2008. I still remember donating paints on behalf of our company for the event. Supposedly all the houses facing the Musi River were all painted with these rainbow colors in 2008.

Taking The Bus To Town - Part 2

Continuing from my previous post... I boarded the next bus from the national mosque (mesjid agung) area heading to Perumnas. Similar to the previos bus, the one that I got on has all the wondeful hippy colors and decors all over it.

This is a photo of the inside of the previous bus. You can see the Jamaican flag with Bob Marley hanging on the ceiling. This photo was taken right before it became packed.

Ok, the following photo is the one that I boarded on the way home. It has flowers all across the wind screen. I would have felt very cosy if I were the driver. Look at all the different colors on their seats.

This guy below is the bus conductor who collects money from the passengers. He will go around showing his "grabbing hands" (open and close quickily) to all the passengers demanding for payment as he walks around the bus. I can see that he does not keep track on who he has taken money from and who has not because he came around asking for payment from me twice in the past 15 mins! He also acts as an usher, shouting at the potential passengers at the bus stops to board the bus. He also bangs the bus' back door whenever passengers have gone up to bus to tell the driver to drive off. In order to get down the bus, you just have to knock on the top of the bus' ceiling and the driver will stop (I have not seen any bells on the bus though).


Along the way home, I saw the following interesting event happening along the streets in front of Cinde market. People are actually having their arms tatoo'd along the dusty streets!

It looked as if someone was taking jabs of drugs but was a more legal activity. Blood, paint and dust... yucks!

The following photo shows 2 entertainers coming on to the bus. One guy carried a guitar and has a mike on his headset with amplifiers at the side. The other guy carried his drum set which consists of a 6 piece joint percussion equipment. They started to sing and play DANGDUT music (popular Malay-Arabic-Hindustani music with strong drum beats & synthesizers). They performed for a mere 5 mins on the bus but they were pretty good. Therefore, they earned my Rp1000 (RM0.35) before they left for another bus.

After a bumpy 30 min ride, we finally got back to Novotel where we parked the car and went home. It was an interesting 1.5 hour excursion despite the heat and deafening atmosphere. Now, I can proudly say that I have gone on every mode of transportation in Palembang....;)

1. Bus
2. Ankut (mini van/truck)
3. Becak (trishaw)
4. Perahu (boat)
5. Mobil (car)
6. Keretapi (train)
7. Pesawat (plane)