tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66622711993068844662024-03-14T00:54:56.461+07:00The Nomadic Life of RichExperience life through traveling and living in different parts of the world. CURRENT STOP: BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA.Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-87451228572943844812010-07-30T08:22:00.006+07:002010-07-30T09:16:54.077+07:00One of my favorite food: Indian Mamak FoodDuring my semester break, I went back to Malaysia for a month. I managed to enjoy some of my favorite food and one of them is called Indian Mamak Food. Indian Mamak food is very popular in Malaysia and the food comprises of Nasi Kandar (yellow spiced rice with a variety of side dishes such as chicken curry, fish curry, mutton curry and beef curry that you could choose from), tosai (pronounced as "toe-say" : thin soft and crispy bread), roti canai (crispy bread with curry), mee goreng mamak (fried noodles), naan (toasted bread) with tandoori chicken and roti tisu (extra thin, crispy and sweetened bread). There are plenty of different mamak food chains in Malaysia and the following are a couple of shots from different shops.<br /><br />Take note of the writings below the TOSAI word. Yes, it says TOSAI ANACONDA SPECIAL! I did not know what the heck was an ANACONDA tosai until I asked the guy. He told me that it is an extra long tosai bread, just like an anaconda snake! I did not order that tosai because we could not even finish our various different dishes on our table. Perhaps I will try it next time when I return to Malaysia.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9F_XZpTPGpEMwCoBs2Qa0IA8becG2psC_K0HondXxcv390ek6gF43gIuMqYzAqvDlY9d_xsxQVe0IFceZjiN_7tzJQyAloY5W6kVjiV9Cj9SEotHA5TjEsk-oroW3nh-uCA6oVfgC_I/s1600/Ric1014.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9F_XZpTPGpEMwCoBs2Qa0IA8becG2psC_K0HondXxcv390ek6gF43gIuMqYzAqvDlY9d_xsxQVe0IFceZjiN_7tzJQyAloY5W6kVjiV9Cj9SEotHA5TjEsk-oroW3nh-uCA6oVfgC_I/s320/Ric1014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499507835819733298" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a photo of the Roti Canai that I mentioned earlier. They are basically made of flour and toasted on a hot plate to make it crispy. Similarly, by adding eggs the Roti Canai will become Roti Telor. Murtabak is made with beef and onions inside the bread.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBky8yV8WfgnDF36Tf8fkAj0M4OWyd0b4ZZW0Z-ZkXd6DBSEk-OU-4cjEm4fFVu3lCypNNPKRSeWz0IVzLgMv_fIILofY-ZLlE3LhikKozEI2Wt8QYNWFYOA6pe17076JzMX9XHVs9M4/s1600/Ric0907.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBky8yV8WfgnDF36Tf8fkAj0M4OWyd0b4ZZW0Z-ZkXd6DBSEk-OU-4cjEm4fFVu3lCypNNPKRSeWz0IVzLgMv_fIILofY-ZLlE3LhikKozEI2Wt8QYNWFYOA6pe17076JzMX9XHVs9M4/s320/Ric0907.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499507551387503458" border="0" /></a><br />The following photo shows you how tall a Roti Tisu (thin like tissue paper). The guy had to sprinkle some sugar, condensed milk and honey around the conical structure before laying it down on 2 plates prior to serving it to customers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qnFefYxM9K6YsMiDfA282hQN33H0pqfg8DeVWSMivWh4cOsPYBwG2gVIj_ZRoR8fUe4jApdVudjmK9SMDoIYPl7YY5vM9ipkPLDpBiB9mKXh8HwOAf0TykxYMGCTCFHMjMeek2gbsWU/s1600/Ric0906.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qnFefYxM9K6YsMiDfA282hQN33H0pqfg8DeVWSMivWh4cOsPYBwG2gVIj_ZRoR8fUe4jApdVudjmK9SMDoIYPl7YY5vM9ipkPLDpBiB9mKXh8HwOAf0TykxYMGCTCFHMjMeek2gbsWU/s320/Ric0906.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499507539563332162" border="0" /></a>This Original Penang Kayu Nasi Kandar was one of the earliest shops to be established in Penang. When we moved to Klang, they also had branches there. I am sure the franchise has spread all across west Malaysia by now.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-AdAKKboXg7K1mm9oI2LB6Uz0CMX3altWH2m8I-0f4WrRKhjaqOfVDqKNvqUPG6XaZuCLvNDbPbZ5pZUsqicxMfDVX3Y1pXYg3BBX8UzLd1z2tswawCmLi2fxN7OqzpqQmhyphenhyphenjikzzoc/s1600/Ric0904.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-AdAKKboXg7K1mm9oI2LB6Uz0CMX3altWH2m8I-0f4WrRKhjaqOfVDqKNvqUPG6XaZuCLvNDbPbZ5pZUsqicxMfDVX3Y1pXYg3BBX8UzLd1z2tswawCmLi2fxN7OqzpqQmhyphenhyphenjikzzoc/s320/Ric0904.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499507535488168178" border="0" /></a><br />I am pretty sure the profit margin of these mamak shops are good because most of the different variety of food are mostly made of flour. Flour is cheap in Malaysia and these shops charge a couple of dollars for a dish. Mamak stalls reminded me of one of my ex-colleagues who used to eat dinner there every night (without fail)! This single guy spends most of his after work hours watching football on the mamak stalls' flat screen TVs (one of the methods to attract crowds).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbUCRF2BOwtGA9sGrTLXtOGEcC9fW1vaIc5hn2MLWSrhpt-WBBsfTIRH4dRT9SOxeys_Janbc_77ADnd3dxqiihfiR9kIDOwgmAKNuTAOZO0q072vcYzArISVZDrTa4nWGXvao24P5gE/s1600/Ric0903.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbUCRF2BOwtGA9sGrTLXtOGEcC9fW1vaIc5hn2MLWSrhpt-WBBsfTIRH4dRT9SOxeys_Janbc_77ADnd3dxqiihfiR9kIDOwgmAKNuTAOZO0q072vcYzArISVZDrTa4nWGXvao24P5gE/s320/Ric0903.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499507515349170354" border="0" /></a>After posting this photo, I realized that this mamak stall actually had a plastic bag to wrap up the leak on their water pipe! Noticed the red bag in front of the stall?....LOL!Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-91312430305361317762010-06-21T15:25:00.004+07:002010-06-21T15:52:11.867+07:00Missing In ActionWow! It has been such a long time since I put up any posts on my blog!! Anyway, I was very very busy with my full time studies for my Masters in Integrated Water Management from the University of Queensland.<br /><br />Studying never used to be so tough. Despite doing the course full time, I never had the privilege of the full time student benefits such as what I used to have during my undergrad studies. Officially, I am a full time student but I still need to help manage 2 kids (a 6 month old and a 3 year old). However, I was fortunate to live with my in-laws and they really helped a lot in terms of giving me some spare time to study. Normally my "study time" at home is from 8pm-11:30pm when the kids are asleep. I have never read so much literature in such as short period of time in my entire life. However, all the information about water is so interesting. Studying in this course feels as if I am trying to take in as much water as I could from a water hose shooting into my mouth (quoted by some former student of the course)!<br /><br />Anyway, let me try to load some photos to remind myself what have I been doing for the past few months that I did not have time to blog....<br /><br />Ah, this was a nice shot of Brisbane city from the City Cat catamaran that ferried us from our field trip back to the university. The Brisbane River is so amazing. Every time I cycle past the river, it gives me a sense of serenity and joyfulness.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3mR6mMnsy6CzkRPoERj5xn2B3RKmBn00ktsD5LlmgrAPZSrm1JZF2ZJ8xFBlnhGevL_gplOB7mqhqVkgKsbQvNX6wu42BKTROHWUoLIzpVrJVXtsf8rAEAnnjMN8oyJqxZ33AF9FZGM/s1600/Ric0743.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3mR6mMnsy6CzkRPoERj5xn2B3RKmBn00ktsD5LlmgrAPZSrm1JZF2ZJ8xFBlnhGevL_gplOB7mqhqVkgKsbQvNX6wu42BKTROHWUoLIzpVrJVXtsf8rAEAnnjMN8oyJqxZ33AF9FZGM/s320/Ric0743.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485143647279874418" border="0" /></a>This is the Wivenhoe Dam, approximately 2 hours' drive away from Brisbane. It is one of the major dams that provides water supply to the Southeast Queensland region.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eOC1vExtjIMX9aD60n4dvmDbMfnAsqusBi9lBYImgJ7ZQyoTsRwXfl1-sWFqGmqjNshf5CAujsTg7lCud8jXKYAPQRaFhDfCAu-QEBVkgvnyrRIq5bnpDQlzF3FtqjSg5NoTFLRj4Rs/s1600/Ric0703.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eOC1vExtjIMX9aD60n4dvmDbMfnAsqusBi9lBYImgJ7ZQyoTsRwXfl1-sWFqGmqjNshf5CAujsTg7lCud8jXKYAPQRaFhDfCAu-QEBVkgvnyrRIq5bnpDQlzF3FtqjSg5NoTFLRj4Rs/s320/Ric0703.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485143636461316258" border="0" /></a>Brisbane had its annual Dragon Boat race back in April. 20 over teams from all over Brisbane came to compete in this event. I was there with my eldest son to watch the event during that weekend.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78xomkokRvbFbEgcrNJsy83ohdRRyZkTioo-5rQftQmfDi6FAc2AaJYAOlfaq7iatpKx6rCwDY89Lp0KgxjHn-GSq-ijWvyFy7dPwcqWppUYgwTsW9oyfotPy0o1I_I-jhEMq32An3jg/s1600/Ric0569.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78xomkokRvbFbEgcrNJsy83ohdRRyZkTioo-5rQftQmfDi6FAc2AaJYAOlfaq7iatpKx6rCwDY89Lp0KgxjHn-GSq-ijWvyFy7dPwcqWppUYgwTsW9oyfotPy0o1I_I-jhEMq32An3jg/s320/Ric0569.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485143633737563074" border="0" /></a>Besides the dragon boat races, they also had dragon dances as well. My boy was pretty fascinated by the "dragon" since he always listen to stories about these mythical creatures.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI7xgkDGEQ0MPgn6Obv3QvW89SW1QW4TqLW2YTLczn2_jp4aTCS8cDPa63qizz5eoRXIGVzvPMzchsDQ4tYbwv14sNkPHLcGxqONTAtVt2u2awp9rD3ecIAjrj76Mva3Aop2qgaMDJz0/s1600/Ric0574.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI7xgkDGEQ0MPgn6Obv3QvW89SW1QW4TqLW2YTLczn2_jp4aTCS8cDPa63qizz5eoRXIGVzvPMzchsDQ4tYbwv14sNkPHLcGxqONTAtVt2u2awp9rD3ecIAjrj76Mva3Aop2qgaMDJz0/s320/Ric0574.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485143628824278146" border="0" /></a>Lastly, North Stradbroke Island... located off the coast of Brisbane, NSI was the location that all of the integrated water management students spent 3 nights (our 1st field trip).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DKuUoAn3CTlv26MO5BKQTwoK3z62N0xu_OhEoYssF57OU8uguYLzzUqJsvL80aGjjDx9K3Chs7SuBKoeanhkEJCCWaKVXvZEAapdLak_jttwPkxsyDRjLf1WPwRreNQSNKHQhpNOf9I/s1600/Ric0667.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DKuUoAn3CTlv26MO5BKQTwoK3z62N0xu_OhEoYssF57OU8uguYLzzUqJsvL80aGjjDx9K3Chs7SuBKoeanhkEJCCWaKVXvZEAapdLak_jttwPkxsyDRjLf1WPwRreNQSNKHQhpNOf9I/s320/Ric0667.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485143616208243634" border="0" /></a>I have to catch a flight later tonight, so I will stop here and perhaps continue after my one month break! Stay tuned...;)Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-48016749124644116662010-02-26T18:18:00.004+07:002010-02-26T19:08:51.559+07:00Photos of the month - Feb'10Once again I apologize for not blogging for such a long time. Time flies! Especially when we have plenty of activities and visitors around. My wife's aunt and my wife's friend came to stay with us in Dec'09 and Feb'10 respectively. With a blink of an eye, it has been 3 months since I moved from Palembang to Brisbane and now I have 2 kids! Perhaps one of the reasons I failed to blog was the lack of internet time as well. In Brisbane, I had to share the PC with my wife at night and most of the time it is limited to 1 hour. Sometimes we had to catch something interesting on TV or some of the downloaded series like Gossip Girls, Desperate Housewives or Brothers and Sisters... Anyway, here are some shots with comments to summarize what happened for the past few weeks: <br /><br />We started to let our 3 year old son attend gymnastics sessions. 45 mins per week of instructed "play" to test the toddler's "stretchability" has been the weekly Wednesday morning activity. I am one of the only 2 fathers bringing our kids to the session. Majority of the mums were there as their dads all go to work! Lucky me for being able to fit this father and son session into my non-classes day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWPqXJGx_QHf1b3AVQWGCkXjBKW6ToIl0tIfdL6-3QsRZfwsSubGhH_bzlDYCeRTc86-J9bJFe-UvyiwGghzPzBeCNF-1NdV4VPANqGPgLjksVdQpUMfIcPSleQxB2-L2fnHQhqbC82Q/s1600-h/Ric0506.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWPqXJGx_QHf1b3AVQWGCkXjBKW6ToIl0tIfdL6-3QsRZfwsSubGhH_bzlDYCeRTc86-J9bJFe-UvyiwGghzPzBeCNF-1NdV4VPANqGPgLjksVdQpUMfIcPSleQxB2-L2fnHQhqbC82Q/s320/Ric0506.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442514544923469634" border="0" /></a>We also brought our son for swimming lessons. He used to be very confident in water. In Cairns last year, he even dived into the pool without any goggles. However, this year he began to fuss more about water entering his eyes. He even refused to attend one of the swim lessons until mom stepped in and brought him there every week (plus a box of orange juice from the swim school every time he goes).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0mwJ5JktOMGKXYi149Ip-6T0DEfNkhAQdaSUs8LDPZUFqYBeQeJ_NGAnY9cnHTWj5vhuLhd_N4ErXrN1Bph4ZWigSmWmYrjPKJCMqkLz9qscZEG6oroiwUFiZX4lLUOiTxac_kEVMak/s1600-h/Ric0502.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0mwJ5JktOMGKXYi149Ip-6T0DEfNkhAQdaSUs8LDPZUFqYBeQeJ_NGAnY9cnHTWj5vhuLhd_N4ErXrN1Bph4ZWigSmWmYrjPKJCMqkLz9qscZEG6oroiwUFiZX4lLUOiTxac_kEVMak/s320/Ric0502.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442514541160418274" border="0" /></a>I managed to bring my son to Sea World Gold Coast a few weeks back. We managed to get the 6 month multiple entry ticket for $100, which is very worth it as every normal entry would cost $70. Here's a shot of him with the polar bear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcDXZ1iAobGygYZlE5aPVnmixxbZHfTv4gxgkypYS4cblfZIhHNqXUns22KnASq-mzdYatbGRbtQUQnIY4pxajBh10S7_NvMIuBYaajLgEhsZz92htw1NLkkzzx9_XZdYTObKSKVIZr4/s1600-h/Ric0518.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcDXZ1iAobGygYZlE5aPVnmixxbZHfTv4gxgkypYS4cblfZIhHNqXUns22KnASq-mzdYatbGRbtQUQnIY4pxajBh10S7_NvMIuBYaajLgEhsZz92htw1NLkkzzx9_XZdYTObKSKVIZr4/s320/Ric0518.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442514530808058722" border="0" /></a>Of course, we won't miss the main event which is the dolphin show. Too bad there's no Shamu or Killer Whale shows like the ones in Orlando. However, I read that some rogue whale killed its trainer last week.....<span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Since the arrival of our 2nd son, his elder brother has been very excited. The elder one keeps asking us to carry the baby (which worries us!). Sometimes, he just gets too excited and acts rough towards the baby. So we always need to keep an eye on both the BIG and SMALL babies!<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eqNgJF0Nch-uuOz6_Vo4FqZvQ9Pl65vDWdMadskPTKgPv4kHL34wu0A3Vpk8St20ZUfJ5d2ExHYNwJ4eN0O_rtLYfT7J8g_5Bv1eeDb2zxGkO9HdDmfHhLPtUthgK88EcZ1QkuAe0_k/s1600-h/IMG_2013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eqNgJF0Nch-uuOz6_Vo4FqZvQ9Pl65vDWdMadskPTKgPv4kHL34wu0A3Vpk8St20ZUfJ5d2ExHYNwJ4eN0O_rtLYfT7J8g_5Bv1eeDb2zxGkO9HdDmfHhLPtUthgK88EcZ1QkuAe0_k/s320/IMG_2013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442512337885449970" border="0" /></a>Other than nights with intermittent sleep (waking up every 2 hours), we have days where the baby take us by surprise! Leaky nappies and thunderous farts just make the day very interesting!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATQe9cbHNx4ivB8kcglPW8UG7WAM7ueNzU1LWSbuHgswSjCfSIlaxyOk0ijJSCOaWAkQIZbSOvB4qMijSAvF67S4-2Qs6I-cdm32EAtvCa6bqbEyf8W75Rwh83Sv8SJw5qDD8E9LiPoM/s1600-h/IMG_2073.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATQe9cbHNx4ivB8kcglPW8UG7WAM7ueNzU1LWSbuHgswSjCfSIlaxyOk0ijJSCOaWAkQIZbSOvB4qMijSAvF67S4-2Qs6I-cdm32EAtvCa6bqbEyf8W75Rwh83Sv8SJw5qDD8E9LiPoM/s320/IMG_2073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442512330172795826" border="0" /></a>We enjoy good food especially when my wife's friend who stayed with us for 3 weeks decided to cook a few meals for us. Yummy yum yum chicken rolls....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_hIRwYy9eIciDIqr1bWp4dK0ZDbrGt6NgIq3DWH05ICD1f8s73x8PvQ67GNe3YSBQTLhvdhcJlGrm8LlbNMcvk6NMqOEfp5zdD5OpeTxRKkRpu1JDlTJSzLV9bVDm-jElgiKz8hfJIQ/s1600-h/IMG_2155.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_hIRwYy9eIciDIqr1bWp4dK0ZDbrGt6NgIq3DWH05ICD1f8s73x8PvQ67GNe3YSBQTLhvdhcJlGrm8LlbNMcvk6NMqOEfp5zdD5OpeTxRKkRpu1JDlTJSzLV9bVDm-jElgiKz8hfJIQ/s320/IMG_2155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442512315426335394" border="0" /></a>Figs - my first time eating figs was a very palatable one!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTMQEYUh8s-7rNM0Vp3LCAsdpNqTpACuIxQZ9qE4m72iO2mGfXxaWFu1cRBgtp1sbcn1aK0HeOqSR9C8n5l1ntBJ9UMaYAWY46XFCMcVGkX0eUiTte3n7PQR5UfstERC1uxwZoerlDXU/s1600-h/IMG_2149.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTMQEYUh8s-7rNM0Vp3LCAsdpNqTpACuIxQZ9qE4m72iO2mGfXxaWFu1cRBgtp1sbcn1aK0HeOqSR9C8n5l1ntBJ9UMaYAWY46XFCMcVGkX0eUiTte3n7PQR5UfstERC1uxwZoerlDXU/s320/IMG_2149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442512306464028706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Living life is about experiencing events & how we make a difference in other people's lives.</span> Pessimistic people see life as boring and routine. That's why we need to consciously make it more eventful instead of let life pass you by. Routine is sometimes good but never too long. See you again in March'10!Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-19843853095092198942010-01-23T19:42:00.003+07:002010-01-23T19:56:35.604+07:00Photos of the week - Dinosaurs & Crazy Sales<div style="text-align: center;">The museum had this DIG DINOS event and one of the attractions was the LIVE T-REX. It made roaring sounds that scared the shit out of my son - look at the lady's legs!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYHLY27ix0P4HQL1Z17UUdZuXGBrP4ghDxg0B-NWdG-lZ5ij3oYpIToxzGNssi5VQqEJA8fev3RMGdCm6bsirdwDrfRfRXL9xm_CD7hEjdCJyo7S-SS3Agjk5p0NhA7do4TV7xHCg3Kg/s1600-h/Ric0445.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYHLY27ix0P4HQL1Z17UUdZuXGBrP4ghDxg0B-NWdG-lZ5ij3oYpIToxzGNssi5VQqEJA8fev3RMGdCm6bsirdwDrfRfRXL9xm_CD7hEjdCJyo7S-SS3Agjk5p0NhA7do4TV7xHCg3Kg/s320/Ric0445.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429915631183592386" border="0" /></a>Boxing Day Rush - everybody had to queue up to get onto the escalators and there were wardens to monitor the "boarding" process so that it won't break down.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HK5G1t_PUAh7hNOexoKJAT9Wvs2kbTmuzJNMAQdpMs7U3LIVMsIXuHNXMONPLWFFxl8egdSi-X2NDZuE-zSKTBhcZqxokiwJssCVEOC7YN8TDG4kvTxm6280j2hgRfRirGJD_koBayI/s1600-h/Ric0409.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HK5G1t_PUAh7hNOexoKJAT9Wvs2kbTmuzJNMAQdpMs7U3LIVMsIXuHNXMONPLWFFxl8egdSi-X2NDZuE-zSKTBhcZqxokiwJssCVEOC7YN8TDG4kvTxm6280j2hgRfRirGJD_koBayI/s320/Ric0409.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429915619703225874" border="0" /></a><br />A storm was brewing sometime before Xmas day...... wished we had more rain this summer. It's getting too darn hot! <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UnRT6F5Xj8rjo71R9a-ntdyitMKvbDBEbzBhC0gPZNwA3cpm9X6-7MCqGP99VvAMfAxm8doUPD4tJQvAoTiZ9I7Lt32fOy8C38d345bIK58yJR8Yo-pIubcV0Eo94IcinXjvPqTzJyY/s1600-h/Ric0358.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UnRT6F5Xj8rjo71R9a-ntdyitMKvbDBEbzBhC0gPZNwA3cpm9X6-7MCqGP99VvAMfAxm8doUPD4tJQvAoTiZ9I7Lt32fOy8C38d345bIK58yJR8Yo-pIubcV0Eo94IcinXjvPqTzJyY/s320/Ric0358.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429915606494982626" border="0" /></a><br />Milton Park - 5 mins ride away from our house. The place for my son to play train master!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3n61B3CLi0YnLnGAyCD8Dv4PCn-q9pPHXDw_dmgKdjlJwMxTAEQ7rlxAfhdnr3NFlp2a7zxk1zCEPfvjJiLwNgBq8QSaZdv_2y3R_S4pb4gdNPVFfvdmmzV3vOMhjyIUmyswoFmcpvc/s1600-h/Ric0333.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3n61B3CLi0YnLnGAyCD8Dv4PCn-q9pPHXDw_dmgKdjlJwMxTAEQ7rlxAfhdnr3NFlp2a7zxk1zCEPfvjJiLwNgBq8QSaZdv_2y3R_S4pb4gdNPVFfvdmmzV3vOMhjyIUmyswoFmcpvc/s320/Ric0333.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429915592220176706" border="0" /></a>Cycling - the most common activity for father and son bonding.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArPnnMKbRrMAM7ZnuYewcOkRh1JJJlKR2_8eWhJu-PFCYVj3M9ZlnyncKqvoAQwkhSI6S9LrJjQX0Hc5wZmuPLY0jN9Epu23QxOAkWEE6NnjA-EvoxxfFv677TKcyo7jhtdMrQ6w_O7E/s1600-h/Ric0405.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArPnnMKbRrMAM7ZnuYewcOkRh1JJJlKR2_8eWhJu-PFCYVj3M9ZlnyncKqvoAQwkhSI6S9LrJjQX0Hc5wZmuPLY0jN9Epu23QxOAkWEE6NnjA-EvoxxfFv677TKcyo7jhtdMrQ6w_O7E/s320/Ric0405.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429915580270958258" border="0" /></a>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-78676188981402387862010-01-23T19:24:00.003+07:002010-01-23T19:41:31.786+07:00Brisbane City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bxg3h9mPNEuD82RzrTrTANmmBCpVNDcDYeoYCNY6DaJ6GSNSsPOhOw197nh_ZyTsISust9DChyXd4HZqZ196Pge13NUDEg3WKawLynDv6IUus0SdqB5fE4qgPeixas-MyOUmGarFg1Q/s1600-h/Ric0373.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bxg3h9mPNEuD82RzrTrTANmmBCpVNDcDYeoYCNY6DaJ6GSNSsPOhOw197nh_ZyTsISust9DChyXd4HZqZ196Pge13NUDEg3WKawLynDv6IUus0SdqB5fE4qgPeixas-MyOUmGarFg1Q/s400/Ric0373.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429911062747822450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland Australia, is my current stop. We should be staying here minimal for another 1.5-2 years, so I should call it HOME for now.<br /><br />This 2 Million population's city has a very good bicycle path. It takes me only 15 mins to ride along the Brisbane riverside to the City. Driving to the city often incurs hefty parking charges. Therefore, cycling is the best mode of transport (FOC). Other means of getting to the city include via the City Cat ferry, by train or by bus if you do not want the hassle of looking for car parks.<br /><br />In Brisbane, people seldom need to go to the city because every suburb has its self sustaining facilities like shopping malls, parks and shops. So far, I have cycled to the city to visit the museum, the man-made beach, government and banking institutions. Below are some good shots of Brisbane City downtown. The photo with the multiple colored buildings is the City Council Library. The one with the old architecture is the Treasury Building where the city's Casino is located. City buses and City Cats could be seen as well. I was really proud of these last 2 photos as they looked like post card shots! I took them from my bike on a 30C sunny afternoon.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAinQlG021zItxfTgMJGwp85XkqWhm57e1o_rZFOgW88eiV-8XGzDB2PabK9yg0dc1PxifRp8aq3XinilUtDR7SVTuy2p8MyBbiRGi8NJe72ffg0mb6GVHAoKfax4iOE0T31pYKDlN_0/s1600-h/Ric0374.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAinQlG021zItxfTgMJGwp85XkqWhm57e1o_rZFOgW88eiV-8XGzDB2PabK9yg0dc1PxifRp8aq3XinilUtDR7SVTuy2p8MyBbiRGi8NJe72ffg0mb6GVHAoKfax4iOE0T31pYKDlN_0/s400/Ric0374.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429911052179270050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqWbe-e3OqNrnJ2ZESAdKErAWAa9VcP6CXUU0XMs8jy5oqSn7sE7nqmZ5e85CcJvT4t-vZtVlf0l0T4ESM6xlVLrOM4xTrYsOv6l2V-FssoYzzwSISLcafUawl-IJMnxaVQwy1lA5sSY/s1600-h/Ric0379.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqWbe-e3OqNrnJ2ZESAdKErAWAa9VcP6CXUU0XMs8jy5oqSn7sE7nqmZ5e85CcJvT4t-vZtVlf0l0T4ESM6xlVLrOM4xTrYsOv6l2V-FssoYzzwSISLcafUawl-IJMnxaVQwy1lA5sSY/s400/Ric0379.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429911047733261410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8Fd0waiaAYuImBfr40ti9e_cP3-pOZb5YBudydv2sna0w2iKcg_NSQ0s4l9VIl7kh9HRUq9XSnnu3x7HW_96kJW07gJ8zw6WAdPrSijteQPQRTHsI9iFt1r9SjXz4ZOEsE7GyINxyYc/s1600-h/Ric0378.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8Fd0waiaAYuImBfr40ti9e_cP3-pOZb5YBudydv2sna0w2iKcg_NSQ0s4l9VIl7kh9HRUq9XSnnu3x7HW_96kJW07gJ8zw6WAdPrSijteQPQRTHsI9iFt1r9SjXz4ZOEsE7GyINxyYc/s400/Ric0378.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429911033941808434" border="0" /></a>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-37238956625903342732010-01-15T18:13:00.004+07:002010-01-15T18:32:58.801+07:00Santa Brought Us A GiftSorry for the long absence in blogging. I was pretty preoccupied with Santa's gift in 2009 until now.<br /><br />We were expecting our new child sometime early Jan 2010 but my wife started to have contractions on the early hours of Boxing Day. I have always thought that the Boxing Day (day after Xmas) was related to the boxing sport until I finally had time to google boxing day. It is a day whereby the old Victorians used to put gifts into small boxes to give to workers like postmen, garbage collectors and other public servants.<br /><br />Boxing Day is also the day where huge sales are everywhere. There were really people who lined up from 5am outside the department stores waiting for them to open at 8am. Initially we were also planning to get to the shops for some loot, but the plan was slightly changed with my wife's contractions that started at 4am. We were packed and ready to go to the hospital but the contractions slowed down. My wife rang the hospital and the staff advised her to wait. In the end we decided to go shopping instead. I was a bit worried that she might give birth at the mall! I had a pen and paper with me recording all the times of her contractions while we walked and shopped.<br /><br />After lunch, we had to drive to the hospital because her contractions got more frequent. However, as soon as we arrived at the hospital, the contractions started to slow down again..... I waited with her until I got kicked out from the hospital at 10pm. I managed to get some sleep until 1am on the next day when she called to say that she is about to give birth. I rushed to the hospital to find that she was already at the delivery bed. Within 30 mins, she gave birth to a charming baby boy! We really thanked and praised the Lord for giving my wife a safe delivery to a healthy child.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ_d-BOdoQXfjL1knQkPvV0WKgv0OsCGAjhKNwDsGWRqkDbNej-yU97LSkGZUWo2EWQOtHoMGssA3f699Q7ufAmP4bC70HcXSgSKXFXS1QFAJUOjENy43o55g19hiKmdU4nj0lm8PEE4/s1600-h/aaron+n+bro_1480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ_d-BOdoQXfjL1knQkPvV0WKgv0OsCGAjhKNwDsGWRqkDbNej-yU97LSkGZUWo2EWQOtHoMGssA3f699Q7ufAmP4bC70HcXSgSKXFXS1QFAJUOjENy43o55g19hiKmdU4nj0lm8PEE4/s320/aaron+n+bro_1480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426923633931072802" border="0" /></a><br />The next day, we informed our family members and they brought along our 3 year old son to see his baby brother. He was pretty excited to see and hold the baby. This is the start of our "new" life with an additional family member. Stay tuned for more news to come and what happened between 27th December and 15th January....;)Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-61093769167371607612009-12-20T17:43:00.004+07:002009-12-20T19:54:58.952+07:00SAHFI 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-9706587165211584042009-12-15T17:52:00.006+07:002009-12-17T07:05:46.184+07:00Entertainment That's Worth The $$ - The Wiggles Concert<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOaaF4ScdznQy-bC2I2gsToull2OxkhwLZ20KrhvPH2jmMQM26OdW_Qg4I4oo98kDSvvOjzEhkBMrr8eNEOv_iXjuc-ayfJCb_a6nqXCJlYtkCavYlKtM3Npmt6g3NRVLdX0oJhL0a2c/s1600-h/IMG_1247.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOaaF4ScdznQy-bC2I2gsToull2OxkhwLZ20KrhvPH2jmMQM26OdW_Qg4I4oo98kDSvvOjzEhkBMrr8eNEOv_iXjuc-ayfJCb_a6nqXCJlYtkCavYlKtM3Npmt6g3NRVLdX0oJhL0a2c/s320/IMG_1247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415988362632288690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S_Bwi8sUqV4Rn3WBJUFt9r_OmisdURDq8nnuHrjce8ge2-UoC5Kja33RNA80E8ew2GB1XgyAC6JY-SwwPPfUcUaozxJOGkoEMCgBTEDnRTIUP8Q6qxCUX97YPHe1RKt-R6xCSvYpdlM/s1600-h/IMG_1202.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S_Bwi8sUqV4Rn3WBJUFt9r_OmisdURDq8nnuHrjce8ge2-UoC5Kja33RNA80E8ew2GB1XgyAC6JY-SwwPPfUcUaozxJOGkoEMCgBTEDnRTIUP8Q6qxCUX97YPHe1RKt-R6xCSvYpdlM/s320/IMG_1202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415988351975351058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJsHijy1qs40QebwPGSaYzBaV-WKDK6yM8pkDaxTR6udR6YgX285Ybcc_p5tAbzwmHVyT4QlJ2dK-oVNSQhHseVDjuNv6tiM37-2bUJMaAOb4scFEaNeu8YCz-DH-b_UC-safvUQUToA/s1600-h/IMG_1195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJsHijy1qs40QebwPGSaYzBaV-WKDK6yM8pkDaxTR6udR6YgX285Ybcc_p5tAbzwmHVyT4QlJ2dK-oVNSQhHseVDjuNv6tiM37-2bUJMaAOb4scFEaNeu8YCz-DH-b_UC-safvUQUToA/s320/IMG_1195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415988344533381490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TZTdRWYpgmHfOI1MnRwSRzt7QpRFnA5dSWFtb2_Pyn49A5xgwA5b6A1Juj9VfQqEAozlp9o1CRvOLWo4WfE9UF1mVibKnTo1srdsaagLqRsKfWHh6jxbF_PTGq5tIBDnW5xyLuR24Fg/s1600-h/IMG_1172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TZTdRWYpgmHfOI1MnRwSRzt7QpRFnA5dSWFtb2_Pyn49A5xgwA5b6A1Juj9VfQqEAozlp9o1CRvOLWo4WfE9UF1mVibKnTo1srdsaagLqRsKfWHh6jxbF_PTGq5tIBDnW5xyLuR24Fg/s320/IMG_1172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415988336524046306" border="0" /></a><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>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!</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>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.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>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!</div><br /><div> </div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-43732935914051796852009-12-08T17:35:00.006+07:002009-12-15T17:51:14.065+07:00New Chapter in Brisbane - starts with free, free & free concerts<div><div><div><div>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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFA_TzTAvm5Y2Lq0iAEbG3-hUa0Z84XjxIVCSfRGlJAmgl73v62zXbPO6EA2ZHidRe5147Xu3Vwo2laLCFhhO1uCAQM_bJSrHePGtXp025Wg5yHluiSRG05Q5i9P_aLx3DnYEsWi8E8g/s1600-h/Ric0214.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415412248767720194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFA_TzTAvm5Y2Lq0iAEbG3-hUa0Z84XjxIVCSfRGlJAmgl73v62zXbPO6EA2ZHidRe5147Xu3Vwo2laLCFhhO1uCAQM_bJSrHePGtXp025Wg5yHluiSRG05Q5i9P_aLx3DnYEsWi8E8g/s320/Ric0214.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG40XFwms9DaK-ddySulRas7tXC58KgBCB64W4QUHHg6P0ztDRg51O7l71zFgBWaXIKUwA0X0zh-J2o3pqSvwPrXSkw4APJWBEObnlxuVWal58sQpY0k9bJWYzo2zBNDrFh4UwW8qVL34/s1600-h/Ric0210.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415412238954348114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG40XFwms9DaK-ddySulRas7tXC58KgBCB64W4QUHHg6P0ztDRg51O7l71zFgBWaXIKUwA0X0zh-J2o3pqSvwPrXSkw4APJWBEObnlxuVWal58sQpY0k9bJWYzo2zBNDrFh4UwW8qVL34/s320/Ric0210.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRDgfPI95gKmgK92hbhhO-XyyeaUJe2H49lLw9FoFJjKr0o3-LFmohRbLA_-n-EStCbGpYSSZ-q4NpIf9JsGd4WjVGkYzwdM4xjVK4bDtRVPfqIXUQmeAoonsBFe8HlTMSi7pl0tkXTU/s1600-h/Ric0222.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415412251649673602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRDgfPI95gKmgK92hbhhO-XyyeaUJe2H49lLw9FoFJjKr0o3-LFmohRbLA_-n-EStCbGpYSSZ-q4NpIf9JsGd4WjVGkYzwdM4xjVK4bDtRVPfqIXUQmeAoonsBFe8HlTMSi7pl0tkXTU/s320/Ric0222.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5X6vlgG86oon-pkWHtImF2gK-somP-ejhAkk3swt-P4m6VXT2ku_NDLoSt4YJU3QxaGkwglah3Q9ro4IG5HTUKGWpiy0hyboXE-p100YO6RJrj81Ui9IYj78a-kN0ua-YDxLiHKbSGI/s1600-h/bilby1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412817659840480962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5X6vlgG86oon-pkWHtImF2gK-somP-ejhAkk3swt-P4m6VXT2ku_NDLoSt4YJU3QxaGkwglah3Q9ro4IG5HTUKGWpiy0hyboXE-p100YO6RJrj81Ui9IYj78a-kN0ua-YDxLiHKbSGI/s320/bilby1.jpg" /></a><br />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.<br /><br />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!</div></div></div></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-41386501328254444902009-11-29T11:07:00.004+07:002009-11-29T18:39:01.015+07:00Short Trip Back To Malaysia<span><span><span><span>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.<br /><br />My wife was a bit upset when she got to know that I had my "holiday" in Malaysia while she had to manage my </span></span></span></span>active toddler son at home. Anyway, I got to meet up with many childhood friends (up to 25 years of friendship) and former colleagues.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"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.Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-14730162475919894502009-11-16T17:54:00.001+07:002009-11-16T18:10:54.845+07:00Interesting Indonesian LanguageAfter 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:<br /><br />A - ah<br />B - beh<br />C - chey<br />D - day<br />E - er<br />F - eff<br />G - gay (no kidding!)<br /><br />H - ha<br />I - aye<br />J - jay<br />K - ka<br />L - el<br />M - am<br />N - an<br />O - oh<br />P - pay<br /><br />Q - kee<br />R - ar<br />S - ass<br />T - tay<br />U - ooo<br />V - fey<br /><br />W - way<br />X - axe<br />Y - yay<br />Z - zet<br /><br />Try to sing the ABCD song in Bahasa Indonesia....LOL!<br /><br />When I first arrived, I was pretty "bingung" (confused) when somebody mentioned to me that he drives a "Fey-Way" car (VW = Volkswagon)!<br /><br />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):<br /><br /><ol><li>Halte (hall-ter): bus stop, from the word halt.</li><li>Helm (hell-lem): helmet.</li><li>Amplop (aam-plope): envelope.</li><li>Baut (ba-oot): bolt.<br /></li></ol><p>Some slight difference between Indonesian and Malay terms (just to name a few also):<br /></p><ol><li>Karna, Karena - Kerana (Malay) - Because (English)</li><li>Bisa - Boleh (Malay) - Can (English)</li><li>Butuh - Perlu (Malay) - Need (English) </li><li>Becak - Beca (Malay) - Trishaw (English)</li><li>Wewenang - Tanggung-jawab (Malay) - Responsibility (English)</li><li>Sendok - Sudu (Malay) - Spoon (English)</li><li>Cangkir - Cawan (Malay) - Cup (English)<br /></li></ol><p>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!</p><p> </p>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-39435414801084796482009-11-15T09:36:00.008+07:002009-11-15T10:07:31.183+07:00Geisha - Indonesian, Not Japanese<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JgoqqjgfhZB7jR9bR24mIPmOjHc4S0xpiRa6_fCMNkTy_6JZxHjzHqiXX31pd3aR0U5mbRV7ePip3N3kdQlVkTxW2Z6oxfQgxOrAJjGKPNHi2dtyRYOryRsdMkUG0oFetnKGdO1LIMM/s1600-h/4464_83154509882_28939059882_1697257_8057683_n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 230px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404158392766772226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JgoqqjgfhZB7jR9bR24mIPmOjHc4S0xpiRa6_fCMNkTy_6JZxHjzHqiXX31pd3aR0U5mbRV7ePip3N3kdQlVkTxW2Z6oxfQgxOrAJjGKPNHi2dtyRYOryRsdMkUG0oFetnKGdO1LIMM/s320/4464_83154509882_28939059882_1697257_8057683_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>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. </div><br />Here are some of my favourite songs from Geisha with their MVs:<br /><div></div><br />Jika Cinta Dia - If you love her<br /><object width="500" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pSCLkdg8n1A&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pSCLkdg8n1A&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="315"></embed></object><br /><br />Takkan Pernah Ada - Never Have Been<br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FsIHcRxPoDY&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FsIHcRxPoDY&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br />Selalu Salah - Always Wrong<br />(this song does not have the original music video)<br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mm2Atnx9yzQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mm2Atnx9yzQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-6194286893549747682009-11-08T17:10:00.002+07:002009-11-08T17:32:30.063+07:00Leaving With A PriceI have submitted my resignation from the company last month but the company did not have any replacement identified for me until earlier this week.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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".<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Is 1/2 a month's work without pay justifiable for earlier freedom?Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-68443267274981268002009-11-02T09:57:00.010+07:002009-11-02T11:05:24.457+07:00A Baby's (Not Mine) Day OutLast 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).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_sRG_O3i76tuv75iFkIzK-x4KKwuBiUaGYB0BIugb8YzQcIEvfCLEzsY7rpV0W0aG8aJAhxq20s42A-HLyr8FGm62e0eWReBiBf9us1eOJAwwbO-hmVuFRfA9PSm9cn9wl8BfVo33R8/s1600-h/A015.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399341009767283666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_sRG_O3i76tuv75iFkIzK-x4KKwuBiUaGYB0BIugb8YzQcIEvfCLEzsY7rpV0W0aG8aJAhxq20s42A-HLyr8FGm62e0eWReBiBf9us1eOJAwwbO-hmVuFRfA9PSm9cn9wl8BfVo33R8/s320/A015.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickUDU5lbb4IEpCYMOz54flRgosgewuxQ1lnZM_VlUCLCok5GUU9U33IymmQ67pCVtCTsurJA9jnIhXwvwaf97UubI1s6PAFBjJEqoR8aOpvQokBuQD2yKtU4t6_xLRFaE2Y4YVm0bkuc/s1600-h/A016.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399341004655522642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickUDU5lbb4IEpCYMOz54flRgosgewuxQ1lnZM_VlUCLCok5GUU9U33IymmQ67pCVtCTsurJA9jnIhXwvwaf97UubI1s6PAFBjJEqoR8aOpvQokBuQD2yKtU4t6_xLRFaE2Y4YVm0bkuc/s320/A016.jpg" /></a><br /><span>I was also anxious to see how a 6 month old would not make a fuss if taken out for a day.<br /><br /><br />The baby's name is Satria (aka warrior). The couple dressed him up in a thick furry jacket </span>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 <span>understand why they mentioned that they are afraid to catch a cold in this hot weather!<br /><br /><br />We </span>spent approximately 2 hours visiting 2 different museums at the Ampera bridge area (both within walking distance)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74xDQLRygbxqkQWQlTmN2UOGYdq7fH3T6Ans1laATzvIIRMk_6-pIPPPMYDPgV5oMJpwtsmS4ZpxRS8tANViPNJKXGakZKW1rK4Kc3ASHjywwXz7HbLurngWd_Iym1MqCljj48SYosdc/s1600-h/A041.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399340997196287682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74xDQLRygbxqkQWQlTmN2UOGYdq7fH3T6Ans1laATzvIIRMk_6-pIPPPMYDPgV5oMJpwtsmS4ZpxRS8tANViPNJKXGakZKW1rK4Kc3ASHjywwXz7HbLurngWd_Iym1MqCljj48SYosdc/s320/A041.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcO8Ef5U6xPmCjyAvPPTVmty3mV-jcGfmkGhUHjLTXbtqa5lnDWsUmv-1oEV0PH0NyDzbrM7z1ltRQPrRMhKGRqafvUg9kVOnsADllZFvcY4wUXeeoOh2vETofCW4gTISV9VH79wVchc/s1600-h/A020.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399341001767859458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcO8Ef5U6xPmCjyAvPPTVmty3mV-jcGfmkGhUHjLTXbtqa5lnDWsUmv-1oEV0PH0NyDzbrM7z1ltRQPrRMhKGRqafvUg9kVOnsADllZFvcY4wUXeeoOh2vETofCW4gTISV9VH79wVchc/s320/A020.jpg" /></a>. 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.<br /></div><div>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! </div><div><br />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.</div><div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZgjG_b_6-yS52fThVnwB3Jq4-zEPUJHcXZEQrk6SvBt7yKIZ2Oox3xdL8v7SezEULw48QdIoKqs01rMj2-dM1ya6Nay4IuxEfbhCdcvGbnn_zxv_osma2Q9yNu5irsf9QC8AtM51tic/s1600-h/A055.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399339383407905666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZgjG_b_6-yS52fThVnwB3Jq4-zEPUJHcXZEQrk6SvBt7yKIZ2Oox3xdL8v7SezEULw48QdIoKqs01rMj2-dM1ya6Nay4IuxEfbhCdcvGbnn_zxv_osma2Q9yNu5irsf9QC8AtM51tic/s320/A055.jpg" /></a>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dnnX7EUAb5vxWkfFRd2EsOZnFQJQwxTza6_OLPyKwYPwN5fc_zfvomtTc2gj4wCOqSV6toS5BenHq0fRehyphenhyphenicUjgTJU3NoVhBUAs54qbXIce7giNLB9PkjX9mkrCZtVCrz1HnTh1FIY/s1600-h/A056.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399339375872935634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dnnX7EUAb5vxWkfFRd2EsOZnFQJQwxTza6_OLPyKwYPwN5fc_zfvomtTc2gj4wCOqSV6toS5BenHq0fRehyphenhyphenicUjgTJU3NoVhBUAs54qbXIce7giNLB9PkjX9mkrCZtVCrz1HnTh1FIY/s320/A056.jpg" /></a>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.<br /><div><br />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.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5GaPDCU2C0WaGoQm_R74KJ_KVcxjgAg0lL0A8h6FIb9TSJA5iZjz32Tu5IxcZdfvcBzkkwkyhjpN3TwOSw5O1V6yxGqezcH_ovkHOfLS9vf7qVNDA1MnzPqRYI0hzn0xFbmynbJTRL8/s1600-h/A054.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399339385903637090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5GaPDCU2C0WaGoQm_R74KJ_KVcxjgAg0lL0A8h6FIb9TSJA5iZjz32Tu5IxcZdfvcBzkkwkyhjpN3TwOSw5O1V6yxGqezcH_ovkHOfLS9vf7qVNDA1MnzPqRYI0hzn0xFbmynbJTRL8/s320/A054.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUiIzgp2K7SJLPOwBLuO-LzEJJzZJtURDrzsaMPEko2CDgYg8b4ZQInV_KcCn5oxEYL60ZGtHUS1V7diJGTAOPgapSj23lqZs33LZlft4JCxV-AWd1N0i_6qR5uovLfO3A0xmuNK4otc/s1600-h/A057.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 337px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 274px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399339370988736882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUiIzgp2K7SJLPOwBLuO-LzEJJzZJtURDrzsaMPEko2CDgYg8b4ZQInV_KcCn5oxEYL60ZGtHUS1V7diJGTAOPgapSj23lqZs33LZlft4JCxV-AWd1N0i_6qR5uovLfO3A0xmuNK4otc/s320/A057.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-46098457170212829642009-10-29T13:55:00.005+07:002009-10-30T11:19:41.770+07:00Photos Of The Week - Tofu & Trucks<div align="center">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!</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">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!!</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnVjXnW1kRF1bxRXETkbFrEs1JuiEewI0Nr014F76mtQ8Q7VXO5IoUHV2Hn0NXv1z4xESUdujGLXjVXoodkZi539OMKZGakuibgT0gw3KMqCP46UhozaFQm83H1ugC0bZY6VMuGMkXn0/s1600-h/A001+(2).jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397912610637165266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnVjXnW1kRF1bxRXETkbFrEs1JuiEewI0Nr014F76mtQ8Q7VXO5IoUHV2Hn0NXv1z4xESUdujGLXjVXoodkZi539OMKZGakuibgT0gw3KMqCP46UhozaFQm83H1ugC0bZY6VMuGMkXn0/s400/A001+(2).jpg" /></a> No problem, she was on her learning curve. However, last week the steamed tofu dish came out to be like this....</div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbThfhPj-sD6sdGAZ8KTEnMMpSDKxy9qDHAQJSBewGHRVKZl36PYlKepYECpU8oCn7KrTwraJbo7lVgJDNb92tn0ZgGBpyblqaGhPOjysJfEFon2eI7e5WGCJURtRMb3eJLxX2_sMqLv0/s1600-h/A002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397912604373961650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbThfhPj-sD6sdGAZ8KTEnMMpSDKxy9qDHAQJSBewGHRVKZl36PYlKepYECpU8oCn7KrTwraJbo7lVgJDNb92tn0ZgGBpyblqaGhPOjysJfEFon2eI7e5WGCJURtRMb3eJLxX2_sMqLv0/s400/A002.jpg" /></a>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".<br /><br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uQelyHNubY4thJZ-4-asf5hWRcC6S7fw2GOrT0y1rKpm0ajg_SVHFUrTla0-WVkvEy9_3lHCEgab5X8wSBG_IObNaV8S0CEpv2lRYcGmsicjXhplggTtdpafFsXjO9wegXCA1s4xuBU/s1600-h/A000.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397912600157965202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uQelyHNubY4thJZ-4-asf5hWRcC6S7fw2GOrT0y1rKpm0ajg_SVHFUrTla0-WVkvEy9_3lHCEgab5X8wSBG_IObNaV8S0CEpv2lRYcGmsicjXhplggTtdpafFsXjO9wegXCA1s4xuBU/s400/A000.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-62904529695378857702009-10-28T18:37:00.009+07:002009-10-30T11:18:59.052+07:00What Is A MOCAK?<div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4gw5j49QoXJnzbA-DDS3toa_4m8sBWqfYEnFFMyYhT1eUDeBEWhnC77AmatvPt1zbyEZ09-mPUu8QqNhRNRiyECjHqh-Cs8qtcgsb_WYneNdEfUhtErOwo12-VT-pTol2MsXg-BeDcY/s1600-h/A013+(2).jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 288px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 394px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241308375554130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4gw5j49QoXJnzbA-DDS3toa_4m8sBWqfYEnFFMyYhT1eUDeBEWhnC77AmatvPt1zbyEZ09-mPUu8QqNhRNRiyECjHqh-Cs8qtcgsb_WYneNdEfUhtErOwo12-VT-pTol2MsXg-BeDcY/s320/A013+(2).jpg" /></a>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).<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bPv0ICqZtj8Ug0a-4Vr7iqzukwxUewgmtkOErbV9BGeFSM4qwCZfeZQU1ripi_OsNiD1xU5_Y7bVBsNLfPVKb3j9TvZuE-NU666XjIXqskJu6dldVEwkOG-cnWU-oAMq7twhH1rsImQ/s1600-h/A018.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241311789588354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bPv0ICqZtj8Ug0a-4Vr7iqzukwxUewgmtkOErbV9BGeFSM4qwCZfeZQU1ripi_OsNiD1xU5_Y7bVBsNLfPVKb3j9TvZuE-NU666XjIXqskJu6dldVEwkOG-cnWU-oAMq7twhH1rsImQ/s320/A018.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WUr3bSYThCDLkFGO3qNel5fuamjnSYvTswpzd7Vbtqduy77I0A2V63f6Cq1WIUGceJtQAB2LnUMjwPEJZ_XHQmMKj1m3MrN_IdbijwQxjQLlg4xwiF3EPxGWHpjRL2Gv9T7wbJlS-dU/s1600-h/A014.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241322544783138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WUr3bSYThCDLkFGO3qNel5fuamjnSYvTswpzd7Vbtqduy77I0A2V63f6Cq1WIUGceJtQAB2LnUMjwPEJZ_XHQmMKj1m3MrN_IdbijwQxjQLlg4xwiF3EPxGWHpjRL2Gv9T7wbJlS-dU/s320/A014.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexVB4obzIxLOIz9KBRd6-XGKlSFhzuf2jzBbwUWu_Z-533FrryXauPX3BtfDHoLj6LrwYy9T6xi5-Shcerso5Ia5WAFz_SHfr8Xh91O2ybSG1E8wnRkCo82vzV_AuhJUTOBcSHnK0er4/s1600-h/A017+(2).jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241316018577314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexVB4obzIxLOIz9KBRd6-XGKlSFhzuf2jzBbwUWu_Z-533FrryXauPX3BtfDHoLj6LrwYy9T6xi5-Shcerso5Ia5WAFz_SHfr8Xh91O2ybSG1E8wnRkCo82vzV_AuhJUTOBcSHnK0er4/s320/A017+(2).jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaHyC6IYbdG94VGP4B3R8AdhsVgRn7jOMosfZ6spigHEmfRLeiMwIk-6cK5z4c69YtHTWIyw6YKAy9PNVoTILD4eHChKPMMjLzVlxw3cxk_vD3cTbiYOw2P6ZtZKaAhpmkOUNjo5ew1s/s1600-h/A015+(2).jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241324113348258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaHyC6IYbdG94VGP4B3R8AdhsVgRn7jOMosfZ6spigHEmfRLeiMwIk-6cK5z4c69YtHTWIyw6YKAy9PNVoTILD4eHChKPMMjLzVlxw3cxk_vD3cTbiYOw2P6ZtZKaAhpmkOUNjo5ew1s/s320/A015+(2).jpg" /></a>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-32887924275016115762009-10-27T18:34:00.005+07:002009-10-27T18:55:03.644+07:00I Work At Home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIFiV1h7D_GM2zfHG5rv0my_d8Z-cYhs8FRKG-49mAW2c_jTmOjOI4gx1UNmJmVkhKluvi9vo2tQjkzPBKDr_zNZiwsu568uev3SsvZJ-TjHhCvSUOcuwE9xtet_IZE5qkEa9-khXunw/s1600-h/aaron+working+pond.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIFiV1h7D_GM2zfHG5rv0my_d8Z-cYhs8FRKG-49mAW2c_jTmOjOI4gx1UNmJmVkhKluvi9vo2tQjkzPBKDr_zNZiwsu568uev3SsvZJ-TjHhCvSUOcuwE9xtet_IZE5qkEa9-khXunw/s400/aaron+working+pond.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397242227689663842" border="0" /></a>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.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqup8IX0A8N4ax4QRTk487xyw2iab28YBy5xH2YJwvkoFKOoomKJaxIkPl0PbzWALdozBsg6nKv5sUJIBWXTNYBaluLgarf-QiFwlP4i_Foqt_EICHn64MQZlKLo3w8mD_PnLUJzRNic/s1600-h/aaron+working+garden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqup8IX0A8N4ax4QRTk487xyw2iab28YBy5xH2YJwvkoFKOoomKJaxIkPl0PbzWALdozBsg6nKv5sUJIBWXTNYBaluLgarf-QiFwlP4i_Foqt_EICHn64MQZlKLo3w8mD_PnLUJzRNic/s400/aaron+working+garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397242224056756322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEbtp5xI-YlHFVSyNOguwWvqD5rX_OOsIdb7Qnbi-57rfGw0xaMvBhODm93Fm_UGD3C3xRKCVFkUc2UusXuIofDr9P081Ji9YnSkt73qAPXL8vgi56ryz-RkLCOhmkHnf9m2VwisN9sI/s1600-h/aaron+working+dirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEbtp5xI-YlHFVSyNOguwWvqD5rX_OOsIdb7Qnbi-57rfGw0xaMvBhODm93Fm_UGD3C3xRKCVFkUc2UusXuIofDr9P081Ji9YnSkt73qAPXL8vgi56ryz-RkLCOhmkHnf9m2VwisN9sI/s400/aaron+working+dirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397242213208566434" border="0" /></a>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.<br /><br />Exactly what work does he do??<br /><br />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)!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-92109025682305778882009-10-26T14:43:00.013+07:002009-10-26T16:58:51.805+07:00Dismal Display At Anfield<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7VTcWUjiZTygAQoXD6Qzc8Khr3ZmzORHnVF1i2-JPKLAma1VsP8xa48VXiX5iKH2jEnmstyTl3c991Y6GGJ71XWZ2WM3gRjRzXnn7QnfHZVZCdta64u58huzmqQMnnKUdXoX9FxghPY/s1600-h/fernandotorresscoresvmufc_500x282.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396845855408201970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7VTcWUjiZTygAQoXD6Qzc8Khr3ZmzORHnVF1i2-JPKLAma1VsP8xa48VXiX5iKH2jEnmstyTl3c991Y6GGJ71XWZ2WM3gRjRzXnn7QnfHZVZCdta64u58huzmqQMnnKUdXoX9FxghPY/s320/fernandotorresscoresvmufc_500x282.jpg" /></a><br /><div>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.....<br /><br />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)....<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!</div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-82399685858985449322009-10-24T19:58:00.006+07:002009-10-24T20:56:09.172+07:00THE 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Can't wait for the cracker match tomorrow! Go Red Devils!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gEi-wA8qHeBKzDP2Md9N01pCEcXtBb9bOxB0EQmAg0p8Gjwqezy7ek8ROfdoWT0ZzDpCq3cd4CmW2f1hJx8cGhLuUBYkDnCVHer-wSyo2yMXZBYVTZZmFFp3N4w21muuHzkZfJwFkog/s1600-h/michaelowenceleb_412x232.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 413px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gEi-wA8qHeBKzDP2Md9N01pCEcXtBb9bOxB0EQmAg0p8Gjwqezy7ek8ROfdoWT0ZzDpCq3cd4CmW2f1hJx8cGhLuUBYkDnCVHer-wSyo2yMXZBYVTZZmFFp3N4w21muuHzkZfJwFkog/s320/michaelowenceleb_412x232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396153446124453746" border="0" /></a>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-79287738353097757792009-10-23T08:25:00.018+07:002009-10-24T20:17:29.928+07:00A Visit To Our Former Maid's House<span>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. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlP7QA3vj3QHlk9N3W8Zj33amklNl6KbK2fZtj3mK7sKYN-tjBrGxPvzOu4eL64NLE0MEpcNT7l9jKEEXRJuAH8JnYvqoqJhDw0aKTLyyigQjzBiyZL2pSwTQZkQfdHk9390Lav4xrSuo/s1600-h/A000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 257px; float: right; height: 201px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395631686086901554" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlP7QA3vj3QHlk9N3W8Zj33amklNl6KbK2fZtj3mK7sKYN-tjBrGxPvzOu4eL64NLE0MEpcNT7l9jKEEXRJuAH8JnYvqoqJhDw0aKTLyyigQjzBiyZL2pSwTQZkQfdHk9390Lav4xrSuo/s320/A000.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><span>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.<br /><br />Aini was our 2nd </span><span>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 </span><span>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 </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWkbi1SrtI_lK90h3304hbPq3tM6rr7vzY0LuWDDWgIF1CFzg2mtRy4UJBE7fu4Jdv1rd4lf-xwdrdtXRwGbwVKQVXowH4d3VqyX8JWFk5qF-2onoSbymrEpwKdebP5Gqo7UqZF_lCE/s1600-h/A004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 253px; float: right; height: 209px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395631682373102242" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWkbi1SrtI_lK90h3304hbPq3tM6rr7vzY0LuWDDWgIF1CFzg2mtRy4UJBE7fu4Jdv1rd4lf-xwdrdtXRwGbwVKQVXowH4d3VqyX8JWFk5qF-2onoSbymrEpwKdebP5Gqo7UqZF_lCE/s320/A004.jpg" border="0" /></a><span>in touch with her.</span></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yzobXOGLEd7MNEfh9Ilxk5f9OWmPmWGor6r32m1BI-Q494jJu81cqqm4NaU8t_O_XI5r8M1hPyHzO4N3HopkdVo2rAglKwhqve7SL3zDG1B0TLlwUrLWql6AWTV02ae8BOP3FOUinYQ/s1600-h/A011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 270px; float: right; height: 215px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395631671571917330" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yzobXOGLEd7MNEfh9Ilxk5f9OWmPmWGor6r32m1BI-Q494jJu81cqqm4NaU8t_O_XI5r8M1hPyHzO4N3HopkdVo2rAglKwhqve7SL3zDG1B0TLlwUrLWql6AWTV02ae8BOP3FOUinYQ/s320/A011.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaoUVDYTuyupUjYfbr0dE_s5fciZ5grEP-yvmmjl2rn_h5GpaQONQjCk2S0JjFs6DQAWVOb4y0gx7nWexDvDm00YPZRaqgsKjm8kiEHfnAiJmRTwiDHMFYGDyiYIsd2bAEMJQMUh3VHk/s1600-h/A005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 279px; float: right; height: 212px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395651170885538642" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaoUVDYTuyupUjYfbr0dE_s5fciZ5grEP-yvmmjl2rn_h5GpaQONQjCk2S0JjFs6DQAWVOb4y0gx7nWexDvDm00YPZRaqgsKjm8kiEHfnAiJmRTwiDHMFYGDyiYIsd2bAEMJQMUh3VHk/s320/A005.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWaf5uSnbMBKWzZcJh13htL27aOZf_dox5ax5xT5YcjtQix4MyW9-1xX3OCt7xhw1oPUqt7LkTbYuSJvN6PAmuLtKfx6U5clxjyZSHV7SU4Sbqn-7tVOsgeSZyXRaXFkh2Ph3rDm-Ulc/s1600-h/A012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 490px; float: right; height: 351px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395641642228671026" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWaf5uSnbMBKWzZcJh13htL27aOZf_dox5ax5xT5YcjtQix4MyW9-1xX3OCt7xhw1oPUqt7LkTbYuSJvN6PAmuLtKfx6U5clxjyZSHV7SU4Sbqn-7tVOsgeSZyXRaXFkh2Ph3rDm-Ulc/s400/A012.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosdezcda9TGcw-27-j9p99XklZ1sYM_McGnuo2mVCGiPx7NOOYNDUEInMtLy06xq-zxc8oIWRQf2mOpt3RnUhplTcSS26YYKicGyq0VuNBlVQ5mJicLJ3fiVOvwaxWNJaqFFtnkSH_uY/s1600-h/A013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 211px; float: right; height: 257px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395641644463626274" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosdezcda9TGcw-27-j9p99XklZ1sYM_McGnuo2mVCGiPx7NOOYNDUEInMtLy06xq-zxc8oIWRQf2mOpt3RnUhplTcSS26YYKicGyq0VuNBlVQ5mJicLJ3fiVOvwaxWNJaqFFtnkSH_uY/s400/A013.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><span><span><span>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.<br /><br /><span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span>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.<br /></span></span><br /><span>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! </span><br /></span></span><br /><span>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. </span><br /><span style="font-size:0pt;"><br /></span><span><span>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...;) </span></span><span style="font-size:0pt;"><br /><br /></span><span><span>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. </span></span></div></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-75943963654929992342009-10-22T11:14:00.008+07:002009-10-22T13:49:32.800+07:00Photos Of The Week - Ampera AreaAs 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:<br /><br /><div align="center">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...</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFiNvFh9nFLJQmf8KkyKxPTiJUgAzlTjQo90pmsJ0bJZhWzbCyZeXosrmeZzGuMchQwagF7kjLRmMkMUh7vqnhIf40hsMc1ZCFS75__zMVHfMmaESEh6nzg7GvOZFPR4_u17KGoASYss/s1600-h/a016.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395281537056991042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFiNvFh9nFLJQmf8KkyKxPTiJUgAzlTjQo90pmsJ0bJZhWzbCyZeXosrmeZzGuMchQwagF7kjLRmMkMUh7vqnhIf40hsMc1ZCFS75__zMVHfMmaESEh6nzg7GvOZFPR4_u17KGoASYss/s400/a016.jpg" /></a> 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. </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJKHIoEwCB9xcHT7_zWCzfME1qP5ZqzExGaqN6fy-xFYKzV2BOoF6nXb_GuhiK-wknJyqsByT2Zu64IoNo_IQZWKAYcK_-aFd4k1l6MyNtMDdfcMIjx8j1iJvyeFerl_ZlTIBsH2efg8/s1600-h/a017.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395281530447107170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJKHIoEwCB9xcHT7_zWCzfME1qP5ZqzExGaqN6fy-xFYKzV2BOoF6nXb_GuhiK-wknJyqsByT2Zu64IoNo_IQZWKAYcK_-aFd4k1l6MyNtMDdfcMIjx8j1iJvyeFerl_ZlTIBsH2efg8/s400/a017.jpg" /></a> 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.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13JFQmdRNT2sYktyAVVKBqr-IDj3M6JnCPobP8rWfKHskev3-5h76g9q4gk3M1kqDx3kd8uGKOOEzlfGFSfPi_fdO85LG4STVTNpzTCjYDFrvdkWPDy5qfn_4hGRse3_1tjeoyYaf-0c/s1600-h/a020.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395281527875036322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13JFQmdRNT2sYktyAVVKBqr-IDj3M6JnCPobP8rWfKHskev3-5h76g9q4gk3M1kqDx3kd8uGKOOEzlfGFSfPi_fdO85LG4STVTNpzTCjYDFrvdkWPDy5qfn_4hGRse3_1tjeoyYaf-0c/s400/a020.jpg" /></a> 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.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_4s3BbnjkfCjiofZwsPe5X-mWLwO3-b3p4y_HWapltEUexbVMRFQGquF7kZPukzi9HNvs8XGpsW4e8GPuwz5jhDbBPuFtcP_rKG9KLYxG1BinfDpq6T6QJmG1wuVWGmQchg6mUWgYn4/s1600-h/a021.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395281520211419986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_4s3BbnjkfCjiofZwsPe5X-mWLwO3-b3p4y_HWapltEUexbVMRFQGquF7kZPukzi9HNvs8XGpsW4e8GPuwz5jhDbBPuFtcP_rKG9KLYxG1BinfDpq6T6QJmG1wuVWGmQchg6mUWgYn4/s400/a021.jpg" /></a>The front gate of the Palembang mosque.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf1_KAPgBlX1c3RJv8GNlzMfoVaT6dbMKaNB-7fBv5tieERQsST_5HG1Q_gPoRCQ7q5_pnz6SJNWww_nQEJk7qvCDwLqy4ZPu5ct-im8DwUTvilIQlabLUz2I5r4-q5tPfIJ7-sraXmI/s1600-h/a025.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395280305250358226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf1_KAPgBlX1c3RJv8GNlzMfoVaT6dbMKaNB-7fBv5tieERQsST_5HG1Q_gPoRCQ7q5_pnz6SJNWww_nQEJk7qvCDwLqy4ZPu5ct-im8DwUTvilIQlabLUz2I5r4-q5tPfIJ7-sraXmI/s400/a025.jpg" /></a>Unique Palembang architecture and decorations.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm80N06pEbIncvT02uxu6SCl2OlBbPHDVqbwawqwNoTbBcmwhlU5HjazU5INVSnVkTHdExlJt3xa7RIo-Mh2-WrW8V4HHSvnclm8kCXPU3OAlnNnChVoTuQoIdVMoJquiJ2geKAmCTOI/s1600-h/a026.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395280302928416610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm80N06pEbIncvT02uxu6SCl2OlBbPHDVqbwawqwNoTbBcmwhlU5HjazU5INVSnVkTHdExlJt3xa7RIo-Mh2-WrW8V4HHSvnclm8kCXPU3OAlnNnChVoTuQoIdVMoJquiJ2geKAmCTOI/s400/a026.jpg" /></a> An "angkut" or mini van is Palembang's other most common mode of public transport other than the BUS KOTA (city bus).</div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKg1QuzDYvCRojmESLma_5y7fF2y7TuFeVJL2BWa0a1MHasNbYQHDMY7Cw9nMIcheBl9PGCsY73PxgeJ-htIZWvbu3RAzlINC2HG8PQAemjghVhuDcz06HIMfJjXXwH2osZIUUzeTGte4/s1600-h/a023.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395280297652290258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKg1QuzDYvCRojmESLma_5y7fF2y7TuFeVJL2BWa0a1MHasNbYQHDMY7Cw9nMIcheBl9PGCsY73PxgeJ-htIZWvbu3RAzlINC2HG8PQAemjghVhuDcz06HIMfJjXXwH2osZIUUzeTGte4/s400/a023.jpg" /></a> Busy street away from the Ampera Bridge just in front of the Monpera monument.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtEpuc4N4vXQa_cKVNWMiyuhHqMj2mm9TQg8XzfabS0MvnOulecjqokxSbBi_l9-HYn4JvFdN8HbR_ookmFAIUy0Kl2qHJrffm7Gz_tcF76cSFo2ffrRlfOYaolF3JvPXUNoxSzyDBE0/s1600-h/a022.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395280295473782754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtEpuc4N4vXQa_cKVNWMiyuhHqMj2mm9TQg8XzfabS0MvnOulecjqokxSbBi_l9-HYn4JvFdN8HbR_ookmFAIUy0Kl2qHJrffm7Gz_tcF76cSFo2ffrRlfOYaolF3JvPXUNoxSzyDBE0/s400/a022.jpg" /></a>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.<br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395280291526074354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WoRYN09AehVtEaFUiPh4sHcnqu8FqCSyKaDhCTXbfdn7SkjXMLHFkDRyCtN2TjFZCdtDIV4ttAM4ORV7UDM5V4LxrO-Yp0JswlyT3Vz4gZcozLIgYAzozsh7gC7SoNWvmSGZSCK7HGg/s400/a024.jpg" /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-86834746612619343832009-10-19T20:55:00.005+07:002009-10-19T21:53:04.180+07:00Taking The Bus To Town - Part 2Continuing 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.<br /><br /><div align="center">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.<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394310175219768866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4K75UYANCoslujHSj4g-j-cA6YfzryGLovzxSQx1mgUoYZRBlQMwiDlj5TNT42m3Z_HKMN9gEH_YUSajyZp2b5qAZX1sf_EF9lXSX_EPKt7Lkm6Twm8xlOqTdF9gzl7SQIxalhJYu_s/s320/R001.jpg" /><br /><div align="center">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.</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZI5wrxrl58xat462DsdI9K9OIg8bm5Hy0myVNGJjbUiBNUoh0kaC7lr0ja-z1K8Yoxxowzug38TW2Dmpzxu-8hDK-lxorEKuYa_uUeWlVpYtRr-qGyjA6oydXt8l4kmwQVZqR7Rcblmg/s1600-h/R035.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394310173936293906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZI5wrxrl58xat462DsdI9K9OIg8bm5Hy0myVNGJjbUiBNUoh0kaC7lr0ja-z1K8Yoxxowzug38TW2Dmpzxu-8hDK-lxorEKuYa_uUeWlVpYtRr-qGyjA6oydXt8l4kmwQVZqR7Rcblmg/s320/R035.jpg" /></a><br />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).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulIQs-oOYZrRnhJs1dE-WPDmKd7bSfXtPjO2vhuw0RBDQ3nf2wxTa5vqjg6yM4fucBtia3U9Jw4xz77YeqeGfGkBVjYSwhSBShFujfr1Bhu3_nAEvQ3cm9yJiI9_5aX5KQfoBEwvDFNo/s1600-h/R036.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394310164378726194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulIQs-oOYZrRnhJs1dE-WPDmKd7bSfXtPjO2vhuw0RBDQ3nf2wxTa5vqjg6yM4fucBtia3U9Jw4xz77YeqeGfGkBVjYSwhSBShFujfr1Bhu3_nAEvQ3cm9yJiI9_5aX5KQfoBEwvDFNo/s320/R036.jpg" /></a><br />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! </div><div align="center">It looked as if someone was taking jabs of drugs but was a more legal activity. Blood, paint and dust... yucks!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tsp6G8vNwiwIJqqntsf9w0clxdDxZggovgJHG9kYyoeL14CF60UYiYSpJ3HSwy9j1XEuZ4LovbXx8OFf4tyGzFCoeWy2K5_-xxYVoUarOc7RkzOYDoB9VyX0qcrLl9Ok3H4Hrgkl8C8/s1600-h/R041.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394310156030547554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tsp6G8vNwiwIJqqntsf9w0clxdDxZggovgJHG9kYyoeL14CF60UYiYSpJ3HSwy9j1XEuZ4LovbXx8OFf4tyGzFCoeWy2K5_-xxYVoUarOc7RkzOYDoB9VyX0qcrLl9Ok3H4Hrgkl8C8/s320/R041.jpg" /></a><br />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 (<span style="font-size:0;">popular Malay-Arabic-Hindustani music with strong drum beats & synthesizers</span>). 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.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5A8FGZ-RnkFfJRmPIC5IEXx_xfEoNVyyv60dAu8JS0aAtaSKG8dR5jLKX-u7XUWQPgmKJ-bThp_q28NJyLxxPWqURylD_erBagQ-2ufBNYJLu9Fbti_C-IU06_YllZHyGdOT2jK5pdI/s1600-h/R043.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394310144847165554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5A8FGZ-RnkFfJRmPIC5IEXx_xfEoNVyyv60dAu8JS0aAtaSKG8dR5jLKX-u7XUWQPgmKJ-bThp_q28NJyLxxPWqURylD_erBagQ-2ufBNYJLu9Fbti_C-IU06_YllZHyGdOT2jK5pdI/s320/R043.jpg" /></a>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....;)</div><ol><li><div align="left">Bus</div></li><li><div align="left">Ankut (mini van/truck)</div></li><li><div align="left">Becak (trishaw) </div></li><li><div align="left">Perahu (boat)</div></li><li><div align="left">Mobil (car)</div></li><li><div align="left">Keretapi (train)</div></li><li><div align="left">Pesawat (plane)<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></li></ol><div></div></div></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-43817387058662398472009-10-19T14:07:00.012+07:002009-10-23T08:16:58.261+07:00Taking The Bus To Town - Part 1<span><br />Last weekend I decided to take the Bus Kota (local bus) to downtown Palembang. The locals call it "bis kota". My wife and son have both taken the local bus before. Even my father in law who seldom comes have taken it when he came 3 years ago. So I HAD to take this opportunity to try out the bus.<br /><br />I invited my driver Iwan to tag along. I was taken by surprise when he came in his nice black shirt (he normally wears T-shirt - see adjacent photo). I asked him why he dressed up but he just denied it. I thought to myself he must have thought that this was "a day out with the boss", so better dress nicely!....LOL!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbzeDGGvYG8SIfcPwCUUKpYkGBdsC1MOnFIi0GNHmJTsFdzm9Du5VlhZcPfb969UmW5elVLymMZQHfbmOcO8sZl4eE9V7CCy-PrSHewyghUxDxL6dZHc2uIX50n89PjamkpNBt_ra-2g/s1600-h/R004.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395597733783737810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbzeDGGvYG8SIfcPwCUUKpYkGBdsC1MOnFIi0GNHmJTsFdzm9Du5VlhZcPfb969UmW5elVLymMZQHfbmOcO8sZl4eE9V7CCy-PrSHewyghUxDxL6dZHc2uIX50n89PjamkpNBt_ra-2g/s400/R004.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div align="left">We parked our car at Novotel and crossed the road to take the bus. Iwan chose one that had "good music". My legs were too long to fit in between the seats, so I had to sit sideways. I guess they designed the buses for people less than 1.5 m to save space?</div><br /><div align="left">The music in the truck was deafening.... oops, did I just write "truck"? Maybe because it felt like sitting in a truck. They have no cushions. Only a PVC sheet covered wooden seat. Back to the music.... it was so loud and the bass was so extreme until I could feel my arm hairs vibrating! The seat was vibrating too.</div><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKEXyfy07OIFDyYVPC41XCkUDOpE0oGU77iiqjFZCZ2OJYFpdWQ1KmzQt4TsySQLqbWtPns6m28XCah2p8srYVfmzAYozTmog_z47COGjr7e9yoqH_PN3PPPJWFW-jnDeUDYic3vGV4g/s1600-h/R009.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394242251666168370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKEXyfy07OIFDyYVPC41XCkUDOpE0oGU77iiqjFZCZ2OJYFpdWQ1KmzQt4TsySQLqbWtPns6m28XCah2p8srYVfmzAYozTmog_z47COGjr7e9yoqH_PN3PPPJWFW-jnDeUDYic3vGV4g/s200/R009.jpg" /></a>After a few stops, the bus was packed like a sardine can. Iwan did warn me about pick pockets, so I only brought along some cash and ID with me. A bunch of students came in and they all started smoking in the bus. They are only primary school students! Along the way also came some "entertainers" with their guitars hoping to make a living from their 1 minute on the bus performance.<br /><br />We reached the Ampera stop after half an hour of sauna, 2nd hand smoke and ear drum bashing. I have nowhere specific to go, so I decided to walk around the Palembang national mosque (which I will blog about in detail next time).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6US57S4KjiNIQjl8sXhnYqixQvyAI2C716XE8CJbltgm3UaXVfLhJg-9-PeNafF-y2UVOv9pa40sXravvjWDeI7ZFswlKcuImq-SGSC09FN0BuINExlxACsOfRRlwqHKHmIhDnSvGemc/s1600-h/R027.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394242233493822210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6US57S4KjiNIQjl8sXhnYqixQvyAI2C716XE8CJbltgm3UaXVfLhJg-9-PeNafF-y2UVOv9pa40sXravvjWDeI7ZFswlKcuImq-SGSC09FN0BuINExlxACsOfRRlwqHKHmIhDnSvGemc/s200/R027.jpg" /></a><br />Then we went to the "bus stop" opposite the mosque. Iwan decided to buy me a drink and insisted that he has to pay. We drank this orange cordial cup drink called "Ale Ale". Normally I would not buy drinks from the road side but since it was in a sealed cup I thought, "what the heck"! Iwan does not like to smile when he takes photos, not even on his wedding day! I had to force him to smile but asking him to hold up the "Ale Ale" drink and pretend that he was promoting it. Out came this photo with his "smile" and I told him nobody would ever buy this drink anymore....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp1I6SZReQBkoMwjwINdsGwTToyDFOk0WQwBaxHZnOnMlFDf6Pf1-dvq_27vZeZo3WfhAUp-VPCeMZXq-yiIr7iaQK8XADwRKyCoIBEBp0OUojxj_DsAC7L_bcGuUzrJbZovGO_7ygK0/s1600-h/R028.jpg"></a> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWTScH4U3kRt8spSY3LsHjusEk9W2SpJ-TCkgU_pgbVPMwSc3jdT8whwDOJ0jRT6y7xPc2bmlBGga2B6cVt42ODpencvJtTsw0YgTQ6PzLZJn3eJTyvEhbp8kk8xC5RdNwTaf9ZiR4PA/s1600-h/R028.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395597740385692802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWTScH4U3kRt8spSY3LsHjusEk9W2SpJ-TCkgU_pgbVPMwSc3jdT8whwDOJ0jRT6y7xPc2bmlBGga2B6cVt42ODpencvJtTsw0YgTQ6PzLZJn3eJTyvEhbp8kk8xC5RdNwTaf9ZiR4PA/s400/R028.jpg" /></a><br />The buses in Palembang are actually color-coded. They have red, blue, beige, yellow and green colors. If you are not a local like Iwan, you would have no idea how to catch the bus! It only costs Rp2500 (RM0.90) to hop on and you can go from Simpang Patal (junction next to Novotel) to Ampera bridge (1/2 hour ride).<br /><br />We had to wait at this bus stop for 10 mins because I had to wait for Iwan to finish his cigarette. While waiting along the sidewalk, we saw students across the road. Iwan said that this is a place where student gangs hang out. When they see other gangs coming, they will fight. Just as he said it, we saw a group of students chasing another group down the road.<br /><br />Then our bus came and I had to continue the second part of my "adventure" in another post....</p><p>TO BE CONTINUED.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWY5vg43E98EJ_xlGEhFi83E3ss-TJW4xIge9x1bQlVPkdRP5NehTBiK313jKcWTMVJGMiL1fO7z3wur3FD4WPRcD_LCMsru9zCSIWfuNgLJEjEiQ4un_mUkvAw1k1160McBU3eUCA1So/s1600-h/R014.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394242243337348930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWY5vg43E98EJ_xlGEhFi83E3ss-TJW4xIge9x1bQlVPkdRP5NehTBiK313jKcWTMVJGMiL1fO7z3wur3FD4WPRcD_LCMsru9zCSIWfuNgLJEjEiQ4un_mUkvAw1k1160McBU3eUCA1So/s200/R014.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtfpkY_iRmpwWCLaNdKRoN831BlC-O_r0h7IL3cnwOff1jKoEsFgaLs0aiZuEYzccI9x_k6QPCXqUWOXL-gO-Ou3rYCg74O4A97S_4UChKSrdd-tr_wTUv83ObPIAUwpHfZE0lnxipPA/s1600-h/R031.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394210552377927746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtfpkY_iRmpwWCLaNdKRoN831BlC-O_r0h7IL3cnwOff1jKoEsFgaLs0aiZuEYzccI9x_k6QPCXqUWOXL-gO-Ou3rYCg74O4A97S_4UChKSrdd-tr_wTUv83ObPIAUwpHfZE0lnxipPA/s200/R031.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsBGSAZlamKpDzB4Gd4NjB7QjCBqbHk9qDWI7deugorlPdlWSvKJo7CIcQmEJd9G6MhG9XIdDOkchzapt1wevTAREc_QBMLpFUeE_crMRtoJg5OyXQpUaFr6MNAPNzVJIJcxj6HkjEhQ/s1600-h/R033.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394210540703926130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsBGSAZlamKpDzB4Gd4NjB7QjCBqbHk9qDWI7deugorlPdlWSvKJo7CIcQmEJd9G6MhG9XIdDOkchzapt1wevTAREc_QBMLpFUeE_crMRtoJg5OyXQpUaFr6MNAPNzVJIJcxj6HkjEhQ/s200/R033.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg7A4hpSSU8dXXhHX1VZf2j2f4aJ7DZ-tpYIfzZe0uzHhnw7w15NoK58slW8JqI4bFWx-rT7F6Nv4LsFMcw76ALbPp5wWHButg02HgOqCmtfxjAnOVF3IOkZQV09JU6M7TlV5wl7KdA8/s1600-h/R035.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxe-Yy3linFlskrwNm-4C5qYMJxygfUhaol98CrouApvAAMSmfCL-up1_W1ISW9bY-2pgVSt5-sSP2f4SVGMxH7OahpFxGDrLeZaNf6rd4U6l1MELiSnjLYPoeQRpeopbi8M3LGKOVif0/s1600-h/R036.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57pmD-ceykCPsRhOAezxEqP0cMpqOkKWekEwCHtWunMEGKmlhoc3PhvmDfkIxZjdsXm_an5lMMo7_Uw6FxA_NIqklHMaXlTSD4RplCeEKVpLfCGaF1GMxcPM2Uul71HejmjtCFedY7lQ/s1600-h/R043.jpg"></a></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-75442121282217650942009-10-17T10:37:00.002+07:002009-10-17T10:55:14.227+07:00Driving Tests in PalembangYesterday I talked to my driver Iwan about how strict the driving tests are in Australia. I was surprised to learn that people do not even need to do ON-THE-ROAD driving tests!<br /><br />There are 2 ways of getting drivers license in Palembang. One is to go through the PANSOS (drivers association) where they train you for a few months then you sit for the written and practical tests. So the PANSOS style is similar to what we have in Malaysia except the testers are from the transport dept. The other way is to go through the traffic police department. <br /><br />With the traffic police, you still need to sit for a written road rules test and they have 100 questions to be completed in 1.5 hours. However, the surprising thing is you DO NOT need to drive on the road! The traffic police department opposite Palembang Square has a SIMULATOR. I was in shock when I got to know that Palembang has this kinda technology. Iwan said it is like a video game where you sit inside the simulator. You have a couple of "LIVES". If you die in the game that means you fail the test!<br /><br />I was amazed and puzzled at the same time after listening what Iwan told me. I was thinking to myself how would anyone know how to react on the actual road when they pass their tests using video games? Anyway, Iwan said only 20% of the people who took the simulator tests actually pass. The rest had to pay off the traffic police to get their licenses.... LOL!<br /><br />Someone did ask me whether I wanted a SIM (Surat Izin Memandu - Indonesian Drivers Licence) when I first came to Palembang. They requested Rp1,000,000 (approx RM360) but I found the price to be too steep. After almost 3 years, I discovered that the 1 million rupiah was well saved because even though you have any traffic violations you will still need to fork out money irregardless of whether you have a SIM or not. Moreover, a new SIM only costs Rp300,000 (less than Rm100)!Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662271199306884466.post-43871575827806825852009-10-16T10:51:00.020+07:002009-10-16T14:57:38.810+07:00Things That I Will Miss In Palembang<span style="font-family:arial;">It has been almost 3 years since we moved to Palembang. In my previous posts, I have blogged about things that I hate or dislike about living in Palembang. Besides the negatives, there are also positive things about Palembang and I will mention about the things that I would miss the most upon leaving.<br /><br />Of course, the first will be the people in Palembang. We have made a number of friends in Palembang throughout these 3 years. We spend almost every weekend hanging out with some of them. So it will be truly sad to leave them behind because our friendship bond has strengthened tremendously throughout these years. Next will be our house and the routine activities that we do.<br /><br />When I first arrived, I went looking around for a house so that we can have a comfortable place to stay when my wife and 6-month old son join me. We did not want a double storey house because it is a bit dangerous for young kids. Finally after plenty of negotiations with the company regarding rental cost and furniture, the company finally rented a semi-furnished house for Rp30 million a year (approx RM1000/month).<br /><br />This is not the biggest house in the housing area but definitely one of the bigger ones. It has a garden and a fish pond at the back. My wife and toddler son spent more than 90% of their time IN THIS HOUSE after they moved here.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeN5q71zg9NxTu6WEOKYVPVLzWEmHruY7zUupnOovkrYlmMnMLa-9mQCEWLTiPZwjUeF-OD5WS9kMOzaYIwiDuN0aAM0tQMjS1JYvM8G3iuj55KeUvyVmljn_X8CUR3SA15vRfsV_VHY/s1600-h/R025.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393101601466634434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeN5q71zg9NxTu6WEOKYVPVLzWEmHruY7zUupnOovkrYlmMnMLa-9mQCEWLTiPZwjUeF-OD5WS9kMOzaYIwiDuN0aAM0tQMjS1JYvM8G3iuj55KeUvyVmljn_X8CUR3SA15vRfsV_VHY/s320/R025.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">My wife started to plant flowers and vegetables in our garden. We have okra (ladies fingers), kecipir (four angled beans) and potato leaves as our weekly supply of vegetables. My toddler son helps my wife water her plants. Digs sand and plays with his toy trucks at the places with soil (mostly clay). Every morning, the "taufu-man" will drive past in his bike selling tofu and my son will tell him that we don't need any tofu (because we normally buy our tofu from the market). Sometimes, the lady that sells vegies and eggs will drop by. Sometimes we hear the clinging and clanging of bowls and kitchen utensils, indicating the "tekwan-man" selling noodles and Palembang dumplings is near.<br />In the evenings, our neighbor's kids will come out and play badminton along the road. Certain times, children will walk past our house in groups heading towards the concrete field where they play football with their bare feet. My son will try to talk to them in Indonesian with his hands holding along the fence like a monkey in a cage....;)<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo3Rvlagdxof1E1Ay3C9NEEjJ8q3xt1d4n25us6rDSDQenoEhXyZ7FnwrzJmozgE0pGw6nm4mwaTQkb0w8Wqp-oaH0saBNLRxhDSLZmIl_tvjgIoIo3GfdnUnzjRQUPKEsedXJNdqpXY/s1600-h/R026.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393101827323207650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo3Rvlagdxof1E1Ay3C9NEEjJ8q3xt1d4n25us6rDSDQenoEhXyZ7FnwrzJmozgE0pGw6nm4mwaTQkb0w8Wqp-oaH0saBNLRxhDSLZmIl_tvjgIoIo3GfdnUnzjRQUPKEsedXJNdqpXY/s320/R026.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Besides the garden, we also spend a lot of time in the fish pond area. There's a bridge across the pond. Our son would try and help us dish out the leaves and twigs that falls into the pond. He said it is "his work". When he was still 7 or 8 months old, we used to put him in a rocker next to the pond. He tasted his first durian and rambutan in front of this pond.<br /><br />In our dining room, we have some odd authentic Palembang designed cupboards that we use to keep our cooking utensils and food storage. We used to spend almost an hour every meal waiting for our son to finish eating his food! The white board at the back is used for me to draw things for him as he eats his food. He likes me to draw his favourite TRAINS. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPgfN2akXp_SFcT-51nsUmQTjIaeVY8stsYsoXnIKiP2PpMRbmGfbKhO8RKYnPbPjc8mppBFFJqTpEoTcJU0rvOaEvE-ZN7zHsFdg8AtVtY4v_x_6vZ8meD43mL8E9jasUXjBwXGBh9o/s1600-h/R023.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 338px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393101835785514450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPgfN2akXp_SFcT-51nsUmQTjIaeVY8stsYsoXnIKiP2PpMRbmGfbKhO8RKYnPbPjc8mppBFFJqTpEoTcJU0rvOaEvE-ZN7zHsFdg8AtVtY4v_x_6vZ8meD43mL8E9jasUXjBwXGBh9o/s320/R023.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxghqZtFoMiksCqzuJJg2htwqTA9lMO-ZzISFMCO9UoD3HZV72a3D6TRaA1PQk2DUtIrNccwqKwe0XiavgsdzQfgn5m2axQhj-14fJgGaHdQPhrOJvZt_qo4SPwTea6XvTV459CCtHWAs/s1600-h/R024.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 338px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393101840724441730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxghqZtFoMiksCqzuJJg2htwqTA9lMO-ZzISFMCO9UoD3HZV72a3D6TRaA1PQk2DUtIrNccwqKwe0XiavgsdzQfgn5m2axQhj-14fJgGaHdQPhrOJvZt_qo4SPwTea6XvTV459CCtHWAs/s320/R024.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />We also have this picture of EEYORE the donkey (Pooh & Friends) from my son's 2-year old birthday party. I drew it for the neighbour's kids to play "place the tail blind folded" during the event.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F9jlJ0br032pBwpHd2Em2uPxpezOGHgIwXdd0ZV6gTMZsV1OcVVKVHgwAwhKXvbravoDXbom8__wFB-cu6KE9xOl1fdfUvQcXg5UHoRuQGlbE0O2khznpv_QNhNtk7rfbyVxfN2HxWU/s1600-h/R020.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393100512672525506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F9jlJ0br032pBwpHd2Em2uPxpezOGHgIwXdd0ZV6gTMZsV1OcVVKVHgwAwhKXvbravoDXbom8__wFB-cu6KE9xOl1fdfUvQcXg5UHoRuQGlbE0O2khznpv_QNhNtk7rfbyVxfN2HxWU/s320/R020.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Due to weight limitations, I don't think we will be able to bring my son's TRICYCLE back. I got my maintenance crew to weld together some galvanized pipes so that I could push my son while he rides along the road every morning before I go to work.<br /><br />The living room in our place is quite big. It has 2 sections. One is for watching TV and the other one is for my son to play. The TV section is only used for watching TV (obviously!). In the photo you can see that the computer table has been shifted in front of the TV. This rearrangement only happens whenever my wife is not around. Most nights she will occupy the laptop but when I am by myself, the new arrangement enables me to multi-task... LOL! Another plus thing is I could get more direct A/C.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><div><div><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP4qBo5uRV9Wb6ZOLbRrbdypbfCMhxtIgDg8IDpM3VO6TRxkIwEXMCfKUt7E8atvtuK93UA6fhfoUB_J044vWya4h89yIxpDiKpraj8YUHqltw2HWzESzHQT1i9j6VD_9pSnitVAbqK0/s1600-h/R022.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 253px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393101043072390994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP4qBo5uRV9Wb6ZOLbRrbdypbfCMhxtIgDg8IDpM3VO6TRxkIwEXMCfKUt7E8atvtuK93UA6fhfoUB_J044vWya4h89yIxpDiKpraj8YUHqltw2HWzESzHQT1i9j6VD_9pSnitVAbqK0/s320/R022.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf6_pBeJ4Fg4blZ-Et1K6VHJZ1zitVofxWpUp4Bcf_a8jC3s5L1EFgCehiKCqiIWDwqJ_fQUNk97i32paRwz_Hp3ecBS7_yXMo4ed5c2g_rKudzb7Wgis6EVRL60CInOyYVL5V2TcaTM/s1600-h/R021.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 147px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393101034848450402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf6_pBeJ4Fg4blZ-Et1K6VHJZ1zitVofxWpUp4Bcf_a8jC3s5L1EFgCehiKCqiIWDwqJ_fQUNk97i32paRwz_Hp3ecBS7_yXMo4ed5c2g_rKudzb7Wgis6EVRL60CInOyYVL5V2TcaTM/s320/R021.jpg" /></span></a><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span>In the photo that shows my son's play area, you could still see streamers hanging on the chandeliers. We were too lazy to bring them down, so they have been left there for ages! At the right hand side of the photo is a door connecting to the fish pond. My wife spends a lot of time sitting next to the door reading to my son. Sometimes we eat there because there is a pillar to lean against and the ants around will come and pick up the crumbs on the floor (friendly black ants). On the left hand side partially covered by the standing fan is my son's playhouse. My wife used our fridge's carton box to make it into a house with doors and windows at the side. Sometimes my son and me used to lie in that box pretending that we were asleep.<br /><br />The room next to the towel rack is OUR BEDROOM. It is the coziest part of the house because of the air conditioning and the foam mattresses. We do a lot of reading in the bedroom. We do not have any beds except 3 mattresses laid next to one another. We have one queen size bedsheet that has underwater fishes. So we do "swim in the sea" a lot too!<br /><br />Palembang does not need a lot of fancy things for us to miss. It is the small small nostagic things that we will miss when we eventually leave this city. Palembang is my son's "hometown" despite being born in Kuala Lumpur because he spent most of his infant and toddler-hood here. Plus, he likes PEMPEK (Palembang fish-cake/dumpling)!... only a true Palembang person likes PEMPEK!!<br /></span><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div></div></div>Numberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03052887049757450719noreply@blogger.com1