One less member in the house

The signs of me entering the veteran phase of my life is becoming clearer by the day. On Saturday, we sent our second son for registration at UiTM in Shah Alam. He is doing Kursus Asasi Sains and if he does well, hopes to continue to study Medicine.

Another of our offspring has flown the roost, so to speak. Our household has one less member, and since we are not a big family to begin with, the relative quietness of the house is becoming more pronounced.

Registration day at UiTM Shah Alam for Asasi Sains students

Two brothers having fun before one is left behind to stay at the hostel

We have only three children, all boys. The eldest flew away to study at an overseas university. With the second one now in college, it leaves only the youngest son at home. My third boy is 14-years old... so I guess we have another three years at least, for us to bermanja-manja with our anak bongsu. After that, it will be just the missus and me... two elderly folks growing old together. Hopefully, we would not be getting on each other's nerves too often.

When I was dating my wife many, many years ago, this issue of how many children we would like to have was discussed once... but it was more of in jest. She asked me how many kids I wanted. Hmm... let's see, I said. My parents have five children and you have thirteen siblings... so why not we meet half way, say nine kids. She let out a loud laugh.... hahaha! No way, she said.

Over the years, I would meet with old friends or long-lost relatives whose questions would include the standard `Anak dah berapa sekarang?'. My response would always be : `Anak baru tiga' instead of the expected `Anak dah tiga', the former implying that we have three kids for now but hope for more to come. If my wife is around when the question is being asked, she would correct the answer to the latter.

This wish of having more children has crossed my mind a number of times, especially since we have no daughters. It concerns me that my wife would not have a daughter to help take care of her in old age. Having seen the ailments that my late mother-in-law suffered, I know that there are certain things only a daughter can do.

But I have never been the one to pressure my wife on this subject. The choice of stopping at three was entirely hers. When I mentioned about who is to take care of her when she's old, she simply replied, `Let's hope that we get very good and kind-hearted daughter-in-laws.'

At times like these, the common adage of `It's the quality and not the quantity that counts' becomes a appropriate, even though it is just a small measure of self-comfort. In Malay we say, `Sekadar untuk menyedapkan hati.'

We have three healthy, intelligent and well-behaved sons. We know some friends and relatives who have only one child... and some friends and relatives who have none. We should count our blessings.

Interlude - Man vs Woman Process Flow

Here's an interlude for this month of May. It comes from my forwarded emails category. Click on the graphics for a larger view. Better still, right-click on the images and then `Save Image As' to your own PCs so you can forward them at your own pleasure.

Thanks to my pal Amir who gets such humourous snippets from God knows where :-)

Apasal complicated sangat ?

The weekend in Singapore

It has been quite a while since I visited my parents. The last time I was there was in early March. In fact, my old folks come over to our place more often than we go to theirs. I am surely not a good example of filial duty.

The trip to Singapore also saw us taking the opportunity to do some shopping at Mustafa Centre in Serangoon Road. Our second son is due to enrol at UiTM next week and we need to get him a suitcase. We managed to find a 28" Camel Active bag made of tough polyester at S$79. A similar suitcase in Malaysia costs nearly RM300.

It is common misconception that all things in Singapore are more expensive compared to Malaysia because of the high currency exchange rate (presently around RM2.38 to the Sing dollar). Generally, this is true of course but sometimes you can find some items that cost significantly less, even after you have factored in the exchange rate. As I have mentioned above, luggage is one example. Another is wristwatches.

We love to do our shopping at Mustafa Centre because the store carries a wide variety of goods. In the case of luggage, for example, Mustafa sells the whole range from budget no-name brands to the quality ones such as Delsey and Samsonite. There is everything for everybody.

After getting the bag, we drove to the Beach Road Hawker Centre to have dinner. The missus and I had Mee Kuah while the two boys had some Bonesteak or in Malay known as Sup Tulang Merah. My kids are mutton-lovers and they eat anything to do with kambing with much vigour. Since the second son is entering college in Shah Alam, it would be some time before he can get to eat this dish again.

I know of a few stalls in JB that sells Sup Tulang Merah but none come close to the taste of those sold at Beach Road in Singapore. You can ask my sons... the best Sup Tulang Merah they have ever tasted... ever.

Let's have a beer

This phrase may soon be spoken by local Muslim men (or women, for that matter) without much apprehension, in the same league of that other popular sentence, `Jom kita pekena teh tarik.'

Alcohol-free beer from Iran is now available in Malaysia. The beer is called Istak and is brewed from the same grains (barley and malt) as normal beer except that there is no alcohol content because of no fermentation, or so it seems.

Yesterday's Harian Metro carried a report quoting En. Azizi Ahmad, the Executive Director of Malaysia Iran Corporation (the sole importer), that Muslims need not doubt the `halal-ness' of the drink. Apparently, some quarters of the general public have reservations on the legality of the drink from the Islamic standpoint because of the word `beer'. The controversy boils down to whether `no alcohol content' equates to `halal'. Read the full newspaper report -> here.

Looks like En. Azizi is facing his biggest challenge in marketing his product here in Malaysia... and that is the problem of perception. To many people, beer is an alcoholic product. It is part of a group of beverages that Muslims are prohibited from drinking. Even though it is alcohol-free, Istak is sold in bottles that look like any other normal beer bottle. Even the liquid looks like ordinary beer. So you cannot fault the average Muslim citizen to be a bit skeptical. The fact that it is manufactured in Iran, a very conservative Muslim country, does not help allay this doubt.

Alcohol-free beer has been around for a long time. I still remember a TV advertisement of such a drink when I was studying in the UK in the early eighties. Barbican - the alcohol-free lager, was the drink's name. But having doubts about Barbican is understandable. It is brewed in a normal brewery in England. And it is not targetted at the Muslim consumer anyway. Similarly, Guinness produces a malt drink with zero-alcohol content called Malta. It is not a popular drink among Muslims because it still carries the Guinness mark.

My next encounter with alcohol-free beer was in Cairo some years ago. Our Egyptian host took us out for dinner in one of those lovely floating restaurants that sail along the Nile River. For his drink, our host ordered something that came in a can that looked strikingly like beer. When he popped the can and poured the contents in a glass, it sure looked like beer, complete with froth. I was a bit surprised at first but later found out that it is a no-alcohol beer that is very popular in Egypt.

When I was posted in the United Arab Emirates, similar alcohol-free beer is sold widely in the supermarkets. It even occurred to me that if I could bring some of these drinks into Malaysia, I could probably make a fortune. That is, if I can surmount this perception problem. If you can recall, A & W had this same problem when they first introduced root beer.

The next question that comes to mind is probably, `How does it taste?'

Personally, I wouldn't know. I have not drank any beer, whether pseudo or the real thing. But according to some friends who have, the pseudo beer tastes nothing like the real one.

Who are the people who would want to buy and drink alcohol-free beer anyway? Muslims who have the hidden desire to drink beer but dare not cross the line by taking the real thing?

In the end, it all comes down to personal choice. We'll soon see if Istak becomes a popular drink in Malaysia.

Right... I'm knocking off from work now and would be meeting some friends for a drink. Perhaps I'll have a beer. Cheers!

How to behave in a committee

For those of us who work in big organisations, it is quite inevitable that we find ourselves to be a member of a committee. Committees are meant as a way for people from different sections to meet and work towards a common interest. It helps to bring out different ideas and opinions to be heard and shared. Committees also serve as an avenue to distribute workload.

The flip side to this is when the committee is made up of hard-headed individuals, decisions don't get made and work gets bogged down. It is even worse if the committee is led by an ineffective chairman. But the ineffective chairman is not as bad as the irresponsible one... the one that takes the credit when the committee does something good. When there's a cock-up, the members of the committee share the blame.

I've had my share of sitting in committees and sub-committees during the early years of my career. Nowadays I prefer to work as a lone ranger. Tough sometimes... but quick and efficient.

Here's a light-hearted look on this subject that I came across from one of my old files:

How to behave in a committee

Having served on various committees, I have drawn up a list of rules :-

1. Never arrive on time; this stamps you as a beginner.
2. Don’t say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as wise.
3. Be as vague as possible; this avoids irritating the others.
4. When in doubt, suggest a sub-committee be appointed.
5. Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular. It’s what everyone is waiting for.

Work hard and stay cool. Have a good week guys.