Bloggers, Books and a Bird's-eye View

It was quite a fun weekend for me the past two days. After working four straight weekends without a rest, I decided I'd better give myself a break. My operating system was near crashing point and was about to hang any moment. The problems at the worksite can sort themselves out.

I forgot about work for a while and went out to town to do simple but interesting stuff. To tell you about them, I have grouped the stories into three headings.

1. Bloggers

When I first started to write this blog three years ago, I wasn't sure if other bloggers would find it interesting enough for them to link me. I registered with the Blog Malaysia directory and started to read some of the other blogs to find ideas on how I could improve mine.

One of the earliest blogs I discovered in that directory belongs to the self-taught illustrator Emila Yusof. I am impressed with her artwork and became a regular commenter. Pretty soon, we linked our blogs and later became friends on FB as well. Emila's creativity comes in many forms. She produces her own greeting cards, handicraft items and also does blog headers for customers. She has now published her own picture-book for young readers. Her style of drawing is unique and distinctive and her popularity improved over the years, to the extent other people have `ciplak' her creations. Copyright infringement is never a good thing, but the fact that it has happened, shows some measure of her success.

When I was at MPH the previous Saturday for Awang Goneng's book signing, I took the chance to pick up a copy of Emila's book called My Mother's Garden. Since I have bought one book written by a blogger, why not get one written by another blogger, I thought. Emila's book would make a great present for my grandniece.

A few days later, Emila posted in her blog of a Picture Book event at Silverfish Books in Bangsar. Her book is part of the promotion ; purchase her book there and buyers would get a free set of flashcards. I commented that I have already bought a copy. She replied that if I turn up, she would give me the free cards anyway.

And so, two days ago I made the trip to Bangsar and met Emila for the first time in person. I asked her to sign the book for my grandniece who I'm sure will be thrilled to read the handwritten message by the book's author. Emila also graciously gave me a few notepads and greeting cards which feature her own drawings. Thank you my friend, for those gifts.

For two consecutive weeks, I had the good fortune of meeting blogger-friends in real-life. It is my hope that I can meet more such friends soon.

The picture book, flashcards, notepad and greeting cards

The author's message and signature

2. Books

Every year, when it comes to filing my tax returns at the end of April, I always regret that I have not purchased enough books to make use of the full deduction allowed by the taxman. The following month, I would go on a shopping binge to buy a few books to make full use of the allowance, but then I tend to forget about it towards the end of the year.

As I mentioned above, I bought Awang Goneng's and Emila's book at MPH. While I was browsing at Silverfish Books on Saturday, I picked up a few more. Over two weekends, I have purchased 6 books, enough reading material to last me the next two months.

Silverfish is a small privately-owned bookstore that sells a limited selection, especially titles seldom seen in the larger shops. But it has a reasonable section of books written by local authors. One of those that I bought is a book written by Brian Gomez called Devil's Place. I have never heard of the book or its author before but I decided to buy it after randomly opening a page and reading a few passages. It was a correct decision.

Devil's Place is, or more exactly was, a thrilling read. Yes, I have finished reading it (in two sittings). It is a fiction novel about terrorism, crime and conspiracy set entirely in Kuala Lumpur, but you'd be surprised how the author has included international elements to spice things up. But what makes the book terribly exciting is Gomez's use of local settings and cultural colour to tell his story. His style of writing is crisp and snappy. The text is gross and vulgar but exceedingly funny in most parts. Sometimes you are left wondering if the events he wrote about can actually happen here in Malaysia... but upon pondering about it a bit more, you'll think... heck, kenapa tak boleh?

I had initially thought of writing a book review about it but later changed my mind. Suffice to give you a brief summary, I guess. Makes a refreshing change from reading all those western-based crime thrillers.

First-time effort by Brian Gomez

3. Bird's-eye View

I was actually at Borders bookstore at The Gardens Mid-Valley on Sunday to meet up again with Awang Goneng. The purpose this time was to have the author sign another copy of AMoT specially for blogger-friend Pak Zawi, who lives in Kelantan. Pak Zawi plans to come down to KL later this month but by that time Pak Awang would've returned back to London. I thought I could do Pak Zawi a favour by getting the book signed first and handing it over to him later. It gives me good reason to be able to meet another blogosphere friend in person.

After Borders, I drove to the airfield at Sungai Besi to meet up with an old friend and former classmate for a flight over Kuala Lumpur city in a Cessna airplane. My friend, Captain Norhisham Kassim, is a commercial airline pilot who occasionally flies small aircraft for leisure. He had previously offered to take me flying but the timing was always not right. This time around, I didn't want to miss the chance.

It was the experience of a lifetime. We flew over KL at around 1,500 feet, headed out towards the old Subang airport where he did a touch-n-go, and flew back to Sungai Besi. The view of the KL skyscrapers from way up there is indescribable. The weather was a bit hazy but I did manage to capture a few good shots with my camera.

Thanks Captain, for a wonderful afternoon yesterday.

The Cessna aircraft that we flew in

View of KL city centre from high up

The pilot and his passenger

Never buy things on impulse...

I am sure most of us have heard of this sound advice. More often, it is the men who utter these words to their spouses than the other way round. But a few days ago, the tables were turned on yours truly. After all these years, I would have thought that I am now smart enough in deciding on things that I need to buy. Apparently, I do still make dumb decisions sometimes.

So what was the object of my unwise purchase? The humble ironing board.

A few weeks ago, the missus asked me to buy an ironing board. To the uninitiated, the seemingly simple ironing board actually comes in a few variants carrying differing price tags. I first surveyed the item at Jusco and was surprised that they sell the top-range ones at prices above RM80. My next stop was at Giant. The ones sold there are probably the mid-range ones selling at around RM50. I deferred from buying, thinking that I should look some more at some other stores.

Then one day, I was shopping for groceries at the new My Mydin Mart and spotted a board with a dirt cheap price tag of only RM19.90. The board was the last one left and was wrapped in clear plastic so I didn't check it's quality. Anyway, how much different can one ironing board be from another... or so I thought. I simply grabbed it and paid for it along with my groceries.

When I reach home, the thing was put to one side and left in its wrapping for a few more days until the wife wanted to use it. I tore open the plastic wrap to set the board up. Immediately I realised that it is of very poor quality. The clip for the adjustable legs on the underside of the board is flimsy and the legs are uneven. I had to insert a folded cardboard under one of the legs to reduce the wobbling. Even the metal side rack where we place the iron is made from thin wire frame.

I was already grumbling loudly to myself but the missus was smiling happily because she knew she can't be blamed for this one.

She proceeded to do some ironing but had to be extra careful because of the shaky setup. On completing the task, as if on cue, the board collapsed.... causing the hot iron to fall on the floor with a loud clang. Luckily the missus was not hurt. Lucky for us too that the iron was not damaged. I checked the board for the cause of the collapse. It seems that the part of the leg that attaches to the clip somehow slipped out. I continued to grumble... and wife added fuel to the fire by quoting that well-known Malay proverb, alah membeli, menang memakai.

I decided there and then that I will buy a new and better ironing board. So what's going to happen to the one that I have now? I have already re-wrapped the thing in cling plastic and plan to put it the garbage house downstairs. Hopefully one of the cleaner ladies will salvage it and put it to good use... and not hurt herself in the process.

So remember guys... do not buy things on impulse.

The GUiT feeling... and running AMoT...

Author and blogger Sdra Wan A Hulaimi or better known as Awang Goneng is in town to promote his latest book, `A Map of Trengganu'. When I first saw the event notice on blogger Kak Teh's FB wall about the book signing at MPH Mid Valley, I thought I must try grab the chance to meet the writer in person. After all, he is based in London and who knows when he'll be coming over again. Furthermore, the man has previously popped over to this humble blog of mine and dropped a comment or two.

It was actually a working day for me that Saturday 30th April 2011. I thought of leaving the project site early after briefing my staff on work that needs to be done for the day but could only manage to free myself past lunchtime. It was already 3.30pm when I left the workplace at Sg Besi. According to the notice, the book signing is fixed for one hour only, ending at 4pm. I could probably drive and reach Mid Valley in time if the traffic is light (which it seldom is) but finding a parking space at that shopping mall on weekends will take me ages. Suddenly it occurred to me that there is a KTM Komuter train line nearby that goes directly to Mid Valley. A quick change of plans saw me parking my car at Bandar Tasik Selatan station (RM3 per entry charge), pay a single ringgit ticket for one-way trip and riding a trouble-free train journey. A total cost of only RM5 both ways that solves a lot of headache.

Even so, I only alighted at the Mid Valley station at ten past four and I thought I had missed my chance of meeting Awang Goneng in person. I made a brisk walk among the weekend shopping crowd to get to MPH, which took up another 5 minutes, hoping the author would still be there. I needn't have worried. On reaching the bookstore, there was still a long line of fans queueing up for the writer's autograph.

I picked a copy of the author's book and quickly joined the queue. When my turn came, I introduced myself as Oldstock. Pak Awang was a bit surprised because he said that he didn't think I looked that old. He noted my sweaty palms as I handed him the book for signing. I explained that I was rushing from the train station because I thought I was late. He then said that if I had missed the MPH event, I can catch him again at Borders next week.

I have already read Pak Awang's first book `Growing Up in Trengganu' which I bought a few years ago. But I decided to buy another copy that day just so I can have it signed by the author. I now have both GUiT and AMoT personally autographed by Awang Goneng. Something to treasure for years to come.

Pak Awang signing a copy for Oldstock

Kak Teh aka Mrs Awang Goneng

My current reading material

Thank you Pak Awang for this signed copy

Billy and Kate get hitched

Pic borrowed from The Telegraph

So William of Windsor and Catherine of Middleton tied the knot yesterday huh? I am totally out of the loop in this matter. Didn't catch it on the telly nor read about it in the online news pages... until a few minutes ago.

Anyway, the just concluded royal wedding in London reminded of the time when William's parents got married in July of 1981... really doesn't feel like that long a time ago. I was into my second year of life in the UK as a student. Charles was getting married to Diana although most people know his heart was somewhere else. Diana was the darling of the press and all the other loyal British subjects. It was the wedding of the century... I did not watch yesterday's event so I can't comment if the son's wedding is as grand as his parents.

Princess Diana performed her role splendidly during her initial years of being the next possible queen of England. She did a lot of charity work and handled publicity quite well. When news got out that she was pregnant, the whole nation was excited. As she neared the time of giving birth and scan results indicate a boy, bookmakers were taking bets on what the name of the new prince would be. `Henry', `Richard' and `William' quickly became the leading favourites, being names of past English kings. Just as an aside, the bookies in UK are willing to accept your wager on almost anything, not just the normal sports events. They even have a respectable name for the bookies taking bets on horse-racing... turf accountants, they are called. No doubt these guys make more money than the chartered accountants who are hired to prepare company accounts.

Ok, back to the first son of Diana... I remember very well on how I got to know which name was chosen. I was walking back from the supermarket and saw it written on the evening newspaper billboard. A simple blurb saying, `Prince Billy!'

And now, 28 years has passed us by. Diana has left us for good quite some time back. Kate Middleton, a common English lass, has married her prince charming.... probably a fairy tale dream she never realised would ever come true. Hopefully, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reach the part of `... and they lived happily ever after', perhaps erasing the sad memories of what happened to the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Another sign of growing old

I prepare to go to work this morning. I start my car and waited a while for the engine to warm up. A call came in my mobile phone. I answered the call and spoke for a few minutes.

On completing the call, I put my car in gear and drove off. The engine felt heavy and sluggish. Laa... meragam lagi kereta aku ni. I just had the car serviced last week. Be prepared to spend more money, I thought.

I reach my workplace. I park the car and was about to pull the handbrake. Ooops! The handbrake is already in the up position. I have been driving with the handbrake on all this while. Aduh....

Lost in translation

I recently switched to using Google Chrome as my default online browser a few weeks ago after having used Firefox for a number of years. I initially tried Chrome for a while but switched back to Firefox because I hated re-learning new steps. But then a friend mentioned that Chrome is faster so I tried it again... and indeed it is so.

I then noticed that a pop-up dialog box keep coming up whenever the browser detects that the page I am viewing is not in English. Apparently Google has included an auto-translator function. I didn't find the pop-up particularly bothersome and it never crossed my mind to give it a try... until a few days ago, when I wrote the previous story of the tembusu tree in Malay.

Out of curiosity, I clicked the `translate' button, just to see how good Google's translation skill is... and I had a good laugh! Sorry, no intention of mocking Google's effort but reading the whole post again in translated English gives the impression that it was written by someone who did not finish grade school. I'd be very ashamed of myself if it had been my actual work.

Having been involved in real-life translating work myself, I can confirm that translating written text from one language to another is not easy by any means. To be able to produce a good result, you need to be in top command of both languages, meaning not only having knowledge of the rules of grammar but of context as well. This is where present-day software is not yet able to match the human brain.

To give you an example, the following is a sentence, in Bahasa Melayu from the previous post :
Anak-anak murid kelas tuisyen ini seramai 6 orang, 4 lelaki dan 2 perempuan.

The auto-translator's version is :
Children's tuition for pupils of this group of 6 people, 4 men and 2 women.

Ignoring even the wrong sentence structure, the proper translation for `lelaki' and `perempuan' is `boys' and `girls' respectively.

So, for readers of this blog who do not understand Malay but wish to know what I wrote about, go ahead and use the auto-translator but please allow a (very) wide berth in discrepancy.

Having said that, the auto-translator is not entirely useless. I find it convenient to get the meanings of words not written in the Roman script, say for example Japanese or Russian. In this respect, I cannot fault Google for giving it a try. Perhaps one day there would be a brilliant software engineer who is able to incorporate context, style, inference and nuances in translator applications.

Pohon Tembusu

Setelah beberapa tahun bekerja sebagai seorang guru di sebuah sekolah di bandaraya, saya akhirnya dapat bertukar ke sekolah yang tidak jauh dari kampung saya. Memang sudah lama saya berhasrat untuk berpindah balik ke kampung. Anak-anak saya semuanya sudah dewasa dan mempunyai kerjaya mereka sendiri. Suasana aman dan tenteram di kampung sangat saya rindui. Lebih-lebih lagi saya masih ada ibu tua yang tinggal keseorangan, jadi memang eloklah saya mohon pertukaran tempat bertugas itu.

Sebelum berpindah, saya sempat membina sebuah rumah baru di atas sebidang tanah yang tidak jauh dari rumah ibu saya. Tanah tersebut asalnya sebuah dusun kecil dan sebahagiannya ditumbuhi hutan belukar. Banyak juga wang yang saya perlu modalkan untuk membersihkan tapak tanah itu jadi saya buat yang mana perlu sahaja dulu. Antara yang tidak ditebang ialah sebatang pokok tembusu yang tumbuh hampir dengan sempadan tanah. Pohon tembusu itu tersangatlah besar. Tingginya saya anggar melebihi 30 meter dan mungkin berumur beratus tahun. Memang memakan masa hendak menebangnya. Lagipun kedudukannya tidak menghalang pembinaan rumah, jadi kami buat keputusan untuk membiarkannya dahulu.

Beberapa bulan pertama saya duduk di rumah baru itu dengan gembiranya. Jiran-jiran sekeliling kebanyakan adalah saudara mara saya juga. Sekolah tempat saya mengajar tidak jauh dari rumah. Tidaklah lagi perlu saya mengharungi trafik jem setiap hari pergi bertugas.

Atas permintaan beberapa orang saudara mara, saya bersetuju untuk mengajar tuisyen kepada anak-anak mereka, kiranya anak-anak buah saya juga lah. Kelas tuisyen dibuat di rumah saya dan bermula pada 8.30 malam. Anak-anak murid kelas tuisyen ini seramai 6 orang, 4 lelaki dan 2 perempuan.

Semasa mula-mula mengajar mereka memang problematic sikit. Jelas sekali pendedahan sistem pembelajaran kanak-kanak di desa jauh berbeza dengan kanak-kanak bandar. Tambahan pula, yang budak-budak lelaki empat orang itu nakal-nakal belaka. Tetapi disebabkan semangat hendak menolong saudara, saya teruskan usaha untuk mendidik mereka.

Setiap malam bila tiba waktu kelas tuisyen bermula, saya boleh tahu ketibaan kumpulan murid ini dengan bunyi riuh rendah mereka bila sampai di hadapan pintu pagar rumah. Bunyi kelentang-kelentung gate dibuka disusuli dengan sorak ketawa budak-budak berlari dari pintu pagar itu yang jaraknya lebih kurang 20 meter dari rumah. Suara ketawa biasanya dari budak-budak lelaki sahaja. Yang perempuan bunyi marah atau geram. Setiap kali sampai di rumah mesti semuanya termengah-mengah.

Saya pun bertanya, mengapa mesti berlari.

Salah seorang dari yang perempuan menjawab, `Diaorang ni Cikgu (sambil menunjuk ke arah budak-budak lelaki), suka nyakat kami! Diaorang kata ada hantu tinggal kat atas pokok besar tu. Siapa yang last sampai kat rumah Cikgu nanti kena cekup. Tu yang kami lari laju-laju!’ Pokok yang dimaksudkan itu ialah pohon tembusu besar yang terletak betul-betul sebelah pagar pintu masuk.

`Hish, mana ada!,’ saya berkata. Sambil menoleh ke arah seorang budak lelaki yang saya anggap sebagai kepala, saya cakap, `Abu! Tak elok kamu takutkan kawan-kawan kamu. Jangan buat macam ni lagi.’ Abu hanya menunjukkan muka selamba. Yang budak-budak lelaki lain tersengih-sengih.

Marahlah macam mana pun, perkara yang sama tetap berlaku. Maka kelas tuisyen saya setiap kali dimulakan dengan senaman larian dari pintu pagar hingga ke rumah.

Sehinggalah satu hari beberapa minggu kemudian…

Murid-murid saya sampai ke rumah malam itu dengan keadaan tertib dan senyap. Saya teramat pelik. Tiada bunyi riuh dan berlari-lari sebagaimana biasa. Pada mulanya saya tidak bertanya apa-apa. Semasa mengajar pun kesemuanya senyap dan menumpukan perhatian terhadap apa yang saya ajar. Abu, yang selalu paling bising dalam kelas, pun kelihatan begitu tekun.

Tidak boleh menahan kehairanan saya lagi, saya pun bertanya, `Eh Abu, kenapa kamu senyap je malam ni? Selalunya tak habis-habis menyakat orang…’

`Heheh… takde apa-apa Cikgu,’ jawab Abu. Dia terus menunduk untuk menyiapkan latihan yang telah saya beri.

Saya pun duduk sebelah murid perempuan bernama Atikah dan bertanya, `Kenapa semua orang diam dan rajin je hari ni?’

Atikah merenung ke muka saya dengan keadaan serba salah. Setelah beberapa ketika, dia berbisik kepada saya.

`Cikgu… tadi ada orang dah marah kat kami. Suruh belajar rajin-rajin dan jangan main-main.’

`Orang mana?’ saya bertanya.

`Orang yang tinggal kat pokok besar tu,’ jawab Atikah.

`Orang tu rupanya macam mana?’ saya bertanya lagi.

Wajah Atikah berubah jadi keliru. `Tu Cikgu, dia duduk kat belakang Abu tu. Dia ikut kami dari depan gate tadi. Cikgu tak nampak ke?’

Giliran saya pula untuk menjadi cemas. Memang saya tidak nampak sesiapa di belakang Abu. Saya berbisik kembali, `Dia masih kat situ?’

`Ada, Cikgu…’

Saya pun membuat keputusan untuk menamatkan sesi pembelajaran malam itu dan memberitahu anak-anak murid saya, `Err… malam ni kelas tuisyen kita tamat cepat sikit. Cikgu pun rasanya nak tidur kat rumah sepupu Cikgu kat sebelah tu. Kamu semua jangan balik dulu ye. Temankan Cikgu sampai sana…’

Nota kaki : Cerita di atas adalah berdasarkan kisah benar... cuma identiti watak-watak telah diubah untuk memelihara yang berkenaan.

Automated banking services

Nowadays, we are so used to using machines for our daily banking transactions that we ignore the fact the first ATM was invented and came into service before most of us were even born. The Automated Teller Machine was invented by a Scotsman named John Shepherd-Barron who thought of the idea after being locked out of his bank. The first cash dispensing machine was made available to customers by Barclays Bank at their branch in Enfield town in England in 1967.

After the ATMs, banks offered us other machines to help us do transactions without the need to approach the counter. Someone came up with the brilliant idea that since we have a machine that spits out cash, why not have a machine that swallows it? Hence the Cash Deposit Machine or CDM. But why just stop at cash? We now have the cheque deposit machine too.

The convenience of having such machines is plainly obvious. I am now able to do the most routine of my banking needs outside office hours when parking would be much easier (have you noticed that bank branches are always located where parking is notoriously so difficult?). The flip side of this is I seldom get to meet the human bank tellers anymore and somewhat miss the personal interaction of such occasions. I can assure you there are quite a number of sweet and helpful lady tellers out there...

I was attempting to make a cash deposit at a machine last night when I realised that I am a customer of most of the major banks in Malaysia. I say `attempting' because the machines at this particular bank were out of service. This is where the performance of such machines differentiates the level of service from one bank to another. For the past few months, making a loan repayment via their CDM has been quite a chore because the machines have difficulty in accepting legitimate new notes, especially the RM50 ones. I have sent feedback via their website earlier this morning. Let's see if they reply within the 2 working days as stated.

Ok then.... before readers get any wrong ideas, I must clarify that being a customer of so many banks does NOT mean I have tons of money. Some are savings accounts while others are loan accounts and credit cards. In fact, I owe the banks more money than what I have kept with them. How I wish it can be the other way round.

Madu Tiga

Three fruit juice drinks...

Madu itu manis... tetapi bermadu itu pahit.

The beauty of this somewhat controversial Malay phrase is in its subtle reference to the connection between something that can be both sweet and bitter. In all likelihood, it was a woman who first uttered these words, perhaps someone on the unfavourable end of a marital relationship.

`Madu' here of course refers to honey, while the `bermadu' part is the situation where a man is married to more than one wife. It has long puzzled me how the tasty product of bees can lend its name to polygamy. The virtues and healing properties of honey is well-known. Even the holy Al-Quran mentions this fact. On the other hand, stories of bitter polygamous marriages far outscore those of the `happily-ever-after' kind... at least the ones that I have personally heard anyway.

It may be interesting to note that in English-speaking regions, the word `honey' is also used as a term of endearment that one would call one's spouse or sweetheart. Alas, its Malay equivalent does not normally carry the same tone of affection.

Malay men, especially those of a certain age-group, can talk about this subject of bermadu for hours on end, without the slightest feeling of boredom or fatigue. Some purposely speak about it in front of their wives, either in jest or with hidden intentions. But based on my observations, those who openly talk about it, rarely actually do it. Mostly it is the silent and innocent-looking men who are the crafty ones.

The movie Madu Tiga is one of the more famous film by the late P. Ramlee. It tells the story of a certain En. Jamil who manages to marry three women, initially without any wife knowing about the other two. Such a scenario is practically impossible in present-day situation... but if there is such a man who can do it, then I tip my hat to him.

Okay then... lest I incur the wrath of my lady friends, I'll end this post by telling that Just Observations is 3-years old today. Thank you to all friends, readers and commenters for keeping me company.

Interlude #2/2011

I've got nothing much to write about... so here's the second interlude for the year, a subject close to my heart...

UNDERSTANDING ENGINEERS - Take One

Two engineering students were walking across the campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The second engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."
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UNDERSTANDING ENGINEERS - Take Two

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
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UNDERSTANDING ENGINEERS - Take Three

A priest, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with these people? We've been waiting for 15 minutes!"

The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude!"

The priest said, "Hey, here comes the green keeper. Let's have a word with him."

"Hi George, what's the matter with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"

The green keeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."

The group was silent for a moment. Then the priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."

The doctor said, "Good idea. And I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist friend and see if there is anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"

There's more where that came from (up to Take Eight)... but let's stop at three first. Credit to samshik@cari.com.my, who I'm sure got it from somewhere too..

Moving out...

Let's start with another of my well-worn excuse on why postings in this blog has been a bit sparse of late... of course the standard one being - very, very busy! The non-standard reason is that I have been on a house-hunting mission over the past few weekends because the lease to the place I'm renting now is expiring and I want to move to a cheaper unit. My current economic situation does not permit me to continue staying at the present apartment in Wangsa Maju although I like the environment quite a lot.

During the limited free time that I had, I browsed around the areas of Ampang, Pandan and Cheras to look for something within my budget. Nothing suitable was found until a chance search online indicated a vacancy at a new apartment unit in Bukit Jalil. I called the owner for a viewing appointment but he said he was driving and would call me back. After a whole day of waiting, the return call never came. The next day, I ran a google search of the apartment's location and made a trip there just to try my luck.

I located the place easy enough and politely asked the security guard at the entrance gate if he knew of any owners who want to rent out their units. He suggested I ask the maintenance office, which I did. As luck would have it, I met a staff who's acting on behalf of an owner who has a unit for rent. I had a look at the place, asked about the rental rate and decided there and then to close the deal.

It was a tiring day of moving stuff from the old place to the new place yesterday. The new place is of course very much smaller and has less facilities... but it still has a view of KLCC, albeit at a much greater distance. Cannot compare to the view from the previous place but I'm not complaining.

View from the old place on midnite of the new year...

A recipe book from the past

40-year old recipe book

I was at my sister-in-law's place earlier today and came across an old recipe book which she bought in the early 70's. The book is titled `Medan Selera' and was written by the late Haji Ahmad Bin Yaakub.

When I say `old', I mean real old... the text is in `ejaan lama'. For those of you young readers out there, if you don't understand what is meant by ejaan lama, go ask your mother. Even the measurements for the ingredients uses terms that are no longer in use. Try going to the market and ask to buy a kati of fish... and you'll probably get a laugh from the fishmonger.

Medan Selera was one of the very early compilation of recipes in book form. Haji Ahmad originally wrote his compilation in Jawi script in 1958. This romanised edition was first published in 1971, after the author's demise. It became a popular reference book amongst the ladies at that time. It contains recipes for most of the traditional dishes that Johor is famous for... nasi beriani (spelt as buryani in the book), laksa Johor and botok-botok. Surprisingly, the author had also included recipes for some western and Japanese dishes too. There is actually a recipe for mutton chops... which just goes to show that our tastebuds were already quite varied back then. It is also claimed that Haji Ahmad was the one who first used the Italian spaghetti in laksa Johor.

So how heavy is a kati in today's terms?

I only had a short time to browse through the book. No way my sis-in-law is letting me go home with her precious possession. I had an amusing time reading some of the archaic terms, measurements and ingredients. A tablespoon was known as chamcha besar. The smallest unit of weight was the tahil. Rice was measured in chupak. Then there is this ingredient in laksa Johor called sajira... I've never heard of it. My sis-in-law says it is a kind of spice.

Tembosa, a.k.a epok-epok

I did manage to find printed evidence about an issue that was recently discussed by some old school friends. The Malay kuih that the rest of Malaysia calls as karipap, is known as tembosa to us Johoreans. The filling for tembosa is the 156th recipe in the book.

A teacher from my old school who is a descendant of Haji Ahmad Bin Yaakub, is presently making efforts to re-publish this book in modern form. I look forward to owning a copy when it comes out in print. Then maybe I can try cook the original version of the famous Beriani Gam.

Is it bad to wish something bad on someone?

Well... readers need not answer this question. Of course it is bad.... but sometimes you cross paths with some senseless jerks who really test your patience.

Two days back, I was on my way to work. I stopped at a four-way traffic junction. Another car was in front of me. When the lights turned green, the car in front moved off and I started to follow. Suddenly, a motorcycle from the road on my right darted between the two cars, barely squeezing past. I had to brake hard to avoid smashing into the bike. What the eff!!!

On impulse, I stepped on my accelerator and chased the bike. A few hundred metres down the road, I caught up and pulled to his side. I wind down the car window and shouted some choice words to the motorcyclist.... I didn't care if he could hear me or not. The biker, a young man in his early 20's, just displayed a nonchalant face with a couldn't-care-less attitude. That was when the nasty thought of wishing ill on him crossed my mind.

I have lost count how many times I see irresponsible motorcyclists cut across road junctions when the light on their side is red. You don't have to take my word for it. Just stand next to any busy junction in Kuala Lumpur for 5 minutes and you'll know what I mean. Being small and nippy doesn't give motorcyclists any right to jump the lights. Why can't they have the patience to wait for the green signal, just like the rest of us?

Ok then... end of post. Just to let off some steam..

Zul and Nurul's Special Day

My brother-in-law, Zulkipli Mohd Amin tied the knot with a young lady from Hutan Melintang in Perak, last month. As usual, I took a lot of photos of the event, both at the bride's and the groom's side. I was too busy with work and other stuff to compile them properly... until the enforced time-off this weekend (see previous post) enabled me to create a simple video of the still pics.

I welcome Nurul-huda Ismail into this large family of ours... may your marriage be blessed and showered with happiness always, insyaAllah.

The related story of the engagement ceremony last year was posted here -> A new addition to the family.

Piroxicam and diclofenac

Another obvious sign of ageing is when the medicines your doctor prescribes you increase in variety. Previously you may just be familiar with paracetamol, ponstan and maybe one or two cough syrups. You wouldn't bother with the names of antibiotics because there are just too many of them. More often than not, you never finish the full antibiotic course as what was prescribed because you have this attitude of : Alaa... dah baik dah. Takyah nak makan ubat tu lagi...

Well... time is catching up on you, my friend. If you don't take care of your health, then be prepared to familiarise yourself with a host of new medications whose names would put you in a tongue-twisting exercise. There are hundreds of thousands of drugs and medicines out there. More are being discovered everyday. Pharmaceuticals is a very huge business.

So why am I talking about drugs today?

I had a severe attack of gout last night. The initial build-up to the pain around my left ankle was felt at about noon time yesterday. I chose to tough it out because there were outstanding items at the work site to attend to and that I would be driving back to Johor Bahru later that night. The plan was for me to see my regular doctor in JB the next day (today).

By the time I left Kuala Lumpur at around 9pm, the pain started to feel worse. Good thing it is the left leg... if it had been the right, then driving would've been impossible. I tried to make it a non-stop trip so as to reach home as fast as possible but my bladder wasn’t co-operating. I chose to make a pit stop at the small Yong Peng rest area where the toilets are not far from where we can park our car. It was a struggle to get out of my car to walk the 10 metres or so to reach the toilet. I couldn’t put any weight on my left leg and had to hobble the distance mostly on one leg. Quite embarrassing, really… Good thing the only other people watching this comical scene were the toilet cleaners.

I reached home in JB at around 1 am. My son acted as a crutch to help me from the car into the house. I downed two tablets of paracetamol, hoping to relieve some pain to last through the night.

No effect. The pain became unbearable and I couldn’t sleep. It was 3 am when I asked my better half to take me to see a doctor. Luckily there is a 24-hour clinic not too far away from where we stay. The last time I went to a clinic outside normal hours was ages ago.

The doctor took one look at my swollen ankle and immediately asked if I wanted a pain-killing jab. Yes, yes… please! She prescribed two medicines for me and her parting advice were two simple words : Jaga makan…

Yeah, doc… I hear you. But stubborn old me always give in to temptations when it comes to food.

Pic borrowed from -> Drug3K.com

Feldene (piroxicam) and Voren 50 (diclofenac sodium) are two medications used to relieve pain, tenderness, swelling and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They are also sometimes used to treat gouty arthritis (attacks of severe joint pain and swelling caused by a build-up of certain substances in the joints). They both fall under a class of medicines known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs)… see, I told you they are going to be a mouthful.

So today shall be a total rest-at-home day with limited mobility. Time to catch up on blogging and blog-hopping. And also to reflect on the problem of how to control my makan…

Something lives in this tree

Around two weeks ago, I accompanied my brother-in-law for his bernikah ceremony at the bride's home in Hutan Melintang, Perak. From Kuala Lumpur, we took the coastal road by way of Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam north towards Teluk Intan. The small town of Hutan Melintang is situated in the district of Bagan Datoh, just across the Selangor/Perak border demarcated by Sungai Bernam.

I have travelled this road a few times before and have always been fascinated by the lovely kampung landscape that included paddy fields in the areas of Tanjung Karang and Sekinchan. As we neared Sabak Bernam, we can see many roadside stalls selling mentarang, a type of shellfish that lives in the muddy tidal flats along this particular stretch of coastline. I have not seen this type of shellfish anywhere else in Malaysia.

Also along this road I spotted a number of stalls selling `kekabu'-filled pillows and mattresses. Kekabu is a type of fluffy cotton-like fibre used as the pillow filling. Before the advent of foam or artificial fibres, kekabu was the main material found in pillows and mattresses. The fibre comes from the seed pods of the kekabu tree whose English name is kapok (ceiba pentandra). It is also known as the Java cotton tree. Kapok trees are quite huge... they can grow in excess of 30m height.

I remember as a small boy, there was a big kekabu tree at the back of my grandfather's house. When the family gathered there for hari raya, the older cousins like to frighten us younger ones by telling that a certain pontianak lives on this tree and would come down to suck our blood if we persist in playing outside past maghrib (sunset) time. It was a very good scare tactic... but it also created a problem. Kampung houses those days do not have flush toilets. Latrines were all located outside. You drop your poop through a hole in the outhouse floor into a bucket. A very hardworking gentleman would then come every few days to manually collect your deposits and clean the bucket.

The latrine at my grandfather's house was located next to the kekabu tree... and if there is a need for any of the young ones to do business at night, we dare not do it alone. Therefore one or two of the other cousins are forced to accompany the person doing the business. And because we were chicken-hearted, the business is done with the latrine door full open. If you are the one doing the business, then you'll have to live with the embarassment of having other people watching you crapping your stuff. On the other hand, if you are the one doing guard duty, you have to bear with the aroma from the outhouse while at the same time stealing glances at the imposing kekabu tree for anything that may swoop down from it and grab you by the neck. A classic lose-lose situation...

For the wedding at Perak the other day, we put up at a homestay not far from the bride's house. Next to this homestay is an old abandoned kampung house. In front of this abandoned house is a kekabu tree... and this was what reminded me of today's story.

An abandoned house with a big kekabu tree... brings back scary memories from the past.

Don't want to be around this place after dark...

In a sulking mood...

No, not me... but a young lady tengah merajuk after not getting to do what she wants.

It has been a really busy month. Have been catching up with already delayed work at site with a number of public holidays in between... now that's when you wish there weren't any public holidays. Then there was the wedding of my brother-in-law. First was the nikah ceremony last week at the bride's home in Perak and last night was the reception at the groom's house in Shah Alam. And then I have to think of moving house by the end of the month. Gosh, I'm beat... but overall, better being busy than having nothing to do at all.

So today's post is just simple pic I caught of my grandniece Nurul Aqilah in a moody pose at last night's reception. Maybe I'll write about the wedding event a bit later.

Now why can't they let me do what I want....

Ops pyramid

The first flight to bring back our students studying in Egypt, arrived at KLIA yesterday and was received by the Prime Minister, no less. There are still many more of our students housed temporarily at the transit point of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, not to mention those who are still trapped in Cairo.

Even since the start of the public demonstrations in Cairo more than a week ago, the government has made a commendable effort in trying to ensure the safety of our students over there and putting up an evacuation mission. The sheer number of our student population in Egypt made the operations a tough one indeed. Without doubt, it needed careful planning and coordination. Despite the effort, there have been many voices of discontent, especially in the earlier part of the crisis, when many people said that our government was slow to react. Even sadder is the claim that there are parties politicising the issue... either claiming credit for the success of the evacuation or complaining of the inefficiency of the whole operations. I have nothing but the feeling of despise for such people who cannot see through their shallow self-interests. I do not have any children or relatives studying in Egypt and so cannot claim to feel the same level of anxiety as many of my friends who do. But I do believe we have responsible leaders in our country who will definitely do their best when the lives of Malaysian citizens are at stake.

The situation in Cairo has somewhat stabilised and this has prompted some students to decline the offer to be flown home, especially those final year students about to take their exams this month. Yesterday's status update from my former teacher presently in Cairo, mentions that many shops are open again and peace is slowly returning to the city. I hope and pray that the Egyptian people find a peaceful solution to their problems and no more lives are lost. It would be very sad to see their country go into further turmoil because generally Egyptians are very nice people.

I have been to Egypt twice before but those were business trips. There wasn't much chance to do the touristy things like visit the pyramids or browse the museums... but my host over there did treat me to a wonderful dinner aboard a restaurant-boat that floats on the Nile. My Egyptian host is a very gracious and friendly man. He made my stay very comfortable and his hospitality was genuine. I would feel hard-pressed to extend him the same level of kindness should he be able to visit Kuala Lumpur... but of course I'll try my best. He sends me text greetings every year during Eid. When the demonstrations in Cairo reached its peak a few days ago, I sent him a text message enquiring about his situation but to date have yet to receive a reply.

To my good friend from Al-Masr, Mr Mohamed Diab... I hope you and your family are safe and coping well through these hard times. May Allah swt shower you with protection.

Happy Lunar New Year

It is time the tiger says farewell and hands over the reign to the rabbit. As a guy born in the year of the tiger, the previous lunar new year was a mixed one for me. On the workfront, it didn't turn out as I expected but the brief hiatus from work commitments allowed me the time to re-connect with some old friends and share some happiness.

The rabbit brings to mind the image of prolific reproductivity.... but don't get any ideas, of course the missus and I are well past that stage. Perhaps the aspiration we can wish for is for the abundance in health, wealth and good fortune for the coming year. And I relay that wish to all my Chinese friends and readers.... Gong Xi Fa Cai...

The price of getting hitched

I attended two weddings and one engagement ceremony this month. The weddings are those of my former co-workers while the engagement is that of my niece that I have posted about previously. All these events were held at different parts of the country (Temerloh, Tangkak and Melaka) and it was interesting to observe the different ways people celebrate such occassions.

Wedding and engagement ceremonies in the big cities such as KL and JB can be elaborate affairs. The scale of such events depend entirely on what the families can afford. But nowadays, I note that the average asking price of the `wang hantaran' the prospective groom has to fork out is around RM10k, and even that I am told, is towards the bottom end of the range. It is not too surprising to hear asking price of RM15,000.

During my day in the late '80s, five-figure wang hantaran are the realm of the rich and famous only.

I have three sons. I wonder how much the rate would be when their time comes to get hitched...

01.01.11 (Temerloh) : Bride Zalina Mohamed getting the final touch-up

30.01.11(Melaka) : Groom Norfaizal Khafid (ex-colleague) and bride Norahayu, at the bride's house.

A different taste of KFC (kampung fried chicken)

On Thursday, The Star Online carried a news item about a blogger and Google being sued by the owner of a fish head curry restaurant in Kota Kinabalu. Apparently the blogger had written a negative review of the restaurant in May of last year and this supposedly caused a drop in the restaurant's business.

Although the suit has just been filed, does it mean that bloggers cannot do anymore food reviews, or at least the negative ones? I have read the blog posting in question and except for a demeaning phrase, I consider the rest of it as the blogger's personal opinion of the food that he had tasted. If the restaurant's business can significantly suffer because of that one review, then whoever wrote that piece must've been one influential blogger indeed! Instead of trying to improve the taste of his dishes, the restaurant owner has decided to sue the blogger... and amazingly dragging Google into the process at the same time. Let's pause for a moment and consider the reverse scenario. If the blogger had written a ravingly positive review and this helped improve the restaurant's income, would the owner pay the blogger some form of reward?

Lest I get sued next, I am not naming the restaurant or the blogger, or linking the post that caused the restaurant owner to be upset.... read the Star article and google the names for yourself. I note that a few other blogs have also picked up on the story.

I have written a few restaurant and food reviews myself... and why not? Food is my second most favourite subject. Will I be discouraged to write anymore reviews because of this incident? I don't think so... in fact, I am writing one right now...

Ever since being transferred to Kuala Lumpur early last year, I have heard a few friends mention of a certain makan place in Cheras that serves tasty ayam kampung goreng. The proper translation for this is actually `fried kampung chicken' but saying it as `kampung fried chicken' gives it a twist in comparison to the other more famous fried chicken variety. The operative word here is `kampung', which is the adjective describing the chicken. Translating it to `village chicken' somehow does not sound quite right. The closest equivalent in English that I can offer is probably `free-range chicken'. This is the variety of poultry reared in open farms as opposed to the broiler chickens bred in closed pens strictly for their meat where their lifespan is a mere 42 days (or thereabouts) from hatching to slaughter.

Restoran A. Hassan is located next to the KL velodrome in Cheras. Their signature dish is ayam kampung goreng. Yesterday, with the help of a colleague, I visited the place for the first time. It was packed with the lunchtime office crowd but there were tables available because the restaurant has additional eating areas on the upper floors. That fact alone tells us how popular the place is. If fried chicken is not your fancy, not to worry.... there are plenty of other dishes to choose from. Prices are reasonable and parking surprisingly is very convenient. Made me wonder why I had not discovered this place much earlier.

So the next time I am in Cheras during lunchtime... you know where you can find me. That concludes my first food review for the year.

Sorry for just including the pic of the building. Pic of the actual ayam kampung dish is too blurry...

The first engagement of the year

Ever since I got hold of a DSLR camera about a year ago, I became the unofficial photographer at most of our family functions and events... namely weddings and engagements. I cannot claim to match the pros because my arsenal of lenses and photo gadgets is still very basic. But the joy I derive from taking pictures becomes meaningful because after loading them online, the pics can be viewed by other relatives who could not make it to the event.

Yesterday was the first engagement ceremony for 2011. Our niece, Siti Nurul Solihin bt. Zaid, is now promised to be married to a handsome young chap from Besut, Terengganu. The ceremony was held at my brother-in-law's house in Tangkak, Johor.

Congratulations to the family of Zaid Md Amin and Noraini Ali Afendi on the prospect of welcoming a new member into the family. God willing, I will join the trip to Terengganu next year.

The future groom is Muslim bin Mausin

Sweet... but brutal too!

Used the old road on the way back to catch this view of Gunung Ledang

Badique in memory...

On this date last year, I posted a story about 2 birthdays... the second of which was the birthday of my friend, Bahruzzaman Abdul Kadir, or better known to us as Badique.

Badique and I studied together for our A-levels at the UK, first at Centre for Business Studies in London and later at Aston College in Wrexham, North Wales. He later continued to do his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Birmingham while I went to Sheffield. I met him once in the early years of our working career back in Malaysia after which we lost touch for a long time, only to be re-connected in December of 2009 by way of Facebook. I visited my friend at his house in Shah Alam on 19.01.10, the eve of his 48th birthday.

If Badique were alive today, he would be 49-years-old. Alas, he died of cancer in April last year. I can't help but shed a tear as I type this...

Rest patiently my brother... we will be there to join you soon. May Allah swt place you among the soliheen..

Badique is third from the left with yours truly on the far right, Wrexham 1980

Interlude

There was a news report in yesterday's The Star Online about DPM Muhyiddin planning to discuss with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about reviving the US Peace Corps programme to get American volunteer teachers to teach our students the English language. It makes me wonder if the quality of the teachers we have now are not up to par for us to resort to outside help. If really such help is needed, then I would think it would be better for the Americans to teach our local English language teachers, rather than directly teaching the students. I am sure the local teaching profession has some views on this.

In the 1970's, there was a group of American Peace Corps volunteers who helped teach the students at MRSM Kuantan. They taught us Maths and the Science subjects... but not English. The English language was taught entirely by local teachers, and such good English teachers they were. I love and respect all my English teachers then... and I do trust the present-day ones have the same capability and skills as those who helped me those years ago.

On that note, here's the first interlude for 2011 :

A Malaysian girl whose command of English is not too good, accidentally bumped into a Matsalleh tourist.

`I am sorry,' the girl said.

`I am sorry too,' responded the tourist.

The girl was puzzled and replied, `I am sorry three...'

The Matsalleh was even more confused. `What are you sorry for?'

Girl desperately offered, `I am sorry..... five?'

The previous year in pictures

I have been going through my collection of photos taken last year (2010) and had a tough time deciding to pick one pic for each month. My personal preference has always been landscape photography but I've decided to include some pics taken during weddings and engagements. I attended quite a few of such events last year.

But the event that really makes me spoilt for choice is Floria `10 in Putrajaya. I took hundreds of shots of flowers and gardens on that day but I finally decided the photo of the yellow bee is the best of the lot.

p/s : click on the photos if you wish to view a larger image... but I guess you guys know this already...

January

Title : Sunset at Tanjung Langsat Port
Location : Tanjung Langsat, Johor
Date : 11.01.10

February

Title : Early morning catch
Location : Teluk Iskandar, Mersing, Johor
Date : 15.02.10

March

Title : Sarah's wedding
Location : Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Bahru
Date : 13.03.10

April

Title : Tropical rainforest
Location : FRIM, Kuala Lumpur
Date : 10.04.10

May

Title : Bukit Merah Lake
Location : Taiping, Perak
Date : 21.05.10

June

Title : Sotong masak lemak
Location : Restoran Nasi Padang Sofian, Kuantan
Date : 18.06.10

July

Title : Bee on yellow flower
Location : Floria `10, Putrajaya
Date : 16.07.10

August

Title : Kuala Lumpur night view
Location : Hulu Langat lookout point, Selangor
Date : 23.08.10

September

Title : Hari raya di desa
Location : Kg Sri Pantai, Mersing, Johor
Date : 10.09.10

October

Title : Fallen tree
Location : Hutan Lipur Sg Tua, Selangor
Date : 31.10.10

November

Title : Seafood lunch
Location : Pakbara beach, Satun, Thailand
Date : 20.11.10
 

December

Title : Sireh junjung at Fatimah's engagement
Location : Shah Alam, Selangor
Date : 11.12.10

Someone watching over me (Part 3)

To read the preceding parts, click here -> Part 1 and Part 2

It has been 3 hours since they wheeled his wife into the surgical room. By normal convention, the longer the duration of surgery, the more complicated it is. But Amir is a patient man... he knows that all is now in the hands of the Almighty. He waits... for whatever news that comes. Seems like waiting is becoming something he gets to do often nowadays.

The doctor emerges from the surgical room and approaches him. He couldn't read the tired doctor's face for signs of any clear news, be it good or bad.

He is about to get up from his seat when the good doctor motions for him to remain seated. The doctor takes the empty seat next to him.

`How are you holding on En. Amir?' the doctor asks.

`As well as can be, I guess,' he replies. `But still, praise to Allah for giving us the health and strength to carry on. Hope that you are holding on too, Doc.'

The doctor nods in agreement. He isn't sure how to start relaying the news. But after more than 20 years experience of being an O&G specialist, he has mastered the skill in telling news in a tactful manner.

`A most amazing thing happened today,' the doctor begins. `We brought your wife into the room and were preparing for the operation. Just before we were about to start, her vital signs stabilised. I was a little surprised and waited for a while to check and make sure the machines were really reading it right. Then I noticed her eyelids start to flicker and slowly open. By God I thought, she's regaining consciousness... '

`I saw her hand move slightly and I offered to hold it. Her eyes were looking straight at me... as if she wants to say something. So I leaned over and she then whispered something to me... she said, "Doc, promise me you will save my baby." I couldn't say no.... so I said, yes I promise. She smiled a little and gave a very slight nod.'

`What happened next is something I cannot explain. I have never seen anything like it. She went into labour and after a few pushes, the baby is delivered. Like any normal delivery... it is like she never had any complications before. It is like... the baby is meant to live.'

`Because of your wife's history of thyroid cancer and her radiotherapy treatment, there were other specialists present during the delivery. You know.... err... we were a bit concerned about the physical health of the baby. But we needn't have worried. You are the father of a very beautiful and perfectly healthy baby girl...'

The doctor pauses for a while after saying that last sentence. Amir knows that what follows would be the part containing the bad news.

`But... ,' Amir prompts the doctor to continue.

The doctor lets out a low sigh and resumes, `But when we cleaned the baby and was about to show her to the mother.... your wife lapsed back into coma, start to lose a lot of blood and we had to take emergency measures. The last two hours was spent trying to save her.'

`She is now stable but it is still touch and go. I am sorry I cannot promise you very much...'

Amir looks into the distance. He tries hard to understand the situation and fights back the urge to let the tears flow. The waiting room suddenly feels very quiet.

He finally breaks the silence. `Thank you Doc, for trying your best. Can I see her?'

`We are preparing to send her back to ICU,' the doctor replies. `You'll be able to see her in a short while.'

`No,' he says, `I mean my daughter.'

`Oh, of course. Follow me please.'

He follows the doctor to another part of the hospital and is shown the newborn baby girl. The moment he lays his eyes on her, he knows she is the most beautiful baby he ever saw. After waiting for so many years, he is now finally a father.

But does getting this new love of his life means that he loses another in exchange?