Surfs up ... Tusan 23rd November!

Rising tide, two body boards and two kiddies willing to give it a shot! It was so much fun, nobody wanted to go home. If it wasn't from scorching midday sun, we'd still be there counting the biggies!

It's been a while since the kids been to the beach, the scaled Tusan cliff just to get down to the surf!

Aisya in Bario 14-16th November

She was so so happy to finally be able to tag along Daddy on one of his trips. It's always been Ali, Ali to KK, Ali to KL. Finally she's got a shot to go to Bario with Daddy. Daddy and the rest of the MNS Miri gang that is.

She woke up like a tight spring the morning we were leaving for the airport. All excited about checking in, and carrying her own small snack pack. She bought herself a small toy tiger to keep her company while in Bario too.

Mommy kept saying how quiet Aisya is when she's around strangers. Bario proved to the contrary. She made her own friends among the MNS Miri troupe, playing with everyone. Talking to everyone. Making jokes all around. She's comfortable. Hung out with Alison, Esther, Anura, Ernyza, Julie and yakked with Steve and Mr Tan.

Only thing she didn't want to do was go trekking with us while in Bario. She didn't want to get her feet and shoes muddy. Next time Daddy must by boots for trekking so that her feet wont get all caked with mud. She volunteered to stay at the lodge and hang out with Douglas's daughters. And played. And run around the house.

Aisya in baju kurong with sequins 01st Nov 2008!

This was the baju kurong she picked out herself at Tesco in Kota Bharu when we were back visiting Tok Wan in September. We were hoping that it'd be something she'd wear for Tok Wan during Hari Raya. It turned out that this trip was the last time the children saw Tok Wan, she passed away 14th September a few days after we had bought this baju kurong for Aisya.

During Hari Raya 01st October, in Miri, she absolutely refused to wear this dress coming up with all kinds of excuses ... she doesn't like green, she didn't pick it out, she didn't like sequins and a barrage of other excuses. Mommy wasn't able to coax her to put it on.

That day, 01st November, she'd agreed to put it on for Daddy. We're attending Sekolah Sri Mawar's Hari Raya Get-Together at Kelab Rekreasi Petroleum in Lutong.

Aisya's 6th Birthday!

Time do flies .. we are reminded of that everytime we get ready to celebrate the children's birthdays. 02nd July 2008 was Aisya's sixth birthday!

Born in Assen at Wilhemina Hospital on 02nd July 2002, she considers herself Dutch and her real home Rolde! We are completely clueless as to why she keeps insisting that is so.

Henrietta walked in one day May 2008

I grew up with pets ever since I can remember. Cats, birds, monkeys, dogs, goats and once a mousedeer. This was before dad went and had a small kenduri with the mousedeer as the main dish.

Cats definitely featured in a big way during my childhood ... Mary, Sarge, Kicirat, Mary, Mary .... Then there was no pets for a long long time until this skinny little runt walked into the house one sun shiny day, 18th May 2008. Aisya happened to pick it up. And luvd it in an instance.

So that is how Henrietta or Etta for short came into the kids lives, 3rd edition to the family. She's now part of the family, sleeps with the kids, plays with the kids and fed by Ali.

She's spayed at a cost of $1100 including a few weeks recovery time at the clinic. She kept tugging at her suture, it broke, re-sutured and back into recovery.

Did I mention she's a stray? But the kids completely adore her. So does Daddy.

Prawn fishing at Jabatan Laut Jetty February 2008

This was taken 03rd February 2008. The one day in 2008 that we managed to go to Kg Masjid Jetty near Kuala Baram together as a family to try our luck with 'udang galah'. Even Mommy was there ... truly a family event.

Daddy's 2008 target for big blue-pinchered udang galah was at least 5, having done rather poorly for 2007. We only managed to go fishing for it twice all of 2008! At least in 2007 the blue-pinchers were hooked but lost. Dismal indeed.

Aisya is actually the one more interested to go fishing than Ali. Ali gets bored quickly if there isn't any action. Aisya however is more suited to prawn and bottom fishing, more patience. She can sit around and chat or just wander about if not intently observing the rod. Ali however needs to be continually casting and retrieving ... he'll be on the beach in two jiffies if there was a slight lull moment.

Mommy on the other hand just hates fishing!

We fished Bekenu near the esplanade once in a while, mostly we hooked bedukang and baung. Catch and release, if not back into the river/sea, it's back to our aquarium. Kpg Masjid jetty so far has been our hot favorite ... nice place, friendly folks. The view is not too shabby.

And the old croc does come up once in a while ... yes, the friendly one that apparently doesn't 'kacau' the locals. Yep!

Casting champion December 2007

And they say fish at the spot don't take to plastics!

We hauled up 7 table size barramundi, not to mention a few more that got away due to line break and what not.

14th December 2007. We were out fishing at a new spot behind Bukit Kluang near Kampong Raja, a popular picnic spot for locals. We didn't plan on going fishing, so didn't bring the usual smelly bait.

A few cursory glances around the water's edge, the kids were just too excited to leave without having a go with the fishing rods. Plastics to the rescue! We rigged up a few rods and started casting.

No one at the jetty believed that we could catch anything with it. A few casts later, Ali landed the first juvvy grouper ... he was gentlemanly enough to agree to release it. That was the start of the whole frenzy.

Every retrieve after that was viciously attacked. All the kids were too excited to care what did it. Everyone wanted a rod and a plastic bait. Even Tok Wan was running around picking after the barramundis flapping on the ground. Ali showed off his casting coolness ... he had some practice in Kuala Miri.

Thus plastics reigned for one day at Bukit Kluang. Other fishos came by asking how we did it. Never before in the history of that spot. Youngest fisho was Irfan aged 7, Ali's youngest cousin. Eldest was his eldest cousin Hafiz.

Ali caught the first fish and was extremely proud of it! The very first fish on plastics in these parts, even his daddy was exteremely proud!

Ali's concert nite November 2007

All excited to end the year with a farewell concert at a public hall as part of the year end school ritual.

Ali was ecstatic to be selected to take part in a panto-drama put up by his KAFA class. He was playing the role of a farmer disposessed and victimised by a big giant, not quite sure whether it was a nasty giant or a greedy feudal landlord=probably no difference. The feudal landlard probably more than make up for nastiness in place of size.

Aisya was also excited about the hwole deal. She was actively involved in getting her brother dressed and decked up for the role ... the poor farmer. This picture was taken minutes before we made our way from the house to the hall.

None of the roles in the panto-drama had a speaking part. Everybody was running around the stage, loud music blaring accompanying a song which described the story of the poor farmers who were victimised and later rose up, exert their right and vanguished the landlord.

Aisya at Lambir October 2007

Both children love trudging about in the forest. Each with a little backpack of their own, they'd go for 45mins straight along the forest path with a multitude of questions about the leaves, the flowers, the insects and the likes.

This was on one of those trips, 18th October 2007. I think they've just experienced the thrill of the rainforest after spending sometime in Mesilau, Sabah and climbing the Canopy Walk in Poring Hotsprings, Sabah during Gawai break.

"Papa, let's go spend sometime at Lambir!". And that day we did. A day at Lambir National Park.

We picked a shady spot next to the main trail by the meandering river amidst the greens. Spread our picnic mat, laid down our picnic goodies, crayons and coloring books and made a day of it.

Catching up time

Wow! How fast they grow ...

We used to keep a website http://www.img.100megs28.com/familydiary.htm to account for the growing years of our two children. Being far away from home at the time seemed to necessitate us having a picture diary online for all to share our family news and images.

Age one, we are still okay. Both of us were compliling photos and videos. Both of us were diligently photoshopping images from both media to share our pictures with our extended family. Age three and another addition to the family, we were still feverishly making photos, processing and updating them. Making snippets on the websites.

Slowly the backlog grew to become a mountain of images we could never have muddled thru. There were stories and anecdotes we can't recall anymore. We did not do so bad initially. The kids were still small and we still had time making pictures. AS they grew, it got more and more hectic. Time shrunk!

After a while we realised that the backlog of captured images were still there, not getting any less. The kids were growing. There were more things to do. Holidays to go to and more holiday pictures to go with it. Even more pictures to take. Some never got out from the camera. Some went directly to the hard disk and never got to see the light again except when they were initially exposed.

This blog is meant to make up for those lost years, and catch up on time left behind and hopefully keep abreast of the kids developments and day to day antics.

This blog is for our children. Hoping it fares better that our family diary website!