Back To Blogging

I have decided to continue blogging after a long layoff. My last post was on 7th. December 2010. Until this morning I thought it was the last and I would cease to post any new post and would let the site be dormant for as long as I was in no mood to continue blogging again.
There is nothing specific that made me lay off from posting a new post. The only reason that immediately comes to mind is laziness, the lack of enthusiasm, lack of interest as so many other bloggers who can be considered as my peers has passed on or has vanished from the blogosphere without any parting post. The demise of Captain Yusoff Ahmad of The Ancient Mariner, Ruby Ahmad, Dalilah Tamrin's One Breast Bouncing and now Zaharan Razak of 'I' of the Storm is lying a comatose in a hoispital somewhere in Trengganu, and several other bloggers such as Mat Salo of Borneo Blues and The Pirate of Pulau Kapas with his blog Capt's Longhouse has all gone quiet, the blogosphere that I was comfortable in becomes lonely and desolate. Slowly I too went quiet.
Now I am waking up. I have a life to live and share whatever I have to share with my family and friends via this blog. This blog will continue to be the life within me. This blog will only die when I die.
After two weeks of soul searching in the holy lands of Medina and Mecca, I thought I would come back rejuvenated. My life should have been alive on the day I set foot on Malaysian soil again. Alas it was not to be and it took me a full month to begin.
Beside making new post again, I will begin painting again. There are a couple of painting which I promised to do for my friends and family but I have yet to fulfill their request. Namely Pakpayne with the almost finished Traditional Fishing Boat, HJ Angus for his Sunrise at KB's Waterfront, a painting for my son Azrin and daughter Azini since both of them has just moved in into their new homes.
One activity which I didn't stop was gardening. I did manage to clear a small patch on the vacant land in front of my house and I planted some chilli plants, some kangkong and some angled loofah. All of them are bearing now while the kangkong has been providing me with an endless stream of fresh green vegetables.
Since the last posting in December I have been blessed with two grandsons. First to come was Razeen Ilham the son who is 4 months old and he is the fourth child for my son Azrin and Yanie while Airil Hafizi is almost two month old son of my son Azuan and Ijjah. Their coming to this world was a joyous occasion which deserved a post on my blog at least as a matter of records. Unfortunately they came at a time when I just wasn't in the mood to write anything.
With this post, I hope to be back to my normal self and continue to do what I used to do before, sharing the joy of life with my family and friends.

A Coffee Table For My Son's New House

Azrin with his three children, Irsyad, Ayen and Syakirah

Yanie posing with a friend. The Black Merc belongs to her friend.


It was sometimes in August 2010 that my daughter in law Yanie made a posting in her Facebook that she will be moving into her new home in Subang Alam in Section 27 Shah Alam. I immediately responded by promising to give a coffee table which she could collect when she came back for the last Idulfitri. Unfortunately the table was not ready as the workshop that I commissioned to do was too busy doing other jobs including my own wakaf (gazebo).
It was only today that the final coat of white shellac was sprayed and was ready for collection.
The table top for the coffee table is a special piece of cengal wood measuring 18" x 43" carved with floral motives. This piece of wood is special in that I had purchased it some 20 odd years ago from my uncle in Kuala Lumpur. It was a surplus piece from those used to decorate the walls of the traditional houses in Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam Shah Alam. I remember paying my uncle some RM300 for that piece with a few other items made from wood. The piece had been in my keep without knowing when it will ever be used. So when we moved back from our previous home in Gua Musang, that piece of wood carving came along. Though I have never found a proper use for it, it was never the less safely tucked away in a corner. Our own furniture of mainly Indonesian Jati did not seem to allow for this gem to fit in anywhere.
The beautiful carving with a floral motif.

That was until my son bought his new house that there was space enough for a coffee table which I offered him for via Yanie's facebook posting. There was a snag though. He had ordered his new furniture in white even though they were made of Cengal, the king of Malaysian wood. He wanted furniture made of wood that will last but of white color. To me painting wood is against the spirit of wood especially when they are made of cengal whereby all the grain in the wood will be obscured.

In the case of the coffee table, I had to compromise. The body of the table will be painted with white shellac, while the table top with the floral carving will be stained with wood oil and covered with a piece of 8 mm glass. Thus the carving will remain the color of the wood with the spirit of wood intact.
The table will be delivered to my son's home when I next visit them after Yanie has delivered my ninth grandson in January 2011.
Today is Azrin's birthday. Happy birthday son.

Another Wedding Part 2

We would have lost our son Azuan if not for certain action by his friends on that fateful night in Dec 1997. A freak accident with his motorcycle on the way to supper with with his two other friends after a night of study while in University Technology Malaysia almost cost his life. He was then pursuing a degree course in polymer Engineering at UTM. The three of them were riding two motorbikes with Azuan riding alone infront. At a particular sharp bend his friends found Azuan sprawled on the road and thought he was kidding when he said he fell down from his bike. His friends thought he was kidding since they wasn't able to see what happened. There was no other vehicle on the road at that time to cause an accident.

A middle aged Chinese man later stopped by and noticing Azuan was feeling giddy and nauseating, told his friends to take him to the clinic. The doctor examined Azuan and realizing that he could be suffering from internal injury made arrangement to send him to The Sultan Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru. At the hospital Azuan managed to call his brother Azrin who was then working around Johore Baru. Unfortunately Azrin didn't answer the call. Azrin later found out about Azuan's situation and immediately called his mum. Since I was working in Gua Musang about 200 km south of Pasir Mas where our home is located, my wife Fatthiyah agreed to drive to Gua Musang and together we would drive down to Johor Baru.

We went straight to JB hospital. Azrin met us there. Azrin gave us a brief account of the accident as related to him by Azuan's friend. It was due to Azuan's collapse at the hospital that the hospital authority decided to operate on him immediately after a brain scan indicated there was a blood clot in his brain the size of a pingpong ball. Azuan was lucky that the brain surgery unit was recently set up a month ago under the charge of Dr. Suffian. Otherwise he may not be able to be operated immediately. Time was the essence of it, the longer the various brain part is allowed to be starved of essential oxygen, the more damage to various part of the brain controlling the various part of the body functions. Most important is of course the sight and memory function.

Immediately after the operation, my son was placed in the ICU. He was under sedative to make his brain rest so that it will repair itself sooner with the help of medication. Dr Suffian explained to us that his duty was only to save life. Anything else like ensuring that no brain part was damaged was still beyond the knowledge of man. He asked us to pray to Allah that our son will survive without any harm to any of his body function. That revealation was quite unnerving.

A brain surgery involved the removal of the top of the skull and taking out the brain from the head for futher surgery. In Azuan's case the blood clot would be drained off and after that the brain is replaced into the head. The part of the skull removed will not be put back immediately as the brain had enlarged due to brusing during handling thus it will not fit in snugly. Only after the brain size had returned to normal and there is no further need to operate on it will the removed skull section be replaced. We could notice the soft mushy brain under the skin tissue where part of the skull was removed.

In the ICU, Azuan was in a deep sleep but could be brought to semi consciousness by calling out his name or by applying hard slaps on his arms. By holding palm to palm we managed to get his reactions when we called out his name.

Azuan in the ward.

When his condition improved, the removed skull was replaced and the skin flap was closed. He was moved to the normal recovery ward after several days in the ICU. All this while he was fed by a tube put through the nostril. His hands had to be restrained as he had the tendency to remove the tube as it was irritating to him. Every time he the tube, it had to be reinserted by a nurse. Later on a hole was constructed on his throat to enable tube to be inserted direct to his stomach. This method is less irritating. I was taught to feed him since Fatthiyah wasn't comfortable doing it.

His memory was yet to be restored

We were there for 20 days until Azuan was strong enough to be nursed at home.
Azuan had no recollection of what happened during the period when he collapsed until he was brought home to Pasir Mas by car. On the way home I was caught by a police speed trap but was let off after incessant pleading with the traffic police.

Recuperating At Home In Pasir Mas.

Several months later when we thought he was well enough, he applied and was admitted into UiTM Dungun to take up a Diploma on IT. Unfortunately whenever he tried to study he felt sharp pains in his head. Azuan didn't complete the course.
Now some years later he has found employment with the central bank.
It is a great wonder that this son of ours who nearly lost his life is healthy and well to such extent that he can easily play strenous badminton games regularly. Once he joined his mates from the bank to successfully do the tough Head Hunters Trail in Sarawak.
Come this 15th of October, Azuan will be married. His marriage will be the last among the siblings and hopefully he will continue to give me many more bundles of joy in the form of grandchildren.
Everything is ready for the joyous moment. I can hear the workment banging on nails trying to finish off the job of the new porch. The porch will be part of the serving area for the guests which will be held outdoor.

Unfortunately the PC I was normally down and this old laptop is so slow, I cant put in any pictures to illustrate our preparation for the wedding.

Since this will be my last post before hari Raya, I would like to wish all fellow Moslem Selamat Hari Raya. For the non moslem, please do visit the moslem brothers as you are most welcome to join the joy of celebrating it.

Posted by Pak Zawi at Thursday, October 11, 2007 23 comments

Another Wdding Soon - Part 1

Hari Raya is coming soon. As if to commemorate this auspicious occassion, my son's wedding will be held on the 3rd day of Idilfitri which is the 15th of Oct. which is just a day after his dad's 57th birthday (wink, wink).

The wedding will be held at the brides place just across the town of Pasir Mas. A small reception will be held at my own place the next day and a small feast for the family, neighbours and close friends will be held as 'menerima menantu' (ushering the daugther inlaw). So you can feel the ever increasing tempo of life for both of us till the day of the wedding is done. I am not worried since my wife is very meticulous with everything she does. Immediately after the wedding date is confirmed, she started the preparations. Of utmost importance is the caterer. We have our own favourite caterer who has been doing it for us for several occassion. Their food is good and the price is affordable. Fortunately this caterer was available on that date because he has accepted the bookings for 4 weddings already. Five bookings is all he could handle on any single day. Phew...lucky thing.

Most of the other necessary things for the occassion like the invitation, the 'hantaran' and most important of all the necessary documentations before the wedding is solemnised by the 'naib kadi' on the day before the actual celebration.

Almost everybody in Kelantan choose the dates of 15th, 16th. and 17th Oct to hold a wedding reception. Do you wonder why people in Kelantan prefer to choose a date so close to Idilfitri celebration? The answer is obvious. Many family members will be returning in droves to Kelantan from all over Malaysia for the Hari Raya. So what better days to do a wedding when all close relatives are back home. This will be very convenient. You can expect weddings to be held everywhere in Kelantan. If you travel on those few days after Idilfitri you will not miss seeing a wedding in all the towns and villages. Maybe a few maybe held in a single place simulatneously. The 'Naib Kadi' who will solemnise the wedding will have a busy week come Idilfitri.

Azuan is 27 last June. His marriage will be the fourth and the last marriage among the children. He is my third child. The youngest (Azini) was married in early 2006 and now has a 53 days child Nur Aqilah Balqiss. It is normal for the girl to marry at a younger age compared to boys. Thats how Azuan even being the elder brother is yet to be married.

As an illustration here are some pictures of my youngest daughter's (Azini) wedding to Lokman.

The bride and bridegroom on the dais with the happy parents

The bride with her auntie Sharifah Shawati

Some of my classmates who came for the wedding.

The Hantaran (Gifts from The Bridegroom)

Posted by Pak Zawi at Saturday, September 29, 2007 94 comments

A Bundle of Joy

Azini and daughter Nur Aqilah Balqis one day after delivery

The coming into the world of a new baby will always bring joy to any family. It means there is someone new to shower all of our love and affection. No doubt there will be sleepless nights when the baby cries incessantly due to infection leading to nasal congestion or whatever ails the baby. From personal experience, I tell you the joy is worth all the troubles.
With all the children grown up, there is only the birth of grandchildren to look forward to for old couple like me and my wife to relive such moments. In 1997 we received two bundles of joy within the space of one month from each other. This brings to tally to 6 grandchildren altogether from 3 young parents.
Latun Syakirah came into this world 2 weeks earlier than Nur Aqilah Balqiss. Since it was at a private maternity clinic in Bangi Selangor, we were not there to greet this 5th granddaughter on 19th July 2007. The mother Latun Noralyani (my daughter in law) can already be considered an experienced mother since this is her third delivery. Her husband Azrin was there in the delivery room to accompany her through the hours of labour. Syakirah came into this world at a hefty 3.4 kg. some 2 weeks earlier than the due date.

On the other hand Azini's (my youngest daughter) delivery of Nor Aqilah Balqis (my sixth grandchild) to this world was full of drama and suspense. The mother was warded into Perdana Specialist Medical Hospital in Kota Bharu, Kelantan some 20 odd km from home. This was Azini's first delivery and she was already 3 days overdue. The doctors decided that she must be induced into labour and not wait for natural labour. The baby could be too big and delivery will be difficult.

The time for delivery was imminent and Azini was taken to the delivery room. Her husband Lokman went in with her. The practice of allowing the father to be with the wife at delivery is commendable. Being together through the process of delivery, the husband will appreciate the hardship a wife will have to undergo in the process. I didnt have such a chance when my four children were delivered. Even if I had the chance I doubt it that I will have the courage to be in the delivery room.

After the long process of labour Azini was exhausted and couldnt exert enough strength to push the baby out. Furthermore the vaginal opening was not sufficiently opened to allow the baby's ease of passage. It was then decided that an operation was necessary and preparations were made for it.

Azini was wheeled into the operating theater and she kissed my hands before being taken into the it.

There is nothing more for us to do but to pray that everything will be alright for my daughter and her baby. Caesarian operations are normal procedures nowadays only that it will leave a scar.

The operation was slightly delayed as the anaesthetist wasnt in the hospital since this operation was not scheduled and it was almost 11 pm. I had met the anaesthetist earlier in the hospital and when he came to the hospital I told him that it was my daughter that had to be operated on. He assured me that it should be OK.
Soon at 11.40 pm a baby came out from the operating theater and we asked the nurse whether that baby was from the operation. She said no it was a normal birth. When the anaesthetist came out we asked him of how was the operation. He said they didnt operate because it was a normal birth. Then only we realised that the baby being wheeled out earlier was our grandchild and we all rushed into the ward to see the baby from outside the nursery. What a relief when we realised that the baby came out the normal way and both of them were fine.

So to all the men who read this blog, love your wife more that now you know how difficult it was for them to deliver your bundle of joys.