Goodbye Picasso, Hello Dali!

Aquaboy

I'm enjoying this routine even more now. Not working enables me to bring Josh out to swim everyday. Problem is the weather. It's come to a point that I get exasperated at the sight of rain too. Not just Josh. Today we managed to get one hour before the rain. So no rubber dinghy, just flippers, goggles and snorkels.

I've always been a lousy teacher for the simple reason I do not have the patience with my students. I'm taking a different approach with Josh when it comes to swimming. Let him be comfortable in the water first. Never mind the techniques. Let him learn what works and what doesn't. We'll work from there. Told him how it should work, then let him decide whether to try Papa's way or not.

Mind you, the boy is competitive and raced me from one end to the other. Technique or no technique, he can sure move fast with those flippers!

Josh the painter, the swimmer, the farmer, the bookstore keeper, the nasi lemak seller, the photographer, the musician...

We tried out the dinghy today. Josh was more excited with his vest than anything else since he could move around in the adult's pool without hanging on to me. He actually did laps. The rubber dinghy? The dinghy was mine!!! Muaahahahahahaa!!! Anyway, we had fun. Tomorrow we try out the snorkeling gear.

During dinner, Josh must have had an inspired moment so he filled up the living room with his paintings within minutes. I like this stage in his growing up. He finds everything fascinating. All I wanted to be was a fireman at his age. At an earlier age, the Zizster tried to train him to say JP Morgan as his employer. In retrospect, that was a good choice among the American Investment Banks. Now we are even happy to hear him wanting to be a farmer. Reason? He gets to drive a tractor. Why not? It's a noble job!

He asked his mom a few days back. Can i be a farmer AND a photographer at the same time? Wife said, why not? Let's face it. Being an investment banker ain't as sexy now as it used to be. Let papa be the only one in the family. I'd rather Josh be a rock star than go through school and work like I did. Of course the Zizster would not agree. Ok ok ok.. get a degree, then become a rock star, or a painter, a swimmer, a farmer, bookstore keeper, a photographer...

Looking for the perfect birthday gift for Josh

Today was a tiring day for us. I wanted to get Josh a snorkeling set. Getting the fins, snorkel and goggles were not too difficult. It was the swimming vest that proved to be more difficult than the Amazing Race challenges. I started in One Utama, then off to the Curve, then Sunway Pyramid and finally Plaza Damas. Still, I didn't manage to get the specific Speedo one that I wanted. I had to settle for a blow up vest which serves its purpose, but not if you need to blow it up everytime you want to go for a swim. It will do for now. The vest can wait.

Today, we celebrated his birthday with the in-laws. Lo and behold, everyone got him water related gifts!

Was Josh a happy chappy when Uncle Zul, Aunty Juju and Wan got him a rubber dinghy, oars and an electric pump. He was more excited when I started to fill up the dinghy with air. He was already wearing his swimming vest during dinner. Once we inflated the dinghy, it was difficult getting him out of it. He was even singing "Row, row, row your boat..."

Once we got home, (note to self: an inflated dinghy does not really fit in a Golf GTI!) I had to take pictures of him in the dinghy along with his other presents. Surprise! Surprise! After Josh got ready for bed, he just gathered some cushions and climbed in, read his Doa sebelum tidur and fell asleep.

I've always wanted a rubber dinghy... I wonder if he'd let me use it tomorrow in the pool.

Josh is turning 5 tomorrow...

Josh had his own countdown to his fifth birthday. Must be the birthdays of his classmates before him, making him wonder when his turn would be. I hope he won't be disappointed especially when he's already gotten gifts one day before. He didn't ask for much. Pakchak bought him the very thing he has been asking for. A remote controlled car. That's probably because I couldn't find the charger for my Mini RC. Papa and Mama has yet to get him stuff so we wil see his reaction tomorrow.

Today we went to Hulu Langat to my parents' place so he could cut his birthday cake with his cousins. We got there at lunch time so Josh got bored waiting for tea time. He wanted to learn how to use my Digital SLR so I gave him a few pointers and set him free around the house to snap away. Usually he has his own compact digital camera but has always eyed Papa's camera.

Don't touch the lens! Hold it like this! Don't press this, don't press that! Make sure you don't drop it! Those were the simple instructions I gave him before I fell asleep. Hahahaa!!! These few pictures were his own. That's the beauty of digital cameras nowadays. U are not stingy on film. No more "takut habis Kodak". I do have to say with a bit of practice, this could be a serious hobby for Josh.

I like this last one only after I downloaded it into the Mac. You could actually see the scene in this one, me in the reflection talking to the Zizster from the garden. I always believe in giving my kid the right encouragement in his forming years. Can't say that I am an expert in parenting but at least I liked them when I was growing up. The simple acknowledgments, the simple pat on the back, the simple "Good job, Josh". I hope it goes a long way with my kid.

Happy 5th Birthday, Josh! I'm proud of you.

Baju Raya

Josh and I try our best to match our baju raya every year at the insistence of the Zizster. Except this year she had trouble getting a match with the colour Josh picked out. She wore green but not the same tinge as ours. My, my, was she upset!

When I was growing up, I remembered the ritual of buying baju raya. I enjoyed wearing new stuff for the day but to have a whole new wardrobe for all the open houses we were invited to? You had to have 1 new baju melayu, shoes that match (this used to be the chapal), new songkok. Then you have to have new sneakers, shirt, pants and socks. Heck new underwear too! Of course a new haircut a few days before raya is compulsory.

I am sure to some, this is still the ritual that you go through with your kids. Don't get me wrong, It's not a bad thing as long as you can afford it. To some it becomes a stretch especially if you have 5 kids and one baking in the oven. Puasa and raya, to a point, has been commercialized. Ramadhan Bazaars forces you to buy more food than necessary. Raya forces you to buy clothes more than necessary. Whatever happened to moderation?

Hahahaa... I guess I just don't share the same enthusiasm as many about the raya season. I do enjoy Josh looking like me though. Now if I could sneak him out to the hairstylist and....

Beached, stranded and left to rot...

This picture goes well with the headline I have written above, but what I was referring to is more of the condition of the financial markets as of late. Beached, stranded and left to rot could easily describe the players and the institutions that deal in them and the industry that I am in all my career.

What are sub-prime mortgages? what are prime mortgages to start with? What is a CDS? Why would people not paying their mortgages in the US affect us? What did we do? These are all questions that people ask me and what the US congress had problems voting on. Mind you, it ain't easy to understand, let alone explain what caused the problem we are in now. Don't worry, I won't bore you in attempting at explaining. Simple answer to all these? Greed! How come all the governments that supposedly work in concert to shore up confidence by bailing companies out not do enough to stop the slide in the markets? Guess what? It's just not enough.

So what next? How do we get back to sea? You could either fix the boat which may cost more than a new boat, or just build a new one. Oh by the way, the sea has changed its familiar characteristics of old. The waves are different, the wind erratic, and you may need a bigger and better boat...

Good luck!

Reflections...

Today I played golf with dad. Mind you our game wasn't as good as we expected but the outing was. Not that we connected on a different level but it was just me playing golf with dad and his buddies. Actually it was very surprising that he even allowed me to play with him since his friends were gonna be there too, what with my blonde hair and all. I introduced myself as his Scandinavian son but the joke got lost in translation.

Few years back, I had a wish. My dream job would be one that allows me to play golf with my dad at least once a week. Seeing I wasn't my own boss, I thought maybe I could at least join him once in a while on his regional tour of golf destinations. Nope! Not even that. It's not that I couldn't afford it but time was never permitting. Now, why is that? Why isn't time available? Me and wife noticed that back in the day when our paycheck was a mere fraction to what our last drawn paycheck was, we managed to travel the world more. It wasn't that we had more leave days, it was the fact that we MADE the time. Every dollar saved was towards that nice trip we'll have every 6 months. We need to figure out how to get back to those days and still keep our paycheck.

After golf, I rushed home since Josh wanted to go for a swim again. Unfortunately, we were just in the pool for a few minutes before it rained again. Poor boy! I'll try again tomorrow. In a weird turn of events, we were actually stranded in the shelter by the pool for a good half hour waiting for the rain to subside. And for that good half hour, we chatted. Me and my nearly 5 year old son. We chatted about everything and nothing. When was the last time you could say that you chatted with your son. Really chatted. I enjoyed it tremendously. Josh was just hoping the sun to come out so he could go back in the water.

Nope, the sun didn't come out but wife did with an umbrella. Josh resigned to the fact that pool day was not gonna be today but was probably glad cos he didn't have to chat with me anymore. Hahahaa!

Back in the house, wife and I watched Hulk and Hellboy2 in our mini superhero marathon.

All in all, it was a fulfilling day for a jobless yellow haired dude.

Everything is going swimmingly...

It still rained today but we managed to go swimming in between showers. Josh was so happy and asks if he could swim again tomorrow. But of course, my boy! As long as it doesn't rain.

I myself have been disappointed when not being able to bring him to the pool especially when I have promised him and all due to weather. It doesn't really matter to a child if there is good reason you do not keep a promise. Bottom line is that you have not. But when you do, the reward is priceless. The joy that he gets...

I'm especially proud of my boy now as he is starting to read on his own. I like the way they teach him in his kindergarten. Phonetics. So be it Bahasa or English, he is able to make out words by not memorizing but making the sounds the letters make and stringing them up to make a word. We take it for granted because we put it to memory most of the words we use daily. I thank the Zizster for reading to him every night and to inculcate the reading culture in Josh even when he was in the womb. I have never been a good reader, save for Laughter the Best Medicine, Life's Like That, All in a Day's Work, Humor in Uniform and Campus Comedy. 1000 points to people who can guess where these can be found!

Maybe once Josh can type, I'll get him to start his own blog!

Today also, I had to face the hard reality that I may have to part with my 'other' beloved, Gina. I showed my car to a few potential buyers but the mere experience have made me depressed. I'll try my best to contain my tears when I do actually sell her. For now, I will cherish every single mile I am with her...

The Magnificent Shiny Disc Warrior

I've always wanted to peroxide my hair since my uni days but never got round to it. Since I'll be jobless for a while, this was the best opportunity for me to do so. Hey, what the heck? At least I still have hair now. 20-30 years down the road I won't have enough to bleach anyway.

I like the outcome of the long 3 hours it took to do this. The first bleaching process turned me into a baby orangutan. I kid you not! I was orange. Then the second bleach got me to be yellow. Nope! It wasn't even blonde, it was yellow as in the prime colour. The third process got me to this stage. You should read the response I got when I uploaded this pic on my facebook. Hahahaa!!!

Anyway, today was a nice day chilling with the family (minus the 3 hours with Kent my stylist). Josh was so happy and surprised when I went to pick him up from school today. That boy bolted for the door the moment the bell went off. Of course I only did my hair after picking him up. If not the teachers would have stopped me from taking Josh.

From yesterday's post, I managed to have breakfast with wife and got dad's time to play golf on Thursday. I couldn't take Josh to the pool as it was raining. We'll try that tomorrow. All in all, it was a good day for a jobless dude with the yellow hair.

Jobless should not be job less...

Since I graduated, I have always held a job and the time between jobs were confined to a few days to a few weeks. This time round, it will probably be longer. What will I do with the time? I have no idea. I have 1001 things I would love to do but most would eat up into my reserves too fast. So I will try my best to fill up the time dedicated to my immediate family. Take my kid swimming tomorrow? He'd love that. Bring my dad golfing? Hell yeah! Have breakfast with the wife after sending Imran to kindergarten? Why not?

Simple things in life I have taken for granted thinking I'll do it later. I'm too busy now. I'm too tired. They would understand.

We tend to forget what working is for. A means to earn enough so that we can live comfortably. To provide for the people close to you. Your family. We tend to take work too seriously that we neglect the very people you work to support. What have we not given that they yearn? Your time to be with them. Your time to share the things your salary can buy. Your presence.

I need to remedy that...

Woof Woof!!!

This country has gone to the dogs!!!
I have no faith in the current leaders nor are there any suitable candidates to take over. This is ridiculous! Don't we have politicians with dignity, humility and grace anymore? Could someone with no skeletons in their closet come out and declare wholeheartedly that they wish to serve the nation and its people? And not their own breed and kins?

I want security and a conducive environment to work and raise my family. Is that too much to ask in this day and age?

Wake up and smell the coffee!

My blog has never been about politics but the recent GE'08 got me tempted. Sorry, but I won't succumb to temptations. If not I might end up being an MP. In short, Malaysians woke up and decided to vote with their eyes open, but what do I care? I'm not even registered as a voter. Don't ask me why but classify me as a disillusioned professional, political-wise. So please can someone convince me to vote? So anyway, wake up and smell the coffee is my advice to the government-of-the-day (face it, that's what u r) to get off your laurels and listen to the voters. They are trying to tell you something. On that note, have a read on my good friend Denang's blog at azrain-adnan.blogspot.com. I like his views on current politics from a learned UMNO member point of view. Congrats to Denang for the courage to be the sensible voice from within. We need more people like you.

Twin towers

Mondays are tennis days for me with the boys. Mind you, I'll be the worst player in the bunch but it's a good workout so I try to make it a point to turn up every week. This picture was ironic because we had the 2 tallest guys in a pairing wearing all white playing on the court with the twin towers as the backdrop. Between the two of them, they stand 12 feet tall. Ironic iconic!