2nd Level Chemo...the saga continues

The reason why I decided to blog about my dad's condition is hopefully it can be a informative source for anyone who has colon cancer. Hopefully, it would ease them to face this condition that saps the live out of a human. Continuing about my dad's fight cancer saga....

After his 4th chemo in Selayang Hospital, as mentioned in my previous entry, my dad was referred to HKL (Hospital Kuala Lumpur, formerly known as General Hospital) for 2nd level chemo. My dad was not in favour of going to HKL, due to the bad experiences from my late sister's case.

For the first experience with the Oncology Department in HKL was an eye opener for him. Though a bit cramped with people, the attending specialist was pleasant, soft spoken and full of empathy. Upon checking my dad, she was surprised to see the condition of my dad's hands. She was more surprised to find out that there was no medication prescribed for it.

She then recommended that a 'Chemo Port' be inserted to ease the infusion of the chemo. You have to purchase the device from the pharmacy though as its not provided for by the hospital.

Within days, the minor operation was conducted. The operation takes less than an hour, but you have to wait for your turn. My dad was admitted at 10am, the operation only done at 4.30pm. after the operation, Mr Tan, the surgeon told my dad that he can be discharged. Due to the incompetent ward MO who was unsure how to discharge a patient, we had to wait until 10.30pm when the specialists conduct their ward rounds. Instead of having my dad discharged, that MO chose to follow the specialists around the wards and only discharged my dad after that. Even the specialists were confused as to why my dad was still there.

After discharged, we had to go to pick up the medicine from the pharmacy ourselves. When I finally sent my dad back home, it was close to midnight. That MO has to wisen up to prioritise for 'warga emas' who has just completed surgery as compared to 'in-house' patients.

During our next visit, we got some good news. There is an option of having the chemo infusion at home, thus no more hospital stay. My dad jumped at it the moment the specialist has just completed her sentence. Seeing my dad's eagerness, I agreed to it. For this option, we have to purchase the disposable infusion pump (single use) ourselves as it's not supplied by the hospital.

The pump has no batteries or moving parts and operates by pressure. It infuses very slowly through his Chemo Port. So now the routine is on Friday to take blood sample. The following Monday from 9am - 4pm, he takes his infusion at HKL. Then they prepare his pump and attach it to the Chemo Port. After that he can go home and on Wednesday at 12pm, I send him to HKL to detach the pump. The cycle is every 2 weeks.
So far he has gone for 1 cycle of the 2nd level Chemo. Alhamdulillah, there are no severe side effects.

Why I haven't blog...Part 3 (Final)

1 month on, and there we were, my dad and I, listening to Mr R, the specialist on Chemo. Mr R thought that my dad could not understand English, thus he was very blunt and straight forward in explaining about my dad's medical condition. He was saying things like "It is bad as its Stage 4 cancer and has spread to his liver and lungs", "We don't know how long he will live, but its gonna be worst" etc etc. I looked at my dad but he looks cool. Then I interrupted Mr R and told him "My dad understands English. You can explain directly to him". Mr R went red in the face, poor dude, but we understood that he meant well.

There are a few options in getting Chemotherapy. Option 1 is a daily dose but he has to come weekly for it, Option 2 is a 48 hours dose but on alternate weeks, Option 3 is 5 straight days in the hospital on a monthly basis. There is now a tablet form also that you can take at home but its a bit costly. After discussing with my dad, we chose option 2.


The good part was, treatment is at Ward 4C, a 3rd class ward, but for chemo, he would be placed in an isolation room, similar to a 2nd class. The first time everyone was nervous, including myself, coz we didnt know how my dad's body would react to the drug. The 3 days in the ward was with little interruption from the nurses, its as if we were just temporary visitors. First day went by, and apart from slight increase in body temperature, nothing else happened. Same goes for the rest of the stay. I was grateful that there were no serious side effects.

The 2nd visit was easier, with the ward already waiting for my dad to come in. A special mention to my dad's attending physician, Dr Farhan, a soft spoken Kelantanese, whom immediately clicked with my dad. He was in-charge for administering my dad's medication.

We have now come to our 4th visit next week. During the last visit, Dr Farhan said that the cancer markers were still increasing despite the Chemo. Thus, maybe my dad needed a much stronger 2nd level Chemo but could only be administered in HKL (Kuala Lumpur General Hospital). A stronger cocktail of drugs would certainly bring some side effects, I am sure.

My dad and I has gotten much closer since then. I was there by his bedside no matter how tired I had worked during the day because I know that the few moments together were very precious to me and him. Everytime on our journey back home, we would stop by our favourite Mamak restaurant, where we would have father - son conversations over lunch. The topics has gotten heavier though, and I try to digest them while trying to put on a brave face, not to show my sadness.

I am thankful to the Al Mighty coz I am blessed with the means and time to be with my dad. To me, it's the greatest gift of all. I hope and I pray that I am given the courage, perseverance, patience, time and the means to go through what's ever coming in the future.

For those of you who have yet to bond with your old man, now is a good time to start.

Why I haven't blog...Part 2

Dad's room in Ampang Hospital

A second opinion was requested and my dad was transferred to Selayang Hospital, reputably the cancer centre amongst Government hospitals. The surgeon in-charge of my dad's case, Mr Raj immediately put my dad's fears at ease. He was very courteous, professional and most of all, a knowledgeable and experienced surgeon. The prognosis was not good, he has colon cancer. Within days, he had scheduled my dad's surgery. There were also indications that the cancer has spread to his liver and lungs. He stressed that the surgery was not a cure, but merely to 'improve his quality of life'.

The night before, my mom stayed overnight together with me. At that point, I didn't know how or what to feel. My dad was understandably a bit nervous, but the sleeping pill given to him helps. The next morning, very early, the nurses came to ask him to get ready as he was the first on the list. The journey from the ward to the operating theatre seems a long one. We said our goodbyes and they wheeled him in. The look of sadness on my mum’s face was heart wrenching, and slowly I put my hand around her and lead her back upstairs to my dad’s room.

Somehow we waited and waited, and yet there was no news about my dad. Time passed by …1 hour, 2 hours…5 hours. Could something have gone wrong? Asking the nurses didn't help either, coz every time they gave me the same standard answer..."nanti kita bagi tau". Luckily I knew someone who works in ICU, who then did some investigative work for me. "Belum lagi Rul, masih dalam OT" was the answer. That didn’t help. He called again 30 minutes later to tell me my dad was in recovery room.

Dad post ops

Still not getting any news from the nurses, I went down to ward 4A, the surgical ward for post ops cases. I went alone to ensure that everything is OK before my mum comes down. There he was, on the bed, on Epidural. The look of discomfort was on his face, but being dad, he didn’t complain. Luckily at the same time Mr Raj came by. My dad whispered that he was in great pain. The anaesthesiologist was called in and the Epidural dosage was increased. After that he was more at ease.

The next day he was better, probably free from the hallucinating drugs. He was no longer in pain and you could almost see the energy returning back to his body. Surprisingly, on the 4^th day, Mr Raj discharged him from the hospital. When I arrived that afternoon (you cannot stay at the wards after 7am until afternoon), he was all packed and ready to go…hahaha.

My 'bed' brought from home

Throughout the ordeal, I was there to look after my dad, as I was 'more independent' than my siblings. I am thankful to have a very understanding wife as I was away most of the time. Ampang Hospital was the best, as I had brought my camp bed along as the picture above. Selayang Hospital was still a bit conservative, as they still have the nursing/medical staff from the older generation, thus I had to make do with the hospital armchair as a bed.

...to be continued (Final part)

Why I haven't blog...Part 1

It has been a long time since I had updated my blog. The main reason was, earlier on this year, my dad had some medical problems. One day, I received a call from my sister saying my dad was some serious stomach pains. You see my dad is quite reserved, funny and one who has above normal tolerance to pain or disgusting people (unlike his son haha). So when he is groaning in pain, it means that it was a above normal level of pain. Administering some skills I learned as a rescuer, the pain subsided when he finally went to the toilet. My dad refused to go to the hospital, so since his pain has subsided by about 90%, I decided to have a pep talk with him later.

The reason why my dad refused to go to the hospital was more of a traumatic emotional scarring by the death of my youngest sister. My sister was born much later than me and my other 2 siblings, about 7 years later, thus she was the baby of the family. She spent the whole of Ramadhan in Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (HKL) with a condition that baffles the doctors. So it was a barrage of tests, including a trial and error application of medicines. Everyday without fail, my parents would visit her, and everyday they carried a change of her clothes, just in case the doctor would say "you are well and discharge". At that time, medical care at public hospitals were quite bad. Facilities were limited, patients were overwhelming and the medical staff were overworked. All these leads to nasty, foul mouthed nurses, whom during my late sister's tenure in the ward, had unleashed some of these unprofessional attitude to her and my parents. My dad had prayed for her to be discharged in time for Raya, and true enough, the doctors discharged her a few days before Raya. My parents were happy.

However, on the second day of Hari Raya, she had a relapse of her symptoms and had to be brought back to the HKL. To cut the story short, that was to be her last Hari Raya with us. God had answered my dad's prayers, but her time was up. We were not prepared for her sudden demise. Everyone was shattered, and me being the eldest son, had to clench my teeth (to put on a 'strong face') and arrange for her burial. She died at the age of 15 years old. Ever since then, my parents had avoided going to hospitals, especially HKL.

2 weeks later, I had the opportunity to have a father-son chat with my dad. Finally he agreed to a check up at Ampang Hospital. With assistance from Ms Lynn, an appointment was arranged within days. As expected, he was admitted and a barrage of tests were performed on him too. While waiting during the Colonoscopy, a surgeon was called in. "This can't be good" I thought to myself. Sure enough they found a tumor which almost closed up his colon. An immediate surgical procedure was the only option.

My dad's room in Ampang Hospital

....to be continued

New Year Resolutions

2010 headaches...hehe

Aahhhh the new year is here. Year by year, I always have "to blog a minimum of once a month" as part of my new year's resolution. Last year, I almost achieve it, except for January & March.

A few things occurred in 2010, but one major event outweighs the rest. 2010 shall  always remain in the hallmarks of my life autobiography (should I become famous one day..hehe) as the year I re-married again after almost 5 years being the President of Persatuan Duda Semalaysia (I wonder if there is such a society). The event left a few girls crying...and I heard through the grapevine that there was a guy too...huhuhu. Adapting to married life again took some practice, and the 'bad habits' that we picked up in our previous marriages added some spices to the occasional disagreements. I am happy to report that we had overcame this teething problem.

2010 was also a year I got problems with Proton Edar service centres. It surprised me as to how such a big company that always saying how safe their cars are and how good their service is, does not have a customer complain tracking system in place. My experience gave me the impression that Proton Edar is only 'nice & sweet' when they want you to sign that S&P agreement. Once they have gained profit, then they start to f**k you in after sales service. NOTE: you CAN request what things you want to change & what you do not want to when you send your car in for periodic servicing at these service centres. If you dont ask, then they would change things to the maximum number of items.

2010 was also the year that I re-kindled my involvement in 4WD activities. Having my 'anak gajah' stuck in mud on the way to Damai paved the way to 'enhance' further my 4WD. To be fair, it was a bad track and I did managed to winch for 7 times almost until the batteries died on me. But men being men, we always find reasons to buy or upgrade our Big Boys Toys....same as women who always find reasons to shop for clothes, handbags, furniture etc etc. For the ladies, if your husband or boyfriend spend a little bit of money or time on his Big Boys Toys, just smile and thank your lucky star that he is concentrating solely on his toys, rather than another woman (I hope my wife reads this...hahaha).

The closing of 2010 was closed with a bang when I suddenly decided to quit my job for reasons that's best left for the court of the All Mighty in the After Life. It was not an easy decision, but after numerous prayers to seek guidance, one day I just woke up and decided to leave the company.

Though much more could be said about 2010, I am more incline to think or rather plan for 2011. Among the resolutions for 2011:

• To blog for a minimum once a month
• To achieve a slightly more than acceptable degree of creature comfort
• To be financially stable to provide better life for my dependants (to buy more Big Boys Toys...hehe)
• To certify more people in scuba diving & take them to see the u/water world

Of course there's the standard resolution of being a better person, a better son, a better husband, a better dad... in other words a better human being. I am learning much from my wife about myself, coz she's like that talking mirror in Snow White...she tells me how a third party sees me.

 

Last but not least, I find that people nowadays are too busy planning for the future, or dwelling in their past, that they sometimes forget to live TODAY....live NOW. To everyone, Happy New Year from the both of us.

International Volunteers Day

Today is the International Volunteers Day.

Volunteerism in Malaysia is fast catching on, especially now under the stewardship of Prime Minister, with his 1Malaysia concept. As an active volunteer member of the Malaysia Civil Defence Department, or the 'Jabatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia' or JPAM in short, I guess I have some say on this subject matter. JPAM is a government agency that operates almost entirely on the power of volunteers.  A few years back, it was something like 90% volunteers 10% permanent staff. Now, the ratio is getting smaller, maybe 85% as the current management is expanding its permanent manpower, in line with the expansion of the department.

I always believe that the power of volunteerism has been, and always will be, nature's backup plan to counter the impact of all (not limited to) major disasters, not only in Malaysia, but all over the world. Volunteerism works across borders, and beyond the prejudice of mankind against gender, race, religion etc. Volunteers CHOSE to be there, in the thick of the action out of PASSION. That goes a long way in determining the quality of the services rendered. A volunteer working with passion can be MORE PRODUCTIVE than a few salaried people working on the same task without passion but merely for their paycheck at the end of the month.

 

However, much needs to be done here in changing the biased perception of the public themselves about volunteers. There are some, even in the government agencies, that do not truly believe that volunteers can be professionals. To these people, I would like to emphasize the following:-

1. Volunteers are not beggars, and certainly it is not reserved only for the jobless or unwanted.
2. Volunteers come from all walks of live, with different backgrounds. They might be carrying boxes or driving lorries for you today, but has a Mercedes at home. Heck, they may be playing golf with your Dato KP tomorrow morning.
3. Volunteers have knowledge ie management skills, training skills, auditing skills or any other skills that they might have mastered in their working life that would add value to your agency/group, so swallow your pride and work as a team.
4. Volunteers are there to help EVERYONE, so please do not use them as a pawn in achieving your political agendas.

It seems nowadays, everyone wants to be a volunteer, which is good. But in my experience during disaster relief ops around the country, there are those who do not truly understand what disaster relief means. A few examples:

• A corporate company with a food catering subsidiary cooks and distribute hundreds of fried rice packs to post flood victims everyday, for lunch and dinner. They got offended when they saw traces of polystyrene packs thrown away.
• Moral: they are flood victims, not beggars. You cant just cook distasteful food (I personally wasn't able to swallow it..too salty) and expect people to eat and show gratitude. Btw, even if they did eat, don't expect them to eat the SAME food for Lunch & Dinner over a few days.
• My 2 cents: Give your BEST food and your BEST service to victims.
• A bunch of volunteers, well actually 64 people in a convoy of more than 15 cars wanted to go to deliver post disaster contributions, which was half load of a 1 tonne lorry.
• Moral: it doesn't take many people to distribute the stuff. Victims are affected not only physically, but emotionally as well. They are victims, not circus. You go with so many people that would only encroach on the victims already limited personal space at relief centres, not to mention cramp up the few toilets already shared by hundreds.
  How would you feel if you are a victim, lost your belongings, staying at a cramped up school hall...and suddenly a few jokers asked their kids to pose with you, all because those jokers wanted to 'instill' the good values in their kids...DUUHHHH
• My 2 cents: unless you have special skills to assist them e.g. electrician, plumber, brick layer etc, only go when you can add value to their lives.
• Another big bunch wanted to be 'part' of the happening volunteer crowd. As it was a major disaster, accommodations were limited. They got a local 'powerful guy' to move the victims from one hall in order to make way for them, so that they can do their 'volunteer' work
• Moral: the first time I heard it, I was so pissed. The first rule is....learn to RESPECT the victims. Like I said, as volunteers, you must be prepared to live, eat even shit in WORST conditions than the victims, or else what's your purpose dude? That's why when me & my JPAM team goes for disaster relief, we bring our own stuff. For us, sleeping is an option but a bed is a bonus.
• My 2 cents: be self reliant, bring your own stuff, plan your own logistics. If you cant do that, then stay at home and sleep in your own bed.
• Another company with substantial contributions engaged a group to assist them to get the stuff distributed and in the end also had to PAY for their FUEL, their TOLL, their FOOD and what ever other expenses; and guess what? They enlisted quite a few of their friends to tag along...all paid for by the 'victimized' contributing company.
  
• Moral: there are people whom wouldn't think twice about making an extra buck out of other people's miseries. So make sure you get proper people to help you out. As in the example I gave, for their second trip there, I helped them to get assistance from JPAM...free escort, free lorry transport, no fuel or toll fees, direct distribution to victims via JPAM's local unit, no need to provide hotel accommodations.
  
• My 2 cents: do some research on how best to contribute. If you have food or basic necessaties contribution to send and you dont know whom to contact, get in touch with government agencies e.g. JPAM.  If you still don't know how, contact me and I'll help you.

 As a Malaysian who believes in the power of volunteerism, I wish all volunteers, irregardless from which organization or country, or even if you don't belong to an organization but do good in your personal capacity..... happy International Volunteers Day.

Car Plunge Into Ravine.. KM35.4 Karak-KL Hiway

The wreckage - Pic courtesy of Shamsul KLM1

The site of the Wreckage

On 18th November 2010, while I was having a teh tarik session with friends, I received an SMS about a car plunging into a ravine at 35.4KM Karak-Kuala Lumpur Highway. Initial reports of it plunging into a river at the bottom of the ravine requires the water rescue team on-site. Hitching a ride with an officer, we proceeded to the location.

Suspected 'entry' point

Abseiling down to look for clues

The rescue team faced difficulty to get any clues as to whom the car belonged to as the car was upside down in knee deep mud. Thus, getting the engine or chassis number was out of the question. Looking at the gradient, surroundings of the location where the wreckage was found, its mind boggling to figure out how this car could have ended up at the bottom this bridge. From past experience 'rescuing' in this area, me and a small team went through the old Gombak-Bentong road, which runs parallel to the highway, to look for clues. Without any reference to the wreckage location, we came upon an area that we suspected could be the 'entry' point of the car.

Coordinates taken from my GPS

Due to the darkness of the night, in order to confirm our theory, I had used my personal GPS to mark the coordinates, upload the data into my netbook and locate on the map. True enough, what I see on the map more or less increases the accuracy of our theory. Traces of landslide at this area also confirms the scene that the team scouting the ravine below came upon...a landslide. Also from the data, it clearly shows the gradient was a difference of 80m+ between the suspected point of entry and the wreckage location. At 0130hrs, we received instruction to Stand Down for the day.

Day 2

The K9 Units

At 0900hrs, my JPAM team comprising of 20 members met up with the police's K9 (Crime) team. The Bomba guys would not be joining the operations today. Under the command of Tuan Sam, the traffic police officer from Bukit Aman, we headed off to the location. The K9 team comprised of 4 dogs, German Shepherds. These K9s from the crime unit looks, barks and even acts more ferociously than those rescue dogs that we are used to...like the one in this story.  I won't want to be on the receiving end of those fangs. Funnily, they bark with much enthusiasm everytime Jai, one of my team members walks by. I jokingly told him, "Jauh sikit Jai, uniform hang tu busuk macam bau mayat kot' (Stand further away, maybe your uniform stinks like a corpse) ...hahaha.

JPAM and PDRM Vehicles On-Site

The dizzying depth of the ravine seen from the Highway on top. Can you spot the car?

JPAM & PDRM's K9 scouring the area for evidence

We re-visited the wreckage location. During the day, the actual scene differs entirely. The depth of the ravine is of dizzying height. We assisted the police personnel to get down on-site together with their K9s. Our team securely setup anchors for the rope, enabling team members a safe abseiling access down below. In the meantime, the MTD was called in to extricate the wreckage, or at least raise it high enough for us to get to the engine or chassis number. The MTD brought in their 'Kembalik' team. Due to the depth of the ravine, they had to improvise to add some extra length to the cable.

The wreckage on the way up

Anyone wants a used Kia Optima?

The JPAM team below helped to secure the cables to the wreck, and also used their static rope as a guideline (so that the wreck doesn't twist or turn). As the wreckage was almost to the top, disaster struck. A few hoisting cable either snapped or slipped...until at last it was dangling precariously from one of the cables. Upon talking to the MTD guys, a decision was made to lower back the wreckage and reposition the cables. After all, safety first.

The 'kembalik' leaked its hydraulic fluid at the most crucial time...bummer

Apart from my nice car in the foreground...I wanted to show the sawdust that was used to absorb the hydraulic fluid

As the wreckage was being lowered, again...another disaster. Suddenly there was a gush of hydraulic fluids from the 'Kembalik'. There goes all hope of hoisting the wreckage back up for today. My concern was the safety of the other motorist, especially the motorcyclists. Hydraulic fluid is very slippery, and the impending rain judging from the dark cloud formation would only quicken and expand the rate of its flow. The MTD was quick to bring in sawdust to absorb the fluid. The operation was again halted to wait for repair works on the hydraulics and also for MTD to send fresh hydraulic fluid to the scene.

After some repairs, the 'lowering' activity continued. About a few metres from the ground, disaster #3. The MTD had, in its earlier efforts to secure the snapped cables, relieved some of the chains used by them to improvise (as mentioned earlier), thus causing the length of the cable to shorten by a few metres. As they were using 2 winches, a decision was made to let the cable of one winch (the shorten side) go. But guess what...they didn't have the right spanner...so more waiting for someone to send the spanner.

Massive traffic jam

At last, the whole operation ended at 1700hrs....more than 24 hours after it was first reported. This operation had forced MTD to close 1 or 2 lanes of the highway. Traffic jam stretched for a few kilometres. It was made worst by cars slowing down to look. I was wondering why some cars were like driving so slow....until I saw the drivers holding mobile phones discreetly under their arm, obviously video taping the scene. CRAZY!!!

Highway concessionaire should ensure that their equipments, especially safety/rescue related are well equipped and maintained, with trained personnel to handle them. Preparation for emergencies should cover the extremes...ie if you have ravines, make sure you have sufficient cable length for the deepest ravine you have. As how I had submitted a proposal to one Highway Concessionary, I had suggested to them to train their 'Response Team' not ONLY in Traffic Management, but to expand their scope as a trained First Responder. Most of the time, they are the first team to arrive at any accident scene on the highways. (They were interested until they came to the training costs...after that quiet, no response) Come on guys, you already have the personnel and the vehicles. All you need to do is spend a bit more for training and rescue equipments.

Oh ya, we managed to get the number plate. After all that effort, it was actually reported stolen a few weeks back. Sisshh...next time any of you want to dispose of a vehicle you had stolen, please, please, please...put up a sign on the dashboard that says ' Maaf, ini kereta curi. Tiada orang atau binatang tercedera atau terbunuh semasa kereta ini dibuang ' (Sorry, this car was stolen. No human or animal was hurt or killed during the disposal of this car)

Jalan-Jalan Cari Sungai - Ulu Tamu

 
A few weeks ago, me and a bunch of close friends came up with the idea for a family weekend trip, preferably over the weekend. I had originally mooted the idea, because that was one of the reason why I bought a 4WD...to have a bonding time with my kids. Well, to tell you the truth, we didn't quite got around to that. So I was looking forward to this trip.

Last minute cancellations includes my significant other because she has to have Internet access to complete her work, my daughter because she's helping out her auntie who's appearing on TV3 for cake decoration thingy and my eldest son whom had to study for his exams. Well that left me with just my youngest son. That will do...for now.

We departed quite late from KL, around 4pm. In a convoy of 4WDs (4 wheel drive), we headed towards Batang Kali. We arrived at the resort aka base camp at 1830hrs. Abg Hamzah was waiting, smiling as always. After some brief introductions, we headed for our chalets to freshen up. At 2000hrs, the BBQ was ready comprising of prawns, chicken, sausages, nuggets, rice (special fried nasi goreng ulam) etc.

After eating, some of us wanted to stretch their vocal cords, thus a few rounds of karaoke was in order. The resort had quite a decent karaoke system, and what started as a stretching exercise soon developed into a marathon.

At midnight, we decided to have a dip at the local hot spring. All of us went, including the kids. There were 3 pools, with different temperatures. I classify it as half boiled eggs, hard boiled eggs and frying eggs. We first tried the coolest...the half boiled egg....great for the kids, but kind of wimpy for us 'men'. Thus, we moved on to the next hottest...the hard boiled egg. A quick dip of the leg and I could have sworn some hair got burnt.

There was a group of teenagers there, dipping and showing off their high level of tolerance to the heat. So us, being men (which simply means a slightly older version of the boys), decided to stay and show off our prowess as well. After much hair loss (chest, arms, thighs etc), just as we were leaving, the last car in our group from KL arrived. Perfect timing.

Wow, a dip in hot water certainly is one of the most relaxing thing. It kept me wide awake. I went on chatting with the guys until 0530hrs, when my 'screen saver' mode was activated.

At 0800hrs, we had breakfast, followed by more karaoke (can you believe it?). At around 1030hrs, the jockeys brought the horses out and the kids has a whale of a time riding them around the corral.

At 1230hrs, we headed of by 4WDs to the next camp, having to cross 2 rivers to get there. This camp could only be reached by 4WDs, unless you can drive a sedan through the rivers. Mind you, if the rain is heavy upstream, the rivers get swollen that even us 4WDs wouldn't be able to cross them. After setting up camp at our usual spot, the resort personnel came on 4WD to set up lunch by the river. Everyone had fun bathing in the river, especially the kids. Of course us dads had to accompany them...not that we want to (La La La). Then we came up for food, then went down to bath, then came up for food...and the vicious cycle continues...haha.

Around 1530hrs, we started preparing the 4WDs for the journey over slightly 'rougher' terrain. Tyres were deflated to almost half, wheels were locked and the 4WD engaged. Through hill climbing, mud and uneven tracks, we drove on. My jalopy being at the front, had to act as backup recovery vehicle for those at the back. Some of the vehicles were standard ie no modification, AT (All Terrain) tyres, standard height. We had planned this very 'light & easy' trail to let the 'newbies' get some thrill under controlled conditions.

After all that, we went down to the river and much like the Mahouts with their elephants in Thailand, that's how us 4 wheelers with our jalopies. We parked them dead smack in the river, and wash and bathe them. Hmm...maybe that's why the wives get upset ... like the wives of the Mahouts.

As we said our goodbyes, plans were underway to plan another slightly farther trip...maybe over 3 days. That one involves river tubing, slightly longer 4WD trail...and this time, I hope to have the whole family there.  There's already inquiries from friends whom are interested to try it out...so hey, maybe I would just package these weekend family outings for them. Interested? Come on.... get off that sofa, the air conditioned room and head into the outdoors. Enjoy the greenery while we still can. Don't have a 4WD? Don't worry, I know a few Mahouts...oppss...4 Wheelers whom would be glad to take you on board.

A Makeover

I had 2 days more of Raya leave. The kids were not around and there was just me and CaTz. Everyone that we know were either at their kampungs or holidaying somewhere. So we decided to make a trip to the shopping mall. This was the best time to do shopping, coz the sale was still on, minus the long queues, kids running, babies crying, aggressive mothers, foul mood husbands, smelly armpit smell....simply bliss.

The tranquility of the mall induced me into a buying mood. To cut the story short, we bought new curtains for the living room. The 2 amoi manning the counter commented "Waaa, lepas raya baru shopping ka?". Well, the purchase was not related to Raya, its was just time for a change.

As CaTz was trying out the curtains, I commented how a bit dated the walls were. Having a wallpaper border running across the wall irritates my eye. CaTz suggested we remove it as she had some left over paint. I was possessed with the spirit of a makeover interior designer...plus the fact that she asked me this question "you tau buat ke?" To all the women folks....if you want your husbands to do something fast....here's a tip....that's the question to ask them. I started to peel off that wallpaper border BEFORE she finished that question. I'll show her....

After peeling off, I proceeded to paint over the affected area. The color was the same....BUT off a different shade. In my haste to prove my manly skills, I forgot the fact that wall was painted a few years back. The environment had changed its shade. Now it looks uglier than before. Oh oh...now I was in trouble. Then the spirit of the makeover ID took over, and looking around I saw that the furniture including the new sofa was 'earth' colour, but the walls were pinkish, which was 'the' colour back then, but a bit dated now.

We then went out to buy the paint. I knew what colour I wanted. I would not mention who actually decide on the colors, for fear of 'perang saraf' at home...hahaha....let's just say it was a mutual agreement. My years of experience in the construction line slowly took over my soul. What started as a simple 1 wall project, suddenly exploded into a bigger project...I was determined to paint the whole house. It was a total makeover.

I started right after returning home, starting with the ceiling first. The more I paint, the more determined I was.. clearly possessed. Suddenly, I realised...painting was a good stress reliever. No wonder some people paint in their free time as a hobby...not my type of painting...art painting. My previous attempts at painting art stopped dead in its track when my kids (when they were smaller) laughed at it. when I saw their painting, I knew why they laughed...they paint better than me.

The 2 days was maximized with painting...usually the best time was from midnight onwards. The quietness, the tranquility....precious. When it was a working day, I started after dinner...and goes on until the wee hours of morning. The 1st phase - painting the living/dining area including ceiling, doors and door frames was completed before the weekend after the long holidays, good timing too as we had friends and family members that came over for Raya to the house.

Our guests were amazed when we told them that the paint job was done by myself, especially my sister, whom had never seen me doing any such 'heavy' work at home. Only then did they scrutinized the finished project. I waited in anticipation...nervous to hear their comments...but pretending not to bother. Alas..."dia paint tu lurus je ek"..."nice color combination"..."lepas ni you pulak can paint our house" were some of the comments overheard...not that i was straining myself to hear them :)  hahaha.

My 2nd phase project is to convert the storeroom into a study cum prayer room. I wanted a room so that I can pray together with my wife...it was a dream and I am determine to make it come through. I had partially started on that, it is a slow process as weekdays I am occupied with work. That leaves the weekends. we had disposed almost 70% of that storeroom contents. Even the still good computer table including the 17" CRT monitor had to go. I had installed the new blinds, and gave it a fresh white paint. But the room looks 'too white', so it needs some colors on the walls.

The project was not so much on monetary issues, although I spent just a few hundred ringgit for the paint. It was the satisfaction of doing it yourself...which was priceless. Malays used to be well known for their craftsmanship...who knows maybe my ancestors were craftsmen. After a long hierarchy of descendants, maybe that craftsman blood is still there, but somehow diluted.