Throwback 13 Presents: The First Day of February

Throwback 13 Promo

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Read interesting novels for hours. Listen to light and easy songs. Travel solo around on multiple public transportation options, while observing people and the natural surroundings. Viewing and listening to nature. Make poetry.

Those were the things that I used to do when I was single. It was a life without real commitments. It was a life when you can take your time to appreciate each and every intricate details of life in a very relaxed manner. 

In short, I could almost walk on water and talk to butterflies. That's inner peace for ya.

But,  what I have now, is way perfect than what I used to have as a bachelor. I now have a new purpose in life; to take care and to love my family, and to be loved in return. And that involves responsibilities and commitments.

But, deep down inside, sometimes I do wish to do some of things that I used to do when I was single...even though it's just for a little while. Well, I had that once. It was the year 2012, and it was the Federal Day.


Wifey couldn't get a day off that day, as her office is in Selangor. And Irtiza was just starting with his formal pre-school education (so don't wanna make him skip classes). In the end, I was the only one left to celebrate the holiday.

The start of the day was normal. Irtiza was super-excited to go to his pre-school and meet his friends. Wifey was prepared to go to work. So, we dropped Irtiza off first, as his pre-school was nearer to home.

The 4-year-old Irtiza. Gosh, I missed him being this young!

Mama's shades; contributing to Irtiza's cheeky poses for the past 3 years...and counting.

Photogenic. Emm, what's the idiom...the apple fell not far from the tree? (*grin)

Papa will be back soon. Papa needs 'me' time/therapy sessions too.

After dropping off wifey at her workplace, I was determined to do something that I haven't done for quite a while. So, I uttered two words that I haven't said for the longest of time; 'exercise' and 'gym'.

How frequent do I visit this place? As frequent as the Malaysian General Elections.

Then, after being in the gym for less than an hour, it was time for me to enjoy the pool at the condo. It is a funny fact actually...to live at a big condo area, where there is a private pool for every block. And yet, I seldom have time for it. It was like donating the maintenance fees to the management on a monthly basis. So, I was determined to use what I paid for. But first things first...and the first things were the 'glaring' house chores.

A serene view...

...before panning into reality (House+work=housework)

Pre-Gopro days. The most extreme shot ever taken with wifey's digital camera

Glad that the camera is inanimate, and without feelings. This shot would scare the hell out of Tuty (yes, it's a she)

It didn't take too long for me to feel the loneliness after that.It was an ironic experience...as I was actually waiting for the opportunity to have the time for me to do all the things that I missed on doing for a very long time. And...surely enough...I wished hard that Irtiza was with me at that time.

It was late in the morning. The house looked so empty and quiet. I was bored...and I saw Irtiza's toys. And I had an idea. The result; the music video at the bottom page of this entry.

Irtiza's toys. Well, the teddy bear used to be his mom's, that was previously presented as an act of courtship by yours truly. Woah, that bear is old.

Towards the end of the way, while I was counting the last hour before picking up both wifey and Irtiza, I've experienced the realization that life is empty without my family. I was more appreciative of them, and will always love their company, no matter what.

Here's to a loving family :)

 Irtiza, with the hand puppet and the bear.

I got bored due to the loneliness...so I made this. Presenting...Irtiza's toys!

Throwback 13 Presents: The Eyes of Grace Photoshoot

Throwback 13 Promo

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Revised: 13th December 2013

The kid version of me loved taking photographs..using my parents' old school Kodak film-filled cameras. Back then, it was mostly for pose pictures during holiday trips and other special events.Then, with my very first digital camera back in IIUM Gombak, I reached my semi-amateur-ish (woah...that's a lot of dashes) status. I remembered that I was everywhere with the camera. It later became  my personal 'fetish'..up to the stage that the pics that I took were basically anything and everything that came across my path...especially those that I find as beautiful and artistic in appearance.

Along the way, I became a webmaster for a society...and the job includes taking a lot of pics of events, plus for a candid camera section of the website (I think my coursemates called me a 'paparazzi' at one time). It was like that scene in a typical kung fu movie, with an apprentice breaking thousands of bricks with his bare hands to perfect the art...only instead of bricks, I produced thousands of digital pics. It was the time when I was more comfortable of being at the back of a camera, than being in front of it.

Marriage changes everything. With gruelling wedding photoshoots, plus those from before and after that...being in front of a camera became something of a norm. 'Smile' techniques were learned and upgraded from time to time...and I was ever-ready for any photoshoot session. But when time passes, photoshoots later seemed to be as unnecessary as a Glucolin drink (really...can't you just make your sweet drinks with what you already have in your kitchen?)

It was the year 2008. Wifey approached me, and said that she was very ecstatic to have our very first family photoshoot (together with our barely-a year-old Irtiza), and did some internet digging for the best packages.  That was the first time that I got to know about Kak Zubye and her Eyes of Grace.

It was an especially unique first photoshoot, that was held at the Lake Garden, Kuala Lumpur...as there were helicopters flying above us, with an increasing number of police officers nearby the area. There was an illegal gathering of sorts near the Parliament building (which was just beside the Lake Garden). Funnily enough, the surroundings from within the Lake Garden seemed peaceful and uneventful :)

This year, there was a 1-hour photoshoot promotion done by Kak Zubye from Eyes of Grace. Wifey and I immediately grabbed the opportunity, and chose a date for the photoshoot. It was the 24th February.

At the Eyes of Grace office at Pusat Bandar Baru Bangi. A lil' bit secluded area.

It's been 5 years since our first photoshoot with Kak Zubye :)

Throwback: Our first photoshoot at Taman Tasik Perdana in 2008. Disregard the almost-double chin.

Throwback: Our second photoshoot at Taman Rekreasi Putrajaya Presint Diplomatik in 2009. This could also be used for a Jacob's crackers ad.

Then, there's 2013. The first of many...

...and the next one...

...and the next one.

Striking a pose

The pose is all him...still wondering how did he know how to pose like that :)

After the photoshoot. Hmm...Ikea stuffs :)

Wifey and Kak Zubye. Hehe...a photographer can also pose well too ;)

Irtiza seems to be a bit shy out of the sudden (*partially-hidden at the door)

Before leaving

One of the end results: Our family pic

It was a short session, but we loved the results. Insya allah, we're going to do the next one for next year, together with the new member of the family :)

The Eyes of Grace Photoshoot video

Throwback 13 Presents: A Lil' Bit of Malacca

Throwback 13 Promo

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*Updated on the 11th December 2013
 
It was the 8th December 2012. It was also the 6th year anniversary of our wedding. Still, we planned for today as a non-eventful day, as we needed the rest, due to prior activities earlier of the week. Plus, my mother-in-law and wifey's nephew were at my home during the school holiday. So, a romantic getaway was totally out of the picture...and was due to be held in the near future. From the looks of things, I totally thought that we would be resting the whole day.

I think it was almost 10am, when wifey suddenly shared her desire to go for a trip to the Malacca City. It was totally unexpected...it totally came as a surprise...and I was totally digging into my breakfast when that happened.

Come to think of it, this feels like a déjà vu from the past...like when I was a kid, with my siblings and parents...picnicking at the Air Papan beach...with mum suddenly desired to go to more places during the holiday, and we ended up travelling throughout the whole Malaysian Peninsula for almost a week. Hmm...déjà vu :)

Anyway, coming back to the real story here. With a little bit of preparations, we departed an hour later.

A 'jamming' situation in the city. School holidays...you love them, you hate them.

Lunch: "Here we go...Ole 3x...go 3x...Ole3" - Ricky Martin

Malacca's signature dishes...where art thou?

...still, they're quite ok for the tastebuds...

...except for this one; 'Pari Ikan Bakar' (or BBQ Stingray). It was unusually sour.

St. Francis Xavier Institution (established 1880) near the A Famosa Site & St. Paul's Church. Emm...could you see a woman in white waving at you at the top window? (I can't...hehe)

Love the classic architecture. Makes me warm and fuzzy inside...because of the imagined Nyonya delicacies in my head.

Praying at 'Madrasah Bandar Kaba'. It was currently renovated. It looked closed for the public tho. Still... ;)

An unusual find in a big city...a working well at the Madrasah. Darn...no coins in my pocket at that time.

More old buildings on the way to Jalan Gereja bazaar (*still stressing on buildings...not people, ok?)

The handicrafts-filled bazaar...waiting for the customers slash prey.

The Ferry Jetty checkpoint near the Maritime Museum ("What it's all a-boat"? - A Canadian)

Experiencing the river cruise. Was very ecstatic to ride this during that time...to the extent that the unavailability of life jackets felt normal and greeted with a 'Meh'

'Jambatan Hang Tuah' (or 'Hang Tuah Bridge'). There is also a 'Jambatan Hang 'Jebat' along the cruise...they're really far apart ('symbolism at work').

'Kg. Morten'. A classic village...really wanna walk around there someday...with a Malay warrior attire (and a 'Keris'...a dummy of course. Just to be clear on that fact...the government could be reading this..heh)

Beautiful classic cafes facing the river. Hmm...why did I have the urge tu sing an Italian song here?

Almost at the end of the journey. Then, there's The Hobbit...'dissected' into 3 parts...

The Maritime Museum shaped like Alfonso's Flora de la Mar ship. Damn, if only I had brought along my pirate eye patch.

At 'Jalan Kota', Malacca City. You really need to be here...a lot of local products are available here....even though some of them may be tagged as 'Made in China'

Well, of course...there's this section to entice little kids.

Still congested at night. Don't they ever sleep?

I really love Malacca...especially the parts where everything still looks classic and unique. Pity that the journey was short though.The 3-hour traffic jam to the heart of the city made the visit way shorter than what it should be. But the memorable part of the trip was the river cruise...that topped most things that we had that day.

We planned to have another visit to Malacca in the near future. But for the next one, it'll be more than a day, and surely not during the school holidays :)

The Malacca River Cruise: A Montage

The Malacca River Cruise: Director's Cut

Who's Your Daddy? (Father's Day at Secret Recipe KD & Little Penang Kafe, The Curve)

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are like Superman and the Dark Knight. One’s a colourful, poster boy superhero who is celebrated by the whole world. The other’s a shadow, invisible to the public...and a hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

It doesn’t matter though...’coz we fathers will be what we are wanted to become, because we can take it. We are the silent guardians & the watchful protectors. We are...’Batmen’ (*Distinct ‘aggressive’ Hans Zimmer track playing).

Btw, did you understand the above statements in the first read? If yes, then you are a bigger comic / movie geek than I am ;)

So, we are in the world where everything seems to be candy-layered with Mother’s Day ads. Mother this, and mom that. And then there’s the Mama song by the Spice Girls, followed by Boyz 2 Men’s ‘manly’ version of a mama song (Though some buffed-up men would secretly prefer the former). For Father’s Day...hmm...I don’t know...Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach?

Putting all the negativity aside, admittedly, people do celebrate Father’s Day, but with way less commercialized approach. It’s like New Year’s Eve without the fireworks; you hear more of hooting owls instead of exploding sounds. Hoot.

This year’s Father’s Day was a little bit different and extra special. It felt like a double celebration...because it was.

As wifey was due to work on the 16th, we decided to celebrate Father’s Day a week early (it was wifey’s treat). So we went to the Secret Recipe at Giant KD.

Mr Bean's car...according to Irtiza

Our usuals

Exploring the unknown

Irtiza seemed to be the most excited of all, especially after browsing through the display of chocolate cakes at the counter. And that’s what he had that day; a slice of Moist Chocolate Cake. As for wifey and I, we wanted to be adventurous with the menu selections. So, rather than choosing our usuals, Prawn Macaroni with Cheese and Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup, I chose the Chicken Parmigiana, and wifey opted for the Mozzarella Baked Fish. Our drinks stayed the same though.

Irtiza's Moist Chocolate Cake. Reminds me of a Lava Cake.

What would-be my Chicken Parmigiana

Chocolatey grin :D

Wifey's Green Apple Kasturi, and Irtiza's attempt to take posssession of my hot chocolate drink

Will the real Chicken Parmigiana please 'stand out'?

Chocolate massacre in progress

Wifey's Mozzarella Baked Fish. Is it just me, or the portion looks small?

Overall, the chicken dishes were very tasty, cheesy, and enjoyable to chew. But I feel the portions were more appropriate for light eating, rather than a real dinner. The potatoes were a bit hard to bite. Irtiza’s extremely delicious cake was the star of that day (had a bite or two under his strict ‘watch’).

Had follow-up presents from wifey a few days after that; a sweet ‘Papa Since 2008’ t-shirt from Kiut Kids, and a dozen of tasty red velvet cupcakes (made by wifey’s work colleague). They were ‘sweet’ (Pun intended for the cupcakes) :)

...and a hubby since 2006 :)

My (Correction: Irtiza and I's) Red Valvet Cupcakes

Two down, ten to go

Father’s Day then came a few days later. I thought it’ll be uneventful, plus it was also the start of the minor haze. So, Irtiza and I stayed home the whole day, and left home briefly for Irtiza’s Report Card Day at Smart Soleh KD.

But, on the way home after fetching wifey at work, we made an unscheduled stop at Ikea. After some serious shopping, we headed for the Little Penang Cafe at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara.

It was getting darker when we arrived; it was almost ‘Maghrib’ (pre-dawn) time. We booked a table, and ordered food straightaway. Wifey chose LPC’s ‘Char Kuey Teow’ (a type of fried flat rice noodles). We ordered for Irtiza his home-style fried rice, and my choice was the ‘Assam Laksa’ (flat rice noodles in spicy fish gravy). For drinks, wifey, Irtiza and I chose ‘Air Cincau’ (grass jelly drink), orange juice, and ‘Cincau Bandung’ (grass jelly in milk and rose cordial syrup).

Irtiza loved the chopsticks

The main entrance. A rather dark ambience

Presenting...the Assam  Laksa

Colourful drinks

Irtiza's fried rice. He only ate 1/3 of this

Wifey's Char Kuay Teow

After having a taste of everything, I think I loved my ‘Assam Laksa’ the most. The gravy was absolutely satisfying, and the prawn paste condiment really complemented the dish. But, I do wish that they weren’t stingy with the fish bits. I think I had more of those from Laksa Shack’s ‘Assam Laksa’. Irtiza’s fried rice was a standard...couldn’t complain much there. Wifey’s ‘Char Kuay Teow’ on the other hand tasted very authentic and a delish, but it was a little bit dry for my taste. The drinks were nice, but I loved my delicious ‘Cincau Bandung’ the most (Correction: ‘we’. Irtiza took a liking to my drink...that he drank most of it).

So, these were the things that we did for Father’s Day. It was not as hyped as Mother’s Day in general, but to celebrate it with my loved ones made it as special as it can be. Thank you for the lovely Father’s Day :)

 

 The guys. Gosh, I look fat.

Ps:/ Hmm...would be cool if there were good Father’s Day songs tho.