Spring Clean

I was lucky that I didn't have to pick up the mop to do the cleaning. Our maid had one of her friends coming along, and the two of them merrily got the cleaning done.

And they were efficient. Our maid originally came to Malaysian almost 10 years ago as a private cleaner. But her income were a bit up and down. The agency she initially worked for had a change of management and the new boss had been short changing them.

She came to clean my Mum-in-law's house for almost a couple of years, getting to know us. Our children really liked her. She then decided to quit the agency, return to the Philippine, got her visa in order and came to work for me full time.

She still had friends doing freelance cleaning and when we needed a hand with cleaning, she would call them up. Great arrangement ...

Selamat Hari Raya

Monday, 28th July. After 29 days of Ramadan, it was time for celebration. I celebrated mostly because I was tired with the errands the day before, and being away from the hospital.

I couldn't sleep well last night. We spent the evening at my Mum's place, with my boys playing with their cousin. As usual, Idlan started to sneeze and wheeze later in the evening and only fallen asleep at around 1 am. Anita slept earlier since she had to do the preparations early in the morning.

At the MosqueTime for makan ....The obligatory family portraitThe boys were still in bed when I left for the morning Raya Prayers. But they were ready when I got back.

The customary family portraits ensued while waiting for my brother-in-law to turn up at around 10 am.

Then came my turn to visit my Mum. Luckily it was 10 minutes away. My boys again got over excited with their cousins.

The afternoon slowed down a bit. We ended up watching TV, waiting for Anita's cousin to come and visit their Aunty.

As usual, I over eaten again. Might have to start jogging tomorrow. Still waiting for dinner but not sure when that going to take place. I didn't have much space left in my belly. More plans tomorrow ....

To all my friends and colleague, Happy Hari Raya and Happy Holidays. Thanks for all the warm wishes through social media and texts. Time to chill out for a little bit.

Settling In

After moving into the apartment on Monday afternoon, only last night that we managed to get most of the stuff unpacked. We planned to stay here for the rest of the week, before returning to Gombak for Raya. Then we would go away for our Penang trip before returning to the apartment for another week or so, until the school holidays were over.

The boys had been up all night yesterday, and prying them out of their room was a nightmare. We went out for a spot of dinner last night at Pavilion, and that was after some shouting. I suspect Irfan especially had been up at this hour playing with his console. He was stirring when I left for work this morning.

I also planned to get my office in order. A bit of clerical stuffs to catch up here and there. It would be a night in tonight, unless Anita had a different idea.

The unit also needed some plumbing work. On Thursday, a water valve would be installed at our floor to reduce the water pressure. It had been causing a lot of leakage in the last year, and it was about time that the management do something about that. The main bathroom was still without hot water after the last bout of leak, and my maids bathroom also needed fixing. Hopefully all of that could be sorted out while we were in ...

Holiday was Sorted

For the after EId break this year, we would be going back to Penang. But this time, rather than staying with the relatives, we decided to lay low and stay at a hotel in town. We decided to spend most of the time indoors - if there such a thing.

The initial plan was to get a room at Batu Feringghi, at one of the beach resorts. But while browsing, Anita discovered a converted old Colonial mansion which was now a hotel. No arguments. We did the booking this afternoon ....

If would be smack in the middle of Georgetown. I have never been to this hotel before, so hopefully the hype were true .... Fingers crossed!

Visiting the Pusara

After an overnight rest at Sungai Petani, we stopped again at Kepala Batas on the way back to KL. And we stopped again at the mosque to visit my Uncle's grave.

It rained heavily shortly after the visit, and we hang around at the mosque while waiting for the rain to subside. Got to meet some of my old friends there who I haven't met for many years.

The funeral took place the evening beforeClose by was the grave of my grandfatherIdlan went along as well and at the grave, he kept on asking about his Great Grandfather and Mother, Grand Uncles and others. He seemed overwhelmed.

It soon rained right after we got indoorThis used to be my playground ....My Mum decided to visit her orchard - she had plenty of ripe rambutan to bring back to KL - after Kepala Batas. We decided to head straight back to KL. Had to be on call the next morning.