Bapak, my father-in-law

10 February 2010, Wednesday

Mak, ayah, last week Amir (your son-in-law) and I went to visit bapak (my father-in-law). Somehow, this visit was different. I felt bapak seemed really sad, he looked really folorn, despondent and dejected.

And despite Amir feeding him lunch yesterday, he seemed lost in a world of his own. And he didn't even eat very much, he ate like a bird.

When I looked at him, it brought tears to my eyes. This was the man who used to be very strong, this was my father-in-law who used to be very concerned about my welfare. This was the father who used to fuss over his 3 children (Amir, Tini and Hanafi). This was the husband who used to love his wife so very much.

Bapak used to take the trouble to pluck giant mangoes from his house compound in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, packed them lovingly in a box and sent them to us in KL via train.

He used to do that at least twice a month. And when I was pregnant, he would also send via parcel, asam boi (sour tidbits) which he would buy from the sinseh shop as he reckoned I would love to eat sour stuff during my pregnancies.

And everytime we went back to Penang, and upon arrival, he would drive us to Balik Pulau to buy the best durians as he knew both Amir and I and the kids would drool over durians.

And without fail, he would buy tons of yummy foodstuff for us to savour, food like apam manis, pulut inti, pasembur, tokua goreng, ais kacang, nasi beriyani, murtabak, just to name some of the delectable dishes you can find in the Pearl of the Orient, as what Penang is famously known as.

And when we visited him last week, he looked many shades of his old self. He simply couldn't remember my name but commented that I'm Amir's wife. Amazingly, and without fail, he'd remember Amir's name.

Mak, Ayah, I felt very sad when I looked at Bapak. It tugged my heart to look at him in this condition. It brought back memories of my time with you, Mak, Ayah, and Mak (my mother-in-law). Time seemed to zoom by.

I felt it was only yesterday that all of you were still around, spending time with your kids and grand children. I missed you Mak, Ayah, and Mak. And I coudn't bear to look at Bapak when we bade him goodbye. He was near to tears as I salam and kissed his hands, and as Amir hugged and kissed him.

Bapak, I couldn't bear the look on your weather-beaten, wrinkled, depressing, and heart-rending face as you turned and stared at us, as we began to leave you. Your dejected and forlorn look would haunt me for a very long time. Bapak, we love you very much. Mak, Ayah, Mak, we missed you so very much.

Kitchen Makeover: Day 16

9 February 2010 (Tuesday)
Day 16

Today, they brought more sand to mix with the cement for the wall tiling as work on tiling the walls continued, and finally it's taking shape.

They managed to complete two walls, and I reckoned all the walls will be completed by Thursday.

Heard from Jali that the Chinese workers will cease work on Friday as most would be going back to their respective hometowns for Chinese New Year.

Hence, the Indonesian workers will take over w.e.f Friday. Tiling the floor requires less skill than tiling the walls, so I'm less perturbed.

Meanwhile, my husband and I went to PJ Old Town to buy taps and bathroom accesories for the kitchen sink, for the washing machine and also for our master bathroom.

We ended up at the same shop, Hanlim Trading Sdn Bhd, a shop which we first patronized about 20 years ago.  They're still standing tall, the design, the shape of the shop still looks the same.  The only difference is, the things they stock which are more in line with contemporary designs.

Having done that, we're through and done with shopping for accessorries and stuff for the kitchen.

I can't wait for the kitchen makeover to be completed as it's been 16 days since they started and I pray and hope it's worth all the money, effort and inconvenience we have to put up with.

Kitchen Makeover: Day 15

8 February 2010 (Monday)
Day 15

Yesterday we went to IKEA to buy kitchen accesories. And later dropped by Alfo Lightings in SS2 to buy downlights for the kitchen. We like their contemporary selection. Last week, we had selected 2 modern lights design for the kitchen and another light for the washroom. We scouted around for shops selling taps but to no avail as most shops were closed, yesterday, being Sunday.

So, tomorrow we were planning to buy the taps in PJ Old Town. It's kind of strange that despite us staying in KL, most of the stuff and accessories we bought were all from PJ.

Today, two Chinese workers (Ah Wai and Ah Ki) came to start work on laying the tiles. According to Ah Wai, it'll probably take 10 days to complete the entire job. I was quite surprised as Jali had said that it was going to take only 4 days. That being the case, it will encroach into Chinese New Year, and they being Chinese will obviously take a break, so the completion date for my kitchen makeover will be further delayed. Much as I hated this, I reckon I have no choice. Looks like, the entire makeover will take more than 1 month.

When Ah Wai surveyed the walls, he told me that he needed to add more cement to some of the walls as it was uneven. And they spent the enire day today plastering the walls. I reckoned they would only start laying the wall tiles with effect from tomorrow.

Kitchen Makeover: Day 13

6 February 2010 (Saturday)
Day 13

Woke up feeling like as though there are tons of bricks on my head. Now, I remember!! I'm in an abyss. And all the bricks have fallen down on me. Now, it's no wonder that the kitchen isn't completed yet. They're supposed to use the bricks, instead they've thrown those bricks into the abyss where I lay suffocating.....

Jali, the supervisor came by today, after being missing for a week. I took the opoprtunity to raise a few things with him that needed to be sorted out.

The workers were supposed to fix the door, grille, gutter, but I was told that they couldn't proceed because Enji, head worker was injured after falling down the ladder in my kitchen yesterday.

Anyway, a worker came later part of the afternoon to fix the glass for my father-in-law's window. And, finally, in the evening, the much-awaited tiles came.

I had been bugging Jali on the tiles as CNY is just round the corner, and if there's further delay, it's going to hold up the completion of my kitchen too.

When I saw the 'poster-like' tiles (meant as decorative item) and the border tiles, I immediately fell in love with them.

Jali had given us a catalogue from White Horse much earlier, and I hadn't like any of the designs and had asked for different ones. And that was when I had first laid eyes on these beautiful contempoary and vogue tiles. And I've prayed hard that those tiles would be in stock, and my prayers had been answered.

And seeing the real thing today took my breath away. It's really beautiful. I can't wait for them to start laying the tiles, which they promised to start next Monday.

Meanwhile, despite the euphoria of seeing the awesome-looking tiles, I'm still in the rut, still in an abyss, now with some of the bricks removed. I'm now able to breathe a little better.But, just the same, the abyss is where I'll remain till God knows when......

Abyss bound

5 February 2010, Friday

Grief

Sorrow

Pain

Anguish

Angst

Woe

All these I know

But for what cause?

To nurse a broken heart?

At what price?

Feeling of despair

Wretchedness

Misery

All these for thee?

Torment

Torture

Angony

Suffering

Ordeal

Sadness

I'd sooner be in the abyss

Kitchen Makeover: Day 12

5 February 2010 (Friday)
Day 12

I fervently hope progress on my kitchen makeover will pick up pace today. We were told the workers would begin plastering the walls today which would continue till Sunday (I recalled how adamant they were to be given a break last Sunday), so I'm not sure if Jali could convince them to come in this Sunday.

The floor and wall tiles are expected to arrive by today. And the plan is to start working on the tiling by Monday. Hope everything will go as plan.

Meanwhile, I'm making good progress on Phase Two (editing) of my Digital Marketing book. I hope to complete Phase Two and Three (proof-reading) before Chinese New Year, as I'm slated to go to Singapore for a couple of days after Lunar New Year.

Just before the workers left for the day, Enji told me they were done with whatever needed to be done which surprised me as Jali had indicated earlier they would work right through Sunday.

Progress and Pics on Day 11
Plaster: 95% done, some parts still not done
Tiles: No sign of them at all
Door: Nil
Grille: Nil
Gutter: Nil

I'm feeling really exasperated. In fact, today is one day since the renovation started that I felt as though I'm falling down an abysss, so deep I'm not sure I can ever come out of the rut again.

Kitchen Makeover: Day 11

4 February 2010 (Thursday)
Day 11

It's been more than a week since my kitchen makeover started. I'm getting very impatient as everywhere is a mess. Now, my bedroom has trebled up as a mini kitchen cum dining area apart from what the name implies.

And talking about names, I met someone on FB, who goes by the name of Dart Vader (notice the H is missing..??). I always wonder why people need to hide behind a pseudonym. What exactly are they trying to hide or conceal?

My take on this is, if you are brave enough to join a social network, you ought to be brave enough to reveal your true identity, unless you have an ulterior motive. I'm sure there's plenty of  Dart Vaders on FB and other social networking in cyber space.

And have you ever wondered what their true motive is? Could it be to hoodwink gullible people? Or was it to just appease their abnormal state of mind? Whatever the motive is, the likes of Dart Vaders should be shot by, what else, but darts, of course!! and banished from cyber space.

Cyber space or kitchen space? That is the question.

In my kitchen space, I can whip up a frenzy with all my cooking. In cyber space? I've met a lot of friends, both young and old, new friends, old friends, crazy friends, and even weirdos.

I've been very eager to meet up with my old classmates from Maju Secondary School, Singapore since joining FB. So, when a guy added me as a friend, I was thrilled to bits, thinking he was my classmate, as I just couldn't recall some of their names, especially the boys. Anyway, it turned out, he wasn't.

But what tickled and amused me most was his posting to my query on FB, "I'm happy to be ACQUITTED!" Of course, you can guess what my reply was.

"You mean you were charged in court for an offence, and they ACQUITTED you?" Welll, what he actually meant was, he was happy to be ACQUAINTED with me.

Since then, he has stopped liasing with me, as I reckon he wasn't too happy to be "ACQUITTED" by me.....he'd rather the judge...... Till today, this has been one of the highlights in my FB sojourn, it still tickled me to bits whenever I reminisce about this hilarious exchange.

That's some of the lighter moments on FB. I think, enough of cyber space.

And back to my kitchen space, I'm waiting to see what progress the workers made today, on Day 10....

Kitchen Makeover: Day 10

3 February 2010 (Wednesday)
Day 10

The workers who are assigned to my kitchen makeover are kind of erratic in the time they report for work at my house. Their usual starting time is 9:00 a.m, but some days, they can be as late as 9:45 a.m. Day before yesterday, they arrived late. And I thought it'll be the same yesterday, but no! They arrived just before 9:00. And today, when I had expected them to arrive early, they arrived only at 10:00 a.m. Arggghhh... I can never understand these people.

Call it one of my quirks, strengths, or weaknesses, but whatever the label or term you call it, I'm a stickler for punctuality.

I detest and abhor people who are late, and who don't treat being punctual as a boon. I'm one who strongly believe in being systematic, both to benefit me as well as others who may be associated with me.

From my schooldays as a primary school pupil, I had always insisted on being early, not just being punctual to arrive in school. And this trait or quirk has remained with me till today.

I recalled being always early for my dates with my boyfriend (now my soulmate). I would ensure I arrived at least 15-20 minutes ahead of him.

And even when I was working, I had always been one of the firsts, if not the first to arrive in the office. I would be in the office when everywhere is still shrouded in darkness, when the sun is still shy of peeking its brightness, when most people are still fast asleep in bed, even the birds and bees lay quiet in their nests and resting places.

I guess I'm what you would term as a morning person. I know it's wishful thinking, but how I wish more people would make punctuality a part of their lives, my kitchen makeover workers, included....

I am actually getting agitated with the rather slow progress of my kitchen makeover as I reckoned the workers aren't putting in their utmost effort to complete this job as soon as possible. So I called Jali up to find out the status, and was told that everything should be in its place and makeover completed in 10 days' time, i.e by 13 February. I'm anxious because once it rolls into Chinese New Year, it's gonna be difficult to complete everything as the Chinese contractors would take almost 2 weeks break (right up to Chap Goh Mei).

I badly need my kitchen to be done quickly as not only has the food bill sky rocketed since the renovation began, I'm also (I'm sure my husband and kittos too) are missing terribly my home-cooked meals.

And to make matters worse, I've cancelled all my English classes as the dining and living area are not 'livable,' hence not suitable to conduct any classes. I wish progress will be speeded up.

Pics from Day 9