It Is Tough Job Doing A Woman's Job

Take it from me it is a tough job. How do I know? I just did it for two weeks recently when I had to take care of my 3 months old grandson Adam Hakimi. Adam's mum Ijjah had to attend a compulsory 2 weeks induction course when she missed doing it earlier when she was in her late stage of pregnancy when she was carrying Adam.
His dad had to work as he had almost utilized most of his annual leave. But he will be around to help me look after Adam during the night when he is back from work. I also had the option to send Adam to his day minder in the nearby housing area of Shah Alam but the prospect of having to bundle Adam in the car to take him to the minder was too cumbersome.
The day's chore start from 5 AM or thereabout when Adam wakes up after soiling his diapers. The diaper had to be changed otherwise Adam will feel uncomfortable. After washing him up and a new change of diaper, a small bottle of milk will put him back to sleep. The problem was Adam was not fully weaned off his mother's milk and put on powdered milk. Thought he wasn't breastfed all the time, he was fed with his mother's milk which was kept in the fridge after being expressed. Adam had yet to acquire the taste of powdered milk and never suck with gusto whenever he was fed with it. It is always a game trying to get him to suckle the whole 5 oz of milk per feed. Sometimes he would even throw them up.
Should he go to sleep, I would use the available time to wash up the used bottles before sterilizing them using the recently bought sterilizer. Prior to this sterilization was done by immersing the bottles an nipples in freshly boiled water which I disagree as it was inadequate. So we bought the sterilizer from Kedai Annakku at the Giant Supermarket closeby. I was hoping to buy the smaller sterilizer which could be put into the Microwave oven and heated up. They didn't have the stock and had only this stand alone sterilizer which cost my son almost RM200. Anyway it was money well spent as the unit could sterilize 9 bottles plus all the peripherals in one go. Luckily they had received ample number of quality feeding bottles as gift so 9 bottles were available for use thus reducing the need for frequent sterilization.
While the sterilizer is doing it's work I will do my Subuh prayers. There is no need to shut off the sterilizer unit as it will automatically shut itself off.
Next on my job will be to prepare breakfast for myself as my son Azuan will have breakfast at the office. My breakfast was a simple one as I kept ample stock of bread or cereals handy. Then only will I handwash Adam's clothes which did not really require much scrubbing, followed by my own clothes which needed abit more use of the muscles. They will all be put to dry in the shade of the corridor.
Adam will usually wake up around 9 AM having wetted his diapers and perhaps soiled it too with his poo. It is time to bathe him. A small tub of warm water will be prepared and when the temperature is right, Adam really enjoyed his bath. By the way do you know how to check the water temperature in the baby's tub? Many parents including mums do not know. We use the elbow to test the water temperature so that it will never be too warm for the baby. Why the elbow and not the fingers? Try both methods and you will know the reason.
After drying Adam with his own towels, he will be rubbed with baby's oil, followed by baby's powder. A dash of Amway's baby liniment will be applied to the stomach, back, behind the ankle and soles of the feet will ensure that he will not suffer from bloat. He will be given another feed after being dressed up in fresh clothes. Adam will have another siesta and it is during this time that I will cook lunch.
Since young I was brought up with ikan singgang as 'lauk'. The ikan singgang will be heated up daily to prevent it from going bad however long you keep it. I guess the asam keping, salt, galanggal and gula Melaka in place of MSG are great preservative and the dish not only will last but also acquire a better taste. The ikan singgang can later be fried to give it a most exquisite taste. Only those who have lived on such food can tell or relate to the heavenly taste of fried ikan singgang. Make sure that not much of the gravy is left on the fish otherwise it will result in the popping of the hot frying oil from the kuali.
Should Adam feel comfortable enough and sleep longer, I will use the opportunity to paint.
When the sun is setting down and the evening heat is bearable, I will take Adam down in the pram to the ground floor from the 13th floor where we lived. Adam seemed to loved the outdoor as much and will often go to sleep at the end of the walk.
Dinner will be a simple affair too. Sometimes my son will bring home food for me eliminating the need to have dinner on ikan singgang all the time. It will now be his turn to look after his baby. I can have my rest.
So that was how I survived daily.
Midway through the stay, Adam developed nappy rash. Raw flesh was detected on his bottom. I had never experienced this before with any of my children or grandchildren. He seemed to be defecating too often too which worries me to no end. Could he be having diarhoea? It was time to take him to the clinic. When Azuan returned from work, we took Adam to a clinic somewhere in Shah Alam. A lady doctor by the name of Dr. Indra was on duty. We told her that the baby was suffering from rash and she confirmed it was nappy rash and will be giving the medication for it. The next problem of the suspected diarrhea was a bit hilarious. Dr. Indra wanted to know the frequency of the baby's daily poo and the color of the stool. Since Azuan had been leaving that part of the duty to clean his baby up to me, Azuan looked up to me for answers. When I tried to answer, Dr. Indra wanted the dad to answer as she thought he was the one looking after the baby. When told that I was the one doing it, she started questioning about the where about of Adam's mother and since the mother was not available, where is the grandmother?
Dr. Indra shook her head in disbelief after getting the answer that only the grandfather is avaialble to look after Adam as the mother and grandmother were teachers and couldn't get away from work.
As to the color of the stool, I did bring along a sample in the form of a soiled diaper for the doctor to see. It wasn't necessary as at that very moment Adam did pushed some fecal out with a small grunt. When a nurse took over Adam from his father, she couldn't help noticing and making a remark that Adam's booties didn't match.
The doctor couldn't confirm as to whether Adam was having diarhoea or not and asked us to bring him again if the frequency of stooling was too often. She must have been out of touch with babies as she couldn't tell how many times is too many times.
Anyway since Adam wasn't feeling uncomfortable with the frequent stooling, we didn't bring him back to the clinic and took them as normal.
On another occasion, Adam was having nasal congestion. His discomfort was partly eased by the application of Vicks Vapour Up which eased his discomfort somewhat only to recur after the effect wore off. It was during such times that we our self had to suffer the stress of not having enough rest and sleep.
However happy I was at having my grandson to look after, I was even happier when his mum returned from her course and I did not have to look after him more than the agreed two weeks. During that two weeks I lost 4 kg of weight. A good enough reward for me.
Doing a woman's job is indeed tough job. Just imagine if you have to conceive as well and carry the baby for 9 months!

I Need Your Contact Numbers

Thief (thieves) broke into my house in the early morning of 11th November 2009. I lost my handphone and all the contact numbers in it. To all of my friends please sms me your contact numbers to my 0199125647 so that I can rebuild my phonebook. Please don't forget to include your name otherwise I may not be able to discern your name unless you include it.
We didn't lose much as the thief only took away a copper jug we bought from Mecca in 1997, my Seiko Kinetic watch, two old handphones including my Motorola and a bottle of water. Well those are the few things we could discern as missing.
Thank you.

Pahang Artists Art Exhibition @ TV3

After almost a week from it's opening on 21st October 2009 that I managed to get to TV3's Sri Pentas to see the art exhibition by Pahang Artists. Since it was being organized by a fellow blogger Datin Mamasita of the famous blog Mamasita Mamamia, I felt compelled to attend the exhibition not only to lend support for her monumental effort but also to learn a thing or two about arts from the many works of the many fine artists of Pahang. I promised to attend the show on the previous day but a mini gathering of my classmates from the class of 1968 Sekolah Menenggah Sultan Ibrahim Pasir Mas at a friend's house somewhere in Ampang had consumed the better part of the afternoon leaving me with little time to visit the exhibition.
It was a blessing in disguise really as visiting the exhibition on Tuesday 27th. of October 2007 had better offerings than the previous day. For starters Datin Mamasita had promised that other fellow bloggers such as Dato' Jaffar Lamri of Jaff Points and Puteri Kamaliah of Kata Kama would be attending too. I was anxious to meet Dato' Jaffar as my last meeting with him was the first meeting at Kinokuniya KLCC where Awang Goneng had his GUiT book signing which was almost two years ago. Puteri did not attend today's event for some reasons or other, after all she had attended it earlier on the first day. Dato' Jaffar came to collect his precious Ayam Serama painting which he had purchased at his first visit on the opening day.
I was one of the early arrival for the afternoon and Dato Jaffar came shortly after. Here we posed for a photograph with Datin Mamasita being the organizer and one of the prominent artist from Pahang, Osman Limat.

From left to right: Pak Zawi, Osman Limat, Dato' Jaff and Datin Mamasita.

The lobby of Sri Pentas where the exhibition was held.


Dato' Jaff was taking his duly wrapped Ayam Serama to the car when I pleaded to see the painting before he took them home. Dato' Jaff he willingly obliged.


Such is the beauty of the painting of the pair of Ayam Serama which Dato' Jaff bought.

Another great piece at the exhibition was Melombong by Osman Limat or Pak Man as he is affectionately known.


Melombong carried a tag of RM15,000.00. It was later bought by The Malaysian Ambassador to the United States YB. Dato' Jamaluddin Jarjis.

Another exquisitely beautiful piece being displayed. I had requested another beauty from TV3 to pose beside it. See how they complemented each other.

A bit later another great painter by the name of Yusof Gajah came with his wife Puan Zakiah. We adjourned to the cafeteria for some teh tarik. I made the most of the situation to learn a thing or two from the master himself whose single painting could fetch a whopping RM100,000.00. I would be more than happy to receive one hundredth of that for my own painting, let alone RM100K!

Pak Zawi listening attentively from the master himself.

Datin Mamasita took care of Puan Zakiah, the wife of Pak Yusof Gajah. Puan Zakiah was the pillar of strength that supported Yusof Gajah's career as a painter. Read Mamasita's blog to learn more of her contribution to their success where Yusof Gajah had risen from the brink of failure.

The discussion between Dato' Jaff and Yusoff Gajah was so interesting that I had to bring myself closer to know what it was all about.


Dato' Arif Sabri of the popular Sopo blog Sakmongkol AK47 is Datin Mamasita's other half. Here he was seen holding court while Dato' Jaffar, Yussof Gajah and yours truly listened with interest. Dato' Sak as we affectionately called him was the man behind the exhibition as he was keen to help budding Pahang Artists to succeed.


My son Azrin who had been acting as my photographer had a shot of himself with such luminaries as Dato' Jaff, Dato' Sak and Yusof Gajah. Thanks to him because without him I would hardly have any pictures of myself.

At 5 PM we gathered at the entrance to the TV3 lobby to wait for the Bigspender in the form of the Malaysian Ambassador to the United States of America YB. Dato' Jamaluddin Jarjis who happened to be a close friend of Dato' Sak. They had grown up together in Pekan. It was at the invitation of Dato' Sak that Dato' JJ came to the show. Such is the influence of Dato' Sak, the man with the AK47.

Dato' JJ shaking the hand of Osman Limat, the painter of Melombong

Datin Mamasita doing her level best to get Dato' JJ to buy as many paintings as possible. She must have suggested that Dato' JJ buy the most expensive one as a gift for President Obama himself.

Azrin's hand must have trembled so much having to photograph the Malaysian Ambassador with the guests that the camera shook. He was so awed by the moment that a few other guests and even his dad were left out of frame.

Before leaving for another function at Sri Pentas, Dato' JJ mentioned about the possibility of holding a similar exhibition in the US! Wow, that will be great. That gave Datin Mamasita the idea of holding a similar exhibition for The East Coast Artists ( Pahang, Terenganu and Kelantan) in London at Malaysia Hall. Please pray for us all that it will materialize one day. We will need sponsorship from Malaysian Tourisms and other governement agencies of course.

Before I left the premise of Sri Pentas, Mat Noor, the host of Jejak Rasul passed by and I asked for a photo with him which he and his friend obliged. My wife Fatthiyah is also an avid follower of the Jejak Rasul series. Mat Nor is the host of Jejak Rasul.
I left Sri Pentas with a contented heart as on that day I had met so many fine artists from Pahang and learnt so much from Yusof Gajah, another world reknowned artist from Pahang.
The next blog will be about another visit to a private Gallery of En. Hilmi Yusoff, the son of the famous artist from Kelantan, the late Yusoff Abdullah. I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be allowed to visit the private gallery which I did on the previous Saturday in Shah Alam, courtesy of another blogger friend Wan Asmadi aka Sangkelate who is a cousin of Hilmi.