Just Us

Visit from Dato Seri Anwar to the Bay Area

2009-10-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Monday September 28, 2009. I met up with my Malaysian buddy Wong Soon Seng at the New Penang Garden restaurant. Both of us were excited for what is to be our chance in a lifetime face to face meeting with Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He is truly Malaysia's last hope for salvation, I believe that he can make a difference, despite what most people say. The country of my birth has gone to the dogs, so to speak.

Dato Seri was giving a speech on the current developments in Malaysia and what his party's plans are for the future of the country. We in the Bay Area have seen and heard stories that are sometimes hard to believe. More and more minorities in Malaysia are leaving the country, frustrated by the corrupt and unequal system.

According to Data Seri there are about 4 million Malaysian all over the world that can make a difference not by voting but by providing campaign contributions. He can't seem to understand why Malaysia does not allow for overseas voters to cast their votes from Malaysian embassies whereas every other country in the world (even the 3rd world countries allows it) allows it.

The speech was fantastic, everyone had a renewed interest in their homeland and was spurred on to contribute to the cause.

I personally had a chance to take a photo with the Dato and proudly sent it back to my family in Seremban. Imagine this, none of my family members living in Malaysia could get this chance but I got the chance half way around the world. I think it's a sign. Something tells me that next election is going to be a blast and there is going to be bloodshed and new victory for the opposition party. I hope I get to witness it or be part of it.

I just hope that my family will be safe when all hell breaks lose.

A Milestone for Shaayla

2009-06-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it. Shaayla ended her Jr K year at Merryhill School today. From the scared little girl who first attended preschool in Dec 2007, she has grown so much. Her reading skills amazes us all the time. It seemed like only yesterday when I was teaching her the ABCs, now she can read entire storybooks by herself. She has a voracious appetite for reading and the many books she has never fail to give her joy. She used to pick a book and run to us and curl up as we read them together....now we curl up and listen to her read instead.

She has achieved so many things in her past year in Jr K. And the person who influenced her the most was Ms Aimee, her Jr K teacher. She was funny, patient, and always took the time to talk with me to help me understand problems that Shaayla had coping.

It's going to be a challenge to keep Shaayla advanced as she starts elementary grade in a public school. As parents, it's up to us not to fail her.

A Long Journey to Our Own Home

2009-06-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

On May 9, 2005, we landed in San Francisco, California to start a new chapter of our lives. On May 27, 2009, 4 years later, we stepped into our very own home here in San Jose, California, USA.

It's been a long hard road, through uncertainties and struggles over the 4 years, to be able to finally sit down in a home that we can truly call ours. As Suresh and I locked the door for the final time at Amberwood Drive, we took a deep breath and reflected on our lives from the moment in 2004 when we decided to take the plunge and packed our bags (and our lives) and move thousands of miles away from our family and all that was familiar to us.

Our first year living at Rivermark, Santa Clara, went by in a flash. Shaayla turned 1 year old on Nov 19, 2005. We went on our first holiday to Las Vegas during Thanksgiving that year, making that our first road trip. The following year in Mar, we had a great snow holiday up at Lake Tahoe - Shaayla's first time toddling on the snow.

Barely a week after moving into Amberwood, we made a trip back to Singapore & Malaysia for Shamini's wedding in Aug 2006. Shaayla and I stayed till Nov and grandparents really enjoyed her presence. She's grown so much since they last saw her. 2007 was a year of many achievements for Shaayla. She started many classes - mandarin, ballet, music, and gym. Every day was a joy watching her grow and learn. In April 2007, Suresh's Mum came to live with us for 6 months. We vacationed in Yosemite and LA and of course, Disneyland.

Every now and then, we have to remind ourselves to be prudent with our expenses. We never really thought about where we were going to settle down for the long term. I think it wasn't because we were not sure, it was rather we were so caught up with the daily grind of balancing our monthly budget. Living on a single income meant thinking twice before making a big purchase or going on holidays.

Although it was a small rental apartment, Amberwood held many fond memories for us. Two things will also be remembered - in Dec 2007, Shaayla started attending preschool at Merryhill School. I think I took her going to 'school' harder than Shaayla. For 3 years, I've been with her almost every day - going through joys and pains with her, watching her learn, picking her up when she fell - it was hard seeing her cry when we left her at the school in the morning. But it all turned out fine and she even made a friend on her first day of school.

Amberwood will also be remembered fondly as we welcomed Shayman to our family on Apr 19, 2008. My Mum had barely recovered from her jetlag a week earlier and this little bundle couldn't wait to join the world. Big sister, Shaayla, was all ready to take on her duties.

Day by day, news of the US economy threw a pall of doubt on us. Suresh left NetApp and we took a break at Fort Bragg. After he joined AMCC, he was definitely much happier - more work, but he was happier that he was learning things.

As the US economy made a downturn, the Singapore property market was soaring. In Jun 2008, we made our decision - sell our first property in Singapore, so that we can afford to purchase a property here in California. It couldn't have been a more opportune time. Property prices and interest rates in California were slowly cooling off. With federal housing assistance programs, it looked like we could finally afford something.

It was a long process with tonnes of paperwork, lots of documentation and many weekends of scouting neighbourhoods. Perhaps the thing that kept Suresh and I awake most nights is the worry of making sure that Shaayla and Shayman have the best education that we can provide them with. On a single income, we have to face the reality that private education for both of them will be beyond our means. We therefore spent many hours, often late into the night, researching on schools, areas to live, and of course, punching the calculator.

When we finally found this house, we thought 'how can it be otherwise'? The house numbers were good, the location was good, the house was reasonably upgraded, and it was at a price within our budget. We thought - this was it. But we didn't expect to be caught up in the middle of a sad family situation for the sellers, so things were delayed as we went through many rounds of negotiations. Even with the sellers agreeing to the sale price, we still held our breath as the underwriter sifted through our documents. It was not till May 14, 2009, when both of us signed on the title deed, that reality sunk it - we now own a house. And on May 27, 2009, with moving boxes sitting all over our house, we settled down for the night in a home to call our own.

Congratulations to Najib, the world's first murderer/minister

2009-05-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is when I love to shout out "Malaysia Boleh". Ironically, this was a chant created to help the confidence of Malaysians to compete in the world arena by our dear Mahatir. However, we all use it for all the things that are wrong with the country, someone becomes prime minister after there is conclusive (the judges would deny this though cause they are not puppets of the administration!!!) evidence pointing him to the murder.....Malaysia Boleh!!! Indian protesters jailed for voicing out their opinions and how they felt after being suppressed for so many years.....Malaysia Boleh!!! Corrupt Indian MIC leader who has no constituent to govern can still remain as the party leader .....Malaysia Boleh!!!Religious freedom is denied to the minority, although allowed in the constitution, if you so much as express yourself, you're thrown in jail but the majority can yield their "keris" and talk down on other religions and it's perfectly ok.....Malaysia Boleh.

People leave their birth place for different reasons, but for Malaysian minorities, it was too obvious. When I tell people in America that minorities are below worse than animals in Malaysia, they seem shocked cause that only existed in the 50's. Well Malaysia is in it's 50's, sad to say. Why has there been no progress...(please don't look at the Petronas Towers and tell me that is progress....i would have to spit at that), 2 words "brain drain".

Brain Drain people brain drain....and mind you it's because of the exodus of minorities who knew a long time ago that they never stood a chance in the country of their birth. What happened after that, they all moved across the border south and made that country a jewel in South East Asia. Don't believe me!! If you can get your hand on the number of Malaysians in Singapore that are currently working there or converted their citizenship from Malaysian to Singaporean, you will be shocked. To this is say ......Malaysia Boleh!!!

Have fun Najib.....hope you and your crony's get rich during your term.

Shaayla's Winter Show

2009-01-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Today, we felt like our little girl Shaayla is really growing up. She's been practising hard in school for their winter show and finally, today was their performance at the Milpitas Community Center. She's been really enthusiastic about it and practising hard every evening as well.

This was going to be the first time she'll be performing on stage in front of a huge crowd. We had no idea of what to expect. But it turned out really well and she looked like she enjoyed herself.

Our 'Twin' Bundles of Joy

2008-10-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Suresh and I are constantly amazed at how alike Shaayla (when she was a baby) and Shayman look. We decided to dig through Shaayla's past photos for a comparison and these were what we found. They both have the same light-up-the-face kind of smile...such a joy.

Thank you, Po Po

2008-10-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

It was with much sadness that we drove Shaayla's Grandma to the San Francisco Airport late Thursday night. Six months had gone by in a flash. Poor Po Po barely had time to get over her jetlag and Shayman was born...barely a week after she arrived. Since then, it's been busy busy almost everyday. But I think the greatest joy was seeing Shayman grow, becoming more cheeky and naughty each day. Without my Mum around to help the first couple of weeks, I think Suresh and I would have been running around like mad dogs.

Shaayla also enjoyed Po Po's company very much. Not a day passes by without her asking Po Po to play ball with her or to read her Princess stories to her. At times when my patience had been stretched thin, Po Po would still be very patient with her.

We only managed two very short holidays in the six months. One was to Fort Bragg in June and the other was to Santa Barbara and Solvang in August. We did manage to catch up with our friends at birthday parties and gatherings as well. And of course, Shaayla made a birthday card for Po Po's birthday on Aug 16.

Maybe Shaayla is really growing up. While she was sad that Po Po was leaving, somehow I think she understands that Po Po is going home. She has been great the past few days and we keep reminding her that we'll see Po Po in Nov when we make a trip to Singapore.

Talking Politics with Shaayla

2008-10-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

This being the presidential election year in America, Shaayla's school is also taking the opportunity to educate them on the meaning of elections and of course, who's running for presidency. There's no doubt Shaayla recognises Obama and McCain now. She even points out the name 'Obama' on bumper stickers. She's also made up her mind about who she thought would make a better president...

This was how a conversation with Shaayla went one evening :

Me : (pointing to an image of McCain on TV) Do you know who this man is?

Shaayla : John McCain

Me : That's right..just like Obama, he too wants to be the President of America

Shaayla : What's President?

Me : A president is like a leader...just like the line leader when you line up in school? He takes care of everyone.

Shaayla : oh...

Me : So, who do you think will be a better President?

Shaayla : I think Obama

Me : Why? Why not John McCain?

Shaayla : Because I think Obama is a better line leader!

Me : ?!?!?!?

Shaayla's in the Olympics

2008-09-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Shaayla started her new school year in Junior K on August 18 with Merryhill School. It's a familiar place to her as she had been there since Jan 2008 for preschool. She took to her new grade really well and as her teacher, Ms Aimee, says...she's very sociable. She enjoys her classes and even enjoys homework. They receive about 3 to 4 worksheets each day and she's very enthusiastic about doing them (and doing them properly!).

Her school organised the first ever Merryhill School Olympics and they even had an opening ceremony this morning.
Shayman, our little boy, is also growing fast. He just turned 5 months old last week and is now a busy and happy baby. He hasn't yet learnt how to roll over, but has instead got the hang of sitting unassisted.

He also enjoys visits to the park when his big sister will push him on the swing.

Does NETAPP Suck?

2008-08-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Good question. They have been top 10 on the list of "Best Places to Work" by Forbes Magazine for the last 6 years. That was my train of thought when I joined them in Dec. You would think that Forbes Magazine would have certain criteria to fulfill before a company gets on that list. You would think!! I was shocked to find out that they do not provide exit interviews to all those who have left. Their exit interviews are with a 3rd party company (ExitCheck) that contact you, if HR provides your name to them. Tricky isn't it? I have friends who are still waiting for HR or the ExitCheck to contact them for an exit interview. I think you and I know why HR does not provided ExitCheck details of everyone that leaves. I had to email the HR department and ensured that I was contacted to give feedback but colleagues who are still there say nothing has changed. HR basically talks to you, nods their heads, takes down notes and files it away in case there is a law suit. As for correcting executive behaviour that amounts to harassment, they do nothing.

I am not afraid of putting this down on my blog because you will find similar complaints when I left. I specifically spoke to HR and mentioned this to them, although I learnt that they did something about it but it's more of a "Cover my ass" sort of thing, if you know what I mean.

To think that they are No.1 this year was a shock in itself. Once I got news of NetApp getting the top place, I knew for a fact that you never refer to the "Forbes List" at all. I wonder who actually refers to this list. If only I could publish what I went through and send that to Forbes, it would be sweet but why waste time on something that cannot be fixed!!

4 Hole-In-One!

2008-07-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Call it a fluke or call it 'skills', but I scored 4 Hole-In-Ones, albeit it was only at mini golf. But, golf is golf, so I'm glad.

We played mini golf at Golfland at Milpitas on Saturday with Katelyn and Sarah, Shaayla's friends from her preschool. The girls certainly had fun.

Shaayla's Swimming Class

2008-07-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Shaayla had started her swimming lessons with Fremont Swim School about 6 weeks ago. She had really enjoyed her first lesson. But at the second lesson, she got her first underwater experience and was a little apprehensive after that. But we're glad she came round to it and has been enjoying every lesson since.

She completed level 1 of her preschool program and received her first purple ribbon last week. We were very proud of her achievement. Now she's really enthusiastic at each lesson.

A Relaxing 4th of July Weekend

2008-07-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had a good 4th of July weekend, spent with good friends and good food. Maye and John invited us to their 'country' home up in Sonoma. It was an easy 1.5hr drive up north on the morning of 4th July. Guess everyone was either away or staying indoors, taking respite from the heat.

John's little 'cottage' was tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood, and we had a great time just chilling out in his backyard.

Nicole with Shayman

On Saturday, we had a picnic at Vasona Park, Los Gatos, with Shaayla's good friends, Ryan and Alya. It was too hot for pedal-boating at Vasona Lake, so everyone just relaxed at the park instead. Of course, for the kids, it was the carousel and the steam train ride that was the highlight of their afternoon.

Shaayla and her pals, Ryan and Alya

Goodbye NetApp and Heloo AMCC

2008-06-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

It has only been 6 months since I wrote in last my blog where I said goodbye to EY and moved on to NetApp. Now I writing again after having resigned from NetApp to join AMCC (Applied Micro Circuits Corporation) as their Revenue Manager. There were several factors that made the decision to leave easier (e.g. politics, back stabbing and favourtisim).

I am a strong believer of the work environment being the most important factor is how someone performs his/her job. No matter how glamorous the company, if the work environment is bad, then you're not gonna enjoy your work and that ultimately translates to bad business for the company. The company ends up hiring, training, rehiring and retraining. Look at it this way, work will always be there if you're dead or alive. It will not go away, so if youre gonna be dealing with it, might as well do it in a good environment.

From day 1, I had a nagging feeling that I was being set up for failure. That is the worst feeling any new employee can ever have at any job. I had endless amounts of one-on-one sessions with Senior manager and seniors who would pull me to the room and tell me how bad the next employee was. I had never heard or worked at a company that had so many dissatisfied employees who would keep "bitching" about the next guy and say a sweet hi thereafter. Then there was the boss who depended so much on his Senior Manager that he would believe anything she said no matter how obviously it is to everyone else. You felt like you were constantly fighting a loosing battle within your own group. Instead of having problems with various other departments in the organization (which was a normal thing) you were fighting with the people in your own group. How sad is that.

The final straw was when I realized that email communication to me were being "blind carbon copies" or bcc or "better cover kacheng". I was shocked to see that email communications to me were being sent on a bcc to the senior manager. What was worse was that the person sending the emails was from another group (she was previously in my position) and sending email communication to me with a bcc to the senior manager. From that day on I lost respect for both of them. And what was worse was that when I told my boss about it, he did not do anything.

Now tell me if it was worth staying in such a utterly bad environment worth the 1 year. I certainly would not no matter what the price.

Only time will tell how the environment at AMCC would be but since leaving EY things have not been good for me.

A busy month of June

2008-06-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

It has been 1.5 months since our little bundle Shayman arrived. Things were definitely hectic and frenzied the first 2 weeks, but we're all much more settled down now. Shaayla is every bit the big sister - hugging and kissing her little brother, and helping with the diaper changes, even trying to give him his bottle.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we went cherry picking at Brentwood. It was our first time there and I was amazed at the crowd. Cars were parked all over and people all over the place. Suresh offered to babysit Shayman at home while I took my Mum and Shaayla. She had a good time with her friends at the cherry orchard, where we got peaches and apricots too. It were all over the streets. We then had lunch at Singapore Old Town Cafe at Dublin. The Char Kway Teow was yummy, but can't say the same for the Mee Siam and the Sambal Kang Kong which our friend, Sam, ordered.
In June, Shaayla also started her swimming lessons with Fremont Swim School. It's now the beginning of summer, so it's an excellent time to start learning. She enjoyed her first 2 lessons, but just this week, at her third lesson, she said she didn't like it so as the coach made her go underwater. Well, hopefully she'll get over her fears for it. We can see she really enjoys playing in the water.

June also marked another 'milestone' for Shaayla. She 'graduated' from her preschool on June 4 and will be starting Junior K the following week. There was a little graduation party in school to mark this mini effort. She really enjoyed her teacher, Ms Priti, and her friends in her Intermediate class, hopefully she'll cope just as well in Junior K.

Hello, Shayman

2008-04-24T15:30:00.001-07:00

We welcomed our new little bundle of joy, Shayman Ren En Sasidaran, on April 19, 2008. He arrived at 12.43am, weighing 5.5 lbs and measuring 18.5". Shaayla has been a really enthusiastic big sister.

Are we educating our child the 'right' way?

2008-04-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

This entry stems from 2 recent events (if they can be called that) that brought to my mind how we're educating our children.

The first incident was a piece of news that came out early this week about 8 teens in Florida, US, who were charged with beating AND video-taping the beating for the sole purpose of putting the video up on the Internet for the world to see. 6 girls cornered and beat up another girl while 2 guys acted as lookout. The victim was comatose when she was admitted to the hospital.

The first thought that came to my mind was - what has happened to this world? People seeking out violence for the sake of entertainment? The kids were obviously wrong, but I think when we step back and think, we ask - what did the parents teach them? Did they teach them violence? Did they teach them that lives do not need to be valued? Where did the parents fail?

As parents, Suresh and I always find us questioning ourselves - are we teaching our child the right way? We hope to impart good morals through practising them ourselves and bringing them up in a loving environment, but what if things go awry? Do we blame ourselves, as parents? Because we have failed in educating our child 'properly'? I believe it must be so, because no child is born with negative intentions. As parents, we nurture them as best we can and hope they can be a good person.

The other incident which also sparked the question of 'are we educating our child the right way?' stemmed from an online discussion topic on a Singapore mothers' forum board that I belong to.

The topic started as a vent on Singapore's education system and developed into a very meaningful discussion among parents on what their pet peeves about Singapore's education and their hopes for it.

Suresh and myself went through the tests and exams type of education system in Singapore and with reports of Singapore's education topping international standards, we begin to wonder if educating our child here (California) was the best option.

We've both come across stories of how Singapore students are expecting to churn out model answers and that virtually guarantees a good exam grade, but is that what we want? A child who excels in exams but who questions nothing? Certainly not. We know where our education brought us and it's not something we want to inculcate in our children.

The discussion highlighted 'scary' things like primary 4 students in neighbourhood schools forced to do primary 6 level maths, handholding so preschoolers can do creative writing, teachers not accepting alternate answers (even though it's right) because that is NOT the MODEL ANSWER. If that is the education system being pushed onto kids in Singapore, then we now know we made the right decision by educating her here.

Much more learning comes from having fun than the ability to recite mindlessly from 100 to 1. Sure we get frustrated with her 'whys' and 'but whys', but we'd rather have a questioning child than a yes/no answering child.

Busy Weekend

2008-04-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a really busy one.

What started as a short trip out on Friday evening for ice-cream turned out to be Shaayla's first movie at the cinema. We were at the San Jose Capitol Drive-In theatre a little too late and failed to catch the 7.20pm showing of "Dr Seuss's Horton Hears A Who". We decided to drive by the AMC theatres at Misson College and luckily enough, there was a 9.20pm showing.

It was Shaayla's first trip to a cinema, so we were rather apprehensive. But she was very well-behaved throughout the movie, and she was obviously paying attention to it as well. It was a good movie with a relatively easy to follow plot, so I guess that made it easier for her to understand.

Shaayla and her friends, Katelyn, Ryan, and Alya

Then on Sat morning, after her usual Mandarin class, we had lunch with our usual friends before heading back home for Shaayla's nap. Suresh had mentioned picking something up from Johann's home at about 4pm, so I needed Shaayla to take her nap, else she'll be cranky.

As it turned out, our friends had arranged a surprise baby shower for me. I was truly caught off-guard and overwhelmed by the amount of effort all our friends did to organize it. It was very very touching and memorable.

Our dear friends who organized the baby shower

And on Sunday, while Suresh took time in the morning to study in the office, Shaayla and I had a relaxing morning. In the evening, we headed off to "Babies R Us" for some last minute shopping of baby stuff, before making a stop at Whole Foods and Wendy's (for dinner). And we still made it back in time for Suresh to catch Star Wars on TV.

No water, but juice ok. Huh?

2008-03-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

This confounds me alright!

As usual, I picked Shaayla up from her preschool at 12noon today. For the past few days, she's been bringing a straw water-bottle to school as she's still trying to get over her cough. We want her to be able to get water easily whenever her throat feels itchy, and to stay away from the juice the preschool serves during snack time.

However, today, Shaayla's preschool teacher, Ms Priti, told me that it was NOT ok for Shaayla to drink from her water bottle, if it had water, BUT, that it was ok if it was juice or whatever else!! Huh?!?

And I thought juices in water bottles and sippy cups were the main culprit for the increasing incidences of early tooth decay in toddlers. Where's the logic? Ms Priti explained that Shaayla could drink water from her water bottle, except that she would have to pour it out into a paper cup for her to drink it! Double huh here!! Ms Priti didn't quite understand the logic as well, but explained that it was a 'Social Services' guideline for preschools.

I've read about the 'dangers' of using a sippy cup beyond a certain age & the use of a hard straw (delayed speech development etc), but ok to juice and not ok to water?

This is America for you....

I'm Yelping

2008-03-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Finally, after some harping by Suresh about neglecting our blog, finally sat down for a short entry.

It's true...I've been neglecting this since Suresh came back from Europe. We were busy getting ready for our short Spring holiday down at Disneyland and SeaWorld (which reminds me that I should post something about that here). It was a great extended weekend holiday at LA with Alya (Shaayla's best pal) and her parents. For the parents, it was more about the chance to indulge in authentic Indonesian nasi bungkus from Toko Rame.

Unfortunately, all 3 of us came down with a real bad cold after coming back. We 'house-bound' Shaayla for 3 days and kept her away from preschool. Not only was she getting bored out of her mind, we were mentally and physically exhausted as well.

After her usual Mandarin class last Sat, I was chatting with Soon and Lisa who recommended a new Asian cafe - 37 C - at Fremont. It was supposed to have a wide selection of Asian desserts, much more than Bolansa at McCarthy. The weather was great after Shaayla got up from her nap, so we took a walk around Lake Elizabeth at Fremont before heading off to 37 C for dinner.

The meal menu was disappointing, but since this was more of a dessert place than meal place, we couldn't complain too much. However, the ramen portions were tiny. I usually share a bowl of ramen with Shaayla at Maruichi and it would be more than sufficient for us, but at 37 C, she ate half the noodles and there were hardly any ingredients.

So I finally decided to get registered on yelp.com and post my 2-cent worth of review. I've been going to yelp.com for sometime now to look up recommendations etc, especially on food, but I've never contributed a review. Thought it was high time I said my piece as well.

Finally What I had Hoped for in the Malaysian Elections Came True

2008-03-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

March 8th, 2008 will be a day to remember for all Malaysians at home and abroad. The day when people who were born in a country that their ancestors made prosperous, regardless of where they came from have a say in how they want this country to be run. Enough of corruption, cronyism and reckless abuse of power from the "suckers in power". Although I could not vote, mainly due to the fact that I was overseas and there are rules regarding voting for persons living abroad, I made sure that my mother and aunt went out and vote. I sponsored their travel to the voting offices/schools.

When I spoke to my aunt 1 week before March 8th, about going out to vote, her reply was pretty candid. She mentioned that no matter how the Indians vote there was no place for us in this country. Well in that case, all Indians in Malaysia should just pack up and move to Singapore. Why even bother to contribute to the economy and pay taxes if you have no future in that country. This was the mentality that got the Indians ignored in the 1st place. But I am glad to say that they finally united as a race and voted opposition on March 8th. Goodbye Samy...thanks for the years of nothing. He should step down as MIC chairman and leave the country. Cause he has no respect among Indians anymore except for the few that have not used their brains since they decided to support MIC.

The Indians in Malaysia are definitely to blame for the way they have deteriorated through the years cause this is one "God Damn Race" that can never seem to stick together. I have seen that happened within my huge extended family and outside of my family. You would think that this is only happening in Malaysia but to my surprise, a Nigerian colleague told me that in Nigeria, the Indians never seem to be able to work together or help one another out. This is in Nigeria, mind you. Yes!! Nigeria in the continent of Africa, for some of you who don't know where Nigeria is. What the hell, Nigeria! I was taken aback by that comment and realized that it is going to take much more that 1 election to bring the race together as one.

Since coming to the Bay Area and traveling to Europe, I have come across many Indians who hold good jobs and are respected for what they do. I told my father what I saw here and in Europe and mentioned that only in Malaysia are the Indians treated as laborers from the time they arrived in Malaysia in the 1900's till now. Almost a century in a foreign land they call their own and still no progress. I can't think of a word to describe my feelings for this.

I would like to say that March 8th may be the turning point in an Indian life in Malaysia but I have to hold myself back cause knowing what I know about the race, it's going to take much more than just 1 general election to change the mental attitude of Malaysian Indians.

A Pleasant Valentine's Surprise

2008-02-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

I got a very pleasant surprise this evening when we came back home after Shaayla's gym class. There, in front of our door, was a very lovely bouquet of tulips in a delicate glass vase. Tied around the glass vase was also a very cute and cuddly teddy bear. It was a surprise Valentine's Day gift from Suresh.....who's still in Munich...sigh....

Unfortunately, I can't take a photo of the actual bouquet as Suresh had taken the camera with him. Here's a picture of what it looks like...from www.gaetasflowers.com

Daddy's Not Around...

2008-02-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

The past week has been an extremely busy period. In between trying to recover from a long-drawn cold, I had to start packing for Suresh's 3-week business trip to Europe. It's not his first business trip, but it's the first time he's going to be away for so long, and at a time when I'm trying to cope with the increasing weight of a 6-month pregnancy.

On Sat Feb 2, we had actually planned on visiting the Challenger School open house, but there were just too many errands to run. In the afternoon, we went for the Playhouse Disney Live! show at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. It's our second time seeing the show; the first being in Disneyland last August. This was different because it featured the Little Einsteins (Shaayla's fav), Handy Mandy (not Shaayla's fav), and of course Mickey and the gang from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Winnie the Pooh with his friends Darby and Tigger. After a quick trip to Target, we had dinner at Shalimar. It was only 6.30pm, so the dinner crowd wasn't in yet. But the night wasn't over yet, as I had to make a nine-layer kueh to bring to Maye's place the next day for an early Chinese New Year lunch.

On Sun, it was a busy morning cooking chicken rice to bring to Maye's place. Just before noon, Suresh rushed off for his last massage appointment at Grace Chiropractor as his neck, arm and shoulder were still troubling him.

And on Mon, after dropping Shaayla at school, there was some last minute packing to be done while Suresh took 2 last minute calls from the office. Then, it was a quick trip to Burlington Coat Factory to get a pair of replacement gloves for Suresh (he lost his at a warehouse audit the previous week). After lunch, it was time to leave for the San Francisco Airport. Suresh was taking the 6.30pm flight to London and we planned to be there at 4pm. But surprisingly, the airport was empty, so we had plenty of time for an early dinner. Given the peak hour traffic back to San Jose, it might be a long drive back home.

Tue was a usual school day, but Shaayla keeps mentioning 'I miss Daddy'. She'll look out of the window after her nap and see if Daddy's car is there. After school, she'll ask if Daddy is waiting in the car.

Wed is her gym day. In the evening, we were invited to a friend's house for Chinese New Year reunion dinner (steamboat!). But strangely, Shaayla developed a fever and her nagging cough was still troubling her. Today, I decided to keep her at home and brought her to the PD to figure out if it was something more serious. Seems like she might still have some remnants of her earlier UTI.....we'll see the results tomorrow.

Another 18 days before Suresh will be home......

Shaayla's Bedtime Reading

2008-01-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here's Shaayla 'reading' her bedtime story. Well, not exactly reading...she actually remembers the words after we read it to her once or twice. But she does recognize a few words like 'a', 'the', 'I', 'is', 'up'.

Shaayla's School Crafts

2008-01-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

In the blink of an eye, Shaayla has attended almost a month of preschool. She's really enjoying herself now. She has made many new friends and is quite a darling with the teachers. They've done quite a number of crafts in school and these are just some of them.

The school had a 'Grad for a Day' session yesterday where they were brought to the class of their next grade. So, Shaayla's class was brought to a Pre-K class where they did that messy chocolate biscuit that you see. It was part of math learning as they learned to count the M&Ms.

We've got to register her for the new school year starting in June. But we haven't quite decided if we want to continue with Merryhill or register her at Challenger School. Challenger is known (good or bad) for its emphasis on academics, and is therefore hugely popular among the Asians. But we've read a few comments on greatschools.net about its lack of a holistic education and over-stressed teachers, so we're still in two minds about it. We'll probably be able to decide better after the Challenger open house on Feb 2.

It's Raining Hail

2008-01-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

The past few days of wintry cold weather brought a pleasant surprise early this afternoon. We were planning to go out when the heavens suddenly opened and torrential rain fell. But it was tiny hail stones that pelted down! They were more like little chipped ice, but it was great fun for Shaayla who ran out to the patio trying to catch the 'stones'.

Looks like the winter storm watch isn't over yet. The weather forecast is for more rain over the next week with temperatures hovering around 5C.

Brave Little Shaayla

2008-01-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since Shaayla started preschool at Merryhill Preschool, and she's doing great. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how fast she adapted. She cried on the first 2 days, standing forlornly at the fence staring at the carpark and crying 'I want my mummy!' But, by the third day, she only cried when I left her and then she was distracted by her new friend, Julia, at the playground.

On Monday this week, when we dropped her off, she had a slight look of hesitation, but it quickly faded and she smiled and waved goodbye. The rest of this week has been really great. Today, being Friday, is sharing day and she brought a storybook "Max & Mo Went Applepicking" to share with her class.

I had a surprise myself when I picked Shaayla up after school today. A boy, Justin, was wailing his lungs out and covering his ears. Guess the teacher, Ms Pretti, must have thought I looked worried, so she explained that they had a fire drill this morning! She quickly reassured me that Shaayla took it very well and didn't cry at all. When the alarm first sounded, she did ask for Mummy, but she soon calmed down and even comforted her friend, Julia, telling her there was nothing to be afraid of.

Our little girl is getting to be brave and sensible.

How can good religion make people want to do bad things!

2008-01-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

This has been bugging me for a long time and I did not know how to express this view of mine without sounding like an atheist. Don't get me wrong, I am a God-fearing man and I used to pray regularly asking God only to bless all my loved ones and thanking Him for all that he has given me (and the occasional "help me pass the exam" prayer).

One fine day while reading my usual "Malaysia Today" blog. I came across an article by one of my most respected Malaysians, Raja Petra Kamarudin or RPK, which made me believe that my views are not insane when it comes to this particular question on religion. "WHY DO GOOD RELIGION WANT TO MAKE PEOPLE DO BAD THINGS." Without getting too much into the details of what I am trying to say, I urge you, to read this article by RPK which echoes my thoughts 110% http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/106/38/.

As a parent and a human being who believes in the "All Mighty One", you do not only have the responsibility to educate your children on the aspect of God but also live your daily life in the manner suitable of a person who fears, speaks, prays and believes in the "All Mighty One". But time and time again, it is becoming ever difficult to educate your child when all around you, there are news of humans killing one another in the name of religion (Christians on Muslims, Hindus on Muslims, Hindus on Hindus, Christians on Christians, Muslims on Muslims). It's easy for any parent to educate his/her child on religion when they are young (young minds are easy to mold) or you can always force them to pray or strike fear in their hearts about the after life. But what disturbs me is what did the parents of these people, who kill other human beings in the name of religion, taught them about religion. On the other hand I have come across many people who are atheist who have the greatest, biggest hearts that you can imagine and mind you they have no religious education. I was always been told that religion is suppose to bring the goodness out of people and not the opposite. But year on year, this has become something that is harder and harder to believe in. My mum always says that things happen because God intended it to be that way. If that is the case, then God must be a real cruel god for making humans kill other humans, especially if they are believers in the same religion .

So the question I have for a lot of parents out there is - is a person any worse if he does not embrace any particular religion? For that matter, does a religious devout make a person superior?

Just some food for thought......

Shaayla's First Day in Pre-School

2007-12-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

Shaayla Ren Jie Sasidaran, our little girl, has grown up fast. It seemed liked yesterday that we held her in our arms all bright eyed and bushy tailed youngen and now off to pre-school. Anyone who is a parent would know how though first day of school is, for the parents that is! Pauline could not stop crying for almost the length of the time she was in class. I think that was approximately 4 hours (I was not the one counting). I understand that it is not easy for a mother, who has been by a kids' side every waking moment, to leave the kid in a strange place even for an hour.

We enrolled Shaayla at Maryhill Pre-school, a 20 min drive from where we live. After looking at a number of other schools nearby we felt that this was the best place for her, although the school fees was ridiculous but we are strong believers of early education (builds the foundation) and therefore we did not think much of the amount that we were spending on her education, mind you there are pre-schools that are even more expensive that public universities back home.

We arrived at the school at around 8am on Dec 31, 2007. There weren't many kids there today since it was the eve of the new year but we thought it would be a good day for her to ease into the school environment and not be overwhelmed on her first day. We brought her in to the class and introduced her to the teachers. She was a big apprehensive at first but the number of toys in that classroom and the kind and friendly disposition of the teachers must have made her and us feel comfortable.

When we saw that she was getting quite comfortable with the teacher we slowly sneeked out of the room making sure she did not see us leave. The true heartbreaking moment came when she peeped through the classroom window, like a prisoner in a jail cell, looking to see if we were coming back. That was when Pauline could not hold back her tears anymore. But it was important to us that she did not see her mother cry. The sight of Pauline crying would have broken her confidence. 1 week before school we kept reminding her that she was a big girl and it was time for her to go to school alone. I kept repeating that mantra to her while walking her to the car this morning and to my surprise she said "I am a big girl, I have lots of friends to play with and I should not be afraid". My girl is growing up.

Goodbye Ernst and Young - Hello NetApp Inc., (Network Appliance)

2007-12-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

It's been 8 long years in External Audit at Ernst and Young (EY) and 11/30/07 marked the last day of my long career as a public accountant (or maybe not), cause you can always go back to public accounting!! The most important think to ask myself is what exactly have I learnt being in public accounting? Was it worth the 8 years? If I had a choice, would I have taken another path (i.e. leave EY earlier)?

Right after graduating from QUT (Queensland University of Technology) in Brisbane, Australia, we were told that the best start to an accountant's career was to join the Big 5 ( way back then it was the Big 5) accounting firms. The wealth of knowledge gained from being in public accounting would be valuable. But no one prepared us for "slave labour". Why slave labour? Cause you worked 12 hour days for 7 days straight with no additional salary, let alone recognition from the partners of the firm or the Senior Managers or Managers, for the hours that you put in (for free). Ask anyone who has worked in public accounting before and 8 out of 10 would let out a huge sigh before telling you that it was a learning experience.

In a nutshell, public accounting firms work like a pyramid scheme. The guy on top of the pyramid gets all the "dough" while the guy below works real hard, thinking that there is going to be a pot of gold at the end of the tunnel (i.e. the harder you work the likelihood you would make it to partner). Thus began my frustration with the way things are run at a public accounting firm. It's ultimately a business and the owners need to enrich themselves at the expense of their employees. That was when I knew I had to get out to get my experience in industry.

As a new Staff person at the Singapore office, I knew I wanted to audit banks and I pursued this relentlessly. I approached Harsha, who was then the Senior Manager on Maybank and requested to be put on the team. Your guess is as good as mine what the answer was. NO!! Why? Too many people on the team and they need to watch their budget. So if I am not getting the experience that I desired, then why am I in public accounting. I knew auditing banks was a niche and it was a specialized skill and therefore I wanted to do that, but there were no opportunities for me then. Fast forward 8 years later and EY Singapore is scrambling for auditors to audit banks. What a twist of fate. I surrendered to the fact that God may have a bigger plan for me and financial institutions were just not my thing.

I moved up the ranks slowly but surely and through my years there I noticed one thing. If you put in long hours without question (i.e. do almost anything that may not seem logical, like fold workpapers to fit the file in a japanese origami style or print out tonnes of workpapers in hardcopy just cause the partner cannot review workpapers via the computer) then you're the favourite. But to my surprise, a lot of these so-called "favourites" do not last long in the firm. Why? They get burnt out from doing japanese origami all day and night. To survive for long, you needed to be smart. That to me, meant that I should strike a balance between working hard (i.e. doing things that do not make sense) and pretending not to know certain issues so that you do not get picked on tough jobs which would guarantee early exit from public accounting.

As a Senior it was time for me to move out to industry and I began looking at the Straits Times classified ads like every other Singaporean. The Saturday edition was not to be missed cause every employer would place their need for resource there. Equipped with my 3-odd years in public accounting, I thought this was my big break and applied to almost 50 job opportunities over the course of 3 years. But someone forgot to tell me that if I wanted to be an accountant in Singapore I had to be Chinese. Why? Cause all the advertisements have this 1 line that I can never forget. To be a accounts assistant you would need all the essential accounting skills plus "the knowledge of Mandarin". Last I checked, 1,2,3 was 1,2,3 even in Mandarin. The politically correct explanation was that they had business in China and needed people who could speak the language. Err!!! but I am applying for the job of accountants assistant not CFO. It was clear that I had to find a way to move out of the country or stay in EY Singapore. That was when I started speaking to HR asking for a way to transfer to other EY offices in Australia or the US.

2004 I started applying to EY offices in Australia and the US. I landed an offer with EY Philadelphia and was on the verge of accepting the offer when Pauline told me that she was expecting Shaayla. My move to the US had to take a back seat for now. In 2005 I tried again but this time I tried San Jose, California and accepted the offer and moved in May of 2005. Being new to the country, EY San Jose did a rather poor job of preparing us for life in the US.

For anyone who moved from anywhere else in the world would agree with me that this country has the most complicated system which only adds to the cost of running the country. EY did not prepare us for a lot of things (e.g. Credit History, Loans, Credit Cards). I was surprised that they still had that tagline "People First". But luckily for me, I knew fellow Singaporeans and Malaysians who were really helpful and we got through all that hurdles.

After getting all that administrative stuff done, it was time to focus on work and get the "valuable" experience I needed to move on with my career. But there was one problem, my salary was not enough to cover our living expenses in the US, plus I had to go back to Malaysia for my sister's wedding. After our trip back to Singapore/Malaysia, we were in debt. In addition to that I crashed the car while driving up to Sacramento for an audit, which added on to the debt. I had to make a series of balance transfers just so that we do not miss a payment, which would affect our credit score. In the US, credit score is everything. It's the difference between paying 11% or 7% on your car loan. We liquidated our investments in SGX, to help pay off some of our debts. But it was not enough. The only way out would be for me to move out to industry and make more money.

In early 2007, I started connecting with recruiters who told me that I should wait for my title as Audit Manager before making the move out of public accounting. Apparently, industry thinks that if you're an audit manager you're suppose to be smarter than someone who does not have the title of audit manager. If only they knew how EY promotes someone to Manager!!

From what I gathered, through my conversations from a number of recruiters and friends in industry, my market value as an Audit Manager in EY was worth around $115 to 125K per annum. What was I getting as an audit manager in EY, you may ask? A miserable $83K. But before you choke, please understand that the disparity is for the "valuable" knowledge that you gain as a public accountant (i.e. ticking and tying, using different coloured pencils to mark work done, etc...). To be honest, 3 years in EY US and I have not learnt anything new in terms of accounting skill that I did not already know coming from Singapore. I picked up US GAAP knowledge ( which may become obsolete with globalisation) and SOX 404 (which is a compliance thing). So in essence I paid a tuition fee of over 32 to 42K per annum for the "valuable" experience when I could have received it in industry for free!! Go figure!!

I started going for numerous interviews with various organization and after 4 months of intense interviewing, I landed an offer with NetApp Inc., (Network Appliance). An up and coming data storage company which saves organizations tons of money storing, archiving and efficiently moving data in the organization as an Internal Audit Manager.

With the salary I received from NetApp, we were able to clear all our debts and start our lives fresh in 2008. This would probably be the year that would determine if I had made a good choice in picking a career in Internal Audit or is it back to the drawing board for me. But one thing for sure is that we are out of debt and that is the single biggest relief for me and Pauline.

Our little girl is growing up

2007-12-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have seen many changes for Shaayla. It's almost as if after she turned 3, she suddenly 'grew up'. She's almost through with potty training, wearing diapers only during her afternoon naps and bedtime. During the day, she hardly has any accidents too.

She also started sleeping in her own big girl bed in her own room. We started her with her naps for a week or so, then one night we just decided to try to convince her and it worked fine. She cried a little around midnight, but was quickly soothed back to sleep. But she woke at 5.30am and without calling out for us, dragged her blanket and soft toys back to her old bed.

This morning, about 2 weeks of successfully sleeping through the night, she woke at 6am and did the same thing. Guess the heavy rain outside must have woken her.

She's also enjoying her ballet and gym class tremendously. She also does very well in gym. Might consider continuing her with the classes next year.

My birthday dinner at Black Angus

2007-11-29T15:44:00.001-08:00

Tue Nov 27 was my birthday. Suresh had said he might be able to take the day off, but as usual, it didn't turn out that way. It was just another ordinary day, except we managed to have a fantastic dinner at Black Angus Steakhouse.

Suresh and I took the 4-course dinner for two - he had the fillet mignon and I had my first New York steak. The Baked Potato Skins for starters were great...even Shaayla enjoyed them tremendously. The Chocolate Baked Alaska would have been a wonderful end to the meal, if not for the fact that we were too full to enjoy it fully. But the chicken strips from the kids menu we order for Shaayla was nothing to shout about. The chicken was a little tough and the french fries were rather ordinary.

Well-Check Up at the Doctor

2007-11-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

Shaayla had her 3 year old well-child check-up at Kaiser Santa Clara 3 days after her birthday. We saw a new PD this time as the previous had moved to another Kaiser centre which was too far for us.

She did really well at the check-up, answering all the doctor's questions with confidence. She was due for a Hep A jab, so I had to prep her for it, reassuring her she'll get a Little Einstein plaster when she gets back home. I had thought she would wail her lungs out but she just said 'ouch' when the nurse poked the needle in. But 2 seconds later, I guess the pain registered and she started crying. But a Dora sticker from the nurse stopped the crying immediately. She was really brave!

The doctor said she's growing well. She was 14 kg (31 lbs) and 94 cm (3' 1"). Her next visit will be when she turns 4.

Shaayla turned 3

2007-11-29T15:07:00.000-08:00

On Nov 18, we had a small birthday party for Shaayla. It's one day earlier than her actual birthdate, but it was the weekend and convenient for all.

We had it at the Emma Prusch Farm Park, which was great because we had a small hall to ourselves and the kids could run around at the huge playground outside. It had been quite hectic preparing for it as Suresh away for work the whole of the previous week. But thankfully everything turned out pretty well.

The kids had a fun time with their crafts, playing musical chairs (a first for Shaayla) and pulling the pinata strings (another first for Shaayla).

Of course, the best part for her was tearing open the wrappers to open her many many presents.

A budding mathematician??

2007-11-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

This morning while I was preparing lunch, Shaayla gave me a shock.

She was rattling of "one plus one equals two, two plus three equals five, 2 plus two equals four....am I right, Mummy?" I was like, so shocked. But I managed a "Yes, you're right, Shaayla". Spatula in hand, I hurried over to where she was coloring, eager to find out if this daughter of ours was a budding mathematician. But discovered that she was reading the numbers straight off her Curious George coloring book "1+1=2, 2+3=5,2+2=4" !!

For a moment there, I was almost speechless. But at least we know that she knows the "+" and "=" signs.

It's an...eartthquake!

2007-10-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last evening, we had our first taste of an earthquake having lived in the Bay Area for almost 3 years. It occurred at 8pm, measuring 5.6 on the magnitude scale. It was considered a moderate one, but it was clearly felt as it only occurred 5.7 miles under the ground.

I had just strapped Shaayla in her car seat and started the car to pick up Suresh from his client's place. When I felt the violent rocking of the car from side to side, my first thought was something was terribly wrong with the car. I quickly pulled the handbrake, by which time, the shakes had subsided. Shaayla was not disturbed or affected at all.

Immediately, I received a call from Suresh who was with his colleagues. Suresh's first instinct had been to dash out of the building, but his 'more experienced' colleagues told him to duck under the table. It was nothing to them and they were all trained from young to duck under the table. After that the security guard told them to pack up and leave.

We made a brief stop at the PW Supermarket and saw that a few items had fallen off the shelves, but no serious damage at all.

In that split second when everything was shaking, it was perhaps more than a sign from a greater power up there. Everything that we hold so dear to our heart, our worldly possessions, all so nicely packed away, would have meant nothing. We were all subject to the mercy of the forces of nature, who, in it's unpredictable way, remind us of how vulnerable we really are. It was a humbling experience, to treasuring what we have taken for granted.

Princess Aurora aka Shaayla

2007-10-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

This morning was Shaayla's first Halloween trick-or-treat. Her ballet class at the recreation center had organized a trick-or-treat for all the students of the class. Although she hardly knows what Halloween is about, one thing is for sure...she knows it's all about dressing up in a costume and getting candies.

Since she's into a Disney Princess craze phase, we bought her a Princess Aurora costume (aka Sleeping Beauty). She looked really adorable in it.

What's been going on...

2007-10-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

I admit, I had been lazy and neglected this blog for the past month. But then again, so many things had happened in just this one month...unbelievable.

First, the most exciting news was the confirmation of my pregnancy (yeah!!!!). So, I'm now about 12 weeks pregnant, and finally ready to put the nausea behind me. The unpleasant experience so far had been the 3-hour glucose test. Because I'd failed the 1-hour glucose test, I had to endure the longer test to confirm that I wasn't at risk of gestational diabetes. Thank goodness everything turned out fine after the test.

Then, on Oct 13, it was Hari Raya and we had a 'Singapore-style' celebration at Wan's home....complete with sayur lodeh, ayam masak merah, beef rendang, satay, and nasi kunning. Nora had also ordered a marble cake and a banana cake from me for the occasion.

And on Oct 14, after 6 months here in San Jose, CA, it was time for Suresh's Mum to go back home to Malaysia. She had come in mid-April and the 6 months had passed in a flash. Shaayla had enjoyed playing with her Pati, not to mention, bullying her as well. we hope she brought back wonderful memories of her short stay, especially our visits to Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and not forgetting, Disneyland.

With Shaayla's 3-year old birthday less than a month away, we've decided to organize a birthday party for her. She's been to so many parties of her friends and it just seems about time she had her own. So, we went ahead to order the Disney Princess package from BirthdayExpress.com. Also got a few sets of Disney cars for the boys who'll be at the party. Hope the weather holds up on that day.

Now, she's going on and on about a princess costume for Halloween next week. Her ballet class has a trick-or-treating session so we're trying to get her a costume for that. It's her first 'memorable' Halloween anyway.

Eating & Shopping...that's life

2007-09-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of eating and shopping and more eating. After last night's late dessert of Belgain waffles with Alya and her parents at IHOP, we all woke late this morning. We had also ran out of bread and chee cheong fun, so we were cracking our heads over what to have for breakfast when Suresh suggested dim sum.

We got to Hong Kong New Saigon Restaurant slightly after 11.30am and there was LONG queue outside. Suresh, not being one to wait in line for food, headed straight for ABC Seafood Restaurant instead. But, what do we see when we get there? Another queue! But I quickly wriggled my way to the front desk and showed her '4' and how lucky we were to get a table straight away.

Then, it was non-stop har gao, siew mai, char siew bao, fung zhao, shrimp dumpling, law ma gai....yummy!!!!!

Time to walk off the calories at Old Navy where Suresh's Mum needed to get some shirts for Dhini. Then it was major shopping at Costco before heading off for home.

Suresh and I then made another trip to PW Market to get the ingredients for dinner - fettucinne alla carbonara. He got the inspiration and the recipe for it after watching Nigella on Food Network in the morning. Worked well! I added bacon, portobello mushrooms, chicken breast and some peas. The sauce was an easy mix of parmesan cheese, heavy cream & eggs.

I'm on Facebook

2007-09-10T15:43:00.001-07:00

It's easy to be out-of-touch with the 'real world being a stay-at-home mum, so when I heard about Facebook, the latest social networking thing to hit the web, I thought it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be on it.

After an hour or so tinkling with the profile and applications, I finally set up my Facebook profile. Hopefully I can find some long-lost friends.

A weekend of endless makan

2007-09-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend has been an endless round of makan. Mariam hosted a farewell dinner On Sat for Aunty Geok and Suresh's Mum since they were going back to Singapore/Malaysia soon. I made just a simple bubur cha cha for dessert since there was to be plenty of food there. And indeed it was. The kids also had a blast when Natalie brought some paper lanterns that her sister had brought from Malacca.

It was Shaayla's first time playing with a paper lantern. And I was rather worried when she started waving her lantern around, oblivious to the fact that her lantern could burn down any minute. But the kids had a great time talking a candle-lit walk around the neighbourhood.

On Sun, still tired out from the night before, we made an easy fish paste & potato bagedel. Had wanted to make Thai otak, but it proved to be too much work.

Our Disneyland Summer Vacation

2007-09-04T20:21:00.001-07:00

After a fun-filled, tiring and HOT holiday weekend at LA and Disneyland, we finally got back home on Monday. It had been unbearably HOT throughout the time we were there....what a time to go...there was actually a heatwave, and we were walking around in 95F/37C heat!

We got a relatively early start at 10am, and after a smooth drive down south, we finally checked in to the Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites at about 4pm. The hotel couldn't have been in a better location...directly across the Disneyland Resort main entrance!! A mere 5min walk to Disneyland!

A quick dinner of leftover Caribbean black bean rice & tender BBQ chicken & ribs, it was time to hit the shops of Downtown Disney. Our first stop....World of Disney. Turns out, this was our ONLY stop for the night. Decked wall-to-wall with all things Disney, it was no surprise that we left the shop with overflowing shopping bags....and it was just the first night!

After a hurried breakfast the next morning, we were eager to start the day at Disneyland. We got a leisurely start with Jungle Cruise at Adventureland, followed by a ride in a beehive on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Guess Shaayla didn't like the cruise too much after a 'crocodile' popped up from the river. But 2 rides on the Flying Dumbo and the King Arthur Carousel later, she was all ready for anything. She wasn't the least bit afraid when Dumbo started flying up and down. In fact, she was busy manipulating the lever to make Dumbo fly up and down. The queue for the Peter Pan ride was long, but she enjoyed the ride in the dark nonetheless.

The mid-afternoon heat really got us down, but she lighted up when she saw Mickey's and Minnie's Houses. And of course, taking a photo with Minnie really made her day.

About 30min before the afternoon parade, we grabbed a great curbside spot along Main Street. But the scorching heat from the pavement meant it was a butt-warmer of a wait. But the smile on Shaayla's face made up for all the waiting. She wasn't fussy at all waiting and sat patiently on her stroller. When the parade started, she kept pointing out the characters that she's so familiar with from her storybooks. It was like they all came alive for her.

On Sat, we were supposed to start the day with the new Nemo ride, but the queue was ridiculously long. We didn't want to waste time, so we headed off to Autopia. One round around the track later, we all got our Disneyland driving licence.

Then it was off to California Adventure for the 'live' Playhouse Disney. It was a relatively long 30min wait, but it was worth it when we saw Shaayla singing and clapping during the show. It was definitely a show for the tots.

The next attraction was the Aladdin & Jasmine Musical Spectacular show. But not before I scooted off to get FastPass for Suresh and myself for Grizzly River Run and Soaring Over California. The musical show was truly spectacular with colorful costumes and catchy tunes. But I got to say the star of the show was really the Genie. His humor made sure the adults in the audience enjoyed the show as well. But the Genie emerging from the lamp would have been quite scary for young kids.

While Shaayla chilled out with Suresh's Mum in the shade after lunch, Suresh and I hurried over for Soaring Over California. It was a hang-glider simulation ride over the famous sights of California. What topped the experience was the incorporation of wind and scents of the scenery such as the ocean and the forest. Grizzly River Run was a rough ride down rushing waters with a drenching end. It was welcome relief from that scorching afternoon heat.

Then it was off to our next hotel at Manhattan Beach, the Springhill Suites by Marriott. It was to be our 'base' for visiting Hollywood and Santa Monica/Venice Beach. We headed off to Venice Beach early the next morning. The cool ocean breeze made the early morning walk quite pleasant. After some souvenir shopping, it was off to Hollywood. The suffocating heat proved too much for all of us. After a quick stop at Souvenirs of Hollywoood, we quickly drove over to Thai Town for a late lunch of Thai food.

As lunch was digesting in our tummies, we drove down to the city of Bellflower to Toko Rame, a highly recommended halal Indonesian restaurant, famous for its Nasi Bungkus. It was a 45min wait for the 4 packets of Nasi Bungkus that we were buying back for our friends. Meanwhile, a super-sweet drink of Chendol and Chin Chow quenched our thirst. Now we know why our friend, Sam, keeps talking about Nasi Bungkus from Toko Rame. It's as authentic as you can get from an Indonesian restaurant back in Malaysia/Singapore. But we would recommend going much earlier than the stated business hours. We were there 10min before 4pm, plenty of time before their posted closing time of 5pm. But slightly after 4pm, when customers walked in, they were told that the restaurant was closed!!

Enroute home, we stopped at the Malibu Hindu Temple. A beautiful temple hidden away in the hills just behind the famed Malibu Beach. The sculptures were amazingly intricate.

Then it was a smooth 5hr odd drive back up north to San Jose. Traffic got held up slightly along Highway 101 near Gilroy as everyone was turning to look at the huge forest fire burning at the Henry Coe State Park in the distant mountains.

If not for the heatwave, it was an otherwise wonderful summer vacation.

Take me out to the Ball Game!!!

2007-08-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Me and my 3 co-workers and best buddies (Kenta Fukami, Andrei Panchenko and Justin Holland) had free tickets to one of the Giants' game last night at the AT&T Park. It's not a game I am crazy about, but hey, who can say no to a free ticket worth $85 and I was 5 rows from the diamond plate. And of course, the chance to watch the legend of baseball Barry Bonds in action. Although we didn't see him hit a home run but he did hit the ball a couple of times but it was quite awesome!!!

Curious Shaayla

2007-08-25T23:13:00.001-07:00

We had a good afternoon gathering at Natalie's place to visit the new baby. She just turned 1 month a few days ago. And of course, it was another occasion for Shaayla to play with her friends Alya, Katelyn, and Adam.

After that, we all had dinner at Red Kwali, an Asian restaurant. It's a Singaporean / Malaysian restaurant serving quite a wide variety of food that we're very familiar with. The mee goreng was great...spicy, but great. The laksa was not too good, though. But the kids really enjoyed the satay, roti prata, and char kway teow. We rounded off dinner with ice kachang. It was very far from the version that we're used to Singapore. It lacked gula melaka, and there was none of the color syrup or the carnation milk. The food quality is not too consistent at this restaurant, but it's one of the better Singaporean / Malaysian restaurants around.

By the time we got back home, Shaayla was obviously tired, but certainly not too tired to do a 'Curious George' stunt. She experimented with Daddy's shaver and managed to nick herself on her upper lip and chin. It was just 2 little cuts, but guess she was quite stunned by the blood. She didn't even burst out crying immediately after cutting herself. It was only after I noticed it when I walked into the bedroom. Well, there's no doubt she knows what NOT to play with the next time.

All Red for National Day

2007-08-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we had a wonderful summer picnic up at San Francisco's Crissy Field. It was a good opportunity to celebrate Singapore's and Malaysia's National Day. Thanks to Johann, all of us were decked out in bright red t-shirts. And of course, Shaayla had a great time with her best friend, Alya.

And what's a Singapore/Malaysian picnic without satay and kuih.

Shaayla's First Visit to the Dentist

2007-08-15T14:29:00.001-07:00

Suresh and I were apprehensive about Shaayla's first visit to the dentist this morning. But she surprised us both by behaving like a big girl throughout the visit.

After searching for pediatric dentists on the web, we finally decided on First Smile Pediatric Dentistry at Sunnyvale. She played with the toys and read the colorful books at the waiting area while I completed the paperwork. Then an assistant showed us a funny video of a monkey's visit to the dentist. That video really amused her. The examination room was bright and cheerful too and she had a fun time using a giant toothbrush on a toy dinosaur. She also listened attentively when the assistant how we should brush her teeth.

When she was told to lie down and they pinned the paper towel and shone the light down, we thought she would protest, but she was very co-operative. They even gave a pair of sunglasses to shield against the bright light. Throughout the cleaning, polishing and application of vitamin, she didn't flinch at all. Straight afterward, she got up and was all smiles. Guess the goodie bag made her day too..it was filled with a Piglet toothbrush, toothpaste, sticker, crayons and pencil.

Guess she's getting to be a big girl now and knows there's nothing to be afraid of.

Bravo, Shaayla!

A World of Discovery

2007-08-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time at the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum today with Alya and her mum, Salizah. Both girls' summer classes have ended and we had to keep them 'entertained' for the next few weeks before their fall classes start.

The girls had a great time playing dress-up, baking pretend pizza, having a picnic with the animals and most of all, playing with water at the Water Works area.

The morning outing ended with lunch with Daddy and Aunty Wan at Falafel Drive-In.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat...well, almost

2007-08-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

After getting our picnic lunch all packed up, it was off to Vasona Lake Park. The ride on the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad was great. It was a short 7-min ride on an open-top train around the great expanse of the park. Despite being apprehensive about getting on the carousel initially, Shaayla got over her fear quick and it was all smiles the whole ride through. A shady tree provided the ideal spot for our picnic lunch of hotdog, hamburger, and egg sandwich.

A short drive to the other end of the park and we were at the boat launch area. After getting fitted with our life-jackets, it was off onto the pedal boat with Shaayla, our Captain, steering the boat.

A cool ice-cream provided just the right respite from the oppressive heat of the day.

Click on the photo above for all the photos of our picnic.

I MADE A PIZZA!

2007-08-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

It was Shaayla's last class at "Imagination Station" on Wednesday and it was fitting that it ended with the kids making a pizza during the class. Throughout the entire session, the class learnt the song "I am a pizza" and it's now one of Shaayla's favourite.

We had a good time making the pizza with muffin bread and topping it off with cheese, pineapples and olives...although she only ate the muffin cheese in the end.

Fun at the Fair

2007-08-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we went to the Santa Clara County Fair with Salizah and Alya. It was an exceptionally hot afternoon as we 'cruised' the parking area for an available lot. Can't believe it was only the afternoon and the carpark was already full.

The fair looked rather exciting from the outside, what with the ferris wheel and rides. But, there was nothing much inside. We brought the girls on the carousel ride first before heading off to the petting zoo. The highlight for the girls was the petting zoo, I'm sure. They had a great time petting the small rabbits, feeding the goats and avoiding the pecking chickens. The stop at the livestock area was great too as we encountered sheep, cows, and pygmy goats.

Click here to see all the photos that we took.

Power of One!

2007-07-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a turning point in my life as I discovered the "Malaysia-Today" website created by Raja Petra Kamarudin (cousin to the Selangor Sultan), who is a strong critic of the Badawi "Pak Lah" government. For the past couple of week I have read his blogs, which focus on telling the truth on the dirt of Malaysian politics and was astonished by the content in his blogs. You would have to read the blogs in their entirety to get a feel of what is going on in Malaysia today. Believe you me, it is not pretty. Never have I dreamt that Malaysia's problem with corruption and nepotism is huge, perpetrated by the big guns in Malaysian politics, would have escalated to such a scale. From corruption charges on the Police chief to Badawi flying to Australia in the middle of the night to talk to investigators from Washington on his son-in-law's corrupt involvement in the Iraq food-for-oil program. Thanks to the Internet, such information cannot be silenced by censorship, jail, death or the ISA Act. The Internet is as powerful today as television was in the 50's.

As you would have guessed, the Malaysian government tried to stop his blog by taking Raja Petra in for questioning, in relation to the comments placed in his blog. However, they (the infamous Malaysian police) could not arrest him. Why? 'Cause what is on the blog is the truth. I do not think the public would tolerate another "Anwar Ibrahim saga" (wonder what stories are being created to get Raja Petra in court). His blog not only digs out the dirt but in some cases, displays evidence (black and white). I can go on and on about what was written, but I would like to urge those who read my blog to spend a few minutes, take your cursor to the far right of this blog and click on the link that I have conveniently displayed (there is also the Keadilan site for your perusal).

You might ask me. What does us reading the "Malaysia-Today" blog got to do with title "Power of one"? Well, for the first time in my life, I felt that I should make a difference by spreading the truth on Malaysian politics and it starts with introducing those who visit this blog to "Malaysia-Today" site. This would be my contribution to the cause. The "cause" is to build awareness to those who read this blog. I am sure everyone is familiar with the phrase "You can bring the horse to the pond but you cannot force him to drink the water". My blog is the pond and you guys can choose to read the link or not, it is totally up to you. But for most of us being humans, we would like to drink from that pond.

Incidentally, this blog would also serve as a record to my future generations as evidence that their father, grandfather or great grandfather was not a man who worked, brought home the bacon and died. He contributed to society in some way by bringing forth awareness (it does not have to be big one). He believed that people were entitled to the truth and the truth begins with education and awareness.

My personal wish : UMNO to be defeated at the next elections and Anwar Ibrahim made the next PM of Malaysia. This is my honest solemn wish. I hope the guy up there is listening.

Disneyland here we come!

2007-07-28T17:29:00.001-07:00

After several days of trawling the Net, we finally booked the hotels for our much-anticipated trip to Disneyland and Los Angeles. Although the trip is for the end of August, Shaayla is already very excited about and keeps talking about going to Disneyland to see Cinderella and Mickey Mouse. We've even done a calendar for her to cross out each day before our holiday!

We'll be doing 2 days in Disneyland to cover Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Then another 2 days further down south nearer to Redondo Beach, where we'll explore the famous Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach. And of course Suresh can't wait to explore the many restaurants at LA's Thai Town!

Of Chicken Rice and Bubur Cha Cha

2007-07-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, Suresh's co-workers Daniel and Desiree came over for a casual get-together and dinner. Made chicken rice and bubur cha cha. Chicken rice turned out really well and all but 2 drumsticks were wiped out. Instead of just the usual coconut milk gravy, I added gula melaka to it and it was really much richer...and nicer.

Birthday Surprise for Johann

2007-07-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, a surprise birthday party was organised for Johann. We brought Putri Salat and Chocolate Ganache cake. The cake turned out really well, with Suresh adding the icing letters on the cake.

Shaayla also tried riding on a 'big girl' bicycle for the first time. Guess we were surprised that she was actually tall enough to reach the pedals AND cycle! Our little girl is growing up...

Sunny Sausalito

2007-07-22T00:14:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful sunny day at Sausalito, a tiny seaside town just a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. A short walk among the gift shops later, we lunched at a very cosy pizza cafe. While the pizza was good, the same can't be said for the mushroom omelette which was rather bland. Can't blame Shaayla for abandoning that in favour of the Italian pizza. Click here to see all the photos of our day trip.

The ferry ride on the Blue & Gold ferry across to Fisherman's Wharf was great. We stood by the rails on the top deck and with wind in our hairs, we slowly sailed past the (in)famous Alcatraz Island before docking at Pier 41. The place was, as usual, packed with tourists. The earlier seabreeze worked its charm and Shaayla was slowly lulled to sleep in her stroller. She slept through the shopping trip at "After the Quake" and another souvenir shop where Pati got a few SF gifts for every one back home.

A quick trip to the vista point later, it was dinner at Indonesia Restaurant. Food was excellent, especially the Sambal Udang and Oxtail Soup. Definitely worth a second trip back!

Exciting new recipe website

2007-07-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

While browsing the web for chocolate cake recipes for Johan's birthday surprise this coming Sunday, I came across a really exciting website -- http://www.recipezaar.com. The collection is amazing and literally thousands of recipes...from main dishes to desserts. They are also conveniently categorised, with useful tools, such as handy recipe conversion and printing and consolidated shopping list. This is one site I'm definitely going to frequent.

Our blog...at last

2007-07-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Finally, this afternoon, I sat down and decided to try my hand at creating a blog for us. Must say it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. But took me sometime to get used to editing photos on Photoshop...again.

Last week, we attended Katelyn's 3-year old birthday party and Shaayla had her arm painted for the first time. She didn't want her face painted, but she was game for butterflies being painted on her arm. I also made a steamed nine-layer kuih for Katelyn's birthday party.