A Year Has Gone By January 31, 2009

Today, 31st January 2009, I proudly celebrate my first 365 days in Qatar. Yup, a year has gone by. It was exactly a year ago that my kids and I landed in this country. Time has flown so quick, it really doesn’t feel like it’s been a year at all. Alhamdulillah, in spite of the hiccups that came our way, we have managed to survive rather well.

My first point of contact in Qatar is King, who was introduced by email to me by a friends’ friend. We then met when I came to Doha for the first time for my interview. He helped me a lot by providing lots of information on getting started in Qatar. King is also the one who introduced me to Fasha, my first friend in Qatar. Fasha and I communicated thru email months before I arrived in Doha, and she was the key person providing me information about a range of things from schools to driving license. Co-incidently, we also had some common friends as we are from the same industry. She then introduced me to to her circle of friends, and invited me to lots of outings which soon became our regular activities. Making friends in a new place is never easy and I admit that I don’t exactly warm-up to strangers that easily, unlike Hubby who is more sociable in that respect. I am truly grateful for the friends I have here today, for welcoming me and accepting me for who I am.

This day (well 2nd February to be exact) also marks the first anniversary of my career in the Gulf world. Again, this hasn’t been a smooth ride all the way, but all in all, I can say that I’m quite contented with this new job of mine. The first 3 months was rather bumpy, having to adapt to a new boss, new work environment and new office culture all at one time. Ironically, things turned out to a positive note when my immediate boss left for a secondment assignment for an indefinite period, leaving me in ‘acting’ post from then on up till now. Berlakon tanpa gaji memang la letih what with the added responsibilities and all, but I actually enjoyed it as this meant I had to stretch myself further and had to escalate myself to a higher level within a shorter time. I pray that this efforts will get rewarded one day… 

It has also been a year since I last saw my beloved family back home. How I miss my parents, my sisters, my nieces and nephew. My parents have repeatedly promised to come over for a visit but my dad’s schedule allows him little time away. Lagipun, paham-paham je lah orang tua2 ni, susah sangat nak tinggalkan rumah even for a short while. I miss hanging out at my sister’s house on weekends, having tea and goreng pisang in the patio while the kids run around the pond. I miss my nieces and nephew in Jakarta and remember vividly the times when they were little. My kids and their cousins are really tight buddies and I am sure they miss them too. I miss lazing around with my cousins, we could gossip non-stop for hours and sit by the side-walk cafes people-watching. I miss the friends whom I can talk to about anything and everything in the whole wide world and not be judged (Happy Birthday Naima!).  I miss the variety of food one can find back home – from simple Nyonya kuihs at the stalls, to banana leaf rice at Raju’s, dim-sums at KLCC, ikan bakar Belamy, mouth watering desserts at Delicious - the list is endless and the thoughts are enough to make me drool.

The kids fortunately, loves Doha. They enjoy their school and have got excellent reports last term. I have tried to ensure that their activities are well-rounded as possible – French in school, Quran and Fardu Ain 3 times a week, swimming class in the summer, piano class for Dina and friends from all over the world in our compound just knocking on our doors.

I have had an amazing year so here’s to many more great years ahead…

Jari jemariku January 24, 2009

We’ve got a new toy in da house! After months of searching and deliberating whether or not to buy it, we finally bought it! Hehe.. macam gempaq je..

I started my first piano lesson when i was 10 years old. I liked my teacher very much but after 5 long years going back and forth the classes, my interest began wearing off. Furthermore, at the age of 15, one had other ‘interests’ in mind. So dropped out I did, using SRP as an excuse to quit. Nak focus on studies la konon. But hey, it wasn’t easy to even reach the Grade 5 that I did, okay! I wonder where all my certificates from London Royal School of Music are now. Dah reput kot..

My late grandfather was an excellent musician. He played the piano and violin extremely well, without having any notes to refer to. All he had to do was listen to a song and he could re-play it on the piano just like that. That’s what I call real talent. As for me, eventhough I was trained in the proper way, I could never just hit the chords that easily. I have to go by the notes one by one. And I always dreamt of being able to play violin but my dad wouldn’t let me then. 

And now, after more than 20 years, my fingers are all stiff and rusty. But I so wish for my kids to take up piano lessons just like I did, hence the PIANO that now sits in our living room. My girls have always had the inclination for music. Dina is taking keyboard lessons in school and had been bugging me to get a keyboard. I don’t want them to rely on the fancy beats and rhythms that the keyboard gives, so my choice is still the piano.

Not only the kids are jumping with joy with the new piano, it has even motivated dear old Mummy to start downloading my Richard Clayderman oldies, hoping to pick up my old skills again…

Camping of the year January 19, 2009

The one and only time I ever went camping was almost 20 years ago. It was in Pangkor Island, during my KPP days. Some sort of leadership camp if my memory serves me right. It was an unforgettable experience as it was a first time for many things – mandi sungai, doing ‘business’ in the bushes, tent bocor during the nite due to heavy rain, and the list goes on.. When ’Camping of the year 2009′ was first announced, I had my initial doubts too. But for adventure sake, I opted to go for it. After all, it is an entirely different environment, isn’t it?  So I shove my prim-and-proper self away in exchange for a whole new ready-for-a-new-challenge me.

Just for fun, the organizing committee named themselves the A-Go-Go team. Don’t ask me where they got the name from or what relations it has with the 70s. The preparation began a week before, if not earlier – buying the camping necessities, tools and gadgets. After one lengthy meeting and several smaller sub-group meetings, tasks were assigned. Teamwork la katakan. Hubby was in charged of getting a generator set to light up our camp site. Not only that, he also assembled the fluorescent lights from scratch - thank goodness for his technical training days. Haziran and Rizal were appointed as entertainment coordinator, Mastika as the F&B manager, Ahmad for the BBQ tools, Zalman for the camping gears, Issyam as the sand dune marshall, Konang as the sweeper. We ladies were each tasked with one dish for lunch and one dish for BBQ. And not forgetting Mr and Mrs President Shambeng and Nani who made a lot of effort drafting the minutes of meeting, coming up with the checklist, maps, and overall coordination.  To echo Mr President, memang ’mantaps’.                                                                            

The journey began as early as 6.45 am for my family. 20 minutes through the journey, out of nowhere it suddenly struck me that I had left behind the prawns for the BBQ! I had stayed up till midnite cleaning and marinating those 4kg of prawns so we had no choice but to turn back home to get it. Ahh, what a start to this beautiful day. Hubby sped his way and finally we managed to reach the meeting point slightly late but still, we were not the last to arrive. 10 cars all together. After the routine briefs, we made our way into the dunes.

The ride was pretty smooth apart from one sangkut incident. In my opinion, tak syok la kalau smooth sangat kan? This time around even our Patrol struggled a lil bit, probably due to the muatan extra berat in the form of genset. After a short stop at the Inland Sea viewpoint, camera- clicking for the first-timers, we finally reached our camp site as scheduled. Acres of sand overlooking green water contrasted with breathtaking view of the sand dunes. The crowd was starving so the first agenda was lunch. Makan ramai2 picnic style memang syok. Lauk yang dah sejuk pun licin. After lunch and solat zohor, the men began assembling the tents. The middle area was designated as the common area while the tents were arranged around it. From ‘villa’ to ’low cost terrace’, the tents varied in colors and sizes. The lights were placed at all four sides for safety reasons. Before the day turned into night, we had a round of volleyball. I on the other hand, was happy enough to be a spectator since I am soo not ball-friendly.

After Maghrib, the guys started to light the BBQ pits. We had lamb, chicken, fish and prawns. Soo yummylicious. Puas rasanya semua orang makan in the dimly lit camp. Ala2 romantism gitu. The weather had gotten really chilly by then, so the shisha sessions began and a campfire was set-up. Ahh, again, the memories of my Girl Guide campfire nights struck. Nasib baik tak run around the campfire with song & dance. Ahaks! As the kids settled into bed with layers of clothes to keep them warm, the adults started gearing up for the Hiburan Malam Ini. Rizal, Haziran & Khai did an excellent job with the adult games, I haven’t had soo much fun in such a long time! We were divided into three groups, each made up of 3 couples and 2 bachelors. We played 3 rounds of charade and 3 rounds of ‘pasangan romantik’. Complete with a group cheer ala2 Pop Quiz. Amboi, amboi, amboi, sungguh glamer pengacara kita Abang Gee dibantu oleh tetamu jemputan Haji Wan. Everyone was truly sporting and put their shyness away. Saingan yang agak sengit antara 3 equally challenging teams! Alas, my team won the second place.

Everyone hit their tents ready for more exciting programs for the next day. It was unfortunate however, that my worst nightmare came true as I tossed and turned in the cold winter night but could not doze off to slumber. Even with 4 layers of clothes, the 5 celsius night was just too darn cold. Without killing too much time, the sun appeared and I woke up groggily. Breakfast was another well coordinated gotong royong event with a menu consisting of sausages, baked beans, scrambled eggs, bread, butter, kaya and leftover meehoon, chicken & prawns. The thought of showering never crossed our minds as we proceeded to the kiddies’ sukaneka. Isi air dalam botol, tiup belon sampai pecah, gula dalam tepung and three-legged race. Did the kids have fun or what! Lots of prizes up for grabs too. Hmm, truly a mini family day this was.

The housekeeping was the final agenda and rombongan A-Go-Go made our way home at around 11am. Mummy and kids conveniently fell asleep all the way home to make up for the nite before. And finally, the Ayah also landed on his bed soon after arriving home kepenatan yang teramat. This must have been the best outing eversince my past year in Qatar, I had the time of my life and I am thankful for the great friends that I have made here.

Welcome 2009 January 6, 2009

Happy New Year 2009 my dearest friends! The year 2009 ushers into Doha in cold madness. It is 12 celcius this morning and I’m freezing my ass. Spring school term started yesterday after one month of bliss for the kids. Unfortunately, 2 out of 3 kids got sick when we returned from Egypt so my lil boy is still in bed resting. He should be off to school in a day or two, insyaAllah. At least, this has lessened the morning drama on the first day of the school term. Oh well, u know the drill – Mummy I don’t wanna shower, Mummy I can’t find my hat, Mummy I forgot my homework…  

Last weekend was pretty quiet as camping plans had to be cancelled. Hopefully the next ’camping of the year’ trip planned in two weeks’ time will not be missed. Beriya-iya nampaknya self-appointed organizing committee kali ni. Jangan tak jadi dah lah. We didn’t do anything special on New Year’s Eve. Gone are the days of midnite partying, go see fireworks or concert macam kat Malaya. It was also exactly a year ago that we left Oman for good. Co-incidentally, my ex-colleagues were transiting in Doha on their way from London to KL on 31st December, so we took them out for a traditional Arabic dinner at Souq Waqif. It was good to catch up with them on the latest happenings at that regional telco back home with its new CEO and all. After that, we rushed to the airport to see our good friend off. We missed his farewell dinner a few days before that due to sickie Hubby. The airport was unbelievably crammed with people – gelap je semua. It took us almost an hour before we managed to sneak in the door to chill at Costa. So that’s how we spent our New Year’s Eve.

In the office space, the momentum is still kinda slow. Still warming up. We are wrapping up the 2008 tasks and achievement, and looking forward to merasa for the first time the riyal bonus. Soon, I will be reaching my 1st year anniversary at this company. Talking about this company, did I mention the New Year gifts the company gave to all employees? A trolley bag with WiFi finder, USB pen, mobile holder with 4 USB ports, bluetooth headset, 2 types of desk planner, diary, zip-up folder. All these worth 600 riyals each set, packed in a customized box. Do they actually think they can retain employees with these freebies? Good try, but, try again!