Babah's and Mama's Pride and Joy

The time we've been waiting had arrived. Muhammad Hamzah Aryan was born on October 14th 2008 at 3.32am, weighing 2.885kg, via emergency caesarean section. I guess he panicked about getting born that he poo-ed himself :P More importantly, both baby n mommy were safe and well, after going through labour for 12 hours, Alhamdulillah.

He was brought to me in the operation theatre and first noticed he had one eye open and the other closed. After I said Hello he then opened his other eye. What striked me was he was very very fair, must have taken after mommy :) also he had a pair of dimples...another mommy feature....and a headful of hair....again mommy's :p Then the nurse showed me his goodies and confirmed we have a baby boy :)

Hamzah was then brought outside to say Hello to Babah and his Penanjong Nini's. His Keriam Nini's werent there coz they just went back to KB (but came later to see their 1st grandchild).
Because he poo-ed himself in mommy's tummy, Hamzah had to have IV antibiotics..bless him he cried when the nurse put in the cannula at the back of his tiny hand!

This was his very first picture taken in ward 14, RIPAS Hospital:



Mommy was bedbound coz I still had the epidural going through, also syntocinon to keep the contractions going. Midday came and visitors started trickling in including the bosses and the Internal Medicine clan, the Uncles and Aunts and more grandparents later in the evening and the next few days, bringing gifts. Thank you all!


Hamzah was diagnosed with physiological jaundice on day 3, and had to have (triple) phototherapy for 3 days. I was told he was at risk because (1) I was O-Rh D positive and (2) he was G6PD deficient. But alhamdulillah, his jaundice subsided with plenty of mommy's best milk :)

We finally went home on Day 5 and had to return the next day for the Paedatrician check up and was given the green light that he's all ok now!

Day 7 was a very significant day, to follow Sunnah Nabi:

----Baby boy's named Muhammad Hamzah Aryan.
Muhammad = Praised, Hamzah = intelligence, Aryan = utmost strength

---- Baby Hamzah's head was shaved....proper gondol =)

---- Aqiqah was done for baby Hamzah


Babah also had his head gondol-ed:


I think that's all for now. Will update more soon =)

We love u baby Hamzah xxxx

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Maaf Zahir Batin

Almost there

We're approaching the 3rd week of Ramadhan and that means Hari Raya is just round the corner. On a personal note, we're almost 37 weeks preggers with the Birth day coming soon...insha Allah. I think both of us have prepared ourselves as much as we can for the arrival of the lil one but one will never know how things will turn out... what we can do is pray to Allah hoping all will be well and safe, amin!


Sleeping is becoming a troublesome chore nowadays, yet everyone says you must rest....and I try! I hear from friends and have read from magazines but I had no idea until I experienced it. Sleeping and lying on your side for the last 20 weeks do take a toll on your shoulders and turning around in bed is just oh so heavy. Hehehe, I just have to prop myself with pillows, pillows and more pillows! Ha Ha Ha! Not long to go anyhows he he he

Havent been sungkai-ing out much this year. Only been to OGH and Rizqun and the rest have been at home with the family, including Ayden. The almost 4-month old little monkey has learnt how to grasp objects now and he becomes very vocal when he feels he needs to be heard! Currently, he's learning to turn from back to front but struggling slightly because of his heavy head...poor boy! He's learning quickly I must say!





Belabih usulnya kan...macam orang basar saja usulnya...hehe

A small get-together after 12 years

A small get-together for some MSPSBS Year 91-97 at Country Patch Cafe in Kiulap. Most that came were from MA5C 1995....and it was really nice to see everyone after all these years. Some has turned out to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, quantity surveyors and pilots. Personally, I was surprised to see Yuri the pilot there! He has recently bought a beach house by Pantai Seri Kenangan Tutong and has already decided the next get-together/ reunion will be held at his place. He was still the same ol same ol Yuri nda mau kawin nda mau beranak mau kan single mingle forever and ever....some just dont change! Whereelse yang lain beranak pinak udah, ada ia kan kawin, hhehhehe


and look at that yummy chocolate mud cake.......sinful and scrumptious!

Charity Bowling Tournament 2008

A few pictures from the 4th anniversary of RIPAS Hospital Doctors Mess on the 15th August 2008. This year we celebrated by having a charity bowling tournament for the Medical Social Fund of RIPAS Hospital. This tournament was opened to doctors and all allied health professionals and it had an excellent turn out! We managed to raise $1000 - all for charity!

how i feel

This is how I feel today and in the past week :s

Pfft

Haha! Since my last post, which was 2 days ago, I went off to buy more mommies and a few baby stuffs! Haha! On my own lagi tu! I'm on leave now and for the last 3 days I have been good putting my feet up and resting watching TV and taking naps in between, and going out for dinners in the evening. Today I woke up and showered early and thought..Hmm why not? So texted the hubs to say if I could go out and he said it was fine....yippeee!! Inda pulang ku berabis membeli, as I said more mommies stuff and 1 piece of baby stuff. I try to buy baby things with the hubs so he wouldnt feel left out.....hehe.

So came back home just in time for lunch and felt tired after my little outing so had a snooze. As usual, u'd get the disturbing phonecall from work, NOT thinking that one might be on holiday!! Cranky! So Pharmacy rang me to say one of the anti-eplileptic drugs of a patient I reviewed in clinic 3 months ago is currently out of stock, and asked if there was an alternative medication I'd like to give. The thing is, WHY is the hospital ALWAYS run out of medicine? Cant they tally their stock and order in advance??? It's not like it's a special fancy dryug, its an ESSENTIAL drug!! Urghh.....frustrates me always! There was once last year, they ran out of Thyroxine for like 3 months.....they asked patients to BUY their supply in JPMC.... the thing is why couldnt the government/ hospital buy from JPMC themselves??

Ooops I'm venting out. Shows how frustrating it is eh.

Bah eh, I have to get ready to go to the in-laws tonight. The month of Syaaban is always busy and packed. Tomorrow ada doa aul in Panchor at the in-laws. On Sunday, it's our turn to have the Doa Selamat at our parents. Next week will be Doctors' Mess Bowling tourny, followed by the MSPSBS 91-97 reunion on Sunday...dont know whether going to that yet.....

Laters.

Home Stretch!

We're on a home stretch now. The final 10 weeks to go, inshaAllah. My cravings have sky-rocketed and into all the sweet-sugary stuff,which I should limit. Trying my best to follow the 'well-eating' diet. But so far so good, weight gain is on par with what my obstetrician advises.

Started popping by Mothercare yesterday buying mommies stuff. We thought we'll wait to buy baby things. Maybe after my next scan in 2 weeks time :) Hopefully baby would be in the ideal cephalic position then, but if not we'll settle with whatever position baby is comfortable with as long as both baby n mommy are safe and healthy, amin! In the meantime, its sitting on the birthball whilst watching TV...hehe

We've signed up for antenatal classes in JPMC which will also start in 2 weeks time. Exciting! I have a feeling time will fly so quickly, now that is Syaaban, soon it will be Ramadhan and then Syawal....Hari Raya! Yay!

And Ayden has grown so much! Will post his latest pictures soon.

Congratulations!

Many congratulations to my boss, aka Bosse, on his recent bestowement by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, carrying the title Dato Seri Laila Jasa. So now, he is called 'Dato Bosse'...hehe!

Well deserved accolade for the most wonderful person in RIPAS, who's not only an exceptional Physician but a fantastic mentor and a friend to us local medics in training. May Allah bless you with more.

Lull...

Life's a bit on the lull at present. A typical day would be work, the occasional after-work coffee and cake with the girls and watching TV before bedtime strikes. Third trimester tiredness has set in and depending on what I've eaten, or how long i've been on my feet during the day fluid retention sets in. Wedding ring does not fit anymore but thankfully engagement ring still does...for now!

Baby shops are on sale here and everywhere but we've decided not to get anything for another 4 weeks or so. And just the essentials. We'll be getting plenty of Ayden's hand-me-downs...hehe! We'll be away from work for a week in early August so perhaps then we'll start sorting out baby stuff....cannot wait!

.p.Richard.

Our little mischief...for now :p

Back in March this year, me and the hubs were driving out of our simpang and saw this 'thing' in the middle of the road. I, as the passenger, thought (in my head) it was a big stone, and didnt think much about it. Luckily, the hubs has a better eye and realised it was a stranded kitten!! Awww...... look at it.....

Look at that grey fur and green/ yellow eyes. He jumps here and there, like a squirrel, sometimes more like a monkey.

So he is named 'Richard' just because he looked at us when we called out that name. I think initially we wanted to call him Ricky or Dick or something really silly. Richard or popularly called 'Prichard'...(god knows why!) has grown so much over the past 3 months that my brother didnt even recognise him! So spoilt, he gets a bath every other day and eats fish and rice. Somehow, he doesnt like the Kerupuk....such a kampung cat!! haha! Anyway, as adorable as he looks, he is a BITER and a SCRATCHER, which i am not fond of!!!

Miss M's 'Back to School' do

Another theme party to celebrate Miss M's birthday! This time it was a "Back to School" theme,with ponytails and schoolbadges!! Must've been Miss J's idea. Anyways, it was Miss M's 4th party of the week and I dont know how she could've managed! Still young eh ha!

So, Miss J and Miss M turned up with their uniforms, Ms A wore an old PE t-shirt, her hubs Mr R was an escapee, me...I guess as a teacher...coz I have nothing to wear that fits lagi!! haha...and Ms M was casual....

and the cake...oh goodness, how heavenly was that!! Nice one Miss J!

Mental note: Bakerlyn's Hazelnut Praline Cake..mmmmm....

Steamboat and Karaoke!

I love dinner parties.....especially when it's with karaoke!!

So a few many weeks ago, Ms Y hosted a Steamboat and Karaoke/ Wii night (Wii as highly requested by Miss HzB). Of course if it was anything hosted by Ms Y it's fantastic! With a full tummy everyone was geared for singing....especially the boys! Karak ani wah, surprisingly singing to Broery's ballards and Krisdayanti...ha ha!

So apart from steamboat, desserts included homemade blueberry cheesecake, bread and butter pudding and trifle cocktail!

A new family member

....is the baby nephew, Ayden Zahari. Born on the 29th May 2008 at 10:27am to Mummy Sarah and Babah Hakeem. He weighed at 3.44kg and 53cm long.

Ayden, all u do most of the time is sleep. That makes you a very good baby. Hehe. But u need to feed too :) But when you open your eyes and make the 'eh eh' noise....you're way way adorable and ever so cute, especially when your face goes all red...hehehe

Your round face and chubby cheeks would make anyone just want to pinch them.....hence the nickname I've given you - si Bulat! U have your dad's nose (hence by proxy...MY nose!!) and mummy's lips. I still can't make out whose eyes you have inherited because (a) u're asleep most of the time, and (b) when you do open your eyes, its hard to tell coz your big chubby pink cheeks makes your eyes go sepet....hehe....awww.....

Your nini's are very excited about you. You make them smile ever so wide everytime you are the topic of conversation. Not only them....me too! hehe..... Your Usu in Kent is green with envy coz he's still there and has not seen you in real life yet....wait for another month or so....

and hopefully inshaAllah, u will have a cousin that will join you in the next few months....

By the way, you are only 3 days old and you've made Ranoadidas.com already! Kambang eh!

taken from www.ranoadidas.com

Hugs and kisses from your Tua

Swimming in Brunei

Looking for a decent public pool to swim in (without too much oogling going on) can be quite difficult in Brunei. After asking around a few times, here are some of the places worth mentioning:

• IBB BSB building pool
• Sg Tilong private pool
• RBGC pool, Jerudong
• Anggerek Desa swimming pool (Tuesday's ladies only)
• SRC pool, Panaga....

Happy dipping!

Vaccinations in Pregnancy

A cousin of mine asked if it was safe to be vaccinated during pregnancy, as she was planning to go abroad for work. I found this to be useful.

Celebrate

It has been 3 weeks since the exams. Pictures from the KaZu Costume Party held recently in Jerudong are found here. Was quite a funny and entertaining evening!

More recently, we celebrated Lina's birthday. Themed the 'PJ Party' courtesy of Mus!! Happy birthday Len...welcome to that 'age box'.....

Dilly-dallying....

Taking a break from revising at present. Exams in 9 days time! Panic!!

Hopefully, the study leave that starts tomorrow will serve its purpose. Although I have plans to bake and perhaps host a lunch! Ha! Ha! I also have a stack of dvds that need watching....

I also need a well-deserving holiday, or at least some sort of pampering would do. I don't think I can cope anymore travelling after the exams. Then again am thinking Australia - Melbourne, Sydney....Brisbane.....ahh...sandy beaches....nice....

Any doctor in the flight?

It was an awful flight back home. Boarding the SQ flight Manchester-Singapore had full of surprises for me. As my ticket was booked with the 'Dr' with my name, the ever-so-polite SQ cabin crew asked me if I was a medical practitioner and should it be ok to ask for my assistance if any medical problems should come up, while handing out the hot towels to me. What choice did I have but say 'err yes'. Note: it was pretty much a Caucasian flight.

4 hours into the flight, I was watching an enjoyable comedy chick flick when I was approached by the crew to tell me there were 2 children who were slightly unwell. So there I was consulting the children and parents and soon they were sorted. Simple cases of the fever and the throwing up. Fine. Sorted. Back to sleep.

Woke up to some woman shouting for help as her mum just collapsed. Reluctantly I rose up from the chair as most people were looking at me. All I could think was please not let it be someone with chest pain. There was a crowd over this poor woman who, according to her husband, fainted, became blue with her eyes rolled up. Saw the woman and she's wet her pants. She must have had a seizure I thought. Later I found out she has always been fit and well and was on the way to Perth, Australia with a 4hr transit in Singapore.....no way she was going to Australia that same day now! She came round soon as I got to her and she was way confused and started to vomit non-stop. Had to transfer her to 1st class where it was more spacious and gave her intravenous medications and fluids. Thankfully there was a registered trained nurse on board as well who kindly helped as well.

Finally landed in Singapore and I was exhausted. I still had another 2 hour transit and a 2 hour journey back to Brunei. Upon arrival in Brunei, I was knocked out till late evening. Back to work the next day for continuous daily work for 12 days non-stop. Hmmph.

Now, hiatus!

Cold

The UK trip was tiring. Didn't help that the weather was freezing cold topped up by snow and hail. However, the course was good; brain-draining nevertheless.

I guess it would have been much more fun if it was in London so time could be spared to meet up with old friends. Last minute changes was made for it to be held in Manchester. Yet we took a quick trip to London to meet up with youngest bruv and a few friends. I think that was the shortest ever time we've ever spent in London - 18 hours.

Belated thanks to L for the yummy chicken tetrazini and the hospitality.

Singapore Changi Airport

Most would say if you have to transit somewhere this is the best place to be. I would say so too, if I had lots of money to spend! On arrival in Terminal 2, visitors are greeted by duty free shops, designer labelled boutiques, cafes and restaurants. On top of that if you prefer to stay in the airport to going out to town, both Terminals 1 and 2 provide all sorts of facilities to keep everyone comfortable, amongst them Massages (Reflexeology, Neck and shoulder massage, manicures and pedicures), lounge for naps, showers and gym at a cost of $38-40 per facility. Game lovers would be ecstatic with the Xboxes and Playstations. A cinema is also found for free. On top of all that of course one would expect free internet which is available almost everywhere in the terminal. Food is not scarce here, but Halal restaurants are only a handful. How to recognise one? Look for servers with headscarves :)

Terminal 3 has just recently opened and it boasts beautiful architecture which I'm yet to see in a few hours time. It serves outgoing flights to Europe and North America, but does not have the luxuries of relaxation and entertainment as the other 2 terminals.

Not forgetting it has prayer rooms for all faiths which is essential of all.

More later.

A message for the hubs

This is your sweet wife reminding you not to forget to buy her this. But a W7 in the brown and pink like the one that I once had.

Many many tengkiu =)

Happy V-day...

Cravings

I'm hungry. I'm tired. This is the final night of the week and I've had enough so far. Bed crises has been a major problem and Bruneians are so demanding....inda sakit pun mau betahan...suka sangat kan hospital...ngapakan??

I've been managing an average of 5 hours of sleep a day and that is abysmal. As I blog, I'm in search of the hardcopy of the Brunei Labour Law which states the maximal hours one works in a day. As far as I have been told by trusted sources, the legal working hours is no beyond 12 hours a day. I am sure we can work something out once we have hard proof. Hmmph!

The whole week I have been craving all sorts of things. It doesnt help being on nights and the hubs away and not able to fulfill the cravings. Have to settle with BKSS food :s Finally I managed to get J out of bed this morning for a valentine's (haha) Aneka Rasa brekkie. Mee Mamak and Roti Telur nyum nyum! Worse, hubs has been telling all about their rendevous in KL...with the Nandos and what nots. Noooooo......

Again, I want Soto.... waaaa....!

I know the soto doesnt look that appetising but rest assure it tastes all good....baru soto biasa tu...belum soto special.....

1st pay

I only started earning a living in August 2004; after 6 gruelling, hardworking years. Indeed the pay was scrumptious!! What did I spend on my first paycheck?

1. A trip to London from Cornwall to visit friends - took them out for dinner and spent the weekend in Selfridges.

2. Also, belanja my parents =)

3. Paid a whole load of credit card bills!and started saving up...

4. Then, a Lina-Mai-Noneh girly shopping holiday to Madrid!

Bear kissing tree is one of the landmarks of Madrid

Real Palace

Parc Retiro

Plaza Mayor

Real Madrid's Stadium!

So what did u spend on your 1st paycheck?

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Been back to work since I last posted. New faces in the department! Welcome Rizal and Zul! I must say to stay in Internal Medicine one must have that strong, enduring personality that can withstand the tough grillings from the bosses, endure the week of nights and at the same time enjoy being a medic! Not easy, but as long as you're happy!

With the coming there's the going. Leaving us very very soon is Soffi - off to green green New Zealand and in a May Kwang will be off to Singapore.....we'll miss u both!!

Speaking of which, exams in 2 months time. 9 hours of exams aint my cup of tea but that's how it goes. The perks however, I can go to any revision courses where available ie. London! and perhaps drop by to see old friends! Yay!

It's Chinese New Year today....to all my Chinese friends - Gong Xi Fa Cai!

56 days in Saudi

Back!

56 days in Saudi was a long time! It was an amazing experience - to work and to fulfil the last Islamic Pillar. Amidst the whole prepartion prior flying off to Saudi surely built up anxiety and apprehension in visiting the Holy Land. But Alhamdulillah all went well. In Brunei, we had crash courses on common gynae and paeds probs and a very quick 3-hr Haj crash course! All within 2 weeks!. In Saudi what we did before the jemaahs arrived was setting up clinics both in Madinah and Mekah. Picking up medical boxes of equipments and medicines from Jeddah International Airport Cargo Terminal and Jeddah Consulate Office, unpacking them and making sure everything was in tip-top shape before work started.

We landed in Jeddah Haj Terminal with our ihram's on for our umrah in Mekah. Alhamdulillah all went well, the next few days spent in Mekah by praying in Masjidil Haram, also got the opportunity to kiss the Hajr-Al-Aswad Stone and prayed in Hijr Ismail a couple of times.Mekah as far as my memory went back to 2000 has changed a lot. Back then the Makkah Hilton Towers was the 'in-place' to be and shop at. Now, there's the Abraj Al-Bait - u have Accesorise, Nine West, MAC, Debenhams, Top Shop, Next and the usual Burger KIng, Shawarma King, KFC, etc. Not that I shopped mind you, it was just conveniently located outside Masjidil Haram.


After spending 5 days in Mekah, we left for Madinah via Jeddah. The distance from Jeddah to Madinah was 472km and the journey takes about 4 hours or so with a service and snack stop in Sasco. On arrival in Madinah, the feeling of bliss came back. Madinah has always been a favourite. It's so peaceful, clean and just....bliss! I was over the moon when I found out I was part of the Madinah Team and stayed on there for 23 days till the last pilgrim left for Mekah.

enroute Jeddah from Mekah

Masjid Nabawi, Madinah

one of our clinics

We arrived in Mekah for the 2nd time only a few days before Wukuf. Nevertheless the work load in Mekah was busier as we had 2 clinics and jemaah's had more ailments and wanted to get better for Arafah n Mina.

Taibah's (Madinah) pharmacy

our ambulance

Arafah has changed and very pretty now. Laid in the middle of flat land surrounded by hills were nicely laid organised huge white tents. We arrived early on Monday after Zuhur prayers to set up Arafah Clinic and by evening jemaahs trickled in. On Wukuf day everything was serene and peaceful, everyone doing their zikirs and tasbihs and after Zuhur prayers Haj was performed. Note: Datuk Siti Nurhaliza was spotted when she arrived in Arafah alongside hubs and family. Later that evening most jemaahs left for Mina while others returned to Mekah to perform Tawaf and Saie Haji.

Arafah

Us medics were'nt required to stopover at Muzdalifah so our journey was cut short to 4 hours to travel 20 km towards Mina. Traffic was horrendous as expected. Arrived in Mina at 3am, and were greeted by Haj Attache. Showed us our tiny tent where we were to sleep, pray, work in the next 3 days. We didnt dally long and went straight to Melontar the Jamrah Aqabah. Amri gave us 7 stones each to throw at the Jamrah. Since 2006, the Saudi government has developed an excellent a multi-storey one way system to throw stones at these devil spots. Despite our tents were located near the Jamrahs, the entrance to it was quite a 30 minute walk. The sound of stone throwing was overwhelming but the system was efficient and safe. After then, we had our tahallul awal and was allowed to change clothes and have a quick shower. Toilets are basic as per Arafah; non-flushing communal toilets and only 6 pipes to do your ablutions.

Mina

Challenging Mina was, I found. Mina being 5km away from Mekah, we walked almost all the way there as stunted traffic would not allow transport to pick us up to mobilise back to Mekah. Walking then was..experience is an understatement. On our way were people sitting on streets selling all sorts of things from water to clothes, some begged for money and food and decorated camels were on display for pricey pictures. There were fumes from buses and cars and litter on the road...was a good thing we were wearing face masks. We met up with our driver in the GMC by the 2 mosques and Bin Dawood in Aziziah which is only a 5 minute drive - non Haj traffic. In Haj traffic, it took us 1 hour to get back to our Ajyad hotel. On arrival, I only realised the basic hotel we stayed in was a luxury. Showered properly and did no.1's and 2's properly too! Had lunch and caught up with sleep for 3 hours till Amri and I had to mobilise to Dar-Al-Salam to reopen the clinic. Work finished at 10pm and went for Tawaf n Saie Haji at 3am, completed just in time for Subuh prayers, and started work again 2 hours later. The word for the day was Exhaustion!

A few days later jemaahs started to leave for Brunei. Yet work was still busy despite the declining numbers of jemaahs, and staff too. So what cases do we see here? Common things such as coughs and colds, the occasional D+V's, skin problems, dehydration and a handful of inpatient cases of exacerbation of asthma and cardiac failure. Being an internal medic you get used to having bloods done whenever you want to, but in situations like this is limited as per blood test would cost approx SAR 50. Alhamdulillah, all jemaahs came and went home safe and sound! Yay!

New Year 2008 came and it was like any normal night. Local TV stations were showing western movies! Came 3rd January 2008 and the last group of jemaahs left. Work ended and packing started. Finished by evening and took the opportunity to do another umrah. Left for Taneem after Isyaa' and we completed the umrah just before midnight.

The remaining days in Saudi were filled with lunch and dinner invitations by Sheikh Ali Yassin, Muassasah in Jeddah, Brunei Consul in Jeddah and the 1st secretary to Jeddah Consulate. We thank them for the lovely food that was served. The boys also had an obligatory futsal tournament, dressed in official Saudi jerseys, held at the Consulate and won 2nd place (Well done!); 1st place went to the Consulate team and 3rd place went to RBA.

Medics Futsal Team


Food

bitter bitter Arabic tea

Mandy Kambing

at 1st secretary's house

All in all, AMAZING but inevitably tiring experience. Someone asked if I would do it again. Answer is yes. To serve the country and your people who are God's guests and at the same time to perform Haj. Definite yes.