Ruscha Eva

Of the many joyous moments I have had for 2011, the best goes to a day in September, on the 3rd to be precise. Two days after my wife's birthday, a date I always look forward to every year, at about 8.15 a.m. on that first Saturday of the month, my daughter was born. At 3.15 kg, she was not very big but her first cry was a huge signal that she has finally arrived..!
After such a long wait, 42 weeks and a half, it was a big relief to both parents. The minutes that followed were more exciting as my wife and I were debating as whether she looks more like her first brother Russo or her second brother Ryo.
Ruscha Eva, a name chosen by my wife, would have probably argued, if she could, that she wanted to look like herself..! Still, a photo of her then is beginning to look different from her now, taken about two months after. Who will she look like eventually..? Its difficult to tell...
The joy of seeing her everyday, from that first day till today, has not diminished. Perhaps, the little complication that she had to go through, two weeks after she was born, has definitely increased our care, love and passion for her. And I think my wife is enjoying the cuddle from a baby girl, and put her much closer to her chest, more than after the experience of been cuddled by two lovely boys, who now seem to have selective hearing as far as their mum's call and voice are concerned. Having said that, Russo and Ryo too, seem to enjoy the company of Eva tremendously..! 

Moving to a New Location.

I must admit that it was difficult to maintain my blog especially when I was always on the move. Since the last piece was written, my family and I have relocated to two different locations. We moved to Singapore in April 2009 which was meant to be temporary. But towards the end of our short stint in Singapore, somebody suggested that with so much potential business opportunities brewing in Indonesia, why not relocate to Jakarta instead? Business uncertainties in Dubai, resulting from the economic downturn of September 2008, was a big factor of consideration against an opportunity to be in Indonesia's capital. Winter was just starting and that was the best time to be in Dubai. However, that particular season was different. The roads were unusually quiet, foreigners not only left their magnificent villas but also abandoned their luxury cars in droves. How bad, I thought. A visit to Jakarta in December 2009 seemed like a natural progression and despite the negative outlook on Jakarta's traffic situation, other aspects seemed all positives. So we went back to Dubai, spent the rest of the year packing up, still managed to welcome 2010 with pomp and pageantry, and eventually bid farewell to the dreams of a city built on sands. 

November in Dubai

November is turning out to be a busy month in Dubai. Despite the deepening financial crisis worldwide and a continuing slide on the Dubai Bourse, the property sector seems to be holding on. After the success of Dubai CityScape in October, Palm Jumeirah officially opened last weekend. It was celebrated not only in style, with over 2,000 celebrities from Hollywood to Bollywood turned up, with the fireworks alone costing an astonishing USD3million. Entertainment was provided by many popular international artists including many scantily dressed ones such as Linsay Lohan and Kylie Minogue, to name but a few. In Malaysia, these artists would have been banned! All in all USD20million was reported to have been spent on the event. November also saw the opening of Dubai Mall, touted as the world's biggest shopping mall located next to the world's tallest building, about to be completed, the Burj Dubai. On this 26th, QE2, the world famous cruise ship, will sail into Dubai on her final voyage where she will be turned into a floating hotel instead. The refitting cost, I am told, is about USD300million!

I am now back in KL for a week till Saturday

From Outside the Coconut Shell

This is actually a title of a book which I attempted to write for many years now but have not got around to completing it due to my busy work schedule. This book would have been about my life experience of growing up in Malaysia during my formative years. In school, we learned a lot of proverbs in the Malay language and the one that struck a chord with me is 'Seperti Katak di bawah tempurung,' which translates to 'like a frog under the coconut shell. ' A frog whose life is defined by the boundaries of the coconut shell is equivalent to a person whose life is full of self imposed barriers, invisible barriers that block the mind.

Far too many people live under a coconut shell, I for one have always wanted to peek out from under it and eventually leave the comfort of that sphere for the wide open spaces. Opening my eyes to new sights and experiences. So, having lived and travelled to many places in this world I imagine that I now have a view of the world from outside the coconut shell, hence the title for this blog.

Currently on Vacation

I am currently on leave from my work in Dubai. Been back in Malaysia since 24 July where the weather seems to be better and cooler compared to Dubai.

Announcing the birth of my son

My son Ryo was born on 1 August at 8.12 am. He weighed 3.47 kg at birth. His elder brother, Russo seems to be very pleased to have someone to play football with at last. He showers him with kisses every time he sees him.