Just came back from iMax. The screen the size of three storey building. Watched robots fight. Middle back row. A little bit dizzy but really – it blew my mind away. You gotta watch Transformer at iMax. You just have to.
We have to take Amir’s thumb print in order to register his Malaysian citizenship. Not only that, it must be signed, stamped & witnessed by either a Malaysian Consulate officer, Justice of Peace or a Police Officer. Since Victoria has neither the first two, the latter was the only option. His photo also needs to be certified as well.
So we went to the nearest police station today and asked the police to be a witness and certify our document. He’d ask for any specific instructions that he can read because the form was in Bahasa Malaysia. Luckily, we printed the instructions from the consulate website. The police had no qualms of it and only wanted to be sure.
The funny this was that police said jokingly that it’s kinda ridiculous for a baby to have a thumb print taken. That from all his years of service, this is the very first time he ever heard of such thing. In addition, he even said that he’s not very sure how to take a baby’s prints so instead he suggested that we do it ourselves with him witnessing it. Our first attempt ended with a very smudgy thumb print. It was no good. Since we didn’t have another copy, I had to go the nearest internet cafe and print a new one. So I’ve printed lots of it.
Second attempt was a disaster. Honestly, I didn’t know that taking a thumb print could be this difficult. The police then gave me some tips that you don’t have to press to hard on the ink, just a little bit and it’s fine. Third try was good enough for him. Reliefed, he proceeded to sign, stamp & certified it. Along with Amir’s photos that we brought along.
This is just the first part of it, I have to bring along all the documents and submit it myself in-person at he Malaysia Consulate in Canberra. I must add that it’s quite inconvenient for all Malaysian citizen whose child was born here because he must travel all the way long to Canberra just to do this. Couldn’t it be easier to place a officer in Melbourne to handle this since there’s already a Malaysian Student Department office at Windsor. Oh well just my two cents on the matter.
I’ll be going next week. Hope that everything goes well.
Following the Air France plane crash. I can’t help to wonder whether the black box even have any GPS tracking system. Or could it be easily replace with some sort of continous data transfer from the plane to remote servers of Air France. Or simple put multiple black box instead of just one and equip with remote GPS tracking on each one. A black box that could last a few hours without power. Charge with batteries if ever any misfortune happen. I was an avid fan of Plane Crash Investigation on Geographic Channel, and often the reasons of airplane crashes is never just one occurence of failures.
I mention in my last entry that we got from the hospital on a Saturday. We were given antibiotics and some streroid base cream for Amir’s infection. We were told that he’s eczema was cause by external factors and not food allergies. We were also schedule to meet a specialist on the following Monday for a review.We were also told to do bleach baths for Amir once a day.
We thought that it was all over, that by managing Amir’s eczema with wet dressings and creams and keeping everything squeeky clean will definetely keep the eczema at bay. I even change all my pillows, quilts, mattress cover with those hypoallergenic products. Making an allergy-free environment for all of us.
But the first night after we were out from the hospital, Amir’s eczema flared up again. We felt that everything we’ve done wasn’t enough. I admit I was dumbfounded. I can’t figure out what went wrong. Was it the bed? What was the last thing he touch? Was there something in our clothes? It was questions after questions. Tears were streaming down from Ayu’s cheek. I ask her to be strong but inside my heart of hearts, I knew that I needed to be strong too. For myself. For all of us. “Semua ujian dari Allah. Sabar, tabahkan hati, doa banyak2,” that’s all I could say to her.
The following Monday, we went to see the dermatologist & immunologist specialist at the same hospital before. That morning, while waiting for our turn. Ayu had hot chocolate for breakfast while I had my cappucino. Because of the long wait, Ayu even had to breastfeed Amir. By the time we got to see the doctor, I realized that Amir’s eczema was flaring up again. He was really itchy. Scratching his face and the back of his head. I could see fresh cuts from his scratching. Amir crying and was clearly in pain.
Upon seeing this, the doctor and a few consultants came in and saw Amir and what they said was with a baby this young, they believe that the cause of his eczema is more likely from food allergies. Since Amir is exclusively breastfed, they asked about any sudden changes in Ayu’s diet and ask about our normal diet. They recommended that Ayu avoid major allergy causing foods which are eggs, milk, & nuts. Probably soy too. They even setup an appointment with an allergy specialist the following week to correctly identify Amir’s allergy.
Knowing this information was like a hit in the head. I quickly tried to remember what was the last time we ate and when was the first time Amir’s eczema flared up. It hit home. The food was indeed the culprit. Ayu and I believe that it was definitely from dairy products since we drink milk practically everyday.
Ayu soon felt really bad afterwards. I kept telling her that it’s not her fault. That who would’ve known that this could happen. That there is no one to blame. I was feeling kinda bad too. I should have realize it by now. But I just have to stay positive and deal with it and focus on our son’s well being.
But knowing the trigger is half the battle itself. I must say that avoiding food that contains milk is really really hard. It’s basically in every product that we take. Ayu has to give up taking milk with her milo or coffee, her bread with butter or margerines. No cakes at all, no pastries. No chocolates. No cheese. No products containing any sort of dairy products. We had to be very careful for every thing that we eat. Reading the ingredients before buying any food products. There were some food we mistakenly took and Amir had to pay the price. It was a cruel cycle to see. Our son bearing the cost of our food intake.
But it worked. We could clearly see how avoiding those type of food improved Amir’s condition. Those red patches doesn’t flare as strong as it was anymore. He doesn’t scratch as much any more. We were relief that we found the answer. Syukur Alhamdulillah. We still applied lots of moisturizers on his skin because his skin tends to get very dry every now and then. But it’s still managable. Our Amir is getting better.
After a week (yesterday infact), we went to meet the allergy specialist. She did the skin prick test and it finally confirms what Amir is allergic to. From the test, Amir is positively allergic to eggs, milk, soy & wheat. Strongest allergic reactions are to eggs & milk meanwhile soy & wheat are the weakest. No allergic reaction to nuts & seafood. The doctor told us that babies whose allergic to these type of food would usually grow out of it but the time it takes to varies from person to person. She added that allergies to nuts & seafood usually could last a lifetime. I don’t know whether I should be sad or happy at that time.
But I do admit that I felt a relief knowing exactly what type of food Amir is allergic too. Without the test, it was like doing a black box test. Guessing what food we can take or not. But now, I can safely say that Amir is improving well. He’s skin is beautiful now although he still has some red patches on his cheeks and sometimes on his body but it’s not as severe as the past few weeks. A few things I’m worried about right now is he still tends to scratch himself when his asleep. I don’t know if his itchy or because of his active sleeping. I hope it’s the latter though.
But with saying that, his mood has been nothing but lovely. He’s always smiling at us and he’s been very playful. Reaching to touch his toys as often as he can. He can now hold both of his hand together and always seem to be putting them in his mouth. I found that he is such a talkative boy at times. Ofcourse I pretend to understand what his saying 
. He has long hours of sleep at night and he cries less and less right now. Things seems to be ok and fine at the moment. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Allahu Akhbar.
I first realize Amir’s rosy cheeks when he was 3 months old. I thought it was cute. A small pinkish patch on both side of his cheeks. It seemed so harmless at first. But after a few weeks, he started to get red patches on his cheek, then the back of his head, then at his legs and soon patches of red appeared on his entire body. I could tell that he was very itchy. He will always try to scratch himself every chance he gets. We tried putting mittens on but sometimes the mittens will come off on its own by the constant rubbing against his skin.
Apart from that, he can’t really sleep at all. He will wake up every 1 or 2 hour screaming and crying. We tried our best to console him, singing to him, holding him until he gets too tired to cry anymore and falls asleep again. Only to wake up hours later. The following morning, he’ll be too grumpy to play. To moody to do anything and just cries at times. It was even hard to see a glimpse of smile from him.
The situation got worst when he scratches himself till he bleeds. It could bleed even with his nail already cut short. This usually happens while he was sleeping. Or when we’re not watching him closely enough. So we decided to swaddle him hoping that his hands can’t reach his face. But this only made the situation get worse. Swaddling the baby makes him warm. Children suffering with eczema can’t get too warm or his eczema will just get worse.
We put on moisturizers after moisturizers on him. Different brand different creams, alternative organic medicine on his eczema. But it’s just a temporary relief for him. It flares up from time and time again. We blame it on the dry weather. Our asian genetics. Our everything. We basically felt like the worst parents of the year. Nothing we do seems to work.
We went to the GP a few times. They prescribe us with some steroid base products to be put on his face and body. We were reluctant at first but we had no choice but to use it. At first, things got a little better but it could only suppress his eczema momentarily. By the time we’ve used this, Amir already has scratch marks/scars (sometimes fresh cuts) at the back of his head and on his legs. This in turn soon made Amir’s condition heading towards a steep downturn.
It appeared as rashes or little bumps first seen on his knees and on the back of his bad, it looked like baby acne. I even googled looking at pictures and thought it was the same harmless thing on my baby son skin. Convincing myself that it’s not something that I should be worried about. But I totally got it wrong. One morning, while changing his nappie, Ayu realized that these little rashes spread all over his legs and some at the back of his head in an overnight. Sensing something wrong, Ayu told me to immediately go the emergency department. And so we went.
We arrived at Royal Childrens Hospital on a Thursday morning. I must say that it was a long wait. Amir was getting really restless as the time goes by. When we finally got called, it was to meet the triage nurse. A triage nurse in my understanding is someone who assesses the level of medical attention that is needed for a patient. Whether it’s an urgent case or otherwise. Apparently, she didn’t think it was an emergency situation. What she did though is applied wet dressings to Amir’s arms & legs and even his body (for his eczema). Up to this point, I thought it was normal to wrap up ones body with wet dressings with bandages and what not. But to my dismay, when we finally met a dermatologist, she quickly got into a fit asking who wrapped up this poor baby’s body? You just have to put on a wet t-shirt on it. Putting bandages over the body only aggravates him.
They took swabs of the rashes from his head. Sent it to the lab. And made us wait into a small cubicle in the emergency department. And so we waited and waited and waited and the results was that those little bumps were infact were growing staph. In layman terms, it’s an infection. It’s where the normal bacteria from our skin enters the wounded area and grow. Remember I told you about Amir’s scratch marks? Yeah, that was ground zero.
Again. We felt like the worst parent of the year if not of the century.
Poor little Amir had to be warded for a few days. Applied wet dressings on his head, body, arms and legs every 6 hours. Been given antibiotics 4 times a day. I have to say that it’s the most saddest, upsetting experience seeing your child sick and unwell. Ayu mentioned that things could get worse if the infection transmit into the bloodstream. By then, it could be too late. I shudder even to think about it.
But while we were in the hospital. I could see that Amir personality change a whole deal. Suddenly, I could see this little angel of mine smiling at me. At us. His mom and dad! I could see him looking at us with full of curiosity again. We hear him tries to talk to us over and over again with his cute baby talk. It’s like a different baby altogether. “This is the real Amir,” Ayu said. I couldn’t agree more. I am happy seeing him recovering not only from his infection but his whole joyful personality as well.
The other thing that I would to say is I would like to thank Ayu’s friend especially Aliya, Sue, Wahyuna, Intan, Albi & Ainis for visiting us. Seeing Amir. Cheering him up. Cheering us up. For taking the trouble cooking our food. Even cleaning our house while we were in the hospital (Thanks so much Aliya & Sue). Everything was too overwhelming for us but you guys were there and help us lessen the burden. We will never forget what you guys had done for us. We’re lucky to be friends with you. I wish we could one day return the kindness that you have shown to us.
We got out from the ward on Saturday afternoon. The doctor gave us prescription for antibiotics and some creams for Amir’s eczema. Wet dressings, bandages the whole lot. At this point, we were told that the eczema was cause by external core factors. Implying that it could be house dust mite, detergent or anything that comes contact with the skin. So as soon as we got home, I immediately went out to to buy those hypoallergenic mattress protector, pillow, pillow case, quilts and new bed sheets and even bought a new vacuum(with HPA filter) to clean the house free from dust. Believing that this was the answer to everything.
We really really thought that it was the end of our woes. But little that we know…
The weather was beautiful today so we decided to go out to the city. I like how Melbourne city is a mash between the old and new. The modern building designs here somehow doesn’t ruin the whole atmosphere of its Victorian style architecture. Subtle yet consice. Well, at least in my point of view.
We walk along Swanston St from RMIT University up to the banks of Yarra River. I brought along my camera and went on acting like a tourist snapping pictures here and there. Buildings, peoples, anything interesting passing by. Melbourne vibrates full of life. The people. The diversity. Sometimes other than English you hear people speaking Japanese, Korean, Italy, Lebanese, French, Indonesian or some language you never even heard of when you walk pass by them. It’s great being surrounded by people around the world.
We we’re crossing the Yarra River when we saw a couple passing by on a Gondola. It quickly reminds me of Vienna, Italy. The only difference is the guy paddling isn’t singing any Italian song. That would be a sight to be seen and heard.
It’s going to be my birthday tomorrow so on my birthday eve, Ayu treat me for a nice dinner out at a Spanish/Morocco Restaurant down at Sydney Rd called La Paella. I’ve always wanted to try a la paella dish since I first saw it in t.v but never got the chance until now. We didn’t ordered any entrées because the dish is usually serve in large portion. The menu even printed that it’s going to take 45 minutes to cook. So we ordered a chicken & seafood la paella and waited.They serve us with a Morrocan tea and I really loved it. Sweet and light.
Amir went a little bit restless soon after that made Ayu had to walk him up and down the aisle and even to the sidewalk outside. I was stuck at my table because I sat at the wall side and the tables are put so close to each other and I couldn’t get out. It was a Saturday night and the place was full.
Our order finally arrived and I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. The food was great, the seafood fresh, the chicken well done, the rice superb and it was really such a generous portion that I had doubt at first that we could finish it just the two of us. But I guess the long wait had made our appetite to the point of starvation. We finished it clean. I totally recommend you to go and try the food here. It’s good. Even I might go back and try a few other dishes too.
It’s my birthday already at the moment I’m writing this down. 26 years old. Happily living my life with my wife Ayu and my baby son Amir. Life is beautiful.
Syukur Alhamdulillah.
I like my lattes and cappuccinos and the occasional hot chocolates. Though I am not exclusively fussy about how I drink my coffee, I love them all the same. They say it’s best without sugar but me being Malaysian needs something sweeter than most chaps here. Usually I put in one or two in mine. Not so sweet not so bitter.
What I like most is I can get my favourite caffeine fix at mostly all coffee shops around here. Just walk right in any coffee shop and each one of ‘em has that special personal touch they put into their produce. No need to go to that certain American franchise to get them. The price depends on the size you order but generally cost around 3 to 5 dollars.
Though sometimes, I miss our teh tarik mamak. There’s a few Malaysian Indian restaurant here. But somehow it’s not the same. Nope. None at all. Perhaps, the truth is, I guess I really miss home and the companion of friends sitting down and just lepak borak sangap ketawa. Yeah, miss those times a lot.
Can’t wait to get back. Hope we breeze by this autumn fast.
I’m pretty paranoid about the speed I’m going at while I’m driving here in Melbourne.The main reason is because those gestapo-like speed cameras they have randomly located around here.
Last year, I got a fine ticket for $220 for driving 75kmh at a 60kmh limit lane. Yes, I got busted by the speed camera. The infringement notice was sent via mail right to my doorstep. There and then I said to myself, “Now I know why people drive so slowly here!”
However, I didn’t pay that fine. I read their website on how to appeal. Turns out if it’s your first-time offence, you can make an appeal for an official warning. So I wrote a letter to the police admitting my offence and told them lots of excuse to save my ass how I didn’t realize there was a speed limit. A few weeks later, a letter arrived asking for a copy of my visa and driving license. I sent them immediately and a few more weeks later, I received my first official warning from the Victoria Police. Pheww – didn’t have to lose a dime.
So you see, that’s why I am so paranoid about speeding limits over here in Melbourne. They have those speeding cameras! Those freaking speeding cams!
Another thing that I totally hate here is the parking space they provide. Some have meters, some don’t. But generally, they all have a parking hour limit. They have these signboards that says 1P which stands for 1 hour parking, 2P = 2hour and so on and so forth. Beware of parking at hotspots usually in the city. Meter maids/Parking sheriffs with cowboy hats(they literally wear cowboy hats) are roaming the streets armed with their pen and their chalks to check for parking offenders.
Why the chalks? Elementary my dear Watson. For parking spots without any meters but limited parking hour, they will mark your tires with their chalk. An hour later, they’ll come back and check again. If you’re over the hour limit, you get fined. Some people over here will come back to their cars and erase the chalk marks. Pretty simple trick to beat the system eh?
And yes, I got a ticket once for parking just over 5 minute more of my parking limit. $57 fine. Just like that. They were waiting for the meter limit to end and went straight to business. No grace period. No nothing, nada, zilch, zip.
So in conclusion, to mention that I really hate speed cams & parking sheriffs is an understatement. I understand the need for them but it doesn’t change the way I feel of them. Yup, pretty sums up the whole entry. I hate them.
To resolve, resolute, resolution. Salutations?
Well, an entry a fortnight seems to be so far fetch for me. It is an ideal with the notion that I could at least try to abide my time and spend more time in writing. I guess those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t write, blogs. Those who can’t blog?
Furthermore, I would love to at least try and read a couple of books. But then, haven’t picked up a single book yet. Does Reader’s Digest counts as a book?
Yes, it is all attributed to this one and singular cause of extreme brevity excuse that I am busy with work. It seems that my work is my mistress. My wife is jealous though very understanding of it. I love her to bits. Forgive me my dear. Juggling between life and work and work and life is a constant war going on. Battles I’ve won, battles I’ve lost. I just hope that I won’t loose in the end.
What can I say about my baby son Amir? Well, aren’t babies such demanding beings? He grows so quick and he’s beginning to get heavier by the day. Apart from that, Ayu and I thinks that he’s really smart. I mean he knows how to throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get what he wants. He’s just only 9 weeks! Of course, we take it with a smile and laugh about it a lot. It’s such a cute sight watching Amir not getting something and on the verge of breaking into tears. Oh I’m such a bad parent. Of course we always pick him up, play with him, sing songs to him, cuddle him, and do everything imaginable a parent can do. The best thing is when he smiles. It really brightens up the day. The whole world seem alright. At least our own little world together.
C’est d’accord, c’est vrai, c’est mieux. C’est ma vie!
I created the video using animoto.com. It’s such a neat app!
Just upload your own pics or select them from your sites like flicker, facebook, etc. Pick a song and let animoto do the magic. The only thing is you can only make a 30-second video for free. You have to pay if you want to do a full length video.
