Bye Sam, Hi Son.

I bought my first handphone - Nokia 3210 - 7 years ago.

Within months I sold that phone to my sister and bought Nokia 8210. By then I had signed up for a permanent line and was bounded by contract for 2 years.

When the 2 years' contract was up, I traded in my phone for Nokia 8250.

Perhaps I'm so used to Nokia phones. Personally I find it user-friendly and pretty rugged for my kinda usage. Never faced with any hardware or software problems. I was slightly curious about other brand models but the attraction was never strong enough to compel me to "betray" Nokia.

Finally 2 years ago, Motorola did. Actually, there wasn't a single feature in that phone that attracted me. I keep rejecting calls accidentally instead of answering them, not many polyphonic tunes were available for that model and even Iguana wasn't enough. Sheesh! But I took that phone because it was free upon sign-up. I had wanted to get it, keep it and resell it once it's hot in the market. My plan backfired. That particular model was almost never heard of! Hahaha!

Then early last year, my Motorola phone got cranky. Auto shutdowns without reasons when I have clearly recharged the night before. Final straw came in February.

I traded in and got this:



Better than Motorola. Quite user-friendly and the phone design is pretty cool too. Not forgetting the big font size to aid those who are visually challenged. The VGA camera didn't matter that much to me. The cable does not come with the kit. No big deal. But no internal battery. Once it goes flat, it's totally powerless. *slaps forehead*

Yesterday the screen went blank all of a sudden. I thought it was a software glitch. Recharged it at night. This morning, things did not improved. I have no problems receiving calls but I cannot make any calls or send SMSes. The screen remains lit but blank. Sigh. Not rugged enough.

Immediately after work, I bought a new phone.



The more features they have, the more fragile the phones get. Maybe I should just replace the battery of my Nokia 8250?

RJ's Wedding Dinner

My heartiest congrats to both of you!



Venue: Teochew City Seafood Restaurant, Centrepoint
Time: 7.30pm
Date: Sunday, 25th June 2006

I was the only one at table having the halal menu. One taste of the Tahu Telor and Sanur came to mind. Mmm the restaurant must have catered my food. Apologies to Sandra & Mala for taking up a bit of their table space. =)

Tahu Telor & Kangkong Belacan
Ayam Kalasan & Mutton Rendang
Fruits

The rest of my colleagues at the table had these:

Lobster Salad Combination
Braised Superior Shark’s Fin with Crab Meat
Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus in XO Sauce
Steamed Red Garoupa in Teochew Style
Traditional Steamed Herbal Chicken
Steamed Live Prawns
Braised Sliced Abalone with Sea Cucumber
Ee Fu Noodles with Crab Meat
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts & Pumpkin

I'm very full now. Oddly enough, when I took out my mobile to check for missed calls I got a blank screen instead.

Sleep snoring

I had wanted to record Md Ehsan snoring while asleep.

Unfortunately the sound from the television is louder.

Fathers' Day Bowling

Earlier this month, my sister placed an invitation card on my table. The front cover read "Invitation Card from Baby Ehsan".

Inside were 2 pictures - one of my nephew and the other a bridal photoshot of my sister. Content of the card was "Baby Muhammad Ehsan & Ibu Ain invites you: Aunty Lisa to bowling and a meal @ Swensen's in celebration of Father's Day." Stated was also the date, time & venue.

Coming from my sister, the out-of-the-blue art attack was creative. My parents & youngest sister too received the cards. She had mentioned the idea (i.e the celebration) to me during one of our online chats and I had to agree that the bowling activity is timely. Other than mom who doesn't bowl, I bet the rest of us were itching to either bowl the pins or down the gutter.

We reached BP plaza @ 2.30pm. Squeezed in 3 rounds of bowling before we headed to Swensens for our 4.30pm super early dinner.

During my birthday dinner celebration last month, the 2 mothers got treated. This time round, the 2 fathers got their treat.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. =)




I tot I took a pic of Jeff... Can't seem to find it now.

4 months & growing

Feeding less frequently

As your baby reaches four months, his stomach has grown bigger so he doesn't need to feed so often - just four or five times a day. But he'll still gain weight - his need to feed just tapers off as he gets older, becoming more like that of older children and adults. Now his attention will start to gravitate toward other people and things during mealtimes, and though it's exciting to see him aware of and responsive to new things, feedings can get difficult. If your baby is easily distracted, try feeding him somewhere quiet for a while.


A new talent for rolling over

When placed on his stomach, your baby will lift his head and shoulders high, using his arms for support. This mini push-up helps him strengthen his muscles and get a better view of what's going on. He may even amaze you (and himself!) by rolling over from his back to his front, or vice versa. You can encourage this through play: wiggle a toy next to the side he customarily rolls to in case he's interested enough to try again. Applaud his efforts and smile; he may need your reassurance since new actions can be frightening.


Time for solid foods?

For the first four to six months of life your baby gets all the nutrients he needs from breast milk or formula milk. Still, parents are often eager to start their babies on solid foods. Talk to your health visitor before trying yours on solids. You can begin feeding your baby some solids (meaning mushy foods such as pureed baby food or baby cereal) now that his digestive tract is more developed and his tongue-thrust reflex is starting to fade, but many doctors encourage parents to wait until their baby is six months old. Not rushing onto solids can cut down on allergic reactions and ensures that breast milk and formula won't get crowded out of your baby's diet.


Reaching out and mouthing objects

Your baby is now able to reach out and grab an object, even though he often misses his mark on the first try. Once he wraps his hands around something, he'll study it for a moment and then try to put it in his mouth. You may also notice a lot more dribbling now. Some babies can start teething as early as four months, but the first tooth usually doesn't surface until five to six months.

Encourage your baby to explore and play with a variety of objects. For instance, a clean cloth nappy will occupy your baby for a few minutes. Watch him suck on it, hold it, and discover what happens when he scrunches it up. Give him a light rattle and watch him delight in the sound it makes when he shakes it. An activity centre or cradle gym is a good choice for this stage, as your baby begins to discover the cause and effect of moving a lever and hearing a bell ring, for instance.


Able to play alone now

By now, your baby can play with his hands and feet for a few minutes at a time. A miracle! Suddenly you realise it's strangely quiet in the bedroom so you look in, only to discover that your baby, who so far has needed your attention for most of every waking moment, is amusing himself. Now maybe you can start reading the paper again.


Beginning to understand the role of language

Researchers believe that by four months your baby understands all the basic sounds that make up his native language. Between four and six months, he develops the ability to make some vocal sounds, such as "ma-ma" or "da-da." He doesn't yet connect that sound with a parent, though. By now, he's also able to participate in back-and-forth imitation games - you say "boo," and he'll try to say it back. You can promote your child's sense of communication through imitating his faces and sounds - "mirroring" him. Because you react when he makes noises and tries to say something, your baby learns the importance of language and starts to understand cause and effect. He'll begin to realise that what he says makes a difference.


Appreciation for a full range of colours

Babies see colour from birth, but they have difficulty distinguishing similar tones such as red and orange. As a result they often prefer black and white or high-contrast colours. Between your baby's second and fourth months, colour differences become clearer, and your baby starts to distinguish similar shades. Your baby will probably begin to show a preference for bright primary colours now. Some great
eye-catchers include primary-coloured mobiles (hung out of his reach), bright posters, and visually striking board books.


Getting more selective about people

By four months, your baby may respond to your presence, your voice, and even your facial expressions by kicking and waving his arms.
About now, your child, who to this point probably bestowed smiles on everyone he met, is beginning to be choosy about the company he keeps. In large groups or with unfamiliar people he may need time to get comfortable. Allow for transition time with strangers or when leaving your baby with a babysitter. You may also notice that when he's safely in your arms he's interested in interacting with other people -- especially noisy, boisterous older children.

Md Ehsan is 4 months old today. From my observations...

1) His feeding is still going strong. In fact it has juz increased to 165ml.

2) Mmm, yet to roll. He's quite contented to lean sideways at times.

3) There's a box of rice cereal on standby. Take it as it comes.

4) He sucks his fist each time he's hungry or sleepy. Gripped my nose this morning.

5) He played & made noises past midnite while my parents were dozing off. Haha!

6) This friendly baby gets involved in our adult conversation. Ooo... aaaaaarh!

7) Err how to observe this? He's attracted to anything that moves & people's faces.

8) Selective? Nah, he's very friendly.

Old & New

vs
I'm glad these flowers don't need watering while my parents are away.

vs
Md Ehsan's little balloons.

vs
Nothing fantastic actually.

Oh bother!

I went to the PC show to buy a new digicam. Totally forgot to buy a card reader. Sigh...