An Outing - Away From Home

It is about five weeks since Ram had corrective surgery procedure done on her right eye. She has not gone out of the house all these while. I decided to take her away from home. As a priority member of a travel club I am entitled to complimentary stays and discounts in restaurants of a chain of hotels. I decided on one of the hotels in KL, not too far away for her to travel and yet she can be away from home for a couple of days. It was also her birthday. February is birthday month for Ram and our three grandchildren in Bintulu.

We could not be with our grandchildren for their respective birthdays because of her eye condition but talking to them on the phone regularly, the presence of son Shaffik who was in KL for work and who spent his evenings at home with Ram I guessed compensated for this inability. Ram’s sisters Siti and Shidah stayed with us for more than two weeks after Ram’s corrective surgery (and that was a greaaaat help for me, relieved me of my kitchen chores mostly!!). Tessa and Sita, despite their busy schedule and travels had also regularly spent time with her at home. Sita, Fahrul and little Najla had come home every weekend. The whole of the previous week Najla was with us. With Ram’s improved eye condition and being able to read again, she enjoyed playing and reading to (or was it with?) Najla. Najla recognizes written words with pictures like any two year olds and she likes books, hence it was fun to play ‘reading’ with her. Her antics never failed to keep Ram and I amused.

I think it was a good decision to take her away from home even if it was just 25 kilometers away. A change in environment, surroundings and atmosphere certainly relieved her stresses of being cooped up at home. Imagine the glow and excitement in her when checking into the hotel and the presence of Sita and family in an adjoining room in the hotel lifted her spirits even more. It was purely coincidence that Sita and Fahrul had work to do in KL and purposely chose to stay in the same hotel with us (certainly with some persuasion from me!!). They brought Najla along, which was what we had hoped for, when we heard of their work commitment in KL.


I cannot see the stars.....


I cannot see with this thing Tok Mi, is it working properly?


We had dinner in the hotel restaurant. Tessa was there too. It was Ram’s birthday and it was a nice ‘coincidence’ if that’s what we can call it. We could tell that she had a good time that night and she overate too. Najla kept us awake until beyond midnight with her playful antics. She kept running across from her parents’ room back and forth into our room. She was full of energy although it was way beyond her bed time then. Perhaps the ice cream and sweets she had at dinner gave her the energy. So Ram ended having a long day on her birthday!!

We had very heavy breakfast the next day at the restaurants buffet breakfast spread, had lunch at about 4.00pm and because we had so much food for the day we decided for snacks only at dinner (heavy snack ha ha! Sita bought roast chicken and all its accompaniments plus some pretzels!!). Najla continued with her playful antics. She slept very little during the day hence she slept early that night.


Late Night Snacks In The Hotel Room - not good for the waistline!!


Ram’s appointment with her eye specialist is scheduled for March 1st. I hope, by then, her condition improves further and that removal of the stitches on the cornea can begin. She did complain of sharp sensations in that eye now and then and I believe it’s the stitches causing it. However she has been taking it in her stride and we religiously kept to the schedule of cleaning the eye and applying the eye drops. There’s no pain in the eye, only uncomfortable sensations, that is compensated by her ability to see even minute details, including the age lines and streaks in my face ha ha!

Her left eye? Ohhhh, that’s another story. It is giving her problems somewhat. Apart from not being able to see with that eye, it is also beginning to hurt. She feels pain in the mornings, just like what it was with the right eye prior to the cornea transplant three years ago. There is eye drops for this eye and is religiously applied too but it appears as though other problems are beginning to creep in. We will just have to wait until the right eye is properly healed before deciding what to do. Meanwhile ……. we will just continue to pray to the Almighty for His grace and guidance.

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

You Do Not Miss What You Do Not See!!!!

Oh my! So bright………………..

It is now two weeks since Ram had the corrective surgery on her right eye, which had undergone a cornea transplant three years ago. Vision in her left eye meanwhile is dimming and worsening. She has gotten used to adjusting her vision on her right eye only and disregarding the left eye. Vision on the right eye is improving and today she realized that she could see the wrinkles on my forehead and the lines on my face very clearly. Also, she was surprised that the back of her hands are showing prominent age-lines when the last she remembered was that the back of her hands were smooth. Well, it was many many years ago that she could see the details on the back of her hands clearly.

She sees colours brighter now and can differentiate different shades of the same colour. She sounds excited. Like they were all new discoveries. I guess she did not miss what she did not see and there were many she did not or could not see the past 25 years or so. It was about 25 years ago that the problems with vision on both her eyes started.

Reading has always been difficult for her. Whenever I read I have often had to read aloud for her benefit as well. Now she can even read the fine prints on labels, footnotes in the pages of books, tiny prints in newspapers and so on. I can see that she is enjoying these new discoveries!! Praise is to the Almighty for restoring her vision. I hope her distance vision will similarly improve soon.

On the plus side, Ram is more cheerful these days. She is laughing again. She still worries over the state of her left eye but she is not moody, nor negative and crappy. Yes, she was…., all these years, and picked on the slightest thing that was not right. I have been receiving the brunt of her mood swings and have tolerated it thus far. It pained me to see her all stressed up. I am now thankful to the Almighty that this negative phase shows signs of ending.

She saw her doctor a few days ago and was told that it may be a while yet before the stitching on the cornea can be removed, and removal will be in staggered stages, perhaps over about six months to one year. The problem of cataract will also be addressed later as it is now not hindering her sight and not critical. So also problems with the left eye. She has just to continue using eye drops for it.

The potential of Ram seeing very well with her right eye now is as bright as the vision she is seeing and she is prepared to concentrate on improving vision on this eye and not worry about the left eye. Only after full recovery of the right eye will we start thinking of doing something with the left eye and also the cataract problem. We pray and continue to seek guidance and blessing from the Almighty and may He be pleased. We seek His blessing always.....

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

D'Eye - Another Operation

It was 9.30 am when we arrived at the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital on the appointed Friday, 19^th January 2007, when Ram had to submit her right eye to a minor operation. It was scheduled for 10 am. All tests, usual ones before an operation is performed, i.e blood pressure, glucose level and others, electrocardiogram and so on, had already been done. We went straight to the Operating theatre waiting room and had all the paperwork and formalities (deposit and bills!!) done and we waited. Tessa came a short while later. We were still waiting at noon as the doctor apparently had an emergency operation to perform that morning. Soon I had to leave for my Friday prayers at the mosque and left Tessa to accompany Ram.

After Friday prayers I went straight to the hospital. Ram had just been wheeled out of the operating theatre then. Her right eye in bandage and covered with a plastic shield. It was reminiscent of the day she had her first operation, the cornea transplant procedure, on the same eye three years ago, coincidentally on the 19^th January 2004. Only that three years ago she was wheeled out on a stretcher, heavily sedated but this time she was sitting in a wheel chair and not sedated.

She was asked to rest on a reclining sofa and after a while the bandage was removed while the plastic shield left on. Her right eye was a little swollen, partially closed and red around the eye lid. She still could not see well with this eye yet and she slowly began to feel pain on the right side of her head. She had to take a pain killer and continued to rest. Tessa meanwhile left us as she had to prepare for an official trip to Zurich and Davos.

By 5.00pm Ram was feeling a lot better and she was allowed to go home. She rested the rest of the day. Sita, Fahrul and little Najla were at home. Little Najla was at first cautious with her grandmother seeing the plastic cap covering her right eye but soon she got over it and readily came close. I prepared all that was necessary for treating the eye and to get into the motion of the six hourly cleaning of the eye and applying the eye drops (steroids??). We had very light, soft dinner that night and Ram slept quite well. She woke up the next morning feeling a lot better.

We went back to the hospital the next morning to keep an appointment with the doctor. The doctor was satisfied with it but prescribed an additional oral medicine for Ram. Another steroid? Ram was to come back for another appointment on Thursday. Ram could see quite clearly and could even read fine prints. However she has to take care not to expose the eye to direct light source and to cover it well to avoid contamination. So begin the routine of six hourly washing the hands, cleaning the eye, applying medicine and so on. Hopefully, and by the grace of the Almighty, her vision will come back. We are full of hope and we submit to Him for His grace and guidance.

Tess, remember the 'crochet' skirt Najla is wearing? Two generations now!!

MKI Ramblings Unlimited,

Petaling Jaya

D'Eye, D'Eye

Many of my previous postings here were on problems and what my wife has to go through on her eyes. She has an eye problem called Fuchs’ Dystrophy, a degeneration of the cornea that is destructive to her sense of vision and normal function of the eye. Ram has had her right cornea replaced with a donor cornea some three years ago. But sadly, one year after the cornea transplant procedure was performed, she had an infection so bad that she almost lost the new cornea. She was saved ‘in the nick of time’ so to speak and the infection was eliminated and vision restored although not up to the level desired. Since then it was a series of procedures performed to right the vision to normal. It is still far from normal now. Details of what Ram went through are archived in this blog.

After the infection incident the cornea began to develop astigmatism. This had gotten worse over time. Although the doctor attending to Ram tried various methods to correct the vision it appeared as though it is incurable. She continues to have bad vision moments. Sometimes she sees very well and sometimes she does not. I can stand about ten feet away from her and she can see even the slightest expression on my face and other times when I am barely 5 feet away and she can not even make out my face!! Reading too has had similar problems.

So it was, after about three years, Ram is battling with vision. To make matters even more complicated she has developed cataract in both eyes too. She kept an appointment with her doctor yesterday. The doctor said that the cornea is over tensioned in one section and loose on the other thus worsening the astigmatism. As the cornea has adhered to the eyeball she had tried to cut it a bit, some several months ago, to loosen the tension but to no avail. She suggests that the loose portion be stitched up to balance the tension and this procedure, a minor operation, is planned for tomorrow. The cataract problem is to take a back seat for the moment. Her other eye meanwhile continues deteriorating and vision on this one is cloudy and images distorted, just like the right eye before the transplant procedure was carried out. Her doctor is aware but is not attending to it yet, not until the right eye is properly corrected, she said. Eye drops are prescribed for this eye to relieve pain.

Ram is apprehensive over this stitching procedure on her right eye. She had gone through it before and I guess memories are flooding back in her mind. She is prepared to go through it but at the same time she is ‘scared’. Not so much of the pain she has to endure but more of the expectation and aspiration after the procedure is performed. Will the procedure help her regain full vision? If not, how long more and what else can be done? That is the question uppermost in her mind. I pray to the Almighty for His guidance and for His pleasure in granting Ram full vision. Amin

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

Kota Kinabalu - Brunei - Miri - Bintulu

We started our return journey the day before Christmas leaving Kota Kinabalu at about 10.00am after having breakfast at one of the restaurants near the hotel. The children were noisy once we were off on the road pointing to these and that along the way but not too soon they were quiet and asleep, which was quite pleasant for us adults, some peace and quiet……

We took the reverse of the route we took getting into KK except that this time we could see the view against the night time when we arrived. There were many new developments along the way. New roads/highways and buildings were being constructed that will change the view of the urban area but at the countryside things appear to be the same all round with nothing new observed. Some parts of the road we took runs alongside the touristy heritage railway line where a special train for tourists runs the Kota Kinabalu – Beaufort heritage country route. We did not get to see the train but from the brochures the train still runs the route a number of times per week. There were mostly oil palm estates along this route but it was still a nice view to savour along the way, especially for the uninitiated tourist!!

Our destination on this portion of the journey was Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. We had reservation for two nights at a hotel in BSB. Enroute we had to pass all the immigration and custom checkpoints, in reverse of the previous inward journey to KK. However it was all a breeze this time. There was hardly any queue at the checkpoints and the ferry crossings were fast too. The drive on the country roads was easy as we encountered very minimal traffic. We stopped in Limbang for lunch and visited the town mosque for our day prayers.

We arrived at our hotel just at about dusk and settled in our rooms. The next morning, Christmas day, we took a drive around the city and viewed the well known ‘Kampong Air’ or literally water village where clusters of houses were built on stilts over the river. Even the school and community hall were built on stilts over the water. This was how riverine villages were built many many years ago. I remember these types of houses in JB when I was a little kid but all these houses are gone now. Brunei seems to maintain them perhaps as an attraction of sorts. It was a pity that I left my camera in the room.

We also visited the Empire Resort, touted as the biggest hotel resort, and spent about two hours going around the complex. It was really huge and it was crowded too ……. The entrance lobby has tall ceilings and there were four levels of lobby area. The very large pool connected to several smaller pools along the expanse of the hotel garden and its utility buildings, were crowded with people, families with children and in all sorts of swimming pool dressings, frolicking in the water. It appeared as though there were no proper dress code for the pool. There were people in shorts and t-shirts in the pool. The beach was also just a short distance away from the swimming pools. An 18 hole golf course surrounds the main entrance part of the complex with the club building annexed to the main building.

We went for another drive around the town taking a different route this time and stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants that appeared to be more crowded than others, indicating we suspect, that they serve good food. In deed, the food that they served was good. The basic dish was chicken rice but there were a wide variety of chicken dishes served giving us choices. As usual we picked a few varieties and shared them amongst us.

After the children had their afternoon nap and after we had our rest too, we took them to Jerudong Fun Park, a theme park built some ten years ago, located some 30 kilometers away from the city. This theme park, I was told, was initially opened free to the public but recently they started to charge entrance fees and one fixed ride fee. However the charges were very minimal, nowhere near the charges imposed by other theme parks in the region. It apparently is heavily subsidized by the state. They provide the usual fun rides, merry-go-rounds, mini trains, paddle boats, bump-cars, motorized swings and other children playthings. The three kids just could not have enough of the rides. They try everything in turn and returned for more from the beginning. We were there at 5.00pm and at 9.30pm they were still actively at it. They protested vehemently when we said it was time to go back to the hotel. Even baby Haadieya protested. It was the same with other children too. Many did not want to go home when their parents wanted to. A global problem really…..

The following day we checked out of the hotel at about 9.00am and headed for Miri. There were only two checkpoints to pass through, one to exit Brunei and the other to enter Sarawak. We checked into an apartment, a regular place for Shaffik to stay whenever he brought the family to Miri, for an overnight stay before proceeding to Bintulu. The children played in the swimming pool in the evening and the next day Shaffik brought them to the Oil and Gas museum where currently there is a display of ‘prehistoric world’ opened to the public. Haadieya came back and showed us how dinosaurs roar…… complete with action. We left Miri in the afternoon arriving in Bintulu at about 5.00 pm.

It had been a very interesting week. We enjoyed the overland travel and the experience of going through the various checkpoints and the ferry crossings, of the countryside, the small towns and villages along the way, observing the people and their lives and livelihood. Now we need time to reenergize. It was quite tiring but it was very enjoyable and pleasant….

MKI Ramblings Unlimited

Petaling Jaya

Kinabalu – Kundasang – National Park and Heritage

We decided to make a trip to the Kinabalu National Park located some 6,000 ft up Mount Kinabalu and about a 2 hours drive out of the city in a district called Kundasang. Shaffik got a map, the children ready and excited and off we went leaving the hotel at about 9.00am. As usual traffic was heavy in the city but once we were out in the country road traffic became less and less but there were more heavy vehicles for us to overtake as we go along. The road up the mountain was winding, slow single lanes up and down, with heavy vehicles slowing us further.

The mountain rose beyond the clouds and noticed a waterfall cascading from way up high, shimmering white, giving the impression that the clouds had cascaded down in a single line to the bottom. I had my camera, took some pictures, but they did not come out right for lack of light, distance and improper positioning. Imagine, green, grey and brown, a myriad of colors covering and blanketing the mountain sides and somewhere there was a wide streak of white flowing down the side in a cascade. It was a beautiful sight. Even the kids asked what that was.

We moved on up the mountain road overtaking the slow vehicles now and then and overtaken by faster vehicles now and then. Many agricultural activities on the mountain sides, as there were rows and rows of vegetables being planted and ‘green houses’ dotting the undulating fields. Little huts and makeshift stalls dot the roadsides too displaying various local agricultural products on sale. They were very cheap, even cheaper than those we saw in KK dry market.

The sun was shining and the air cool when we arrived at the park. We had to pay a conservation fee at the entrance, a minimal amount really if it was for conservation of the park and the forest. We drove around the park to make one full circuit before parking the car. As it was close to lunch time and the children were already hungry we stopped for lunch at a café serving dishes of local vegetables. I checked out the surroundings, the toilets and took a peep into the kitchen; they were clean, an indication of a well managed café. The food was good and the rates charged were very reasonable. The café was located on a slope with overhanging patios. We chose a seat on the patio. The view was breathtaking; the cool air invigorating and combined with the aroma of food being prepared in the cafe hunger began to take charge. We ordered our food. The portions served were large but all of us, including the kids, finished all the food. It must be the environment and the cool air that stimulated our gastro activity.

After lunch we walked along the roadside, following the circuit route that we drove around earlier, and stopped now and then at various buildings along the way where there were various displays connected to the park and mountain activities. There were also hostels, hotels, lodging houses and chalets available for rent. We checked and they were all full. Apparently reservations were months ahead. There were marked trails and jungle trekking routes for the more adventurous and for those who prefer to trek higher up the mountain guides, were available. I was told that a guide is a must for those who wanted to go higher. There are two more stations, one at 11,000 ft. and the last one at 16,000 ft. reachable only on foot!!

The route we walked through was nicely landscaped and appeared properly maintained. It was nice, relaxing and pleasing to the senses. However it could have been better if there were no cars passing by us every now and then. I am not against the cars going by but when the cars emit smoke when going by that was obnoxiously nauseating!! And when every third or fourth car that passed by emit smoke from their exhausts, thick black ones too when they ‘struggle’ uphill, that defied and nullified the pleasures of enjoying the cool mountain air!! It would be better if the park management had provided shuttle services around the park, at nominal charge of course or maybe built into the entrance fee, and not allow private vehicles into the site, something like electrically operated buggies or a park train or anything similar. That would have made it more pleasant.

We visited the Heritage Museum and display of available flora and fauna in the mountain region. We took time, at a relaxed pace, to enjoy the facilities provided, and also admire the beautiful and peaceful surroundings. While walking around we could hear the sounds of the jungle and imagined the ‘unheard’ of the mountain. We saw what was to be seen and also imagined the ‘not seen’. It was a very pleasant afternoon but it ended too soon. The time came for us to leave the place and reluctantly did so.

We left at about 4.00 pm and stopped at one of the cluster of stalls selling local produce, vegetables and fruits mostly. Ram and Mini just could not resist buying in bulk simply because they were very cheap and fresh too. I love salads and fruits and there were plenty to eat for the next few days!!

Half way downhill rain started to fall. Lucky enough for us we had sunshine while we were at the park. The children slept almost all the way. It was dark by the time we reached the hotel in KK. We had dinner in our rooms, yes plenty of fresh salads and fruits, and then tucked the children to sleep. A little later we went around the area and the nearby shopping malls to see the going-ons as it was the 23rd, two days to Christmas. It was already 9.00 pm but the place was still crowded with people. After about an hour going around the mall we returned to the hotel for an early night as we had a long journey to make the next day. More on this later……….

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

The Mountain Beyond....