Ikhwan and his toys - I hope Ikhwan will always remember his Thomas & Friends toy collections
Last 1st April marked the day when Ikhwan turned 3 years old. His current obsessions include Thomas and Friends, raksasa (monsters), Ultraman, cars and the animals (elephants, ducks, tigers etc).
For most parents in the world, some of the earliest things they teach their kids would be the 'A', 'B', 'C' and what better ways to make that learning interesting for the kids other than to match the letters with animal names such as 'C for cat - meowww', 'E for elephant - eeekkkkk' and 'T for tiger - aummmmm'. Likewise for Ikhwan. This (the learning of A,B,C), together with the catchy 'Old McDonald' song and the recent family visit to the Safari in Malacca (I will write more on this soon), has contributed much to Ikhwan's fascination with the animal world.
Cars - I'm not a caratic (car fanatic, hehe), but once in a while, I do read articles on cars or buy car magazines. I notice that whenever that happens, Ikhwan will always want to take a peek, if not wanting the paper/magazine all to himself. I guess his liking for cars is in his genes. I just push his interest further by buying him some car toys and letting him watch Cars (the cartoon). Also, the fact that he always sits in the front passenger seat whenever we ride together since he was little, may have also played the part in arousing his curiosity on cars. I remember when I just got my new car last November, he kept saying, "Car Ayah, car baru" (baru means new - you see, we Malaysians always mix the language, even the little ones).
Ultraman and monsters - thanks to our previous baby sitter whose son always play the Ultraman video game, and his mother, who entertained his request by buying him some Ultraman movies, he always imagined himself as Ultraman. Whenever he said, "Ayah, nak yash!" - that would mean he wanted some 'sparring' sessions with me (don't ask me where he get the word yashfrom). He was always Ultraman, while I was a monster.
Guess the Ultraman stories always depict monsters as baddies and uncool - until one day, he caught the movie Ice Age 3. That movie completely changed his perception on monsters. Nowadays he is always a monster. I remember one day, when he was pretending to be a monster, I asked him "Who am I?" He immediately replied "baby elephant" (in reference to Ice Age 3). Funny huh? I would prefer to be named a father elephant instead. Our roles have reversed somehow haha.
Recently, all three of us watched the movie 'How To Train A Dragon' at the cinema. As expected, he had a blast!!!
Thomas and Friends (T&F). I admit, it's all me who started it. You see, when I was a kid, I've always wanted a train set, with all those little houses, little trees, little people, mountains, animals etc etc. But that would be a ridiculous thing to ask from parents yeah?
So now, I'm living up my unfulfilled childhood fantasy through Ikhwan by telling him "Let's watch T&F on the Disney channel". Not enough with that, I bought him (close to 10) T&F DVDs, T&F story books and lots and lots of railway lines (ops sori, that's the line from T&F opening sequence, heeee). I meant lots and lots of T&F toys. This way, I get to be a kid again - minus the diapers, haha!!!
I memorise the T&F theme song and always sing it to him. Imagine a jovial dad singing to his kid - Disney style. By Disney style - I mean 'hitting' high frequencies when reaching the end of the song and spreading my arms out while doing so.
I also teach Ikhwan the different characters from T&F - Thomas (of course), James, Percy, Emily, Toby, Gordon, Henry and Edward. Impressively, Ikhwan has memorised them all. Even if the pictures in his books don't clearly show which particular characters, he can still tell the difference and name them correctly. I remember how one night, my wife tried to make up her own storyline and blindly named the train characters in one of his books. She ended up being corrected by Ikhwan due to wrong names given..... :-)
Anwyay, here are photos of our T&F toys (mine and Ikhwan's that is, hehe).
Twist the knob and see Thomas moves along the 'railway line'.
I just love Percy and his carriages. The chocolate did actually smell like chocolate, for quite some time after it was unwrapped.
Don't you just love (I guess) Harold the helicopter, carrying Sodor mails? When you pull Thomas, the fans of the planes will spin around, while the crane at the back of the lorry will turn left and right.
Flick one of the switches at the back of Percy - you can hear the choo choo sound when you move it. Flick the other - it's the theme music. For James, his eyes will move as he is pushed or pulled. Thomas has switches that will turn either the front or the back lights on.
I haven't opened this toy set yet. I'm waiting until we have finally moved into our new home in about 2 months' time or so.
The first Toby has slide shows, viewable from the lense. The other Toby 'gives' you three different surprises everytime the door is closed and then opened back again. Plus, what better way to brush your teeth while on the train, if not using T&F toothbrush eh? Ok, I'm rambling... Heck, it's close to 1am.... This is all Ikhwan. His imagination must be running wild when he arranged the toys like this, or he was probably remembering episodes from T&F, where the coaches always ended in trouble whenever they reached the dead end at high speeds. Sadly, Emily was considered useless and thus, thrown into the bins :-)
P/S: While it may seem that Ikwan and I are very tight, he's actually closer and cheekier with his mother. Not that I blame him or feeling jealous with my wife or anything, but I do know the reason behind this. This had something to do with what happened in the past, when I, a new father with still a lot of temper issues to handle, was left with a baby, and my wife's work schedule was a lot crazier back then. What I may reveal in a future post may shock you, and possibly Ikhwan, should he reads this when he's older...
Ikhwan loves his books, whether to read them in his own baby words, or just to flip through the pages (and looking so intently and sooo...cute at the same time hehehe). For some unlucky ones (the books), he would scribble on the pages or tear the pages off.
Other than reading to him, we also teach him to talk. He already gets some words right and knows how to use them correcly. Words like 'air' (pronounced as aa-yer which is Malay for water), tiu (for thank you), chehh (for 'terima kasih' - Malay for thank you), 'tuh' (short for 'jatuh', which is drop or fall), please, 'tit tit' (for the remote), fish, pen, 'abang', 'kakak', 'adik', 'atok', hello,Allah, Allahuakbar, 'sapa ni?' (who is this?) and his favourite sentence of all, 'nak pergi mana ni?' (where are we going?). For the latter, he may not say it word for word. It is more like mumbling the whole thing, but, yeah, other people have heard it too...and they agreed that he said those words alright!
I remember that particular day, as I turned the pages of a book, I told him names of farm animals. He tried to follow, but all came out wrongly. So, instead of 'cat', 'hen', 'goat' and 'cow', he said 'aah', 'ooohh', 'eeeee' and another 'aah'.
When I taught him to say 'ba', 'na', 'na' one by one - he managed to follow each one exactly. But when I said the whole word 'banana' - he couldn't. Itwas still a three-syllable word, but sounded nothing like 'banana'... so funny!
Reminiscing the incidents with little Ikhwan, my mind straight away remembered this particular episode of Friends, when Joey tried to learn French from Phoebe.
For those who are fans of Friends, would know that Joey is one immature dude! Despite his cheekiness, he had all these younger sisters lined up behind him and the fact that he managed to 'nail' so many women to his bed, whom all were hooked by his opening line 'how you doing?' really says something about the 'mature' side of him :-)
This video portrays his rather immature character:
See how cheeky and childish Joey is when he wouldn't want to let go of his penguin doll, Hugsy and give it to Rachel's baby.
If Joey's wobbly acting career might be the reason for his rather immature character (since he had to rely on his friends for money and food, and man, he sure loved to eat), how about Raymond, who already made it as a renowned sports journalist/writer, married to a loving wife (who sometimes could be quite fierce, thanx to Raymond and her parents in law) and blessed with three kids, and yet, he was still very much like a big baby?Could Raymond's childish acts and irresponsible behaviours had something to do with him living so close to his parents (their house was across the street from his) and that both them and his brother visited him all the time?
See this video from an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond (I just love this sitcom, my wife and I could very much relate to the show - too bad it has ended).
A grown up man can be childish and immature all he wants, and yet still manage to save the world. With a baby face and cheeky smile, and still fond of comic books and toys, he can use this to his advantage. Take Hiro Nakamura of Heroes for example, due to his strong liking towards Star Trek, he has the ability to teleport and bend time and space. Through his ability, he has helped save the world and rectify matters for countless times, and everytime he succeds, he shouts"I did it!!" with so much vigor like a 10-year old (as shown below).
They say, men are generally less mature or late to mature compared to women. Put a man and a woman of the same age in the same room, chances are the woman is much more mature in her thinking and behaviours than the man.
Why is this so? Is it because men are more vulnerable to mid-life crisis, or feeling insecure, or it's their issues with parents, or their constant need for attention and affection (which can be from their parents or their wives), or men have issues of letting go (of their comics, toys, etc, hehehee)?
Perhaps female readers of this blog can give their insights. Have the men in your lives ever acted so immature before? If yes, why or what prompted them to act that way?
As for me, until today, I just love cartoons and toys, and act childish and cheeky (ok, the latter may only occur at certain times and towards certain people only). As George Costanza had said in an episode of Seinfeld, "I always see myself as a younger brother, eager to learn more".
Whenever I buy new toys or children books for Ikhwan, sometimes I wonder whether am I actually feeding my own excitement towards those things, although of course, those things would become Ikhwan's stuffs once I brought them home (but I can still play them with him what? hahahahahaha). Heck, I have two adult sized Spider-man T-shirts which I wear even when I go out with my family.
Now, back to our little Ikhwan. He is still immature of course - but what do you expect from a 2 year old? Haha... But lately, he sure is developing very fast. He's like a sponge - absorbing almost eveything that he sees/hears other people say and do.
He respects the elders when he shakes his hands with them, he waves goodbye like a grown up, he knows how to blow his kisses (sometimes using his both hands and says 'muaahhh'), helps his Ibu make the bed sometimes, pretends like he were sweeping the floor, cleans up his toys and puts them back into his toy chest (he now have two toy chests - each packed with different toys of different kinds, we basically let him play with different ones every few days), knows how to roll and kick a ball back and forth with me, performs 'wheely' while riding on his bikes (he has two bikes and one car - all are gifts from his grannies and tok's) and loves talking on the phone, whether really talking to someone or just imagining (his imaginary phone could be something as small as a piece of paper the size of his thumb - the smallest phone in the world indeed - he even passed it around for us talk to his 'phone').
Ikhwan loves the wirid and doa' aired over Astro Oasis. Almost everyday without fail, he is glued in front of the t.v. to watch (and at the same time listen) to that channel. He follows us when we perform our prayers and knows how to stand (with his arms placed on his tummy) and sujud in prayers. He also understands that everytime after adzan (the call for prayers for the Muslims) concludes (whether he heard it from t.v. or from the nearby mosque or when I was the one who adzan), there is a doa' after adzan. He would raise his two hands up, while listening to me/wife reciting the doa'.
That day, after I finished my adzan in the house, he immediately squatted with his arms raised. At first I was wondering why did he squat. Then I realised I too was squatting. All this while, I was squatting so that my eyes would be almost on the same level as his, so that he wouldn't have to look up while I was reciting the doa'. Little did I expect that he'd follow exactly what I did. So cute huh?
During dinner a couple of nights ago, while biting on a chicken bone, I twirled it at the same time. Immediately, he twirled the small piece of chicken meat that he had on his hand the same way.
Those are just some of the things he copied and did. Well, that's our boy! :-)) Meantime, here's a video of him, taken a few months ago...
P/S: 29 January - our 3rd wedding anniversary. This year, we didn't take a day off to celebrate, because we kinda' already celebrated it in advanced last weekend, also in conjunction with wife's birthday.
The new year ...of time and how it passes us by...
It's the new year again!For school kids, the end of the year 2008 meant the beginning of their new school term.
Speaking of school holidays, Malaysia has four school term breaks a year with the one at the year end being the longest - about 6 weeks off. Usually, during school holidays, I'd try to avoid going to the shopping malls as much as possible. Why? The malls would be flocked by school kids and the sights of them sometimes suffocate and sicken me. Well, not all of them of course, but yeah, for most of them. From the way they behave (how can kids of the opposite sex who are no older than 15 years of age, can be holding hands and hugging each other in public?), to the way they dress (tattoos, piercing, skimpy clothes) and talk (talking and laughing so loud with no manners towards other people whatsoever).
Now, let's not talk about how they behave elsewhere (surely you've seen young kids on 'their' motorcycles, speeding and riding dangerously while on the roads, without helmets and and licenses). We've also heard from the news, about school boys who rape their peers and in some cases, adult women or how about those school girls who got pregnant after willingly having sexual intercourse with their boyfriends?
I may not be a social person or an extrovert during my school years but as I recall, even those school mates who were social, they were not as 'wild' as some kids these days.
Speaking of remembering the yesterdays and yesteryears, those whose puberty years were in the 70's, 80's and (early) 90's, would remember what I'm about to reminisce here (some of them may only be experienced by the Malaysians though):
Great outdoor activities would include playing pebbles or spinning tops, 'galah panjang' (a game where you stand in the middle of a court, preventing your friends from crossing over to the court section behind you and should you be able to touch a person in any way, you shout'JADIK' meaning 'your turn to be in the middle'); 'main kejar-kejar' (need I explain more? - basically you just run and run and run and run...), 'tarik upih pinang' (one or two people pulling the coconut or palm leaf around the neighbourhood, with a person sitting on it), rounders, swimming in the rivers,'nyorok-nyorok' (hide and seek), and many others.
How about indoors games like checkers (some of us here use bottle caps as the pieces), board and card games (remember Happy Family anyone?), or the 'fancy' electronic game like the one featured below. For some, they didn't even need to have the electronic game to enjoy one. They could enjoy the same with a friend by clenching each other's fingers and use their thumbs (those who played this before, would know what I'm talking about).
Other than playing those indoor games, the cartoons on t.v. were cool too. Just to name a few - Doraemon, Thundercats, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, M.A.S.K (my favourite), Smurfs, Jem (yeah, I watched this too ;pp), Transformers, Woody Woodpecker Show and The Simpsons (another of my favourite which is still around till today... yeah!!).
Some hit t.v. series would be like Captain Power, Battlestar Galactica, 'V' (yes, the letter V), McGyver, 21 Jump Street, Beverly Hills 90210 and Knight Rider.
Let's not forget those prime time soaps like Return to Eden (an Australian show - my whole family was a big fan), Dallas, Knotts Landing and Dynasty (remember Joan Collins anyone?).
The sitcoms were really funny and great back then and also ran on many seasons. For examples, Saved By The Bell, Full House, Family Ties, Growing Pains and of course the greatest sitcom ever... Friends.
We had some really cool movies back then, very creative and original in ideas, very entertaining and for some... very scary. I love horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist, House, The Kindred, Candyman, The Shining (arguably one of the scariest - All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy....spooky), Halloween, Fright Night (also a favourite), Gremlins (ok, for some kids, this could be scary), Hellraiser (ugh! the brutalities...), Little Shop Of Horrors (funny and scary), Alien and Aliens (my favourites), The Thing (what a scary thing!) and Friday the 13th.
Other great movies are like Back To The Future series, Star Wars series, Indiana Jones series, Gandhi, Airport 77, Jaws series, Labyrinth, Rambo series, Rainman (a great one) etc etc.
It was a pop era. For some singers, they really had the spotlights shine on them (although for some, they are no longer heard of anymore). Big names with big hits are like Madonna, Michael Jacson, Richard Marx, Rick Springfield, Belinda Carlisle, Def Leppard, Miami Sound Machine, Rick Ashley (and his goofy dance moves), Milli Vanilli (oh, the deception), Vanilla Ice (a white who didn't know how to be black and went bankrupt in a blink), Cindy Lauper, Martika, Phil Collins, Michael Bolton (remember the voice?), Bonnie Tyler, New Kids On The Block, The Bangles, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Extreme, Chicago, ... the list really goes on....
If school kids these days compare what handphone brands they use, back then we compared pencil boxes and cases. Some pencil boxes were like a James Bond gadget - press here, one compartment would pop up, press another, another compartment would pop up. We were very good in Geography too coz the erasers had flags of different countries imprinted on them :))How about indulge in the many junk foods available and for most of them, they came with free toys too. Remember Sumi jelly, Chickadees and Tora? These foods were usually advertised over the t.v. using Mat Sentul as the voiceover.
Aaaahhh... the tiny little biscuits with icing on top. Usually ate just the icing, without the crackers, heheheee...It feels like yesterday that I had one of these foods, heard one of those songs, watched one of those movies/tv series/cartoons, owned one of those pencil boxes and played one of those games. Since it feels like yesterday, guess I'm not really that old huh? Hahaha...
What would I hope for 2009 and years to come? Very noticeable changes of course - in many, if not all, aspects of life - changes that come from within me... spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and physically.
Hopefully, the environment is treating me right too, and by environment, I don't mean just the world climate but also the economy, the political arena and most importantly, the environment within my family, our house and our neighbourhood.
I think I'd like to become a little bit of selfish too from now on, by always asking myself questions like 'oh yeah? so?', 'what's in it for me?', 'what do I care?', 'so what's it going to be?' and 'why the heck would I care/help/bother?'
Anyway, last 29 December 2008 (a national holiday here) also marked the new year (1430 Hijrah) for us Muslims. So, to my non-Muslim friends who always wish me Happy New Year during the Eidul Fitri, Eid is not really the new year for us Muslims, Awal Muharam is (Muharam is the first month in the Islamic calendar)..... ok? :))
HAPPY NEW YEAR 1430H AND 2009 TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!!!!!! MAY ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE (THE GOOD ONES AND MAYBE SOME BAD ONES TOO?, HAHAHHAA).....
P/S: Speaking of being selfish just now, lately, I see myself transformed into some stubborn and hard-headed person (as in 'keras hati'). I don't know whether being the man in the family had played any part in that, or it's the life experiences that taught me to become one. My wife sees that change in me, others too and once, my 'keras hati'ness had shocked a friend. Is that a good thing? (being hard-headed and not easily swayed). Guess from now on, no more Mr Nice Guy huh!
Walk the talk.. walk and talk...walk and laugh...walk and run...walk while looking somewhere else...
Tuesday, 21st October 2008 marked an important date in our lives, especially to Ikhwan. It was the day when he made his first steps on his own, willingly, without being encouraged or forced upon. Yes, he started walking that day, witnessed by my parents who were in town last week and my wife. I was not at home due to working.
True, Ikhwan started walking rather late. But we are proud of him nonetheless. This was only one of his shortcomings, which could (or could not) have something to do with genetic, since both his parents started walking late too. Surely, as a human being and as he grows up, he will have and discover other flaws. As long as hopefully, none of those flaws would impede him from becoming a soleh Muslim; an obedient child; a smart, intelligent, caring and responsible person etc etc.. you know all those things that any parents with a sound mind would want their children to become.
Other than his walking development, in other areas, he develops normally, if not quite fast, compared to other kids of his age. He already has a full set of teeth, he knew how to sip his drinks using straws since only a few months' old, and he's always full of energy and with such intensity whenever he crawls as shown in this video clip which was taken at my folks' house!
I'd say that his crawls are equivalent to walking and running, while his walks are equivalent to.....ermmm... driving a car. Why? Because on the first three days after he started walking, he already tried running a bit (like speeding while on the road), walking with his eyes wondering about instead of looking straight (ok, this could be equivalent to a hazardous driving hehe..), encircling us (like making a 6 o'clock turn at a roundabout) and walking for a distance, then making a U-turn (I mean, literally, the way he turned his body around was like making a U-turn). As though wanting to catch up, not a day is missed without him walking (because I read there are babies who after discovering their ability to walk, may skip some days without wanting to walk at all).
He also discoverd on his own, that instead of struggling to stand up from his sitting position, he can use the palms of his hands to push himself up... Now, he's learning to throw some rubber balls while standing up, although at the moment, we try to discourage him from doing so frequently, especially if he's looking rather tired and unstable.
On another development, Ikhwan has always been amazed by cats. In fact, 'cat' and 'meow' are two of the early words we taught him. Now, he knows where to point at whenever we ask him to show which one is cat from his alphabets chart.
My parents own a cat (of American Shorthair breed), bought by my sis back when she was in the States. I mentioned about him quite a number of times before in this blog. The cat goes by the name Sky. The thing about Sky is that he gets easily intimidated by strangers, especially noisy and active small kids. Well, you can pretty much guess how Sky would react to my son! In this video, my son was looking so curiously and intently at Sky who was having his meal. The 'peeking' made Sky rather restless of course, but a cat's gotta eat when a cat's gotta eat right? :))
In this final video of today, we really enjoyed his laughter and would like to share that moment here... (I think he got the idea to laugh that way, probably from the way I peek-a-boo at him). As seen here, he was standing by his car which was a birthday present from my parents-in-law.
UP NEXT:
1. The 'little' things about me.
2. The 'little' things about Ikhwan (P/S: How about the 'little' things about my wife? Hmmmmmm.......maybe I shouldn't go into that....)
These days, whenever I sing the nursery rhyme 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', Ikhwan would immediately looking where my hand is at. This is because, I would normally make it crawl like a spider, crawl around him and on his body. Of course, this would lead to him laughing, giggling and wriggling.
In the above video, as I sang the nursery rhyme while waiting (for my dinner) with Ikhwan in the car, I only managed to make him laugh towards the end of the song. Although he should have laughed a lot more, guess on that day, he managed to gain control of his tickle bones :-) Then, I was about to record the condominium block where we live in, I realised Ikhwan was trying to mimic my singing. How sweet...
By the way, in the middle of the video, you can see how his legs were spreaded out as he slumped in his car seat. That is his usual way of sitting in his car seat while enjoying the ride.'Cara duduk orang senang', as I commented to my wife one day (translation: The way how a worry-free person would sit).
Anyway, just for the sake of sharing, the lyrics to 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' goes like this:
The itsy bitsy spider, Crawled up the water spout, Down came the rain, And washed the spider out, Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, And the itsy bitsy spider Crawled up the spout again.
Now, here's just a short video on Ikhwan getting too preoccupied with his Birdie toy. Next to the Birdie is his one of his cloth books. That particular one is on 'Colours'. We sometimes hang the Birdie and the book on his stroller too whenever we took him out on it.
The Birdie comes with a teether that Ikhwan enjoys to bite on and the small fishes that are visible in the bird's 'tummy' sometimes mesmerizes him (it's a pelican by the way). The velcro fastening of thebook creates sound that Ikhwan enjoys to hear everytime he opens and closes it (he does flip other pages too of course).
Hmmm.... what else can you find in my car? Well, the spider-man is still there, then there's a Ronaldinho' jersey key-chain hanging next to it. This 'kaki bangku' father (meaning: lousy at playing soccer or as they say it in England, football), is hoping his son would master some soccer playing skills when he grows up.
Hanging on the rear-view mirror are 2 key-chains - one was given by my wife, with a list of characters of a Pisces and the other was given by my father, which shows the Ka'bah.
On the dashboard, there's a non-clock looking clock that has fooled a few into thinking it was just a dummy, an Air Asia airplane model and an alien head.
On one side of the back seat window is a car sign that shows a few fishes with the wording I'M FREE on it. The other back seat window has another car sign pressed against it. It shows a spider with large capital words that say SPIDER CROSSING.
On the rear window, I put up a sticker on Ayatul Kursi at the top part, which takes up almost the whole width of the window. On the lower left and right side corners, two more car signs on each side. Those people behind me may be able to read one sign that says DON'T HONK! BABY SLEEPING, BACK OFF!(wife thought this sounded rather harsh when I first got it, hehe..), while the other sign politely announces there's a LITTLE KALIFAH ON BOARD. There's also a tall blue Disneyland hat placed right on top of the third brake light, flanked by a couple of The Incredibles pillows and a monkey doll.
Now, don't ask me what's the monkey doll doing there. I'm a people's pleaser (as some of you might have already guessed by reading this blog....errr... I guess)... Even before Ikhwan was born, I was thinking, should my nieces ever ride with me (which they have, a few times before), at least, they have something to play with, you know, for them to occupy their time while in the car..
In this first part of the (more) coming parts to show the many selection of toys, gadgets and educational materials that Ikhwan owns, I shall start off with about 20 of his developmental toys.
The two photographs above show toys that come in three different sets (except for 'triangular' teether and Winnie The Pooh which were sold as individual units). The set with the mother duck and her two babies and the Winnie The Pooh in his buoy, are for his bathing time. I remember how in the first days after Ikhwan was born, he didn't really like the idea of being bathe. But now, bathing is like another play time for him (just like most of us grown-ups? haha). Whenever we place one of these toys in his tub, he'd splash it over and over again.
The Wheel Pals car toys is by Hasbro. The funny looking cars are soft and squeezable with free rolling wheels. Ikhwan's small fingers are big enough to enable him to grasp the cars in his palms, while at the same time letting him discover how things feel and move. I've been demostrating to him the purpose of the wheels and how he can push and pull the car to move. But at this moment, other than looking so intently at the cars, Ikhwan seems to be more interested to bite on the wheels, if not the car bodies. Everything is like a teether for him :-)
(Initially left out) The ball sets consists of, well, balls, of various shapes (tho' still rounded of course), textures and extra features. By features, I mean, one ball has a ringing bell inside it, the other has portions that can be turned around etc etc. We still haven't let Ikhwan plays with the balls without our supervision, to avoid any of them being rolled on the floor unnoticed, and thus risking someone falling over after stepping on the balls.
The teether in the 2nd photo is one of his favourites. He just loves to chew on those tiny ribbons. We left it at the sitter's house so that at least he has something to chew on/play with when he's at her house.
The JAWS toy was given by my sister. She got it from Japan when she was out-stationed there a few months ago.
JAWS is a very boyish toy, you might say? Now when looking at the doll next to it, you might think that, what, I give my baby boy, a doll? In my opinion, it's perfectly fine for boys to play with dolls, so long as the dolls are not too 'girlie'; they only play with dolls once a while and up to a certain age only and they have other types of toys to experience with (to avoid any unwanted attachment that the boys might have with their dolls, like in the case of Calvin and Hobbes).
If baby girls can play with blocks and trucks, I think that (baby) boys shouldn't be denied of playing with dolls too. Remember Andy of Toy Story, anyone? His favourite toy, Woody WAS a doll, plus there was also Bo Peep.
We should open our minds that not only does playing with a doll NOT diminish boys' future masculinity, it actually can have many positive effects on their development. Playing with dolls can help them develop their emotional intelligence and respect for others and gives kids a chance to learn skills of making friends and/or parenting.
The two-eyed toy is by Tinylove. Each loose eye can move from its respective left and right side to the center of the face. I really enjoy how my son observes the movement of the eyes whenever he rattles the toy. Oh yes, again, he likes to bite on those eyes too, sometimes he has both eyes inside his mouth!!
The phone is a cool toy/gadget with different sounds that are produced from each buttons when they are pressed. The clam shell phone also has Hello and Goodbye greetings and some music background that you can hear, when the phone is flipped open or flipped back to close. There are also three different cartoons that appear alternately on the phone screen, everytime the phone is opened (from its closed position). Despite how cool the toy is, I've stored it away since it's by Fisher Price. Although it's not listed as a potential hazardous toy, I prefer not to take chances of my kid's health and well being (unless it's really confirmed that it's safe).
The paint roller is another of his boyish toy. The roller has beads in it that rattle when it's rolled and has a light that lights up for a while. The soft texture of the handle, whether the one that can be grasped by Ikhwan or the one that connects to the roller, makes it suitable for Ikhwan to bite/chew on.
Stay tune for more of Ikhwan's toys, gadgets and books.... Ooohhh, I'm soooo enjoying buying and playing with those toys (not to forget, writing about them), just as much as Ikhwan is :-))
Although only 2 months' old, Ikhwan has a wide collection of toys. Heck, his 'papa' is still collecting toys for himself and has been quite generous to his nieces when it comes to buying them toys, haha..
In this first entry on Ikhwan and his toys, lemme introduce you to his 3 favourite toys. Not that he already knows which ones to be his favourites, just that these 3 toys seem to grab his attention the most.
The horse toy (above photo) is by Sassyand this is one horse in lots of different colors! As Ikhwan grows up, we hope the tufts of colorful ribbons on the horse’s head and tail would encourage him to realise that one of the uses of his hands is to touch.
The horse’s orange saddle can be pushed to hear the little pony making 3 different horse sounds. Yesterday, Ikhwan accidentally pushed the saddle while the toy was on his side. Seeing the expression on Ikhwan's face when he discovered that his action had caused the horse to neigh, was priceless and unforgettable.
One leg of the horse can also be pulled on to make the opposite limb get shorter. I've been demonstrating this to Ikhwan and at the same time teaching him the opposite of long is short. Four of its hoofed feet are filled with colorful beads and shapes that make different rattling sounds.
The toy manual says that the toy would encourage our baby to use all his senses together (sensory integration) which is important in his learning process.
The other toy is not made by any well-known manufacturer (I mean it has no brand and doesn't come with any manual) and is relatively cheaper. But the toy somehow always manages to calm our baby down whenever he's crying or in a bad mood. Whenever we pull the string of the toy and the music plays, Ikhwan will normally cheer up and try to communicate with us. If we move the toy around him, he's slowly starting to follow where the direction of the music is going. The roof of the mushroom house which is in bright red with white polka dots also grabs his attention and sometimes his eyes are transfixed to the moving bird, bear and cat in the house, while the music is playing. No batteries required! :-)
This toy comes with secure straps and easily attaches to our baby cradle.The hanging characters rattle, crinkle and swing everytime we swing the cradle to put Ikhwan to sleep (if we can successfully do that, hehe...). Whenever in the cradle, Ikhwan is so engrossed with the moving toys (see 5th photo of my next entry), he looks so peaceful.
I had been tagged (twice) by Ryzah and Ija, to write about the 6 weird things about me... The thing is, as I examine myself (in my mind, I mean - no funny ideas ok, hehe...) I found out that I actually have more than 6 weird things that I do (talk about over-eccentric huh?). But then, not wanting to down-grade myself from eccentric to a total wacko/weirdo, I think I should just stick to six, don't you think, and the six weird things involve various of my body parts/organs.
Me Weird No. 1 - Nose
I always find myself pinching my nose. It's not that I want to make it look like David Copperfield's nose or something, but my self-conscious over how my nose looks like was probably started when I read this email many years ago, that nose never stops growing (is this true?). Being an introvert person just makes the habit becomes worse. Sometimes, I pinch so hard, it triggered a sound like how you snap your thumb and middle finger. But now that I have my wife to accompany my time, I have gradually managed to control this habit, and with our son growing up, surely I don't want him to witness this particular weird habit of mine.
Me Weird No. 2 - Mouth
Sometimes this mouth just can't stop humming and singing, and most of the time, I do this when I'm by myself or when I'm sure nobody is listening. While singing, this mouth can also create music and sound effects (remember how I used to imagine having own tv shows while taking a shower). And when I say music effects, is not that I can do like what Blake (of American Idol 6) and Jamaroqui can. But still, it's fun!
I also tend to talk to myself, for examples, like when I'm looking for something or figuring out what to do (more like thinking out loud kind of thing). Also, when I'm reading, especially if I find it hard to concentrate, I will start to read out loud...
Me Weird No. 3 - Face
Be careful over who's behind you while you are in the elevator........ especially if that person is....... ME! kik kik kik kik..... When I'm at the back side of the elevator and there are other people in front of me, I tend to make funny faces behind them, like rolling my eyes or (slightly) sticking my tongue out, etc. I don't know how I catch this habit, but the idea that they have no idea what I'm doing behind them excites me. Of course, I won't do such a thing if the elevator has mirrors as its walls. I will also probably stop this weird habit if one day, I'm caught in the act.
Me Weird No. 4 - Hands (Wrist, Fingers and Elbows)
When I'm singing to myself, if not 'accompanied' by mouth creating the music effects, I would start banging on the table like drums, using combination of my fingers, wrist and elbow. Not that it's a masterpiece or anything, but the real music would play in my head while I'm doing this. You might also probably see me banging on the hand rail while taking the escalator or on the steering while in the car (real music from car stereo usually triggers this and I'd do so when the car is not moving of course).
I also like to break knuckles especially after a while of typing or behind the wheel. Sometimes, I don't need one hand to break knuckles of the other. I can do so with one hand only (sounds like proud huh?).
Hmmm... one other thing. Talk about elbows - until today, I still rub and slightly pinch my elbows to help me get to sleep or until I fall asleep (while lying on bed or a comfy sofa laa, not while sitting down or talking to somebody hehe...). This (cute?) habit amazes and tickles my wife 'coz sometimes I was so engross with my elbow, I don't realise my wife is looking...:)
Me Weird No. 5 - Mind
I don't know whether it's age or it's habit but I always find myself forgetting things and over-panicky. My wife said menyanyah (a Malay colloquial for err.... half-senile?). Like the other day, after picking my wife up from the hospital the day after Ikhwan was born, it was raining. So, I dropped off my wife, our baby and mother-in-law in the basement parking of our condo before I went parking the car somewhere else. There were so many stuffs in the boot at that time and you know what, I went straight upstairs carrying nothing home. Then when my wife asked for one of her things, I was having a hard time recalling did I bring them up or I placed them somewhere in the house already... Hmmm...
Me Weird No. 6 - Overall self
I'm a safety freak - I would check on the locks and switches of all the rooms in my house at least twice especially if we are leaving the house for a few days. If you try to enter my lane while on the road without giving any signal (despite it's quite apparent that's what you try to do), chances are you'll hear me honking at you, or see me flashing high beam lights at you.
I'm organised and disorganised at the same time. All the necessary things that I need to carry with me everytime I leave the house like keys, handphones, wallet, card holder (with cards in it of course), handkerchief, watch etc. are all placed together. All my (paid) bills and documents are easy to find. I have files for different matters - articles on marriage and raising children; health tips and excercise routines; Islamic articles etc etc. I also bring all the medicine wherever I go. Not that I have a terminal illness or anything like that, but you know the usual ones like paracetamol, Vitamin C, medicine for diarrhoea and alergies etc. Heck! I'm so well prepared, even my wife comes to me at the time in need, hehe...
But the thing is, I can also be disorganised when it comes to 'planning' things to do. Like for example, I come across an interesting book to read, pick it up and buy it. Then a few days later, another book grabs the attention of my eyes (and wallet), despite I have not started on the first book yet. The same goes with buying DVD's or how about that book I write, that has been put on hold for so long now? I guess, I try to accomplish so many in a short period of time huh? This rather disorganised habit may have probably lead to my menyanyah habit?
On my previous Birthday, I referred myself as a big boy for a reason.People (including my wife) have commented that I (now) look (more) matured and can make adult decisions and opinios. However, there are times when I'm still a big boy and all cheeky. Think Joey of Friends and Hiro of Heroes, then you'll have some ideas.
You've seen my work-cum-play area before, now here's a glimpse of the inside of my car. On the front windscreen, at the front passenger side, I recently stick up Spider-man on his web (see photo above). When the time comes, my son would enjoy that of course . But at the time when I bought it, I was actually thinking about pleasing my inner child... hehehe...
I don't really want to tag anybody on this topic. Everyone is welcomed to write about their own weird sides of course, whether in the comment section or in your respective blogs (so long as you lemme know about it laa ok!). Meantime, here's parts of the lyrics Unwell by Matchbox 20. Enjoy...
But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell I know right now you can't tell But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see A different side of me I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired I know right now you don't care But soon enough you're gonna think of me And how I used to be...me
The above 3 photos show the 'conditions' (sounds like a terrible thing, huh? hehe) of my house, or rather our house (me and wife laa) the first few months after I moved in. You see, I moved in a couple of months before I got married, and my wife only transferred to KL five months after we tied the knot.
Looking at these photos, I can't believe that I have subjected myself to such an uncomfortable state of living. With no furniture whatsoever other than the racks for TV and some reading materials; I eat, watch TV and sometimes, even sleep on the floor.
Meantime, the third photo shows how I was in the process of painting the master bedroom.
When there is a 'before', there's always an 'after' right? We bought our stuffs bit by bit and started decorating the house little by little.... and... wallaaa.... the main hall is painted mainly orangy (?) with the exception of the main wall.
Here is the space leading to the exit door. Going to the left, leads to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th bedrooms, kitchen and yard.
I just love the cabinet, the decoration lamp, the S-shaped mirrors and the vase of flowers on the next rack. They just mix well together. I remember how excited my wife was to see the effect that the lamp creates on the mirros.
In this small section in front of the master bedroom, I decided to put the rack (it used to house my separate hi fi system) together with other decorations that we got here and abroad. By the way, the vase was a wedding gift from my wife's friend.
Here is my work-cum-play station in the second bedroom. The big boy still loves his toys which include action figures of Spiderman, Superman, X-Men, Batman, King Kong, Shrek, Scrat (Ice Age), Marge (of The Simpsons), the one ring to rule all rings (LOTR) and some Hot Wheels cars and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
On the wall are some nice small posters to complement the area.
Here's a close up view of my toys... Hehehehe.....
The Oxford Dictionary says "boulevard" means wide city street, often with trees on each side. As for me, "boulevard" is the path that I thread my way through in life. At times, the trees give me protection from the hot sun above. While at other times, no amount of trees can comfort me when it pours. Come rain or shine, the road continues to provide me with the journey of life until it reaches its destination.
People say I'm sweet, kind, a gentleman, caring, romantic and observant (let's just concentrate on the good attributes). I love those who matter to me, and care about things that count. I'm a Malay Muslim and proud to be one. I DON'T think Islam should be judged by those nasty followers. Islam should be judged by the religion itself; its teachings and the purpose behind them. I mean, humans will still behave like humans right? Usually, regardless of religions that they embrace. It is also in my nature to please, since I believe that TO PLEASE EVERYONE IS AN IMPOSSIBLE FEAT, BUT NOT TRYING TO PLEASE ANYONE OTHER THAN ONESELF IS A POSSIBLE DEFEAT (own quote). Apart from sharing the things I read, watch and listen to, I'd also share my thoughts and feelings, and express my views on certain issues. Last by no means least, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE OF YOU OUT THERE ABOUT ANYTHING! If we knew each other 'in the previous life' and had lost contact, or we hardly contact each other nowadays, do email me or comment on my entries. Feel free to explore my blog & website (http://members.fortunecity.com/abdunmy/). Cheerio & Wassalam.
Sometimes, to boldly go (where no one has gone before) at warp speed may cause you unnecessary troubles.
Own quote, based on Star Trek
Lesson from the quote: Rushing to reach your destinations or goals may get you there fast, but may not always be the smartest thing to do!
"Note The Quote (Malay translation)"
Kadang kala, perjalanan (ke tempat yang tidak pernah ditujui) pada kelajuan maksimum boleh menyebabkan kesusahan pada diri sendiri.
Rekaan sendiri, berdasarkan dari Star Trek
Pengajaran: Terburu-buru untuk sampai ke destinasi atau matlamat hidup mungkin boleh membawa kita ke sana dengan cepat, tetapi langkah itu tidak semestinya yang terbaik!
You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.
George Lucas (Film Director and Producer)
"Favourite Note The Quote 2"
A sign in a mosque on the need to switch off handphones:
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Penguin Rush
I just love Percy and his carriages. The chocolate did actually smell like chocolate, for quite some time after it was unwrapped.
Don't you just love (I guess) Harold the helicopter, carrying Sodor mails? When you pull Thomas, the fans of the planes will spin around, while the crane at the back of the lorry will turn left and right. 
Flick one of the switches at the back of Percy - you can hear the choo choo sound when you move it. Flick the other - it's the theme music. For James, his eyes will move as he is pushed or pulled. Thomas has switches that will turn either the front or the back lights on.
I haven't opened this toy set yet. I'm waiting until we have finally moved into our new home in about 2 months' time or so.
The first Toby has slide shows, viewable from the lense. The other Toby 'gives' you three different surprises everytime the door is closed and then opened back again. Plus, what better way to brush your teeth while on the train, if not using T&F toothbrush eh? Ok, I'm rambling... Heck, it's close to 1am....
