A couple of months ago I tagged along with Leen while she met with a potential supplier for her clinic (which, God willing, she’ll be opening in early October). I didn’t really want to be there, but there I was, watching the supplier pull shiny metal instruments of torture out of his briefcase. He was [...]
Categories: Life
Tagged: Cape Breton, immigration, MacVay, Malay, Malaysia, Nova Scotia, photos, Sydney
We’re turning off our street when Al asks where we’re going. Leen tells him we’re going to pick up a dental chair (which will be her back-up chair) and take it to her clinic. Al cheers.
Al: Yay! We’re going to Mommy’s teeth clinic!
Me: You know, I think he’s going to be a dentist when [...]
Categories: Life
Tagged: Alisdair, conversations, parenthood
I’ve been reading Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn and very much enjoying it, and keep coming across passages that resonate with me somehow. Today I read a bit about the main character, an Irish immigrant named Eilis Lacey, experiencing her first American winter:
It appeared impossible to imagine a time when it was not cold and she could [...]
Categories: Life
I haven’t been blogging much lately. In fact, considering most of my recent posts have been weekly updates of my Twitter stream, one might say I haven’t really been blogging at all. It’s ironic, because I can remember a time when I was doing the nine-to-five thing and somehow still managed to bang out several [...]
Categories: Life
The other day, in the lift.
Me: You know, Aaron really looks a lot like you when you were a little girl. From the pictures I’ve seen of you, anyway.
Leen: You think?
Al: Hey! Aaron’s not a girl. He’s a boy.
Leen: Yes, that’s right. What about me?
Al: You’re a girl.
Leen: And what about Daddy?
Al: Daddy’s a boy.
Me: [...]
Categories: Life
Tagged: Alisdair, conversations, family, parenthood
This morning as Leen and I were emerging from the SMART tunnel, on the way to a dental convention of some sort at the KL Convention Centre, the latest song by Shakira was bouncing through the interior of our old Wira.
‘Hey,’ said Leen, ‘the traffic’s not as bad as I thought. And…that must be Shakira. [...]
Categories: Life
This is coming a bit late, but better late than never:
March 27 (Bernama) — Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government will amend the Hire Purchase Act 1967 to protect the rights of consumers, including preventing them from being victims of car repossessors who act over and above [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Just a couple of quick updates on Malaysian PR, or more generally on immigration:
I’m a bit late putting it here, but there was an interesting article in The Star a few weeks back, about mixed marriages (an article brought on by the ridiculous comments made by Malaysia’s embarrassment of an Information Minister), in which the [...]
Categories: Life
Our second child, Aaron Yusuf MacVay, was born in the early morning hours of March 7th, after a lot of pushing and an emergency C-section. Mother and baby are both doing fine now. As for Alisdair, well he really loves being a big brother.
We had a few names in mind but Aaron Yusuf came out [...]
Categories: Life
I finally received an official response from RHB Bank today (for background read this, and this, and this). Here’s what they said:
We thank you on highlighting the above incident to our En Mohamad Zaihan on 29 January 2009.
We took note that your wife as a passenger had an unpleasant encounter in the above incident. [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Tagged: Malaysia
I was kind of hoping this case would be resolved by now, considering it’s been just about a week since I first contacted RHB Bank. But there’s been no official word from them beyond messages from their Corporate Comms guy that he hasn’t heard back from HQ yet, and assurances that he’s on the case. [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Tagged: Malaysia
Me: So, buddy…soon you’re going to be a big brother. Are you excited?
Al: Yes.
Me: But listen…when your little brother comes, sometimes Mummy’s going to be really busy. You know, she has to give him milk, and all that stuff. So you’ll be spending a lot of time with Daddy, okay?
Al: No, Daddy.
Me: No? But you [...]
Categories: Life
Tagged: Alisdair, conversations, parenthood
This morning Leen called me from work to tell me someone from RHB had called H. It wasn’t someone from the head office, she said, but rather someone from RHB’s PJ Business Centre. He wants H to go to the bank on Friday for a face-to-face meeting with him and the repo man. She said [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Tagged: Malaysia
Today Leen and I drove out to Shah Alam and braved the labyrinth that is Kompleks PKNS to submit the documents to the Immigration Dept. for renewal of my pass. I was pleasantly surprised by a few things today:
1) I only needed to submit three forms: the declaration of marriage (stamped by a commissioner of [...]
Categories: Life
Tagged: immigration, Malaysia
Malaysian PR: Rumblings, Grumblings & Jumblings 3
I don’t have any personal news to report on the PR front, because I haven’t applied yet. We’re planning to dive into that process after Leen opens her dental clinic, which will be in the next couple of months. So maybe we’ll start the application process around the end of the year.
Meanwhile, here’s a quick [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Tagged: immigration, Malaysia