Election 2015

Come this Saturday, March 28th, 2015, the whole nation will cast their vote to elect their State Rep and ultimately the President. 

It is a topic which I clearly put under the label - "Later Later" - and one which I am not comfortable to write about. I fear whatever I write online, could be used against me. Oh my,  I am so getting a shitload of comment from uncle and batch mates about this (I doubt they read my blog anyway)....

Presidential candidates:
Current President - Goodluck Jonathan from PDP
vs Gen. (rtd) Muhammadu Buhari from APC

Nigeria 101 (I didn't come to you by chance)

Honestly speaking the transition from working to babysitting is unthinkable. I know some would say that I should count my blessing since in Malaysia, the children were with Madam in Johore and I was alone in KL (staying at my mother's place). We were weekend husband and wife.

To make it twice difficult, it will be Nigeria. Lagos to be more specific. The moment we informed our parents, we got the classic treatment. The disbelief look from my mother-in-law,  Q&A session from my mother...But my father, my dear ole dad; he told me to go for the sake of the children. Ben and Fay will be going this time.

Nigeria! 

Nigeria's location within the continent. 
The cradle of civilisation. 
Not the latest map though. (google image)

Pre-Assignment Throwback: Mummy!!!

This happened during our pre-assignment visit in October-November 2014.

We arrived around Maghrib (dusk) after a long journey from Malaysia, and Ben was first to go to the toilet....when suddenly.....Mummy!!! He shouted. 

Blackout! The whole hotel and surrounding areas too!

Power outage at a supermarket..

oppps!

Hello Lagos: Now What?

Madam has her routine which I can say she was craving about it the moment we landed in Lagos (Lay-Goes). Easy for her as we were conned to be here due to her new post here in Nigeria. I think on the second day we arrived, she was already working full swing. Easy. Like duck to water...

For the rest of us stuck in the hotel room...not so much. Stuck in the room which is smaller than Romney Court made the children restless. Stuck in a room smaller the Romney Court with huge luggage and an additional bed took lots of patience. We needed a routine, we got one and it can be simplified as thus: Eat-Play-Sleep

Madam would rose early in the morning, and have breakfast at the coffee house (met another Malaysian, whom arrived a few days later than us). I would wait for the children to wake up first rather than going by myself or with Madam for fear that they would become panic and even hysterical if found I am not in the room.

Hello Lagos: Harmattan

Selamat Pagi, Lagos! Good Morning, Lagos! E karo!

First I did was, to go out to the balcony and take the first picture of Lagos. This was the result of the picture taken. No filter was actually added. The slight red tint was not due to the sun, but it was actually due to a phenomenal called  Harmattan

View from the hotel balcony

Off To Lagos, Nigeria (Jan. 2015) - Pictures by Zuhaira Sahid

Ever since I started the blog a month ago about my family and our predicament set forth by Madam,  the response was overwhelming. Unfortunately, I got carried away regarding the postings in London. The invention of digital camera which make do without any Kodak film made me take as much picture without even thinking. No second guessed about it. Just snap all day long until either the battery  or the digital card give way.

Another reason was Madam. I guessed she wanted me to start on Nigeria articles ASAP. Yeah, right..Like she is the one paying me to do all these, but a happy Madam is a happy house (note: I am not in the picture). Nevertheless, I better bow to her wishes. Like I said in the earlier post, that I can read her. What she is capable of etc.. Not that I am scared of  her in any way, but I sleep better at night knowing there isn't a  crazy woman sleeping with an ice pick beside me....

New Year's day came without much fanfare. We were at the fireworks show, but rushed back as we were due to fly out in a few hours time. This is it! Time to say good bye London and hello Lagos. 

Brightly coloured bags a trademark

From Madam's Point of View

I bet by now, most of readers would be expecting Part V, VI etc etc.. but, hah! I tell you.. 

We put those monotonous postings aside.

This one will be a great one.. Promise you I will. And why it is a great one? Because from the quality and mood of the pictures taken, I'd say Madam had her 'moments' during the London visit. 

Throwback: Out and About - Part IV - Trafalgar Square Day and Night (London, Dec 2014)

Trafalgar Square

Dear readers, I would like to apologise. Firstly, there is nothing wrong with your eye. It is the camera, GoPro which is  roughly the size of a matchbox and uses the fishbowl type of lens. So the image is curvy at the edges. Its great for selfie freaks and awesomer (hahaha) if used for outdoor extreme activities...or any sporting activities. Secondly, you would notice by now that I have very little or no talent at all in taking pictures.

Throwback: Out and About - Part III - Museums (London, Dec 2014)

I love museums. Be it art, history, science etc. Since I like museums so much, we visited a few. Too few to my liking. But the really bad news was, I think I lost a lot of pictures due to low battery and carelessness to name a few. I always mistook taking pictures on the GoPro camera when it was not taking any (no viewfinder and LCD screen). I really need to invest on that and learn to connect my Lenovo phone to the Macbook.

Victoria and Albert Museum

First museum we visited was the Victoria and Albert Museum. Around London, these pair of names cropped up many times. Queen Victoria, I think, was one of the greatest and longest reign too, except for King Bhumibol of Thailand and her great-great grand daughter, Queen Elizabeth the II (the current Queen). Although her marriage to Prince Albert was cut short due to his death (died at the age of 42), which she mourned for the rest of her life, it also meant the beginning of various projects dedicated to her dear Albert. Hence, everywhere you would see buildings and monuments with their name or at least one of the two in London. 

Victoria and Albert Museum

Throwback: Out and About - Part II - Buckingham Palace (London, Dec 2014)

My first visit to London was in 1983. It was after my sister (Zuhaira's elder sister, Nur Syahira) passed away. She was only 11 months and well, it was fated. Funnily though, after 32 years, I still remembered the night visit to the hospital, the neighbours came, abah or was it mama whom bathed her, I was very sad...and it was arwah Long Yeim attended to me on a sofa outside the house...(of all people)

I remembered the day we went to make our passports and have our picture taken in the photo booth. We were unsure what it was for, but we were on our way to London months later on Mas's B747-200 to London. It was captained by a Capt. Zul (already a Datuk now) and we watched Tootsie on a big screen . The whole aircraft was a playground for us..

Throwback: Out and About - Part I (London, Dec 2014)

All of us outside Romney Court, Shepherds Bush

Tower of London

The White Tower, Tower of London

A historic castle in Central London. Been here once long time ago. Remembered the Beefeaters, the knights' armour and canons. Also home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. 

Throwback: Shepherd's Bush and Another Suprise

Shepherd's Bush! No shepherds around and totally devoid of bush. 

The area was thought to be a common land for shepherds to rest before continuing their journey to Smithfield Market in City of London. Thats how the story goes, as far as 1600's (wiki).

Fast forward to 2014, December. Here resides my sister (Zuhaira) and her husband (Fikri), at least till January 2015. As of now, both of them are back in Malaysia.

Zuhaira and Fikri with Ben and Fay

Throwback: Schiphol Stopover and Arrival in London (December 2014)

Goedemorgen Schiphol

Our flight KLM 810 departed around 11.50pm from KLIA and arrived Schiphol, Amsterdam around 6.00am the next day. The flight was ok, the usual screen and watched movie before I was asleep. The terminal was under major renovation. But clean too! Renovated areas were sealed with plastic and everywhere you would see some sort of vacuum machine at these areas. Clean as you go, must be their motto.

The first thing we did after disembarking? 

Toilet! 

No water hose? Alamak (Oh no!!) Now to put theory into practise. Tq Madam for the instructions.

Throwback: This Is It!!! (December 2014)

The Sound of Music. A widowed naval captain with 7 children. The songs they sang were mesmerising. I remembered memorising the 'Do-Re-Mi' song. I can relate my father to Captain Von Trapp...without the whistle of course. The word martinet comes to mind when describing Abah (dad). 

But this posting is about good bye.. and the song 'So long, Farewell' seems to fit the bill. Well, this is it everyone..to a new place to call home for the next few years. An expat. 

The ladies gossiping like there's no tomorrow

Throwback: Makan-makan in Ampang (December)

Organised a makan (makan = eat, the act of putting food into mouth to chew and swallow, ję in Yoruba) at my mom's place in Ampang. A mini gathering with batchmates, neighbours....and relatives before departing in a few days time.

Me and Madam. The woman that made my life difficult...but in a nice way ;-P

l-r : me, Epit, my step father (Hj Ramlan), Gabai and Aiwa

It was a very small gathering. We ordered some kueh and MIL's famous Mee Kari (Curry Mee). Aunty Sharifah from next door came and of my batchmates, Aiwa was the earliest to arrive with his daughter. Gabai and Epit came slightly later, followed by Auzir. Hailzam and Ska, the eligible bachelors came together and Suri. Well Suri came with his family. Curious.....indeed.

Throwback: Kenduri at the In-Laws (Bangi)

Kenduri is a feast or banquet usually held celebrating a birth or marriage, remembrance, circumcision, give thanks and in our case was seeking blessing for the upcoming Madam's assignment.

All arrangements were done by Madam's parents, dad an Air Force Maj. (Rtd) Tuan Hj Hassim Hassan and mom Hjh Rosnah Abd. Rahman. Dad will do the marketing and mom, the cooking. They're the boss and naturally I bow to their wishes. Better not get in their way...

Can you spot the spent artillery shell? Madam's dad or Ayah as we call him is on my right. Bismarck model in the glass casing. Took me 6 months to build one, Tamiya brand btw.

The Little Pilot in Ben

Didi made good on his promise to bring both Ben and Fay to a flight simulator in Subang Airport (Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah) before the move to Lagos, Nigeria (and London trip before that).

Check out www.simflightkl.com 

F/O busy prepping the flight, while the 'Captain' was nice
enough to have his selfie taken with his Didi

Throwback: Packing (December 2014)

Received a phone call from the mover company, they are coming over to asses the items in the house. Things to be packed and dismantle in a few days time (how many man hours, manpower needed, boxes, fragile items, beds and sofas etc). We are not new to this sort of arrangement. A modern day nomad, we are used to it. But this one is totally different...they will pack for you. I had to reconfirm with Madam about it as I am the beast of burden in the family (can't expect Ben or Fay to do it..and Madam was still commuting JB-Sin on daily basis)..so it was up to me...but to just monitor them.

Asian Tiger Movers...ready to pounce

Throwback: The Good bye (December 2014)

I can't remember what followed next. But Madam did tell her parents last. I did mine earlier as I am a permanent fixture at home. The eldest child in the family and I do feel that I am the sticky glue that holds the family together. I understand the feeling parents have towards the first child in the family, the sentimental feeling..and this one is going away. 

Muhammad Hazim b. Sahid

My youngest brother Muhammad Hazim , 28yo this year I will miss the most and of course the usual, parents and siblings, friends and girlfriend(s) etc etc. Hazim was born with Cerebral Palsy and Cortical Blindness (vegetative state and blind), he is a truly a living testament that all things in life are in Allah's hand. I would drive him to hospital if needed, and carry him from his bed to car to wheelchair in hospital vice versa. I will miss the routine and I do hope no hospital admission due to lung infection which is quite common for him while I am away.

Hazim with Mak Cik Su 

Forever. That comes to mind when thinking how long we've had Mak Cik Su (Aunt Su, loosely translated) to look after Hazim and truly she is part of the family. As Hazim grows into adulthood, so does Mak Cik into the twilight. But day in, day out she would be by his side. Besar pahala mak cik...terima kasih jaga Hazim dan kami adik beradik. 

At least, my sister and her husband (Zuhaira and Fikri) would be around once I am away. That would be a consolation...and as always, I will forget my brother Azmeir and wife, Dina. I do hope I did gave him some last minute instructions. Actually, we have quite unique sort of relationship. He seldom talks or never around when we need him...but can be dependable (after I texted his wife...hahaha). Btw, we keep in touch thru WA. All the one liners...guys.

Made my peace with my mom and dad and my extended parents (I have two sets of mom and dad, excluding in-laws ya) and that was pretty much about it. Better keep short with the good bye stuffs, when there's Skype and WA for us to stay in touch, to say hello all the time. Distance is relative when you hold something/some one very dear in your heart. 

Packing is next on the menu....

Throwback: My To-Do list

Just a small number of the IBO clan during our quarter review. I love my job!!! hahahaha (my boss in leather jacket)

I have to confess, I am not good at goodbyes. Because I feel that this move is only temporary for me at least. Anyway, I have my business in Malaysia as a wealth advisor (read: Health Insurance agent with Prudential and Prudential BSN). Still very much new and learning the curves (slow learner). Again, this move is temporary...

Let me break it down for you:

1) Accompany Madam and children to Lagos, Nigeria

2) Arrange school and activities for the children

3) Get the house in order

4) Leave for Malaysia

5) Visit family in Lagos, Nigeria 

No. 4 and 5 is to be repeated again and again and again.

Simple...

But little that I know, Madam had yet to inform her parents about the move. I do see trouble ahead....

Throwback: Home Bound (November 2014)

With one of the armed escort during the Pre-Assignment visit

We must be in Lagos for ages, and suddenly it was time to leave. But before that, I went to Madam's office in Ikeja and had dinner with her boss (Mr. Tarang Gupta) at his house in Ikoyi. Very friendly guy from India whom spent 5 years in Malaysia, prior to Nigeria..I guess. Gave us some pointers on documents to have and things to do during Madam's assignment in Nigeria (stock up etc...in later post).

At the airport, had to fill in Ebola questionnaire (fever during stay, attended any funeral etc..) and here in Nigeria, they are very thorough on beg inspection. Well, they will ask along the line of..if we have something for them... But by looking at our beg (laundry most of it...NO..ALL OF IT).. I think he gets it.

Me being paranoid of being late (well I did missed a plane way back in 2004, thinking that you board a plane similarly you board a bus...come five minutes before departure..and you're off)..we were hours earlier. To pass time, we had some snacks at a nearby lounge. 

Hours later and another long queue, we were on board Emirates and repeat the same thing just the reverse (LOS-DXB-KUL) and again, in Dubai..it was really a touch-n-go. We were late to the connecting flight, but they nicely waited for us (I was blardy nervous..), but Madam being a frequent flyer kept her cool. She must've some shares with Emirates because as women's go, they can still stroll along the terminal looking at the shops...next time maybe, we will have a nice stopover in Dubai.

Sat beside an Aussie lady (3 abreast seating) with Ben by the window heading for Melbourne from Rio! A day's trip by plane and she was tired. She was asleep the moment we took off from Dubai and woke up for landing at KLIA.

Home at last, and I have to say that the move looks solid. Now to sort things out on my end. Got to take a long hiatus from work....but will come back from time to time. Clients to visit, work to do...but Nigeria it is in few months time. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm not easy for me.

Throwback: Pre-Assignment (October 2014) - ACTIVITY IN LAGOS

GOOD MORNING LAGOS!!!

Good morning Lagos! (pronounced as Lay-Goes) The children were up (jumping on bed) since 3am local time (10am in Malaysia). Nigeria is 7hrs behind, so I am expecting red tired eyes by noon and off to bed by evening.

Ben (Man from Atlantis) and Fay (Little Mermaid) were delighted to see the pool from the room's balcony. The Eko Hotel and Suite is not far from Bar Beach (the locals claimed to rival the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). But currently closed to public due to a huge land reclamation project, Eko Atlantic City (EAC - wikied it). It is huge, expecting to house 400,000 residents in a 10kmsq area.

School

Hard at work. Own revision for acceptance test the next day.

The most important item on the Pre-Assignment agenda was school visit and acceptance test for the children. Nothing is more important than that, trust me. Madam (childrens' mother) can make all the noise she wants till the cows come home or pull her hair and stomping around the room for wanting to work in Nigeria....that is not going to happen until the children got to go to a school here. 

A few schools were suggested by the company and we were more or less decided where they would study by the end of the day. Pray hard Madam, or the move won't happen if there's no place for the children in that school.

Out and About

James Amusu of FC Wamco (PR Dept) was assigned to us during the stay. We went around Lagos when there was time to do so as Madam was at the office in the mornings. There was the lunch at Lagos Motor Boat Club which later led us to the trip to company beach hut in Feb, 2015.

The Menu

 To all curiosity freaks out there, we had fish and chips and some local rice. Drinks was just plain cold water. 

We had a 101 lesson on Nigeria. When the bills come, insist on itemised bill. How much for so and so...and not just sign the empty receipt. Just to be on the safe side.

We also had a crash course on the politics of Nigeria, courtesy of the newspaper "Punch". The General Election is due on Feb, 2015 (new date 28th March, 2015) and I can imagine it will be the single most talked about topic until it settles. I think they should change the title from "Punch" to "Wallop". Wallop is more appropriate as politician trade punches..ahem I mean words to each other and seriously they are very much matured in politics (that in another posting)

I wonder which one belongs to the company. 

Before we left, James pointed to a boat in parked under the garage (?)..."the one with the black line, do you see it?" naturally followed by "when can we go for a boat ride" by the children. Looked like any motor boat like the one in PD (Port Dickson, Malaysia) with twin motors if I'm not mistaken.. good for maybe 70-80km/h. Anyway, things looked pretty much good for the little ones, I mean they are like ducks to water... me? not so. 

Fay having a peek at the water below

A lone Chevrolet Camaro Convertible by the roadside near Bar Beach

Saw this car every day while we were in Lagos and it's interesting to see one. I don't really see the practicability for a car like these when the roads can be unforgiving and the go-slow (traffic jam) can happen at anytime due to many things. Try imagine the impossible right now.. go ahead, and I can tell you nothing is impossible here. 

Lekki Market, famous for art and craft items. Gifts and souvenirs. Attached to it is also the wet market. Reminds me of Chow Kit Road back home. But more worn down. But a riot of colours as you go from shop to shop. 

On our way to Lekki Market

The paintings on sale in one of the section of the market were really nice, and the carvings too. Hmmmmmm....

The neighbourhood around Lekki Market.  

Eko Hotel and Suites - WELCOME

I quite liked the hotel. The restaurants and facilities means that I could pass my time with kids while Madam was away. I mean there are other hotels, but thankful to be here though. The staffs were nice and 'Welcome' is a phrase that you always hear here in Nigeria. Nice...

Macbook Air from Prudential and scouts 3 dry-fit 

shirt from a health programme I attended back in Malaysia

Children doing their best to show 'life is tough' but 

turned out to be 'I-am-enjoying-1 week-of-no-school' pose

The Sky Restaurant - Penthouse of the hotel

A number of menu from Indonesia and Thailand. We later found out the chef is an Indonesian...no wonder. Price wise? Sky high...

Eko Hotels and Suites signage. Immediately, a traffic jam as you exit the hotel. Hotel was build in the 70's.

All in all, it was a mixed feeling for me during the Pre-Assignment. I understand what is at stake, but somebody was very adamant about it and the children needed their mother. I can see how this is going to be. It wont be easy for me. Not easy indeed.

Throwback: Pre-Assignment Trip (October 2014) - FLIGHT

Keeping a blog is a challenge for me. There...I've said it.

Flight EK409 KUL-DX (Kuala Lumpur - Dubai) about 7hours. Time flies when you're flying with full stomach and endless movies, songs and games to watch, listen and play. I didn't know all these ICE (Info., Comm. and Entertainment) are pretty standard nowadays on long International flights. Emirates boasted that they have about 400 movies, but I just  watched a few..twice...hahaha

ICE and yes... that movie, I watched twice.. Can't help it,  big fan of Zoe Saldana.

There were external cameras, music to hear during take off (image below) and pre flight demo by stewardess were all recorded and played on the screen. 

MUSIC TO TAKE OFF TO! How Awesome is that!
The best was AC/DC Thunderstruck

Busy watching movies. Oblivious to surrounding...

What can I say..I was impressed with EMIRATES. As we approached Dubai, we were flying in circles for half an hour (holding position/pattern, until the airspace clears) before we landed. Rush to the next gate...aaaaaannnnnddddd

Off to Lagos, Nigeria (DXB-LOS leg)

3852miles to Lagos. A 7hr 45min on a B777 (Note: cames 1. forward camera, 2. downward looking camera)  

Watching Rio 2 en route to Lagos, Nigeria...
I mean Ben. Not me.

Note: Minimum Bid of $280k, Roger Dubuis.
Emirates In flight magazine.

Smooth flight like the KUL-DXB leg. More food and beverage..(I think I overdo in drinking pineapple juice). Orange juice taste too familiar and Coke or Pepsi taste different nowadays. Maybe age is catching up and taste bud is adjusting...I hope for the better.

Forward camera showing the runway of
Murtala Muhamad Airport, Lagos, Nigeria.

Flight info: EK 781 (DXB - LOS) - 6167km

The international airport reminds me of the old LCCT in KLIA. But more lively. Queue was long but luckily Charles from (FC Wamco) was there to receive us the moment we exit the sky bridge (talk about service..). 

Ebola was a main concern at that time and so there was a form we had to fill in (where are you from? attended any funeral?.. fever etc) and our body temperature was taken. It was just after 7pm and already it was dark. Kids looked tired and I have to say a bit scared for it was totally a new environment for them. They held on close to me while Madam (this is how we refer to kids mom, from now onward.. at least in this Blog...hahaha) got in touch with her boss and colleagues in Lagos by phone.

We were ushered to car with an escort pickup (MOPOL - mobile police) up front to Eko Hotel in VI (Victoria Island, Lagos)

MOPOL (Mobile Police) escort to Eko Hotel in VI

First impression of Lagos is.....it is HUGE. I mean *bleeping* HUGE and crowded. I think we took the 3rd Mainland Bridge and it was full with traffic (on the other side). All I can say, it was like Jakarta. 

Arrived at Eko Hotel, VI and minutes later, off to Lalaland.