Arman's Legs

It’s been over 6 months since our last trip to the BC Children’s Hospital. When we were here last March, the doctor wanted to wait to see how well Arman’s leg adjusts, before deciding to do anything. Anyway, I took the afternoon off today to take Arman to the doctor again. Our appointment with the Orthopaedic Paediatrician is always on a Thursday afternoon. I made my way by bus from the office and rendezvoused with Arman and Mommy at the bus stop near the hospital. And then we made our way in together.

We were right on time. We registered at the front desk and waited for our turn. We were a bit confused about what we were supposed to do exactly. At one point, we were asked to take x-rays first, which we did. Arman’s an expert at that already. It is his second set of x-rays at this hospital. After that, it was back to the waiting room.

Mommy had to leave early to pick up Melur from school. So it was just Arman and I waiting for the doctor. We were finally asked to wait in the examination room. We saw x-rays of Arman’s legs both from today and 6 months ago. Everything was computerized.

When we finally met with the doctor, he wanted to wait another 6 months. But he said, in all likelihood, Arman will need plates put into his leg, which will stunt the growth of his bone on one side, effectively straightening it as the bones grow. The procedure itself is quite minor, and we can expect Arman to come home on the same day, if not the next morning. Arman would need to wear the plate for a few years while the bone straightens, and then removed later.

Anyway… we really hope the best for Arman. We have another appointment to meet with the doctor next May. Hopefully, we’ll have something good for Arman then.

New Costumes

So this is going to be a short entry. We went out today to get Melur and Arman some costumes for the upcoming Halloween. As you know, every year, they go out Trick or Treating around Acadia Park. Last year, Melur went as a princess, and Arman went as an Ape, the same Ape costume Melur used the year before. Basically, we have a budget for only one new costume every year, and this year it’s Arman’s turn.

For some reason, whenever we go shopping, I forget to take the camera out and take pictures. And so this is the only picture we took today – Arman trying out a ninja costume as Zellers. You’ll see more pictures of him come Halloween time. We got the ninja costume. So Arman’s going as a ninja, or as he’d call it: a “Henja”. I find the pronunciation so adorable, that I find myself saying “Henja” too. Maybe I shouldn’t aggravate the situation. Anyway, stay tuned for costumes from Halloween, coming up soon.

Scarring Conversation

About one month ago... on the way back from school...

Melur: Mommy, when is this (pointing to the scar on her upper left cheek) going to go away? Mommy: I don't know, sayang. Melur: I want it to go away. It's ugly. I want to have a clean face. ...Enough said.

Turkey Time

It’s here… it’s finally here, time to pull out that old (or new) turkey recipe and get it going on in the oven. We don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving per say, but it is a long weekend, and turkey is not available all year round. 'Tis the season for turkey! And it's really the only time we get access to turkey, especially the Halal kind.

As we mentioned from yesterday’s post, we had some hardships getting a large turkey, so we end up with 2 smaller turkeys. Every year, we try to out-do the previous year. Last year, and the year before, Thanksgiving coincided with the Muslim fasting month. This year however, Thanksgiving weekend came after EID. So this Turkey feast is also our Raya Open House. We’ve been planning it for a while now.

So we have 2 birds and 1 oven. That won't do. So for the first time since coming to Vancouver (we're had to borrow ovens for turkey before, in New York), we have to “borrow” an oven from the other Malaysian students. We prepared everything beforehand, rubbed in the spices, put it in the bag (literally), and then delivered it to the their house with baking instructions. Hopefully, it’ll turn out all right. We started the party at about 6 pm. The turkeys didn’t take too long to bake. We had meat thermometers, and the turkeys were done before the time we set. We were a little worried, but they looked cooked. What do you guys think? Mmm…. Yummy!

We had lots of guests. Baby Adam and his parents were here to enjoy they’re first taste of turkey. I hope they enjoyed it.

There were also a few new Malaysian students (new to UBC, that is) we invited, whom we met at the last Raya open house. This is probably their first taste of turkey too. If so, we’re honored.

Oh… If you recall at the last CG Open House, I mentioned that we were roped into performing at the MABC Deeparaya festivities. We took this opportunity to practice for the show. Jehan, Mira, Shahrir and I will be performing a couple of Raya songs, hence the guitar. Wish us luck. We perform next weekend.

Anyway, overall I think everybody had a good time. The kids certainly found ways to entertain themselves (after stuffing themselves with turkey). They played a few games of checkers, which they learned recently. I'm really proud of that. I had lots of fun too. Love the turkey. I wonder when we’ll get to have turkey again. Well, I guess I’ll be having turkey leftovers tomorrow, and possibly the day after. But what about AFTER that? Christmas maybe?

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. For my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, Eid Mubarak! And for everybody else, hope you had a fantastic long weekend. This is a good time to enjoy a good meal with family and friends, no matter what you celebrate. Enjoy the long weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS: For more pictures, visit Our Photo Album on Facebook.