New Tyres - Part Trois

It's 149, 542 km on the odometer and it's tyre change session once more. The Falkens have done their job and it's the turn of Hankooks (Optimo K415s to be exact) to show what they can do.

Costing $112 each (service, GST and installation charges all included), I am hopeful that they will outlast the Falkens and save me more money. It's a no-brainer as I intend to see out the 5 years remaining on the car. So far, as with very new tyres, they have done their job okay. The true test will come once they hit the 10,000 km mark. We'll see then...... In the meantime, here's what the sources have been saying about the tyres:

http://www.tyretest.com/pkw_sommerreifen/hankook/optimo_k415/index.html

My Children

How interesting life has been for me so far. With changes happening at work and home in frantic pace, I am taking stock to see how far I have come and how further I should go in my life.

Let me start with my children. Aqilah and Aqil came into my life about 9 years and 6 years ago respectively. Ever since then, I have been trying to be the best father that I can to them. Inevitably, I fumbled, sometimes a bit, sometimes pretty bad. But I must say that with each lesson learned, I became more competent. And by being more competent comes confidence. Thank you children for giving me the opportunity to become a significant other whom you can trust and depend on.

Aqilah has become an independent young lady who has started to form a mind of her own. Not that I mind at all. In fact, I feel that with that, I could help guide her to become a more responsible, critical and forward-looking individual who can contribute to her family, community and nation in the future. The more pressing issue for Aqilah is to get her in the best fitness shape possible for her 1.6 km NAPFA run challenge in 2011.

Aqil has grown to be quite a challenge. Being a boy, he has shown a few tendencies of curiosity. Having experimented with a few 'unique' behaviours in school, he was definitely taken to task by my wife and myself. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed his close attachment to me and how he is looking up to me as a role model. I pray hard that I will not disappoint him. He has shown lots of interest in sports and outdoor activities. I will try to help him achieve some of his sporting dreams and guide him to do what's best for him.

I just hope that my children will have big dreams and hopefully, I can be part of them. That is it for now. Till next time.......

The Real Challenge Begins....

Well, this is it. The moment that the group has been preparing and waiting for has finally arrived. From tomorrow morning up till Wednesday evening, the group will use all their leg strengths and mental capacities to reach Montfort Youth Centre on-time. We pray for good weather and excellent traffic conditions.

The enemy is ourselves and we will have to deal with all the negativities that may come our way and use them as motivating factors for the ride.

Riding 240 km is not an easy task, even if it is done in a relay format. However, the key to completing it is through sheer hard work and teamwork.

May God help us through all the difficult times that lay ahead.

We invite all to pray for us, so that our noble cause will be realised.

Tyres Change - Part Deux

I got my car tyres changed for the 2nd time in about 4 years after 107,204 km. Manufactured under the same parent company, Falken, the 2nd set purchased has its origins in Thailand; unlike the previous set, which was from Japan. Prior to purchasing my current set of tyres, I had read extensively about the model, the ZIEX ZE-912. Like any other products, opinions were divided. And the fact that the tyres come from the land of tom yam had its credibility questions endlessly. However, a few things swayed me to the decision to get it as a replacement for my rapidly worn out DIGNEO DN-614. First, the price. At $90 per piece, inclusive of GST, I feel that at this current economic climate, the price has got to be very competitive as compared to other makes. Secondly, no matter where the tyres are made from, it is still a Falken. They have a reputation to uphold and as such, would not want to compromise on its quality, no matter whichever country they are made in. And lastly, the value for money which I perceive I will derive from the purchase ($90 per piece for about 45,000 km as compared to $200 per piece for 65,000 km of some other brands).

As it can be seen, my set of tyres are totally worn out. There was thus a pressing issue of safety. Nevertheless, the DIGNEO tyres have served my family well. We managed to squeeze every bit of possible kilometers from it and even till yesterday, they performed admirably. I will miss them. Unfortunately, the company has stopped manufacturing the DIGNEO series; replacing it with the ZIEX series.

The real test perhaps comes after the first 10,000 km mark. But for the 2 days that I have had them, they have done well as expected of new tyres. Till then, we'll see.......

Amazing Aqil Part 1

I went swimming with my wife and two children yesterday. It was another day at the SAF Yacht Club (Changi), thanks to my sister and brother-in-law. We were having lots of laughs as usual when I spotted a pair of floaties belonging to Aqil, my son, placed by the side of the pool. I was shocked because Aqil was wearing them all the while, before that, when in the pool, which is deeper than his height. I began to scan for him frantically around the pool. Thinking the worst, I swam to his floaties and what greeted me was pure disbelief. Aqil was threading water like a dog. He was actually swimming using his own improvised style. What happened next blew me away....

You see, Aqil had never been able to swim without his floaties. Whenever he goes into the pool, my wife and I will insist that he puts them on because, being such a hyperactive boy, he may not be able to know his boundaries and thus may land into trouble. Furthermore, he only attended only 2 swimming lessons before this.

So when he showed me that he could swim the length of the pool, I was shocked. My jaw dropped instantaneously. My wife showed her quiet pleasure and gave me an approving nod. And throughout the rest of the session, he was swimming the length and width of the pool without the floaties!

Prior to this, my wife brought my children on a visit to her friend's condominium home for a swim. She had remarked then to my children how clever her friend's daughter was for being able to swim without any flotation device, despite being younger than Aqil. I guess that must have spurred him on.

What this episode has shown me is that Aqil is a very determined boy who is fearless(as of this moment). Given the right guidance and platform to perform, I am sure he will be able to achieve great things for himself and the people around him. He does not fret when he can't do something at first; he will just do it........his way. :-)

Precious No More.....

I ended 2008 and began 2009 with sadness. Precious, my ever loving and adorable cat for 8 years has passed away on 31st December 2008 at exactly 8.00 pm. She died in my arms. Though to some people, this may sound over-dramatic but the truth is we have gone through and experienced so much together that I do not regard her as a pet but instead as a member of my family.

It all began on a cool early morning on a Saturday in 2000. My wife and I had just come back from a midnight show. While making our way back to our home, I spotted her at the steps leading to our home. I followed her and, being a cat lover, decided to be friendly to her. She ran to one of the neighbours home and took refuge amongst the many potted plants. I coaxed her to come out and after a while, she did. Through the dirt that was covering her long white fur, I could see that she was a beautiful cat. Her big round eyes that greeted me were simply captivating and from then on, I fell in love with her. I took her in and thus started our wonderful journey.

Precious was a loving cat, she would wait for my wife and me to come back from work and we would play together and I would spend endless hours just being with her. Then one day I noticed that she was bleeding. My wife and I decided to bring her to the Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital off Whitley Road to get her checked up. What we discovered was beyond our beliefs. She was, all the while, carrying a dead foetus; a full-grown child in her stomach. I decided that she goes through an operation to remove her dead foetus, or risk losing her.


If her baby had survived back then in 2000, they would've probably looked like this.


After that, Precious provided my wife and me with endless warm experiences. She was sensitive to grief. Whenever my wife cried, she would go close to my wife, sit down next to her and lick her face or place her paw on my wife's hand, as if trying to console her. On late nights when I had to complete my assignments, precious would be sitting next to my computer, occasionally shifting around, preventing me from falling asleep.

It is through loving her that my wife and I conceived Aqilah, my first child. And when Aqilah was born, Precious didn't shy away and feel jealous. Instead, she took to Aqilah well. But from that moment on, time spent on her were getting lesser and lesser, with the demands of looking after Aqilah, work and personal goals affected the quality time that I had with her. But, through all that, Precious would give the same response to me, clinging to me as if it was the first time I had her.

When Aqil was born, Precious didn't change either. She showed the same loving nature as when Aqilah was born. I concluded that she was a family cat and she loved having people around her. She is a truly amazing cat.

When I came back home on 31st December 2008, I found Precious sprawled on the kitchen floor when I was cleaning her tray. I called all the family members to gather around her to say their last goodbyes. I brought Precious around the house one last time in my arms to let her view her home. I waited with her and while my wife and children were away, Precious left me for good in my arms while I was cleaning her at 8 pm. She was struggling for a while and after giving a last shout, as if telling me that she was leaving, she stopped breathing and her head fell precociously onto my forearm. She had gone away for good. I guess that is where she wants to die and nowhere else. She had come into my life in my arms and that is where she had left me.

I miss you very much Precious. You are much more than just a pet. You are a loyal friend, staying with me through thick and thin. You showed me what unconditional love is and you have left a lasting legacy in my life. Thank you for all the joyful moments that you have provided my family and me. You deserve your place in heaven. Though it's hard to let you go, I know that I must. Till we meet again, Hicks will continue where you've left off...............

A Proud Dad!

Aqilah performed on the piano at the Espalanade Concert Hall on 3 August 2008. It was a first for us. It was Aqilah's first piano performance at the venue and it was also the first time that the rest of the family members were there. Being in the concert hall itself was an experience. It was majestic, something very opulent and grandeur. I cannot imagine the kind of words that are required to describe it. Watching my 7-year old girl play, even though for that momentous minute, I cannot help but to feel extreme joy as she overcame her fears and shyness to be part of the historic chain of pianists playing a very heavy piece. What's more important is that she enjoyed every minute of it and right afterwards, told my wife that she wished that there were always going to be opportunities for her to perform...... Alhamdulillah.