Optimus Prime for Syakir

It was Syakir's birthday the other day and this time, we threw him a party. Just a simple one at McDonald's but I think it really made his day.

And as a gift, I bought him an Optimus Prime toy. It was something that he had always wanted but if you think that I did it for my own benefit, you're absolutely korek-korek-korek also. I bought the thing so that I, too, can play with it.

Besides, I was planning to feature the toy in Thingamajiggy so it's also for work, you know!

Let's get on with that important matter.


My verdict about this toy:

1. Price RM99.90 (at Jusco) is not bad at all. I thought all the Transformers' prices would have inflated like nobody's business by now.

2. Conversion is simple enough that even Syakir could figure it out on his own (and teach me some more!).



3. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of articulation the robot has to offer. The thing looks kinda stiff in brochures.

4. What I don't get however is why they decided to go with a paint job that is a throwback to the original Optimus Prime from the 1980s? Syakir didn't get it too (he also used the word 'throwback' in his statement).

The joys of being a parent

This is why kids are great to have.

Last weekend, which was a particularly long one, I got the boys to spend some time at my place in PJ.

It was Friday so I brought them to the mosque for Friday prayers. Big mistake. Kids this age can never sit still. Worse still if you have two of them together.

My boys were playing, teasing each other, rolling around, generally being an annoyance to the rest of the congregation who were trying to pray. This was especially true of my three-year-old, Zuhayr.

I was furious but waited until we got home to express my disapproval. Then I called Zuhayr over. I remember as a child, my father would pull me by the ear in this kind of situation. For my son, I decided to go with a scolding and a good -- real good -- spanking.

It was enough to send him on the verge of tears.

Then I sent him off and went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. The next thing I knew, he was fast asleep on the armrest of the sofa like this:


Tiba2 jadi kesian pulak. Really, how can you not go 'awww' when you see something like this?


If you rotate the picture like this, he looks like the son of a koala bear.