Tending to the sick

...makes for a quiet weekend indeed.

With the gash on his head AF has been placed under 'house arrest'... well sorta :) i didnt want him gallivanting about shah alam thus increasing his chances of somehow hitting his head twice. and being the klutz that he is, i wouldnt put it pass him.

So other than the short little breaks at chilli merah with ab & the gang, he's stuck in my room fiddling away with his 'gadgets'. and its a good thing he has the new hp... it has most certainly distracted him from the pain lol.

As for AH, after her larian sekolah yesterday she went on to a dinner/birthday party at TGIF subang parade and it might've just proven to be a bit too much for one day.. bcos she's now down with fever. probably some sort of viral infection, or maybe its just her body telling her to slow down, dunno. but what i do know is, i now have 2 sick kiddoes on my hands.

AI, i sure hope your silence means that you're fine back there in lendu!!

Thank god golfman's also doing fine way across the ocean. he's attending a convocation at president hotel, ashgabat of 8 UTP (turkmen) grads and a group of technicians who'd successfully undergone training by 'da oil co.' seems that its quite a big do over there but unfortunately, no pics. just too bad eh.. would've been nice to have a lil peek at the ceremony and be able to compare.

Usually when people ask me the whereabouts of my husband and i tell them "he's in turkmenistan", the usual reaction would be "huh?!" followed by a totally blank expression. heheheh i dont actually blame them.. not only is turkmenistan an unfamiliar mouthful, its not what one would call a vacation hotspot either.

Its just a hangout for your regular orang minyaks.. but maybe its time we open the doors wide to others as well ;)

Introducing Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan has been visited by many empires. Alexander the Great conquered the territory in the 4th century B.C. on his way to India. 150 years later Persia's Parthian Kingdom established its capital in Nisa, an area very near to Ashgabat. In the 7th century A.D. Arabs conquered the region and it was around this time that the famous Silk Road was established as a major trading route between Asia and Europe. Then the caliph Al-Ma'mun moved his capital to Merv. In the middle of the 11th century, Turks of the Seljuk Empire were on the scene. Later in the 12th century, Cengiz Khan took control of the region.

By 1894 Russia had taken control of Turkmenistan and in 1917, subsequent political unrest led to the declaration of the Turkmen Republic as one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union in 1924. At this time the modern borders of Turkmenistan were formed. Then in 1991, with the breakup of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan became independent. The former Soviet leader, Saparmurat Niyazov took power and he is the leader of turkmens. He died recently on 21 december 2006 and now Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow is the new president.



Ancient cities like Merv, Dekhistan (also known as Misrian) and Konye-Urgench inspire visions of slow-moving caravans plodding along the ancient Silk Road. The modern and manicured Ashbagat (otherwise known as the city of love - hey, i didnt know that abe.. tsk tsk, no wonder la theres so many MJs!) will give you another slant on Turkmen culture, while Eastern Turkmenistan's fertile plains and numerous historical sites make it a must. Nature-lovers will appreciate the haunting beauty of the Karakum (Black Sand) desert and the occasional quirks of coloured canyons, dinosaur footprints and burning gas craters.

Fast Facts about Turkmenistan
Money: manat (M); black market US$1 = 24, 500M
Famous for: Golden statues of Turkmenbashi, gas reserves, horses, carpets
Area: 488, 100 sq km
Population: approximately five million
Capital: Ashgabat (Aşgabat)
Country Code: 993
Phrases in Turkmen:
Peace be with you./Hello. (salam aleykum); Thanks. (sagh bol); How are you? (siz nahili?)
Languages: Turkmen, Russian, Uzbek.




Views of President Hotel, 54 Archabil Shayoly Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
(from: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkmenistan & http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/b8558/164dee/ )


Workout Log
AM - Fun aerobics/60 mins/Dataran Shah Alam.

Weekly Tally: 21 km