Pandora's Box

Happy Birthday Dear Rameen

2011-02-16T17:09:00.002+08:00

Help Me Be Good

2011-01-24T13:58:00.006+08:00

Last night before reading bedtime story to my kids I had a little chat with my elder son about his school. He was so excited telling me about his friends and teachers when suddenly he fed me with this bit of information ; ”Cikgu cakap kalau kita tipu nanti Tuhan akan hantar surat kat ular suruh ular tu masuk dalam rumah dan patuk kita…” I don’t know whether the teacher did say that or he just made up stories, but I was quite annoyed when I heard the statement. I understand the good intention of the teacher but I do feel that it should be done in a proper manner so the kid won’t get the wrong idea. I remembered the book about lying and decided to read the book instead of the usual stories. I bought this set form Grolier since I was 6 month pregnant with my first child. Though it’s a bit pricey I thought of it as an investment for my child. Now after 7 years I found that this series about help me be good is really handy when it comes to instilling values to your kid at least in my case. During the reading session I gave him a few examples, much simpler ones so that he can relate them to his daily life situations. In between of the few pauses of reading and explaining my son keep asking questions and he also provides his own examples. When I gave example about breaking a vase and throw it in the dustbin is also a form of lying, suddenly he interrupted with few strange questions…vase yg macam pasu mama tu ke? Macam mana mommy dia tahu dah pecah? Bila dia tengok kat tepi dan belakang pasu tu ek…? Hmmm…something is not right somewhere…so I said to him by throwing the broken vase the girl actually has made two mistakes…1) breaking the vase, 2) by telling lies to her mother…so when you make mistake the best thing to do is to say sorry. He was quiet after I finished reading. Just right after I switch off the light I heard him mumbling his apologies under the blanket – Ammar tak tipu pasal pasu mama, Ammar dah cakap sorry pasal pasu yg rosak tu…sorry mama…so that confirmed my suspicion about the weird questions. I praised him for being a good boy nonetheless and deep down inside I know that somehow I managed to instill good value in him.

New Chapter

2011-01-14T12:29:00.005+08:00

I've stopped writing for quite sometimes so hello again. It's not that I don't have anything to write but I was so engrossed in my grieves and other problems. So many things happened last year and I was lost for words since words were not enough to express my feelings at that time...Hope this new beginning of the year will open a new chapter in my life. I'm up to everything that life might have in store for me...

Nature's Wonder

2009-09-05T03:35:00.006+08:00

When my little baby has cough and runny nose it turns nasty due to his narrow airways. It is clogged with phlegm that makes him difficult to breathe. When I took him to the clinic, the doctor said there’s nothing much that could be done since my baby is born premature and still underweight. Since choices of medication are very limited Rameen has to take nebulizer for at least three days in a row and see how the progress goes. If the cough is getting worse then he has to be admitted for suction. He would suffer this every time he has cough and flu. I am so grateful that I’m blessed with kind people around me. My elder son's teacher has suggested that I use traditional Indian remedies to reduce the cough and lessen the phlegm. It’s the cedar leaves – I don’t know what it is called in Malay. It’s very useful and I think it’s good if I can share it. The trick is to apply some ‘vicks’ on the surface of the leaf and heat it on flame for a minute or two then carefully placed the leaf on the baby’s back and chest especially near the lungs. It is believed that the leaves absorb the phlegm and make the baby feel better. She also intoduces me to a very good baby sitter. She helps me a lot in taking care of the baby and continue to do the chores of applying the leaves– well I guess this is a bonus when you send the child to a baby sitter compared to a day care center. I've tried this for a couple of days and miraculously when I took Rameen for check up the doctor aborted the idea of getting him warded.

Now my baby is suffering from the same problem again and with the aggressive outbreak of h1n1 in these days it really worries me.The fact that he’s not yet completed the vaccination is really terrifying because there’s a high risk of him getting h1n1.Frankly speaking the idea of going near the hospital is not really appealing because I know that my son could be exposed to all sorts of illnesses especially the influenza A. Again it's the baby sitter who reminds me about cedar leaves which I almost forgotten about it. So during these few days apart from daily visit to the clinic for nebulizer I applied the leaves twice. Hopefully my son will get better soon. It tearing my heart every time I hear him coughing.

Photo Frenzy

2009-05-12T23:54:00.007+08:00

Ammar has aquired a new hobby. He just love snapping pictures and here are a few of his master pieces for display. Of course mommy is 'thrill' and dad says let him explore...he has so many things to discover. It seems that mommy's phone will be on loan untill the novelty wears off...and of course mama's friends will get updates from Ammar every now and then; messages, calls...whatever it might be...;o)

the willing models

little assignment at mama's workplace

favorite show

Technology Savvy

2009-05-06T23:43:00.004+08:00

Some people say it's good to expose your children to IT at the early age so that they won't face problems later on. In my case I think I don't really have to expose my 4 year old son to those things because he himself shows an ardent interest in exploring things. Dad's phone has been his favorite toys and the father is very surprise when he realizes that his son managed to operate his phone without supervision. Ammar now has his own lap top, a present from dad so that he could 'work' side by side with dad. As the novelty of the computer wears off he now revert to his old hobby - play with the phone but this time my phone. Now he likes to snap photos using the phone camera and my oh my... he snaps photos of almost everything! Tonight I discover that he has extended his skills to writing message...well I should have expected this to happen knowing him and his little adventures! Just recently around 7 p.m my phone was screaming madly signaling the incoming messages continuously one after another. Everybody was asking about the mysterious message that they got including my EX BOSS. Right after that my mother in law called to check if everything is ok...(so she got the message too).When I checked the phone it seemed like my son had scribbled his ‘hello’ and sent the message to ALL people in the phone book. No wonder!So I had to write an apology to everyone and everybody and later was laughing madly reading all the replies. My friend said it’s very cute and I was about to agree with her but decided to change my mind when I read the last message…well my beloved son had SUBSCRIBED God knows what via the phone and I got a thank you message for that plus the RM5 charges. Yeah...very creative indeed!

Latest Addition to the Family

2009-04-19T01:24:00.012+08:00

Finally the baby has arrived...born at 34 weeks ,1 month early like his brother. Doctor said the next child would also be early - if there's a next one...;0P-, so when I'm approaching 30 weeks I better get everything ready and start packing. Oh..forget about the private hospitals because none would accept me as I'd have high risk case/cases so I should book a room at any government hospital for at least 3 weeks. So, here's the little fella...he's now two months and he's already smiling and gurgling every now and then.Only now I managed to upload Rameen's pictures. Most people say that he looks just like his brother and he's more Kudin than Ammar. Well, nampak gayanya mama dapat sakit ngan penat la yang banyak...rupa semua boleh dadad. May be later if we have a girl she will look just like me.

Ammar sayang adik, tapi kekadang tu dengki jugak. Dah kena hempap ngan botol susu, ketuk kepala, baring atas dada...sume dah kenakan adik. Now apa yang dadad buat kat adik mesti kena buat kat dia sama. kalu tak mula la keluarkan ayat-ayat kesian dia..."takde sapa pun yang sayangkan saya" @ "takde sapepun yang pedulikan saya"

Got Answer for This?

2009-04-17T01:07:00.003+08:00

This scenario just happened and it was really eating me up. If you read this perhaps you have answer for this:

Me: Kedai makan kat depan tu bukak tak?
Him: Tah, tak perasan...macam tak bukak je rasanya.Kenapa ada nak suruh beli apa-apa ke?
Me: Hmmm...ingat nak mintak tolong beli nasi goreng
Him: Rasa malas la nak keluar.
Me: Tak pe la kalau gitu, sebab ammar belum makan lagi. abg uda balik lambat
Him: Boleh la kalau nak suruh beli....

Mama...asu dah beli dah nasi goreng...
so i went down and saw that he was feeding my son

Me: take pe la, biar akak suap
Him: mintak sikit nasi tu boleh tak...
Me: tak makan lagi ke? kitaorang belum makan lagi sebenarnya
Him: kenapa tak beli dua tadi?
Me: ingat nak share je ngan ammar
Him: tak ple la...bagi la sikit

so i gave him a portion in a plate he brought to me. When he was done he put the plate in the sink. I waited for him to wash it but he just left it there...ok may be he would do it later...When my son and I finished eating the plate was still there in the sink so I washed it. Suddenly a voice behind me said

tu maggie kat dalam almari tu boleh masak tak?
It was 12.30 in the middle of the night, i deliberately twist his words and said tu abg uda punya...masakla kalu nak.

This is not the first time those things happen and I know it won't be the last. I'm used to see clatters of unwashed plates and mugs on the dining table or in the sink. Tu belum masuk botol /tin minuman kosong dalam fridge, foodwrappers on the dining table...Bukan tak boleh nak basuh atau kemas tapi I pun penat jugak kalau selalu macam ni. I'm not a fulltime housewife who could focus only on the house chores. Sometimes kalu dah penat sangat I tinggal je ,tapi bila hubby nampak terus je kena serang...kenapa tak basuh/bersihkan? when I told him itu bukan I yang buat pun kena jugak..."takkan itu pun tak boleh tolong buat, rumah ni rumah sapa...rumah you jugakkan." Memang kalau cakap dengan dia pasal ni mesti gaduh...balik-balik I yang salah. Malas nak gaduh-gaduh I keep everything all to myself. Tapi lama-lama tak tahan dah...boleh gila I nanti. So you have anything to say about this?

One Day With A Maid

2009-04-15T04:48:00.002+08:00

It has been ages since last time I wrote here. Well the pregnancy made me too lazy too write plus all the complications that came with it. So now the is ordeal over and I'm up to write again...got alot of catching up to do. Actually I want to write about something else but reading a friend's blog has prompted me to write about the problem I'm facing with right now...It's my MAID. For the record I just picked her up last Sunday and she was so excited to get started to work. Later her enthusiasm was slowly fading out and she started to twist her ankle every now and then. Last night at dinner time she told my husband that she wanted to go back to Indon to cure her broken leg. Ahhh...so she forgot to tell the agent that she got a broken leg, and came to Malaysia thinking that everything would be ok. Who knows suddenly the leg is throbbing and she fesls numb. I called the agent telling her the problem and she had a private chat with the maid but she insisted to go back to Indon. Today while cooking I had a little chat with her, asking her about her background etc. I told her if she go back I cannot afford to wait for her bcoz i need a maid urgently and promise to send her this evening. Her face automatically lift up and she suddenly become chatty. Tonight when hubby called and tell me that we would send her tomorrow so we could get a replacement, she suddenly limping, telling me that her leg is aching. She refused to eat and locked hersel in the bedroom. That's it! Enough is enough! tomorrow I'm going to send her packing before I got anymore problem. It's very clear that she doesn't want to work and there's no point keepin her. what a terrible experience...my first encounter with a maid. May be I myself should be the maid afterall.

Happy Birthday Dear Ammar

2008-11-18T13:41:00.001+08:00

It’s Ammar’s Birthday! Finally he got the chance of celebrating his own birthday…he has been asking for his birthday for ages especially when he got goodie bag from one of his friends who celebrates birthday at the nursery. Actually his birthday falls on Sunday, so his dad suggested that we postpone the party to Monday so that he could have celebrated it with his friends. Trying to please him, I tried to accommodate him by granting his every wish. With that comes a terrible headache of finding an ‘ultraman birthday cake for his little party. Thank goodness he finally settled on ‘pokemon’ when we couldn’t get him the ‘spongebob’ cake (thanks to the lady at the cake house). But it was well paid off when I saw Ammar’s happy face and his excitement at his little party. It wasn’t that perfect but he kept telling every body that it was his birthday!!! That night dad took us to Ammar’s favorite restaurant for dinner..thanks dad…I’m glad that we’ve made him happy and that is what really matters.

Small treat

2008-10-21T21:05:00.003+08:00

Today invited a few friends for lunch. It's a sort of small makan-makan sempena Hari Raya. I decided to cook the dishes myself though hubby is fully against it. He's dreadful to think of the chaos and all the troubles it may cause him...he..he...I cooked nasi tomato, ayam masak merah, and dalca. Actually this is my first time cooking for a huge party so kira experiment la ni. I passed the lauk but the rice was a big disappointment. Tak puas hati gile....dah la rasanya agak kureng, rupanya pun tidaklah begitu memberangsangkan. But what to do....my friends have to make do with the dishes sebab dah takde food lain dah. Thank you guys for coming...you guys really make my day and I really appreciate it. Takpe kali ni I masak tak sedap, lain kali I masak bagi sedap....practice makes perfect kan....As usual hubby is worried sick of the outcome of the cooking. He said it looked like I'm feeding an army rather than a few friends. He's right...not many people turned up, so there were tons of foods left. Sapa nak abiskan ni? Teman dah susah hati tengok nasi seperiuk besar ngan lauk melambak-lambak kat dapur. Thanks to hubby who suggested that I packed the foods so that he could take them to his friends...Nasib korangla Kopraxxx...dapat nasi yang buruk rupa tu, janji food kat rumah habis. Hmmm...so selesai masalah, abis licin semua kena kebas, sekali dengan bekas tak dapat balik. Diaorang cakap kalau selalu mood masak ni datang, bolehla orang sebelah tumpang kenyang! Apap-apa je la!

At Last...

2008-10-15T16:30:00.007+08:00

cantik tak...agak-agak boleh la kan masuk ngan painting tu...

After a long wait for about 2 months at last I got my car. Akhirnya dapat jugak pakai kereta tu, dah lama dah dok mengidam nak pakai, sampai at one time dah rasa cam kempunan. We had to go all the way to Rawang to get the car. Hubby had been very patient waiting for all the hassles to clear up before we could take the car home. He let me drove the new car and purposely drove his car at a snail’s speed, so that I wouldn’t be lost…I am so terrible when it comes to direction he…he...that was so considerate on his part wasn’t it…Tapi masa kat highway dia sengaja stayed kat lane paling kiri, droving at 60/kmj konon-konon he let me lead…pas tu dia speed gila-gila and honked at me, sambil tunjuk sign apa la…mak ngot…ceh, langsung tarik balik segala puji-pujian dan diganti dengan tuuut…yang paling menyakitkan hati bila dia gelak-gelak cakap "apa la takkan teknologi xxx yang 1.1cc tu nak lawan ngan Honda!" Grrrrr…!!!!Eleh malam tu dia yang kecewi dok belasah keta tu, bawak pegi merata la…siap tanya ada apa-apa nak dia tolong belikan kat kedai tak…cari excuse nak bawak keta baru la tu! Tapi ada satu lagi cite yang best…dapat beli bunga…he..he.., a big bouquet for the living room ( the only flower in the house). Ni pun dari awal tahun dok plan tapi baru sekarang jadi kenyataan. Thanks to KS and Wiweed for taking me to that fabulous shop. Kalu tak rasanya tahun depan pun belum tentu ada bunga kat umah . So it helps to soften the austerity and starkness of the room. Seperti biasa when I asked hubby for commence he only answered berapa lama benda ni boleh tahan kat situ? Oh…thank God Ammar wasn’t around when I put the flowers and up until now he doesn’t realize the flowers are there. So the bouquet is still pretty and very much intact. I’m being extremely careful and worried sick about the flowers but couldn’t really care less bout the car. Guess I’m more excited about the flowers than the car huh…;op

The Progress

2008-10-10T15:02:00.003+08:00

I'm now 18 weeks pregnant. Hmm...it begins to show now and some people say I may be carrying twins hih..hih...may be campur lemak masa gemuk dulu kot.Nope, no twins just one baby and Alhamdulillah he or she is doing fine ( tak nampak lagi gender, dia malu nak tunjuk) so far everything is fine and I'm so grateful though I'm not yet out of the dangerous situation but at least it's under control. Doc said I may have to go through another caesarean since the baby might come out early. Tak pe lah asal dia sihat dan semua selamat. Now I have to double up my vitamin intakes plus other supplements and medications...tu yang tak larat tu, tapi kena jugaklah for the baby's sake. It's a precaution takut-takut kena PIH lagi. ada orang suruh pakai baju mengandung pergi kerja, sebab perut dah buncit. Segan la pulak, orang yang tujuh bulan pun baru je pakai, takkan kita yang baru 4 bulan lebih ni dah nak pakai maternity dress. nanti kata mengada la pulak kan, nak menunjuk-nunjuk...maklum le, orang lain pun pernah mengandung jugak, tapi tak macam tu pun...(ayat keramat kat tempat kerja). Nak excited pun kat kat blog ni la...syok sendiri, tak kisahlah...asal bahagia dan tak kacau orang kan!

Selamat Hari Raya

2008-10-09T00:02:00.014+08:00

This year punya Hari Raya disambut dengan gumbiranya sebab balik raya kat kampungku yang tercinta...heh...he...Tahun ni all my uncles and aunties balik beraya kat kampung, so bertambah meriah la rumah tok ngan wan. Anakku itu toksah cerita la, seronok sesangat main 'bunga berapi' walaupun yang tinggal tu cuma saki baki lepas tok accidentally buang separuh kat longkang.... she thought dah habis main...Since sume orang menayang gambar raya teringin la jugak nak tempel aksi-aksi masa raya...walaupun perut dah agak boyot sikit, tapi masih nak melaram gak....;0

The Scary Story

2008-09-28T14:53:00.005+08:00

Ammar masa kecik...bukan senang nak dapat sampai besar cam sekarang...

The raya fever has taken to its full swing and everywhere people are frenzied with the last minutes preparation. Since it’s going to be a long holiday most of the city dwellers take this opportunity to go back to their home town on Saturday. Hubby said we better avoid balik kampung on that day or else we’ll be stuck in the sea of cars and he really hates the slow moving traffics. Last night after a painstaking labor of spring cleaning my house hubby took us to OU for Iftar and a little bit of last minute shopping after that. Thinking that most people have gone back to their kampung we didn’t bother to make a reservation at any of the restaurant…hubby said there’ll be plenty of eating places to choose with…ya right! So much for his thoughtfulness we ended up buka puasa with only apple juice and egg tarts at the staircase near the food court…(ramai yang join after that couldn’t find any vacant restaurant, not even a single seat at the food court for that matter) . Ammar was screaming for rice and I felt guilty because I had to make him wait. I was close to tears when one lady gave him some keropok….she said kesian budak…dia nak makan! God I felt like I was the lousiest mother on Earth! Thank God hubby managed to find a vacant seat at Laksa Shack after that. It was very ironic because right after we had our dinner the place looked empty. Where was the sea of people that we saw earlier? Hubby said this was a great chance for us to browse around the shops since they were less crowded. Again as if that were the magic words tons of people suddenly appeared out of no where. I tighten my hold of Ammar since he was excitedly running around. Mungkin Tuhan nak uji, Ammar tiba-tiba jerked free from me and ran. I tried to catch him but I was no match of him. Punya la cari tapi tak jumpa. Panic started to creep in me so I called hubby cakap Ammar hilang. Masa tu dah macam orang gila ke hulu ke hilir cari anak. Dalam hati mula terfikir yang bukan-bukan…dah jadi Yin la anak aku! Dalam panick-stricken situation tu tiba-tiba I saw him . punya la lega…tapi anak aku tu langsung tak heran, tak rasa pun yang dia hilang. Dah tu bersenang lenang looking around siap lari lagi bila nampak mama dia! When I told hubby anak dah jumpa terus dia datang dan pap!pap! kena la dua tiga kali! I was so shocked sampai jadi lembik…nak pitam. So balik gitu je la…dalam kereta asyik doa jangan jadi apa-apa kat baby dalam perut ni. Kang hilang anak sorang lagi pulak! Ini lah kisah raya paling ngeri yang akan diingat sampai bila-bila!

Keretaku sayang, tuanmu malang...

2008-09-25T11:09:00.003+08:00

As raya is just around the corner kudin decided to make en early preparation to avoid last minutes jobs. So he took the car for service and since it was a major service it left quite a big whole in his bank account. As I want a hassel free journey to my kampung...he...he I don't reallymind about it. When he picked me up from school yesterday he suddenly voiced that the tyres were badly botak. Hmm..it's a high time we change them. again sebab nakkan a smooth journey to kampungku tercinta I agreed and infact agreed to contribute my newly acquired bonus to top up the cost. After a few hours of waiting finally the tokey said, bos sudah siap...kasi test drive dulu ha....there goes my RM700, campur tolak service dah jadi RM 1000+++. Termenung gak kejap pikirkan duit habis kat situ je. nak dijadikan cerita, baru je keluar kedai, baru kat simpang jalan suddenly we heard a weird sound, and kudin suspected there must be something wrong with the tyres. Yup....angin tayar belakang dah keluar, ingat nak jalan depan sikit nak parking tepi tapi ada satu lagi bungi yang sungguh menyakitkan telinga...nut dah keluar! So Kudin called the shop and the worker had to change to a spare tyre. We drove back to the shop fully ecpected the owner to compensate it with a new one. After the long inspection the owner dropped the bombshell...bos...ada batu tajam sudah kenalu punya tayar...tada apa ini boleh tampal punya...! what???tampal???no new tyre? macam nak meroyan rasa! tak sampai 24 jam pun, tak sampai rumah pun lagi...dah kena tampal, apa ni....BENCI!BENCI!BENCI! (300 ribu juta 800 ratus kali) Sakit nya hati...tapi yang lebih sakit hati sebab tak boleh nak marah kat sapa-sapa...kudin cakap takpela mungkin ada hikamah...sejuk la sikit...tapi tak lama sebab ayat sambungan selepas itu...you tu kedekut sangat duit you! tu la lain kali jangan nak berkira! Eh...ini statement yang boleh mengundang letupan gunung berapi...mau tak!!

The Reunion

2008-09-15T16:26:00.003+08:00

masing-masing cuba cari angle yang tak nampak tembam, tapi apakan daya

Last Saturday while resting, a friend of mine called spilling the news of our reunion...like the one we had last year...which due in the next few hours time ( she was supposed to tell us earlier but she forgot all about it) it was already 2.30 pm and I was supposed to meet my friends for Iftar at Kg. Pandan (one of the KTR members has a restaurant there). I was clueless of the meeting place nor I have a single idea about the plans and arrangement made for us. Luckily hubby was free that day so at 6.00 pm we went to Damansara Perdana to fetch my friend before heading to Kg. Pandan. Actually it was supposed to be a fixed event for KTR members to have iftar cum reunion every year, so we better pencil it after this. We had so much to cacth up so most of us barely ate our dinner since everybody was so busy talking and asking questions to each other. Around 11 we adjourn to Tarbush for coffee...not so much for the coffee actually, but we need a suitable place to continue our borak without raising glances from other customers...you can imagine the noise and the havoc...ye la setaun sekali baru jumpa though most of us stay around Kl...tapi payah nak jumpa! Ammar memak lemak la sebab ramai yang melayan, kira he's the only anak sedara..yang lain tak bawak anak and ada yang still single. This year they all nak tukar plan (yang banyak sangat tu tapi tak jadi). Instead of jumpa masa buka puasa they want to have a gathering during hari raya, and my house is the lucky no 1. Tak pe la makcik tak kisah...seronok jugak to have my friends kumpul ramai-ramai lepak at my place. taun-taun sudah ramai kawan kudin je! since i am ecpexting my second child, they suggested to do a pot luck. i said ok if they want to bring food but they don't really have to. I can fix that all for them. He..he...terpedaya jugak korang! ingat mak cik gagah perkasa ke nak buat semua. Gunakan segala kemudahan yang ada, banyak tempat yang boleh terima order...so cakap je nak makan apa! evrything's on the house...;op

How I Wish...

2008-09-09T15:23:00.003+08:00

Ramadhan has finally arrived. As this is a blessed month for Muslims I can say that it is welcomed with joy and anticipation by all. (in fact hubby wants to name our child Ramadhaniah, if it’s a girl…ekk…:o\) Apart from fulfilling our duties of fasting, Ramadhan is also renowned for its festivities. Pasar Ramadhan with the arrays and assortment of colorful dishes, the shiny, twinkling baju raya…and the endless list of goodies intended for the hari raya…everyday is a celebration. My workplace pun tidak terkecuali. Every day you hear people talking about cooking dishes for buka puasa and sahur, exchanging recipes and sharing the famous recipe turun temurun nenek moyang masing-masing. And recently one of my friends has started beading…though she said it’s only for children to me it’s really a tremendous task. It’ll take a lot of effort and dedication. Hmm… how nice dapat masak untuk family, dapat buat semua, but my condition won’t allow me to do such things (though I doubt I’ll do it all…beading?? He..he.. must be kidding!!). Dapat bangun bawak diri pun dah kira bagus. Kesian gak kat Ammar, since I got pregnant dia dah jadi anak terbiar. Mama asyik baring, sakit kepala, tak boleh nak layan. Sampai at one time dia suruh mama ‘muntah’ adik cepat. Kekadang tu dia suruh mama makan ubat so takde la adik..mama pun tak sakit perut lagi. Sian plak…I just wish that this headaches and nausea would go away so that I can live like a normal person. Tapi baru-baru ni things are getting better, so I managed to cook simple dish for hubby. Bosan gak beli food kat luar…actually I don’t know what to eat, in fact I can’t even think about food, sakit kepala…loya! Yesterday a friend ajar masak kuih traditional – kuih Khasidah (I’ve been searching everywhere tapi tak jumpa, boleh dapat kat utara je)…my favorite. So gave it a try and yahoo…jadi! Past la untuk tekak sendiri dan Ammar. Hubby cakap ok…boleh tahan. Berkobar-kobar rasa nak masak bila dia cakap “heran ye kenapa you masak sedap sekarang ni?” Baru je nak kembang lubang hidung tapi ayat seterusnya mematikan niat untuk mencuba resipi yang lain-lain…"Ke sebab bulan puasa, bila lapar je semua sedap!” Apa- papa je lah, janji bila masak habis licin dia kebas. Hari ni ingat nak buat spaghetti je lah. Itu confirm sedapkan??? Hmm…nampaknya setahun lagi la baru dapat jadi orang ‘normal’…

Tales of Bureaucracy

2008-08-26T15:38:00.002+08:00

School holidays are over and reading my friends’ blog has given me the notion that everybody had a wonderful time. As for me it wasn’t really bad, just that I didn’t manage to go back to my hometown due to the time constraint plus hubby’s tight schedules. But the family gathering has made up for the loss…though it was quite tiring experience with the wedding and entertaining…it was worth it. During the gathering I got the chance to meet the long lost relatives. When I saw tears in my grandma’s eyes when she met with her brothers and sisters it was a very touching moment. Hmm… tiga hari my family ada kat sini boleh jadi mabuk kari…everyday kena masak kari, eating out pun kena cari nasi kandar kat pelita…tapi bukan itu yang nak cerita sangat pun, tu selingan je. Sebenarnya I was so piss off with all the red tapes that I had to go through just to buy a small cheap car using a government loan (this is the real cause I couldn’t balik kampung). I got a phone call from treasury department regarding my application forms, seems like there was a part in the agreement which was incomplete. So I had to go all the way to Putrajaya to get the forms and it so happened that my boss didn’t sign at the witness section. Well he’s not really to blame since it was stated there nama dan jawatan only. The lady in charged said I had to ask the distributor to produce a new letter since they can only release the money in September and there’s one particular word yang buat surat tu tak diterima “bila-bila masa”. Tak taula apa dosanya perkataan tu and hey it’s not my fault duit tu kena release in September…I sent the application in July. And yesterday I managed to get everything done and shot to Putrajaya again only to be given a notion that I’ll only get the money in October…after raya of course! Come on! It’s not yet September and I have to wait about a month kononnya dah terlepas tarikh..tak sempat sesangat nak squzee in untuk September. And guess what…kena mintak surat baru change the month from September to October..ha..hah…Kudin bengang gile…katanya nak dapat kereta sebijik pun teruk, tu pun kereta cikai je..bukannya apply nak beli BMW pun. Yela nak buat macam mana..dah nak mintak duit dia kena la tunggu jugak setahun pun. Since we really need the car terpaksa la mengemis jugak sebab dah takde cara lain lagi dah.

"The Bibik And I"

2008-08-15T17:49:00.002+08:00

As my relatives are expected to arrive tomorrow evening, the house needs to be super clean and neat. ( they’re here for the wedding…three families are coming). Due to the house’s critical condition kudin decided to ask a maid to come and perform her magic to get everything in place. Hmmm…that was the brightest idea from him so far and I agreed in no time. So here she comes…looking rather frail and fragile ( she’s so thin and small). Guess she’s in her mid 20s though she looks older than that. Kudin went out for shooting so here I am…trying to give orders to a maid for the first time. Wheww…nampaknya memang tak berbakat nak jadi mem…every time I ask her to do the house chores I begin my sentence with “boleh tak tolong…” Kudin kept calling every 15 minutes to know the progress and when I mentioned this to him he said kalau dia kata tak nak you nak cakap apa? Suruh je la..kita bayar dia, bukan mintak tolong sesaje…taking the words to heart I was all set to see that everything is done to perfection. But after her third chores I actually asked her to stop and I nicely offered her coke! Ok la kan atas dasar peri kemanusiaan…tak sampai hati pulak tengok dia berpeluh-peluh, memang patutla kalau offer air pun kan…Bila dia start lipat kain yang bertimbun-timbun tu tetiba je mulut ni lancar je keluar, ‘yang baju kurung semua tu tak payah lipat ye, awak masuk bakul je saya buat sendiri, awak lipat yang lain-lain tu sudah”. Then I turun ambik penyapu dan sapu bilik and kemas everything so dia tak payah buat. Hmmm…how was that? Before she calls it a day, I asked her to put aside baju-baju yang dah tak nak dipakai so senang nak masuk kotak nanti. Wait…daripada simpan baik bagi dia kan…so I asked the bibik to chose any baju that she likes bawak balik. Something wrong with me? Kalau macam ni gayanya macam mana nak ada maid. Silap-silap nanti kita yang jadi maid, dia goyang kaki…

What's the Story Morning Glory...

2008-08-12T23:52:00.002+08:00

Here am again...alast I've emerged from the cave to see civilization. Still I've to put up with terrible headaches and nausea put the blame on the pregnancy...well this is partly true. Ntahla dalam -dalam dok lembik ni sempat gak berpoya-poya during the weekends. First the wedding on Saturday night...though I'm practically in a delicate condition I managed to attend a wedding - Kudin's cousin whom he never met before. Actually we went to the wrong venue which happened to be next to the actual wedding. Dalam jalan terkepit-terkepit sebab pakai kasut tumit tinggi I realized that all of the guests looked different from us...and different colors too. Nasib baik la Dr. Kudin pergi intai kat entrance dulu sebelum masuk hall, rupanya Ramaiyyah weds Kaliammah. He..he...patutla lain macam! But we managed to get to right venue and made our grand entrance. I survived through the night...putting up pretty smiles and having civilize conversations with all the unfamiliar relatives. The next day was my day! I managed to drag hubby baby to watch a belly dancing show. My friend's daughter (forgive my husband's ignorance) did her first performance and we were there to give support. It was magnificient and we enjoyed it. Tapi tu la orang tua-tua cakap seronok sangat jadi tak seronok. Monday morning I didn't feel like going to work. Perut sakit , badan rasa lembik semacam je. I decided to be self indulged and took a day off. Sejak dua menjak ni I hate going to school. Everymorning I have to drag myself out of bed. Tapi dok rumah pun pening gak...En kudin dok kemas barang dari pagi sampi petang tak abis-abis. Habis sume barang Ammar masa baby dulu dipunggah keluar. Buat persediaan kononnya. Now the hall dah bertukar jadi stor tempat letak buai, play mat etc...Suka hati la labu! Penat nak layan ...ada lebih kurang 7 bulan lagi nak bersiap sedia!

The Truth Does Hurt

2008-08-05T22:43:00.002+08:00

So many things have been going on last week. My deteriorating health conditions didn’t allow me to do much. Amidst all the headaches and nausea, I tried my best to give commitments to works and other responsibilities expected from me. Though I’m not normally the touching type over petty things especially, but I can’t help feeling rather sad and bitter about several incidents. I’m not saying that I’m really a nice person but most of the time I try to be helpful to others in any way I could. And what do I get in return? Okay so I’m used to not being appreciated or hearing a simple thank you for the deeds I’ve done but being ignored when asking a favour during your bad time entitled me to a feeling of bitterness and resentment I guess. Why the favour I was asking for was nothing compared to what I’m going through right now…and to think that I’ve done most of her job on her behalf…Ok somebody said I got all mushy just for a petty thing, and hey somebody pointed out that it’s all because of this pregnancy. May be they’re right ! But how would you feel if somebody said that you’re using your newly acquired condition as an excuse for not doing your jobs or shunning out your responsibilities??? Hey I’m just a normal human being…flesh and blood who happens to have feelings. Do they seriously think that I made things up…thing as serious as threatened abortion? I don’t ask for this to happen and I don’t ask for the extraordinary treatment due to my condition. All I ask for is a little bit of understanding and consideration. That’s all!

Something Wonderful

2008-07-28T17:43:00.001+08:00

Yoohooo…I’m back!!! Lama gila tak update, nasib baik la blog ni virtual, kalu tak sure dah setimbun habuk ngan cobwebs berjela-jela. Bukannya dah bosan nak buat menda ni, but I don’t really have time….( cheewaahh… macam PM lak sibuk bebeno) Actually the past few days were really hectic. Had to entertain MI plus the back and forth journey to Tapah. Dalam masa-masa tu jugakla dapat demam selsema so memang tak de mood la nak sentuh pc…nak celik mata pun tak larat. Ni bila dah ok skit boleh la start balik…hmmm but where do I start? Some says good news is meant to be shared so lets begin with the good news! In the middle of the hectic and chaotic days I found out that I am 5 weeks pregnant. How do I feel? Ntah….honestly I don’t feel a thing, happy tak, tak suka pun tak jugak. Actually we don’t plan to have another kid at least till next year…tapi rezeki Tuhan, terima je la…I hope this time it’s going to be a girl. Kudin nak anak kembar and every day he prays for twin girls…(his mother has a twin brother and his sister got a pair of twin) Amboi-amboi, sedapnya mulut…! tak de hal kalau dia sanggup tolong mengandungkan yang seorang lagi tu! Ammar ‘s reaction? Ooo…ada baby baru lying dalam tummy mama! Nanti tummy mama gemuk macam dalam gambar tu kan?? When asked whether he wants a baby in our family he answered I want baby boy! Baby girl don’t want! Aiyooo…just imagine another one like Ammar. Mama boleh jadi cam lidi makan hati. Hmm…nampaknya banyak la plan yang kena review balik, and definitely I have to get a new baju raya. I’m sure my boyot tummy couldn’t fit into the dress Tu la…sibuk sangat takut orang pakai dulu sebab baju sama, last-last sendiri yang tak boleh pakai. Apa-apa pun I hope that the baby is well and everything is going to be fine. I am grateful for this “unexpected” gift and waiting for the wonderful days ahead.

Surprise! Surprise!!

2008-07-16T17:20:00.003+08:00

Surprises spice things up in life! Though I normally an ardent believer in this, there comes certain circumstances where you find it abominable. A good example is to have unexpected guest who popped up unannounced on your door, least of all your Mother in Law. Seems like hubby never failed to surprise me with endless list of his guests of honor paying us a visit. Last nite at 12.30 a.m or should I say this very early morning he cordially mentioned that a friend is coming over on his way to Kuantan so we should have a little bit of tidying up to do here and there. Since everything is in order I don’t really take to heart about the guest. And just now he called me telling that mommy dearie is coming and she’s expected to arrive around 8.30. Suddenly the world around me is spinning wildly and I’m getting hysterical. I can feel it coming..yeah..!!! yeah!!! So how much time do I have to keep everything in places? Nampaknya terpaksa la jadi bionic woman and right away starts the marathon. Bukan apa takut nanti MIL kena heart palpitation pulak bila melangkah masuk ke rumah yang ala- ala pemenang casa impian ni!!! To add salt to the wound, I have to really crack my head and squeeze my brain to get it function properly so that I can think what to cook for dinner. Yup cooking...! though it sounds really unbelievable! Eating out? Forget it. Sebagai menantu mithali of course MIL would expect me to cook, and she’s not the type yang suka buang duit membazir makan kat luar. Dah la tak sedap, mahal dan sikit pulak tu!!! Itulah antara ayat-ayat keramat yang bakal keluar from mommy dearie. Neeenong…neeenong…help needed, wanted, or whatever vocabs that best described the chronic and critical situation I’m in right now. Right now I’m praying really hard that MIL would go straight to SIL’s house…further more it’s going to take about two hours more or less… to reach Tapah right??? Sure she doesn’t want to be late…and of course kena pujuk rayu hubby and give the most practical reason ever on why we should dine out and go straight to her sister’s. Unless if mommy dearie wants things the other way around. Oh Please God! Please grant my wish and I promise to be good for the rest of the month!!! Hehe..heh….Guess should stop now and start figure out where to begin with these noble duties!!!

Heart Wrenching Story

2008-07-14T22:16:00.004+08:00

There was nothing more devastating than the news I just heard from my mother...Even the death of my late grandma didn't really tore my heart like this. I've been crying profusely since I got the news, seems like that's the only way I can let my feelings out. Husband is not around, and I don't want to bother him with my problem at his crucial moments of staging a play especially in front of the critics who's out looking for flaws. I can't imagine just how cruel poeple could be especilally when they're your own kin. Just this evening my mom called telling me about my dad yang nak bawa diri nak pergi duduk kat Langkawi. When my mom asked him why he broke drown and cried...my mom said nangis yang sungguh-sungguh macam orang yang patah hati. When asked again my dad answered because I don't want him anymore, sebab tu tak mau jaga dia. When asked where did he get this ridiculous idea, dia cakap ada orang bagitau. Kononnya anaknya ni dah buang dia kat kampung, pas tu hidup senang-lenang kat KL. Mana tak hancur hati ni bila dengar macam tu? Sampai hati betul orang yang cakap macam tu! I've never neglected my father, infact I can proudly say I've fulfilled my responsibilities as a daughter to my my dad. I've offered him to stay with me but he refused...so the only thing that I can do is to give financial support. I've specifically provide monthly allowance for him...tapi orang tak tau semua tu. I'm fully aware that in my dad's condition right now, this is really a terrible blow to him. Nothing can convince him the other way around. Now we are all worried about him, takut kalau-kalau dia keluar ikut hati nak pergi Langkawi, tak tau nak balik... mana nak cari? Orang ni memang tak pikir langsung problems yang dia dah imposed kat orang. Sakit hati kat mana? Kalau ada la my dad pernah mintak rokok ke, minum tak bayar ke, bagitau la...kitaorang boleh bayar...tak payah la buat cerita macam ni. Kesian my mom yang puas kena pujuk my dad suruh stay, jangan pergi Langkawi. He actually has formed a notion in his mind that somebody is waiting for him there...somebody who's willing to accept him...!

Prince Charming and the Maid

2008-07-13T20:21:00.007+08:00

After being absent from the blog for quite sometimes I decided to write again. Not that I found this boring ( NO!NO!NO!) but the current state of mind plus my poor health (still suffering from flu and terrible cough) really drained me off. Nothing seems heavenly than sleeping. Now that I’m feeling much better in fact managed to cook lunch today – lala masak lemak cili api and terubuk baker…good enough for someone whose cooking skill is almost nil…;o) think I really should pet myself today, I managed to get most of the chores done too! Now I’m left with nothing to do ( ya right!) since husband got a final rehearsal tonight, the show is tomorrow and I don’t have the honor to be there since nobody is going to baby sit Ammar..how I wish the day care center would provide nightly baby sitting service…so I can really enjoy my nightlife he..heh… Talking about husband reminds me of an incident a few days ago. Since hubby has appeared in a quite well known tv program it has gained him the so called unwanted popularity. And so the people in my workplace notice that my husband is actually the fella who appeared on tv. One of my colleagues has just realized about this during the KAT festival while we were resting in the hostel. Amidst all the commotion somebody asked me to show the photo of my hubby and I did. The best part is when someone actually express her opinion out loud about us…SO DIA NI LA HUSBAND ENGKO…TAK MATCH LA!!! Wow!!! That’s the statement of the year I guess. And of course the tak match part she was referring to was actually me! When I told kudin about this he only smiled.. ya la… sebab orang puji dia, sampai kembang semangkuk dah lubang hidung…Then he asked me what did I say…What did I say? Nothing! Just pretending to laugh with the others to conceal the awkwardness. Well what would you say if someone says you’re not beautiful straight to your face???

Little Bundle of Joy

2008-07-09T23:29:00.001+08:00

So many things have been going on lately and none were pleasant enough to talk about. The deteriorating health condition is really a big turn off and a steaming workplace is a lethal combination to my currant mood. The short trip to my husband’s hometown failed to whip up the excitements except for little Ammar who enjoyed himself rotten. He immensely enjoyed the attention and being spoilt by Atuk Ayah and Atuk Mak. He got a chance to feed chickens and thoroughly enjoyed his adventure at the chicken den. His grandparents were so excited to show Ammar their backyard vegetable garden and at the same times asking the name of every single vegetable in the garden and he had a 'gala' day frolicking in the sun.
Listening to his conversation with his atuk ayah has prompted a broad smile especially when he atrociously gave answers to all questions he was asked like this:
Atuk Ayah : what’s this Ammar (pointing out to pumpkins)
AmmaR : (loud and clear) COCONUT !
Trying to keep a straight face I then pointed to him a bunch of coconuts and asked him “then what’s this? And he proudly answered MANGOESTEEN!. Even though we only stayed for the weekends it's nice to know that it is long enough to develop the bond between Ammar and Atuk Ayah. They were always together and it’s quite a sight seeing Ammar sitting next to my father in law, helping him to cut opak-opak…I’m glad that I’m not the type of person who slashed out the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson though we don’t visit them often. Seeing the joy Ammar brings to them made me realize just how lonely they are since most of the kids and their families lived far away and only visit them occasionaly. Well there’s no harm in bringing a little happiness to the elders I supposed.

The Green Ugly Monster in the Closet

2008-07-02T22:39:00.003+08:00

The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents

It has never crossed my mind that I have to carry the stigma of being a TESLian in the working world after leaving college ages ago. Strange that wherever we go people always label us problematic, overly socialized and at a certain point even scandalized. All the bad things are always associated with us who have English background having said of being “brained washed” by the western thinking and lifestyle. Funny that it happens to me again today after 8 years of joining the “so called” professional world. This afternoon our head of department suddenly came to visit us and she had a little chat with our KP. It seems like somebody or should I say everybody is not happy with our panel in almost everything I guess. What pissed me off is the childish act of whoever going on spreading venomous words to the big shots behind our back but at the same time pretending to be our friend. Betul la rambut sama hitam, tapi hati tak siapa tau. Orang yang ingat kawan pun boleh jadi lawan.Come on…takkan la small matters such as weekly outing ngan internet pun nak jadikan issue sampai nak kaitkan dengan hal kerja. Ye la…kononnya asyik berpoya-poya je sampai lupa tanggungjawab. Rasanya apa yang kita buat tak de ganggu sapa-sapa pun. May be sebab kita ni bukan jenis yang homely type, macam diaorang yang balik kerja terus masuk lubuk tak keluar-keluar dah. Tapi rasanya muka-muka ni yang kononnya hard core ni la yang selalu datang bila ada functions organized by the school, or doing the donkey jobs everytime ada functions. I remembered Wiweed and the gang sampai berkampung kat staff room abiskan kerja untuk satu majlis. I know my friends are the people yang tak pernah buat kerja cincai, tapi semua tu tak nampak sebab ditutupi flaws yang semua orang lain pun buat, tapi tak pernah kena apa-apa. Well may be because our panel is the most outstanding so all eyes and ears are on us. Orang yang cakap-cakap belakang ni rasanya nak buat apa yang kita buat tapi tak terdaya, mungkin tu sebabnya asyik cari silap..so dia rasa even.

To these people lebih baik improve ourselves daripada sibuk cari flaws orang lain so that we'll become a better person.

Life Goes On

2008-07-01T22:31:00.004+08:00

Not really in the mood for writing, still suffering the terrible flu and headache... well it comes in a package right. Just drop by to see what's the other half of the world is doing, thought need the diversion to keep me sane...heh..heh...There were a lot of things going on last two days which have added mountains to the degree of my headaches. Mom called telling me about dad's conditions which seem to be worsen day by day and this has resulted the new worries to creep in. It was such a heart break hearing that dad was actually cried when he asked my mom to take him to see me here. Said he really wanted to see me and his grandson. It's very strange since I'm not really close to my father may be due to his strict manners when dealing with us all, so we were closer to mom instead and turn to her for everything. Come to think of it, we seldom had decent conversations except when we had something really important or serious matters that need to be discussed.When I asked my mom whether we should grant his wish well i'm afraid that this could be the last wish, but refused to think about it for the time being...mom said she managed to persuade dad to wait until the next school holidays. Hubby were all ears when I cried for no reason and poured my heart out. All these make me realize one thing, no matter how bad you want your dad or your husband to be like others' they are still the best, despite their flaws and all. I'm very grateful to be blessed with such a caring and loving husband, though sometimes he irritates me, who stayed all night tending me when I was running down with fever. I still have a father who loves me in his own way though may be he's not that expressive, but I know that I would never change their place for anything else in the world.

The Road Not Taken

2008-06-27T23:24:00.002+08:00

Finally I managed to have a break but no rest after quite a tiring day. Though I’m supposed to be at my husband’s kampung right now, but here I am checking on Ammar’s temperature every 10 minutes. He was feverish this morning and my husband and I took turn sponging him from 5.30 – 7.00 a.m. That has prompted me to take EL today after spending tormenting hours of choosing between work and a day off.I don’t know which one is worse, feeling guilty of taking leave or guilty of thinking about work over you sick child. Though I’m feeling bad to have to stain the name of my department once again, and I bet my Kp was having a rough day today due the addition of the gundalan, I’m glad that I chose to take care of my son. This evening his temperature has soared to 39˚C and we had to take him to the doctor once again by motorbike since the car will only be out of workshop next week. When I look at Ammar’s sick face, the more guilty I feel about having the thought of leaving him and going to work especially when he had a bad cough and threw out. He refused to eat and he’s not as active which is so unlikely of Ammar. It show’s that he’s really, really sick sebab kalau demam sikit-sikit tu selera makan dan tahap keaktifan tetap sama. It’s really terrible of me to think of other’s over my son’s health. When I told this to my husband he only gave a short reply…mana lebih penting, anak atau apa orang cakap? Kalau jadi apa-apa dengan anak, orang boleh tolong ke? He’s right…now that my son is very ill, and I’m all alone figuring out what to do. There’s no one to turn to, not even family.

Balik Kampung

2008-06-26T23:50:00.002+08:00

I’m glad that Friday has finally come. Unlike the weeks before, this time Friday is not much anticipated cause I have lots of works to be done since we’re going back to my husband’s hometown Friday evening. Bukannya tak suka atau tak nak balik kampung dia, but the thought of the long tiring journey is really disheartening. Dengan keadaan Ammar yang tengah demam dan hidung yang berhingus tu memang tak rasa nak pergi mana-mana pun. Kesian kat dia nak travel jauh, dan yang paling kesian mamanya la. Unfortunately I have to agree with my husband bila dia ajak balik kampung tengok mak ngan ayah. It has been quite sometimes since the last time we visited them. If I opposed the plan, it would look like I’ve discriminate his parents and his kampung…ye la asyik dok balik my kampung je walaupun selalu balik berdua je ngan Ammar naik bas, jarang husband dapat ikut. Penat minggu lepas punya pun belum hilang lagi rasanya, tapi minggu ni je la yang boleh balik pun since both of us will be really busy after this. So I have to brace myself physically and mentally for this coming encounter, and keep thinking that it’s going to be a ‘great’, ‘great’ weekends.

C'est la vie

2008-06-25T23:20:00.004+08:00

I just put Ammar to sleep and he turn in without protest may be it's due to the effect of the medicine. He's having a temprature since I picked him from the nursery - 38.5 which is quite high. My husband told me to give him the fever medicine and see the progress at least until he finishes work before we take him to the doctor partly because we don't have a car at the moment. I was quite worried seeing his conditions - puffy eyes and he has started coughing though the level of the activeness was very well maintained and undisturbed, so I insisted that we take him to the clinic. We took him to the clinic by motorbike and it really tore my heart to see Ammar clinging to his dad, shivering and coughing. This experience made me realize that to own a car is no longer considered as luxury, it's a needs that one can't afford to live without. Now I understand the feeling of the needy who can't afford to have a car and have to rely on motorbike or public transportation. It is such a heart break to think that ones have to take their child out on a motorbike on a searing hot day to get treatment. I think we've learned our lesson well and this experience has actually made my husband to get into action. He finally ordered a second car, a smaller car for me after a long delayed and thousands of excuses. Still this doesn't stop me from leaving Ammar in the care of his dad tomorrow since the doctor advises not to take him to the nursery until he is fully recovered. Reading friend's stories about difficult people at workplace makes me uneasy about taking leave. I don't want to add more problems to my friends or give the gossip mongers a field day to talk about my absent or to give them pleasure to add on the 'gundalan'.

The Monday Blues

2008-06-23T16:30:00.005+08:00

Last weekend was quite tiring since I had to make a quick travel to and fro, Kl -Kangar . Even though I was saved from the long hours of driving, having Ammar in a 7 hours bus ride was really a trying experience. To make things worse, I had to attend a small barbeque at my husband's friend's right after I arrived. So I had to make pleasant conversations with people I scarcely meet or know when all I really wanted to do was go home and sleep. I managed to survive though and spent a short hour according to kudin's clock there before heading home. It was really frusrating to think that I had to work on the next day and had to forgo sleep since there were still chores to be done and things to be prepared for tomorrow. Just when I thought that I could finally retire for the day, I remembered that my friends are having potluck and I didn't have a single thing to bring. Some how this morning I managed to drag myself out of bed and went to work. I also managed to get some kuih for the potluck curtesy to en. kudin who kindly got that for me from the nearby stall. It's only Monday... and to think that I'm now counting for the next Friday...Thinking about the pay day at least help to lift the mood though...;op

The cooking venture

2008-06-18T23:52:00.006+08:00

I’m still in the spirit of realizing my new ‘cooking’ resolution this week. Since my husband suka sangat makan asam pedas, I guess almost all johorian did so I decided to experiment the newly acquired recipe from k.shida, asam pedas johor. With full determination I set off the cooking venture with hubby popping at the kitchen now and then, think he’s anxious or terrified actually to see the outcome of the cooking. Since k.shidah only gave me the ingredients minus the measurement, so I practically used my amateur instinct nak masuk berapa banyak bahan-bahan tu. Masa tengah masak nampak macam ok, rupa pun not bad…rasanya ada la iras-iras asam pedas yang kudin selalu makan kat Uptown tu. I remembered kak.shidah told me to taste and fix everything before turning off the fire, so I tried rasa sikit…erkk…ye ke asam pedas rasa macam ni? Untuk menyedapkan perasaan I asked kudin to taste it and comment. He did as he was told and his comment was curt …MASIN. All the excitements were crashed, dah tu nak buat macam mana? So chef kudin took over and gave instructions on what to add and so on. Masa makan I dare not try the asam pedas, takut nak bayangkan rasanya. Tapi kudin selamba je makan…I braced myself to ask ‘how was it’? Boleh la… ada gak rasa asam pedas tu, tapi lain kali kena kurang masin, pastu bagi pedas sikit.. He..he…kira edible jugak la. Just wait until 'demam masak' ni hilang, asam pedas uptown la pas ni...heh..heh..;op

ni la asam pedas my version...

Nightmare on The Elm Street

2008-06-17T23:00:00.001+08:00

Nothing makes life look brighter than a stroke of good luck immediately following a stroke of bad luck.

Having all the time for my self is sheer heaven and since my husband is going out and I still have a few hours left before fetching Ammar from the nursery, I decided to bask myself in leisure .Upon taking leave to his workplace, my husband told me to come downstairs because we’re going to have visitors coming…his friend NR and his wife. It was really a nightmare to have visitors coming unexpectedly and their timing couldn’t have been better. Biasala balik kerja lepak-lepak dulu, kerja nanti-nanti baru buat, dan waktu ni dress code pun bawah category 18sx. So I hastily get dressed and hurried downstairs to do a quick tidying up with maximum speed. The news took me by surprise since they only called kudin to inform of their visit on their way here. After dropping the bomb shell, and it took less than 2 minutes before they actually appeared in my doorway. I was nearly hysterical when NR’s wife June announced the real purpose of their visit… they would like to have a ‘glimpse’ of the layout of the house . “Kita nak tengok-tengok rumah awak boleh tak?” Since they’re going to stay nearby it would be nice if they can get a vision of how their house will look like. Mengenangkan keadaan rumah yang mungkin layak menang dalam Décor Bersama Eric, badan tiba-tiba jadi seram sejuk, rasa macam nafas tersekat kat hidung …Belum pun sempat nak bernyawa tanpa membuang masa suamiku tercinta dengan ramah mesranya terus invited his friends in for a quick tour of our house. I was horrified…. to think of the two visitors catching sight of every single room with it superb condition! I buat-buat excuse pergi fetch Ammar kat nursery sebab tak sanggup nak join acara lawatan. Maka terbantutlah usaha nak masak asam pedas kak shidah. Esok je la, malam ni makan roti sudah!

New Resolution

2008-06-17T00:52:00.003+08:00

The recent fuel hike has affected the life of most people in various ways...me included. Today between completing our endless chores and feeding the current updates of anybody and everybody, one of my colleagues showed us her clever plan to cut cost on food. She has come out with an organized table on the menus for the entire month on weekly basis. She said that way would help her to shop for groceries which she thought would be essential. That inspired me make a distinguish change in my spending especially for food which I think I could save a lot if I cook so I started forming my own so called menu planning. Anxious to get things started right away, I told my husband of the brilliant plan only to hear him said…”bukan dah dari dulu-dulu dok dengar cerita nak masak ni”?. However I managed to convince him that this time bukan hangat-hangat taik ayam, finally he agreed to take me to Tesco shopping for groceries konon-konon for one week. Seperi biasa, every time we shop for groceries mesti ada terbeli benda yang bukan-bukan sebab konon nak guna dan harga tengah murah. Punya la nak save budget I ended up spending overbudget yang menyebabkan keluarnya kata-kata hikmat seterusnya dari Prof. Kudin... “tu ikan ngan barang barang tu boleh tahan berapa lama? Kalau agak-agak boleh tahan lebih 1 minggu ok la, kalau tak I kenala habiskan sebelum jadi bahan arkib” seems like he can predict what’s to come…he..he…;op

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T23:54:00.005+08:00

Since today is a father's day, I decided to treat my husband with a special dinner at a restaurant of his choice.After going through endless lists of possibly nice places, he finally settled for a Moroccan restaurant al -Maghreb. He wanted to try the food and the place looks great though initially ammar refused to dine there because he thought it was a mosque. The reastaurant has such a nice ambience and it's really cozy. Kudin ordered couscous with lamb and turkish coffee, so much for the adventure of trying various kind of food huh...;op as for me I've learned my lesson well so I chose chicken and mango juice eventhough the manager himself reccommended moroccan cocktail...better stay away from the word cocktail this time ;op! While waiting for our food I asked Ammar to wish happy father's day to his dad. Instead he wish "happy birthday dadad...!".I told him it's a fther's day not birthday but he refused to believe me. After the third time convincing him, he finally spit out "happy day dadad...!".As if to support his thinking a group of foreign students next to our table were actually celebrating their friend's birthday and they started to sing a birthday song. Guess what...my beloved son merrily joined them singing. When that was done he sang a happy birthday song on top of his lung to his beloved dad. So there goes the father's day special dinner....:o)

Family Hour

2008-06-14T23:38:00.004+08:00

Today is fully dedicated to family...since i've finally done with the school works ( yah right!). So I decided to do a spring cleaning and also the other unfinished chores which I've abandoned for quite sometimes. It's the first time ever that there's no outing on Saturday, not even for breakfast or lunch (the tremendous effect of the fuel hike) Today I'm the most dedicated wife and mother since I cooked lunch and dinner for my beloved family and it has prompted a comment from my beloved husband 'wah...isteri mithali la hari ni, boleh dapat syurga dah nih"...heh..heh...:o) Kudin decided to handle the entertainment part, so right after lunch he started the karaoke session...non stop till dusk. I took the opportutiny lepas gian n lepas geram melalak sampai petang, tak dapat pergi red box kat umah pun jadi la...;op Dah penat sangat agaknya Ammar sleeps early tonight, so bolehla mama spend time kat pc pulak...dan yang paling penting tanpa gangguan so I'm really gonna spoil myself rotten hih..hih...;op. Hmm...it feels good not to have to do anything once in a while huh...:o)

we need to party...

2008-06-12T23:04:00.003+08:00

It's good to be back after the 'short break'...finally hubby bubby is tired of my ongoing whining and complaining of him conquering the pc ( he finally gave in ;o) I'm so anxious to update my blog especially a friend has taught me how to edit pictures. She also taught me about fotopages, so lagi berkobar-kobar la teman... :o) So i grabbed this golden opportunity to browse through my friends' blog to cath up what i've missed. Seems like everybody is so engrossed in this marking bussiness that most of them don't have time to write, except for KS who is sooo happy with her recent accomplishment of getting rid of the exam papers...;o) Well I understand the feelings since i know how it felt to be possed by the 'marking demon'. Hmmm... i guess a little celebration is in order...a girls' day out won't cause any harm right???

Congratulation, celebration...

2008-06-09T23:05:00.004+08:00

Finally...I've finished marking the exam papers! Now I can really breathe after the horrendous hours of reading and marking outrageous scripts. I'm glad that the nightmare is over. It was such a terrifying and heart wrenching moments when you were 'rewarded' with almost nonsense pieces of writing by your students. Why... I was nearly hysterical to see the various versions of informal letters my 'beloved' students wrote in the exam. After all these while I've been teaching them, can you believe that they got nothing in their head? Aku ke yang tak pandai mengajar? When I showed my amazing discoveries to my friends one of them said "ye la dik...mungkin kau yang tak pandai mengajar.." Even though she said that in a joking manner, I have this strange feeling that she could be right! Hmm...Nevertheless I'm glad that the ordeal has passed. My colleague KS is willing to pay RM50 per class to any of us who's willing to mark for her...and A has marked up to RM150 for her class. Well exam really does wonder to people...heheh..heheh...

The ticking hours

2008-06-08T20:55:00.004+08:00

My marking has not shown so much progress though I'm supposed to speed things up since tomorrow is the dateline. In fact I'm taking my own sweet time, and of course managed to squeeze in 'few minutes' for blogging...:o) Guess i need a break (yah right...)It's not my fault i guess, it's just that the bad handwritings or it could also be the bad writings are really eating me up.Well perhaps everything related to marking is just BAD heh..heh..in this case i think i'm not alone. I have frinds calling asking about this marking thing since these last few days. Just this afternoon my friend A called frantically asking for answer schemes since she has misplaced hers. Hmmm...what should i say? Welcome to the club bebe! All i know is i'm going to be in hell for the next coming hours madly trying to get the marking done ( i doubt i really can make it, but let put it this way...i'll try to get it done as many scripts as possibe...just to be positive:op) well as my friend usually says "my life is such a beserk..." :op

Procrastinating is the Essence of Virtue...

2008-06-07T02:59:00.004+08:00

I’m supposed to get my marking done but instead of working on the papers I’m now glued to the computers. This thing is really addictive…:o) Actually I’ve been trying so hard or may be not hard enough to get it done and over with. In fact I did go to school but ended up in a friend’s house, happily chatting and wowing her new house and made a quick stop at Ikea before heading home. So there goes my marking of the day…and guess what when I reached home my beloved and understanding husband suggested that we eat out. How could I say no, especially when he suggested that we try the middle-east restaurant the one that my friend Syakirah recommended? We managed to find the restaurant ar-Rausha. Kudin ordered his favorite-lamb of course dan dia berbaik hati tolong order tabouleh for me. I decided to order something extraordinary, the ar-Rausha cocktail, tea is so common after all. It was so special indeed, once air tu dah sampai I just took one sip and that’s it…tak lalu. It was a mixture of bananas, mint and tah apa-apa fruits lagi. Kudin cakap jangan pikir rasa, pikir harga…rm 10 tu, baik minum! Bila food sampai again I was speechless …it was a mixed salad actually! Since I am ‘allergic’ to green and most other veggies, terkebil-kebil la I nengokkan rupenye. Lagi sekali kudin mengeluarkan kata-kata hikmatnya…jangan pikirkan tekak, pikirkan khasiat dia! Ya right! Kesian punya pasal, kudin suruh I order another food, this time I made sure ada perkataan chicken and I ordered mineral water…the safest drink of all. So dapat jugakla I makan…:op Sampai rumah dah kul 11 lebih, ingat nak bagi ammar tido baru nak mark, tapi biasala…mama tidur dulu. Arini pun I only managed to mark 1 class, and I’m thinking of calling it a day. Nampaknya kenala bertungkus lumus hingga ke ari terakhir before the school reopen. I’m quoting ayat favorite iza…kejikah saya?

Walking Down Memory Lane

2008-06-05T02:17:00.004+08:00

When I was scouring through my things at my mom’s I accidentally found these old photos…Actually I found three album full of my childhood photos but I only managed to kidnapped only these. Well those photos bring me to a journey of my childhood memories. Even though it was 30 years ago (gosh…the number seems very ancient and suddenly I just realized how old I am really…;op) it happened as if it was only yesterday. All the happy moments- birthday parties, hari raya , trips, toys and the people I love- my grandparents are all in mind. Well being the first child 9 and also first granddaughter and niece) is a big advantage. You become the center of attention. I remember that I used to have a play room stuffed with toys a child ever dream of, you name it. Well being and only child was not all bed of roses. My grandmother was very possessive, I hardly had a playmate or friends. She would ask only the ‘approved’ girls to come and play with for a couple of hours and only at My HOUSE WITH HER SUPERVISION.

Welcome Little One...

2008-06-03T03:19:00.003+08:00

Hmm..it has been quite sometimes since the last time I wrote something here...Actually I went back to my hometown and I've dedicated all my times for my beloved family...;op (yang sebenarnya takde internet connection at my mom's). Finally I got a chance to meet the latest member of our family...Ahmad Aidib Farshiq was born on 4th May 2008 at 2.2 kg. Same case like Ammar, he was born premature at 35 weeks. Now I got a nephew and Ammar got a new cousin. Well, he's a bit jealous of the baby..with the attention and all. When the novelty of having a new family member wears off, here comes another concern. What else?? When am I going to add another baby? Why so late? My sister now has 2 kids and I only have one! So I have to face these never ending questions every time people come visit the baby. Wish I could tape the answer and replay it every time people ask me the same question.

tag, tagged, tagging...?

2008-05-18T01:10:00.003+08:00

Actually I don't really now how does this thing go or what it is about...Since my friends are now soo engrosed in this game ( is it a game?) i decided to try. I've been tagged by Iza by something sounds like this...5 PERKARA PERTAMA YANG TERJADI DALAM HIDUP ANDA. Hmm susah nak jawab ni, cam terlampau banyak je...Ok I try to list out the most outrages or the most memorable ones ;o)

1.CREATE MY OWN BLOG AND FACEBOOK recent achivement

He...he...actually tak pernah berminatpun dengan benda2 ni semua, sehinggalah my colleagues yang 3 orang tu dok sibuk bercerita pasal blog diaorang maklumlah masing-masing dah guna internet broadband sekarang. Seperti biasa I don't want to be left out, maka bermulalah the 'moronic moments' of my life...:o) I think it should be my first entry, sebabnya my friends were laughing at me sampai terkeluar air mata. All because of this statement, a queastion actually : BILA DAH MASUK KAT FACEBOOK TU NAK BUAT APA? So what do you think of this? ;p

2. MY FIRST FLIGHT

Kali pertama naik kapal terbang sorang-sorang dari Alor Setar ke Subang Airport. I was studying at PPP masa tu. Ingat lagi masa tu break kejap ja, tapi gatal sangat nak balik umah. Time nak balik Shah Alam tiket bas, train sume abis, so the only solution was took a flight. Whoa..dah la tak biasa, nak kena naik sorang2 plak tu...Takut kena marah punya pasal sebab my dad dah bising, flight pun flight la. The flight was at 7.15 pm dan hari tu hujan renyai2, memang dah gelap la. Sebelum masuk ke waiting hall my dad ada cakap, kalau salah flight pun dalam Malaysia je.Thanks for the support dad! I duduk tepi tingkap, so bila dah terbang tu baru la berani jenguk keluar. Suddenly there was lightning and the plane shook. Terus teringat one episode of The Twillight Zone; ada alien bagi rosak engine kapal terbang and it crashed. Terus tak pandang tingkap dan "keras" serta merta sampai la the plane landed. Alamak apasal tak boleh bukak seat belt? Rasanya ikut orang sebelah buat dah betul dah. Bila tengok orang dah makin kurang, maka dengan muka tebal I asked the handsome guy who sat next to me, "excuse me can u please help to unbuckle the seatbelt?" ;p

3. MY FIRST CLUBBING

It was in the final year when I was in college. a friend of mine who was studting at ITM ajak keluar, dah lama tak jumpa. We met at KLCC and she brought a friend along. After spending half of the day there, it was time to go. We promised to meet again some times later. Tiba2 kawan kepada my friend tu bagi suggestion, ikut la diaorang balik rumah sewa. I agreed since I had no class on the next day. So takkan nak balik dah? Satu lagi idea bernas kawannya tu, why don't kita lepak kat Hard Rock? I was quite reluctant but my friend said it would be great, she had been there a couples of times. OK! So we went to Hard Rock Cafe. Since it was my first time my friend gave me a few tips. Just follow what she did...which I took it right to the heart. When we were queueing for the entry I saw that my friend hulur tangan kat orang 'jaga tiket', so I did the same. Okay, I got stamped! it was packed that night so my friend suggested that we should come back later. Again terpaksa berasak-asak nak keluar, dah tu ada pulak yang mencelah. So my friend dah ke depan but I could still see her. Suddenly I saw 'lorong' kat sebelah tak banyak orang, baik lalu situ. I nak panggil my friend tapi dah jauh ke depan, so terus keluar je la. Masa nak masuk balik terus je guna lane yang dah beli tiket. I noticed semua orang hulur tangan. When it was my turn I pun hulur la tangan but the guy said, sorry get the ticket first. I said I've paid for the ticket, and he checked my hand again. Nope! get the ticket! so I paid for another ticket and he said NEXT TIME GET STAMPPED BEFORE GOING OUT! ;p

4. FIRST DRIVING EXPERIENCE

I got my driving license when I was 18, but had no chance to drive eversince I passed the driving test. Arwah 'tok' ngan 'cak' tak bagi bawak kereta; alasannya kereta banyak sangat kat jalan funny when it was them who sent me to driving school and paid the fees. I got the chance when I visited my friend who studied in UUM. Nak keluar jalan-jalan mesti ada kereta so she and a few friends rented a car. Since nobody could drive so I had to be the driver. Even though the only driving experience I had was during the driving lessons and the test my friends had full confidence in me. Everything when on smoothly at the beginning and my confidence level soared into the sky. So we went to this one shop tepi highway yang jual cendol pulut, kononnya paling sedap. I parked the car kat tepi jalan konon senang keluar, bila nak balik ada dua kereta dah masuk kat depan ngan belakang. Kereta tu agak rapat to our car, my friends dah cuak takut tak boleh keluar.It was when I tried to manoeuvre the car out of the parking when suddenly I heard a loud bang and the car almost berpusing. Dalam kelam kabut tu tiba-tiba I sedar a motor tengah menuju kereta. Belum sempat nak buat apa i nampak lelaki tergolek2 kat tengah jalan. masa tu Tuhan ja yang tau. nasib baik tak mati orang tu. Kereta yang langgar we all dari belakang blah mcm tu je so terpaksa la kami yang pompuan-pompuan ni deal ngan si mamat motor. Mungkin kesian, dia suruh bawak pergi clinic je so settled dah. Tuan punya kereta tidakla sebaik mamat motor tu, dia mintak ganti rugi sampai RM500. Mujurla boyfriend kawan I tu ada kenal mekanik, so antar repair sendiri...tak sampai RM300 pun. So there goes my friend's scholarship for that month...;p

5. FIRST TIME ACTING WITH MY HUSBAND

It was in 1999 when I was given a part in a play "Kali Ini jam 12 Datang Lagi". Masa tu ada festival MAKUM yang pertama , UKM jadi host. Untuk acara teater Kelab Teater Rimba UKM bergabung dengan kelab teater dari UM,UPM dan UIA untuk membuat persembahan. Setelah berbincang UM dipertanggungjawabkan untuk mencari naskah dan pengarah, so 'kudin' orang yang dirasakan paling sesuai. Jadi berulang alik la dia dari UM ke UKM. Setelah menjalani latihan randai secara intensif, pada hari perasmian MAKUM we were given the honor to do the first performance and it was directly in front of the VVIPs. Everything went wrong from the beginning. First I couldn't get seluar silat, budak yang janji nak bagi pinjam tak datang, so I kena masuk dalam hostel budak lelaki cari dia. nasib baik tak kena tangkap ;p Masa tengah perform, I lupa steps...Habis berterabur orang lain punya steps sebab dia berkait, so semua orang terpaksa la buat steps sendiri ikut suka hati. Nasib baik for the next round everything went on smoothly. Ingatkan dah habis bab-bab lawak jenaka ni, tapi ada jugak lagi. There was a scene where everybody kena tanggal ikat pinggang dan lempar ke lantai. Agaknya kain batik tu diikat kuat sangat, I tak boleh tanggal. Panik gila masa tu, dah dekat-dekat nak abih scene baru boleh bukak. Guess what? Masa kutip kain dari lantai I terambil kain orang lain, sebab I xingat kain I macam mana. So terpaksa la orang yang kainnya kena 'curi' tu tunggu sampai semua orang kutip kain masing-masing, mana yang tertinggal tu baru dia ambik.kain batik I le tu...;p. I felt so bad, it was because of me the paly went haywired, and it was beacuse of me 'kudin' got a bad name. I appologized but all that he said 'Tak pe..seronok tengok tadi, kelakar!" Well it was supposed to be a serious play though! ;o)

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY

2008-05-16T21:26:00.009+08:00

16 May is special because it is a day specially dedicated to all teachers. Today is a day to honor and appreciate the teachers for all their wonderful jobs of nurturing and educating the 'future leaders of the country'.! How far is the truth of the statement? When I recalled the memory of my younger days, when I was in school (especially in the primary) Teacher's Day was the most anticipated events in the school calender. Even though we were too young or too small actually ;o) to understand what was it about,we definitely didn't want to miss it. THE GIFTS were the most important elements of the celebration whereby each of us would try to find something for every teacher no matter how small or ridiculous it was. Brought up in a kampung, I recalled that half of my classmates didn't bring money to school, only food from home to fill their bellies. "Miskin harta tetapi kaya budi bahasa". I believe this is the most appropriate way to describe them. None of them turned empty handed on the Teacher's Day. They took whatever that they could from home; soaps, mosquito coils, detergents,etc. this 1will always stick on my mind; a boy brought small bulks wrapped in newspaper to school and we asked him what were those things. "I had nothing to offer the teacher so picked some mangoes and wrapped them for the teachers. It sounded ridiculous at that time but now i realized that was the most wonderful gift in the world! Things are different now and the kids nowadays think that teachers are not important enough to be given a thought. No celebration, no cards...Gifts? well you are lucky enough if the students wish you a happy teacher's day. The most highly expectecd gift is "Hari guru??" "Eh hari ni ke?" only the teachers undersatnd the feeling of other teachers. Thanks alot to dear friends who kindly had a little but wonderful celebration for us. you guys really made up my day!!! :o)

The beginning of my new moronic moment...

2008-05-14T16:40:00.000+08:00

Well I'm starting a new blog. It seems like the one I'm currently using is not interesting enough (may be it's me who doesn't really know how to make it interesting ;p). I was brousing my friends' when I realized that thiers are more colorful than mine! So asked them how to make mine as interesting as theirs, my friends said try add some accessories to my blog and I tried it staright away. To my disappoinment my blog is listed as 'unfriendly' and I can't use the items provided. (well I tried to get a clock for my blog). Again...the feeling of being left out is really eating me up, so withouit wasting anymore of my precious time (my son is going to be abck home at 6.30) I start to construct a new blog...in the same place where my friends are!!! ;0)