A Badger Mummy For Life

Kakak's milestone

2011-01-07T14:20:00.003+08:00

Today is a milestone... Kakak has completed 1 week of Standard 1, yeay!

Highlights of the week:-
* She was fantastic on the 1st day... woke up immediately when roused in the morning, and was excited about going to 'big school'...
* She made friends with her next-seat neighbor... didn't exactly ask her name, though... she learnt her friend's name by looking at her nametag hehehe...
* She only cried once the entire week... that was on the 2nd day after recess, when she thought she'd lost us...
* She still has energy in the evening after 'big school' and KAFA to play with her brothers at home...
* She ate breakfast every day, and ate her 'bekal' too...
* I got to take part in this momentous occasion in her life... have managed to send her to class every day this week, look in on her during recess, and check in before she takes the school van... the 'stalkerish' behavior lessened with each passing day though hehehe... we wanted to see how she handled herself without us holding her hand...

My wish for her as we go into the next week without us around in school:-
... that she get to make friends with more people in her class and be less shy
... that she go for recess with her friends (either from kindy or in her class) with confidence
... that she and her friends remember to wait for each other at the end of the day to walk together to the busstop & wait for the school van
... that she enjoy being in school, despite the overwhelmingly different environment from her small, personalized kindy
... last but not least, that she gain the confidence to be in school and do her best, the way we know she can!

We love you girl!

False Alarm!

2010-11-09T11:39:00.002+08:00

5 Nov 2010

5.09am - woke up with numbing pain in my lower back, radiating to the bottom of my tummy and down to my right thigh (dunno why only one side...). Tried to sleep it off, but the pain kept coming back every 10-20 mins...

5.30am thereabouts - couldn't stand it anymore... the next time pain hit, got up from the bed and walked around... siap tendang-tendang angin lagi hoping that minor stretching tu kan relieve the pain in the thigh... didn't work *sigh*

6.30am onwards - woke Hubby up for Subuh, told him we should check it out at the hospital... the pain wasn't decreasing, and the frequency's been quite stable... took a quick shower, piled up our stuff in the car, told my parents where we off to (the kids were still asleep) and left for the hospital after 7am. Made a quick stop at Mahbob first for breakfast (I was hungry!!! And I bet it would be past breakfast time at the hospital anyway heheh...)

8.35am - already went through ER, and was sent to the labor ward... got hooked up to the monitors and waited for Doc to arrive... at this point, apparently I was already 1-2cm open, my contractions were very regular (5-6mins apart) but not strong enough for delivery yet... Doc said to wait it out since I was pretty much in labor then... going by previous experiences, told Hubby he could go home and see the kids first since it'll most likely be a while still... He came back later in the day with such adorable wishes from the two kiddies...

9pm and thereafter - Doc said labor wasn't progressing very fast (2-3cm baru ok!! after 12 hours!!!), so decided to assist with pitocin and see how things go... He's had 5 patients (including me) admitted in the labor ward that day, and 4 (4!!!) of them have safely delivered... stress makcik jadinya hehehe... patutla the whole day I kept hearing baby cries je.... we tried to get some sleep that night, but I was restless all through the night... the pain increased for a while with the pitocin, but eventually it petered out... a few were as strong as the ones that brought us to the hospital, but not much after that...

6 Nov 2010

8.30am - Doc came in for another check (I love this Doc, honestly... he came in at least 3 times the day before, and his last visit was almost around midnight!), no change in the opening (still at 2-3cm) and contractions have subsided, so he decided I could go home first... rumah dekat je, so no problem la :) I'm so glad he didn't propose a c-section (cos I know some docs who would say that straightaway!) or decide to break the waterbag yet... he moved me to the maternity ward first for further observation,

2.30pm - the monitors confirmed my contractions have subsided in strngth and are still manageable, so off I go back home to my beloved kids!! Bubbye labor room & maternity ward... see you next time I get serious contractions again!!

Today

I think I've lost my mucus plug over the past 2 days (never had that happen before, so I'm just guessing based on what I've read), so the signs are getting stronger... so far only Kakak's delivery was without any false alarms, and Adik's had 2, so dunno if this little one will be like his big bro or not... wonder if I'll be able to catch Harry Potter before deliver, or wait till after pantang... I hope it plays at least till the end of Dec or into Jan 2011 if so... sempat lagi nak fikir pasal movie hehehe, but it's Harry Potter ok!!!

Let's see how things go...

Counting Down the Days...

2010-11-03T15:04:00.002+08:00

Am finally on MC... getting my rest before baby decides to pop out. At last week's checkup, Doc said the baby was already engaged, and he seemed surprised by it too cos this being the 3rd baby, it shouldn't be engaged so early... his final piece of advice was to try and make sure I get past this week before delivering... so I'm trying :)

You can say I finally succumbed to all the nagging my colleagues did about taking care of my own health & the baby's... I felt guilty about not being at work, but the truth is it's not going to work that stresses me out... it's the work itself, and the people involved in it, that drives me crazy (and ultimately clenches my tummy muscles... not good!)

So I've been resting at home since last Thursday, doing light errands, hand-quilting and also taking care of Kakak who's been unwell for the past 3 days.... it really is a relief not to think about work. I haven't even been checking my emails regularly. I field occassional phone calls from work too, but the clearest sign that staying away from work was good for me came yesterday, after I was on the phone for almost an hour with my colleague. The mess that's happening resulting from the changes our current superior was making in many things drove me nuts, cos they basically turned everything that we've been doing for the past few months upside down!

A colleague with a similar EDD has just delivered this morning, and she was actually scheduled for a C-section next week due to high-blood pressure. I guess her blood pressure probably shot up unexpectedly and the doc couldn't wait till next week... alhamdulillah both mom & baby are doing well so far... Now I can't wait for my turn to come, but hopefully it will happen only when the baby is strong enough....

False Alarm!!

2010-10-18T16:21:00.002+08:00

Had a scare last Thursday...

It was still one of my days off, and Hubby and I had planned to run a couple of errands that day (plus get some dating time hehehe). We went from bank to bank to settle some loan matters, then to the management office to get some paperwork done in anticipation of the house reno works starting soon, and finally the post office to send off a package of altered tudungs to a customer.

After all that, we went to grab a bite to eat at The Curve, since we wanted to drop off the baby carrier seat for reupholstery as well. It was a leisurely lunch, since the lunch crowd were gone and we got our food in record time... After dropping off the baby carrier, we decided to go to Ikea and the Brands Outlet store to get some stuff for the shop as well as the baby (I still think we don't have enough clothes for him just yet!) All in all, I'd say we had an enjoyable, relaxing day walking around, getting some exercise while spending some valuable time together (and still got some important things done!).

Hubby had a futsal game that night, so after we picked up the kids from nursery, we went home and I had a lie-down like I usually do after coming back from work. Somehow this time it didn't feel as relaxing as before though... I felt discomfort all over the tummy, plus my back didn't seem to want to let up... I had a very light dinner cos I didn't feel like I had an appetite, so spent the rest of the night folding laundry in front of the TV and entertaining the kids while Hubby was gone...

I had a nagging feeling that the discomfort I was feeling wasn't normal, so started to time the pains when they came... Horrors of horrors, they were pretty much exactly 5-7 minutes apart from start to start, and they were painful! Not just a simple tightening of the belly that the regular Braxton Hicks would be! I tried to maintain my composure, but at the same time was firing off somewhat-panicky sms-es to a good friend who had delivered prematurely. Eventually it got to a point where the pain was becoming more unbearable, and my mom started noticing. I had to tell Hubby once he got back, but even then we weren't sure what to do... to go to the ER? We went through 2 false alarms with Hariz, and only delivered him at the 3rd ER visit, but even then he was already 36 weeks in... right now I'm only at 35!!! I was still timing the contractions, but since they were regular but the intensity wasn't increasing any more, we decided to wait it out a bit more... they eventually tapered off around 2am, which was about 7 hours since they started, and I finally could get some sleep...

The next morning I called up my gynae and described the situation to him... 'What should I do if it happens again?' In his usual reassuring voice, he basically told me to come in for a quick checkup & monitoring if it happens again before our scheduled appointment (and I assume that means the ER if need be la), and he might have to give me something to suppress the contractions since I haven't reached the 36-week marker yet... it's too soon for him to be comfortable with... He also told me to take it easy, so I spent Friday pretty much in bed and just pottering around the house (that put paid my plans to help out Mama at the shop that day!).

So right now I'm still praying that everything goes well... I'm extra panicking about work cos it means I really have to start my handover very very very soon, just in case... and I also have to pack up my things cos we'll be retrofitting the workstations while I'm on maternity leave (don't want my poor colleagues to have to deal with my trash...) I remember how panicked I was when I had the 1st false alarm with Hariz... that was a scare... and now, every extra-hard contraction has me worried whether the contractions are starting up again... if possible, please let this baby come not too soon... I want him to come out healthy and strong... this time around I just might ask the doc for early MC for extra rest, which I've never done with the other 2 before... I'd be happy to just sit and sew in bed during that whole time (it'll at least give me a chance to finish up my sewing projects hehehe...)

Tummy oh tummy...

2010-10-10T23:33:00.004+08:00

My tummy is no longer my own...

It rolls around in unpredictable ways, at all times of the day...

Sometimes I get sudden punches or pushes from within (and trust me, it hurts!!!), and it takes a whole lot of rubbing on the spot to push the knobby limb in... even with this 3rd one, I can't tell if it's a foot or knee... luckily it's not a kick to the ribs, but still...

Baby's head is already downward, so I'm guessing the frequent fluttering I feel right below the huge tummy are from his hands moving about...

This is one very active kiddo! At last count 2 weeks ago, he's about 1.6kg, which was still ok by the doc...

At this very moment, the kicks have begun... I get the feeling this kiddo gets snatches of sleep during odd ours of the day and night, and at other times just loves to announce his presence (usually when I'm just about to go to sleep or get started with work)... you are gonna be a force to be reckoned with, kid!

Hooray for a break!!!

2010-10-10T23:15:00.003+08:00

I'm off for a short break!!!

I've got 6 days of leave left, and am taking 5 of them this week...

So shoot me, I was gonna take 'em on a staggered basis... but since work schedule looked crazy for Oct, there was no way I could take my leave as planned... the head honchos are all away this week, and I really needed a break (physically and mentally), so my old boss said this would be the best time to go off anyway... Obviously, I could sense that my current remote boss was a teensy bit nervous about me going off, but I've told her many times to be prepared for my maternity leave early and to get my disinterested and disconnected colleague to be in?volved in our current project since he's supposed to cover my role after this... I've been worried like crazy about the handover alone, it's high time the others see the criticality of this and pull their weight too hehehe...

On the books for this week? Buy the required baby stuff that I've yet to get, think about baby names, start on baby projects for myself and Nin Ja Moo, and relax!!!!

9 whole days of freedom... whoohooo!!!! Dang it's gonna be hard to get back to work after this...

Taking it easy the 3rd time around?

2010-10-03T22:03:00.003+08:00

I feel like we've been taking the preparations for this 3rd little one a little easy...

There are less things to buy, since major items like stroller, baby carrier/car seat, breast pump etc we already have... we just need a new cover for the car seat, dig out the breast pump from the store... errr.... what else? Bought new nursing bras (which I can easily add to since hubby knows where I got them), initial stock of plastic EBM storage bags, breast pads, some baby clothes, and not much else!!!! We're not likely to buy a new cot, since the last we bought ended up being used more as a playpen rather than a baby's sleeping area! I haven't even been spending on little things like baby blankets and hankies and such...

We haven't even thought of names yet!! I've been so busy, so stressed out, and the preggie symptoms have been worse than before that sadly I haven't been enjoying the pregnancy as much as before (hmmm, how much did I enjoy the previous pregnancies anyway? hehehe)... even the Braxton Hicks contractions have started much earlier than before, and are more real than practice!! The doc had to give me meds to reduce the intensity of the contractions, since it's still way too early (at this point we're just into the 33rd week).

This week's gonna be a crazy one, but I'm planning to take the whole of next week off since I have 6 more days to use.... then perhaps I'll take the last day of leave at the end of the month, and just bide my time in November... I plan to use these days to catch up on all the other preparations we need to make, and hopefully get to make 2 simple baby quilts (one for me, one for my best bud) before it's time... Too ambitious ke agaknya? :) Ah, what the heck... I need the break!!

6 years ago today...

2010-09-22T23:00:00.002+08:00

... our twosome was blessed with a third person...

Our darling girl is now 6 years old... she's grown into a lovely young woman, pretty, bright, caring, loving, playful, responsible... a good big sister to Hariz and hopefully the new baby on the way as well...

She can be aggravating at times too... but maybe that's because she's too much like me in some (Hubby would argue many) ways... stubborn and hard-headed, but soft at heart (yea yea, like the mama...).

We love you Kakak... may you grow up to be the best person that you can be...

Eventful Ramadhan...

2010-09-04T22:55:00.006+08:00

I feel like this has been the shortest Ramadhan in memory... and one memorable for several reasons too...

In 1 week's time, it will be Hari Raya...

Alhamdulillah so far I've managed to fast every single day (and luckily gained 400gm too, so Dr Idris had no reason to berate me hehehe...)

Kakak managed to fast at least for half a day during the weekends and public hols... not that it's too difficult for her to do, considering her erratic eating moods... today she even got up to have Sahur with the rest of the family, eating 2 pieces of chicken nuggets and drinking a bottle of milk... I really feel that helped with her longest fasting period to date (ie 2.30pm baru mengadu lapar & dahaga...) My baby girl is growing up!

Adik managed to cut his chin (technically, the area of soft skin between the chin and the throat) falling in the bathroom last Saturday, and had 3 stitches to close the wound... he had to be held down by 5 people in order for the doc to sew him up hehehe... I was tempted to take his pic then, but didn't want to be a meanie... took pics of him later though, exhausted after all the crying and struggling... he is now officially the record-holder in the family for being the youngest person to have had stitches (from both sides of the family!) Tapi dah berjahit pun, bukannye serik!!

Got a letter that I totally didn't expect, and definitely didn't agree with... am very much toying with the idea of responding to the letter, even though most people would just shrug it off... but I really feel I need to clear my name, cos the contents of the letter were definitely untrue, and it was cc:ed to big bosses...

Finally baked my 1st set of cupcakes after going for that class last year hehehe... had a fun time making them with Kakak... yummy chocolate ganache as the topping kept the cupcakes nice and moist, and gave away a bunch to my colleagues for buka puasa... feedback seems OK hehehe, so I will most likely make a 2nd batch for Hari Raya and bring some for the in-laws...

Completed the 2nd month of operating the business.... Alhamdulillah there's been business due to the Hari Raya rush, albeit on a small scale, but at least it's not just money going out, but coming in too... it's still gonna be a challenge to build it up and get a positive cash flow, but I'm determined to stick with it... I am thankful to Mama for being the main man in this business... one day, I'll be there right by her side, doing this hands-on too, insya-Allah...

Am at my 28th week of pregnancy now... 12 more weeks to go... with any luck, it'll be less than that if past pregnancies are any indication... I'm really looking forward to having this baby, and the time off that comes with it... I may just take that unpaid leave too to spend more time with my family...

Hmmm.... what else? Well, Ramadhan's still for another week, so we'll see how it goes :)

Disillusioned....

2010-08-07T21:51:00.004+08:00

After being in the corporate world for almost 9 years, I think this past week was the worst ever that I've had to face...

I've always thought that as 'small fry', I'm not under anyone's radar as long as I did a good job. That's all that I care about, anyhow... I'm not particularly ambitious, unlike some people who target being a manager by a certain age, a senior manager etc etc... and I've always thought that as long as I did my job secara ikhlas and for the good of the company, things would be OK and I'd have done my responsibility as a staff (I'm not even talking about appraisals here OK)...

Boy, was I wrong....

Of all the things to happen to me, to be the subject of a 'surat layang' was the last thing I'd think of... In hindsight, those in the know realize I'm just a scapegoat, the person to be blamed with the least degree of consequences, but to me it's a huge blow... To have your credibility and competence questioned in such a manner is degrading, saddening, demoralizing.... To be made the target, when in actual fact the powers that be are the ones people are unhappy with, is not much consolation. Obviously the person(s) who wrote and sent the letter couldn't care less about the impact to me and my working life, even though their accusations were so off base that no one in their right mind would believe them...

This episode has soured my working life, even though I've been informed that no action will be taken towards anyone... Through all my professional struggles, I've not yet felt disillusioned with the company and the people in it, but now I am... completely disillusioned with management, with my fraternity, with the unknown person(s) around me who wrote that letter... The sad part was, I pushed myself to the limit to meet the impossible deadline set by management for this assignment... The vomiting came back with a vengeance, my head ached all the time, my body was physically drained every single day... My officemates were all concerned to see me in that condition, but I had no choice... I forced myself to contain the physical and mental stress every working day for the last month plus just to meet what we thought were the company's objective, only to be told in the end that the management had a new direction with regards to the project... Top that news with the letter, and you have the perfect recipe for a mental breakdown...

My poor baby's been showing signs of stress as well, with restless movements throughout the day every day... No wonder, with the degree of stress I'm still under... If I could afford to take unpaid leave this very minute, I would... I just have to get through the next 3-4 months, then I'd be at home for 2 blissful months, away from the sickness and craziness that is the working life... maybe after that I'd be able to take that unpaid leave...

Other people may be falling over themselves to join the company, but I know for sure I won't retire here... This was the final straw, and when my time's up, I'll take my leave...

Stressed out and needing to get away...

2010-08-01T00:14:00.004+08:00

That's how I've felt these past few weeks.... I felt like screaming my head off under all the stress at work...

I am drained... physically and mentally... and yet I still force myself to go to work each day and push my body and my brain to do the work I have been assigned because I have to... the crazy deadline we've been given made everyone push themselves to the limits, and I'm seeing and feeling the toll on myself.

I finally had to see a doctor cos of this pain in my tummy... turned out to be gastric pains, I suspect induced by stress... couple that with a throbbing headache at the end of every working day, you'd see a very pale and drained person after hours...

How I wish I was due soon!!! November seems so far away... I doubt all the craziness at work is abating anytime soon... new President, new directions that keep changing, new new new... I am seriously considering taking unpaid leave after my maternity leave is up, extend my time with the new baby... I've earned it, I think, after all the stress I put on the baby in utero... nak tunggu menteri announce the change in law relating to maternity leave, I doubt that's happening soon even though she's supposed to have announced the results of the study and the decision by now... as usual, politics is all about making promises that sound great to the people, without actually making a real move to make those promises a reality... but I digress...

Planning a quick getaway with the kids right before Ramadan... I've already told my boss verbally that I'm gonna take a few days off soon, and she understands why... So now Hubby and I have this weekend and the next to finalize our plans... Any good recommendations for a preggy lady and 2 rambunctious kids that's not more than 3-4 hours' drive away from KL?

Cramps!!!

2010-07-25T13:17:00.003+08:00

Leg cramps usually start later in the pregnancy for me, but this time around....

ARRRGGHHHH!!!!

22 weeks in, they're already bugging me... a couple of times in the middle of the night and in the morning, but today the pain is still bugging me, long past noon!!!

My left calf was a hard mass of knotted muscles when I woke up this morning, and I'm still limping a little now cos the pain hasn't fully eased off...

Helpppppppp..................

*sigh*

My Day at the Shop

2010-07-17T18:49:00.005+08:00

My full-time job is very hectic right now, with a major restructuring happening within an unreasonably short timeline and me in the thick of all things on the back end... I am so very tired, both physically and mentally, but I try to hang in there... Luckily my morning sickness seems to have ebbed for now, but fatigue is ever-present...

So, am I crazy to hold on to my job, and at the same time run my new business? Maybe... but I gotta give it a shot anyway.... when I first planned this endeavour, it was supposed to take off during a relatively low period at work... we can only plan, The Big Guy Upstairs knows better anyhow...

Anyway, even with the crazy workload, I actually look forward to weekends, cos on Saturdays I get to go to the shop and help out... or do my part really, cos my mom's been doing the helping out on weekdays hehehe... So today, went to the shop with my mom and Kakak afte settling matters with the management office, and spent almost the whole day there...

Had some walk-ins inquiring about classes, and even had an order too!!! That really made my day :) In between entertaining inquiries, I learnt how to use a pleater (and did quite a fair number of pleating, I might add!) while my mom got started on cutting fabrics for baju kurungs and dresses... Kakak kept herself busy with her books, paper and scissors as well as the toys on display... Sabar je la mamanye kena kemas balik lepas tu...

Since I last took pics at the shop, there's been some physical changes, but I'll put new pics up next time...

I'm praying and hoping that the business picks up and sustains itself... I really really want this to work, insya-Allah...

All in all, I had a fun and busy day at the shop... here's hoping for more good days to come!

Beverly Collection is Open for Business!!!

2010-07-06T14:29:00.004+08:00

Are you looking for any or all of the following:-

- designer high-quality American cotton fabrics for outfits and/or crafts?
- custom-made smocked dresses?
- custom-made children's baju kurung?
- beginner patchwork & quilting classes?
- smocking classes?
- pleating & smocking services?

Then make your way to Beverly Collection! We offer all of the above, and welcome any drop-ins :)

Ready-stock outfits are also in progress, so look out for those in the future as well :) More new fabrics to be updated soon...

Feel free to drop us a line at ciklynn@gmail.com, sms to 012-272 5578 or visit out little shop at Lot F16, 1st Floor, Centrepoint, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama...

Your support of our business venture is very much appreciated... feel free to forward the link to others! :)

Taking my first steps...

2010-06-04T13:52:00.004+08:00

I did it... there's no turning back... taking my first steps into the unknown...

Paid the 50% downpayment today... now just need to finalize the legal documents, make the final arrangements, sign a new lease, meet the part-timers, etc etc and get it going!!!!

No more wishful thinking, no more wondering 'what-ifs', no more time for self-doubt... it's already pretty much a done deal... you'll never know whether you can make it unless you take the plunge... so here goes nothing!

Pray for me, friends... pray for our success, and pray that this is the path that leads to what I'm planning for our family's future... Amin...

Good riddance to SPAM!!!

2010-05-29T23:31:00.004+08:00

What is it about this blog that attracts spam comments?!?!?!?

I've got the word verification thingie in place, supposedly to minimize spamming, and yet lately I'm noticing that almost every post I put up will have at least 1 spam comment! Since I rarely get comments (heheh, sad huh?), I had to do some digging around before I could find where/how to remove those crappy things...

Dah le they were not in English or even Malay... practically always in Chinese/Japanese-like characters (sorry, I can't distinguish between them, but you know what I mean...), and if you run your cursor above the contents, they'll usually turn out to be URLs to dodgy websites that hint of porn... sickening if you think about it.

So now I've had to turn on the comment moderator thing, which is honestly leceh for me cos I have limited access to edit this blog during weekdays... but I guess that's my only option for now...

13 Weeks Down... 27 More to Go!

2010-05-22T23:31:00.003+08:00

Technically speaking I'm about to enter the 2nd trimester already... the morning sickness has toned down somewhat, but it still rears its ugly head almost every day. This is the first pregnancy I've had that has me retching so frequently and strongly that my saliva is tinged with blood almost every time. Scary wooo I tell you, when you see the bright red in the saliva! My gynae (Dr Idris) says it's normal though, considering I throw up so much... I should be thankful I'm not dehydrated right?

Constipation is another painful problem... since I found out I was pregnant, I had to stop taking my regular Nona Roguy jamu... so I knew I'd be facing my old adversary, constipation, very soon. True enough, despite eating lots of fruit (and some veggies) - since fruit is digested faster, sometimes that's the only thing that stays in my tummy pun! - each trip to the loo hurt like crazy and also tinged with blood (yeah, gross, I know.... sorry....) I envy those who pass motion daily and easily... it's an ordeal for me every time...

Makan-wise, my appetite is improving, but keeping the food down is another matter altogether la. I'm thinking about my upcoming date with Hubby next week - wonder if I can sit down in Chili's and eat my favorite meal??? Right now I'm feeling kinda peckish... lost my dinner tonight and refilled with fruit, tapi lapar lagi... huwaaaa.... maybe I should just go to sleep and dream about food....

27 more weeks to go... let's hope these symptoms improve soon...

Morning Sickness... Sigh...

2010-04-25T20:23:00.005+08:00

Morning sickness... some people are blessed with(out) it... some poor souls have a hard time of it... those who go through it, some are lucky to get it for a short time, some even more challenged folks go through it for the whole 9 months!

Me? I am just coming out of the worst phase so far... I had a really bad month of it, but alhamdulillah this past 5 days have been sooooo much better than before. I remember going through both of my previous pregnancies having really bad morning (afternoon, and night!) sickness during the 1st trimester, and was really hoping this time around would be different. No such luck though! Went to (and through) work like a zombie, throwing up food and stomach juice throughout the day, and looked almost as pale as a dead person! I had plenty of plastic bags stashed in Hubby's car for sure! Didn't even have the mood to put a touch of color on my lips (cos it'll all be wiped out after a session of vomiting!).

Don't get me wrong... this was a planned pregnancy (albeit slightly off in terms of proposed timing), but I was really not looking forward to the sickness part. Luckily I seem to have gone through the worst of the phase without being hospitalized for dehydration (which has happened before), and I managed to get through the most critical part of the working year in this condition, so things are definitely looking up! 9 weeks down, 31 more to go!

Heck, I'm finally posting another entry after more than 1 month hehehe... that's an indication of improved health, dontcha think? :)

Now... I wonder when I'll be OK enough (or be in an able position) to start sewing again? My poor sewing machine's been in storage for ages now, with all my works-in-progress still in progress too!!!

At the Crossroads...

2010-03-04T16:11:00.003+08:00

I've been thinking of an exit plan for some time now... I somehow doubt I'll be continuing in my current career, as the longer I work in the company, the more hours I 'have to' devote to it. As it is, we leave the house latest by 7.15am every day, and I (not Hubby) leave the office around 8pm almost every day (more often than not, poor Hubby has to wait for me unless I can get a ride home from my brother or my nice, understanding boss). Even though it doesn't feel that tiring when I'm at work, as soon as I get home, the full force hits me and I feel dead tired. And yet there's still help to be given in my mom's kitchen, housework and laundry to do, and the poor dears who have to bear the brunt of my moodiness are my beloved Hubby and kids... it's definitely unhealthy physically, mentally and emotionally!

I long for something that will occupy my time for several hours each day, bring me a decent income to support my family and myself (very important one, that! heheh), give me the satisfaction of doing something tangible and worthwhile, allow me the flexibility to manage my home and family, and not require me to run in the daily rat race we're in now...

Some time ago I came across an opportunity to begin my exit plan... I've discussed it with my mom (who for the time being has been identified to be my main 'banker' and partner), Hubby, as well as several close friends. I also sought advice from a successful entrepreneur and from another close friend whose mom has her own small retail business.

I'm still weighing the pros and cons, but the big pro is of course the possibility of someday managing it on my own fulltime, which will give me the flexibility that I want. The major con is, no surprise, MONEY.... I can manage to get the payment to get the plan started, but what if despite all my planning and research, I lose money? I'd still have rent payments to make, inventory to manage, loans to repay... that is honestly my biggest worry. I also worry about not having an entrepreneurial streak in my entire body, and that I'd be making the biggest mistake in my life.

I enjoy being in the corporate environment, being around the good people that I work with, and of course the benefits and salary that comes with the job. But I feel deep in my heart that I don't have it in me to climb up the corporate ladder - I'm content just to do the job that I have to the best of my ability, without worrying that I have to come up on top of everyone else in order to survive in the company. I don't know for how much longer I can keep up with the long hours demanded out of me. I also know I lack the skills to handle office and corporate politics - I am polite but direct and to the point when giving feedback to the people in our fraternity, which is unfortunately not as open as the rest of the company. As such, my future in the company may not be that secure for me in time to come.

It's been more than a month since that opportunity presented itself. I've yet to make up my mind, and the other party (for reasons that they've mentioned, and also perhaps for their own hidden reasons) seem to be anxious for me to decide in their favor... I'm currently trying to negotiate better terms, but all indications from the other side seem to point to a final offer so a reduced price may not materialize.

I should make up my mind... soon... should I play it safe, and continue working as long as I can until I reach my absolute limit before making my move? Or should I be bold and give it a shot now, while I still have the stability of a steady paycheck and the support of my family to assist me in this endeavour before going into it fulltime later, despite the potential monetary risks?

Ya Allah, give me your guidance, and help this poor soul to decide what's best for herself and her family... Amin...

Straight out of the movies...

2010-02-21T13:19:00.005+08:00

You know how you see something in the movies and think 'That's never gonna happen to us...'?

Well, think of 'One Fine Day', Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, and the scene where her son sticks something up his nose and George gets all panicky etc... well, Adik stuffed something up his nose, and we didn't even know he did it!!

The first inkling something was off was the smell... Adik ni masam, the yummy kind of masam, but over the past few days I noticed a funny smell coming from his nose... at first we thought it was due to his stuffy nose, but even after his cold cleared the smell was still there.

So last night we took him to the clinic to check it out... our best guess was 'agaknya luka dalam hidung sebab selsema tu dah melarat kot...' Imagine our surprise when the doc said 'I see something white inside his nose'!!!

Using very small forceps, she gently pulled out whatever's in my boy's nose... no wonder he never complained of any pain, cos the 'thing' was actually a small piece of sponge!!! God knows where he got it from, and how long it's been in his nose... bertuah punye budak! He was fine throughout the procedure though, except for watery eyes... I never thought I'd be in this kind of situation, ever! We never had anything like this with Kakak...

That's my boy... that cheeky, naughty, adorable, lovable boy... he definitely cannot be left alone!! Pening kepala mama macam ni dik...

Resolutions... new year notwithstanding

2010-01-09T23:32:00.004+08:00

I don't recall ever making New Year's resolutions before... to me resolutions can be made at any time of the year, don't you agree?

I've had several resolutions in my mind for quite some time (since last year, I think), but have never publicly or privately documented them. So now, almost 10 days into 2010, I feel like writing these down in no particular order (simply because I feel putting them into solid words would strengthen them, and in return strengthen my resolve to actually achieve them):-

1 - to not come home so late from work (sadly, I left the office after 8pm on 3 out of 5 days this week... will try harder next week onwards but I know March to June would be a huge challenge for me...). Work-life balance, work-life balance, work-life balance... maybe if I repeat it over and over again I can actually find that point of balance?

2 - to sew more and build up a stock of selected items, and try more new patterns/items to make to enhance my skills...

3 - to figure out what I want to do... do I wanna stay as an employee makan gaji? Do I want to remain an employee, but be in a totally different job function? Do I want to branch out on my own? Do I have what it takes to be on my own, if that is my choice? Sigh.... career direction... does anyone know a good career counselor (not the school counselor ye... never felt they gave any good advice when I was in school)? Who knows, I may not even get a choice in the future... job security is longer a sure thing these days in the company...

4 - to be more patient with my loved ones... somehow I keep my temper better with people at work (even those who damn well deserve a tongue-lashing) than with my dearest and nearest... definitely need to work on that pronto...

5 - to source for the best home-loan package available out there... need to seriously get started on refinancing the house (this is related to item no 3... in case I decide to strike out...)

For now, these are the key items... I hope I'll be able to achieve them, in the timing that He has determined... may I be wise enough to know and understand that when the time comes...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:23:00.002+08:00

The kids stayed up to watch the fireworks show from both 1Utama and The Curve...

The view from my parents' house memang very nice, cos you get to see both malls' displays. Kakak definitely enjoyed the show, but Adik clung tight to me and my dad hehehe... Adik, Adik... chicken jugak anak mama ni...

Happy New Year everyone... may this year be better than the last, and may you be one step closer towards achieving your goals...

Cupcake Decorating Class

2009-12-20T22:55:00.004+08:00

Aren't these cute???

I am proud to say that these were all made by yours truly, after almost 7 hours of work :)

Spent the day with several friends at a cupcake-decorating class, and I have to admit, although it was quite tiring (my face was so oily at the end of the day!) for someone without a single artistic bone in her body, it was really kinda relaxing and therapeutic too! Of course it helped that we had a teacher guiding us all the way, and the vanilla and chocolate cuppies were absolutely yum!

This was my tray, surrounded by the other trays at the end of the day...

I liked the hat and booties the best.... the roses were the most difficult for me...

Will definitely try out making the cuppies using the new recipes soon... the decorating? Hmm... we'll see how confident I am hehehe...

Latest bag creations

2009-12-08T19:15:00.003+08:00

Over the weekend (before I got really really sick), I tried out a pattern from one of my new books. The end result:-

The size is about 15"x11"x2.5", and is big enough to fit a couple of books and magazines ( I thought it'd be a nice bag for my daughter to use for her 'mengaji' classes). Since a good friend has asked me to make her a document bag, I'm gonna see if she likes this design and make a bigger one for her.

The previous weekend I tried out this pattern from Cath Kidston's new book, Sew! Well, it didn't really require cutting out the pattern cos the book came with all items needed to make the bag on the cover. All I had to do was figure out the instructions hehehe, which wasn't that easy I tell you!

Patience and perseverence has its rewards, and so.....

Looks just like the one in the book, kan? :) It's a nice enough bag, but I think the next time I try it, I'll be making the revised version (the Shopper Tote) instead, cos it uses a lining, is slightly bigger and has a shorter strap.

I am SOOOOO enjoying making bags... just have to find the time to make 'em...

I've already bought the less-than-a-year-old Singer Confidence sewing machine from my mom (which gave her the fantastic excuse to upgrade to the Singer Quantum 9940... damn cool machine I say! but too advanced for me heheh), so am now the proud owner of a real, working sewing machine ya'all!!

Let the sewing continue!!!

Sick & tired...

2009-12-06T17:06:00.003+08:00

You name it, I've got it.... fever? Check! Cough? Check! Phlegm? Check! Very sore throat? Check that too... Runny nose/sneezing? Yep... Tight chest & difficulty breathing... All in....

At the moment I'm lying on the couch propped up by a huge cushion... the chest tightness is slightly better after 2 puffs of Ventolin, and the runny nose is manageable while I'm on my back... after almost a week away from home, we are now back at our own place to do some laundry and general house-cleaning... but I just don't have the energy to do anything other than lie down for now... my poor Hubby's had to do some funky arrangements with the extension cords due to a blown fuse (or is it several too-sensitive fuses?) that's disrupting the power supply to the washing machine...

I willed myself to stay at work on Friday, with the hope that the weekend will give me enough rest to be OK by Monday... at the moment I'm not even sure I'll be well enough to go to work tomorrow though, but I have to.....

Do you think it's possible to negotiate with your own body? If so, then I'd like to propose the following arrangement, body... Monday, get me well enough so I can go and finish off the urgent paperwork... Tuesday, I can afford to be sick and rest at home, but I have to be better by Wednesday... agaknya boleh tak?

*sigh*... what a hectic working life... I can't even take time off when I'm sick... I am soooooo looking forward to finishing off my leave at the end of this month...

OK, enough whining....

p/s. Adik is doing a lot better... now just waiting for the scabs to heal and drop off before he can go to school again... the cheeky kid's been picking at the scabs and then complaining 'Mama, Adik thakit....' otherwise, he's his usual self.... get well soon OK...

Aidiladha under quarantine...

2009-11-28T19:54:00.003+08:00

Adik has chickenpox, real bad chickenpox...

As a result, we spent Hari Raya Haji at my parents' place... had to cancel plans to go back to Seremban (although Hubby did go back this morning to help out with Qurban, and came back with lots of yummy food courtesy of my MIL and SIL :) ), had to cancel our planned family dinner outing, and have had to make alternative plans for tomorrow...

What's tomorrow? The annual school concert, where Adik was supposed to join in for the first time! He's got his own routine with the rest of the 2-year-olds, but we don't quite know what it is... But now he'll have to miss it and stay at home with Opah who's volunteered to watch him... I think I'm more upset about him missing the concert than he is hehehe...

We thought it was great that Amani got a very mild version only 2 weeks ago, and never thought Adik would come down with it again (within a span of 2 years!)... sekali tengok, his case is worse than Kakak's! He's got the spots everywhere... around his hairline (under his bushy hair, sian dia...), on his body, on his face, even right near his anus!

So now Kakak will get to do her speech with her classmates, and we can only record Adik's friends performing... hopefully when we show him the video, he'll do his own performance :)

*Sigh*.... dah la mama tak boleh nak cuti next week... Opah la yang tolong jagakan... sorry Adik ye... nanti Adik dah sihat & mama dapat cuti hujung December, we go jalan-jalan ok?

My New Project - Completed!!

2009-11-22T14:30:00.006+08:00

Ever since I got started on the whole 'tudung'-making venture, I got a renewed interest in sewing. In particular, bag-making and tops for myself, for now at least. I've half-sewed a jersey top for myself (just needs the finishing touches around the hems and such), and now I'm so proud & happy to declare I have 1 finished bag to my name!!!

Meet my first-ever handmade bag!!!

I'm especially proud cos I made this from scratch - no patterns, no drafts... just a rough measurement as per my mom's instructions (and no cheating by asking mom to complete it too!) ... but I have to say, using a paper pattern would definitely have been easier... leceh tul nak lukis line atas kain yang bergerak as the pencil draws on it!

I started on this last week (just the outer shell), and got to work on the rest yesterday. Beriya-iya nak siapkan jugak this weekend, tau! Broke a needle in the process too hehehe... sorry mama... In the end, managed to complete it this afternoon. It's not perfect obviously... it's a basic, simple tote design lined with red fabric with no pockets, zippers or buttons, ada some wavy stitches, ada uneven stitch size (still learning to adjust the tension and stitch size for each fabric type), but it's all my own! I love the fabric pattern too... so bright and cheerful... I guess it's also reversible, cos I just turned it inside out and it still looks OK stiches-wise...

Now I can get started on the many other patterns and tutorials I've collected from the internet, magazines and books... I've spent a bomb on sewing books and mags this year, on top of my usual literary interests... no wonder I've exceeded my tax deduction quota this year! Cute fabrics are calling out to me as well... my wallet is doomed I tell ya....

Gatal dah tangan nak buat this very cute wristlet (like I don't have enough as it is!!) I saw earlier... the pattern seems do-able to a novice (hehe, confident je kata)... a girl can never have too many bags, right? A cloth wallet for my daughter, a wristlet for the many membership cards I have, a simple cloth tote bag for shopping, another for quick trips to the store, another for my daughter's books, another for me just for kicks, another to cart all my additional stuff to work, and another and another and another...ahhh, what bliss to think of all the bags to be made...

Of course, it doesn't mean I'll stop BUYING bags (that's still a must!! Even now I'm eyeing another acquisition... yum yum... can I afford it???? I must make myself afford it hehehe)

Kalau macam ni, my own sewing machine would make a good investment, kan?

Agak-agak boleh berenti keje and just do this all day long tak? Hehehe... ke nanti mati kutu pulak tengok mesin je manjang?

I love the feeling of creating something!!! Let's make more!!!

Catching up on reading

2009-11-14T18:42:00.002+08:00

I have at least 5 maganizes at home (Impiana, Impiana Dapur, Impiana Apartmen) from various months that are waiting to be read...

At least 3 more are at work...

This weekend's goal? To finish at least 2! Since my 'extra-curricular' class tomorrow is cancelled, I get to 'lepak' at home yeay!!!

I'm trying not to think about the pile of laundry that needs ironing...

Additional potential plans - if I can convince Hubby to go to either the MPH sale, or to Fella Design's sale... quality fabrics on sale for my potential projects... hehehe... and of course books need no excuse...

How do you know???

2009-11-07T23:52:00.002+08:00

How do you know what it is that you're meant to do in life?

How do you discover what suits you best?

Is there a formula? A course that'll help you chart your way? How do you peel off the different layers that make you a person, and find the real being underneath? How do you find your true calling, your life's passion? Work that you enjoy so much, it doesn't deserve to be called 'work'?

I feel worn out....

Is it the job? The company? The position? I'm just a 'balaci', by the way... please do not misunderstand this as the moanings of a boss hehehe...

Is this what I'm destined to be, to do for the rest of my productive years? I enjoy going to work, yet lately I'm feeling my work is becoming more and more meaningless. Mounds of paperwork that I have to force others to complete, yet without any clear, discernible use... paperwork with info that we already can get from other sources... and yet, to give feedback for improvement to the powers-that-be is to put my neck out to be chopped, to be branded a 'trouble-maker'...

Help!

Oh to be a WAHM, or my own boss... 1 year and 3 months more... *sigh*...

Nasty Conmen

2009-10-15T19:23:00.004+08:00

You know how you hear about so many different scams out there right now, and sometimes wonder how people can be so gullible to fall for them?

I'm not talking about the Ponzi-like schemes.... more like the ones you get SMS'ed about (the AF schemes, supposed PETRONAS and Shell contest wins, the buy-this-crappy-item-you-win-this-great-gift-that-you-have-to-pick-up-in-person) as well as the panic-inducing one of 'someone's trying to use your credit card, you need to give me details to avoid that from happening' sort of thing....

Well, a very good friend of mine just got hit by the latter!!! Kesian dia... apparently she got a phone call from someone saying that someone's attempting to use her credit card in a fraudulent transaction... of course you'd worry if you hear something like that kan? So this guy tells her she needs to secure her account or something like that, and she has to follow his instructions at the ATM machine... siap boleh pesan lagi jangan cakap kuat-kuat takut orang keliling dengar... hallo, so dodgy kan? If the others had heard her conversation, sure they'd have highlighted to her this guy's scamming!

So anyway, she followed the guy's instructions at the ATM, and somehow I guess he got access to her account. She lost RM 10K tau!!! I just found out about it from another good friend...

Is it possible dia kena pukau over the phone? Someone from our office (Kak M, I think) got this sort of phone call before, but she hung up on the guy... and all of us (including my friend) discussed the matter and we agreed it was an attempt to scam money from Kak M, so it's not as if my friend was ignorant of these baddies' modus operandi... but somehow dah nak jadi, terkena jugak kat dia...

Hang in there ok buddy... ada hikmah yang kite tak nampak lagi ni... dugaan Allah masa ni... I hope the d@mn conman (thief is more accurate kot?) gets what he deserves!

Salam Aidilfitri

2009-09-27T17:46:00.003+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Finally back at home after being away since the Friday before raya... a week feels like a couple of days aje! I can't believe it's time to go back to work already!

This year we celebrated Raya in Seremban first (only the 2nd time in almost 6 years of marriage heheh) and came back to KL on the 3rd day (coincidentally Amani's birthday too). The snag about taking a whole week off? Other people are not around yet, all happily enjoying their holiday in their kampungs! Oh we poor people whose kampungs are in KL... but all was not lost, we took off to visit relatives outside KL too...

In the beginning, though, it felt somewhat subdued... hambar... usually we'd go and visit my grandma on the 1st day, and if we celebrated in Seremban first, we'd stop by on our way back to KL, but this year is the 1st year that she's gone... it feels strange not to see her... have yet to visit her grave, but will do so insya-Allah soon...

Am trying hard not to think about work... once we get back, the budget cycle's gonna be in full swing, and the mid-year review's coming up right after that... and the restructuring that's gonna affect us in Oct... not to mention the Hari Raya gathering in 2 weeks' time that I've been 'volunteered' to lead... aughhhh... any ideas for an independent work opportunity anyone????

Of The Less Privileged...

2009-09-06T00:15:00.004+08:00

For the first time, yesterday I personally chaperoned a child I adopted under the company's annual buka puasa event... Previously a few of us would band together to adopt 1 kid, and sponsor his/her gifts, but none of us would attend the buka puasa event itself, not to mention the activities preceeding it. Nominate anak buah je pegi gantikan kitorang hehehe... Although we never attended the event, we loved participating in it from behind the scenes, simply cos it allows us the opportunity to share with those less privileged...

This year, I managed to adopt 1 child again, but since this time I did it individually (tak sempat nak ajak kengkawan join), I couldn't sub-con the attendance to someone else... I was looking forward to it though, especially since the organizing committee changed the format to resemble a mini 'Explorace', including a shopping portion! So this year, instead of us staff buying gifts for the children beforehand, we actually get to buy the things for them together! I thought that was a nice idea...

Needless to say, the little girl & I had a lot of fun... she was such a sweetie, smiling broadly all the time, and was not the least bit demanding. She was the third in a family of 7, and her eldest brother was living in another 'Rumah Amal' and went to school in Kedah. She was so surprised to see her brother in the same event! It was so touching to see the siblings' reunion... I get the feeling that they don't meet very often, unless it's the school holidays and they get to go home to their mom and family in Ampang.

We went to all the checkpoints (I didn't help her much during the mug-decorating part, she did a great job on her own! If I had, it probablywould have turned out worse heheh), and when we got to the shopping part, we got lots of books, some toys and tons of new clothes for her. Since she had no particular items in mind even after being asked repeated, I treated her as though I was taking my own daughter on a shopping trip... anything that caught my fancy that she liked, went into the basket! As you may guess, Iexceeded the spending limit hehehe... that's what you get with a shopaholic mummy :)

I was flat out by the time I went home (I'm still wiped out today!), but something lingered in my mind... I was more than happy to spend more than the allocated budget for her, simply because she wasn't pushy and demanding, and her requests were so humbly simple... When I spoke to some of my colleagues who were also participating, they experienced the same thing. This was in stark contrast to the same event from the past few years. You see, previously, when they put up the pics of the children from the various homes for the 1-day adoption, they also put up their wish list for us to fulfill. We're asked to buy the items on the wish list (on our own ye, not using the company money :p) within a certain spending limit set by the company (I guess to make sure everyone got the same value of items, no less), and the items will be handed to the children during the event. What began to irk me was seeing the items on the list. Very often you'd see very modest requests - black pants, white shirt, school bag, etc etc.... basic necessities for schoolgoing kids - very humbling requests for people like us who are used to buying more for our own kids and families. But we began noticing that starting some years back, some kids from certain homes were asking for things like Nike shoes, Adidas shoes, G-Shock watches... heck, these kids even knew which particular model they wanted!

It wasn't just me... my friends and colleagues felt the same way. When we saw the modest requests, we'd try our best to give even more than what the kid wanted and really make their day... but the kids with the branded wish list? We avoided them, full stop! I honestly didn't want to take any of them. I wanted to share our good fortune with someone, and I wanted to share it with someone who would appreciate what came their way... not someone who already had set high expectations beforehand and made a demand for things.

I try to see it from their point of view... Suddenly it's as if it's their birthday, or Christmas, and they have a chance to list down their dearest wishes, so they do it... but somehow it strikes a jarring note with me. So rather than b1tch about the things my/our adopted child wants, we'd rather go with someone who really touches us with his/her simple requests, and try our very best to make it even better. Is that terrible? I think not... someone else with a different outlook than mine would be able to fulfill those wishes, so let them go ahead...

All in all, we had a great day yesterday... I stayed behind till the kids got on their buses (tak sampai hati nak balik terus... my little girl and the girl our dept adopted had so many heavy bags to carry! Same goes for many of the other kids too, thanks to their generous patrons/chaperones...) My children are blessed to have two loving parents take care of them, fulfill their basic needs, love them with all our hearts... I was glad that for a few short hours, I could share what my children have with someone else...

Insya-Allah, I look forward to participating again next year... but perhaps I could start outsourcing the attendance again? Hehehe...

My Daughter the Shopper

2009-08-29T20:59:00.003+08:00

Kakak has the makings of a shopping 'kaki' (abahnya kata, anak mama la tu... hehehe... I refuse to comment for fear of incriminating myself...:p)

And how do I know this?

We went shoe-shopping for the kids today... Kasut raya of course, as well as kasut nak berjalan-jalan... both Kakak & Adik have pretty much outgrown their 'nice' shoes (heck, Adik couldn't even put his foot in! That chronic wooo...), plus the sandals that they use to go to school are looking pretty beat up... Stakat nak gi nursery tu OK la, tapi kalau nak gi jenjalan, kurang comel laaaa...

So off we went to Jusco I Utama... Hubby and I like the selection there, and of course the prices are reasonable. Ingatkan it would be a short trip - grab the shoes, try them on, pay, leave (see Abah, no 'lencongan' from Mama... I had good intentions OK!) Rupa-rupanya anak daraku boleh tahan jugak shopping! Adik's shoes were chosen easily. Of course, it helped that by the time we got to Jusco, he was asleep in the stroller, so Mama sesuka hati je la tried on possible shoes on his feet as he slept; plus, he didn't get a say in the selection hehehe...

Different story with Kakak! Punye la banyak kasut try... yang I suka, dia tak suka... some that she liked were too pink for my liking (baju raya biru la, turquoise lagi!!) the ones she liked were pretty, but they didn't have them in her size... I literally felt dizzy, squatting down to put the shoes on and off, and standing up again. I'm sure if a doctor were to check my blood pressure tadi, it would have been on the low side.

In the end, we spent more than 2 hours there, just at the shoes section!!! Hubby & I wanted to finish the shoe-shopping there and then - malas nak gi cari lagi lain kali... in the end, tired out and sleepy, she finally found a pair that suited her (and us!). She fell asleep on Hubby's shoulder while waiting for the SA to bring the new pair of shoes.

So what were the fruits of our labor? 2 pairs of shoes, and 2 pairs of sandals, one each for Kakak & Adik... after this we only need to look for a turquoise Baju Melayu for Adik, possibly a sampin and songkok for him as well, and we're all set! Hmmm.... agak-agak Mama nak beli bag or kasut baru tak? Heheheh... We shall wait and see...

Oh, and why did I say Amani is a potential 'kaki shopping'? She kept on trying the shoes, even the ones she didn't like, just because she liked trying out shoes!! She definitely has taste, and doesn't hesitate to give her opinion on things! Tu yang lama sangat nak pilih kasut budak tu! Dia siap bagi input lagi to me when choosing fabric for tudungs hehehe... skarang ni dah terbantut kejap hajat mama nak beli bag baru, cos when I showed her a picture of the bag, dia kata tak cantik!!! Huwaaaaa.... anak mama... takpe la, maybe later you'll change your mind? :p Dah besar skit nanti mama ajak jalan sama-sama ek...

Takziah...

2009-08-09T20:14:00.003+08:00

Have just heard sad news about an old friend of mine...

It was with great sadness that I read on her FB wall that her 2nd son had passed away....

She's miscarried before, and I know her pregnancies are generally difficult. She has a healthy son, about the same age as Adik, and she was expecting another baby...

She was only in her 7th month, but her waterbag started leaking... details on her hubby's blog are a bit sketchy but heartwrenching (imagine having to decide which one to save - wife or baby!) but I know they've agreed to do a C-section... but the little one passed away, leaving his parents devastated.

I realize that no matter how difficult my life can be at times, I've never had to face this sort of tragedy... Arwah Wan's passing was probably the most grief I've had to experience, and even that was tempered by the fact that she had lived a long and I believe happy life... but I think for any parent to lose a child, that has got to be one of the hardest losses to bear....

Takziah Lea & Fareast... stay strong... our thoughts and prayers are with you...

Kudos to LHDN! 1 person, to be specific...

2009-07-30T14:07:00.004+08:00

Kudos is due to Pn Hazal of the LHDN who answered my call on Monday...

Earlier that day I called up the hotline and spoke to a male consultant about the CP38 notice... turns out the amount due was from assessment year 2007, and he read out the statements & transations etc. Apparently I filed the wrong info, saying that I paid 500+ in PCB whereas the system only recorded $51 of PCB (and basically implying that I cheated on my taxes!). I got so peeved at the guy that I got Hubby to email my e-filing for that year, checked my EA statement and asked our Payroll for proof that the payments were made as per the amount declared on the EA (they gave me the receipt nos siap!!!). Voila, the documents have it - I did not lie!!!!

So after lunch I called up the hotline again, and was entertained by Pn Hazal. She very courteously and in a very friendly manner handled my call (which immediately put me in a good mood - I'm a sucker for good customer service), and pulled up every single item she could find that could help us identify where the money went. As it turned out, the info I received about 'it doesn't matter which income tax file number you choose, it'll all be reconciled using your IC no' (which was actually reiterated by the guy I spoke to that morning!) was wrong!!!! Pn Hazal told me I was wrongly informed, and basically I have to ensure that my employer has the most recent no on file, otherwise it may result in my current predicament - for 4 months's PCB, the amount went into my old file no and then de-activated, whereas the rest of the year's payments were channeled into my current no.

She even told me I didn't have to go to any LHDN office to settle the issue! She very kindly said she'd email the results to LHDN Seremban (who issued the notice) to cancel the instruction, and even gave me the emails of the PR officer there (she didn't know who had handled the case, but was sure the PR would channel it to the right person) and the center's email so that I could follow up later. I don't know whether this is the SOP for handling cases like this, but I definitely liked the simplicity in managing and resolving the issue. I emailed both office & PR lady & cc:ed it to Pn Hazal, and the fantastic thing is both she and the PR lady (Pn Maimunah) gave me a call to confirm that they've got my email! Now all I'm waiting for is for the cancellation letter to reach KL, and my faith in the LHDN will definitely improve by leaps and bounds! If all their staff are like these 2 ladies (instead of the guy and the others before him who gave me the wrong info, and the person who mishandled my mom's account for more than a year), then LHDN is definitely going to be an effective, much-improved agency....

Thanks very much Pn Hazal! You really made a great impression on this customer :)

Floored by a Bug (2nd time this year!)

2009-07-30T13:09:00.003+08:00

Hubby's been the lucky one so far... he's the only one who's managed to evade being infected by whatever bug it is that's infected our 2 kids as well as yours truly.

Amani got hit first... she began vomiting in the very very early hours of Saturday (we ended up sleeping outside in front of the TV at my parents' place and gave my dad a shock at dawn hehe), had a slight case of diarrhea and continued with up-n-down fever all through the weekend... she skipped school on Monday to fully recover.

When we got ready to go to work on Tuesday, Adik pulak started purging (3x before we even left our place! Our bed was a mess, believe me... had to do laundry pulak pepagi buta...) and eventually he stayed at home that day. Luckily Hubby has lots of days off still, so he stayed home for both days.

I went to work and spent Tuesday feeling very 'sebu', as if I ate the wrong thing that gave me tons of wind (at first I blamed it on the banana I ate that morning for breakfast), but by the time I got home, I was feeling even worse... my head felt like a band was slowly being tightened around it, and I nearly threw up when the doctor did the checkup... So I ended up staying at home yesterday too, together with Adik. Can you imagine what it was like to take care of a sick kid who was not behaving sickly, while not being well yourself????? He was purging every few hours, and I had to change him before the contents spilled out (yeah, gross, I know heheh) and also irritate his skin. We spent the whole day watching Toy Story 2 (interspersed with Elmo & the Bookananeers [Adik's version of Bookaneers] and a Reader's Digest Animals are Amazing video) in between trips to the bathroom for both of us. For the record, I absolutely hate throwing up and purging, OK? Especially when I didn't get any diarrhea medicine as well!

Today my fever and heachache has subsided, but I'm still at home - my tummy's still acting up... both kids are at school though, unless we get a phone call sometime today saying Adik's not well. Adik wasn't purging anymore, and he never ran a fever to begin with, so we felt he was fine already since the doc gave the bug about 2 days to run its course. I'm quite confident that his activeness (ada ke such a word?) and strong constitution has helped him recover faster.

Now I've got a few more hours to rest.... mama dia pulak yang lagi lambat nak baik...

Handmade Creations Updated!

2009-07-26T15:17:00.002+08:00

Handmade Creations Updated!!

Latest completed items available...

Click HERE for more...

Gearing up for a Confrontation...

2009-07-26T12:10:00.003+08:00

Psyching myself up for a showdown with....................................................

The TAX MAN!!

Why, you may ask?

I got a letter in the mail yesterday, stating that I have to make a CP 38 deduction on my salary ASAP... the icing on the 'lovely' statement said, if there's a delay, I'll be charged an additional % on top of that amount!

Now, you may sense that I'm more than slightly p1ssed by this notice. Why I want to go head to head with the tax man is because, I've been a diligent taxpayer my entire working life (the only year I missed was the year I started working, and my total income for that year was not even enough to be taxable!) I submit my income tax returns within the deadline every year, and even pay the excess that's due within the same given deadline! And I'm d4mned sure that I've paid off everything that I owe! So to simply get this notice is mind-boggling, not to mention insulting! - yeah, yeah, I'm a nerd, and very skema... very by the book punye orang, what to do... hehehe...

I'm just wondering which year this amount was supposedly due from... I'm thinking it could be from the year I filed my taxes under my own tax number, and the amount of PCB that I've deducted to this account was not reconciled with the taxes that I've filed and paid in the joint account no with Hubby (can anyone tell me if this could happen? Dulu I've asked the LHDN hotline about this, and the person told me it should be OK cos the accounts are linked by my IC no, so all my payments should be reconciled against all the different accounts... was I told the correct thing???)

Anyway, before I go head-to-head with the officer at the agency, I have to dig up all my income tax submissions from year 2004... since I started using e-filing, I have the forms in softcopy, but for the ones before that, they're all in a file at work. So the earliest I can go over is on Tuesday.

It took my mom more than 1 year (even after writing a letter to the biggest boss in the agency too!) to settle her tax matters and get her refund upon her retirement, so I am NOT looking forward to this encounter...

*sigh*... wish me luck!

Harry Potter 6 and Transformers 2

2009-07-21T20:48:00.003+08:00

My verdict of HP 6?

Where was the fight scene when the Death Eaters entered Hogwarts???? And why was the scene were Harry fought Snape so short??? They could have done away with the attack at The Burrows (which was not in the book) and do the major battle at the end instead...

Otherwise, it's quite OK... I felt Hermione's heartbreak (macam familiar je... ye ke? hehehe), I cried when he died (in case ada orang tak tgk lagi and tak baca the book - awww heck, I cried when I read the book too... so no surprise there kan?) Loads of laughs too... Looking forward to the next 2 movies... but after that, no more Harry Potter to look forward to... :( Hmm, mula la rasa macam nak read all of them again...

Transformers 2 - a whole lot of fun... but not so much of the storyline compared to the first movie, I think. But there's plenty of Josh Duhamel, so OK la heheheh... (hey, Hubby got Megan Fox, I've got my eye candy too!! :p) Tapi memang le the movie glorified the US Army! Bersungguh-sungguh tunjuk all the firepower and equipment that they have! To know more, go catch the movie!!

So all in all, the 3 latest movies I saw this year (the other was Star Trek in May) are definitely worthwhile to add to our DVD collection for future viewing :)

How I Celebrated My 30th Birthday

2009-07-21T20:36:00.002+08:00

8.30am - had breakfast at kedai mamak near the kiddies' nursery after dropping them off (sorry my babies... mama cuti ari ni, but you still have to go to school ye heheh)

9.30am - entered The Curve parking lot (but none of the shops are open yet) and walked over to Ikano. Basically spent about an hour there while waiting for Cathay to start operations and pick up our tickets

10.30am - it's started to rain, and we've picked up the tix to Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince as well as Transformers 2 (yeap, it's a movie marathon!!!!)

11am - the movie starts after several previews and ads (biasa la kan...)

2pm - HP ends, time for lunch at Tony Roma's... Hubby had the Lunch Rack, and I had the Fiery Cajun Burger, and we enjoyed the Onion Loaf as starters. Rushed off for prayers after that

2.50pm - entered the theatre again just in time for Transformers 2

5.20pm - T2 ended, had a quick stroll around the mall after buying Big Apple, picked up the kids and went to my parents'...

Thank you Hubby dearest for a wonderful, relaxing day! And for the lovely present too... :) You know your wife is a sucker for presents hehehe...

Ever since we were together, birthdays are always our day off to spend time together (and since we had kids, that's pretty much about the only time we get to go out for a movie too!!) and we make it a point to go out on a date then...

*Sigh*... I wish I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow...

Physical expansion - my reason to shop??

2009-07-11T13:16:00.006+08:00

*Sigh*

It is with great sadness that I have to acknowledge I have physically expanded :(

The signs were there... certain pants wouldn't fit anymore, or fit so snugly I won't be able to breathe... several skirts also seemed to enhance (or is it emphasize???) my derriere (sp?)... some (alright, many!) of my kebayas would have to go into storage for a while too...

The painful truth hit me when I sent some fabric to my tailor for Raya.... my measurements have changed significantly!!!!

Oleh yang demikian, terpaksa la I terima kenyataan and go buy new pants for work... which I did last week.

Habis la swipe kat plastic kaler biru untuk beli 3 helai seluar, yang confirmed berubah saiz... yesterday I saw some nice pants at Isetan as well, so may just take a look at them next week.

These past 2 weeks memang sakan bershopping... bought plenty of clothes for the kids for Raya and school, a nice linen shirt for hubby and a shirt for my dad during the Isetan members' pre-sale, bought tons of jersey for tudungs as the shops were having a sale (and they're still having special promotions!!! augh... how do I resist the temptation??? Dah ada sekotak penuh kain yang belum dipotong lagi ni...), bought those pants for myself, bought a birthday present for my dad yesterday (plus a little something for myself as well hehehe)... hari ni belum ada apa-apa lagi hehehe... nasib baik le not too much damage done on my wallet, cos the kids' clothes were courtesy of the Isetan vouchers my dad won in a golf tourney (which he generously donated to his grandkids for Raya hehehe... so I got him a little something from those vouchers as well la)...

Ni ada alasan lagi nak gi beli baju baru for myself... if I really go through my wardrobe, I think at least half will have to be put aside for now :( Tu la kan, sapa suruh beli baju size ngam-ngam je ngan badan... Kalau nak kurus balik, kena pregnant dulu pulak (the exercise option langsung tak masuk list hehehe)... belum boleh guna cara ni dulu kot, belum sampai masa lagi rasanya...

Sports Carnival Fun

2009-06-29T00:20:00.005+08:00

I'd forgotten how much fun it was to participate in a sports carnival, tak kira la in whatever role...

The last time I was involved in a sports carnival, it was at the 2001 Midwest Games in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Obviously, I didn't play any games (duh! tak cukup terrer aaaa... hehehe...), but I was keen to join in anyway cos it was a chance to travel and meet up with friends from around the States, and I also cheered on the reps from UW. Since I was the only senior in the group of girls on that trip, I was the designated driver, and I tell you, to drive from Madison to Kalamazoo with a compact car full of girls (none of whom had driver's licenses, so I was the ONLY driver!) in a convoy with the guys (we eventually got separated somehow halfway through Michigan and only met up later once we reached Kalamazoo in the middle of the night) was definitely a challenge!!

That was 8 years ago!!!

This past week, I was involved in the company's annual sports carnival, as a member of our contingent's secretariat.

Granted, my involvement was not purely voluntary... it came packaged with the responsibilities of my new position. After 7-plus years of working with the company, this was the first time I was ever involved in the carnival. Heck, I never even went to the family carnival that's held right after all the games have concluded!

I'm glad I was part of the show though... for one, it gave me a chance to be away from the office but still be involved in the company... two, it allowed me an opportunity to experience something that I had enjoyed in the past... I'd forgotten how much fun it was to cheer on your own team, and still enjoy yourselves even though we weren't the overall champions... three, I made new friends! A part of me felt like I was back in my uni days, and it felt good! I'm definitely gonna be a part of this again next year! Four, I experienced a different side of the company during the carnival... and that was a good thing considering I'm starting to feel that the direction that the company is going in, as well as the values that it's exhibiting now, is becoming somewhat at odds with my own values (but that's another topic altogether....)

On the not so good side... I think I've turned a few shades darker from standing in the hot sun all week!!! Huwaaaa..... kalah player macam ni...

*sigh*.... it's back to the daily grind tomorrow (it's already today!!!)... dah la kena pakai baju kerja macam biasa... I was getting used to wearing t-shirts and jeans/track bottoms all day hehehe....

We had so much fun, we wanna do it again!

2009-06-21T13:08:00.006+08:00

We're back from the trip, and it was MARVELLOUS!!!! I recovered from my cold just at the point of arrival at KLIA OK! It was THAT close!

So we went to Bandung for a day trip, and due to the time constraints, had to limit it to visiting only about 4 outlets in total... my buddies memang target nak beli baju-baju semua, so they spent more there... I tried to stock up on the kids' clothes, but for some reason only saw a few that I liked... even so, many of them my parents and brother have bought for the kids during their recent trips, so I ended up only buying several tops and a gorgeous stretchy skirt from t-shirt-like material for myself, plus a pair of jeans for Hubby, t-shirts for the guys & my dad, and some tops for my mom. I did get 2 cute pairs of pants and a t-shirt for Adik, and a t-shirt and a paired Minnie outfit for Kakak, so it wasn't a total loss hehehe... I can tell you, my friends did more damage to their wallets than I did! :)

We actually spent more time (and money!) in Jakarta... our target was fabric, and boy did we buy fabric!!! I guess for those looking for lace, dry-cleaned chiffons and other expensive fabrics, they're gorgeous and affordable too, but they didn't really catch my attention. We were more in love with the cottons from the shops in Pasar Mayestic... so many prints, so many colors!!! I can't speak for my buddies, but I know I bought loads and loads... enough for me to finally retire many of my old baju kurungs and also make some new blouses! I also got some cute fabrics for my mom to make her smocking projects (which most of the time ends up as Amani's anyway, so I might as well chip in with the raw materials kan? ;P) Asalnya nak cari jerseys, but the recommended shops only had plain jerseys and in limited colors, so I only bought 2 pieces (which turned out to be of comparable quality to the expensive ones I bought here, so next time I'll definitely buy more!). We went to Tanah Abang too, but because it was a Sunday, the shops close at 4 so we didn't really get to browse that much. Tapi pening kepala kat sana... too many shops, too many people, too narrow aisles... but those looking for muslimah wear, telekungs and such would have a field day choosing what to buy!

We also squeezed some time to get a facial at Martha Tilaar... memula nak buat massage, but due to the limited time, we went for the facials instead. One of us even finished her facial earlier and managed to get a mani & pedi done as well!! Jealous tul tengok dia enjoy the treatment hehehe...

All in all, we had a fantastic time... and we can't wait to do it again!!!

Kalau sempat nanti, I'll put up pics of the spoils later (but the fabrics je la kot mostly... penuh satu luggage!!!)

*sigh*.... my next phone bill will be a shocker... the kids called every night, and we'd talk for at least 10 mins each time... I should have bought a local prepaid sim! Will do that next time!

We had so much fun on the trip, we're thinking we might wanna do this on an annual basis at least... a shopping trip just for the girls...

Next on the agenda: a family vacation pulak... whoooohoooo!!!!!! Jalan je kerjanye!!!

The Trip

2009-06-11T14:14:00.003+08:00

My friends and I are going on a girls-only trip this weekend...

Destination: Jakarta (& Bandung hehehe)

Why girls only? None of the Hubbies (yep, we're all married with kids :p) wanted to come along, cos our main itinerary is SHOPPING!!! Plus a spa session squeezed in between... maybe next time we'll get to come again with our families...

We're really excited about this... plans have been made (thanks in big part to my bro-in-law), potential targets identified (thanks to Mrs Noba and several other people for their recommendations hehehe), but I haven't packed a single thing!!!!

Since we'll only be back on Tuesday, Hubby's left with the kiddies, and to make it easier on him, I'm gonna pack the whole week's worth of kids's clothes for school... so that's double packing for me!!!

To complicate matters, very likely Hubby will have to go to Singapore for a conference next week, starting from the Tuesday that I come back! Sian the kiddies.... one after the other mak bapak deyrang gi travel without them... Never mind, Mama & Abah are planning a family holiday after this, we promise!

Wish me luck getting better before the trip!

Sick & Bored to Death

2009-06-11T14:03:00.004+08:00

Today's the 2nd day I'm stuck at home... dah lama tak MC macam ni.... the usual culprit, a bad case of the sniffles, plus the accompanying non-stop sneezing & runny nose, sore throat, teary eyes and headache...

Normally, if it gets this bad, at most pun I'll take 1 day of MC, but considering I'll be travelling over the sea this Saturday, I need to get well ASAP!!! I don't want to be quarantined upon reaching my destination as a suspected H1N1 carrier!!!

The worst part about being sick like this? I can't do anything much!! Ni nak menaip pun kena stop byk kali, takleh nak tunduk aje (I'm sure you understand why kan? ;P) Tried to access office email using our secure connection, pun ada banyak problem (I wonder if anyone else has ever complained about that connection... leceh sungguh! Hubby's company has a much better IT setup for that purpose...). Nak menjahit, lagi la tak boleh... the heat is making it unbearable... maybe I would have been better off trying to recuperate in the airconditioned office?

Dah la I'll be away from the office for 2 days next week... this week pun dah hilang 2 hari... aiyoyo....

Robbed!

2009-06-06T21:36:00.005+08:00

Our place was robbed yesterday.

The story:-

Because of today's public holiday, I got the day off yesterday as replacement leave, but Hubby had to work. So I spent the day shopping for fabric with my mom and searched for sandals at 1 Utama before picking up Hubby and the kids later to balik kampung...

We stopped by our place to pick up our bags on the way from my mom's to Seremban, and since it was supposed to be a quick stop je, we didn't park at our usual place, but just in front of the lobby entrance. After quite some time, Hubby came down with a strange look on his face. 'Rumah kite kena pecah masuk...' came out from his mouth.

I was in shock. While Hubby went to the entrance guardhouse to inform security and do the necessary, my mind was reeling with all sorts of thoughts. 'There's nothing of value in the house... I KNOW I locked all the doors and padlock before leaving... what did they take? How could this happen???'

I was pretty sure Hubby's laptop would be gone, but couldn't think of anything else the intruder would have taken since anything else of significant value would be big, ie TV, fridge, DVD player etc. Turns out he got away with quite a decent loot - the laptop, our digital camera (but without the charger, which was obviously moved from its original place but not taken), my watch (just a Swatch, but it was still a pretty watch, and still quite new), Hubby's company's complimentary backpack (it had a compartment for a laptop, and could fit in everything else he had taken), my Coach leather wristlet (barely used!), and the saddest thing of all - our rings. I don't have much jewelry, except for whatever I have on me, but I had a collection of rings that were of sentimental value to me... cincin merisik, my graduation ring, Hubby's RMC graduation ring, a lovely tanzanite & diamond platinum ring I bought in the US, a filigree white gold ring from the US, and the most irreplaceable of all, arwah Wan's diamond and gold ring, which my aunt had given to me since I was the only one who could wear it... everything else we can insya-Allah slowly replace in time, but Wan's ring is lost for good...

Memang I sedih pasal cincin tu... I was planning on turning it into an heirloom to be passed to Amani, then Amani's daughter, and so on and so on... and it was a link between Wan & me... I hate the robber for what he did!

It was a lot of hassle to settle everything... had to go to the police station to make a report (that experience alone is worth an entry, tapi malas nak citer... boleh buat sakit ati jugak kalau ingat balik...), be home for the investigating officers to come and do their thing, replace the doorknob and padlock (the padlock was completely missing, BTW, and the grille and doorknob forced open) - and all this had to be done even though none of us had any dinner yet...

Thankfully my mom and brother came by with some food, and my BIL helped buy the padlock and doorknob (takut by the time everything was settled, there weren't any hardware stores still open)... semua rasa macam taknak tido situ for the night after that. Amani was scared when I told her 'orang jahat masuk rumah kita', and wanted to sleep at Atok & Opah's... poor thing, she wondered what was going on, and I didn't want to lie to her... so the kids went off with my mom & brother first while we finished cleaning up, then all of us spent the night at my parents' house...

When I started cleaning up the mess the instruder left behind in our little wardrobe, I picked up a damp Ralph Lauren XXL shirt. I thought for some reason maybe my BIL came by with a different top and changed before he helped Hubby with the door, but he said it wasn't his. Then it dawned on us.... 'Omigod, it's his blo*#y shirt!!!' Even though it was technically evidence, we didn't want to keep it anywhere near our place, in case la kan... so Hubby threw it away. I guess we were lucky... apparently some robbers' pantang entails leaving their sh1t behind, so at least this one was 'cleaner'...

For a while, I wondered what would have happened if I had decided to just stay at home alone yesterday... would he have still forced his way in? If he didn't, that'd be OK... but what if he HAD come in while I was there? I didn't want to think of what could have been if that happened...

The ending:-

We are thankful that no one was hurt... but we're still shaken by the experience... I pray that this will never happen to us again... a family is supposed to feel safe in their own home, right?

Something to ponder upon... if the guards didn't see anything suspicious, would that indicate another resident is responsible for this?????

Wedding Dresscodes

2009-05-31T19:38:00.006+08:00

I was at a wedding this afternoon, and as usual I saw various styles of dressing (and lovely handbags hehehe)...

One person caught my eye... but all for the wrong reasons...

I think she was most likely a friend of the newly-weds... came with a bunch of old friends of the happy couple that I recognized, and is obviously a Malaysian (rasanya she's from our old school too, but I can't confirm... Fairy GM, our senior jugak ke?)

The reason she caught my eye, the thing that I found to be soooo inappropriate is... she was wearing a bright red SLEEVELESS TANKTOP, to a Malay wedding. Heck, I know it's sweltering hot nowadays, but most people have a sense of decorum that tells them what's suitable and what's not for certain events... even if you don't know, even weddings at home have dresscodes OK, albeit not formally written down in the wedding invitation...

The fact that she was non-Malay is not an issue. I've got many non-Malay friends who dress appropriately for a kenduri at home (and when I say appropriate, it doesn't necessarily mean a baju kurung or kebaya ye...) and I've seen many Malays who dress in shoulder-baring, cleavage-showing dresses for Malay and non-Malay weddings at posh hotels. It all comes down to knowing how to dress according to the situation... and being a Malaysian who's most likely lived here all her life, the social norms should have been obvious to her, no?

Is it that difficult to decide what to wear to a fairly common event in Malaysia? I've also seen some people in shorts and t-shirts to such a celebration, which to me totally disrespects the hosts. No one's expecting you to come wrapped in silk and adorned with sequins and glitter, but you should at least look like you're going to a function, not to the pasar malam!

Too bad about the outfit, cos I thought she was pretty... the wrong outfit totally spoilt the look...

Whooppee!!!!

2009-05-23T11:46:00.003+08:00

I ni tak reti nak berniaga... kalau suruh promote diri pun, tak reti... apa lagi nak promote hasil kerja kan...

But nevertheless, I still managed to sell several of my 'hasil kerja tangan', and I tell you, the feeling when I got the payment was MARVELOUS!!!! Made me even more motivated to continue doing this...

Before this, paling-paling dapat duit pun bila let go pre-loved items at charity/garage sales... but honestly the feeling's different between selling things that you simply own, to selling stuff that you made from scratch, with all the accompanying stress, headache, bodyache, etc etc...

Funnily enough, my 2nd batch tak sempat nak promote, dah ada yg berkenan almost all of the pieces... so now I still have some from the 1st batch, and plan to do more after this... drop by Handmade Creations to check out what's available...

Wish me luck in maintaining the pace!

Handmade Creations

2009-05-16T18:20:00.005+08:00

Yeay, yeay... I'm pleased to announce that I've created a separate blog for the things I've produced for sale (for the moment, tudung la yg banyak ye :p)

Say hello to:-

Handmade Creations

and feel free to drop by often & to spread the word ye!

Besides the items I've put up at the moment, I've also got a few more almost completed (awaiting the finishing touches je) which I'll display soon... hurry, hurry! I'm dying to make more, so as soon as my current stock is gone, I can get to work making more! :)

In the future nak blajar buat benda lain gak (bags, smocked dresses etc), plus several things JV-ed with my mom will also materialize, so insya-Allah hasil kerja tu pun will end up on the new blog...

Up for Grabs!!!

2009-05-13T22:59:00.008+08:00

I finally did it!!!

Went a little crazy some time back when buying fabric... I finally managed to turn most of the pieces into tudungs over the last weekend. The finished products?

I actually managed to complete 11 pieces, but 3 I wanted for myself, so no longer in the pic la hehehe... out of the above, 2 have already found their new home with someone at work, so the following are still up for grabs if anyone's interested:

This one tinggal satu je... face size M (if you wear Munaw M, muat la...) length also M (slightly lepas bawah dada, about 38cm from below the chin to the end), RM 30 (without postage & handling). Yang ni murah skit cos the quality of the fabric is not the same as the rest...

These 2 are face size M/L (cos the fabric's very smooth and stretchy... the ones I made for myself pun ended up a bit loose, so can fit both sizes), and length M... RM 55 (without p&h).

These 3 are size M/L (face) and L in length (falls down almost to waist level, about 40-42cm from below the chin to the end). Each is RM 60, not inclusive of p & h.

All awnings are made using Thai/Shantung silk unless otherwise specified, and with 2" bakrum (bab yg keras tu...)

Sorry for the picture quality... kena figure out where best to take photos next time...

The material for the body (except for the 1st tudung) is very cool and drapey... just the right weight for it to fall nicely once worn...

If anyone's interested, write to na_mohammed@yahoo.com yaaaaa.... we'll work out the details later...

Since I still haven't found the inspiration for a separate blog for this, in the meantime, anything available will be put here... feel free to let others know about this :)

I've got several pieces of fabric lagi (ye, I pegi kedai and borong kain lagi!! Tak hengat dunia tul once dah nampak kain cantik...) currently in the process of transformation, so more will come after this... watch this space!!

Of office politics and what you deserve...

2009-05-03T18:39:00.003+08:00

I'm no good with office politics... I'm also no good with 'melayan bos' or managing bosses... I just try to get my work done in the best possible manner without sacrificing my family and my values...

I know some gurus say you need to market your own self to get ahead, but I subscribe to the belief that my boss is the one who should see what I do, recognize that and do the 'marketing' time appraisal time... so when I get stuck with someone who doesn't do that, then no matter what I do and how well I do it, I'll never be recognized for it... It's tough, you know, but at least I have the luxury of sleeping well at night anyway cos I have not thrown sand into someone else's rice pot...

Nevertheless, an chance encounter can and does bring pleasure to me at work, when it unexpectedly reveals what other people feel about you...

I bumped into one of the big bosses from my previous position (I recently transferred, remember?) and he asked about my new job... he casually mentioned that when the appraisal committee was discussing me, they wondered aloud why they let me transfer out... and these were the senior leaders that I only meet and talk to for formal, work-related matters... it feels good to know I've left some sort of positive impression, even though the formal recognition isn't there...

Right now at work people are talking about this one person who is hell-bent on pursuing her 'deserved' rating, without realizing that no one thinks she should get what she is chasing after... she is so sure that she's being victimized that it hasn't occurred to her that she's only getting what she deserves... and she's spiralling downwards as we speak, putting her entire career in jeopardy... the angrier she's getting, the more reason she seems to lose... all this while she's managed to get away with ratings that she didn't deserve because she 'managed her boss' well and marketed her staff's work as her own, and now that her boss has changed, she's finding that she can't get away with it anymore, and that people's called her bluff...

People in the know are saying 'what goes around, comes around...'

Nice guys (and girls) finish last, but they never lose sleep over it... and everyone eventually gets what they deserve anyway... So, based on your conduct, do you think you deserve something good in the end, or are you the only one who feels that way?

Let's hope the former, not the latter ye...

Sales are Dangerous!

2009-05-03T18:16:00.002+08:00

Aduhai... kopak walletku!

Hubby made an unexpected (but pleasant) surprise detour to the MPH Distributors' warehouse sale tadi, on our way back from Seremban... tapi sebab the 2 kiddies dah tido, he stayed in the car with them while letting me loose in the sales area...

I only wish they had shopping carts in there! Sampai berbirat-birat tangan angkut bakul and plastic bags, tapi still tempted to take more books...

Hubby knows it's dangerous to let me go into a bookstore unsupervised... the result? Beratus jugak la habis!!! Aduhai... supplementary income yillek... baru je berniat taknak shopping banyak cos nak gi ladies'-only trip in June... now dah tenyeh lagi.... ouch ouch ouch... and the cashier told me MPH bookstores will also have their sale later in the year...

The consolation? I know I got some great bargains, especially the kids' books and my cooking books hehehe... after this kena puasa beli buku skit... it's only May, and I'm more than 1/2 way through my income tax allocation already!

Thanks for making the stop baby :)

Note on sales: On a whim, went to the Anya Hindmarch store to see the Mother's Day sale merchandise... one bag is stuck on my mind... augh... 50% off woo.... Yes? No? Yes? No? Am I crazeeeeeeee????

Spirit Day 2009 - Go Badgers!

2009-04-25T15:51:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was 'Spirit Day'... got an email from our senior alums earlier to wear RED (or more specifically Badger attire) on 24th April... more details on www.uwalumni.com/spiritday2009

Actually, I forgot about it... but I did pick out a pink/red outfit yesterday, so together with my red handbag, kire dah tunjuk semangat la tu kan? Hehehe...

It's basically to showcase the valuable role UW grads play in the world... it's also a nice excuse to round up your pals for a mini-reunion ;)

I know some of the super-seniors did plan their group date after work... too bad none of us could plan for our own...

Alumni Weekend's also coming up in 2 weeks time... if only it were easy (and cheap!) for us to go to Madison for that weekend, you could definitely count me in! Alas... poketku tak cukup dalam buat masa ini untuk berjalan-jalan ke US sesuka hati... business trip? Laaaaaagi la tiada harapan hehehe... cuci mata tengok gambar aje la gamaknya...

My Productive Weekend

2009-04-20T16:07:00.005+08:00

A shopping spree at Jakel on Friday gave us the opportunity to work on more tudungs... yeay! I reined in my shopping demons (mainly only cos I've spent so much this month :p), but Kak R really let loose! Hehehe... she's got lots of people in mind to make tudungs for, and she's already got some orders to fulfill as well, so she went a little crazy when buying material... I took 3 pieces of printed jerseys plus 1 of plain white cotton jersey to make Amani's tudung sekolah... yang lain tu tahan tak amik for now cos I've also ordered some fabric from the forum resellers hehehe...

We spent the weekend at my parents', cos with Hariz's viral fever we couldn't go back to any of the other kampungs (it's infectious to kiddies 3 and below, so had to hold off from visiting our newborn niece till yesterday). I really let loose on the fabrics from Friday night... apa lagi kan, dah ada mesin canggih yang I boleh pau :) ... that night I only managed to cut the white cotton jersey into 3 pieces (2 for Amani and 1 for my mom), and couldn't finish putting the awnings on the bodies cos Amani was already cranky and wanted me to go upstairs with her to bed... pepaham aje la kan, konon nak teman dia sampai dia lelap... last-last mamanye pun lelap sekali! Hehehe...

Picked up where I left off on Saturday, and basically cut all the fabrics out and connected them except for the last piece of fabric yang baru sempat potong je but belum cantum with the awning... Sunday morning my mom went to her regular shop untuk jahit tepi, and we continued till petang... it's more of a joint effort, cos I cut everything and piece them together (including the finishing around the face), and my mom does the finishing around the edges with the twin needle. I tried, believe me, but I guess the machine doesn't want to cooperate with me that much on the edging... so after numerous unpickings, fabric getting stuck in the machine and 'beautiful, flowery language' from my mouth, I left that part of the job to my mom :p

By the time we left for home yesterday evening, the 3 cotton tudungs are done, plus 2 printed ones (mine la, Mama buatkan I punya dulu heheh). The other 3 are with my mom for the finishing touches, and I just have to put the last 2 awnings together with the bodies so that my mom can send them for jahit tepi the next time she has her smocking project to work on...

Hajat di hati nak buat the last 2 sambil jaga Amani, tapi kesian pulak anak dara tu nanti bising satu rumah bunyi mesin... tunggu petang skit once she wakes up from her nap la jawabnya...

All in all, not bad la jugak kan? Very productive weekend, no? In total now I've got 5 pieces to call my own, plus the ones made for Amani and Mama, and I'm getting a total rush from doing all the work and seeing the final product! It felt good to do some work and to see the actual result in front of me, as opposed to some (most?) of the work that I do on a daily basis that takes up so much time but yet has no (or minimal) visible outcome...

Is that an indication of my inclination towards work? Am I, if not a salaried employee, more predisposed to go into something that produces a clear product as opposed to providing services? Definitely something to ponder on... my career path is not yet fully defined as yet... we'll see how that goes...

The only shortcoming was... I had to concentrate on the sewing, so Hubby and my brother spent a lot of time with the kids... I missed out on that... not fun at all... so payah la skit if I nak buat part-time business that'll take away my time with the kiddies... so how?

'Tis the Season...

2009-04-20T15:48:00.003+08:00

For all sorts of illnesses, especially respiratory-related ones...

As I'm typing this, Amani has just fallen asleep on the couch. We're staying home (at my mom's) today cos she suddenly ran a fever since last night.

The thing about Amani & Hariz is, once they start running a temperature, we have to watch the like a hawk, cos their temp can suddenly rise to 39.5 and above literally within minutes. Each of them have scared us before by having a fever-induced fit while we were on the way to the hospital, so now we can't take even a slight temp easily.

While at the paed's this morning, the fever meds she took at 6.30am have worn off and she was already looking flushed by the time her turn came... the paed recorded her temp as 38.5C (on the forehead), so I knew that if we use the ear thermometer it'll be higher. True enough, she was already up to 39.9C when we checked at home, so on top of the PCM syrup at the clinic, we had to give her a suppository to bring the fever down... poor darling, as usual she hated the supp, and was kicking, screaming and crying as we put the supp in... she only calmed down when we repeatedly told her we didn't want her to be in the hospital and had to give her the meds this way... had to strip her down to her panties to keep her cool and sponge her down...

Amani ni kan anak Abah... at first nak duduk kat umah ngan Abah, tapi Abahnya memang tak boleh cuti hari ni... so at first menangis jugak la nak Abah, but after giving her the supp and Hubby left, she was pretty much her usual self (ye la, time temp tgh tinggi semuanya tak betul...) and watching anime on TV (that's the only cartoon yang ada la tengahari buta ni... we don't subscribe to the kiddie channels hehehe)

She's had her lunch and her midday meds, and even did some 'work' (coloring, Jawi, drawing). She was already nodding off while taking in her Ventolin, so she didn't make a fuss when I told her it was naptime...

So I'm off today... Hubby did his time last week when Hariz got this measles-like viral fever and came out in rashes... Dah le sekarang ni tengah busy period, what with the new job (I got a transfer - started this month; Hubby's dept was restructured and he's also doing something new now) and the performance appraisal cycle that's not over yet... hopefully our baby girl gets better soon...

Finished!

2009-04-11T19:02:00.004+08:00

I finally finished the tudung I started at Yela's class (I had to unpick all the finishings cos the tudung was too tight hehehe...), and downloaded the tudung-making technique to my mom. She, being the experienced seamstress, of course found it a lot easier than I did :p

So while she started on a new one, I finished up my 1st tudung and continued with my second (the piece that I shared with Kak R.) The 3rd one (the same material my mom worked on) will have to wait till I get the awning from Yela.

Once the pieces dah dijahit tepi, then we can finish both tudungs... yeay!

Tengah dengki ni sebenarnya... Kak R dah siap semua, turned all the pieces she bought into tudungs and our office mates dah siap bertanya nak tempah dah... hehehe... akak sorang tu memang rajin, and dah terrer menjahit... aku yang beriya nak gi belajar, tak siap-siap lagi hasilnya! At least now mine is finally finished! Hooray!

Dapat la merasa guna my mom's new machine last night... daaannnggg teringin nak satu jugak!! It's pricey, but then again, I've spent cumulatively more on my bag collection hehehe... tapi savings dah kurang la... pinjam aje la dulu for now kot hehehe...

Now that I've started, I do find the whole sewing experience quite appealing, and want to continue with other projects like my own baju... but how am I gonna juggle the little time I have left at home between my darlings and the sewing??? Adoi laaaa... dah la skarang ni asyik dok keluar ofis after 8 je... penat badan and kepala...

That Time of The Year - Part 3

2009-04-11T18:45:00.003+08:00

I don't want to write too much about this... those in the know (my close friends included), know what has happened, and who the various parties to the situation are, and we all know who is responsible...

Just wanna go on the record to say... 'Apa punye orang la macam ni, punye bersungguh-sungguh hasad dengki.... other people fight tooth and nail for their staff's benefit, but this one fights to lower her staff down... ' I am not a vindictive person by nature, but this I will remember, and I will not forgive, ever.

To this person - Tuhan tu Maha Kaya, Maha Adil... everything that you've ever done to other people in the past (not just me) have been and will continue to be manifested in the states of various parts of your life. If you think back, you may figure out why you've been very unfortunate in some things... Doa orang yang teraniaya tu makbul... But somehow we (yes, that's right... WE - there are many others who share my thoughts) know that you feel you're such a good person & great employee that you don't have any shortcomings. You are so busy denying other people their rights, you don't remember your own responsibility towards those you're oppressing and not appreciating. Remember what other people have done for you when you were unable to do anything, and not just what you think they should be doing more....

As for me, if this is my rezeki, then I accept it...

The best system in the world is useless if the people implementing it perverts it for their own benefit...

I have closed my book on my association with this person....

Weekend Expedition

2009-04-04T22:53:00.006+08:00

Today my friend & I went on an expedition...

What did we do? We went for a 'tudung'-making class hehehe...

What brought around this whole interest in sewing?

My mom's always been a good dressmaker... sepanjang zaman sekolah, none of my baju kurungs were ever store-bought... all made by my mom! So siap boleh nak customize kain lipat belah mana, nak poket, poket belah mana, besar mana... hehehe... she usually works with cotton la, but I guess as a working mom, that's good enough rite?

Now that she's retired, she's been spending a lot of her time learning to sew new things... so besides all her kelas mengaji etc, she's been taking up quilt-making classes, smocking classes, and the fruits of her labor happen to benefit my little kiddies hehehe... so Amani has a lovely new smocked dress finishing soon, and she's already got a nice new flowery single-sized quilt for her bed... Adik punye the blue one katanya :p With her intensified interest in sewing, she even invested in a new portable sewing machine ok?!?! The kind that can do some simple embroidery as well, since her current machine is still in good condition...

In my case, it's not that I'm not interested in sewing, but I don't want it to be a 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam' kinda venture... I toyed with the idea of making kids' clothes, but the motivation wasn't strong enough............................................................

Until I discovered DIY tudungs, that is!

Apparently there's a whole bunch of ladies out there who do it, and their work is gorgeous! What drew me to them was the fact that they were also producing tudungs in printed fabrics, which I love! I am still loyal to Munawwarah, but the fact that they don't really produce many printed tudungs makes it difficult for me, cos I've got plenty of plain-colored clothes for work and I don't really want to wear the normal square tudungs anymore (yea, yea... Munawwarah has spoiled me in terms of tudung-wearing hehehe... give me a simple, pull-on tudung anytime bebbeh!)

So anyway, I started off by browsing some sites of other tudung makers (initial link courtesy of Mrs Noba, who had Mektwain on her blog list), and saw the gorgeous fabrics for sale... that led me to some other sites with info on those offering classes for newbies, and I immediately wanted in! I mentioned it to Kak R, who was interested and decided to join me for the class. So, after emailing back & forth with Yela (who has lovely fabrics for sale too), our date was confirmed. All this, within the past 1 week tau!

This morning, our darling hubbies dropped us of at Yela's house, and we began our crash course in tudung-making. Now I understand better why the good-quality ones are so expensive! Torture ok nak buat! Yela siap tanya lagi, lepas ni nak buat lagi ke, nak beli aje? Heheheh... well, that depends la kan? The more I practice, the better I get at it, hopefully the more motivated I am to continue, betul tak? ;)

By the time we left, mine was almost done, Kak R's pun lebih kurang, so we just have to do the finishing touches at home. Since we shared fabrics, we got material for 2 tudungs each, plus bought a few other pieces to try lagi at home...

Kalau bersemangat, I'll put the results up here hehehe... if I tak pakai dulu la...

What's next? Dah bersemangat dah ni... try buat another tudung with Kak R's fabric, continue with the other fabrics... Dressmaking la pulak! At least buat baju kurung sendiri, kan? Mula la gatal nak beli mesin sendiri (even though it'll probably be severely underutilized for some time first hehehe....) Mama, nak pinjam mesin jahit........:p

Wowweee... a new experiment!! :)

A new Belle found...

2009-03-22T00:13:00.003+08:00

We had dinner a few hours ago at SACC Mall... semenjak jadi warga Shah Alam ni, ni la first time jejak kaki at this mall. I actually wanted to take a look at this particular shop that I saw online... had inquired about its merchandise via email earlier, tapi tak berapa confident nak beli dulu till I actually saw the product.

When we got there, surprise, surprise!! Ada kedai Belle rupanya!!! My wish came true!!! All this while I've been trying to figure out when to go to Alamanda Putrajaya, cos the outlet at Giant Kelana Jaya didn't really appeal to me merchandise-wise. But this one at SACC Mall was a very decent one, I tell you!

Almost terlupa niat sebenarnya nak gi makan and check out another store heheh... while waiting for our dinner to arrive, I brought Adik in the stroller over to check out the clothes. Baru je pegang a few to try on, Hubby dah call - our food's arrived. Terpaksa la patah balik to eat first.

Ingatkan dah abis makan nak pegi sana balik... Malangnya, kedai-kedai ni semua tutup awal!!! 9.30 semua tutup ok! Having been accustomed to 1 Utama, The Curve and Ikano all closing at 10pm or later, that takes some getting used to... so abis makan, balik aje le jawabnye... huwaaa :(

Hmmm... ada la alasan nak ajak Hubby ke sana lagi lepas ni hehehe... It's so near compared to Putrajaya & Kelana Jaya kan? ;p Tapi esok pagi plan nak gi Ikea... camana ni???

I need...

2009-03-21T17:38:00.004+08:00

1 - New lipstick... my Stila is almost down to a stump... although I love the texture and colors Stila has, somehow I feel its lipsticks don't last very long... had the same problem with Clinique's... maybe these 2 brands don't really suit me? Been wanting to try Bobbi Brown or MAC, but not too sure what they'd be like... any advice out there?

2- New compact powder... ha, this one, I know I want Stila's... so no issue hehehe... just waaaaaaaiting for my paycheck to come in...

3 - New books... this is a constant need hehehe... do I get a mystery novel, a cookbook (bab ni Hubby will say 'Bilanye nak buat ni? Buku dah banyak dah...'), general knowledge, kiddie books? The list is endless....

4 - New clothes... huwaaaa.... my waist is slowly expanding again, and reducing my food intake (whenever I could, that is) hasn't made the least impact on my waistline... need to go to Belle soon la macam ni... Edmundser's stocks dah abis tengok dah, and my previous purchases macam dah tak muat aje... new baju kurung pun not a bad idea...

5 - Standing mirror (is that what people call it?)... that would fit nicely on the wardrobe delivered this afternoon... no more standing in the bathroom to check my tudung every morning, hurrah!

7 - Anniversary card (at least) for my parents... that's coming up really soon!!!

6 - More Munawwarah tudungs... hey, matching tudungs are always needed, plus old ones will need replacing hehehe... it can't hurt to continue building up my stock kan, and it's already been a while since I went to the shop...

7 - New bag? Hubby will stare daggers at me if he reads this... maybe not a bag then, not right now anyway... :p

To be honest, items 6 & 7 are more 'wants' rather than needs... but they're no less important than the others, are they? ;)

Side note on item 4 - is it just me, or do maternity clothes look really nice when you are NOT pregnant??? Time pregnant, takde pulak baju yang menarik... time takde plan ni mula la semua baju nampak lawa.... saw some really pretty ones at Motherclub earlier, the kind that you can wear even when you're not pregnant... can I just add the clothes to my wardrobe anyway, and use them now? As long as people don't really think I look pregnant, that should be OK la kan? :)

For the love of writing...

2009-03-21T16:49:00.005+08:00

I was digging through some old papers in my parents' room some time ago (alright, they were my papers, menumpang diri in there ever since I had to move my bookshelves to her room before my wedding hehehe) looking for a copy of my degree, when I found several papers I'd written in the past.

Some were college assignments, others were drafts of papers, and some were actually my essays for my college applications written in 1996! Unfortunately, I didn't really take good care of the papers, so some had turned yellow and mouldy at the edges... luckily my high school certs were still OK! Those I had kept in the plastic folders, so are still in good condition.

What struck me as I browsed through the papers was how much I missed writing! Yea, I admit, I still write now - emails, notes, writeups of events at work, this blog - but it's not the same. Even my writing voice is not the same anymore. I remember enjoying my English Lit courses, the other optional Lit and Theater classes, anything with final papers to write. They were a pleasure to do! To analyse what I though the writer meant, what the pictures represented, what the images conjured... to me, they were the most enjoyable part of college classes! Of course my friends didn't agree hehehe... they'd rather sit through a final exam than write a final paper heheh...

Anyway, I thought I sounded more positive then, more hopeful, more cheerful... and more analytical, too, somehow... I wonder how I changed from that to what I am now... should I even want to write in the same voice as I did before? Would my material still be of the same mould, or has my life changed so much that what previously interested me would no longer hold the same appeal?

Over the years, I've wanted to go back to writing... even contemplating taking up long-distance writing courses (and UW-Madison happens to have a good program too!), but never managed to take that final step to enrol (I did ask for the program catalogue though hehe)... maybe I'll think about it some more and take the plunge, if only to satisfy myself... who knows, maybe I'll find my purpose through that... at the very least, I should continue to write for pleasure kan, which is where this blog comes in :)

And no, I didn't find any copies of my degree... the original's safely in my parents' safe deposit box... but there were plenty of my original transcripts hehe... hmm, I wonder, should I still keep them in case future needs calls for them? ;)

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I guess that's why I'm enjoying bloghopping... reading other people's thoughts, going through the different voices out there... the funny, the plain, the detailed, the poignant... so many people I can learn from! To all the bloggers out there, keep chronicling your lives ye!

Chocolate, anyone?

2009-03-21T15:39:00.004+08:00

Was at Kinokuniya yesterday looking for a birthday present... I've been itching to buy new books, but couldn't decide on what to buy... so being able to buy something for someone else was good enough for me hehehe...

Paid for the books I chose, and while waiting for the sales staff to giftwrap it, I saw this at the counter...

Am dying to try the recipes out... and the book itself was a bargain!!! Only RM13.90! On my way out saw 2 more books, one about cookies and the other, muffins... maybe that should be my target for next week...

Now, to savor the delicious recipes in the book first...:) I think I wanna pop a piece of choc first before I proceed...

I did the Macarena with a ninja in line at the bank because I'm a Ninja!

2009-03-17T23:23:00.004+08:00

Kihkihkih... Couldn't wait to do this once I got home... Thanks to Mrs Noba for the tag :)

Keep this going. Type out the sentence you end up with in the TITLE of your note and tag your friends.Have fun. :D

Pick the month you were born:

January-------I kicked

February------I loved

March--------I karate chopped

April----------I licked

May----------I jumped on

June----------I smelled

July-----------I did the Macarena With

August--------I had lunch with

September----I danced with

October-------I sang to

November-----I yelled at

December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a birdbath

2-------a monster

3-------a phone

4-------a fork

5-------a snowman

6-------a gangster

7-------my mobile phone

8-------my dog

9-------my best friends' boyfriend

10-------my neighbour

11-------my science teacher

12-------a banana

13-------a fireman

14-------a stuffed animal

15-------a goat

16-------a pickle

17-------your mom

18-------a spoon

19------ - a smurf

20-------a baseball bat

21-------a ninja

22-------Chuck Norris

23-------a noodle

24-------a squirrel

25-------a football player

26-------my sister

27-------my brother

28-------an iPod

29-------a surfer

30-------a homeless guy

31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:

1--------- In my car

2 --------- On your car

3 ----------- In a hole

4 ----------- Under your bed

5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle

6 --------- sliding down a hill

7 --------- in an elevator

8---------- at the dinner table

9 -------- In line at the bank

0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White---------because I'm cool like that

Black---------because that's how I roll.

Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.

Red-----------because the voices told me to.

Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want

Green---------because I think I need some serious help.

Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!

Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.

Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars

Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.

Brown---------because I can.

Other----------because I'm a Ninja!

None----------because I can't control myself!

Now type out the sentence you made, write 'em in my comment box and also as the TITLE line and tag your friends in the note!

I did the Macarena with a ninja in line at the bank because I'm a Ninja!

And now... passing the tag along to Fairy Godmother, and anyone else interested in doing so (sorry la... have not formally registered all the blogs I've been frequenting hehehe... any silent readers are welcome to do the tag & link back to me)

That time of year... part 2

2009-03-14T01:07:00.004+08:00

I knew it (insert cynical laugh here)...

Had a quick discussion with my boss right before we left the office last night... well, she said it's just a comment on my writeup, not yet a proper discussion...

But anyway... from the onset I could already get a sense of how she's going to do the appraisal...

I think I'm already immune to this by now, having 'suffered' the same way twice now... so the third time's not gonna break my spirit, would it?

All I know is.... as a superior, whatever you do, you should be fair to those who work with you, regardless of what the final outcome is. Rate people accordingly based on the results against the agreed standards, that's all.... please don't give excuses etc etc... don't say 'In the future, it'll be easier for you to get excellent ratings in your new position' - are you then saying it's hard for me to get it now, despite what I've achieved? Oh yea, that's right... you did say that... silly me... I can already see what's gonna take place, but time will show whether my hunch was right or wrong.

Never mind... I know what I've done, I know the efforts I've made... my rezeki is in the hands of a Higher Power...

I have always given my own staff their due recognition... insya-Allah I'll never forget to do that, despite whatever other people do to me...

Hai... camana la agaknya the actual discussion will be like?

That time of year...

2009-03-13T10:22:00.003+08:00

Yes people, it's performance appraisal time!

For the third time in my working life (sedihnye... 3 kali je baru), I feel pretty good about my performance... kalau ikutkan my results against the agreed standards, I think I've exceeded quite a bit of them. Siap mintak Hubby's opinion as an outsider lagi hehehe...

However, I'm not keen to sit down with my superior and discuss my results... bukan apa, I can still remember what happened last year. I didn't do too badly, but somehow coming out from the discussion, it seems that even though what I delivered matched the agreed standards, she still felt it wasn't enough to give me a better than average rating... to me, that shouldn't be the issue, kan? Cos the standards were already agreed upon up front at the beginning of the financial year, so the appraisal should be based on those standards... but being me, jenis yang tak suka nak tegang-tegang leher defend diri sendiri, malas nak argue... I mean, the superior should know la what his/her subordinate has done throughout the year. Results pun I dah tulis sendiri, you be the judge la whether my self-rating is correct or not kan... at the end of the day, it's actually the ownership of the superior to decide on a fair rating and to defend the given rating to the committee... if you gave me anything less than what I deserve, Akhirat nanti jawab aje le...

So this year... my superior may change and do the review differently, but I dare not hope she has... cos if she hasn't, and it's gonna be the same thing all over again, then it's gonna be a meaningless exercise. It's not that I'm dying to get an excellent rating (I know the process... so many other people and factors come into play), but recognition from my immediate superior, if no one else, would definitely be a morale booster... otherwise, memang le buat keje tertonggang-terbalik semata-mata...

Oh well... we'll see how things go within the next few weeks... the submission deadline is looming... I'm soooo tempted to just submit my form and let my boss edit sendiri anything yang dia nak tukar kemudian...

Friday expedition - Part 2

2009-03-07T23:23:00.003+08:00

Did I say over? Hehehe... no no no... only over for me folks, not for other people!

After work, Hubby and I rushed to 1Utama to find a birthday present for Adik (yea... last minute, I know, but hey, it wasn't for a lack of trying tau!) We wanted to get him a toy, since between Kakak & Adik they've already got lots of nice books, but we're no good with toys... If you want me to find books as presents, consider it done! But toys are another matter altogether... I'm a bit picky when it comes to toys... I want them to be educational, but at the same time, fun and ageless, you know? So takde la abis season, tak usik lagi dah...

So, that explains why on the eve of his birthday, the luckless parents were still searching for something suitable... di Jusco dah tengok, Toys-R-Us KLCC pun dah tawaf... in the end we went back to 1Utama's Toys-R-Us, baru la jumpa! Got a little something for Kakak as well, so that she won't feel left out (Atok & Opah actually got them identical race cars, ok, supaya tak gaduh! Untungnye Kakak yang tak celebrate birthday lagi tu...). Hubby kindly picked up the tab for these...

Going to Toys-R-Us meant we went through Jusco on the kids' floor... saw a bunch of pajamas and t-shirts, and thought of Kakak's baju tidur yang dah senteng kakinya... bile dah nampak, apa lagi, amik je la terus kan? So we did... grabbed a bunch of cute pajamas (some were even on sale!), 3 pairs of leggings/pants for school, 4 new t-shirts for school, and a few kiddie suits for Adik as well... Yang ni I pulak la tanggung... for a total of 19 pieces, the cost wasn't too bad tau! That's why I love shopping at Jusco hehehe... boleh guna debit card lagi, kurang hutang plastik makcik...

Bile dah sampai rumah, rasa macam we went a little overboard pulak with the focus on Kakak... she ended up with lots of PJs, but Adik still needed a few more (which we didn't get!) Luckily some of Kakak's PJs can be handed down to Adik, so for the time being pakai je la dulu ye dik... itu pun mama dah pilih yang tak nampak girly sangat heheh...

And now, that was definitely the end of my shopping expedition for the day... until next time! :)

Friday expedition, Part 1

2009-03-07T22:39:00.007+08:00

Has anyone ever tried one of those skin analysis things that the cosmetics/skincare companies' booths often have?

I've often wanted to do that, at least for the sake of finding out the 'true' condition of my skin. Last year, as I regretfully realize that I was approaching my 'tiga-puluh-sen' years, I noticed my skin was beginning to show some signs of needing more special care. When I was studying in the States, I used Clinique for my moisturizing needs (especially perfect for the Midwestern winters, I tell you!), but found it to be too rich for use here, so I switched to Oil of Olay. For years I've been happily relying on Oil of Olay for my skincare, but I realized at that point that it was no longer adequate for me. So I started using Biotherm, the Biosource and Aquasource line plus Source Therapie for normal/combination skin... I did that without trying out the skin analysis thingie though, so kire main agak-agak aje la keadaan kulit sendiri....

This year, after more than 8 months of using Biotherm and needing a fresh supply, the promotion booth set up near the KLCC lift area was extremely inviting hehehe... I figured this was as good a time as any to check out my skin condition after months of using the products. Yesterday being a Friday, I'd already surveyed the display setup while on the usual Friday ronda-ronda with my friend, so on the way back from work, I stopped by and did the analysis... and the result?

My skin was not that dry (which I already knew by now hehehe), but apparently the range I was using is no longer that suitable for me!!! I need something that will provide me with increased moisture, so that the elasticity is increased... The recommendation? The Age Fitness range!

I had visions of that meaning I have old skin (oh no!!) but the consultant assured me that's not the case (yet!) But the analysis did highlight the area I've been neglecting (my eyes.... it was THAT obvious on the machine wooo..... got wrinkles, augh!), so she recommended the eye serum as well. Luckily for cleansing purposes, the Biosource range is still OK for me to use...

All in all, my supposed 'supply top-up' came up to quite a hefty sum.... huwaaaa!!! But this being the Isetan sale period, I did get the pretty white handbag and the miniatures as gifts, plus a few other extras... plus Isetan vouchers for each RM100 spent on cosmetics. So, not too bad la kan?

Tu la... masa memuda dulu (beberapa tahun dahulu aje le hehehe... am still young ok!) malas nak jaga kulit muka... nak cleanse pun punye la seksa, lagi la nak guna toner la, serum la... tahu letak moisturizer aje! Nasib jenis jarang pakai makeup... kalau tak sure lagi teruk muka kot! Now I'm paying for those years of neglect... huwaaaa!!!

And so, my shopping expedition for the day was over...

Hariz is 2!

2009-03-07T22:10:00.004+08:00

Our handsome boy is now 2 years old... Happy Birthday Adik!

Among the things that I pray for on this day....

1) May our cute, adorable, active, cheeky boy continue to be the fantastic person that you are

2) May you grow up to be a good, God-fearing, well-mannered man, who treats everyone the way they should be treated

3) May you always be Mama's boy! Heheheh... any girl hoping to be with this man, watch out! You gotta win me over first beb...:p

4) May you find your life's purpose as you go on this wonderful journey

There are so many others, so let's just leave it at that...

Mama, Abah & Kakak love you!

Kutu oh Kutu...

2009-03-01T16:40:00.005+08:00

Do you do Kutu?

We do! I say we, meaning my colleagues and I who are all bag-crazy hehehe...
It started in January... a group of us yang memang kaki handbag were just talking about the state of our finances in relation to our constant desire for bags and more bags. Someone suggested we start a kutu (for those not familiar with the term, it's basically a mutual fund collected from all the members on a monthly basis, for a certain amount of money. The duration of the kutu depends on the number of people involved, plus the sum we wish to get per person. Some of the rules may vary according to the group).

So anyway, after mulling over the idea, 5 of us agreed on the proposal. The kutu started in Jan 2009, and will run till at least June 2009 when all the members have received their share (yea, i know... 5 people, but 6 months? Two of the ladies decided to band together and pitch in another share, so technically they get the money twice. Genius, no? Hehehe...)

And I was lucky recipient No. 2!!!! Whooohooo!!! So I got my cut last week, bile gaji dah masuk, and I spent an enjoyable week thinking of what I'd like to do with the money. The stress I was feeling at work more than fuelled my shopping intent, as a means to relieve my tension.

And the result? Tadaaaaaa!!!!

Behold my latest acquisition!!! The Parker Op Art Convertible Hippie, but in Khaki/Brown (seen here is Light Khaki/Sand - apparently the brown is not available on coach.com, but is here in the KL boutique). Gorgeous, just gorgeous! At first my friend and I spent a delightful hour browsing the Radley bags on sale at Isetan last Friday, but before I made my final selection, I just had to go and see if the boutique had put up the latest Spring collection for display. And it had! So my kutu's fate was sealed.... and to be strictly honest, I had to top it up a bit... hehehe...

If some people feel we are wasting our money during these hard times, that's entirely their opinion. Our rationale for doing this stems from the fact that it's actually a form of forced savings, since we'll have to fork out the money every month, and at the end of the day we've got the lump sum for us to do as we wish. We may or may not buy a handbag as originally intended, but if we do, at least it's from money we've saved over that period. And if we don't save it pun, it'll sure flow out of our wallets for other purposes without us noticing.... sob, sob...

Lest anyone else thinks we're spendthrifts, just for the record we've already paid off all our monthly obligations, put aside the necessary funds for savings, and have some money left over for our daily expenses... we're not mindless shopaholics, ok?

Sigh... Honestly, the high from that single purchase will be enough to sustain me through some tricky situations anticipated this month.... reliving the experience - bliss!

Potluck Party Ooh La La

2009-03-01T15:32:00.004+08:00

Just hosted a potluck gathering at our place yesterday...

For the first time ever, we had a big bunch of people over (all Hubby's siblings, plus families, plus my parents-in-law), and man, was the house packed!

In Seremban, my in-laws' big house provided plenty of space for the kids to run around and play to their hearts' content, without disturbing the grown-ups' conversation. Yesterday, no such luck!

Earlier in the evening, the bigger kids went down to the pool, supervised by Hubby, his brother and his wife. Everyone then came back up to enjoy the potluck spread. We had sate & fried mihun, rendang & puding cendol (courtesy of my mum-in-law), nasi Arab, KFC, cakes and fruits galore, thanks to my bros & sis-in-laws. We the hosts provided the drinks and disposable ware hehehe... We were all pretty stuffed by the time the conversation turned serious.

We were discussing the family's plans for a group holiday this year. The last time we had such a trip was almost 3 years ago, so it was high time for another one. The general consensus is to have an outdoorsy holiday, to give the kids the experience of being in the great outdoors, sometime in Nov or Dec. It can't be any earlier, cos 2 of my sis-in-laws are delivering babies in April & June, and some of the kids have major exams coming up. So in the end, 1st choice was Eagle Ranch, PD... if that's a no-go, then someplace similar to that la yang kena dicari... As per our tradition, we'll be buying gifts for the kids, so guess who volunteered for that job??? :)

Anyhow, during this discussion, we had to put up with the kiddies watching TV just a few feet away... the hubbub, omigod! Kalah riuh sekampung! Hehehe... nak halau suruh main tempat lain, takde tempat dah! The rooms are all filled with things, so no room to play in as well. So the adults had to manage the discussion as best as we could. Nasib baik none of the neighbors complained heheh...

After the fun and frolic, spent this morning vacuuming and mopping (well, Hubby did the vacuuming heheh... thank you baby) up the mess, and after a spot of ironing, finally I could sit down to do some office work (and surf the web, obviously :p)

Feel like unwinding with a spot of window (or actual?) shopping later today.... and Hubby said yes! :) Whoooppeee!!!!

Are you brand loyal?

2009-02-26T23:12:00.004+08:00

Me? Yes, I admit I am... if I like a particular brand, then I'll stick to it no matter what people say. I especially hate it when people start dissing what it is that I like, without a valid reason.

Example? Tudungs. I am a Munawwarah fan, I'm proud to declare. If you see me at work, you'll see me in various shades and types of Munawwarah tudungs... is it because I'm a snob? No... I just love the ease & simplicity of the products! They make my mornings so much easier!

Now, the reason why I stick to Munawwarah, and ONLY Munawwarah, for the particular styles that I wear, again, is simple. QUALITY. Of course, with that, comes the price. I mean, you can't get good quality at pasar malam prices can you? Not that I haven't been tempted to buy any of the imitation products... I have, but I just never actually made the purchase, cos I just can't close my eyes to the difference in quality.

Anyway, that's my personal choice, so lantak la kan... and I don't care when I see others wearing the imitation stuff, cos to each his own budget and preferences... but as a loyal customer, it pi$$es me off to no end to see & hear other people promoting their replicas, and at the same time badmouthing the original! I mean, hello! If it weren't for that, where do you think it'd come from??

I absolutely hate it when people start saying 'This one is worth buying... I've bought Munawwarah tudungs before, but this new item is a better buy cos it's the same quality, but cheaper'.... 'I paid so much for the tudung, but the awning patah'... 'It's supposed to be good quality, so I'm surprised it got berbulu even though I only washed it a few times'.... Look people, just because the quality is already good doesn't mean that you can simply plonk it down willy-nilly and not get the awning all bent! It also doesn't mean that you can simply sling bags across your body & chest, rubbing against the tudung till the material is stressed out (aw, you know what I mean kan...), and then claim the price you paid doesn't correspond to the quality. And you know why it's cheaper? Cos you only copied the design! Sometimes it's not even cheaper, if you compare them apple-to-apple...

Forgive my emotional rantings hehehe... but I say, if you wanna hawk your product, don't pour sand into other people's rice bowl la... it's not professional, and it's distasteful. Find other ways to promote your stuff. And to those who've bought the tudungs and made remarks similar to the above, I say take a look at how you handled the stuff first before blaming it on the items... after all, BMW owners don't simply lenjan their expensive wheels even though they're top-notch, right? You gotta give it love & care folks...

Hehehe... anyway, that's just me, and just one brand... don't get me started on any others that I favor :p Lest anyone thinks I'm a fanatic & lazybum who loves the sarung-kepala-aje kind of tudung, I do wear the usual styles as well hehehe, so there is some variety there ok...

Anyone else have strong feelings about this?

Stressed Out!

2009-02-24T11:11:00.005+08:00

Have you ever been in those situations where you are trying to maintain your superiors' face and not show that they didn't do what they're supposed to do, but with the expected result of making yourself look like a stupid idiot?

Well, I've been in that situation many times... is it because I'm a pushover? Am I being too nice? Whatever it is, to me, I should be covering my superior's a*# in front of other people, even if they didn't do what they were supposed to do, ie review & comment on my work, provide guidance & direction on what we're supposed to do, and a bunch of other things a superior is supposed to do... That's my principle - if my subordinate messed up, and it was detected in a public arena (eg. meeting) and it was something that I missed, then I would own up to it and not blame anyone else. Even if I was not involved in it, ie she did it on her own without needing my input, I would still hold myself accountable for it when dealing with others. After the meeting/discussion/whatnot, I can have my own talk with my staff on reviewing things within her own area, but I would not, repeat, NOT, blame her in front of others.

Unfortunately, we seem to have many people who are more than happy to just point out, 'Oh, I mentioned this to her already, but she didn't put that in', or 'I'm sorry, my staff messed up' - to all and sundry!!! No consideration given whatsoever to the person's feelings & face... I wonder, when they say these things, do they think about how it makes them look to the others? They look IRRESPONSIBLE, with no sense of ownership... not to mention being completely poor examples of leaders who cannot maintain their staff's self-esteem, among other things...

Forget about any thanks or even recognition for doing work beyond our own area of accountability (ie of a higher level)... what they see is just the things we didn't do, or did do but not well.... somehow the thought that it's not even ours to begin with no longer comes to mind, because everything is/has been delegated to us in the name of managing work effectively, and thus the accountability is ours, without the reward/recognition.

Oh why am I even bothering to say all this? Because this is the only avenue where I can voice out my feelings. I know it makes no difference to say all this here, but then again, it makes no difference to say it to the powers-that-be at work as well... only my colleagues know (and some, understand) what really takes place in the office...

Anyway, once again, my colleague and I were in a bind - do we answer truthfully, and make our superiors look bad in front of a higher authority, or try to cover as best as we could, but with the definite result that we look like unthinking idiots who don't know how to do their work?

I admit, I'm not the smartest at work, nor am I very good at strategic matters and stuff... but it's one thing to know and admit that I'm not smart, and another thing to feel stupid and small in front of my peers! I don't think any of us will feel good if people in our own department can make remarks like 'I don't see the value-adding activities that you do here'. Just because you don't seem to understand what we do, doesn't mean that what we work on doesn't add value to anything or anyone!

I'M SO STRESSED OUT!!! I NEED A DOSE OF RETAIL THERAPY!!!!

Tummy bug strikes again!

2009-02-24T10:47:00.004+08:00

I spoke too soon...

Amani came down with the (suspected) same bug... How did we know? She woke up at 5.30am yesterday, and threw up all over Hubby (and our bed... huwaaa!!! The smell of the cod liver oil she ate the night before was so very strong!) Poor thing, she partially threw up while still lying down, so ended up with a lot of the vomit on her face and in her hair, besides the rest being spewed on her poor father. Hubby had to give her a shower so early in the morning, plus shampoo her hair. The clincher that she had the same bug we all did, was the pseudo-diarrhea later on.... had to put her in diapers again (taken from Adik's stash of course) to be on the safe side... Her reaction to the diaper proposal was a surprised 'Eh?' Not a shocker, isn't it, considering she's been fully toilet-trained since she was 3! Hehehe... sian anak mama... the indignity of being a diapered kid again!

It became quite clear that we were going to see Dr Altaf that morning... our regular schedule was out the window, what with cleaning up the vomit, Febreze-ing the bed, washing the vomit-stained clothes and blanket - all before taking our own showers! We eventually left our place at 7am. Omigod! The crawl on the Federal Highway was just torture! I just can't understand how a colleague who stays in Shah Alam as well can leave home at 7am and reach KLCC around 8.30. It took us 1 hour just to get from Shah Alam to Taman Tun!

Amani threw up again in the car, and again after her light breakfast... by this time we're pretty sure she'd have to stay home from school. Since Hubby has a big meeting today, and I've got a program taking place tomorrow, our duty roster was decided thus: Hubby would stay with her on Monday, and I'll take my turn on Tuesday if she's still not fully recovered.

So guess where I am today? At home, with my darling daughter!!! Thankfully she's getting better, but we felt it's better to be very sure that she's OK before we send her back to school... She's had her breakfast (2 pieces of chocolate-smeared toast), taken her bath, and is now lying in front of the TV watching 'Animals are Amazing'.

What about work? I've got things that I need to do (don't we always?), but work will never end... Right now my daughter needs me, and I'm gonna be there for her...

Servicing required....

2009-02-22T12:22:00.004+08:00

Huwaaa... my beloved brand new lappy has to be sent for service!!!

My cute little lappy (well, technically it's a netbook, not a laptop, so should I be calling it lappy?) is just over a month old. Unfortunately, the trackpad (mousepad) is no longer working for some reason... At first I thought it was a software or driver problem, so I downloaded the driver and re-installed it, but to no avail. Got my brother to take a look at it as well, and still no go. As a last resort, I brought it back to Harvey Norman to ask the tech guy to check it out.... his verdict? Yep, it's definitely a hardware issue, since he unsuccessfully tried various means to bring the pad back to life.

To be honest, a plugged in mouse works just fine in its place, but isn't it funny for me to not be able to use the trackpad? Takkan la all the time nak guna external mouse kan? Sometimes it's just more cumbersome to use an external mouse...

Anyway, the nice tech guy (the same guy who sold it to me) said I could just drop off the lappy now, but since it was almost the weekend, I thought I'd just hold on to it first and use it during the weekend, and send it in on Sunday (today!!!) So this evening, I'll be making my way back to the store to repair my pink darling (yep, it's pink, and I'm proud of it! :p), and hopefully they'll get it back to me in 2 weeks' time or less...

Now how am I gonna last a week or more without my lappy? Help!!!!!!!

Update ----> have decided not to send my lappy in for servicing now... am waiting till after the Maulidur Rasul holiday before trying to survive without it... hehehe... it's a long weekend!!! I need my lappy then!

tummy bug

2009-02-22T11:57:00.003+08:00

We're all recovering from a suspected tummy bug... myself, Hariz, & Hubby... even my brother's down with something similar. Luckily Amani is OK so far (let's hope it stays that way!), which I suspect is partly due to the fact that she is geli with her brother's saliva, and thus doesn't take too kindly to his slobbery kisses hehehe... as for the rest of us, that could very well be the price that we pay for Hariz's affectionate (and very wet!) kisses - a transfer of whatever virus he's got to us!

It basically started with Adik vomiting a few days ago... when we brought him to the paediatrician, he told us if it's a virus (as he suspects it is), it'll lead to him having diarrhea later on. Since it was probably contagious, we decided to take him out of nursery for the day & just rest at home. Typical of Adik, even though he's technically not very well, he's still running around happily in full steam.

My agony started yesterday... I've never made so many trips to the loo in one day! Dah lama tak kena... I felt weak the whole day, plus my body ached all over! Let's not talk about appetite... I barely ate at all the whole day. The last time this sort of thing hit me was a few years ago, due to food poisoning. Hubby fought off the virus differently - he ran a fever, and his tummy wrestled, but at least he didn't have to stay within 3 feet of the loo heheh...

Now we're all lepakking at my parents' place, and everyone seems to be recovering nicely... I greatly enjoyed this morning's breakfast! I'm so glad my appetite's back hehehe...

happiness is...

2009-02-18T12:08:00.003+08:00

going for a course!!! hehehe...

I'm on the 2nd day of my 3-day course. Why am I happy? The course itself is something that I've been waiting to attend, so I am obviously happy about that. No 2 - I've got friends attending the same course with me (and sitting at the same table by design heheh), so that's a plus point as well. No 3 - I am away from the office!!! Hooorayyyy!!!!

I feel like I deserve a break from the office, as well as the chance to increase my knowledge. It's been a while since my immediate superior was in the office, and only those in the know understand what it's been like at work for me & my colleague for the past almost 3 months. Malas nak cerita lebih about work, but the experience is enough to drain us physically, emotionally & mentally. Moving forward, we're excited about the future changes in store soon, but for the moment things like training & courses (plus extra co-curricular pursuits like shopping of course :p) are enough to motivate us to continue what we do, where we are.

So here I am today, and my colleague is going for her course next week...

Brought my cute lappy to the course today, cos we get to use the venue's wi-fi connection... so if I have to wait for Hubby again today, I get to surf to my heart's content dulu... muahahahaha (insert evil laugh here)!!!!

Happy days are here again...

Experiment #1

2009-02-10T23:24:00.002+08:00

Invited my parents and brother over for tea yesterday... kononnya since yesterday was a holiday, I wanted to do some baking (try out the new kitchen la lebih kurang... hehehe) Last week I tried out the oven we got as a wedding present (yep, the oven's slightly more than 5 years old already, and I'm just using it now :p), but used a Betty Crocker mix just to test the oven (so I cheated a bit....) The resulting cookies were deliciously chewy and moist, just the way we like 'em, so I know the oven's ok...

So anyway, was feeling ambitious yesterday, so decided to make a banana walnut loaf and pengat pisang. Now, I've baked cakes before, and have had some successes and failures (hehehe... looks don't count right? As long as the taste is still the same...), and I think I'm quite OK at making bubur kacang & bubur pulut hitam, but both items for yesterday's tea were new recipes for me. I could have gone with either bubur, but since they're not really Hubby's cup of tea, and my dad can be pretty picky at times (oh alright, he is picky about food), I can't just bake the cake and whip up a batch of cookies, can I? So, with a lot of prayer, I spent about a quarter of the day slaving away in the kitchen...

The result?

I thought the pengat pisang tasted sweet enough, and even got Hubby to verify the taste. The cake wasn't really to my liking, even though it wasn't too bad... When my family came over, though, the pengat was cool enough for us to realize that it wasn't sweet enough! My dad also compared my banana cake to my mom's (even though he's very often her harshest critic!). My dear mama backed me up, saying that my recipe's different, so you can't expect the result to be the same. Nevertheless, the pengat got eaten, and I heated up the leftovers and added more brown sugar to sweeten it up more.

The cake... well, both loaves got sliced up for Hubby and I to bring to work... passed them around for feedback (hehehe... shameless? I wanna learn beb!) Those who didn't like sweet cakes found it just nice... others thought I should have used a different type of banana (I think so too...), the walnut bits were yum... all in all, not that great a result, but I'm gonna keep trying! I just pray my family members and friends won't get upset tummies from downing my efforts! hehehe...

Off to school...

2009-02-04T23:31:00.004+08:00

Amani has safely started her sekolah agama on Monday... Hubby & I spent the morning running errands, cleaning the house & installing streamyx (hehe) among other things. Biasa la kan, time cuti baru la ada masa nak buat memacam benda...

By 2.30pm we were at the Madrasah already, but it turns out the kids are sent to the Madrasah at 3pm, cos the driver had to drop off other kids further away first. So at 3pm, we saw the car drive up to the Madrasah and our darling little girl came out, dressed in her white baju, green kain & white tudung! Alahai anak mama... comelnya!! Macam anak muallaf gitu rupa... 2 other girls from her nursery were with her. Turns out the 2 siblings go to the same Madrasah (I thought they were enrolled at the other KAFA school). And one of them (Sarah) is actually in the same class as Amani, as they put the 5 & 6 year-olds in the same pre-school class. Alhamdulillah! The 2 sisters basically took Amani under their wing, showing her where to put her shoes, finding her a seat in the class.... so sweet kan? Thank you girls, for helping Amani adjust & settle down in a new environment...

I felt excited to see her start 'school', and yet... rasa macam nak nangis pun ada jugak. She's growing up so fast! Since she started her kindy classes this year, she's been asking us, 'Amani five years old ke mama? Amani dah besar? Amani nak besar macam mama...' please don't grow up yet sayang ye...

She's being somewhat extra moody this week though... probably due to the changes (I'll give her the benefit of the doubt anyway)... so memalam ni dok layan la tengok DVD kartun manjang and cuddling up to her father...

Tomorrow is her 4th day there... I really hope that she starts to enjoy being there soon... good girl anak mama...

up & running

2009-02-03T23:51:00.002+08:00

Yeay, we have wireless streamyx in the house now!! Thanks to the streamyx guy who was very punctual yesterday, and thanks to Hubby for installing the wireless router (hmm, is it called a router? can't quite remember...)

So no more excuses for me... hehehe...

Kakak's new school

2009-02-01T19:46:00.004+08:00

Tomorrow Amani starts her new school... well, not new in the sense that it's replacing her current school, but new cos tomorrow she starts going to Madrasah AnNur for her kelas agama & mengaji...

She's had it easier than most in her transition from daycare to kindy, cos her nursery handles both. As she gradually progressed from year to year, her activities at 'school' (nursery) have started to incorporate more learning. She's also taking extra Mandarin classes there, ever since her Mandarin teached spoke to us about her willingness and interest to learn more, and her ability to pick up the language very well. So this year, she's already doing kindy lessons in the morning, in line with other pre-schools, and her additional Mandarin class takes place twice a week in the afternoons.

Because of that extra Mandarin, we've had some problems trying to source for suitable kelas mengaji. Luckily, when we spoke to the teacher at the Madrasah, they're actually OK with her taking off early on the days she has her Mandarin class... ye la, pre-school kan... exams pun bukan la major, so nothing much to worry about there. At first we only wanted to look for mengaji, but the Madrasah feels it's much better for her to learn the other stuff as well (including amali solat), so that the learning is more comprehensive. We're definitely OK with that... we do want her to pick up things like solat early in life, and expecting her to learn from us yang tak berapa pandai sangat ni pun of course is not enough... and we feel that with her ability to pick up languages easily right now, it gives her an advantage when learning mengaji in a more structured manner... since she gets to maintain the secular while going for the religious, that's great!

We're still finalizing our strategy for tomorrow though... do we pick her up from nursery/kindy & send her to the Madrasah? Or follow discreetly behind the van & meet her there? Do we just drop her off, or linger? Amani tends to cling a little in unfamiliar situations, so I'm not sure how she'll react tomorrow... We've already told her about the new school, and her usual response to new situations: 'Amani nak mama...' I have faith in her adaptability, and she's a very well-behaved student (based on the feedback from her nursery handlers and kindy & Mandarin teachers)... I'm sure she'll be just fine... Whatever it is, we still have to be there to hand over the necessary paperwork, so we'll see how it goes... we still have tonight and tomorrow morning (while waiting for the streamyx guy hehe) to decide how we're gonna do this...

visit to the zoo (revisited)

2009-02-01T19:26:00.002+08:00

The pics from the zoo trip are already with us... yeay! Thanks to KC for the fast & excellent service :) When my brother gets married, I'm gonna push for him to get KC to do the pics hehehe...

I feel like doing a family photo session every year...

In 2007, this was it... Taman Bukit Jalil
Last year, the zoo... National Zoo

Once I learn how to post photos on the blog, I'll put more up! :)

bitten by the bug

2009-02-01T19:10:00.003+08:00

I used to just read other people's blogs, and admire them for having (or making) the time & effort to put their thoughts in writing. I've always wanted to do the same, simply for the sake of writing, but gave myself lots of excuses hehehe (no time la, penat la, have to share laptop with hubby la, etc) But once I got started with my own, I have to say, it's addictive! After my last post, there were so many things that I wanted to write... not that I'm writing for other people (if others are reading, that's cool! :), but I wanted to capture my thoughts and experiences while they were still fresh, and later have the opportunity to revisit/relive those moments...

Unfortunately, since my last post almost 2 weeks ago, I have had to lie low for a while... reasons being:
1 - Office internet access doesn't allow blogger access (I can view blogs, and sometimes post comments (when the network's ok, but can't access my own! Go figure... hehe)
2 - We try not to leave my parents' home too late at night, so usually after dinner (and clearing up), we make our move... so no lingering there to go online (ada streamyx, wireless modem lagi hehehe), so no blogging
3 - Our own place has no internet access (yet), but that will change tomorrow... (yeay!!) We're having the installer come tomorrow, before lunch, so hopefully after this I can squeeze in some time at night after work :)

Right now we're at my parents' place for the night, so curi-curi time from the kids (who are happily and noisily playing downstairs near their Atuk) to write...

So unlike ScribblingMom, I'm not jammed for material at the moment hehehe... perhaps reading your blog gives me ideas :)

I can't wait for our streamyx to be up and running! I'm definitely bitten by the blogging bug! hehehe...

possessions & remembrance...

2009-01-17T11:53:00.004+08:00

last sunday, we had a tahlil & family gathering at my auntie's place. the tahlil was for arwah my grandmother, who passed away on 29th nov 2008. 2 of my uncles were away performing the Hajj when she passed away, and just recently got back, so this was definitely a somber session... of course, we missed the tahlil itself cos Hariz was asleep, so had to wait till he woke up before we took off. my brother and parents reached Bangi first obviously hehehe...

it wasn't just a tahlil session though... my auntie wanted to hand over arwah wan's possessions to her waris-waris, hence the family gathering. before we got there, i wasn't feeling particularly sad, cos although her passing in itself was a something for us to mourn, we didn't dwell on it for too long as we believed it happened for the best. none of her children and grandchildren wanted to see her suffer, and i believe she did suffer for a long time. being an active, 'tak duduk diam' kinda woman all her life, being bedridden after partial paralysis as a result of a stroke was torture for her. i guess for most of us (tak berani la nak kata for all kan), kami rela & redha dengan pemergiannya...

when my auntie brought out arwah's things, the first thing that struck me (again) was - banyaknya kain batik wan! people liked to give her kain batik, as she wore them on a daily basis, but she always kept the new ones she got from her kids, grandkids and relatives and went on using her old ones... sayang katanya, plus obviously the old ones dah lembut, lusuh and sejuk... memang la best nak pakai daily! heheheh... as a result, the pile of new kain got pretty high in her closet. when she got sick though, my auntie started using them one by one, nak bagi wan merasa pakai.... after the funeral, my auntie told me to pick out a few pieces for myself first, cos wan dah sebut nak bagi some to me... so i did... took 2 brand new ones, as well as a piece that i've seen her wear often. it somehow still had her scent on it...

so this time around, since i already had a few pieces, i just watched while my aunties and cousins chose the pieces they liked. ok la if yang balance je i amik, since i dah dapat dulu kan... takyah la sibuk-sibuk, tul tak? heheh... masa ni i was still ok, but one item on the large table buat i rasa sebak sekejap... it was a jewelry box, the kind that displays a photo on the cover, and it had our picture on it... it was the jewelry box that i bought for her from the states, with an inscription about grandmothers around the photo frame... it was given to her maybe 9 or 10 years ago, together with a picture of us taken during Hari Raya when i was in Form 4 or Form 5, and she was still using it ('used it' is more appropriate kot now...)! i could feel tears welling up as i saw the box, but quickly controlled my feelings. call me 'buruk siku', but that was something i had to keep. the aigner handbag i bought for her at around the same time tu, takyah la kan... hehehe... yang tu takde sentimental value sangat...

most of arwah wan's possessions were of the clothing & bags variety. her gold jewelry was melted down and made into gold bangles that my auntie distributed to all her sisters and sisters-in-law as tokens of remembrance... makes it easier to be fair jugak kot? wan's stud earrings were given to my cousin, cos none of the aunties wore earrings, and wan's gold & diamond ring came to me... again cos the ring didn't fit any of my aunties or my mom. yang muat, my cousin & i aje, but since i tried it first and declared if none of the aunts muat, i amik... aci ke tu? hehehe... it's not really for the sake of the jewelry itself, but it meant a lot to have something of wan's that i could possibly pass on to my own daughter...

i hope, even though my grandmother is no longer with us, we as a family would still remain close and connected... let us sedekahkan al-fatihah to arwah Tijah bt Abd Jalal, may she rest in peace and may Allah bless her soul...

balik kampung

2009-01-10T19:14:00.004+08:00

'balik kampung... wooo oooo ooo balik kampung.... wooo oooo ooo balik kampung.... hati riang (or is it girang?)'...

i used to sing that song (not out loud all the time la hehehe) whenever i was planning to 'balik kampung' - be it from the boarding school, or from the states... now that phrase is applicable when i go back to my parents' place, ever since our official move hehehe...

my kids are still adjusting to the move... last night before we left my parents' place after dinner, i told Amani to get ready cos 'kite nak balik rumah'. she looked at me with this confused look on her face and said, 'nak balik rumah kite? banyaknye balik rumah kite...' guess she doesn't quite grasp the concept of moving. she knows the condo is 'rumah kite', but since at the moment she only gets home in time to go to bed, she still spends more time at her atok's place than her own...

this morning, hubby brought them down to the playground before their bath. both kids were thrilled to go (well, Amani excited la nak main swing etc etc... Adik just wanted to run around!!) so that gave me time to do the laundry, put our clothes in order, etc in peace hehe. rupa-rupanya, while they were at the playground, Amani told him she wanted to bathe at her grandparents' place... cos they went down before taking their bath hehehe, which was what they do sometimes at my parents' house during the weekends. hubby of course said no, we bathe here la... then she went on to say she wants to run around in atok & opah's garden... anakku rindu kat kampung rupanya...

so here we are... 'balik kampung'... for the first time my kids can use that phrase to refer to my childhood home...

as for me, i'm still adjusting too... tuning my body-clock to think that 5.30am is a perfectly reasonable time to wake up, and that midnight is the best time to fall asleep... eventually this reduced sleep will lead to some weight loss (i hope!!! my tummy's looking a leeeetle bit more rounded that i what it used to be... aw heck, dah buncit laaaaa, terpaksa ngaku pada diri sendiri! nak diet, tak kuasa beb!). hopefully i can manage to take cat naps every morning on the lrt to keep me alert at work :p on the plus side, this week i've signed in at work early, so i don't feel bad about not staying back too long after office hours hehehe...

moving...

2009-01-03T12:58:00.004+08:00

tonight is officialy our last night here at my parents' house... after 5 years of marriage and 2 kids, we are finally moving to our own place.

it's a huge step for us... for me... this has been my home for the past 16 years...

don't get me wrong, i'm always thrilled to be in my own place. i loved moving into my dorm during freshman year, and similarly loved the whole process and experience of moving into an apartment the next year with my friends... the choosing of the apartment, the furniture hunting, setting up the place, finding stuff to decorate our rooms... having a kitchen to work with (of course, the cooking was basic la... whatdidja expect? :p) going grocery shopping, paying the bills, maintaining the place... it's not like i've never lived on my own before. i know what to expect when it comes to having your own place.

even so... this house is special to me... i've lived here since my younger days... this was also where i first started life as a married woman, and my kids have always known 'Atok & Opah's house' as their own too... this will be a big adjustment for everyone. granted, this move is way overdue, considering that there's now 4 of us living in a 10x14 bedroom and our condo was ready some time ago (read: complete with furniture ok!) but a lot of things happened in between to delay it. and now, this is it! i guess we're lucky in the sense that my parents aren't the kind to insist that all their kids cling to them and stay at home. they're both kinda of the mindset that kids should learn to be independent (but if you're still single and working in kl, stay at home la! don't waste money renting at another place! hehehe) i'm just sorry that they'll get to spend less time with their grandkids. honestly, without the kids in the house, it feels kinda empty without the noise (tears and laughter both).

the good thing is, both kiddies will still lepak here after nursery before we go home to our own place, since my mom (and my dad) don't want the kids to stay at the nursery on overtime. gives them a chance to play with them still every day... i hope mama & abah don't get too lonely without them... of course, they're more than welcome to spend the night at our place anytime! :)

wish us luck!

back to work

2009-01-03T12:49:00.004+08:00

back at work after a week away, and already i wished i didn't have to come to work. honestly, it felt good to be at home... to spend time with my hubby and kids, to plan for our place, to do what needs to be done for the house (of course, this is no indication whatsoever that i would make a great housewife hehehe). it's totally liberating to do things my way, without feeling that someone else is going to judge me on what i do and give me a rating as he/she sees fit... to do things simply because they need to be done, not because they're nice to have...

oh well...

visit to the zoo...

2008-12-31T18:40:00.010+08:00

we spent the day at the national zoo yesterday... seriously, i think that was the first time in at least 15 years, if not more, since i was last there! couldn't even remember how it looked like from inside, but did have some flashbacks of elephant rides hehehe (it could have been a made-up memory though). we owed Amani a trip to the zoo as her birthday trip, but couldn't do it around the time of her actual birthday cos it was ramadhan then. we didn't fancy going there with a large crowd of holiday-makers, so had to wait to find a good day to go that was not a public holiday. ambitious me wanted to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, and decided to have our family portrait shoot done on the trip as well. suffice to say, it wasn't easy to get the kiddies to cooperate, as Amani didn't want to pose, while Adik was the Energizer Bunny in sneakers (but was more that happy to smile at the camera).

Amani's first visit to the zoo was last year with her nursery friends. she loved it so much, she talked about the visit for days. then she began making this comment:-

Amani: Kakak tak pegi zoo lagi
me: kan kakak dah pegi zoo aritu (she relates better when everything that has passed is 'aritu' or 'tadi'. last year doesn't really click for her heheh)
this was repeated a couple of times before she said this:
Amani: kakak tak pegi zoo lagi... dengan mama, dengan abah, dengan adik
me: ooooo (duh!!) nanti kite pegi la ok girl...

ever since we said ok to the zoo trip, every once in a while she'd repeat the whole conversation again. i guess to make sure her parents would remember their promise kot :p

so we finally made it to the place yesterday. my grand ambition was to reach there by 9am when the zoo opens, but as all parents with small kids in tow know, punctuality is not always easily attainable even with the best of plans. it wasn't too bad though, as we eventually got there at around 9.30 (when you can pick your parking spot to be as close to the entrance as possible, you know that you're still early :p) Amani was already excited about seeing the animals. she even promised the night before that she'd go to sleep early and wake up in a good mood, and she did! she woke up smiling and happy, and didn't spend too much time in the bathroom for her bath. Adik, of course, was more excited about the prospect of running... here, there, everywhere! before we actually went through the main entrance, he already fell down once (if you see how he runs, you wouldn't be surprised with the fall. he's got this funny, adorable way of running that makes his feet twist and turn around, and you just know that a fall is inevitable somewhere in the future.) luckily no mishaps took place inside the zoo, which could have been quite bad for us if they had. i guess you can't really blame the management, as the place was created years ago, but i personally feel they could improve a few things from the safety aspect, like the railings from the higher viewing point near the bears' area (a kid could easily fall through the bars there in the blink of an eye...) maybe that's something that they'll work on in the future kot... i hope so.

Adik really went all out! he walked most of the time (mind you, he's only a year and 10 months old at this point ok), ran here and there, and generally enjoyed himself. his little curls were plastered to his head with sweat, and he only succumbed to carrying when we've been walking for about 2 hours. Amani had already surrendered herself to the stroller before he did! with his bottle in his mouth, we continued walking around the zoo (me pushing him on the stroller and getting a really good workout - in the sweltering heat!), and by this time Amani was carried by her dad on his shoulders.

Kakak was moody after the initial euphoria had subsided... in retrospect, i guess we could have planned our walk a little better. the monkeys were a hit, but we should have covered the major animals ie elephant, lion, tiger first before the others. when we got to certain animals that didn't interest her, she didn't want to linger too long and kept saying, 'nak tengok animal lain pulak...' poor thing, we made it up to her with the final train ride around the zoo.

funnily enough, she was happier about the whole visit after we got back! she kept going over the animals she saw, the things she did - 'Amani bagi elephant makan tebu tadi' - so i guess it wasn't a total bust.

we were all bushed when we got back... Adik fell asleep in the car, and everyone else took a well-deserved 2-hour nap... my poor legs needed a rest, and i think poor hubby could really use a good massage!! now, the next time our darling girl wants to go to the zoo, i might think more than twice before i agree to the idea!!!

baby steps...

2008-12-27T21:52:00.007+08:00

am taking baby steps... writing for an audience of - one!