Salam Ma'al Hijrah 1430

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my muslim Brothers and Sisters - Salam Ma’al Hijrah 1430.

May this year brings us more Peace, Rahmat, Berkat, and increases our Iman and Taqwa... Amiin.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

To all my Christian friends out there – Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful time with your loved ones :) Enjoy the egg nogs and the good food, ok?

To the rest – have a great time doing whatever you love doing! Nak rest ke, shopping ke, jalan-jalan ke...

I for one, is one happy mommy...yay..yay! I’ll be on leave until the 30th, and will work only for one day on the 31st. Then I’ll be on leave again from the 1st of January until the 11th. In other words, from today until the 11th of January, I'd only be working for one day. A long break, huh?

No, I’m not going anywhere la.. (though Switzerland and NZ are still on top of my wish-list!) Ayah and I are actually going to make ourselves permanent fixtures at our Hanis’s Tadika and our Haifa’s Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Agama when the schools reopen. Yes, in 2009, Hanis is going to the Kindergarten and Haifa in Standard One. Frankly, I still can’t figure out how we’re going to do the running, since both of them will be in the morning session in two different places.

I know for sure that my Hanis will cry on her 1st day, 2nd day, 3rd day... ooohh... maybe for the rest of the week... hmmmhhh... macamana ni...?

I just hope that my Haifa will be ok, since she’s been to school (kindergarten) since she was 4. Let’s hope that she’ll be ok in the Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Agama, especially when my Hanna and my Hasya will be in the same schools with her.

Oh, let’s worry about that later. Right now, I just wanna enjoy my ‘vacation’ at home :)

Selamat Hari Ulang Tahun ke 71 Ayahanda!

Untuk Ayahanda tercinta

Kiranya bulan bisa bicara
Akan terucaplah kata-kata
Bagaimana anakmu ini
Mengagumimu...

Kiranya angin bisa menyanyi
Akan terdengarlah bait-bait
Bagaimana anakmu ini
Menyayangimu...

Walaupun kemarau curahan rasa
Setiap titik darah di tubuh ini
Tahu... dan Mengerti
Luahan itu cuma suara...

Selamat Ulang Tahun Ayahanda
Semoga dipanjangkan umur
Dimurahkan rezeki
Dipelihara kesihatan
Dipayungi kebaikan
Dijauhi segala kejahatan
Dilimpahi kesenangan dan kasih-sayang
Dikurniakan iman sejati
Diluaskan idea penulisan...

Amiin....

~Dari Anakanda sekeluarga~

Unwinding in PD

We had a good 4D/3N time in PD. Although it was raining here in the Klang Valley, the weather in PD was great. Clear blue sky all the way except on Friday morning when it rained about 3 hours. It was such a relief that the kids, their cousin Hani and their Tok Mi and Tok Wan could enjoy the beach and the pool.

**1st pic: Hanis - the sand castle enthusiast!

It’s a good break for both Ayah and I actually. After what happened in my office the week before (I’ll write about this in my other posting), the sea breeze really put the sadness into coma. We got the time to unwind, loosen-up and relax.

Alhamdulillah.

**2nd pic: Hasya, Hanna, Haifa and their cousin Hani building the sand castles....

The only drawback was the 'not-so-clean' beaches along the Teluk Kemang area.

I wished they were cleaner... like Penang and Langkawi beaches....
or California.... (dream on!)

**3rd pic: Here's Haifa 'surfing'..hehehe...














**4th pic: Hanna, Hasya, cousin Hani, Haifa, Haziq, Husna and the maids in the pool




Luckily, the pool was okay.







**5th pic: Mak (Tok Mi) watching over her grandchildren...

Now we're back home. Mak, AYAH and Hani already went home yesterday.

Today was spent at the Sekolah Kebangsaan, Sekolah Agama, the Uniform shop, the Bookshop etc etc... and now everything has been bought and ready for the kids.

We made a stop at the Cineleisure and watched Cicakman2. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed...

Whatever it is, I'm all charged up and ready for work tomorrow.... One more thing though- to complete it up,... I think I'll go get myself a Chinese massage :)

Happy Aidil Adha!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha to all my Muslim brothers and sisters.

To those who are performing their Haji, I pray that tranquility and serenity are their best friends. And may they have Haji yang Mabrur!

To others who are celebrating Hari Raya Haji elsewhere, max out the time with your loved ones. And while you’re at this, please pray for the victims of the landslides in the Klang Valley who have lost their loved ones and their homes. It’s a very sad time for all of us....

My prayers and AlFatihah to those who had lost their lives to these tragedies. And for their loved ones – may they be strong to face the challenges in these hard times...

My prayers are all with you....

Giving in

It made me wonder why we have to give in to other people or digest whatever we actually dislike for the fear of being retaliated against.

It happened to me several times. The latest one was when Ayah, Hasya and I were watching Quantum of Solace at Cineleisure recently. Since it was a last minute decision, we just managed to get the front row seats for the 9pm show. Behind us were a group of young foreigners.

The movie was great, but we didn’t get to enjoy it. Why?

The youngsters made so much comments that I felt like gagging them with my shawl! They acted as if they were watching TV at home and made comments for every scene! And they didn’t even care to whisper. Isshhh!

They also pushed our seats with their feet. Ayah turned and warned one of the boys. When my seat was pushed, I did turn and asked the boy not to do it again. It stopped, but the racket continued. I told Ayah to just let go. We stayed till the end but the movie was already too stale to watch.

I didn’t want to find fault with the youngsters because I believed anything could happen. What if we pissed them off? The things that they might have done... I don’t want to go into that....

The other example is about the security people in my housing area. We paid RM30 to have them to patrol at night. They did their rounds... but these past few months we realized that the rounds became lesser. Ayah wanted to stop their service, but I disagreed. What if they wanted to teach us a lesson and did something to prove that we still need their services? It gave me the creeps just to think about it...

Take that RM30. The non-uniformed security people might say that’s the monthly payment for their services. But to me – that’s my Protection Money.

Maybe I was influenced by what I read in the newspapers. Maybe I worry too much. But I guess it’s ok to feel that way. Better safe than sorry.... And protecting our loved ones comes first.

Right?

Cupcake 101

The girls have been pestering me to bake some cupcakes for them. I’ve baked them a few times before, from scratch. Somehow, I never get to master the skill. I think, if I were to enroll in a cupcake-baking class for one whole semester, I’d still fail to make them right. I'm pretty certain of that :(

The cupcakes would always turn ugly on me. No matter how much I spoon the batter into the paper lining, the end result would still be hideous... Sometimes they’d tilt to one side, other times the batter would flow down to the baking holes in the tray and made a mess of everything... urrggghhh!

So this time, I just bought the ready-made cupcake-mix. And hired 4 girls to do the decorating part. The cupcake came out horrible as usual.... *sigh*.... but the girls managed to make them look much much nicer with the decorations.

Here are the 3, 6, 9 and 11 year old girls’ handiworks:


They had so much fun with the piping, choosing the tips, preparing the colors and planning the design. I just let them go wild with their imaginations.

There was only one drawback though - a messy kitchen afterwards! But it was sure worth it, since the most important thing has been accomplished - the happy girls enjoyed themselves, and I'm very sure that they loved every minute of it!

And ooh... they also get to pass my Cupcake 101 class with flying colors... :)

Happy 9th Birthday Hasya!

My dearest Hasya,
Happy 9th Birthday sayang... Ibu & Ayah berdoa semoga Hasya dipayungi kecemerlangan di dunia dan akhirat. We love you very much and always pray for you to be a solehah daughter and a good Muslim. May you get the best in everything, sayang...

Happy Bithday.. Happy Birthday.. Happy Birthday.. Muaaaaahhh!

Every Year On Your Birthday

Every year, on your birthday,
I think about how glad I am
that you were born,
how thankful I am
to have you in my life...

Every year is another year
filled with the special joys you bring
just by being yourself...

Every year, when you open your birthday gifts,
realize what a gift you are
to everyone who knows you,
especially me...

Happy Birthday!

By Joanna Fuchs- http://www.poemsource.com

School's Over - Party time!

I hope this time this entry can be posted. It’s been five loooong days of ‘fighting’ with Blogger. There was nothing wrong with my Streamyx but I just couldn’t post a new entry in my blog. It really was a pain in the... ehhhmm... neck.

Well, finally school’s over. The kids are all at home. You could hear their laughings and screamings from the NeverNeverland. I was tempted to put up a sign at the main gate that reads “Come join our party! It’s open 18-hour a day!” :P

School holidays to the girls when their parents are working would mean – art&craft sessions, food, TVs, DVDs, food, CDs, magazines, food, fightings, singings, food, games.... And that wasn’t typo when I mentioned ‘food’ several times - I guess somebody will crack the scale by the end of December..hehehe...

There were three events to go to last Saturday. One was the Sekolah Agama Penyampaian Hadiah for the top 3 students for each class. My Hasya was one of them but she wasn’t able to be there on that day. Her piano recital was also scheduled the same morning, and the taekwondo test in the afternoon. That was the 2nd time she didn’t get to go up the stage to receive her prize. The first time was her Ibu’s mistake – they reached the school 2 hours late!

The concert/piano recital went well. Hanna, Hasya and Haifa did pretty good. The taekwondo test went well too. Now that everything’s over, except for their squash classes, the girls are enjoying themselves like there was no tomorrow. I think if I were to stay home with them, I’d have to adjust my patience-o-meter to the maximum possible.

I could hear them laughing silly over SpongeBob on TV now. And it’s already 12:05 am! Bad mother! I guess I better go now and persuade them to sleep lah.

Or maybe I should stay up with them and watch the moody Squidward bullying Patrick?

My MIL and Dialysis

We balik kampong on Saturday. It was a balik-hari trip with only Hasya and Haifa as the occupants of the back seat. Hasya didn’t mind missing the pirate-themed birthday party that she was supposed to go to that day. Deep inside me, I was happy that she wanted to tag along tho’ I knew that she was really looking forward to that party.

Anyway, the reason for the balik kampong was because my MIL has just been diagnosed to be suffering from kidney failures. The final test by the urologist will be done today and the results will determine the frequency of the dialysis she’ll have to go thru. But the probability of her going thru a 3-day-a-week session is very high. Looking at her, I just couldn’t imagine how she’s going to get her treatment done for three-times-a week which usually will last around 3 to 4 hours per session.

Since I was clueless on what kidneys and dialysis was all about, I did some readings. Apparently, the liver and the kidneys are sophisticated machines doing the cleansing of the blood in our body. The liver actually does the cleaning out of the impurities and the kidneys get rid of excess water and other waste products. Every day our kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and excess water! How about that?!

When the kidneys fail to work, dialysis will be needed. I just don't know how my MIL’s going to sit for hours waiting for the machine to pump the blood out from her body, thru a filter that removes the waste products and returns the clean blood back to her body.

Whatever the results are today, I just hope that everything will be smooth sailing for her..... May the absence of painfulness and sadness be bestowed upon her...

Happy 14th Birthday Husna!

My dearest Sweet Husna - My first daughter. My special child,
Happy 14th Birthday sayang! May all our wishes for you come true!


My special one,
You and Abang Haziq have shown tremendous improvement these past few months. I don’t want to know why... or how... coz every little thing that both of you did - though it might be insignificant to others – was a milestone to be celebrated...

And today’s your birthday. Although you never asked for anything - Ayah, Ibu and your sisters love you and will always do’a for you. May all our do’as become Mustajab do’as!

Happy 14th Birthday Husna!!! Let’s cut the cake tonight!

Taming the Final Exams Tension.. Kids!

I saw my three girls waiting for me when I reached home today. My Hanis (3yo), Haifa (6yo) and Hasya (9yo) looked excited. Ini mesti apa-apa ni, I thought.

Before I could pull the key out, my Hanna (11yo) opened the back door and jumped in. I turned to see her lying on the seat and saw that her face expression was somewhat sad.

I couldn’t ask her what was wrong, since Hasya was shoving some papers towards me. There were 2 cards and some Sekolah Agama exam papers.

Hasya : Ibu.. Ibu... Hasya ada 2 invitations untuk birthday party Ibu... satu on Saturday, satu on Sunday. Please Ibu, can I go?

Haifa : Best nya Hasya dapat pergi parties Ibu... Haifa pun best Ibu, dapat pergi chocolate factory esok!

A-ah la Hasya, you got taekwondo classlah. The exam’s next week, so you gotta go on both Saturday and Sunday. Bulan puasa hari tu kan dah sebulan rehat...

Hasya: Please Ibu... Please...

We’ll see.. Ok, Hasya?

By now Hanna was already out of the car. I could sense her tension. Hasya’s finals (Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Agama) were over today. Haifa’s Tadika assessment was also over. Tomorrow, Haifa will be going for a Tadika trip to a chocolate factory. She just couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come... Willy Wonka wannabe... Chocolate factory kan... And Hanna? She still has Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Agama finals to study for.

Itu yang Hanna tension tu. Hasya and Haifa were going to have ‘fun’. Haziq and Husna already went for their school trip before Deepavali that day. It seemed to her everybody else were ‘enjoying’ and she alone got to sit at her study table for 3 more days.

It was 6:45pm at the dinner table when she blurted her feelings out loud. Why Hasya could go to parties, why Haifa could go the chocolate factory – of all places! Why she gotta go for taekwondo classes for two days in a row when Hasya could skip one. Bla..bla..bla… and Hasya was arguing why she could go and stuff. Adoi... sakit kepala ku...

Just now, in Hasya’s room, I talked to Hanna.

Hanna... you saw HSM3 before the exam. You told me that your friends haven’t seen it yet, but you have. We did like 20 cupcakes last weekend and you did the toppings on most of them. I didn’t pressure you to study pun. But now when the exam’s here, you just have to do it. Don’t compare yourself with Hasya and Haifa coz they’re much younger than you. You’d been 6yo and 9yo before, so you must know how it was like then. When the exam’s over, you got like 2 months to do whatever you want. Nak buat paintings ke, buat sand castle kat beach ke, tengok wayang ke, main internet games ke....

Hanna nak buat jigsaw puzzle lah Ibu...

(Aikk.. of all things?) Oh... Ok. Jigsaw puzzle it is. OK?

OK Ibu.

Hmmh... that settled it. I just hope that the tension left her for good.... But I could anticipate that she’d feel the same thing tomorrow when Haifa (knowing how Haifa is) came back with her stories on the chocolate factory...

So I'm ready with the second round of the same-old same-old tomorrow..

**Sigh**

Our 17th Wedding Anniversary!

Today marks our 17th Wedding Anniversary. Alhamdulillah.

There wasn’t anything special that we’ve done today, only the Sunday routine – sent the 3 girls for their squash practice and then to their taekwondo class.

Ayah suggested that we go out for a movie or have dinner just the both of us.... but I was a bit worried to leave the kids home alone when they will be having their finals tomorrow. I know that my requests or pleadings for them to study by themselves will fall on deaf ears especially when IBU is out of the house. Isshh....

So, although today’s a special day for the kids’ parents, it’s business as usual at home....

However, there are some things that I’d very much like to say here :

Ayah and the kids are truly the best things that ever happened to me.
Words aren’t enough to express how happy and fortunate I am to be truly blessed with six beautiful children and a terrific husband.

These past 17 years have seen Ayah and I coping with many happenings in life – Happiness, Sadness, Laughter, Crying… but no matter what happened, we emerged out stronger, firmer.... and most of all – closer.

We had a great 17 years together. Let’s hope that we’ll be blessed with more wonderful years to come :)

High School Musical3

Haifa (my 6yo) called me up on Friday – Ibu please please Ibu, beli tiket untuk High School Musical. Haifa nak tengokla Ibu...

I can’t Haifa. It only starts today and I’m still in the office la. Weekend ni bolehla...

Puhleez Ibu puhleeeeeeez... (and she went on pleading...)

No Haifa. Weekend ni ok, but not today.... Bye!! I just had to put a stop to it, or Haifa would go on forever...

So, on Saturday, Ayah and I went to Cineleisure and reached there at 9:30am, but the ticket counters only opened at 10am. So we waited... demi anak-anaklah kan...

We bought 5 tickets (7:20pm) for Hanna, Hasya, Haifa, Hanis and their Ibu for HSM3 and 1 Bangkok Dangerous ticket (7:15pm) for the man-who-did-not-want-to look-sissy-watching-girls-movie.



After attending a birthday bash in Ampang, we went to The Curve and later watched the much awaited HSM3. The girls were all giddy with excitement.

And it was as expected – the girls said it was great. Even as a chaperone with an age double of Zac Efron’s, I’d still say that HSM3 was a good and sweet movie to watch. The girls loved it... and I’d say that I liked it as well.

And guess what, the man who watched Bangkok Dangerous said that the movie he watched was not up to his expectations.... Hah, tu lah... served him right...hehehe..

Happy Deepavali!

To all my Hindu friends and readers, I wish you all a very Happy Deepavali.

My Ahli Syurga - Happy 15th Birthday!

Venue: Pantai Medical Center. Date: 20th October 1993. It was 7:25pm when the baby was born. He was the firstborn of a 29yo father and a 27yo mother. After an excruciating labor pain of 18 hours, which was ‘shared’ by her Husband and Mother in the labor room, and after watching the sun went up at dawn until it set at dusk, (and in all those hours her Gynaechologist only came once in the morning!) the mother gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. It was such a frightening experience for the baby’s maternal Grandmother who waited outside the labor room when she saw her Grandson wasn’t crying and watching the nurses and the doctor scurrying away attending to the newborn who had just been delivered via forceps. Yes, it was a difficult birth indeed.

The newborn was named Zarif Haziq , and he was such a beautiful baby with lots of hair!

Their 2nd baby was conceived when Haziq was just 3mo. When Husna was born, Haziq was just crawling and didn’t show any signs of walking.

Realizing that their baby was somehow slow in his development, Haziq’s parents brought him for a thorough checkup at SJMC. The X-Ray result showed that Haziq had a dislocated hip on the left... thus at 1y+, Haziq went thru a major operation to correct this.

1995 Raya was spent looking after Haziq at home. He was in cast from his chest down to 1-inch to the toes for a month! It was such a trying time.... When he gained weight, a ‘window’ was made on the cast near his tummy so that he’d feel more comfortable.

After that major operation, Haziq learnt how to crawl again.

A year later, Haziq’s parents brought him to a Government Hospital as recommended by his doctor so that he could start his physiotherapy there. After a routine X-Ray, it was discovered that the bone was out of its socket again. Haziq’s parents were in shock! The doctor there then explained that it was normal - hip-dislocation could recur again and some patients went thru countless operations to correct that.

Then only Haziq’s parents realized that they’ve made the biggest mistake by agreeing to the first operation. Ya Allah... if only they knew about the multiple operations before.... They would never want to put Haziq in pain again... and thinking of the trauma that he went thru at 1y+ would definitely be a no-no although at that time Haziq was already 2yo+.

The doctor insisted that Haziq’s parents should make an appointment for the OT. When they said that they needed time to think things over, the doctor somehow insisted on one date (tak ada timbangrasa langsung!). They sort of of agree - Letak lah date apa yang doctor nak - since there were students there watching what was going on and the doctor ‘demanded’ a date.

But there was no way that Haziq's going to be put under that OT lights again. On that particular date, Haziq was having fun with his family, maternal Grandparents, his mother’s siblings and his cousins in Penang - having a blast with the Banana Boats and the jet-skis!

Now, although Haziq still can’t talk, he can walk. That was an achievement that both his parents are proud of.

Yes... that was my Haziq – my one and only SON – and the journey that he went thru in life. And today’s his 15th Birthday! Yay!

Haziq sayang,
Although you can't speak, nor can you cut your own birthday cake tonight, I know you’re happy as always. Despite the stares that you received every time we’re out, do remember that we’re always proud of you.

Though you may not understand this, you actually bring such joy and great rezeki in our lives.... You also taught us how to love unconditionally and to be strong in whatever we do. Remember, Allah knows best. It's all fated that you and Husna will be Ahli-ahli Syurga and became the glue in our family... the special ones who stick us all as one.....

If only you could see that all of us LOVE you so much, Haziq!

Again, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAZIQ! Ibu, Ayah and your sisters hope you'll get the best in everything! My Ahli Syurga... Muaaaahhh!

Jannah's Story - How Lucky We Are

Every morning, I’d send Haziq and Husna to the Special School that both of them are attending. Teacher Jannah – an Iraqian - would always come to greet me and get my special ones out of the car. She’d always smile, give her Salam and we’d have a small chat before I left for my office. However, last Friday morning she looked rather sad. Her puffy eyelids showed that she must have came down with flu or something.

Teacher Jannah, you’re not feeling well, aren’t you?

I’m OK... it’s just that my Father passed away after Raya.

I was stunned. I lowered down the volume of my radio.

Innalillah.... How old was he and how did it happen?

He was 63. He had a stroke. He also had High Blood. But he reached the hospital quite late. You see, there were so many road blocks... here and there.....many, many road blocks.. so when he reached the hospital, it was too late...

That’s so sad... how’s your Mother?

She’s staying put. You know what, the situation in Iraq is really bad. My siblings all have High Blood. And they are very young. Younger than me.

Why is that?

You see, since when we were young, when we opened our eyes, we saw people die everywhere. We hear bombs everyday. Life’s very very stressful for all the Iraq people. That’s why Iraq people have many sickness at young age. The effect of the war.... Most of us are scared of aeroplanes. If we hear the sound of aeroplanes, we’ll be terrified... We just can't help it...

Why didn’t you bring him here?

He was coming here. I spoke to him in Ramadhan, he told me that he wanted to come to Malaysia. He came here once and he liked it. He said Malaysia was a very peaceful country. He said he’d get his papers ready. When he died, my mother was cleaning his things and saw his passport. Everything was already in order. He was actually coming here...

I couldn’t help it. Tears were welling there, waiting to fall... Jannah was also fighting back the tears.

It was never meant to be Jannah....

If only he could reach the hospital earlier.... Then InsyaAllah he’d live...

Jannah, Allah has fixed it all. All are fated. There must be a hikmah in all these. I just hope that you are OK and your mom, your siblings too...

Yes, I know. Thank you. I’ll pass a Quranic verses in CDs to all the Muslim parents on Monday. I hope you can listen to the CD and sedeqah to my Father..

OK, TQ Jannah. Let’s pray that things will get better in Iraq. Take care, OK?

I left the school with a heavy heart. Somehow I knew that I should be more thankful for what I have now. Maybe some of us, including me, take Malaysia for granted... and forget that we are truly blessed to be living in this Peaceful Land. Look at Jannah, this is an Iraqian who lives in Malaysia for 16 years with her family and feels very grateful for the serenity that our Tanah Air has to offer.

Like Jannah, we should count our blessings too... and try not to take things for granted, not only with our Tanah Air, but with all the good and bad things that we have....

My 2008 Raya

Raya in Alor Setar was a fantastic one. We went to Kodiang, Jitra, Tunjang, SP and houses around Alor Setar. It was such a tight schedule and Ayah made the what-to-do&where-to-go list that we actually followed (you’re soo good at that dear :)). We met so many people, relatives and friends. You see, there were 30 people in my own family (my parents, 5 siblings/spouses with kids). Add that with aunties, uncles and the whole clan of my father’s side, plus the clan from my mother’s side would probably made us meeting more than a hundred faces during Raya. How about that – what a lucky bunch we were!

The plan to go home to Alor Setar for Raya actually started in March08, when I had to purchase two flight tickets for my Hanna and my maid Nani. Since the MPV was unquestionably designed not to be tamped down with the weight of 11 people, and I was not going to drive my car (I never tried driving on a long journey before), we decided to buy the two tickets. So Hanna and Nani left earlier than us.

The journey home to Alor Setar on Sunday before Raya was a smooth one. Alhamdulillah. It took us only 4.5 hours to reach Alor Setar. Yay. But it took us 7 freakin’ hours from Alor Setar to KL on the Sunday after Raya (does that considered as swearing?). Talk about the heavy rain and the oh-ever-so-many-cars on the road! All the R&Rs were also jam-packed. I was praying that none of us would need to use the toilet.... but it was me who needed one! Isshh....

The most important thing was that we reached home safe and sound. That was all that matters, right?

So, today’s the 12th day of Syawal. Although everything’s BAU, the Raya mood obviously is still there. With open houses to attend to, I’m definitely still in the Raya mood. Perhaps I’m still a young girl at heart..hihihi...

Have a Wonderful Raya!

To all my friends, relatives, fellow bloggers, visitors and all Muslims in the world - SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI!

I take this opportunity to MINTA AMPUN & MAAF for any wrongdoings I've done, or for anything I've written here that may have offended any of you out there.

May this Raya be a wonderful one to you and your loved ones.

Again, SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI & MAAF ZAHIR BATIN!!

Biskut-Dengar

Come Raya, we’d usually hear of Biskut-Tunjuk and Kek-Tunjuk. This is when - instead of making them yourself - you just Tunjuk (point) at the Raya Biscuits/Cakes and buy them.

Last week I managed to add one more entry into my vocabulary – BISKUT-DENGAR.

Have you heard of it? Biskut-Dengar (dengar=listen) is when you order your Raya biscuits via phone without you knowing the look/taste/names of them cookies. It is actually meant for those desperados out there (moi, one of them!) who realized at the very last minutes that they haven’t ordered enough Raya biscuits and wouldn’t dare to do a random Biskut-Tunjuk for fear of getting bland-tasted biscuits (Wipedia – add this in, capish?)

Every year, I’d religiously write down the ‘tunjuk’ orders I’ve made into my notebook so that I know what biscuits/cakes I bought. This year I was a bit laid-back thus the lack of orders made. I found out on Wednesday last week that there were only 3 orders I made via my officemates – biskut samperit, biskut makmur inti susu and kuih gunting! My kids are sooo going to kill me for this! They love Raya biscuits, especially those chocolate ones. In fact I had to order a few balangs of biscuits to be consumed during Ramadhan for them earlier on.

I was lucky when this colleague of mine, Yani had an out-of-town friend who was coming to visit her and bring her the Raya biscuits she had ordered earlier. I asked Yani to call her friend whether there were still some for sale. And the answer was YES! I asked Yani to let her friend bring whatever she thought were good. I was that desperate!

And when I got the biscuits... and Alhamdulillah... they LOOK and TASTE gooood! Nasib baik.... Not bad for a Biskut-Dengar!

So now, I’m left with the Raya cakes. I think I’ll bake them myself lah... Or maybe I should do a Kek-Dengar? Hmmmhh....

Happy 46th Birthday Benjie!

To my dear brother Benjie/AbangJie aka Kochie to his friends:

Happy 46th Birthday!!!



Wishing you a full-of-Happiness-and-Love birthday. All of us here hope that everything is beautiful easy for you. May Allah give you the best in everything!

You’ve been a supportive and a wonderful brother to me. And such a big influence you have on me. Thank you Benjie, for just being you :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Hanis!

This is the last birthday cake we'll be having for the month of September. It's my youngest birthday today. Since I was out the whole morning till 5pm with Ayah, I just managed to get her pix after coming home just now.

So my dear princess Hanis - HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY!


You're such a petite 'lil girl that I didn't realized that you're such a 'big' girl now..hehehe....

Hanis, Ibu and Ayah hope that you'll be an anak solehah, a bright and caring girl and a tough cookie! Life is a long journey which is full of roses and thorns - so Ibu and Ayah pray that you'll be successful through out the journey no matter what happens. Remember that our do'a will always be with you Hanis.

Have fun with the clown and the Barbie doll(s) :) We'll cut the cake tonite after iftar ok?

Of Nuzul al-Quran and TV3

Today is the 18th of Ramadhan. Yesterday was Nuzul al-Quran Day which falls on every 17th day of Ramadhan. Nuzul al-Quran as we know is the day to commemorate the revelation of the Holy Quran for the first time to Prophet Muhammad, pbuh.

Talking about Nuzul al-Quran, I remember the time I was on the national TV, nearly making a fool of myself.

It was Ramadhan 2006 or 2007 (which I can’t really recall). It was a routine for us to get some kuihs for iftar at our favorite restaurants or at the nearby Bazaar Ramadhan. I was walking with Ayah and the girls when I was stopped by this pretty lady. I didn’t realize who she was at that time but when the microphone was out, and the video cameraman came into view, my first reaction was ALAMAK, habis aku!

That girl was a TV3 reporter and she started shooting off the questions at me. I was nervous, what with the camera and people surrounding us and all. I remember the Q&A went something like this:

There was an increase in sugar price recently, what do you do to cope with it?
Emmm... aaahh... Our sugar intake is not on the high side, so I think we’ll manage it.

Does your husband help you at home?
Emmm... aaahh... Of course he does. But since both of us are working, the daily chores are done by the maids.

Do you argue about whose kampong to Balik Kampong to for the Raya?
We’ve made a pact when we got married. Only one kampong per Raya. Alternate system. So no problemlah.

What is Nuzul Quran?
Whaaa...? Could you please repeat the Question again? (duh... )

What is Nuzul Quran?
Emmm... aaahh... Hari pertama turunnya Quranlah.

Ok Kak, TQ.

So clever of her to make people Terkedu. The first three questions were on personal/family life, but the 4th question macam ‘out of scope’ pulak. When people ‘terkedu’ and nervous, they tend to make a mistake or start babbling.

My Mak called me later to let me know she saw me on TV3 answering the sugar (question1) and the Balik Kampung (question3). But I couldn’t wait to know about the Nuzul al-Quran question.

Until a few days later, an office colleague came to me and said:
”Kak Ja, I saw you on TV ”
Was it on the Nuzul al-Quran? Did I Iook and sound like a fool?
“No, you looked ok apa, and you gave the correct answer. Raaamaaai betul bagi jawapan salah.”

I guess the reporter was the one who made it difficult by posing the ‘out-of-scope’ question after asking the first three. Or else people will know what to answer. I wouldn’t want to know how embarrass I’d be to my children if I answered it wrongly.... Issshh....

Happy 44th Birthday, my dear Hubby!

To the man who stole my heart 17 years ago – (it's still in his possession!)







May your 44th year be a wonderful one!

A special day like this
Is the perfect chance to show
That I love you very much
More than you'll ever know

So even when I forget
To say these words each day
Remember that I love you
More than I say

You brighten up my life
With memories and dreams
As the years pass
They get better it seems

You had my heart
Right from the start
The love for you in it
Will never part....


May all your wishes come true and may Allah gives us the best in everything, dear.





(poem source: http://www.things-to-say.com)

Happy 11th Birthday Hanna!

My dearest Hanna,

14 September 1997... but it seemed only yesterday that I first held you in my arms in SJMC labor room. You were such a beautiful baby although at that time you were covered with blood and white vernix :)

Now you’re a young lady of 11. My girl, you have such a long way to go in life. And I pray with all my heart that you’ll get the fullest of what life has to offer. Remember that solat is the pillar of everything. Be tough, strong, and do your best so that you may endure come what may.

HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY HANNA!

I love you very much.... MMmmuuuuaaaaaahhhh!!


Since you don’t want me to put your recent pix here (malu ke?), I scanned two from your one-year-olds album... hehehe... GOTCHA!

This pic was taken on your 1st birthday... that was what - 10 years ago?? Wow... you've grown soo much Hanna!

Happy 89th Birthday Tok!

This month is full of birthdays to celebrate and this is the first of the series of birthdays that are yet to come.

Today’s my paternal GrandMother’s birthday - Che Jah Lebai Othman of Kodiang, Kedah.

So here goes --- HAPPY 89th BIRTHDAY TOK!

Semoga Tok panjang umur, sihat walafiat, tenang di dalam pelukan keimanan and ketaqwaan, bahagia bersama anak-cucu-cicit-piut, dan dipelihara di dalam kebaikan dunia dan akhirat. Amiin.

Counting Sheep

I colored all my sheep with all colors I had in mind and decided that pink was the best color a sheep could look good in. It reminded me of cotton candy with four legs... The fluffy pinks melted in your mouth... aaahh...pure heaven.....

Eh, what am I babbling about?

I counted sooo many sheep last night that I’m still seeing them in front of me as I’m typing this. My head is spinning, my eyelids heavy and my mouth yawning 60 times in a minute. Thanks to my mistake in taking the wrong supplements at night – I was wide awake last night until 4:00am!

Since I forgot to take my supplements for the first day of puasa, I kept reminding myself to do it right for the second day. Last night, in haste, instead of taking my Glucosamine+Chondroitin, I took Surbex Zinc - a high potency B complex – that according to Abbott is to help increase your energy levels and improves your stamina! There I was – in the darkness of my bedroom, counting sheep like there was no tomorrow!

But you know what, while counting and coloring sheep and reciting some surahs, I could hear the breathings of my loved ones in the room with me. How those sounds brought tears to my eyes... and how grateful I was that they were alive and healthy despite those ‘noisy’ sounds they made.

I was also grateful for my children still want to sleep with me. Only Haziq sleeps in his room... the five girls are all my sleepingmates!! They each have their own room but when it comes to sleeping at night, they like to sleep with us.

Whatever people may say, I believe that as long as your children want to sleep with you, let them be. Once they grow older, they’ll slumber out in their own rooms. I just want to cherish the time while we still have it.

What about the parent’s privacy? Well, there are empty rooms to count sheep in :)

SELAMAT HARI KEBANGSAAN & SELAMAT BERPUASA

To all Malaysians:
SELAMAT MENYAMBUT Hari Kebangsaan ke 51
..... Sambut dengan Jiwa yang Merdeka!

















To all Muslims :
SELAMAT MENYAMBUT Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak
..... Sambut dengan Jiwa yang penuh Ketenangan dan Keimanan!

Why I don't own a Bungalow - according to Haifa

Hanna and Hasya had the piano exam today. After more than 5 years of learning the notes, this was the first time they were taking the exam. Their mother was more nervous than the girls, so you can imagine how her teeth were making the clattering noises when Hanna’s name was first called. Then Hasya’s. At that moment I understood how all the Mothers who’d been there felt like whenever their kids were to sit for big exams. And this was just a piano exam, not big ones like UPSR or PMR or SPM. How would I feel if my kids were to sit for the big exams??

I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Anyway, after the exam, we and the girls went to MV and later Bangsar Village. On the way to NPE, we took the shortcut thru the big bungalows/mansions in Bangsar. I was trying to make a point with my girls who had jaws on their laps looking at those big bungalows! Never mind the OOOOHs and the AAAHHHs sound they made.

Tengok rumah-rumah besar tu. Diorang belajar pandai sangat masa sekolah dulu, tu yang diorang boleh afford rumah-rumah besar macam ni.

And I added some more... If you want big houses like these, kena belajar pandai-pandai lah. Nanti boleh beli apa yang mahu.

There came a comment from the back of the car -

Ibu tak pandai lah masa belajar dulu. Sebab tu lah tak ada rumah besar macam ni..

Alamak terkedu aku. What should I say now? Hanna and Hasya were laughing like hyenas. Heeelp Ayah...!

Taklah, Ibu pandai apa... masa belajar dulu..

Tapi tadi Ibu kata kena belajar pandai sangat baru dapat ada rumah besar macam ni. Jadi Ibu tak pandai sangatlah ...

Hmmhh.. betul jugak..alahaiii ...

Ayah was smiling ear to ear. Hanna and Hasya were laughing uncontrollably.

... And me? I managed to Tersenyum Kelat..

Haifa..Haifa... :)

Mega Sale Marathon Shopping

A week before the school holidays:

Ibuuu, betis Hanna sakit lagi lah Ibu.

My God, after like 4 days, she could still feel the aching? The 7-hour of marathon shopping was last Monday, Hanna, how could you still feel the pain?

OK OK - I’m Guilty as charged. I admit I’m a bad mother. I was an inconsiderate mom who made her two children skipped schools just so that they could tag along with her to MidValley. But I didn’t blackmail them or anything. They were all full of smiles that day. They liked it, especially when the exam was just over and they wanted to spend some quality time with me - besides getting new shoes and clothes for Raya of course.

I don’t like to procrastinate when it comes to buying things for my children. I made a vow earlier this year that I won’t be doing what I had been doing all these years – go shopping for Raya during Ramadhan! This year, I don’t want to be caught in the throngs of people who seemed to like what I liked. In the end, it was very frustrating when you got hold of the one that you desired but couldn’t get the size that you wanted. Or you liked the one on the mannequin, but that was the last piece and the wrong size. Or worse, you couldn’t find anything for anybody at all!

That was why I took leave on Monday and went shopping with Hanna and Hasya.

There were a zillion things to buy. Imagine how many blouses, t-shirts, jeans, pants, skirts, gowns, sandals and shoes that made up the long list of my To-Buy things:

Let's do a simple math:

There are 11 people living under the same roof with me. Six of them are my dear children, another three my maids, my dahhling Ayah and moi!

1) Each of my maids needs 3 blouses/t-shirts, 2 pants/jeans, a baju kurung and a pair of sandals – that makes it 7 items for each. Total : 21 items altogether.

2) Each of my 5 girls needs 4 blouses/t-shirts, 2 jeans, a baju kurung and a pair of sandals/shoes – that makes it at least 8 items for each. Total : 40 items. Don’t forget the extra skirts/gowns and stockings for the younger three which equals to 6. So, the Grand Total for the 5 girls : 46 items

3) My only boy – 3 jeans/slacks, 5 shirts/t-shirts, socks, a pair of sandal and a baju Melayu. Total : 11 items

4) Ayah – TBD
5) Moi - TBD

(Post-script Correction):
The total amount of things to be bought was 21+46+11 = 78! Minus the Baju Kurungs and the Baju Melayu that I’ve already bought/ordered (all 11 of them), and minus Items 4 and 5 (which aren’t important), the Grandtotal of the things that needed to be bought was 78-11 = 67!

I'd never accomplish buying those even if I had 4 arms! Not while you’re fasting or got pushed and pulled during a weekend sale. So I know I made the right decision to buy them on Monday, with the Mega Sale going on especially.

What left, you ask me?

I’m only left with less than 10 items to buy now. Pretty impressive, huh?