Haifa is 7 Today!

Happy 7th Birthday Haifa!

I was very happy to see your excitement just now! I knew it - you’d definitely love the cupcakes, the rabbit cake and your presents. They were simply awesome, weren’t they?

Ayah-Ibu's do’a for you Haifa sayang,
May your life be filled with serenity and peace, love and affection, happiness and laughter, great health and wealth, success and winning, patience and perseverance, and most of all - imaan and taqwa.

Ayah and Ibu hope that you get the best out of the goodness in life!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love you! Love You! Muaaaahhhhssss!

Dear Haifa

My dearest daughter Haifa,
I know you won't be reading this since you have limited access/permission to the internet, but I want to write you anyway.

It’s only a day before your 7th birthday’s here. Last year you got what you wished for – a bicycle – which was bought a month prior to your birthday. You rode the bicycle almost every single free minute you got. I just couldn’t imagine seeing you without your bike, since you were practically riding it all the time. You liked it so much, right? So this year you hope to get your wish fulfilled. Again.

But Haifa... I’m so sorry to tell you that this year Ayah and Ibu won’t be getting what you wanted. Eventhough we know that you want them really really bad, we just won’t get them for you. The rabbits you’ve been wishing for just don’t rhyme with your birthday song. I’ve checked the rabbits out at the Amcorp Mall last month. They were pretty soft and cute. And cuddly, just like you. But I don’t think that you’re ready for them yet. Or them you. Can you wait until you’re a bit older, before I get them for you, Haifa? Or when I could go off to work without having this worry that the rabbits would still be there when I get home? I know you can, right?

Haifa sayang, rabbits are gentle animals. And fragile. Errr... just like you. They are like babies who need the TLC that I’m sure you’ll be able to provide. But sayang, they need to be stroked lightly, not vigorously like you did the fishes (RIP) a few months ago. I know you did it out of love, but dear, too much of a good thing wasn’t good either. I know I may be able to teach you the how tos... but can I do that when you’re a 'lil bit older? And oh, I really hope you'll stop chanting "I want two bunny rabbits" after this. Please?

We also have a surprise for you sometime next month. When the bird’s eggs have hatched, you’ll be seeing two baby-birds in the nest. Not that I don’t want to share the news with you now, it’s just that I want to give the mother bird some peace and quiet. And give you a surprise. You understand that too, don’t you?

Anyway, for your birthday this year Haifa, you’ll be getting some books (as usual) and a Baby G watch. I know you’ll like them for sure. And please don’t lose the watch this time, ok? And before you start asking me – Yes, the watch is water-proof. You can swim up to a hundred meter down the pool to prove it. Kak Hanna’s wearing the same brand, so I know that it’s tough enough even for an active and curious girl like you.

Till your birthday on Wednesday.

Lots of Love,

The Welcomed Guests 1

Two weeks ago, this young couple started coming to our house. They seemed like a nice pair. We didn’t know where they were from, but it didn’t matter coz we actually liked them. They loved to stay in the garden and would talk incessantly near my potted palm tree on my side terrace. I didn’t quite get what kind of language they were using, but their voices were soothing to the ear.

They appeared when the morning arrived (since the house was quiet without the kids screaming about) and stayed until dusk came. They were planning something big for sure, and my guess at that time would be on their new home. My maids would watch them thru the kitchen windows and would sometime walk by them to let them know that there were people living in the house. They were trespassing alright, but we didn’t mind, as long as they didn’t give us any trouble.

Over the weekend when I was home, I’d peep at them thru the sliding door. At times I’d use my binoculars and watched them working. Such patience they had, and I wished I could be like them. How well they planned their work and how hard they worked towards getting what they wanted. And such a loving couple they were.

Yesterday was a special day for the pair. I came home from work to a beaming Hasya. She *whispered* to me that the gal has given birth! I was overjoyed! (*the whispering was a crucial one since we didn’t want Haifa-The-Curious-One to know about the couple just yet or that would be the end of tranquility for them*).

This morning, when the gal left (I think to get her breakfast), I sneaked to her new abode and took this pix.



That was before I left to work this morning.







When I came home this evening, there was a surprise – another one!

Notice how intricate their new home is. Such delicate work. Weaved with love and affection.

Now there are two! Maybe there'll be more tomorrow. Who knows? And you know what, I'll be happy if they decided to stay here permanently :)

My Lil Bro is 37 Today!

It was the year of 1972 when a 30yo mother gave birth to a cute baby boy. The boy was the fifth sibling in the family. The fourth sibling - Ja, a girl - was 6yo at the time. She just couldn’t understand why this baby was getting all the attentions from those well wishers who came to her house. The houseguests kept on increasing day by day and this made Ja rather jealous of the attentions that the newborn was getting. After all, she was the princess of the house for six whole years! This newborn was bringing chaos to her world, so she thought.

Now, at 43 yo, she could still remember the conversation that took place in her house at 108, Kampung Baru, Alor Setar.

Pak Ngah Ariffin (now Arwah) : Ja, suka dak dapat adik?
Ja : Dak
Pak Ngah Ariffin : Awat tak suka?
Ja : Tak suka lah. Pak Ngah nak, ambiklah.
Pak Ngah Ariffin : Pak Ngah ambiklah, ka Ja nak juai?
Ja : Satu ribu (or was it satu ratus?)
Pak Ngah : Oklah, Pak Ngah bayaq, nanti Pak Ngah ambik adik tu.
Ja : (somehow felt rather bad) Tak maulah Pak Ngah.
Pak Ngah : Awatnya?
Ja : (couldn’t answer.. and left. She could still remember the orang-orang tua laughing)

So a few days after that, she saw the baby sleeping on her mother’s bed. He was all alone, all cute and clean. She climbed the bed and looked at the baby closely. She was curious. So this was the baby who was stealing the limelight. He was kinda cute, she thought. What if I step on his face? Would he cry?

So Ja lifted up her foot slowly... and when it barely touched the baby’s nose, she stopped. Suddenly she realized that she actually liked this boy. She remembered Mak saying something like this boy was going to call her Kak Ja when he could speak. She quite liked the thought.

And she left the bed. The baby boy was left unharmed.

ADIK,
That was my two Dosa I made to you! Although I can’t remember a lot of things when we were younger, those two I remember crisp and clear. There you go - Confessions of a Sister!

I’m extremely glad that I didn’t step on your face Adik, or you won’t be having the mancung nose you have now..hahaha!

HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY ‘LIL BRO! May you get the best in everything you do. May you be blessed with great health, abundance and happiness, lots of love and laughters and most of all, be blessed with a beautiful heart and imaan. May you and your beautiful family live life the best throughout the year, and many more years to come!


Adik on his 4th birthday in 1976.

Eewww! Gross!!

There are some things better done in private. But there were so many times when you stumbled upon these people who did their 'thing' in public.

I remember around two months ago when we were having lunch at Bukit Jalil after the girls’ squash lessons. We were just finishing our drinks when we saw this Indonesian helper/waitress leaning against a pillar, picking her nose! And there were more than ten customers eating! Eeeeww!! When she came over to get the payment from us, we gave it to the owner instead. And the helper got a short ‘lecture’ from me. C’mmonlah, you’re serving food, apa? Duh!

There’s one Bangladeshi guy working at the Shell station near my house who loves to pick his nose. I think it’s a hard habit to break. Everytime he comes near me or my car, I’d say, Eh, don’t come near me, I saw what you just did. He’d just smile and acted as if he did nothing wrong.

But the worst was yesterday. I was at Mydin yesterday afternoon with my Hanis to get some books for my Hasya. Was waiting for my turn to have my fruits and veggies weighed at the weighing station when I glanced around and saw this man doing something really gross. I wished I hadn’t seen him but too bad, I already had. He was a customer in his early fifties, wearing a pair of shorts, a brown t-shirt, a pair of slippers and a pair of dark sunglasses. He was actually standing two feet away behind the man manning the station, so I was sure that those 10 to 15 people standing there with me saw what he was doing.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw what he did. I mean, why didn’t he do it in private, instead of doing it in front of two long queues of people? Hello, public etiquette... you forgot? This man actually picked his belly button, and brought the boogers(?) or dirt to his nose, and smelled them as if they were roses!! Gross!! He did it more than twice, at least, coz the nauseous feeling made me turned away after the second act. Luckily my breakfast was long digested and I haven’t had my lunch yet!

It's disgusting when people acted as if it was ok to do these things in public. This morning while stopping at a red light, this man in the car next to me was digging up his nostrils. Really deep. Gosh, I wished I would just stare ahead, instead of glancing outside the window.

Maybe it was an invasion of his privacy. He was in the personal comfort of his car. So, was I in the wrong here?

Absent: Sepang F1 Race 2009

Jenson Button won the 2009 Sepang F1 Race! Good for him! A torrential thunderstorm halted the race at its 32nd lap and Button was in the first spot for the 31st lap. So he won the race.

I waited anxiously in front of the TV - practically on the edge of my seat - for nearly an hour for the race to restart but that never happened. Unlike previous years where we got to watch the race live in Sepang, this year we didn’t go. The girls didn’t request for it either. I think they didn’t even know the race was back. Dear Hubby wasn’t keen this time... he was out with the girls for their swimming lessons. So it was just me getting the adrenaline rush watching the race on TV. And wishing that I was there – right infront of the pitstop like the usual. Sob.. sob...


This is the nearest I got to Button - on TV that is. How pathetic is that?



Come to think of it, I think I should be thankful. No more sunburn and sweaty necks. No more parting with the money for the tickets and the t-shirts/shirts/caps/food/drinks etc. Now I could buy myself a new Tag watch or get myself the Coach handbag I saw last week on the net.

Sour Grapes!

In reality, I actually missed being there. Listening to the sound bites of roaring F1 race cars, the screeching tires and the ever-so-excited crowds! The excitement just wasn’t the same watching them on TV.

Oh well, look on the brighter side. At least I got to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic on Friday night. Loved it. The girls loved it too. Dear Hubby got himself a ticket to Fast and Furious4. And before you start asking – no, I didn’t finish the books as mentioned in my previous entry. Couldn’t find the time. Or maybe I didn’t read fast enough. At the moment, I’m still at page 215 of the first book. So much of an optimist!

What gives?

Maybe I should join the speed-reading course. I read it somewhere that there is such a course here in Malaysia. Maybe they give out free tickets to F1 2010 race if I were to enroll??