Goodbye MJ

It's a sad day today. MJ's gone.

I first fall in ‘love’ with him when he was with Jackson 5. The song BEN was my favorite, even until now.

I had my first on-stage dance performance in MRSM Kulim - with his song Off The Wall. It was Friday Night Special2, May 1980. I was in Form 2 then.

I was always amazed at how smooth a dancer he was.

And a brilliant singer.

Goodbye MJ.

Black or White, you’ll be missed dearly.

Pesta Malam Indonesia 3

Don’t ask me why we went. Tak pernah umat I pi concerts!

But somehow, on Saturday we went to Bukit Jalil for Pesta Malam Indonesia 3 and joined the crowd of bapak-bapak, ibu-ibu, mbak-mbak, om-om and many fellow Malaysians to enjoy the sounds of five Indonesian bands – Padi, Andra and the Backbone, Sheila on 7, Gigi and Dewa 19. I love Indonesian band songs, so what the heck – sekali-sekala!

Our group comprised of Dear Hubby, Hanna, Hasya, Haifa, my maid Nani, my nephew Zhafri and his friend Wafiy.

Here are some pix I took. I'll try to include the slides later :)

Duta of So7 - energetic performer & a friendly chap :





















Armand of Gigi - wow, this guy was simply awesome!





















Once of Dewa - love his songs :





















Ahmad Dhani of Dewa - also love his songs :





















And today I was on leave. Spent some time with Dear Hubby. Also did some serious gardening. There goes my manicure!

Double “Happy” Day

First of all – HAPPY 45th BIRTHDAY Kak Anim!

Kak Anim, I know I’ll be late posting this today, that was why I called you after midnite just to wish you. Sorry to have woken you up from your slumber :) We were having our midnite snacks at Kayu after our outing at Bukit Jalil last nite and I wanted to be the first to wish you. But apparently your son has already beaten me to it!

So here’s wishing you the best in life – panjang umur, murah rezeki, good health and great love. May you be blessed with successful endeavors and nurtured with patience and imaan.

And you know what, I want to post one pic here. It was of you in London, Spring of 1982. I was still in Form 4 when I got this pic from you.

You were still 17+ at that time. So, what’s so special about it? It's because of the flowers there, Kak Anim. I was so enchanted with them that I put this pic on the inside of my locker. Everytime I opened the locker door, I’d envision myself being there! But that didn’t happen...hahaha... but I guess that started the love I have in flowers. (Mak started my love in plants much-much earlier). Have a great day! LOVE you!

Secondly, it’s Father’s Day today. So, Happy Father’s Day to all daddies out there!

To these important men in my life – Dear Hubby, AYAH, Bemmie, Benjie and Adik – Have a good one today!

Spending Quality Time

The 2-week school holiday’s finally over. The first week was spent in the hospital and at home since my Haifa and my Hanis were still under quarantine. We had visitors - my parents, my sister and BIL who came to send my nephew off to UIA. The second week was indeed quality time spent with the children and Dear Hubby. We had a great and relaxing 3D2N at Palace of the Golden Horses Hotel. They were in the swimming pool until they changed colors!

Me? I didn’t set even one toe into the pool! And I didn’t even read a single line from the books I brought with me. I’d usually read at least one book every time we stayed at the hotel. But this time, I was just being plain lazy. I took hundreds of photos of my children in the pool and around the hotel when we had our evening walks. Most of the time I stayed on the balconies of our four units, facing the pool and watched my loved ones creating havoc with their antics :)

The kids in the pool with the maids
Watching them enjoying themselves made my heart went soft. And my whole being was blanketed with unagitated state and calmness that was very hard to explain. The breeze that played over my face carried the sound of their contagious laughters, and I sat there feeling such joy from all of that. That was a reflection of a contented life. Alhamdulillah.


My Haifa and my Hasya feeding the fish

The spots on Hasya, Haifa and Hanis’s hands, feet and mouths from Coxsackie were all gone. We brought the girls to see Night at the Museum 2 and Zac Efron’s 17 Again. Watching 17 Again really made me feel so old, and I thought – would I go back to 1983 - when I was 17 - if I were given the chance to do that? Would I make any changes in the past?

Maybe I’d appreciate my family, friends and teachers more, strategize any paths to be taken, look positively at all angles in life and... be more open by letting go of any bottled-up feelings that I had with certain people I knew then. And of course I'd study HARDER! Who knows I’d be multi-millionaire ka....hahaha!


My Hasya and my Hanis


Anyway, later in the week, we did some gardening together. Dear Hubby and I went to Sungai Buloh to get some new plants. Penuhla jugak satu kereta.

The girls helped, of course, especially my Haifa who planted weeds (read: not marijuana!), instead of getting rid of them, LOL!

School Holidays with.... Coxsackie

(Updated : pictures of spots on hands and feet as I've been asked to show how HFM disease looks like...)

Last week on Monday, my Hasya came to me and showed a blister on her tongue.
“Sakitlah Ibu”, she complained.

“Maybe Hasya tergigit kot. It’s ok, it will go away in 2-3 days”, I said. So Oral Aid came to the rescue that night.

Then my Haifa showed me some red dots on the soles of her feet.
“Ibu, sakit sangatlah. Haifa tak boleh pijak. Haifa rasa Haifa pijak batu masa swimming semalam. Boleh tak Haifa pakai sandal pergi sekolah esok?”

“You might as well wear your Nike, it will hurt less I think”, that was my reply. And I put some ointment on her feet before she went to sleep that night.

When I came home the next day, Haifa showed me the palms of her hands. There were around ten red dots on her palms. Right there and then I knew that this was something serious.

Dear Hubby brought them to their pediatrician and after paying RM250, it was confirmed that they were infected with a mild Coxsackie disease. And they were to be house-quarantined until the rashes disappear.

I wasn’t completely satisfied with that, so I called Sime Darby Medical Center (f.k.a SJMC) and told the doctor of my worries. She confirmed with the first pediatrician’s advice. “Only come to the ER if they didn’t eat or drink, since it will be soreness in the throat or mouth.”

Thursday came, and my Hanis got it too. Her rashes were more - on her hands, legs and in the mouth. Went to the pediatrician again. And Hanis was to be house-quarantined like her two sisters.

So there goes our plan of watching Night at the Museum 2. (Lucky I’d watched Angels and Demons on the weekend when it was first shown).

I tried to find the source of the disease, like who and where actually it all started. Later I found out that :
1) Hasya’s tuition-mate just came back from 2-week absence due to Coxsackie
2) Haifa’s Sekolah Agama classmate had it last two weeks
3) Hanis’s kindy has reported a few cases prior to this
So, it’s actually everywhere. It’s easily spread especially to children below ten. The younger the child is, the worse it will become.

We brought Hanis and Haifa to the ER when they started having high fever and Hanis refusing to drink. And they were admitted to the wards.

So here I am, typing away in a double-bedded room in SDMC where my two girls are sleeping soundly at the moment. The girls are getting better, Alhamdulillah. The fever’s gone, and Hanis’s beginning to eat and drink. She lost a few pounds, I can see by the look of it. And my Haifa? She doesn’t look like she’s ill. Hah, that chubby girl, all excited with the hospital gadgets!

Pity them, school holidays and they gotta spend it in a hospital!

What? No Wedding?

Dear Hubby received a wedding invitation card around two weeks ago. It was on his desk when he came into the office. He brought the card home and it was sitting there in the mengkuang basket for like more than a week before he called me up at home last Friday to check on the Bride-and-Groom’s names. I just texted him their names to which he replied – check the groom’s parents, coz both the bride and groom r not in the office email profile. So when I checked the card, I realized the groom’s mother was someone we actually knew. So that settled it.

And I didn’t look at the card until the assumed wedding day itself, which was on the day after, Saturday the 23rd.

I had my usual Saturday breakfast (hailam coffee and kaya-butter bun)with my Hanis at the nearby restaurant while waiting for my Hanna, Hasya and Haifa to finish up their taekwondo class. It occurred to me then that I didn’t really read what was on the card. What if it was not today, I thought. But I just brushed it aside, and reminded myself to check it when I got home.

Coming back, I had to fetch Dear Hubby from the car workshop where he sent his car to get all his tires changed. And I totally forgot about the card. I had a quick shower and got ready with my kenduri attire. My Hanis wanted to tag along, so we brought her with us. We knew we had to be back before 4pm since the girls would be having their swimming lessons at 4:30pm.

Anyway, off we went. The wedding was in Batu Caves. I looked at the card for the map. Frankly, it wasn’t me at all that day. The usual me would read the card from top to bottom and left to right. But nope, not this time. The map mentioned a Makro Hypermarket on the left of the road, but what we saw was a Tesco. After 10 minutes, we realized something wasn’t quite right. So I called our friend, the groom's mother. It went something like this:

Me : Hi Ros*****, this is DDI.
Ros : Oh... hi DDI. How are you?
Me : Ros.. we couldn’t find your house. I think we’re lost.
Ros : (now sounded confused...) which DDI is this?
Me : Z***’s wife.
Ros : Z***? (now she got more confused) oooh... you’re coming to the wedding...
Me : u-huh
Ros : The wedding’s next monthla... sorry...
Me : (terkedu and started laughing) Oh is it? (laugh some more) BTW, there was no Makro on the way here...
Ros : Hahaha....I made a mistake.... It’s Tesco actually. Sorry DDI, I’m out at the moment or else you can come over.
Me : TQ (still laughing) Our mistake pun... bye!

My eyes darted back to the card. The wedding’s on 27th of June! More than a month to go!!

I felt like a fool for not noticing. Who in the first place mentioned that the wedding was on Saturday? Dear Hubby admitted -he did- but he said wedding cards are usually given like two weeks prior to the wedding, so he just assumed that it was that Saturday... and... errr... expected his Dear Wife to do what she always did – READ!

Aiyo!

The good thing that came out of this (other than listening to my Hanis's rendition of London Bridge is Falling Down and Old McDonald in the car) was we got to try the new DUKE highway that people were talking about. Pretty fast. Impressive.

And so we had our lunch at JM Bariani House in Subang Jaya instead. Macam nasik kenduri jugak, kan?

The funny thing was - the couple with two kids on the next table started a conversation with Dear Hubby when I went to wash my hands. Since it was mentioned that we just came back from a kenduri, apparently Dear Hubby had to 'bohong sunat to save face’. He had to say that we tak puas makan at the wedding, rather than telling the nice couple that we were two meatheads who got the wedding date wrong! LOL!

Admit and Apologize

I wonder why it is so hard for some people to admit or apologize for their mistakes. I mean, if you were to borrow something from a person, it would be expected of you to return the item in the same condition when it was taken. Especially when the lender already told you of the do’s and don’ts in caring for that item. It’s your responsibility to follow the advice so that nothing bad would happen to the borrowed item.

If you spoilt the item, do admit your mistakes and apologize to the owner.. and at least make lah an attempt to compensate, although in most cases would be denied by the owner.

For example, say these:

“Sorry aaa... I tried to mend this thing but I couldn’t make it work. Please tell me how much this cost so that I could buy you a new one”

OR

“Sori. Could you please try to correct this? If you can’t, let me know so that I can pay you the amount you paid for that in the first place, or at least half the price”

OR

“I’m so sorry I did this. I must have spoilt it last nite when I was out collecting some cow dung in the paddy field which was so muddy after a heavy rain the evening before. But I’ll pay you back with the money I got from selling the cow dung”

Sorry, the last one was exaggerated unintentionally.

The lender would then say this, with only a tint of regret :
"I know you didn’t mean to spoil it. It’s OK. I’ll see what I can do. Thanx anyway”. (read : thanx for admitting, but hey, I don't want your money)

But since that person never said any of the three above, we’d have to get into that person's mind to get this out. Here’s the person's unspoken version:

"I know we don’t know each other well. In fact I think I’m only just one of the familiar faces you see around. But I still wanted to borrow this thing from you coz I liked what you have. I know you told me to take care of it coz it was quite fragile.

But I SWEAR to you, I didn’t spoil it. I did nothing at all, it just happened. I know that when I brought it home for one night, it was in a good condition but I SWEAR to you I didn’t know why it was spoilt. I tried to ‘unspoil’ it but I guess by doing that, it got worse. See, it's now totally spoilt, thanx to my effort.

Sorry lah you can never use it again. I suggest you find the solution to make it right, coz it was yours to begin with pun. Use your own money and don’t you dare asking me to compensate coz I didn’t spoil it!"

So who did it? Martha Stewart?

Some people just don’t have the common sense. A non-living thing don't spoil by itself, OK? C'mmon, we're not talking about an apple here. I know the thing cost less than a hundred, but where were your manners? Couldn't admit your mistake, could you?

My friends warned me not to layan that person anymore. But me being me, still do that. I just don’t know how to totally ignore a person. And you know what, that person never asked for the update on the spoilt thing. To him/her, it's water under the bridge.

Now I have to get me a new one. Or get it repaired.

Or perhaps I should just throw it away.

Sigh.

A Hostel in Memory of Donni

..... I'm so proud to be part of this :)

NST Online » Local News
2009/05/15

A HOSTEL IN MEMORY OF DONNI
By : Joniston Bangkuai

TUARAN: Soon, about 100 students from far-flung villages in Kiulu, about 20km from here, will no longer have to endure a tiring long walk to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tun Fuad Stephens.

Thanks to the alumni of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Kulim in Kedah, who call themselves Killerbatch, and the Sabah Credit Corporation, a hostel is being built for the students.

The ground-breaking for the project, which is estimated to cost RM200,000, will be held today in the presence of the students and their parents.

To kick-start the project Killerbatch, which was represented by Raja Ali Raja Othman, presented a donation of RM56,567 to SCC general manager Datuk Vincent Pung yesterday.

He said the rest of the funds would be collected through more fund-raising initiatives such as the staging of a play entitled "Ghazal Party Queen" which is scheduled for Dec 12.

Raja Ali said the heart-wrenching story of Donni John Duin, an 11-year-old school boy who committed suicide two years ago to ease the burden of his poverty-stricken family, prompted Killerbatch to embark on the project.

"The dormitory will be named Asrama Donni in remembrance of the boy," he said.

Donni, a Year Five pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kinarut in Papar, had apparently taken his own life as he could no longer take the teasing from his schoolmates who likened his food, which was packed by his mother, to dog vomit.

"We were all greatly saddened by the heartbreaking event when we heard about it and decided that we must not let it pass unnoticed.

"The hostel is our way to ensure that what Donni went through does not happen again," another representative of Killerbatch, Hasnan Jamaludin, said.

Killerbatch also noted that a recent article in the New Straits Times had stated that about 5,000 teenagers in Sabah had dropped out of school before sitting the Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination.

This was largely because of the long distances the students had to travel to and from school each day.

Describing the project as a bridge between Malaysians in Kulim and Kiulu, Raja Ali said it was in line with the 1Malaysia concept espoused by the government.

New Experiences ... and a New Lens ;)

The weekend’s over, and those two days were pretty hectic for me.

Dear Hubby and I went for a wedding in Segamat on Saturday. Lucky that the groom has given us the detailed instructions of the route to his house via sms, or else we’d never have found the address. It was a good (and looong) six hours of driving thru estates and small towns. And guess what, I got to see Mount Ophir or Gunung Ledang for the first time! If only we got time to spare, we’d have stopped and embraced the beautiful sceneries and gulped in the fresh air...

We came back at 4pm just in time for the kids’ swimming lessons. They had to skip their taekwondo class in the morning so that we could leave earlier for Segamat. Hasya came to me and told me that the baby birds have grown some fine feathers and their eyes opened. So I took out my camera to take some pix and heard something crashed. I was so stunned to see glasses everywhere on the terrace floor. At first I thought my camera had broken. Luckily it was just shattered glasses which used to be the filter. Lucky, lucky me! Only the filter! What if it were the lens??

Apparently Dear Hubby didn’t place the lens cap properly that morning, thus letting the filter exposed to its rounded ends. That was how the filter shattered. Anyway, since we need to use the camera on Sunday, I must get me a new filter.

Dear Hubby sent the girls for their swimming lessons, and I.. dengan kepenatan segala had to mandi etc and left for Subang Parade.

I came home that night smiling. I got myself two new Hoya 58mm filters ... and..a new lens!!! Yay! The lens that came with the camera was a basic one – 18 to 55mm. The newly bought one was a basic one too - 55 to 250mm - but at least I can do a lot of zooming from now on.

Happy happy me. Self-bought mother’s day gift, and thank you Dear Hubby for approving :)

Came Sunday. My Hanna, Hasya and Haifa’s first swimming competition which was held at PADE Shah Alam. We were there at 7:30 am. Many swimmers and parents were already there when we arrived. All three of my girls participated in 50m breaststroke and freestyle. So you can imagine how busy their Ibu clicking away with her new lens...hahaha....

But it was very tiring. Very very tiring especially the waiting-for-the-event game. However, watching the girls trying their best really made me proud. It was indeed a good experience and exposure for them, and their parents as well.

I came home hopelessly wishing for a good body massage. Too bad I was too exhausted to leave the house to get one. I just couldn’t let my maid Nani to massage me, eventhough she was a kampong masseur back home in Indonesia. Segan... better a stranger than a person I know.

So I conked out for a good 2 hours on Hasya’s bed instead!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all current and future mothers - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

A very special wish for my dearest Mak in Alor Setar – Selamat Menyambut Hari Ibu.

No words could describe how much I appreciate all the things you’ve done for us – your boys and girls. Only Allah could repay what you’ve given us all these while. May you be blessed with a great health, infinite happiness and be embraced in a realm of imaan.


I’m happy that you like the cake that Zue has baked for you.

Thank you Zue for making a splendid cake for my MAK :)


Gambar dicilok dari blog Zue!

The Welcomed Guests 2 - Eggs Hatched!

I’m THRILLED! The eggs have hatched! Yay!

I took the two-featherless-baby-birds' photos while the mother was away. I wasn’t able to get the best shots since I was in a hurry to get ready to send Dear Hubby to KLIA this morning. I hope to get the best angle and post later - with their mouths open and necks extended.

See - the nestlings aren't that pretty lah, in fact they look rather ugly! But I’m sure when their feathers have grown, they’ll look like their handsome parents :)
The nestlings- eyes closed and naked.

I'll keep on updating their photos. And you know what ... I guess I'll never be able to eat Burung Puyuh Goreng after this!

***update: pics taken at 7pm on 5th May



Notice the insides of its mouth?


Aww... the hungry lil birdies...

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??

Kids After the Hols

Now that the holiday’s over, things got back to routine. Back to school for my older children and back to kindy for my Hanis. Well, last week was a difficult week for me - having to listen to Hanis’s crying “Nak Ibu, Nak Ibu” everytime I dropped her off at the kindergarten. And it broke my heart to pieces everytime she did that.

But today in the car she smiled and sang to the tune of her favorite song - Sunday-Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday (that’s actually the complete lyrics of the whole song!) Can you imagine me listening to this song over-and-over again for like 10 times before reaching her kindy! Every single day. She refused to listen to anything else. Tak jemu pulak tu.

My Haifa got her first shot at school last week. That was an immunization injection given to Standard One students at school. She came running to me with tears in her eyes when I reached home that day and told me her sob story...
"Sakitlah Ibu tangan Haifa dua-dua ni..."
"Macamana Haifa nak buat punch untuk exam taekwondo nanti? Tak boleh lah Ibu..."
"Ibu, macamana Haifa nak buat backstroke swimming nanti.. tangan Haifa sakit ni"
"Ibu, Haifa rasa Haifa tak boleh pegang racquet squash lah Ibu, tangan Haifa sakit sangat ni. Tengok ni"
I said to her that the pain would go off in a few days.
She said, "I don’t think so lah Ibu, tengok ni, tangan Haifa tak boleh angkat ni.. sakit" And she showed me her muka sedih.
I said "Nanti Ibu sapu minyak Mustajab, nanti baik"
Two days later she was up and running, as if nothing ever bothered her at all. Haifa...Haifa...

Today my Hanna got her shot – given to the Standard Six pupils at school. She called me up just now telling me that she cried after getting the jab. So painful she said. I think that was the Rubella injection. I remember getting this shot when I first arrived in the States in 1986. It was painful... and many of the International Students there with me fainted, I mean they fainted before getting those injections!!

My Hasya has been asking me for another cupcake making and deco session. I know that I've promised the girls. Been dillydallying it for months already. And now they've been 'harassing' me. I think I better give in. At least I can bring those cupcakes during my Haziq and Husna's school party this weekend.

In the meantime, I'm trying hard to finish reading Sophie Kinsella's two books before I got to watch the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie. I hope I will finish them in time.

A marathon reading for me!

... and now Back to Work

The one-week school break’s over. I was out of the office for nine days and I’d say that those nine days were quality time spent with Dear Hubby, my kids and my parents who came all the way from Alor Setar.

We went to A Famosa Resort, Melaka. Checked in on Monday and out on Thursday.

Monday night was Cowboy Town night. It was pretty much the same when we were here a few years ago. Was it worth the money spent on the tickets? Frankly I think it was way overpriced. But the children loved the parade show, and that was all that matters.


A Malaysian 'Cowboy' with an Albino snake?







Can't avoid having goosebumps looking at this pic - a Malaysian 'Red Indian' playing with fire. Hasya was the one who pointed this out to me. Click on the pic and look at the 'smoke' behind the man. Spooooky!

We played Tourists on Tuesday. Walked around Melaka town, in and out of the museums, tried the trishaws, and finished it off with a great meal - assam pedas with fried crabs. Yummy!





St Paul's Church












The A Famosa








Wednesday was Water Play day. At first I was a bit disappointed with the Water Park since there were only a few spots for the kids to play, but then Dear Hubby layan them for seven hours with repeated rides and water playing. Seven hours, and they continued playing for two more hours in the pool when we got back to the villa! Kids!

Their Ibu? Sunburned. A terrible one this time. Should’ve known better. Should’ve squeezed more sunblock from the tube. So now I’m suffering - this itchiness on the face.... urrgghhh!! But it’s oklah, I actually had a great time. Loved every minute of it. The kids also enjoyed their break. Also took them to watch Race to Witch Mountain. Great movie for the kids to watch.

I guess now I'll have to deal with my sunburned skin - it will take around two to three weeks for these spots to disappear. Hopefully.

And this morning I woke up with mixed feelings. Going to work today will be such a hard thing to do. Hanis has been clinging to me since last night and an hour ago she held both my hands – Jangan bangun Ibu, sleep dengan Hanis please.

Alahaaii... this is normal whenever I took a long leave. I know she'll cry again when I send her to her kindy afterwards.

Sigh.