The wonderful life of me!

Fuuh...

2010-05-25T12:14:00.007+08:00

Fuuh fuh ... (tiup2 habuk kat blog ni...)

Awat yang malas @ takdak idea nak berblogging sangat nih haa...bukan setakat blog sendiri, blog orang pun aku dah jarang2 bukak...ada masa lapang sikit2 in between children and houseworks tu aku main fb lak..huhu.

Anyway, aku dah karang comprehension setengah muka surat about Yusuf's birth, pastu aku save dulu dlm word doc dlm notebook, alih2 hard disk notebook tu kong la plak..gone semua hasil titik peluh aku dalam tu. Ni nak kena karang balik, tu yang rasa malas sangat tu....but I will do it, not for the readers, but for my own keepsakes...

Meanwhile ni gambar2 baby Yusuf from henpon uploaded untuk tatapan my blog followers (ada ke?)...

One day old

Dah tembam

Susah nak dapat gambar dia pandang kamera camni...jenuh dok snap

Budak tecit

In Mama's sling

Sleeping soundly in Papa's gendong at the hospital

Latest photo - 2 days after being the baldy baby

Bedak @ baby powder

2010-05-05T10:30:00.004+08:00

Soalan trivia hari ini:

Cuba teka sudah berapa lamakah saya tak pernah beli bedak utk keluarga saya?

Jawapan:
A. Sebulan
B. 3 Bulan
C. Setahun
D. 3 tahun

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Masa sedang berjalan.....
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Jawapannya:
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Sila baca post di bawah:

Sesuai dengan mood saya yg sedang merungkai hamper2 baby ni, saya tersedar bahawa saya ada sungguh banyak stok toiletries baby kat rumah ni seperti mandian bayi, syampu, losyen dan bedak bayi. Bukannya sebab ada banyak baby dirumah ini...ada sorang je pun, atau saya tak berapa guna brg2 itu ...hari2 saya guna... tp limpahan barang2 tersebut memang banyak sehingga saya terpaksa allocate satu shelf dlm almari utk letak toiletries saja. Ini kerana barang2 tersebut memang menjadi favorite utk orang2 menghadiahkan kepada saya setiap kali saya dapat baby (alhamdulillah!). Ia datang dalam pelbagai saiz, jenama dan perisa. You name it, I got it.

Tapi yang paling banyak dan telah bertahan tak habis2 sejak sekian lama (huhu berapa lama?) ialah baby powder atau seperti kata Ajis dlm Seniman Bujang Lapuk, "bedak, tuan...". Losyen pun sama...tp tak sebanyak bedak. Syampu dan mandian agak cepat juga habis sebab anak perempuan saya berambut lebat dan saya suruh dia syampu hari2, kalau tak, rambutnya akan berbau masam. Anak lelaki saya pula kalau mandi mesti nak main 'weh' @ buih sabun...oleh itu cepatlah barang2 tersebut kena replenish di dalam rumah ini.

So back to bedak. Selepas saya melahirkan Muhammad, masa tu saya dapat hamper yang paling banyak (alhamdulillah lagi!), hamper toiletries saja ada lebih kurang 20 kot...kecik dan besar. Dan saya ingat dlm hamper2 tu, botol bedak la yg paling besar. Anak2 saya ini pulak pesennya tidak suka sama sekali memakai bedak, biarlah muka mereka coklat@gelap, tapi nak pakai bedak, janganlah harap...jadi saya yang terpaksa mencuri2 tepek bedak kat muka mereka kasi putih sikit di waktu mereka tak sedar. Akhirnya, saya pun terpaksa simpan la stok2 bedak itu dan sesetengahnya pula saya dermakan pada saudara-mara yg datang ke rumah kononnya sebagai door gift, sungguh suci murni gitu...

Now, back to the question above. Sebenarnya saya pun tak sedar yang saya dah laamaaaa sangat tak beli bedak, tapi setelah saya melihat botol bedak Carrie yang sedang kami sekeluarga gunakan sekarang, botol itu telah buruk dan sudah kekuning2an...dan saya sedar bedak itu datang daripada hamper yg saya terima selepas melahirkan Ayesha....

Jadi, jawapannya ialah...saya tak pernah pergi kedai beli bedak selama 7 tahun sudah....(aci tak jawapan takde dlm list?)

Now tell me, siapa yg lagi lama tak beli bedak daripada saya?

Timaseyy...

I'm back...!

2010-05-02T14:46:00.004+08:00

Hello I'm baaack...in berpantang mode!

Buat peminat2 akak yg merindui akak...sorrylah di atas long silence itu, akak adalah sangat disconnected dengan blog ini sebab akak berasa amatlah malas hendak menulis. Tetapi akak sekarang sudah kembali insaf dan mula nak mengorak langkah kembali di dalam arena blog-memblog ini...diharap blog ini tidak bertukar menjadi goblok akhirnya.

Yes, most of you already know that I have given birth to a bouncing baby boy on 20th April 2010 at Darul Ehsan Medical Centre at approximately 11.40 a.m. The baby weighed at 3.4 kg was named Yusuf from the very start and he came out dashing as well... (anak aku, mestilah aku kata hensemkan..). I will blog more about the birth after this as I always do like the other births. Please give me some time...

For the time being my feet are planted at home, at least for the 44 pantang days. I am now on hari ke-13, lagi 31 days to go...fuhh, sebulan lagi tu. So, sapa nak dtg nengok baby ke, sembang2 ngan I ke, silalah berkunjung....teratakku sentiasa terbuka dari start I bukak mata sampai I tutup mata. After habis pantang, tak jamin I ada kat rumah dah ye..sebab agenda sosialku telah tersusun rapi..hehe... tak sabarnya nak panjang langkah semula. Nevertheless, I am enjoying the berpantang days..belum rasa boring lagi. Maybe sebab dapat bonding with my children back, my grandma is here to accompany me, tak yah buat kerja yg berat2 (tp itu yg tak leh tahan sekali sebenarnya...I long to mop the floor again...wargghh) and dapat layanan yg istimewa drpd semorang....hehehe... tak sabar tunggu tukang urut tu dtg lagi.

And, I'm back to my pre-preggy body ya... (macam lah surprise sgt!) cuma on the inside thingy tu I'm still cautious...so terpaksalah aku bermakan segala ubat2an yg berbagai saiz, bentuk dan warna tu, berminum minuman yg sgt yucky itu, berlilit barut sepanjang 7 meter itu dan bertungku siang dan malam. Ye, akak mmg baru start nak jaga badan selepas anak yg keempat ni...sebab akak rasa badan akak dah tuo.... kalau nak maintain dan beranak lagi, kena bela elok2 balik...(oppss..nak lagi ke?).

Oklah..cukuplah sekadar post melepaskan batuk ditangga ni (Nad, Ami..korang jgn pressur aku suruh tulis lagi ok), si Muhammad tengah picit hidung adik dia tu...I have to go.... babai!

Sigh..tak laratnya

2010-03-09T10:41:00.004+08:00

I am 34 weeks this week and I've started feeling the downside of pregnancy...

Shortness of breath
Heaviness
Sakit urat
Sakit kaki
Sakit lengan
Heartburn (paling siksa)
Stomach discomfort
Very-very emotional

which translates to...

panasss...
tak larat bangun tido
tak larat naik turun tangga
tak larat dukung Muhammad (yg sentiasa nak berdukung skrg ni)
pedih ulu hati
tak lalu nak makan
tak boleh angkat benda yg berat sikit contohnya buku teks... (ye, sila gelak)
kena makan antasid macam minum air kosong
asyik nak marah orang
cepat sedih

tolonglah cepat sikit ke minggu 38 ... aku tak sabar nak bersalin dah...

anyway, aku jarang sangat amik gambar time pregnant sebelum ni, rasa rugi pulak tak capture the look before... so for this time, aku saja capture these pregnancy poses so that I can see back how huge I am during pregnancy and to show to my baby Y how he looks like from the outside...

Besar tak?

Besar kannn? The baby is measuring large this time as compared to my body size... sigh, hope the delivery would be easy on me.

Opps..ni gambar enterframe, student belanja aku and a friend makan for my birthday tempoh hari

My 34th birthday

2010-02-25T12:59:00.006+08:00

24th February 2010

It's my birthday yesterday peeps!
Unashamed to tell you ols that I am a beautiful, matured, vogue-lagi-vass 34 years old now! Hahaha..jgn makan hati Kak Non...

Well, we didn't plan a celebration pun (at least I didn't..) but hubby berjaya menyepraiskan saya with his romanticness.

In the morning, both father and daughter gave me a birthday kiss, sambil the son pun kiss gak walaupun tak tahu untuk apa kebenda. Then both of them went to work/school.

The plan is that he will pick me up at my office later for the ante-natal checkup and so he came with this surprise in the car...

Walaupun his clumsiness telah merosakkan sedikit decoration cupcakes itu, tetapi his thoughtfulness melt my heart away...tq so so much Darling!

After checkup we went for a birthday brunch at Naluri Cafe, I had a delicious well-done rib-eye steak and for him, fish and chips. We're planning another makan2 session with the kids this Friday sempena birthday Muhammad juga... (Maulidur Rasul kan?)

Present? Hubby asked what I want, and I asked him back, have you got your bonus yet? He geleng-ed kepala. I said then tak apalah... because what I REALLY want will tear your pocket away... haha

So KIV present that is... (tapi nak hint gak...aku nak benda ni)

(atau yang ni...hehe.. boleh match ngan henbag)

(harap2 dia baca...huhu)

Neway, I had a wonderful day yesterday. With loads of wishes from family, friends' SMSes near and far, close and not-so-close buddies in FB and most importantly, duas from my parents.

Di hari seperti inilah aku merasakan betapa besarnya rahmat Allah itu kepadaku yg mana selalu ku terlupa di hari2 yang lain

Fa bi aiyi a la i robbikumaa tukaziban….
Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?
(Tidak ada Ya Allah...tidak ada satu pun...)

Subhanaallah... I am blessed.

Day 6 GC - Pacific Fair Mall

2010-02-14T12:57:00.009+08:00

The last day in Gold Coast was spent by visiting the local mall which is near to our motel. Here is also the main bus station for the area. Our flight was scheduled at 8.30 pm but we had to check out by noon. So, after packing our stuff and leaving it at the motel, we board a bus to Pacific Fair Mall for lunch and last minute shopping.

Hubby was amazed by this giant 'pineapple' tree

While the kids had fun on the rides, mama had a feet rest

Beli chocolates and junk food to eat at the airport, very cheap here

Kebab in a plate yg takde jual kat sini...yummeh.

Tempat kami lepak in the park (sampai aku tertidur kat sini)

Buang masa while waiting to go to the airport

So, it was a memorable trip to Gold Coast for us. We had a really relaxing and enjoyable holiday. Will definitely come back, Insyaallah...

Day 5 GC - The Nobby beach

2010-02-14T12:03:00.007+08:00

Day 5 was the beach day.. yeay!

Charlie, puppy tuan motel yg sungguh cute dan peramah..Muhammad hari2 dok panggil dia Ayi..Ayi...!

Excited dapat gi mandi pantai..akhirnya

Muhammad yg geli bila kena pasir... asyik menjerit2 aje

Building sandcastle...cuaca macam panas but its windy actually

Papa yg meroyan kena tanam

Love this pic!

This one too... nak buat profile pic FB la..hehe

Kakak gumukkk...

Lapar mandi pantai..kami pekena fish and chips lagi...!

Day 4 GC - Seaworld

2010-02-14T11:25:00.006+08:00

Pics from our visit to Seaworld Gold Coast. Hubby left his camera in Tim's car (the motel owner) so we had to make do with my camera phone so, sorry for the image quality.

Met my colleague, Kak Gayah who's on vacation with her family too...

Cable car rides

Fish detectives show featuring clever sea lions

Muhammad's favorite, The Sesame show

Clever clever dolphins... awesome show!

Hubby and Ayesha enjoying themselves, while the preggy mom yg tak leh naik sume benda babysit Muhammad whose asleep in the stroller.

Antara rides yg ku boleh naik...haha..sungguh adventurous!

Dah nak balik, posing at the entrance

Balik, pi cuci baju kat dobi DIY

Busy with the new semester

2010-01-09T22:45:00.003+08:00

New semester has started dan aku pun mula bz semula.
Continuation of GC photos uploading will be done when time permits since nak update gambar byk2 ni takes time gak kat blogspot ni....what with the time constraints that I have now.

Juggling between Ayesha's school needs, pregnancy, teaching preparation and Muhammad yg makin lasak has not left too much for me at the end of the day. Gua capek... pukul 9.30 mlm dah zzzz...

So bear with me ya friends!

Latest story can be read here

Day 3 GC - Harbour Town

2009-12-30T14:54:00.011+08:00

Third day at Gold Coast is for shopping....yippeee...

This is the infamous Harbour Town - factory outlet mall

I like the concept of mall here - open air. Maybe diorang boleh buat camtu sebab tak panas dan tak selalu hujan kot..

Sampai2 je, dah cari makan dulu... we were looking for this sebab Amelia kata ada kedai kebab halal kat sini. See the word 'halaal' tu? Bolehlah belasah...

Budak yg asik ingat nak makaaan je... padahal dah breakfast sebelum keluar tadi.

Ni kebab with rice yg hubby order, yg kuning2 tu is cheese. Bezanya kebab di sini ialah diorang potong daging tu guna mesin yg macam ketam kayu, so the meat is very thin and even..and sangat sodap...!

This is the inside of the mall. Banyak kedai2 branded with prices cheaper than other shopping malls

Posing dulu sebelum menyerang kedai di belakang tu..

Baju2 lengan panjang or winter wear sangat murah time ni sebab waktu ni dah musim panas so takde org nak beli dah baju2 camtu, except for aku..hehe. I bought this Esprit t-shirt for less than $12, kalau kat sini, tak dapek la...

Sementara ku dok bershopping tak hengat donia, the father was snapping away with the kids outside

Budak2 yg tak kenal erti penat

Bagi susu, tido...senang nak jaga

Mama yang kegembiraan selepas mendapat terapi minda

Berkawad lagi

Fuh..best...

Macam2 ada kat dalam ni, from clothing to house furnishing. I bought my son's clothes at a very cheap price here

Sport shoes murah kat sini..hubby grabbed himself an Airwalk

Ni tempat souvenir yg paling murah...mostly are made from China. I bought koalas for Ayesha's friends and teachers, t-shirts for me and the kids and fridge magnets for yg memesan (ehem!)

Ingat nak beli ni utk hang DR tapi tak jumpa size pulak...

Aku soooka signage ni, tp hubby tak beli pun

Mari berkawad lagi...sampai tinggal dah anak kat belakang

Aikk..masuk sini lagi?

Kena patah balik sebab baru dapat sms Amelia yg memesan t-shirt Esprit jugak. So en. suomi, janganlah pelik kenapa saya masuk kedai yg sama dua kali ye..saya belum meroyan lagi

Penat..lepak kat wishing fountain dulu. Ayesha tanya kenapa ada byk duit syiling dalam tu? Boleh tak Ayesha nak masuk ambik? Aku kata, terjunlah nak...

Groceries store pun ada. Kami beli stok makanan kat sini

Dia dan kasut Conversenya

Oh...buah-buahan disini sangat montel dan yummylicious. Sebiji pisang gemuk tu cukup untuk aku makan share ngan anak2

Nak balik dah... goodbye Harbour Town, panjang umur dan berat poket, kita jumpa lagi...

TBC...

Day 2 GC - Movieworld

2009-12-23T12:16:00.030+08:00

Dalam itenarary kami, second day is for visiting Movieworld. So pagi2 dah bangun, breakfast kat bilik, then off we go...

Kami move around in GC by bus aje. Nak sewa keta pun boleh tapi since nak bajet sikit, we chose the bus service. Alhamdulillah, with 2 squirming toddlers and a stroller, takde masalah langsung kami hop on and off the buses. Furthermore the bus service is very efficient and on time. Most buses take you straight to the tourist destinations.

At the entrance of Movieworld. Since aku dah beli tiket online, we have saved 10% of the ticket price and by buying combo tickets (2 parks for 3 days), we saved even more. See http://www.myfun.com.au/ for the ticket price (boleh sesak nafas jugak kalau diconvert ke RM)

Dah masuk, nampak kedai Batman dulu...

Kami tak main pun kat sini sebab....takuttt... Aku dah sah2 tak boleh main la sebab preknen, yg hubby pulak ada gene gayat...so tengok je la...

Tengok la ni, punyala tinggi jatuh menjunam... ada brani? Yg rollercoaster kat sebelah tu namanya Superman Escape...tak main gak..

Amik gambar Batmobile je

Dan bergambar kat rollercoaster, buat kenang2an..hehe

Dalam tu jual pelbagai merchandise Twillight

Ni theatre 4D Shrek, we pass by dulu sebab belum start at the time we arrived, tp masa balik the queue was too long and it was the last show of the day, termiss lagi nak tengok.

Posing depan kedai yg jual merchandise Shrek

Harry Potter shop

Bugs Bunny and Tweety yg comel

The Scooby Doo Gang. Tahu tak nape mamat baju putih tu berdiri tegak je? Masa tu actually their national anthem was being played on air, so everybody berdiri tegak dan nyanyi bersama. Aku yg tak tahu ni, terus pergi terkam nak bergambar. Sian punya pasal, depa layan la jugak.

Sepatutnya camni la depa posing...huhu...maafkan aku!

Warner Bros Kids...tempat permainan budak2 kecik and the only place where most of the rides sesuwai untuk org2 seperti aku (ada indicator permainan apa yg tak sesuai utk sstgh golongan)

Ayesha berani naik tinggi2

Ayesha kata, Mama ni main permainan baby je la...huhu

See what she means?

Ni lagi satu rides yg aku dibenarkan join....nak buek camana, sapa suruh pergi time preknen

Ayesha naik ni ngan Papa dia, aku dok bawah jaga Muhammad. Tensen je gue...

Queuing for Tijuana Taxis

Dia syok boleh drive keta sorang2

Bugs Bunny show...memang happening! Ku sungguh teruja, rasa nak bangun berjoget sekali

At The Wild Wild West

Ada cowboy show

The sexy girls

Pastu diorang naik bumper car la pulak...aku...kena jaga beg!

Waiting for Batman in action

The villains. Ada sorang anak omputeh tu siap pakai topeng Batman, tiba2 masuk lawan org2 jahat ni dulu sebelum Batman sampai...sungguh cute!

Yeah...Batman sudah mariii...

Dusyum dusyum..siap ada sound and special effect lagi

While we were waiting for the stunt driver show, Ayesha dengan beraninya pi turun beli banana choc by herself, kami tgk dari jauh je..harap dia tak salah bg duit

Ni dia chocolate banana tu...sungguh sedap pisang beku dicelup coklat dan diselaputi kacang...boleh tiru buat sendiri ni!

Macam berada kat set penggambaran The Fast and The Furious rasanya...sungguh gempak and real the stunts

Diorang konon2 tgh shooting cerita polis kejar perompak kat Itali

Siap ada real explosion...sungguh teruja!

And the director said, it's a wrap...!

Kesimpulannya, Movieworld mmg best utk bawa the whole family to have fun. Datang awal supaya boleh main all the rides and tengok semua show, preferably come on non-peak season or weekdays, sebab less crowds, save time and more space for you to walk around.

TBC...

Day 1 GC - Mermaid Beach

2009-12-14T12:26:00.014+08:00

Sampai di motel, kami check-in and tido tak hengat...sume pengsan sebab kes tak dpt tido atas flight. Dapat 3 jam tido dah cukup la kot bila anak2 mula main lompat2 atas katil.

Depan pintu bilik, siap2 nak keluar jalan2 tengok this small town called Mermaid Beach

Bilik kami no 1, tepi sekali sebelah ofis dan depan pool. So, Ayesha hari2 dapat terjun pool

Merpati dua sejoli..huhu

This is the motel view from front of the road. Cuaca nampak je macam panas but the breeze was very cool indeed

The pedestrian walkway leading to the shops

Aku paling suka jalan kat sini sebab the walkway was made very convenience to push the stroller around

Tengok ni, kan senang nak tolak stroller kalau jalan2 kat M'sia pun buat macam ni, bukannya susah sgt pun. The mindset of developed nation, benda2 kecik macam tu pun diorang consider for the convenience of mothers with children, elderly and the disabled

This is the only halal shop in the vicinity, operated by fellow Syrian muslim

Samosa yg gumuk...tak beli pun

Cari canned food for dinner and breakfast, though Brahim's yang kami bawa from M'sia pun banyak jugak

Turkish bread with a brush of garlic. Sedap bila makan cicah ngan sup Vono..hehe

Then we lepaked at this bench to watch the local's run around doing their business

Sambil makan french fries yg panas dan rangup ini

After that continued walking towards the beach sambil menikmati keindahan suasana tenang di sini. Punyalah rasa best dok sini, my hubby ajak aku migrate sini terus

The Surf Club facing the beach, just 10 minutes walks away from the shops

At the side of the Surf Club where people come to dine and enjoy the beautiful scenery

Hari dah petang so kami tak turun ke pantai..bergambar atas deck saja sambil menikmati hembusan angin yg dingin

The lifeguard yg menjaga keselamatan pantai. Parents can actually lepak at the Surf Club sambil minum lemonade memerhatikan anak2 depa mandi pantai dari kejauhan sebab the lifeguard is very efficient

On the way back to the motel, kami ikut jalan dalam - the high end residential area, sambil membelek senibina rumah mewah di sini. According to Tim, the motel owner, this area is second most expensive in the whole of Queensland. Ada sebiji rumah tu tak besar sgt pun, but the land cost was AUD15 mil. Tim pun ada sebijik lagi rumah kat sini...huh..kaya..kaya!

Best je kalau dapat rumah banglo pagar kayu macam ni

Stopped by the phone booth kasi Muhammad and Ayesha main tepon. Jakun sungguh diorang, maklumlah celik2 mata dah nampak handphone

Pemandangan org balik dari beach tak pakai kasut macam ni mmg common kat sini since Gold Coast is a beach city by itself

Ataupun naik basikal/bas/skateboard pakai camni. Sila tutup mata hubby anda ye...bebudak takpe lagi boleh dengar nasihat...huhu

Di waktu malam inilah aktiviti kami, watching tv, dinner kat atas katil sambil surf internet

TBC...

Gold coast survival tips

2009-11-29T11:35:00.011+08:00

Facts file:

Travellers: Sheik, Kamalia, Ayesha and Muhammad
Date: 9-15 Nov 2009
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Flights: AirAsia D7202 and D7203
Flight duration: 8 hours
Time difference : -2 hours in GC
Prayer times: Subuh - 3.30 am
Maghrib - 6.10 pm
Temperature : 26 -28 degree celcius
Exchange rates: AUD1 = RM3.14
Airport: Coolangata Airport, Gold Coast
Accomodation: Surf Street Motel, Mermaid Beach
Mode of holiday: Free and easy
Places of attraction visited: Movieworld, Seaworld, Nobby Beach, Harbourtown Factory Outlet, Pacific Fair Mall. Others can be viewed at http://www.verygc.com/

Testimony:
Awesome holidays! The best vacation we've ever had. Gold Coast is definitely the place for fun in the sun and exciting family getaway. The weather is warm and cool at the same time, halal food is easy and delicious, the attractions are abundance, transportation is easy and the people are nice. The only turnoff is the AA flights. The seats are too small, cabin are too cold, seats couldn't be reclined, food are tasteless and expensive and the cabin crews are unfriendly. Note to oneself: Please do not take anymore AA flights for long-haul journey in the future especially if bringing kids. You'll get cranky because the inability to sleep...

p/s: but I heard the AA flights to London is not that bad..hmm... maybe reconsider if its really cheap

Photos of departure and arrival days:

My family at the airport with supir2nya, Min and fiance (tukang amik gambar)
Our flight departed at 9.45 p.m.

Dalam flight yg crampy

I requested bassinet seat for me and Muhammad, tp dia tak nak duduk dalam tu sangat...dia nak melasak jalan sana-sini

Arrived at Coolangata Airport around 8 a.m.

Momo yg excited...tak reti penat

Setelah memusing cari cab..akhirnya tahu kat mana nak tunggu. The weather is nice at this time...sejuk.

Beach shop yg banyak di sepanjang Gold Coast Highway

Dah sampai motel kami, I have booked the room and paid deposit online prior to arriving

We've got one queen bed and a single bed

Not too spacious but very well occupied. Ada pantry corner with toaster, jug kettle, microwave and fridge. Cable tv and free wifi are also included. Great!

TBC...

A present for my husband on his birthday

2009-11-27T21:32:00.008+08:00

The thoughtful one
Who does the houseworks when I'm incapable
Who prepares dinner when he came back earlier
Who peels my fruits when I'm lazy
Who treats my painful muscle with strokes of love

I thanked you for what you have given me
Hopes and happiness day by day
Guidance for this world and hereafter
A home filled with love and laughter
Beautiful children whom we can't lived without

I love it when you always say that I'm pretty
In the morning when I'm still in my pajama
In the evening when we came back tired from an outing
Or in the dark when I shed my tears
Though no one else have ever said such thing to me
It fell like the whole world agrees when it came from you

I respect you when you are always kind to people
Even that means you have to sacrifice yourself making others happy
Though sometimes you are unsettled physically
Helping hands are what you have
Turning away is what you're not

I adore you my beloved husband
You have your faults and I have mine
But we put that aside when we remembered why we married each other
Because we accept ourselves for what we are
Not for what we're gonna be

Happy birthday dear soulmate
Mama love you and will always do...

Convo pictures

2009-10-23T08:28:00.006+08:00

Aku sekarang malas menulis (tak macam Mrs. Kamil) so aku letak gambar je la, kasik meriah sket blog aku ni.

Ni gambar2 sekitar Konvokesyen UiTM kali ke-71 yg masih berlangsung sekarang. Aku (dipaksa) pergi pada sidang ke-9 pagi sebagai wakil dari Fakulti. Dari dua semester dulu aku dah dijemput dan berjaya mengelakkan diri dari duduk menunggul selama 3 jam di dalam dewan itu tapi this time aku kena pergi jugak2 sbb kalau tidak kena show-cause letter....aiyoo...sadisnya....

But I don't regret going... walaupun aku dah pernah konvo sebagai student sebanyak 2 kali...tapi this experience was totally different because aku berarak as an academician..

Perasaannya pada ketika itu...waah..sungguh grand, gagah, pandai, cerdik, sayu dan bangga...hahah...tapi tidak perasan dan megah tak tentu arah ok! You would know if you have been there. Tambah2 lagi menyaksikan anak2 didik aku terima ijazah dan ibubapa mereka berlinangan airmata kegembiraan...I felt so honoured to be part of their lives.

Udah-udah le tu..aku kan malas nak describe2 details ni (tak macam Mrs. Kamil), so tengok pictures yg worth a thousand words ni.

Yang pakai mortar board tu namanya lecturer cabuk yg ada master je, dan yg pakai bonnet tu namanya lecturer besar yg dah ada PhD. Bersama Maslina dan Wan Rahim. Wan ni belum 30 pun umurnya, dah ada Dr. kat pangkal nama...aku, bila la nak dapat title tu.

Kami bersama Dr. Hamidah. Aku puji jubah dia lawa, katanya dia grad kat USM, gi la belajar sana. Aku kata, tu la...lepas ni nak pilih universiti nak sambung PhD kena tengok dulu jubah lawa ke tak...hehe. But seriously ada sorang tu pakai jubah kaler merah hijau dan bonnet tinggi ala2 Alfonso d' Albuquerqe lagaknya..aku kena tanya U mana dia pergi tu.

Yours truly posing perasan..plan nak buat profile pic Fb...hehe. Eh, mamat sebelah tu pehal pandang aku kekwat semacam je tu?

Ni ngan kawan2 sekepala pusing aku...Dora and Ayu yg kaki shopping tudung Munawarrah.

Ni satu lagi gambar plan nak buat profile pic

Tengah beratur nak berarak masuk ke Dewan Sri Budiman, jap lagi sebak la ni...

Dalam dewan dok atas pentas, row belakang sekali. Tak nampak apa kat depan, kena tengok skrin besar baru perasan sapa student yg tgh amik skrol. So kami pun apa lagi, dok bersembang dan berphotoshoot la adanya.

Eh eh Si Mas ni...over plak dia... Si Wan Rahim yg tolong jadi papparazzi nih.

Sekian.

Random pictures

2009-10-23T08:22:00.008+08:00

Taken from my handphone, these are some pics that I want to share.
Tema gambar: Makan

Kambing panggang masa jamuan hari raya fakulti..memang sodap..(gambar ini saja diambil untuk tunjuk pada En. Suami yg bukan tempat dia je ada kambing golek okeh! Tapi sekarang he's on diet, so tak baiklah aku provoke dia camni...)

This is my MIL yg rajin dan pandai masak... sama la macam anak dia tu. Taken at my porch during Jamuan Lorong Terbuka kami. This is the petang sebelum kejadian.

Jiran-jiranku yang best dan sekepala pusing. Tapi aku sakit hati kat jiran yg menyorok belakang tiang tu... apa dia ingat dia boleh nampak kurus posing camtu? Btw, nama dia ialah Jubina @ Ah Bei.

Sedang menumis bahan utk nasi ayam. Mula2 letak minyak campur mentega, then masuk serai yg dah dititik dan daun pandan...goreng sekejap. Then masuk bawang besar, bawang putih dan halia yg dah di blend. Last sekali baru masuk stok ayam dan curah dalam periuk nasi. Sukatannya, sendiri pikir ye Konot.

Eden dan anak eden dah enterframe. Tengok makcik tu nyorok sebelah badan pulak...tak larat okeh!

My mother yg datang utk melawat kawasan sebelum menghadiri majlis lain selepas itu. Yg topui tu ialah my nephew, macam Michelin Man.

My eldest brother (yg masih bujang ye..) yg selalu jadi bodyguard my mom. Elokla tu kau tak kawin2... boleh teman Mama pi sana-sini.

Naughty stool

2009-10-14T11:39:00.004+08:00

Well thought about to blog on this topic when I read a friend's status on FB recently (you know who you are friend).

I want to share on the method how I disciplined Ayesha and possibly all my other kids in the future. Discipline doesn't mean she is a perfect little angle now but this is specifically how I handled her crying, tantrums, screaming, hitting and all other bad behaviours when she was 2-3 years old. By doing this method consistently, by 4 she already very matured girl and knows how to handles herself appropriately. So, I've never experience (yet) anak yang berguling2 mengamuk at home or in public places (yikes!), perhaps due to the discipline that I instill when she was very much younger.

So here's the method...I learned it from Oprah show by the way...but you can google it yourself, dah banyak orang tulis and this is a tried-and-true method. Most of it berjaya kalau follow the rules.

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/con_20050121_naughtystool

Jo Frost, ABC's Supernanny and author of Supernanny:

How to Get the Best from Your Children, says children need to learn there are consequences for their bad behavior. And parents need to remain calm, take control and be firm when they discipline their children.Instead of sending children to an area filled with toys for their "time outs," Jo says introduce your children to the "naughty stool"—a mat, chair or rug will do, too!

Step One: Give a Warning

When you see inappropriate behavior, give your children a warning in a low, authoritative voice. Tell them to stop the behavior that's not acceptable or else they will have to go to their "naughty stools."

Step Two: Send Them to Their "Naughty Stools"

If they don't listen to your warning, place them on their "naughty stools."

Step Three: Explain Why

Once they are on their "naughty stools," come down to their level, establish eye contact and say to them in an authoritative tone, "I asked you to do something and you didn't listen to me. I want you to stay here until I come and get you."

Step Four: Start the Clock

Leave your children on their "naughty stools" for one minute for every year they are old. (A three-year old would stay on her "naughty stool" for three minutes.)

Step Five: Ignore Attempts for Attention

If your child screams or cries, don't give in! Don't look at your child—that only rewards their negative behavior. If your child comes off his "naughty stool," calmly, and firmly, put him back on it.

Final Step: Your Child Apologizes

When your child's time is up, explain again why he had to stay on his "naughty stool" and ask for an apology. Only when you get the apology may he leave the "naughty stool."

This is also a good one...siap ngan do's and dont's. You all tolong baca sendiri.

http://special-needs.families.com/blog/how-to-use-the-naughty-stool-and-make-it-your-friend

My testimony:

Kami letak naughty stool tu (kerusi budak IKEA) kat sudut pintu, away from the tv and the living room so not within our eye-sight. Ayesha mula2 dok situ, menjerit dan menangis lagi kuat dari biasa, tp sebab aku dah baca the do's and don'ts, I just ignore it. Perkara ni kena dapat kerjasama dari semua isi rumah. Hubby ok tapi adik aku yg tak tahu cerita ni marah aku apasal pi biar anak nangis sorang2 kat sudut tu, pastu dia pi pujuk anak aku. Rosak program! So we tried again and inform adik aku that we are disciplining her and he should not interrupt.

Second, third, fourth and fifth time buat...dia nangis dan cuba bangun dari kerusi tu. Like mentioned in the article, I firmly angkat dia and put her back on the stool...beberapa kali kekadang tu. Cukup 2 atau 3 minit -depends on the age- (guna alarm clock utk timing lagi bagus), I'll go back to her yg still sobbing, squat to her eye level and ask if she understands why is she being punished. Mula2 tak cakap apa..merajuk dan nangis aje, tp lama2 she will be the one who told me her wrongdoings, apologize, salam and peluk aku. Then everything back to normal, she can continue back what she was doing before that, makan ke, main ke...

After one or two years (yes, mendidik anak ni bukan overnight boleh jadi baik), we can discard the chair already. Now the mentioning of the stool pun send her chills all over.

Moralnya:

Aku bukan nak ngajar korang cara nak didik anak korang, you know best.. but I'm just sharing my method, hopefully it will benefit someone. But I firmly believe that melentur buluh biarlah dari rebung, lagi lewat, lagi susah nak disiplin bebudak ni. And another thing, parenting in the this century tak boleh main boh je, kita kena menuntut ilmu on how to be a good parent.. ni kena banyak baca and attend courses. Cara mak-bapak kita dah tak leh apply dah kat our kids nowadays sebab situasi dah berbeza, tak macam kita dulu. Sigh.. reminding me that my journey is still long to be over.

Life's little pleasure

2009-10-07T11:31:00.005+08:00

Cam dah takde mood la pulak nak upload gambar raya..lagipun gambar2 tu ada kat dlm laptop kat rumah...tengok dlm my FB je la ye...

Well, yesterday is hari penat for me...biasalah Tuesday aku ada kelas pagi petang, mengajar dalam dewan kuliah plak tu, tak pakai mic, student punya la ramai, subject berat...needs thorough explaination... berdiri 2 jam..ngandung kan katanya... so the result... letih, penat, stress, pening, lapar, haus, sume ada...

Abis kelas je, terus masuk bilik, tutup komputer, lampu, aircond sume.. and says to oneself, I want to treat myself to something good after this! Tengok jam dah pukul 4.15...haa..boleh buat sorang lagi budak happy ni.

So, I surprisingly showed up in front of Ayesha's sekolah agama and saw that delighted face lit up. While in the car, I told her, "Mama nak bawa Ayesha makan benda yg paling Ayesha teringin..cuba teka apa dia?".
She smiled and thought hard and paused..macam tak caya je mukanya.... "Baskin...?".
"Betolll...!!!" .
Terus dia terkam aku, peluk kuat-kuat sambil menjerit..."TQ Mama..I love you!".
"Hoi! Org tengah bawak keta la..nak accident ke?".
"Err...sorry Mama...".
Then I added..." Ada satu lagi benda yg Ayesha suka, Mama nak bawa Ayesha makan kat situ jugak..."
"Apa?"
"Teka la..starts with T"
"Haaa...Takoyaki!"
"Yesss!"
"Yeeaa..... I love you so much Mama!"
"Pandai la ko, bawak makan aiskrim terus sayang..."

Ni gambar budak yg happy itu.

Ni Tako feveret kami..tapau satu utk Papa (sebok je nak pesan gak..)

So yesterday, I came home contented and relieved from all stress. The most important thing I made another girl happy too.

I am blessed...

Raya 3 tahun

2009-09-29T11:07:00.011+08:00

Jom bernostalgia sebentar dengan gambar2 kami di pagi 1 Syawal dulu-dulu dan sekarang...

(Ada lagi gambar raya terkini yg aku nak upload tapi man-man ye...)

2007

First time beraya di rumah baru. Raya pertama kami berada di Shah Alam dan Gombak. I was pregnant with Muhammad at that time.

Theme: Purple ('beben' kata Muhammad)

2008

Berdasarkan sistem demokrasi, pagi 1 Syawal 2008 kami beraya di kampungku, Lubuk Merbau (Melbourne). Kami sudah berempat and Muhammad was merely 7 months at this time.

Theme: Light choco / beige.

2009

Tahun ini kami berempat ++ , Insyaallah tahun depan berlima. Raya di Shah Alam/ Gombak semula. Perhatikan sofa itu (tempat standard kami) telah bertukar warna. No, bukan ganti sarung baru, but buka sarung baru, tinggal yg lama kat dalam...huhu... kasi ada kelainan sikit. Tahun depan aku nak pasang balik sarung bunga2 tu... hehe save bajet.

Theme: Yellowish brown / Rimau garang (ada kesilapan teknikal sket masa ni)

Kuih tatku

2009-09-26T12:54:00.004+08:00

The only kuih that I made this raya (and the only one that I reti...hehe)

Selamat Hari Raya

2009-09-17T10:09:00.005+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya to all my blog readers be it my friends, families, students and anonymouses (ada ke?) wherever you are.

Minta maaf di atas segala keterlanjuran saya dari segi perbuatan dan perkataan sama ada secara fizikal atau virtual...yang baik itu datangnya dari Allah SAW dan yang buruk itu adalah kelemahan saya sendiri....

Sepuluh jari kususun, maaf dari hati yg ikhlas kupohon...

Raya pertama, kami beraya di Shah Alam, Gombak dan Sungai Buluh, raya kedua baru balik ke Kedah...mungkin sampai hujung minggu. Jemput datang kerumah bila2 masa selepas kami pulang ke Shah Alam nanti..just give us a call (kalau call boleh masak yg sesedap sikit, kalau nak terjah aje pun boleh, tp makan beskot raya je la jawabnya..hehe). Jangan nak tunggu open house baru nak datang ye, sebab aku nak declare awal2...tahun ni aku tak buat open house sebab aku tak larat...unless korang nak hantar maid korang datang tolong masak kemas semua....boleh dipertimbangkan.

Btw, a little bit about my pregnancy..the little fella is already 8 weeks and 6 days old today..EDD is 23 April 2010...mark your calendar ok (kecuali Eja, sbb dah hang save dlm hp kan?). So far so good...pening, loya and muntah still ada sikit2...but reducing...hopefully lepas bulan posa ni everything will turn out to be ok. Doc says this is a strong pregnancy with regular heartbeat and good foetus development. Thanks to Allah... doakan semuanya baik2 utk aku ye...

Selamat Hari Raya semua and berhati-hati di jalan raya...please come back in one piece ok?

Announcement

2009-09-09T16:04:00.004+08:00

Seperti yang dijanjikan...

Buat mereka yang tak tahu lagi...iaitu org2 yg tak masuk FB ....
Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa Ayesha and Muhammad bakal dapat adik lagi tawon depan.

Yes, I'm pregnant...!!

Brp minggu... tak sure sbb tak ingat last period...
Bila EDD...ntah tak tahu...

Yes, this is an unplanned pregnancy and my fourth one to be exact
But we are grateful to Allah beri rezeki secepat ini...
Alhamdulillah.

Aku pening dan meloya hokey sekarang...so jangan tanya banyak2 soalan...

Sekian pengumuman khas ini.

My students and I

2009-09-03T10:39:00.004+08:00

Gambar2 kelas ITS473 Software Improvement untuk projek company visit

Cuba cari cikgu...

Kanak-kanak riang

The AJKs

The whole class

Lecturer yg over

Aku yang moody

2009-08-24T12:56:00.005+08:00

Bulan posa bulan menghayati erti kesabaran
Tapi kenapa aku rasa susah sangat nak menghayati

Rasa serba tak kena ja lately
Letting it out in my writes so it is not bottled up in me

Malas, penat, cemburu, sensitif dan rasa nak marah ngan semua makhluk
Is it the time of the month?
If yes, mana dia kawan baik ku itu?

Maybe I should sujud more
Tp asal nak bersendiri saja dengar anak menangis (alasan)
Apa yg dahulu, perlu didahulukan
Yet, my inside are yearning for solace
Nak bangun bertahajud pun dah rasa malas
Padahal bulan posa ni la pahala berlipat ganda

Mana kawan menangis?
Aku menangis sorang2 saja
Menangis pasai apa?
Ntah..saja2 kot
Betui ka dak dia ni...

Maybe inilah dinamakan mood swing
Aku pun dah penin
Hangpa tak payahla nak komen

Rhyme with Ayesha

2009-08-20T13:10:00.004+08:00

Too good not to put this up.
My cheeky daughter rhyme this up last night:

It's raining
It's pouring
My father
Is snoring...

Masa Papa dia dok kroh kroh while waiting for Mama to solat.
Kah kah kah....Mama yg tengah solat Isyak tu pun nak tergelak dengar Ayesha buat lawak berlagu....

Clever girl la Ayesha!

Status FB di hari minggu

2009-08-17T13:08:00.009+08:00

Ntah apa apa ntah..status Facebook pun nak blog gak, fb, fb je la kan?

Suka hati den la...kat fb tak leh tulis panjang2 perasaan hatiku ini satgi org kata meroyan. Lagipun kat fb tu ramai yg aku kenal nama je, orgnya aku dah ingat2 lupa...so seganlah nak mendedahkan cerita2 peribadi..tak gitu kengkawan yg ku kenali ? (not)

Kita mulakan dengan:

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Kamalia Azma Kamaruddin is gosoking the bajus....aktiviti biasa di hari minggu...warggghh!

Yesterday at 8:23am · Comment · Like

Bangun awal seperti biasa, hubby is attending the 2-day course on Perubatan Islam, so I am on my own with the kiddos. Pagi2 Ahad biasanya aku suka setelkan sume keje2 rumah so that kalau aku keluar merendek and balik penat, I can have peace of mind knowing the chores are all done. Tapi aku paling menci gosok baju tau....! Baju Ayesha je dah 10 pasang ye tuan2 dan puan2...aku gosok utk seminggu terus (bila la ko nak besar nak oiii...boleh gosok baju sendiri). Baju aku lagi, 5 pasang. Nasib baik la hubby said baju dia, dia gosok sendiri... amiiinn... Alhamdulillah. Agak-agak dlm sejam aku dah setel semua...lenguh weiih berdiri...

Seterusnya, update lagi Fb......rumah org ada Wi-Fi la katakan...hp pulak the canggih one...mana2 boleh update wat? (gila riak)

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Kamalia Azma Kamaruddin hari mengasah motor skill anak2 - ayesha is doing her finger painting while muhammad is eating on his own. Habislah aku nak mengemas lepas ni...huhu

Yesterday at 9:32am · Comment · Like

Ye, mood mak depa baik hari itu. So depa pun menterrorizekan the rumahtangga... Ayesha tak la sangat, dah ada akai sikit...main calit2 ala2 berhati2 tak nak kotorkan meja...tapi si adik.... let the pictures do the talking lah...

Tu lah dia..akhirnya mak yg sporting ni ended up sapu dan mop satu rumah sebab air satu besen tu sudah tumpahlah....

After mandi dan siap semua...off we went out to Tok Mama's. Anak-anak yang cantik2 manis2 dok baik2 ngan Tok Mama, Tok Abah and Mamasu ye, cos Mama wants to have some "me time" ngan Aunty Myra..

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Kamalia Azma Kamaruddin tgh bereflexology dgn Myra...best!

Yesterday at 12:38pm · Comment · Like

Oh bliss bliss.. mmg best kan Myra? Dah lama tak bereflexology... we took 40 mins foot relex and 20 mins back/shoulder massage....hilang semua tekanan2 dalam badanku ini. We've got the private room, just us and the masseurs, so we chatted, gossiped (pasal hang la DR) and updated each other and try to sum up everything in one go. Sambung lagi over quick lunch at Nachos, it feels good when you are accompanied by your close girl friend...

We should do this monthly la kan?

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Kamalia Azma Kamaruddin is tensen my dry bajus on the ampaian sudah basah kena ujan...tak sempat nak angkat!

Yesterday at 3:11pm · Comment · Like

Oh, the tragedy of the day!

Sebelum keluar tadi baik punya aku sudah basuh baju 3 round and sidai all under the open and covered ampai at my backyard. Hari pun tgh panas terik and I thot angkat la baju2 bawah ampai berbumbung tu and put it all under direct sunlight supaya cepat sikit kering. Then I made up a mental note, lepas sesi reflex nanti aku nak balik umah dulu, angkat sume bajus and lipat before keluar balik amik bebudak. Belakang, masa keluar dari SACC, hujan sudah turun dgn maha lebatnya... ohhh tidakkkk...jemuranku!!!

Nevertheless, I still went back home...angkat baju2 basah di dalam hujan itu and sidaikan ia di bawah ampai berbumbung and bersedih... I take pride in my work okay!

And I remembered asking Myra dalam keta, "U kalau baju kena hujan u basuh balik dak?". Myra said "Tak, kenapa nak basuh balik?". I replied, "Errr..takut kena hujan asid ke...". After which we laughed at the silliness that I sounded. Anyway Myra, aku terasa macam nak basuh balik 3 round baju2 itu sebab aku ni pun ada sikit obsessive compulsive behaviour cam hang gak...tapi aku takut org kutuk aku macam org kutuk hang... so aku pun redho kan je la baju2 ittew...

That's my weekend peeps...

Garangkah aku?

2009-08-14T10:05:00.003+08:00

Myra's talk about mother tempted me to write about it too...

My husband known to be the garanger one, but sometimes I do feel that I am also a fierce mother because:

- My children cannot have their breakfast/lunch/dinner in front of the tv, dining table is the place to have our meals.
- I will take away the tv privileges from my daughter whenever she misbehaves, sometimes 1 or 2 days, but it can go up to few weeks.
- I will never do Ayesha's schoolwork for her (even colouring) no matter how tired and sleepy she is...what I'll do is sit with her until she completed it herself.
- My children can not eat in the car, for the fun of it. Drinks are ok. They'll finish off whatever they have in their hands before entering the car. Exception is when going to Pasar Malam as we always eat keropok lekor on our way back as we couldn't tahan to wallop it there and then.
- Ayesha always get yelled at in the morning rush because she likes to dilly-dally things.
- The word denda is a common thing in our house. It started with 'naughty stool' when Ayesha was very very young. Now, mentioning the word can make her feel insaf (sekejap).
- Whenever Ayesha eat her rice, her plate is always licin and she will pick up all the leftovers on the table and floor...why do you think so?
- Whenever Muhammad tries to do dangerous stuff like playing on the stairs or with the electrical outlet, I will threaten him with things he afraid off...yea, I know it's not good to do that to babies but I rather he feels afraid than having his skull broken or get electrocuted.

dan banyak lagii....

I know Konot will mengurut dada membaca pengakuan2 ku ini as she is the softest, lembutest and loveliest mother on earth that I know of.
Note to Konot: Hang baru dgr aku larang Muhammad main tangga sikit hari tu, hang dah kata aku garang...cuba dok rumah aku sehari, then I think hang boleh kena cardiac arrest kot....haha

But if really our kids lives in a tormenting household, why do:
- Ayesha cries whenever I have to leave her at her grandma's to go abroad? - she should be happy right terlepas dari cengkaman evil mother...?
- Ayesha misses her father so much when Papa was away on outstation trip?
- after kena marah, she'll come and console me back with her sorrys , salams, ciumans and promises to be a good girl?
- Muhammad cries and melekap macam magnet whenever I try to give him away to the babysitter every morning? - I mean if the babysitter is nicer than his mom, why that behaviour?
- Ayesha gave me countless drawings of "I love you, Mama" sampai byk sangat, separuh aku dah buang dlm tong sampah.
and
- anak2 kami mesti nak tidur bawah ketiak Mama and Papa every night?

So tell me, am I really garang?

Jakarta photos

2009-08-10T23:22:00.014+08:00

As promised, pics from our latest trip..

Ayesha kena paksa pakai mask bcos she's coughing

Muhammad yg happy sokmo

On Arrival at Soekarna-Hatta. Lengang je airport ni...

Mama pun dah macam doktor bedah, nak teman Ayesha pakai mask punya pasal.

Yaa...time merosakkan harta benda hotel

Siap sedia nak keluar habiskan duit yg berjuta2 tu

Ayesha bg pendapat yg tak brp boleh nak pakai

Anak2ku dah buhsan tunggu mama tak abis2 shopping lagi

Makan time, Muhammad melasak tak hengat. Siap nak baring atas meja bagai.

Dalam bajai (refer gambar trip terdahulu utk mengetahui rupa luarannya). Muhammad tu kapok punya rapat pasal takut bunyi bajai yg macam motobot.

At lobby hotel Millenium Sirih

Anak-anak ceria

Nak balik dah

Stokin baru

Kasut baru

Keluarga glamer

2009-08-04T08:36:00.002+08:00

Jakarta trip - July 2009

2009-07-31T09:24:00.008+08:00

We went to Jakarta (lagi) last weekend.

Sebelum korang mengurut dada mengatakan aku ni mengalahkan orang Indon yang pun tak balik kampung sebulan sekali, please know that this time aku dpt tiket yg really really murah, I think the company operating at loss on us..heheh padan muka depa... Untuk kami 4 beranak, I only pay RM270 pi balik...tak murah ke tu? Pi Genting pun tak dapat harga camtu tau...

So the objectives for this time is only 2:
1) Nak bawa anak2 holiday naik katebang and tidur kat hotel
2) Maknya tak habis shopping lagi itu hari..huhu teringat2 brg2 yg tak sempat dibeli ok....

So, off we go last Saturday, balik Monday.. Nak dijadikan rezeki aku, UiTM pulak kasik cuti seminggu...apa lagi..horey sakan la aku...haha...I love my life.

Despite H1N1 and the bombings, we survived Jakarta..Alhamdulillah!

The rest, tengok gambar la.. nanti aku upload...but this post must go first..nanti dah basi.

Expression of love

2009-07-23T00:06:00.002+08:00

Recently I heard complaints about husbands who don't express their love anymore, didn't hold hands, ain't buying flowers and never says 'I love you' after marriage. Well, for me I am not a romantic type and I don't mind if hubby doesn't do those things to me (though he does says 'I love you' at times). A friend in my circle sent me this email and it changed my perspective of my husband after that. Copied below is her email:

"According to one Dr Gary Chapman, we hear expressions of love in different ways, and invariably, a husband and wife do not have the same love language. He listed five languages:

Words:These people would need to hear things like "I Love You", "Thank You", "Yes, dear, you are beautiful", "Yes dear you are right and I am wrong" being spoken by their loved ones. They want feelings to be expressed in words. They also like to say such words to their loved ones.

Gifts:These people give (and expect) gifts as an expression of love. A key-chain when they go overseas, or a bouquet of flowers during birthdays or any thing else that says "I was thinking of you when I saw this".

Quality Time: These folks see spending time together as an expression of love. For example, taking their wife when they go fishing, taking their husband when they go shopping...

Touch:These people need a hug or just holding each other's hand as a way to say they love each other.

Acts of Service:To these people it's like "Don't talk about love, SHOW me". For example, helping their wife hanging out the laundry or taking care of the children while she goes out with her friends, are examples of showing that they love their spouse. Also, cooking their husband's favourite dishes eventhough cooking is not their forte, also shows the same thing and also vice versa.

It is important that you find out from your partner, which one is their love language. It could be all 5 or just one.

I remember when I first got married, I was quite dissappointed when my husband didn't make my birthday such a big a deal because in my family, we make an effort to remember everyone's birthday and send a card or give a gift to them. We spent the day with dinner (Quality Time), but I was expecting gifts ;-). After talking with him only did I learn that in his family, birthdays are not a big thing - he doesn't even remember his siblings or parents' birthdays and they never wish him on his either - so, he can't relate to what I expected. That saved us a lot of hardship, I guess as now we understand each other better and know what each other need.Even simple things like him making sure he fills up my car's tank when it's almost empty because he knows that I HATE filling up gas by myself (Acts of Service) shows me that he loves me without having to shower me with gifts. So, find out from your partner how they express their love, and maybe you'll find that he/she has been expressing them to you all this while and you never realize it."

-End of email-

After reading it, definitely I knew my hubby falls into the last category. What else would it be if you come back tired from work, baby on tow and you see this on the dining table?

And, mind you, these kinda things are not at times but almost everytime. That is yet to count the massage service every morning when I woke up sore with back pain.

Now I realised his language of love.

I love you too Papa.
(and thinking what is my language....?)

Kitchen project lagi

2009-07-02T09:48:00.007+08:00

But not at wee hours again...

Now I've kemas the upper shelf of my dry-food cabinet. Previously it was so messy that we couldn't see what inside as it is above our head level. Hubby likes to buy things and dump it inside there. There will be canned food, food leftover tied in plastic bag (such as salt, flour and black pepper), bihun, laksa, noodles, pasta..the list goes on and on. When hubby couldn't find the things that he's looking for, he would go and buy it again not realising there are still packs of unopened food inside there. Sometimes the plastic bag leaked as a result of loose tie and the food will spill all over, makes it very hard to clean the full cabinet (keje aku la tu). So a solution need to be made...and with the help of my favorite tool, Mrs. Tupperware, it is all clean and organized now.

As the saying goes, a picture worth a thousand words...so korang tengok je la gambar2 ni (sorry gambar sebelum lupa nak amik).

Ni open cabinet yg bawah (dah tunjuk hari tu) where I put my bread, medicine and snacks (makanan dah byk yg habis, nak kena refill balik).

Haa...ni projek terbaru. The top part is where my dry food goes in, dah kemas dah....

Close up sikit

Ni kat sebelah dia, my drinks counter.

I didn't transform my kitchen cabinet overnight. Dah bertahun bersepah baru aku kemas ni, beli container pun sikit-sikit due to small budget . Tapi bila dah kemas, rasa semangat nak masuk dapur selalu...the kitchen is my favorite place now. Kalau korang nak beli Tupperware at discounted price, you can click HERE (haha...promosi lagi).

My mom's birthday

2009-06-30T13:15:00.011+08:00

Yesterday 29th June 2009 was mama's 57th birthday. Abang, me and family and Min treated Mama to a delicious dinner in Famous Thai restaurant (actually Abang yang belanja..heheh). Azam was in KK so he couldn't come and Abah finished late at the masjid so we just tapau for him. Though not everyone was there, I know Mama had a good time bonding back with us. We chit-chatted, joked around and eat and eat. Though in her golden years, to me Mama still looked prettier than ever.

Selamat Ulangtahun Mama, semoga Allah panjangkan lagi umur Mama dan berkati usia Mama dengan Iman dan Taqwa.

Love, your beautiful daughter....(heheh..tak mau kalah).

As usual, pictures..

Jakarta trip - June 2009

2009-06-14T18:28:00.023+08:00

This was my fifth time to Indonesia so I'm going to give some guidance for those who's been wanting to travel to Jakarta, particularly Pasar Tanah Abang, included are some pictures of my trip.

If you book early with AirAsia, you can get return ticket as low as RM70 per person (average price would be around RM300), that's really worth it if you want to go shopping for a big day like Hari Raya or wedding. As for our trip this time, I booked during MAS promotion and got RM249 per head return, that's quite a good deal if you take into account the 25 kilos of baggage and the food provided.

The gang at KLIA, from right; Yours truly, Mama and Aunty Ani. Jubei took the photo.

Haa..ni dia kawan baik aku si Jubina tu, comel kan?

The food served was yummy, or mmg sebab I was really hungry kot. Kalau dalam AA macam ni will cost you a bomb.
Siap ada dessert lagi

When you arrived in Soekarno-Hatta International airport, it is advisable for you to take the airport transfer from the many taxi booths there. If you take the outside cab, you maybe kapak-ed if you don't bargain. As a guide, if you travel in group of 4 like us, a Kijang Innova would be comfy. With the price of Rp180,000, it can take you to Jakarta central. An Avanza will cost around Rp150,000 and a normal sedan car would be much lesser, around Rp100,000, depending on the condition of the car. Btw, don't get intimidated by the many zeros of their currency. At the time when we went, Rp100,000 was equivalent to RM35.

And oh yes, please don't buy the prepaid card from the cleaners at the airport. We've been conned into paying 5 times the actual value of the card as we thought it was far more expensive outside. I'm still mad at the smooth talking lady who sold me the card, next time I go there, siap kau!

The journey from the airport to the Jakarta central would take approximately 1 hour if it is not 'macet' (jam). It will get worst if you travel in the morning and evening when people go to or come back from work.

The hotel that we booked was Hotel Sofyan Betawi. Sofyan has 2 other hotels in Jakarta, being Cikini and Tebet but Betawi is the closest one to our main destination which is Pasar Tanah Abang. You can google for the hotel's website to check the details. Unfortunately, you only can booked by calling them (yes, all the way from Malaysia to Indon).

Why I chose this hotel? Actually my mom has stayed there before and she recommended it. It is a 3 star hotel run by Muslim management and the services and food are in compliance with the shariah. So, you don't have to worry when dining in there, its halal. Knowing Indonesia, I don't simply eat stuff without checking their halalness first. Furthermore the room rate fit our small budget, which is around RM120 per night. However the rate fluctuated according to the season, my mom said previously it was cheaper.

This was our room. It was placed at the fifth level, the top most floor. Unfortunately again, the lift was only until fourth floor and we have to take the stairs to reach our room. That was not a big issue as you can always ask the hotel staff to carry your stuff to the room.

As you can see, the room has no window because it was at the back, in the attic. Next time I go, I should ask for the room facing the main road so I could see some sunshine. However, it has all the other basic necessities that we want.

Breakfast is included in the room package. It was rice served with variety of lauks everyday. As I couldn't take rice early in the morning, that part doesn't please me.

Ok, make sure to wake up early on your shopping day because you want to go help the sellers open their shops..haha...just joking. Be early to beat the traffic. We took 'bajai' to reach Tanah Abang. It looks like this.

It can carry maximum 2 adults with loads of shopping bags. It's fast, noisy and can 'menyelinap' around other vehicle on a bad macet day. From the hotel to Tanah Abang cost us only Rp10,000 (Rm3.50) per car. Sitting in it feels like riding in a kiddies car at the fun fair. So fun, just look at our happy faces.

The infamous Pasar Tanah Abang in the morning. This was when the shops was just opening. In the evening it doesn't look anything like this as it was crowded with people selling, buying, going in and out. You can't even see the ground, trust me...I'm not exaggerating.

Pasar Tanah Abang is the wholesale center for textile and garments from all over Indonesia. The price here is really cheap compared to other malls in Jakarta. If you have good bargaining skill, it will be a bonus here. Aunty Ani had previously bought a beautiful embroidered telekung set in H*j*ba boutique in Shah Alam that costs RM599. Here the same piece was just RM100, how she regretted for not coming here earlier... Other things, you can get 5 to 10 times cheaper than the prices in Malaysia. The blouse that I wore was sold at quarter of the price I paid back in Malaysia, so I bought 4 more!

There are 12 floors in the building, each floors has around 800 stalls (yes, that many!) which sells different things like telekung, kain ela, shoes, handbags, wedding stuff, clothes, etc. You would be spoilt for choices there.

Aah...and 'gordyn' (langsir) too. You can tailor made your curtain, bedsheet or cushion cover here and it can be ready within the same day. Be prepared to bring the exact measurement of your window, choose the fabric and walla...your curtain will be ready within hours. The curtain that I tailored was of good quality but cost much cheaper than in Macy or SSF.

Take a break at the food court at level 8, it is a cosy area for you to relax your feet in between shopping and enjoy the variety of delicious food served there. Me as usual, would not miss the gurame bakar everytime I'm in Indonesia...yummy!

The shops at Tanah Abang closes at 5pm, so by 6, we were already back at the hotel. The hotel has a reflexology centre at the basement level. I took that opportunity to wind down while the masseur massaged my feet and body.

The rest are the photos of us at the airport going back home. It was a short shopping trip but we sure got lots of our desired things in Jakarta.

On the flight, goodbye Jakarta, I will surely come back soon (!)

And lastly a photo of my daughter with a muslimah dress I bought for her. I thought she looked sungguh keindonan in it (my grandma said she looked like a penguin..hehe) but she loves the outfit so much. Glad that you do Ayesha....

Best spa experience

2009-06-05T09:39:00.006+08:00

Short one

2009-06-03T15:50:00.002+08:00

I'm on holiday, a very long one indeed, thus the silence.

Enjoying the free and easy time with my partner and the kids at home and going for short trips here and there.

Please come back in due time for more updates.

Till then...!

My daughter Ayesha (part 2)

2009-05-22T09:08:00.004+08:00

Continuing from previous post...

Issue no. 2:
Will she be bored in standard one next year?

I'm asking because I've been there. My mother was (is) a teacher, so my brothers and I, we didn't go to kindy. Instead since 5 years old, we followed our mother to school and were being put in standard one's class to learn like any other kids. By the time I'm 6, I slept through the whole class and still managed to get no. 2 in final exam. When I was really in standard one, it felt like a torture, having to wait for my classmates to spell A-P-P-L-E when I'm already reading comic books. Luckily it stopped there. At 8 years old, I changed school. I was overwhelmed with the new friends and environment, thus, going to school was so much fun because I get to see and play with my buddies.

What about Ayesha?

My best friend (the one who lives across the street) cautioned me on the same thing too as her son is already in standard one this year. She also said that I should let Ayesha be a 6 years old girl and let her enjoy her time now.
The problem is, it's not me who force her to learn, its the other way around!
If I don't sit with her for 'tuition' time, she will sulk and cry. What am I to do?

Yesterday while we were learning nouns and pronouns, she breezed through the exercises like she had heard the terms for years.
Then I asked her, are you excited to go to standard one next year?
She replied, yes, I can make new friends.
I asked again, what if you get bored with learning the same thing?
She paused for a moment and said, hmm... I'll write it in my diary and then you can read it!

Pulaakk...
So how?

My daughter Ayesha (Part 1)

2009-05-20T22:43:00.009+08:00

Hari ni nak cerita kisah anak aku yang sorang ni.

Ayesha is six years old now and I began to notice that she is far more matured than most of the child of her age. This was also said by my parents, colleagues, our house cleaner, relatives and Muhammad's babysitter.

Now, her passion is learning, it happened since she was able to read fluently.
She likes to do exercises in workbook. I've bought her pre-schoolers workbooks and she completed the whole book in a day. Then she kept bugging me to give more exercises to her. She also likes to go over at my friend's house across the street to work on her son's standard one workbooks. Thus, I've bought her the same books to occupy her time at home. Now, every night I have to sit with her at the dining table for 'tuition' time. She don't bother to watch tv anymore, learning is more fun for her. Her definition of playing now is doing Maths exercises and spell word games. We even have a tuition timetable and she will abide by the schedule diligently. I foresee she will complete all her subjects workbooks in a few weeks time.

Now, where am I getting at?
Not boasting my child's competency but the question is SHOULD I WORRY?

U might say, why should I?

Issues no 1:
See, her attitude has cause her some 'problems' in her kindy.

Ever since months ago, she would come back from her school saying she don't like her classmates, that they are being unkind to her.
I asked, how so?
She would say, they like to pick on her, didn't want to give her a place in line during assembly ( that she has to go at the back of the line), boasted to her about stuff that they have..etc etc...
Then I said, are they all like that?
She would say, almost all of them (they are only 9 students in her class).
I told her, if every one in your class don't like you then there must be something wrong with you, something that you did that they don't like...
She looked at me with big eyes.
Then I said again, now think hard, what did you do that make your friends despised you?
She put her hands on both side of her head, closed her eyes and trying to think very very hard (oh, it was so cute by the way!)
Then she said, I think it's because I don't let them copy my work when I finished first...

I was speechless. I too, will feel the same way as her friends if I were them...wouldn't you? What should I say to her?

Then I asked her, do you always finished first?
She replied coyly, yes, everytime...it was so easy.
Was that during tests or exercises? Asked me again.
Both, replied her.

Now friends (and silent readers), what should I say to her? Already told her to let the teachers know but she said when she did that, they even got angrier at her. Then I said, why don't you teach your friends how to do the work. She replied by saying, the teachers wouldn't let, as it's important for the child to complete work on their own.

Tell me what should she do?

I'll write on (potential) issue no. 2 later.

A reminder for you and me

2009-05-05T13:20:00.002+08:00

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked a stone & scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child’s hand & hit it many times, not realizing he was using an iron wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father…. with painful eyes he asked ‘Dad when will my fingers grow back?’

The man was very hurt and speechless, he went back to car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions….. . sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches ……… the child had written ‘LOVE YOU DAD’.

The next day that man committed suicide….

Anger and Love have NO LIMIT - choose the latter to have a beautiful & lovely life….

THINGS are meant to be USED and PEOPLE are to be LOVED

But the problem of today’s world is that…

People are used & things are loved!!!

Muhammad at 13 months

2009-04-28T11:21:00.006+08:00

Hello, Kamalia Azma!

At this point you're still your toddler's favorite playmate. But as he gets better at expressing himself through words and gestures, he'll enjoy being around other children. If you take him on playdates or to the park, you may notice that he plays near other children but not really with them. Experts call this "parallel play," and it's perfectly normal for a 13-month-old who still thinks the world revolves around him.

-Babycenter.com-

Alhamdullilah, this is common rupanya.

Click here for pictures of Kakak main dgn Muhammad.

I want, I want, I want!

2009-04-27T12:09:00.001+08:00

Ada tak sesapa nak hadiahkan aku Allerhand Combi Cooler ni?
Tak mahal...dalam RM200 je.

Pleaseee..

Kitchen project at wee hours

2009-04-23T13:17:00.008+08:00

It's 1.30 am in the morning,
The hubby and kids were asleep,
Mama woke up to finish her work,
Suddenly she lost interest in what she's doing,
And start reorganizing the kitchen cabinet,

Then the fridge...

Then she felt happy at what she saw,
And took pictures of it,
And then she went back to sleep...

The end.

The Klingon baby

2009-04-21T10:48:00.008+08:00

I mean cling-on...

Yes, it's my Muhammad. Lately nih, he's very very very attached to me... means, kalau aku dukung tu, melekat macam gam atas bahu aku, kalau org lain dukung and he saw me, he will try to break free from them to come to me. And tak boleh tinggal walau sesaat, even nak bangun amik botol susu, dia menangis selop (cakap orang utara), macam kena dera...

Sometimes I'm worried and felt stressful, especially when people commented on his behaviour. Ye lah...he rejected strangers and cried if I leave him...camana aku nak pi kerja and leave him with the babysitter? Sekarang ni oklah, kelas dah abis, I can alternately jaga dia in the morning and pass to my mother in the evening.

After giving it a deep, long thought, suddenly I felt the blessing in disguise. My baby wants me because he is MY baby, I'm the mother who gave birth to him, who breastfed him exclusively and the one who can pat him back to sleep when he wakes up at night. Didn't it mean something? He was trying to show to me that I have the exclusiveness over him that no other person can replace. Sure he will cry and wail but that is not unnatural, it's his baby's instinct. The society actually who has to be put to blame, why give unnecessary comments when he cry if I go away or when other people picked him? He was just being a baby...! Why put the stress on me???

I learnt that over time he will get over it, his natural instinct will tell him how, I should not worry too much. And I should not be too emotional when leaving him with other people. Both of us will have to brace that phase.

In the meantime, I should enjoy this closeness, it won't be long before he wants his own space. Macam Ayesha, when she saw Muhammad was so comfortable curling in my arms during feeding time, said, "I wish I'm Muhammad". Sad...but that's the reality...the time will never comes back. So, enjoy it while it's still here.

I love my babies...Ayesha, the late Adham and Muhammad.

Kamalia is on diet

2009-04-10T23:50:00.003+08:00

Well, your eyes didn't lie...
I am on diet. It's very unusual of me to do so but it's not a very hard thing to do..
I can hear you say, "Nak diet apanya, badan dah sekeping!". Friend, what I can tell you is, I am very good at hiding flaws on my body and the time of the day that you see me plays an important role whether you can spot my 'liabilities' (or should it be assets?) or not.

So, it is already three days that I've been taking heavy breakfast, no lunch and light dinner and I've already lost some centimeters...hah! Yes, the thing with me is, I can lose weight easily with just changing my meal habit but gaining it back would require pregnancies. So, ok now you know that these extra kilos that I want to shed are on the middle part and it has gotten ugly after my second and third pregnancies. Well, I didn't realise it until one day, after dinner, my daughter commented how big my tummy was and hubby confirmed it with some very big eyes. So, diet plan was made the very next day.

Say what you like, until I could fit back into my tiny kebaya, this regime is continuing babeh!

Why I didn't blog for quite sometime...

2009-04-06T15:03:00.005+08:00

My astig is getting worse thus my contacts are due for a change. That's why.

I've had blurry, flashy sights for quite sometime already, at first I thought it was due to my tired eyes staring at the PC for too long but I didn't go to get it checked cos I'm err...lazy. At last, I surrendered and went for a checkup and was told that my power has increased and my astigmatism is on the rise too.

For those who didn't know, I've been a far sighted person since 17 years old. Had worn spectacles for a short period and then it was contact lens all the way. The main reason wasn't to ditch that specky grandma look but I just couldn't wear specs for a long duration, it will make me dizzy and then I need to sleep to lessen it. I know you will tell me that maybe I'm not used to it and maybe my power are off..well what I can tell you is that I already owned 3 specs and all made me pening though I tried to wear them over and over again.

So, when I have this blurry vision again, I've been contemplating to buy another box of contacts or to try making myself new specs with the hope that the more expensive the specs are, the dizziness will be lesser. On the other hand, I've never had problems with contacts, they've been my best friends for more than 15 years but I couldn't imagine myself in my old days, terbongkok-bongkok cleaning my contact lens before going to bed...haha... Yup, there is the Lasik option, but the procedures scares me out. So, no..never to Lasik.

At last, I went to do another one (I can hear my mother scolding...buat spek lagi?!). This time hubby sponsored it (tq Papa, I lap you). Went to pick it up last Friday, tried it, yes...I looked old...nope..OLDER than my real age..;) But there was a problem with the lens, so I had to return it back for repair and today, I'm supposed to get it.

Wish me luck with this new specs.. I want to wear spectacles...have to start now than never. Biaq pi la nampak tua pun... because when I'm 70, I don't want to be cleaning my dentures and my contact lens at the same time!

Weekend 7-9 march photos - Part 2

2009-03-17T10:36:00.008+08:00

Baby Muhammad's birthday @ Maulidur Rasul

My baby was born on 20th March 2008 or 12th Rabiul Awal 1429 Hijrah. So he shares the same birth date as our Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him. We have decided to celebrate his birthday by following Islamic calendar which in turn have advantage to us because it will always be a holiday in Malaysia.

It was just a small scale party, with families and family friends as guests. My MIL catered the main dish, roti jala and beef curry while I made spaghetti bolognaise. MIL also baked kuih bakar, Jubei brought caramel pudding and hubby ordered the birthday cake. Kakak Ayesha had fun helping with the party packs and giving it to her buddies.

The birthday boy Muhammad, as Amelia put it, "Dia tak reti apa pun lagi....kita yang dok seronok makan". Haha... I believe he had fun too, proven by his handprint on the cake!

It was such a pleasant and easy evening for all of us.

Weekend 7-9 march photos - Part 1

2009-03-10T16:31:00.006+08:00

Escapers' gathering

These were (still are) my best friends during high school years. We studied together and we escaped together. Yea, geng yg selalu ponteng kelas especially kelas Cikgu Moon. There are actually some more members who can't joined that day; Cho in Labuan, Linde in Melbourne and Zura and Shifa who are MIA.

It was so great to finally be together after several years of not seeing each other. Surprisingly when we were together, its like we didn't age a bit, still buat lawak bodoh and merapu macam dulu..and still gelak like the world is ours...aahh..maybe we are still 16 and 17 at heart! I love my friends.

Invisible mum

2009-02-27T10:03:00.002+08:00

Written by somebody else but a good one to share with all of you.

My 3 year old just came in asking where his brother was. On not being
able to locate him, I said, "but, I'm here......" with a smile, only
to catch his shadow dissappear and the patter of his feet slipping
into silence.....

Do read on :

Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the
way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and
ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor,
or even standing
on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands,
nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a
clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What
number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around
5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude -
but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen
again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England ..

Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on
and on about the hotel she stayed in.

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so
well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a
beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are
building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of
their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes
of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a
tiny bird on the inside of a beam.
He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time
carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No
one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see
the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.
No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake
you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are
building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will
become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life.

It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is
the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could
ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing
to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend
he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4
in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a
turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'
That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just
want him
to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to
his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if
we're doing it right.

And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only
at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Gambar

2009-02-20T15:03:00.006+08:00

Relevant jokes (lagi)

2009-02-17T12:33:00.003+08:00

Wife Swap

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day, while his wife
stayed at home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:

Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife
merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through. So, please allow her body to switch with mine for one day.
Amen! 'God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman.
He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids,
Set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches,
drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners. And stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the check book.

He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. By then, it was
already 1P.M. So he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum and dust, sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Run to the school to pick up the kids and get into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies, and get the kids organized to do their homework. Then, he set up the ironing board and watched the TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad,
breaded the chops and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, He cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, And put them to bed.

At 9 P.M. He was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed, and said: -
'Dear Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, Oh! Please, let us trade back. Amen!'

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied:
'My son, I feel you have learned your lesson, and I will be happy to
change things back to the way they were, but you'll just have to wait for 9 months. You went and got yourself pregnant last night.'

Baby jokes Pt 2.

2009-02-17T09:39:00.006+08:00

Quote from Anonymous

2009-02-16T16:17:00.001+08:00

"Bila engkau memandang segalanya dari Tuhanmu, yang menciptakan segalanya, yang menimpakan ujian, yang menjadikan sakit hatimu, yang membuatkan keinginanmu terhalang, serta menyusahkan hidupmu... Pasti akan damailah hatimu, kerana masakan ALLAH sengaja mentakdirkan segalanya untuk sesuatu yang sia-sia... Bukan ALLAH tidak tahu deritanya hidupmu, retaknya hatimu, tapi mungkin itulah yang DIA mahu kerana DIA tahu hati yang sebeginilah yang selalunya lebih lunak dan mudah untuk dekat dan akrab dengan Nya..."

True isn't it?

Bila Mama nak masuk tidur..

2009-02-11T13:41:00.005+08:00

Mama masukkan baju dalam mesin basuh dulu,
kemudian
Mama masak bubur Muhammad dlm slow cooker untuk bekal esoknya,
kemudian
Mama jerang air untuk minum esok,
kemudian
Mama cuci pinggan, mangkuk dan periuk tinggalan makan malam tadi,
kemudian
Mama kemas dapur, sapu sampah dan lap kitchen cabinet,
kemudian
Mama naik atas, gosokkan baju-baju kerja dan baju-baju sekolah,
kemudian
Mama masukkan baju sekolah Ayesha dalam beg nursery sambil check kalau-kalau ada buku/alatulis dia yang hilang,
kemudian
Mama solat Isyak
kemudian
Mama sidai baju di ampaian belakang dapur,
kemudian
Mama angkat Muhammad dari buaian ke atas katil,
kemudian
Mama menyusukan dia sambil mengepam susu untuk stok esok
kemudian
Mama turun bawah untuk simpan susu tu dalam peti ais
kemudian
Mama naik atas balik
kemudian baru Mama tidur... (selain bangun menyusu beberapa kali lagi)

Bila Papa nak masuk tidur?
Papa terus tidur...ZZzzZZZZ.. (tak sampai 5 minit dah berdengkur...ajaib betul)

Moral cerita ini:
Sungguh seronok menjadi orang lelaki, their lives are simplified.

I love you Papa.
Peace.

Terkenangkan Sumayyah

2009-02-04T11:39:00.008+08:00

Jiwaku bergetar. Sekali-sekala berperasaan begini, elok rasanya aku luahkan di sini supaya dapat aku ingati saat2 ini di waktu yang mendatang.

Semuanya kerana Sumayyah, isteri kepada Yasir dan ibu kepada Ammar.

Tak tahu kenapa, setiap kali aku mendengar lagu nasyid tentang wanita ini dendangan merdu kumpulan Hijjaz, debaran dadaku kencang, bulu romaku menegak dan air mataku bergenang dan akhirnya bercucuran. Ya, SETIAP KALI. Walaupun aku mainkan MP3 nasyid ini berulang-ulang kali, setiap kali itulah aku tidak boleh berbuat apa-apa melainkan terkenangkan Sumayyah. Kenapa ye? Kenapa dia...

Aku terkenangkan kehebatan wanita ini di zaman jahilliyah itu. Diancam oleh Abu Jahal untuk membunuh suami dan anak di depan matanya, dia masih memilih Islam, berpegang teguh pada akidah, sehingga akhirnya dia juga mati disula. Berapa banyakkah di antara kita yang boleh membuat pilihan sehebat itu? Nak berkorban untuk anak pun tak sanggup, apalagi nak berkorban untuk Islam... jauh sekali di zaman ini. Bagaimanakah Sumayyah, Yasir dan Ammar boleh mempunyai pegangan seteguh itu sedangkan mereka hanyalah dari golongan hamba sahaya dan antara orang-orang yang pertama memeluk Islam? Subhannallah..

Tetapi yang paling kuat getaran jiwaku ialah apabila mendengar bait-bait ini:
"Sabarlah keluarga Yasir, bagimu syurga di sana..."
Itu janji-janji Allah SWT yang disampaikan oleh Rasulullah SAW kepada mereka. Alangkah indahnya...sewaktu di dunia lagi, Allah telah menjanjikan syurga untuk mereka... sedangkan kita belum tentu lagi ke mana akhirnya.

Aku juga ingin ke syurga
Aku ingin ketemu Sumayyah
Suamiku kata, orang perempuan kalau masuk syurga, nikmat terbesar mereka ialah dapat berborak sepuas-puasnya
Ya, aku ingin berbual dan berborak dengan srikandi Islam ini
Dan memeluknya erat2

Sumayyah

Dalam diri selembut sutera
Kau memiliki iman yang teguh
Kau nyalakan obor agama dirimu bak lentera
Dibelenggu jahiliah kau tempuh dengan berani
Walau pun jasadmu milik tuan
Tetapi hatimu milik Tuhan

Padang pasir menjadi saksi ketabahan keluarga itu
Tika suami dan anak dibaring mengadap mentari
Disuruh memilih iman atau kekufuran
Samar jahiliah atau sinaran akidah

Sabarlah keluarga Yasir
Bagimu syurga disana
Dan kau pun tega memilih syurga
Walau terpaksa mengorban nyawa
Lalu tombak yang tajam menikam jasadmu yang tiada bermaya
Namun iman didadamu sedikit tidak berubah

Darahmu menjadi sumbu pelita iman
Sumayyah kaulah lambang wanita solehah
Tangan yang disangka lembut menghayun buaian
Menggoncang dunia mencipta sejarah

Sumayyah kau dibunuh didunia sementara
Untuk hidup disyurga yang selama-lamanya
Kaulah wanita terbaik, sebaik manusia
Namamu tetap menjadi sejarah

Lagunya boleh didengari disini

Kite flying family

2009-01-29T11:33:00.012+08:00

We all balik kedah for CNY. Di sana tengah musim main layang2 due to the windy season. So Ayesha asked us to buy her one, with princess prints on it. I told her, mana ada layang2 princess? But we found one in Gurun, on our way back to KL, so kenalah beli...

I'm still on leave so semalam after she came back from sekolah agama and her Papa balik kerja, kami pun mulakanlah aktiviti kite flying di padang depan rumah. Seronok woo... as the picture tells.

Palestin: Antara Ilusi Dan Realiti

2009-01-16T15:36:00.003+08:00

Had to put this one too in between my preparation for ukhrah duniawi because I only cried, they bled...

Posted By Abu Saif On December 29, 2008 (11:55 pm) In Zikir Fikir

“Anta dah siap ke? Jom la ke kelas”, saya memanggil Munawwar untuk keluar bersama ke kelas.

Sebaik sahaja kami mahu melangkah keluar, pandangan kami terlekat ke kaca televisyen.

Pagi itu, Televisyen Israel (Yahudi) Channel 1 menyiarkan rancangan TV Pendidikan. Saya menonton suatu rancangan yang dirakam di sebuah nursery. Guru yang mengajar anak muridnya menyanyi dengan diiringi sebuah piano, menyanyikan lagu berikut:

“Makanan paling sedap daging orang Arab, minuman paling sedap darah orang Islam”

Ya, itulah yang saya baca pada subtitle rancangan tersebut.
Kanak-kanak semuda 3 dan 4 tahun, diajar menyanyikan lagu tersebut dengan penuh keceriaan dan kegembiraan.

Demi Allah, suara cikgu dan kanak-kanak itu masih segar di dalam ingatan saya, dan jika saya pandai melukis, saya masih mampu melakarkan di mana cikgu dan piano itu berada, dan bagaimana kanak-kanak itu mendendangkan “nasyid” mereka. Walaupun sudah tepat 10 tahun peristiwa itu berlaku (1996).

Sesungguhnya gambar-gambar di ATAS adalah ’surat cinta’ kanak-kanak Yahudi yang menjalani proses pembelajaran yang sama. Mereka melakar ‘mesej cinta’ itu pada peluru dan bom yang bakal dihantar kepada penpal mereka di seberang sempadan. Dari balik tembok, anak-anak Yahudi ini mengucapkan “salam” kepada rakan Palestin dan Lebanon mereka, moga dipanjangkan usia, bukan di dunia, tapi di alam kematian yang hitam.

Para ulama yang menyokong tindakan suicide bomber kebanyakannya membezakan di antara situasi Palestin dengan situasi bukan Palestin. Adalah tidak harus sama sekali pendekatan suicide bombing dilakukan di kawasan awam seperti di kota New York, London atau Istanbul.

Tetapi Palestin berbeza. Ia adalah medan perang dan di tengah-tengah medan perang tidak ada orang awam. Sama ada kamu sebahagian tentera Islam, atau tentera musuh. Maka jika Yahudi di Palestin tidak mahu diri mereka, kaum perempuan mereka, atau anak-anak mereka terbunuh, mereka mesti keluar dari medan perang. Bagi umat Islam di Palestin, sama ada mereka mati diletupkan dari jauh, atau lebih baik mereka mati meletupkan diri untuk meletupkan musuh. Itu sifirnya. Mungkin kita setuju atau mungkin tidak. Tetapi kita sukar untuk berkata banyak kerana mereka di Palestin itulah sebenarnya yang menderita dan tahu pahit getirnya hidup di medan tempur.

Mungkin sukar untuk dibayangkan hakikat kanak-kanak Yahudi sebagai sebahagian tentera mereka. Tetapi saya tidak lupa kepada program televisyen yang saya tonton, bahawa setiap anak Yahudi memang dididik seawal usia buaian untuk membesar menjadi Yahudi sejati. Sama ada kamu mahu menjadi doktor, jurutera, arkitek atau ‘Ustaz Rabai’, kamu adalah tentera Yahudi yang wajib mempertahankan bumi ‘Israel’ dari anjing Arab dan Islam!
Itulah semangat yang disuntik ke jiwa setiap Yahudi di bumi Palestin.

Anak kita bagaimana?

Menjawab soalan ini, saya teringat kepada apa yang telah diungkapkan oleh Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadawi di dalam bukunya Ila al-Islam Min Jadeed (Kembali Semula Kepada Islam). Di bawah tajuk “Antara Ilusi dan Realiti” (Bayna al-Soorah wa al-Haqiqah), al-Nadwi telah memberikan suatu analogi yang sangat baik untuk difikirkan bersama.

Al-Nadwi membayangkan bagaimana seorang pemimpin hebat yang telah mati, dikenang oleh pengikutnya dengan membina sebuah patung yang besar dan amat menyerupai rupa pemimpin itu semasa hayatnya. Tetapi pada suatu hari, seekor burung datang bertenggek di atas hidung “pemimpin”tersebut dan melepaskan najisnya. Patung yang besar dan gagah itu tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa terhadap burung yang kecil itu, walaupun di kaki patung itu terpahat nama seorang pemimpin yang semasa hidupnya digeruni kawan dan lawan.

Mengapakah keadaan itu boleh berlaku? Mengapakah pemimpin yang hebat itu terhina hanya oleh perilaku seekor burung yang kecil?

Al-Nadawi mengulas analogi ini dengan mengemukakan konsep ilusi versus realiti.

Patung itu walaupun besar, gagah dan hebat, malah mewakili peribadi seorang pemimpin yang agung semasa hidupnya, adalah hanya “seorang patung”. Ia hanya sebuah gambaran. Sebuah ilusi. Manakala burung tersebut, walaupun kecil dari segi saiznya, ia adalah burung yang hidup. Burung itu walaupun kecil, namun ia adalah realiti.

Sunnatullah telah menetapkan bahawa realiti sentiasa mengalahkan ilusi.

Beginilah perihalnya kita ketika berhadapan dengan musuh. Jika kita membaca al-Quran dan meneliti ayat-ayat tentang Nasrani, kita akan dapati bahawa orang-orang Kristian hari ini amat menepati watak mereka seperti yang digambarkan oleh al-Quran. Aqidah mereka yang mengelirukan, paderi mereka yang kuat makan duit, kebencian mereka terhadap orang-orang yang beriman dan sebagainya, semua keterangan teori al-Quran itu menepati realiti kaum Nasrani hari ini. Maka orang-orang Kristian hari ini adalah orang Kristian sejati. Mereka adalah realiti. Pertembungan kita terhadap mereka adalah pertembungan kita dengan sebuah realiti.

Jika kita membuka lembaran al-Quran dan mengkaji tentang Yahudi, maka kita akan dapati bahawa keterangan al-Quran tentang karakter Yahudi amat selaras. Kelakuan penakut mereka yang hanya membolehkan mereka menyerang di sebalik tembok, sifat takabbur, dendam kesumat terhadap orang-orang yang beriman, semuanya menepati realiti. Maka orang-orang Yahudi hari ini adalah orang Yahudi sejati. Pertembungan kita dengan Yahudi adalah pertembungan kita dengan sebuah realiti.

Namun, jika kita amati keterangan al-Quran tentang ciri-ciri orang Islam dan Mukmin, apakah hasil pengamatan kita itu?

Al-Quran menjelaskan bahawa orang-orang Mukmin itu bersaudara. Al-Quran juga menjelaskan bahawa orang Mukmin itu saling menjadi pembantu kepada Mukmin yang lain. Orang Mukmin bersatu padu berpegang dengan tali Allah, mereka tidak berpecah belah ketika mendirikan agama, mereka pengasih sesama mereka dan keras terhadap Kuffar dan pelbagai lagi senarai ciri Mukmin yang diterangkan oleh al-Quran.

Namun, perhatikanlah realiti umat Islam hari ini. Berapakah jarak di antara diri idaman mereka seperti yang digambarkan al-Quran, dengan diri sebenar mereka di dalam realiti kehidupan?
Berat untuk lidah kita mengungkapkannya, namun al-Nadawi turut sampai kepada kesimpulan yang sama. Umat Islam hari ini tidak seperti umat Islam yang digambarkan al-Quran. Kita ramai tetapi kita hanya sebuah ilusi, dan ilusi sentiasa dikalahkan oleh realiti!

Muslim ilusi berdepan dengan Kristian realiti.

Muslim ilusi berdepan dengan Yahudi realiti.

Realiti sentiasa mengalahkan ilusi.

Ramainya kita hanyalah sebuah ilusi. Hakikatnya kita sedikit, dan jumlah itu semakin sedikit apabila saudara-saudara kita berbondong-bondong murtad meninggalkan kita.

Kayanya kita hanyalah sebuah ilusi. Hakikatnya kita miskin. Kita miskin jiwa, miskin daya juang dan kemiskinan itu semakin miskin apabila saudara-saudara kita tidak mampu mengawal jual beli harta mereka sendiri yang selama ini mengkayakan musuh.

Cerdiknya kita hanyalah sebuah ilusi. Hakikatnya kita bodoh. Kita masih dibelenggu oleh persoalan-persoalan yang bodoh dan tidak langsung menghasilkan sebarang hasil. Kebodohan kita menjadi semakin bodoh apabila kita tenggelam dalam tajuk-tajuk debat sesama kita yang langsung tidak menggambarkan yang kita sedang berada di medan perang.

Bersatunya kita hanyalah sebuah ilusi. Hakikatnya kita berpecah. Hati-hati kita terlalu mudah untuk diungkaikan ikatannya hanya disebabkan oleh kuatnya dendam kesumat kita terhadap sesiapa sahaja yang tidak mengiyakan apa yang YA di sisi kita, dan menidakkan apa yang TIDAK di sisi kita. Penyakit hati kita sangat menjijikkan. Kita cekap mencari kelemahan orang lain, dan kita begitu berselera menjadikannya sebagai hidang ‘kari daging busuk’ santapan harian.

Ya, jika al-Quran yang menjadi pengukurnya, maka Yahudi di Palestin itu adalah realiti. Nasrani di Rumah Putih itu adalah realiti. Namun umat Islam yang mengelilingi Rumah Hitam di Masjidil Haram itu hanyalah ilusi. Dan ilusi akan terus dikalahkan oleh realiti.

Selagi kita tidak berusaha untuk membentuk diri menjadi Mukmin sejati, selagi itulah kita tidak akan diizinkan oleh Allah untuk melihat pembebasan Palestin dan Masjidil Aqsa. Bukankah Allah telah menjelaskan di dalam al-Quran:

“Jika kamu berbuat kebaikan, (maka faedah) kebaikan yang kamu lakukan adalah untuk diri kamu; dan jika kamu berbuat kejahatan, maka (kesannya yang buruk) berbalik kepada diri kamu juga. Oleh itu, apabila sampai masa janji (membalas perbuatan derhaka kamu) kali kedua, (Kami datangkan musuh-musuh kamu) untuk memuramkan muka kamu (dengan penghinaan dan keganasannya); dan untuk memasuki masjid (BaitulMaqdis) sebagaimana mereka telah memasukinya pada kali yang pertama; dan untuk menghancurkan apa sahaja yang mereka telah kuasai, dengan sehancur-hancurnya.” [Al-Israa' 17: 7]

Ya, janji Allah itu benar. Kesudahan isu Palestin adalah kemenangan yang akan berpihak kepada umat Islam. Namun kemenangan itu adalah kemenangan bersyarat. Allah mensyaratkan bahawa gerombolan kemenangan kita yang bakal masuk ke bumi Palestin mestilah sebagaimana kumpulan umat Islam masuk buat pertama kalinya dulu. Renunglah ciri-ciri Rasulullah SAW dan sahabat. Renunglah ciri-ciri Umar dan tenteranya semasa masuk ke bumi Palestin dan ingatlah, selagi kita tidak masuk dengan cara kemasukan yang pertama, perjuangan kita hanya ilusi. Ilusi yang dengan mudah dapat dimusnahkan oleh sebuah realiti.

Ajarlah anak-anak kita siapa musuh mereka. Besarkanlah mereka agar menjadi mukmin sejati. Bersiap sedialah untuk menghantar anak-anak kita ke masa depan mereka yang jauh lebih mencabar. Ramai ibu bapa yang sudah berjaya menukar fitrah kanak-kanak itu sehingga mereka membesar sebagai Yahudi, Nasrani dan Majusi yang sejati. Sudahkah kita membesarkan anak-anak kita menjadi Mukmin yang realiti?

Keluarlah dari ilusi, dan jadilah Mukmin sejati. Kamu sedang disembelih oleh sebuah realiti.

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam. com56000 Cheras, 14 Ogos 2006

Long journey for mother's milk

2009-01-02T11:25:00.006+08:00

I'm currently very busy, but after reading this news, I knew I just had to put it here for reminder to me and all breastfeeding mothers on how fortunate we are to be able to do it so easily compared to some unfortunate people. Hats off to this mom!

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/jan/09/long-journey-for-mothers-milk/

Every two weeks since early September 2007, young Silas Bohl has received a special package from halfway around the world. His mother, Capt. Ginger Bohl, is deployed with the Air Force in Afghanistan. The packages contain 30 to 40 pounds of frozen breast milk that travels in a convoluted, globe-trotting shipping route from the war zone to the Bohls' home. Ginger Bohl's deployment wraps up in mid-January, and she hopes to be back in San Angelo in time for Silas' first birthday.
Mike Bohl unpacks a cooler of frozen breast milk with his son Silas in their San Angelo home. The milk comes from Bohl's wife, Air Force Capt. Ginger Bohl, who is deployed in Afghanistan.

Toddler Silas Bohl gets special deliveries every two weeks from his mom halfway across the globe, and he just eats them up.

Silas turns 1 later this month. His mom, Ginger Bohl, is deployed overseas and sends her breast milk home from a war-torn land.

"It's my wife," says Michael Bohl, her husband and Silas' father. "She is an amazing woman - her spirit, her faith, everything about her just shines."

Ginger Bohl, an Air Force captain, is an active-duty doctor deployed in Afghanistan from Goodfellow Air Force Base. Since leaving in late August, Bohl has sent home biweekly shipments of her breast milk, frozen and shipped in 30- to 40-pound quantities directly to the Bohl family.
Thirty-five pounds of milk is about 4 gallons' worth. This delicate commodity makes it halfway across the planet, a distance of more than 8,000 miles, in just three short days.

While Michael Bohl and the children have spent the majority of the recent months in Michigan visiting family, Ginger made time each day to pump milk using a Medela breast pump. Michael said she had reservations about being able to pump and store the milk on a daily basis.

Electricity and a working freezer were a must - what if the necessary facilities weren't available?
"My wife left with faith that everything would be provided for," Bohl said. "And it has."

Ginger sends the breast milk to her stateside family in one of several Igloo Ice Cube coolers using DHL shipping services. Michael then packs the cooler with items he thinks she might want or need and sends it back. He recognizes that not every family is as fortunate as his, as the shipping costs could be prohibitive.

"We're really blessed that we can afford to make these shipments so often," Bohl said. "But it can get quite pricey, and because of that, it's cost-prohibitive for a lot of military families."

On a recent day at the Bohl home, Olivia Bohl, 3 1/2 years old, squealed with delight as she played with her toys and listened to music. Her brother Silas was down for his daily nap, and Michael Bohl took a breath of temporary relief known only to those who have the important job of raising children.

Since no moratorium exists on training exercises or deployment for breast-feeding mothers, Michael Bohl said, he feels that the military should make more of an effort to provide facilities for mothers who choose to breast-feed.

"What I'd really love to see the military do is provide compensation for families who choose to breast-feed their children," he said, "even though the mother is away on deployment."
However, the problem is not simply cost-related: Bohl said he recognizes that what some take for granted in the U.S. is simply not an option in many parts of the world.

"Something as simple as an electrical outlet and a freezer can make all the difference," he said.

Lt. Col. Susan Baker at Goodfellow Air Force Base said that there has been no moratorium on

deployment for breast-feeding mothers beyond the first four months of a child's life since late 2006. Baker acknowledged that deployed breast-feeding mothers can encounter obstacles. "It's highly dependent on where a person is deployed," she said. "Some places are better-equipped than others."

Help with wrangling bureaucracy would help many families that share the Bohls' desire to breast-feed. Bohl says his family encountered a lot of red tape when trying to ship the breast milk.Shipments have been held up by customs and the USDA because of the potential for infectious diseases.

"There's one guy at JFK (airport in New York City) who is now very informed about the benefits of breast-feeding and why we needed the milk right away," Bohl said. "I was even sent to the IRS to get the milk because they thought we were running some kind of Afghani breast-milk ring."

Through all the mishaps and difficulties, Ginger Bohl has been able to provide vital nutrition for Silas.

In an additional contact provided by the United Through Reading military program, Ginger also has been able to read to her children. Through the use of a webcam, the children are able to see their mother whenever they wish.

Ginger Bohl returns to her family in a few days. Whether Silas will be able to resume breast-feeding with his mother is unclear.

"She's been gone for so long, nearly half of his life," Bohl said. "Every time he hears her on the TV, he crawls up to touch it. He knows her face and her voice. He knows his mommy. I know it won't be a problem."

Cuti-cuti Singapura

2008-12-25T22:52:00.005+08:00

Read the so-called-story here and view the pictures here.

(P/s: sorry ye, express entry)

Assalamualaikum!

2008-12-15T13:29:00.002+08:00

Nama saya Muhammad, saya dah berumur 8 bulan lebih. Saya sayang Papa, Mama dan kakak Ayesha.

Baking muffin

2008-12-11T16:50:00.010+08:00

Two days ago, my new next-door neighbour popped in our driveway carrying a box of oven fresh muffin while we were inside having lunch. So very thoughtful of her. Ayesha loved it very much, ate two at a go....savouring every bite of it. Since then, she was begging me to bake more because two wasn't enough!

I've baked the same muffin during last year Hari Raya in my hometown but I've never made one in my own kitchen. The main reason was because lack of utensils. I didn't have the tray, cup, mixer and the muffin mix. Today coincidentally, I have it all in the kitchen. The muffin tray and cup were bought few months back when I was planning to bake things in my new oven. The muffin mix was bought by hubby but he has used half of it to make a cake. The mixer, it was a gift from my mother in-law recently when I commented to her why I never bake... haha. So today, after six years of marriage, muffins were born from my kitchen...am so very proud of myself of this 'big' achievement.

Here is the easy-peasy recipe:
1 packet of blueberry muffin mix (500g)
4 eggs
112 ml water
140g oil

Whisk eggs in the mixer until fluffy, add in oil and continue whisking. Pour the mix and water in. Place the batter in muffin cup inside the tray. Preheat the oven at 180 degree, bake until brown.

The result:

Home at last

2008-12-11T15:33:00.003+08:00

I'm at home...at least until the year ends.
Peaceful, bliss.
Xm dah sudah, marking dah habis, kursus induksi pun dah settle.
Sekarang semua urusan pejabat kutolak ke tepi, aku nak cuti....penat keje setahun mesti dibalas dengan masa2 yang berkualiti untuk anak2 dan suami.

Being a homely person, I enjoy babysitting, cooking, diapering, breastfeeding, baking, cleaning, sleeping dan segala 'ing' lagi. Muhammad is behaving very well when I'm near, but he wants to be held as much as possible... so jawapannya, menggendong la aku. Takpela, bukan selalu dia dapat bermanja 24 hrs a day macam ni. Ayesha is helping up as much as she could...tolong jaga adik bila mama masak, mandi dan solat. I also took this opportunity to teach her values that she couldn't learn from school, from the kitchen stuff to ethics with people, hope she will carry it through her life.

I'm without Internet during the day (sebab Mr. Suami bolot bawa gi ofis), so there's not much that I can share. There are many photos I want to upload tapi dengan masa yang terhad, it will have to wait to a better time.

We plan to go for a holiday soon...but still haven't work out on the details yet. Semoga menjadilah, sebab dah lama tak bawa Ayesha gi holiday except balik kampung...sian dia kena tinggal bila kami pi Bandung dulu.

Till then, ciao.

Exercise freak

2008-11-03T12:44:00.030+08:00

That's what I have become, I think.

My mornings, evenings and nights have been filled with exercise routines be it jogging, walking, aerobics, yoga or simply stretching act. Exercising helps to keep my sanity during the day. Anyway, what else should someone with a bad back and aching muscle who couldn't sleep or wake up well do?

Here are some momentos of my endeavor.

Tasik Raja Lumu

This is on the second day after the first attempt dulu. Ayesha is doing her stretchs.

Mama pulak, Ayesha amik gambar ok!

Kat sini ada orang2 buat tai-chi, aku pun join sekali..tapi amik gambar dari jauh je..hehe malu.

Lepas ni takde gambar dah, sebab Ayesha fell down while doing one of the lompatan, pastu nangis terus bad mood.

Tasik Seksyen 7

It is actually tasik kawasan takungan air, very near to my house. On one Saturday morning, I went there alone. Hujung2 minggu di sini meriah juga.

The track... it is well kept though the trees are still small.

The landmark is this Kompleks Belia, if you want to come to my house, you should be seeing this building from the main road.

Second time, I went there with my children.

The transports

The gang, ready to go

Muhammad menjerit-jerit kesukaan mengejar kakak dia

While Ayesha merempit di hadapan

Wajah budak yg sangat happy di waktu pagi

Lepas penat kayuh, got to play at the playground pulak. What a fun morning Mama!

NRG Fitness Centre

This is the gym that I had just joined with my good friends, Myra and Jubei (though the latter belum pernah datang kelas lagi..heheh jgn marah Jubei).

Finally I found a gym that suit my needs, which are, near to my house, offers classes that I want and cheap. I have joined their aerobics and yoga class and soon line dancing too. So far so good, I love the yoga class, really helps me with my aching back.

This is the studio, tak leh amik gambar while people in action because here all ladies dress down...you know what I mean :)

The wonderful life of me

2008-11-03T10:02:00.001+08:00

Tiba-tiba pagi ni aku rasa sayu... rasa bersyukur sebenarnya..because I have such a wonderful life. Sukar nak ungkapkan dengan kata-kata kenapa dan mengapa, tapi biarlah aku dan Penciptaku sahaja yang tahu... ALHAMDULILLAH!

Ok, another topic..

Seronok ada anak perempuan ni tau...especially kalau dah besar dan boleh buat macam kawan...(read: kengkawan yang belum ada anak perempuan tu, silalah reproduce ye...tq..hehe!)

Istimewanya Ayesha dimata aku ialah sifat symphatethic dan belas ihsannya yang tinggi i.e sensitivity. Dia boleh faham atau cuba faham emosi aku di waktu itu dan cuba accomodate mana yang patut...kalau aku gembira, dia yang akan ketawa berlebih2, kalau aku sedih, dia terus tanya kenapa and hug me tightly, kalau aku lenguh badan, dia akan tolong urut dan kalau aku hangin, dia akan cepat2 minta maaf...

Sekarang aku dah boleh bawa Ayesha ke mana sahaja aku nak pergi especially doing our girly stuff... We can go together-gether to exercise, pi gym, ikut pi shopping, pi makan2, pi usha barang emas kat habib, pi reflexology, pi subang parade (read: toys r'us), pi salun rambut and teman aku duduk rumah and tolong jagakan adik... she is as much a friend to me than a daughter.

Syukur...one of the nikmat that Allah bestowed upon me.

Kerja kami pagi tadi

2008-10-22T14:49:00.011+08:00

I'm having a bad back, kena buat physiotherapy every alternate days which costs me RM50 per session. Then I thought of a cheaper and healthier alternative, go walking! It can loosen stiff muscles and increase flexibility too...

So, itulah kerja kami anak-beranak pagi tadi... thanks to my flexi hours and Ayesha's afternoon class, we can still manage to hirup udara nyaman di pagi hari bertemankan burung berkicau-kicauan di taman tasik yg indah while having a quality time together. Next time pergi nak bawa Muhammad sekali pulak.

Here are some pics.

Posing dulu at starting point

Mari berstretching bersama-sama..1..2..3...yeah!

Ayesha jog kat depan, Mama walk kat belakang...pun boleh kena potong.

Sebab budak tembam ni dah semput, lari sikit, duduk je banyak.

Sambil menikmati panorama indah di Taman Tasik Shah Alam.

Yeah, stretching penutup pulak.

Berpeluh-peluh...masuk kereta, tala aircond dulu

Parenting Jokes

2008-10-21T16:19:00.007+08:00

oh, the typical me when the baby naps...so many things to do yet so little time (last2 aku pun tido)

Whatever it is, having a baby is really a bliss, memang best to have someone to gomol at the end of the day... a real stress therapy.
conclusion nya, cepat2lah reproduce kawan-kawanku!

Pics

2008-09-24T10:07:00.012+08:00

Dah lama tak update gambar kan?

Ni gambar-gambar yang dikidnap dari Fesbuk Cho masa buka puasa + terawih gathering pada 21 September yang lalu. Best banget dapat gather ngan kawan2, anak2 kami pun enjoy...

Muhammad is 6 months now, baru boleh meniarap and Hazim (anak Cho) dah 9 months, dah boleh merangkak and duduk. But they seem to be clicking very well, siap boleh bersembang dalam bahasa baby lagi...soooo cute!

Muhammad is terrorising Hazim....tangkap kaki awak..hehehe!

Haaa...kan Hazim dah nak menangis... meanwhile Muhammad pura2 tido..I'm innocent!

Mama is trying to moderate the newly found friendship

Kakak Ayesha yang selalu buat muka boring bila ambil gambar.

Sheik Mazrul and Sheik Junior dengan supporternya (Farhan, anak Cho)

My beloved friends... we have been good friends since our primary school days...sekarang semua dah jadi mak-mak orang.

Our big happy family (tip: suami2 berdiri dibelakang isteri masing2)

15 Ramadhan 1429H

2008-09-17T01:49:00.003+08:00

My morning started with my dear friend’s sms about her prolonged bleeding. She was three and a half months pregnant. She was having heavy bleeding that morning. I adviced her apa yang patut as I’ve gone thru that experience before and off she was rushed to the hospital. Feeling sad, I prayed for her best.

I went to work and later decided to go shopping for my Raya tudung at Sri Munawarrah with some colleagues. Sampai di sana, Mama called, Abah pengsan at the dentist! They were at UiTM having dental treatment in the clinic. Mama told me Abah has been ambulanced to the Pusat Kesihatan UiTM for treatment, I quickly called hubby to go see them while I rushed off from Taman Tun. Hubby later text me to inform that Abah is transferred to PPUM, suspected heart attack! My heart dropped, dalam kereta tak putus-putus berdoa semoga Allah panjangkan usia Abah. Kalau benar seperti yang dikata, ini kali pertama Abah kena serangan jantung.

We reached the hospital and saw Abah in the Emergency Room. I touched him and he smiled back. Alhamdulillah, he has gained consciousness. The paramedics were doing tests on him to detect his problem. After few hours, the test result came out. Though at first it looked like a mild heart attack, the blood test was negative. Alhamdulillah…syukur ke hadrat Ilahi. Nevertheless, Abah was required to come back to do other tests to confirm why he fainted earlier but he was discharged on the same day.

Meanwhile, my dear friend told me she has miscarried and DNC procedure has been done. Though I can feel her sadness, I’m thankful to Allah for keeping her safe. I know Allah have arranged better things for her in the future like what He have bestowed on me.

Ramadhan bulan ujian, memang tepat sangat.

Anak-anakku yang kuat makan (part 2)

2008-09-17T00:31:00.004+08:00

As a newborn, Muhammad drinks 4 oz. of my EBM (express breast milk) though the doctor suggested only 2 to 3 oz. maximum. I tried reducing it to follow the doctor’s advice but what I got was a restless and cranky baby day and night. Dapat cukup minum barulah dia boleh tidur berjam-jam lamanya. At 2 months old, he demanded 5 oz. at one go, of which I was struggling to produce since I’m exclusively breastfeeding him. Sampai kurus-kering la mak dia ni dok perah susu nak bagi anak dia makan.

At 4 months plus, he started drooling and showing interest in the food that we ate. The general rule of breastfed babies is breast milk alone is enough to provide nutrition they need for the first 6 months of their lives. But it seems like that was not the case with this little boy. He demanded more frequent feedings and was constantly hungry every 2 to 3 hours. So I queried my Uncle Google and found out that although the general rule stays the same, there are some babies that might be ready for solids earlier if they have these signs:
1. has doubled their birth weight
2. can hold a steady head
3. shows interest in what adult eats
… of which Muhammad has all these.

I thought, maybe he is ready. So, this mother yang still takut2 ni pun carilah resepi for baby food yang paling natural to avoid perut anak dia tergezut. I made him blended plain rice porridge mix with EBM for evening feeds and pureed apple for snacks. My grandma asked me to make it watery so she can put it in the bottle with large hole for Muhammad to sip. And..he drank it without leaving a drop! And that is on top of his normal milk diet.

When we visited Muhammad’s doctor for his 5 months checkup, she commented on how chubby Muhammad has been but I still kept quite about the food that I gave him. Then, she went on to give oral medicine to Muhammad. She prepared the dose, put on the bib and there laid my baby opening his mouth widely and chomping away the liquid like a candy without any spill.
The doc exclaimed, “Masyaallah, pandainya dia makan Azma!” (yes, Dr. Roliza is the second person after Dr. Norleen that calls me by my second name).
“Dia selalu lapar la doctor, dah boleh bagi makan ke?” asked me innocently.
She went on to check Muhammad’s record.
“Yes, dah boleh. He’s ready for solids”, replied the doc to a grinning me, while dalam hati berkata…aku dah tahu daaahhh…

Now, Muhammad eats Farley biscuits for breakfast and rice porridge for dinner, in between his normal milk feedings. Biskut tu pun, instruction kata bagi satu keping je sekali makan for a start, but he ate two and a half to three pieces at one go baru kenyang. My..my..my tak lama lagi tak larat la Mama dia yang kurus-kering ni nak dukung anak, cepat-cepatlah belajar berjalan ye wahai Encik Muhammad yang tembam!

Anak-anakku yang kuat makan (part 1)

2008-09-09T12:44:00.005+08:00

I always have friends and relatives telling me, they don't know how to make their child eats. Well, for one thing I don't have advise for them cos my children are natural eaters but I need advise on how to stop them from eating!

Ayesha since kecik2 lagi dah kuat makan. The only time she don't want to eat is when she is sick. Especially when we cook her favorite dishes she will have at least 2 servings. Among her favorites are (not in orders):
1. Spagetti bolognaise
2. Laksa utara (she can hirup the kuah bermangkuk2)
3. Tom Yam
4. Rice porridge
5. Asam pedas (oh yes..she eats spicy stuff too)
6. Durians (dia boleh habiskan sebiji durian on her own)

Two days back, she requested me to cook tomyam for her dengan alasan, Ayesha dah laaamaaa... tak makan tomyam. So semalam lepas balik kerja, pegilah Mamanya ni ke kedai mamak cari barang2 nak buat tomyam campur. Disebabkan kami semua berpuasa, maka Ayeshalah jadi tukang rasa. The verdict,
"Ok.. tapi masam sangat!"
Maka Mamanya ni pun tambahlah gula... then rasa lagi, kali ni kuah plus daging pulak.
"Ermmm..ok, pedas sikit..!"
"Aikk, pedas pulak... tapi sedap ke tak Ayesha?"
"Macam tadi..."
"Apa maknanya tu? Sedap ke tak?"
"Cuba Ayesha nak rasa lagi"
"Haishh..ni nak makan ke nak rasa ni...?"
Nevertheless, I settled at that. Solely depending on the little tester.

It turned out my tomyam campur was her favorite of the day. Buka puasa makan dengan nasi dua mangkuk, tengah malam pun makan nasi seround lagi dan siap bangun sahur buat julung2 kalinya pasal nak makan tomyam lagi. Hai Ayesha yang kuat makan...puasa je belum.
So, to stop her from eating so much sebab takut termuntah, I told her nasi dah habisss....
"Mama masak la nasi lagi..."
"Tak kuasa aku aihhh...!"

To be continued in part 2 - Muhammad yang kuat makan juga..

My faithful Chevy

2008-08-22T07:56:00.005+08:00

(or better known as 'kereta green' by Ayesha )

Here's the story, I love the car. Bought it in 2004 and ever since, it has become a good reliable companion to me. It has never failed me nor given me any problem since the first day I bought it so it is justifiable why I am so attached to the car.

But since the pack is getting bigger and my extended family always ride with us to any family gatherings that we go to, we need to get a more family-friendly car. So, we had came to a decision point to let go of the Chevy to make way for an MPV. It was a very tough decision to make until it haunt me in my dreams. I also talked to the car 'reasoning' why I have to let it go. (Hehe.. kalau orang dengar malu beb!).

One day while picking up Ayesha from school, I told her the decision. She was very dissapointed and being a drama queen, I was not surprised seeing her menangis teresak-esak about the thought to say goodbye to kereta green. But I was taken aback when I heard her discreetly praying for Allah to give me more rezeki so we can keep the car.

When we made it home, her Papa asked why the sour face. She broke down to tears again. "Papa, nanti boleh tak Papa ambil gambar Ayesha dengan kereta green? Nanti kalau Ayesha rindu dia bolehlah Ayesha tengok gambar", said her between sobs. Then she told me, "Nanti Ayesha nak tulis surat nak letak dalam kereta green". "Buat apa? Kereta bukan boleh baca surat", I ridiculed her. "Tak, Ayesha nak bagi orang yang beli kereta ni baca. Ayesha nak suruh dia jaga kereta green baik-baik macam kita jaga dia". Of course I broke down to tears too!

To cut the story short, doa anak2 memang selalu Allah makbulkan. That's what happen to us. Allah really bestowed on us His barakah and gave us a little bit more rezeki that made us able to maintain the car albeit the new one.

"Mama, sekarang kereta green dah happy ke kita tak jual dia?"
"Ye lah"
"Patutlah sekarang Ayesha nampak dia dah senyum!"

Oh! What an imagination....

So people, soon we will have three cars and a motorbike to park in our small lawn. Anyone wants to buy the Kancil? But urghhh... I don't want to go through the ordeal of another tears rolling drama once again.

Sigh.

Memories

2008-07-31T15:07:00.004+08:00

Benar kata orang, sekeping gambar menyimpan seribu cerita. I've just found out an old (not so old la actually..) forgotten photos from my old thumbdrive and I thought I might as well post it here so that the memories will never be forgotten again.

This photo was taken during my previous company's annual dinner and I had stolen it from my colleague's blog. What memories does it hold? Probably you didn't noticed my bulging tummy, but I was actually four-month-plus pregnant at the time with Adham. Shortly after that, the sad incident happened where I lost him. This was the last photo taken when Adham was still alive inside me.

Sad but true.

Passion

2008-07-17T10:16:00.004+08:00

My passion lies in teaching, I've just realised it.

I never have butterflies in the stomach talking in front of the students, though there are 60 of them staring at me, unlike if you ask me to give public speaking to a group of unknown people, i'll sweat inside out.

I enjoy going to class everyday and my classes are usually lively, with lots of laughter. Today, there was one macho guy presenting in front of the class and he has trouble pronouncing the letter R (it was so cute!) and used English and BM interchangeably. I was trying to control my laughter when the whole class burst out then I'd go "what? don't understand!!?" whenever he speaks in BM and he would fumble with his words while trying to rephrase it English.

But the most rewarding moments for me are when my ex-students still wave their hands frantically whenever they see me everywhere with "Haiii Puan!", or when they berebut to get me to be their supervisor for their thesis works, or when they came in droves to my house to see my new baby, or when they saw me after my maternity leave and commented how the replacement lecturer was not as good as me; that was when I get the fulfillment of work that keeps my endorphines going high!

I just had to write something

2008-06-20T09:59:00.007+08:00

Duh, although I've got tonne of works before new semesters open in July... takpela, demi to keep in touch with you all my beloved friends, I'm writing down some updates on us.

Ayesha

--------

My little girl ni dah boleh membaca.. (caution: not trying to show off here, just jotting down my daughter's milestone). We were all surprised, it happened like in a few weeks time when her teachers saw her potential thus put her in an intensive class for a state level spelling challenge. She managed to passed the quarter finals, semi finals and now going to the final in July. Bravo Ayesha! For a 5 year old that can spell MENYEJUKKAN, I'm already very proud. Not only that, she is now into sms-ing and chatting on the web dengan my sister and our friends...boleh ke takeover gitu?

Muhammad

------------

This little fella can now laugh mengekek-ngekek bila orang agah dia. Badan pun dah keras and boleh pull himself up bila kita tarik tangan dia. He is turning 3 months old today. My grandma is temporarily staying with us to take care of him sebab we all semua tak sanggup nak bagi kat orang jaga lagi for the time being. Maybe tunggu dia besar sikit or maybe I'll persuade my mom to pencen permanently and jaga cucu full time...hehe.

Papa

-----

Papa sihat cam biasaaa.... Now he owns a motorcycle, beli second hand from my brother, Azam. He said, nak guna pi kedai mamak senang. Few days after that petrol price increase, memang tepat sangat decision beli motor tu. Papa dah belikan Ayesha satu helmet for her to ride with him...seronok sakan la si kecik tu, tengah malam pun asyik ajak pi kedai mamak. Apa yg seronok sangat kat kedai mamak tu pun tak tau la...Mama je tak merasa naik motor tu lagi. Now Papa, where is my helmet?

Mama

------

I/We are into Ceragem now. Dunno what is it? It is a massage bed that has many benefits to cure health problems, as the testimony said. Ada my relative yang kena stroke dah boleh berjalan balik after went thru this treatment for sometime. I'm taking Ayesha there for her coughing problem and Maktok for her lenguh2 badan and high blood issues. At the same time aku pun join sekali to urut my body and kurangkan my sakit pinggul and belikat...hehe...macam orang tua dah penyakit2 aku ni. The centre is in shoplots in Sect 9 and we go there everyday for a 40 minutes session each. The best thing is it's free! Unlimited free trials, cubalah selama mana pun until we satisfied with the product before we purchase it (which I doubt I will sebab harga dia dekat 10K!). Ada makcik/pakcik yang aku jumpa kat situ, dah setahun datang hari2, still on trials, diorang tak kisah pun. The staffs are also nice and very helpful. That's why we really looked forward for our daily treatment session there.

Ok, that's all for now.

Cheers!

Belanja di Bandung

2008-05-22T15:54:00.007+08:00

Kami baru balik dari Bandung on Sunday, trip 3 hari 2 malam aje. Bagus bangat kami belanja (read: shopping). We brought baby Muhammad along and left Ayesha with her grannies. She was more excited to sleep over at my parents' place than going shopping because she don't get to stay overnight when I'm around. After dropping Ayesha, we drove to LCCT, parked there, hopped onto the plane and two hours later, ola Bandung!

I agree shopping with a 2 month-old is not going to be a breeze if you have a fussy one, but not Muhammad. He was being a very good baby during the whole journey, I wouldn't ask for more. Sleeping in the gendong most of the time and merengek sikit-sikit when he is hungry or sleepy, the only problem I had was only when I wanted to try the clothes on as he was attached to me all the time. And oh, the back, shoulder and feet pain carrying him almost all day (read: gendong tak muat Papa dia). The stroller that we brought along was being used to carry all the shopping bags as Muhammad preferred to be held rather than pushed. He was also being the centre of attention when people see him so comfortably curled up in the pouch. The salesgirls couldn't help staring at my gendong, peeking inside and asking how old the baby was as he looked so small to be able to fit in the sling. Maybe also thinking, mak dia ni kecik-kecik dah bawak baby pi jalan...as long as the baby is happy and healthy, suka hati mak bapak dia la kan?

Ini trip kedua kami, the first time dulu we went there for a business purpose, tapi kali ni more to buy the children's clothes and ours as well. Dah beli for raya siap-siap...hehe jimat, jimat. Hubby bagged himself shirts that could last him for few years (kalau dia tak gemuk lagi). I bought handbags for myself, my mom and sis, shoes and some clothes. Hmm...kalau tak bawa baby I'm sure I'd go more beserk buying all the things that was so cheap compared to back here. Takpelah, when Muhammad is a little bit older and not dependent on me so much I want to go again without him... boleh kan Papa?

If you have plan to go there anytime soon, do ask me, I can give tips on where to shop, stay and eat at this Paris van Java!

Short one...

2008-05-06T14:31:00.007+08:00

Buat anda yang ternanti-nanti (chewah!) update/cerita baru, here you are... short one je coz AKU TGH BZ!

Besides being the milk tank for baby Muhammad, I'm coping to finish marking students' coursework and on top of that pihak Fakulti baru je hantar 2 more thesis for me to mark. Orang tgh cuti pun dapat work load, boleh ke gitu? Reason being, they are shorthanded of people... penting jugak aku ye...!

And by the way, aku dah abis pantang...yahooo...merdeka...!! I am so in need of a shopping therapy now!

Semalam pi amik gambar pasport Muhammad for his first overseas trip next week.. He has just fallen asleep when we reached the photo studio, so it was rather difficult to get a good shot of him opening his eyes, dengan kepala dok terhinggut2 lagi... nasib baik la dia tak mengamuk kat kedai tu. This is the final touch of the photo after erasing here and there (my fingers la yg kena erase tu!).

Gendong

2008-04-24T14:00:00.005+08:00

Muhammad like to 'gendonged' around the house. You know the type of sling yang macam mak2 Indon selalu bawa anak dia tu? Yes, I bought one online few days back and since then this demanding baby didn't want to fall asleep anywhere else anymore. So much of a convenient to do household work (can eat, menyapu and surfing while carrying him) but no thanks to my painful back (boleh tahan 1 hour je carry him this way). Hubby is MAKING one for himself as the sling is too small for him to share with me and we gonna use this to carry our baby when we go to Bandung next month....tee he he!

Ni gambar semalam masa pi hospital for his first month immunization...sorry la gambar very the blurry sebab guna low-res pic quality. Orang semua dok usha I jek...agaknya dok pikir, Minah Indon mana la ni...but baby Muhammad sleeps very soundly inside it sampai la the doc poke the needles in... then uwaaaaaa...satu spital boleh dengar suara dia!

Cerita masa berpantang

2008-04-08T17:25:00.001+08:00

Aku berpantang di rumah sendiri je this time. It's more comfortable to stay at own's house because everything is there and within reach. Kalau balik kampung or staying at my mom's place, kena mengangkut banyak benda ke sana ke mari. It's so much hassle. Nasib baik la Mak (nenek aku) datang untuk jaga aku sampai habis hari. Syukur sangat aku masih ada nenek dan dia pun masih sihat untuk jaga aku.

Alhamdullilah, I started feeling healthy after few days of the delivery. Many people who came visiting also commented on the same thing. Diaorang kata macam tak bersalin je... including my mom in law. She said lepas lahirkan Ayesha dulu I looked weak and pale but this time, nampak cargas aje... hehe. I felt the difference too...almaklumlah dulu anak first, lembik sikit...sakit kat tempat jahitan pun lambat baik. Tapi kali ni, 3 hari je dah okey dah...jalan pun dah laju...walaupun episiotomy tu sama besar dan kat tempat yang sama. Itulah kuasa Tuhan, for Ayesha nak bersalinkan dia mudah, tapi masa berpantang tu seksa tapi kali ni, nak keluarkan Muhammad ni ada susah sikit tapi recovery was fast. Masa lahirkan Adham pun aku berpantang macam biasa, but since he was born premature and small, tak perlu push pun dia dah keluar sendiri dan takde luka pun. Recovery was fast too but the emotional trauma was bad...enough said, it was a sad episode of my life.

Another good thing is, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight! After 7 days actually, sebab aku timbang hari2..hehe.... This time I gained 11 kilos at the end of the pregnancy while during Ayesha's time, I only gained 8 kilos. So I thought, susahlah nak turun ke 50 kg balik ni...tapi rupanya baby yang besar, keluar2 dia je, dah lost 3 quarter of the weight. Lagipun the nature of my body memang macam tu...nak turun senang je, naik naikkan berat badan tu yang susah. That's explain kenapa aku kurus kering walaupun makan banyak ye tuan2 dan puan2. Other things that attribute to the easy weight loss walaupun selera makan aku macam gajah masa berpantang ni, ialah amalan bertungku and breastfeeding exclusively. The latter requires a topic on its own sebab banyak aku nak share tentang pengalamanku menyusukan Muhammad secara total ni...hmm... challenging! Nantilah aku tulis pasal tu.

My routine during confinement days ni goes like this... Morning around 8.30-9.00 am, selepas Muhammad tido semula, aku akan bertungku. Well, actually Mak yang tungkukan sebab masa mula2 dulu aku buat sendiri cincai2 je...asal buat sudah. But after my Mak berleter about how important to bertungku properly, she started doing it for me and it usually lasted for about an hour or more. You see, amalan bertungku ni memang diambil berat oleh keturunan belah mak aku. It is done as an effort to help the womb contract faster or in my grandma's words, 'masuk balik kat sarang dia' and to burn the pregnancy fat. Mak aku kata dulu dia bertungku sehari 4 kali...mak aiii...aku yg buat sehari 2 kali ni pun dah tak larat, tu pun orang yang buatkan. Sebelum bertungku, sepatutnya aku mandi dulu dan berbarut lepas bertungku seperti masa awal2 bersalin dulu...masa tok bidan datang mengurut in the early 7 days. Tapi sekarang, aku bertungku dulu kemudian mandikan anak2 dulu baru mandi diri sendiri. Masa awal2 bersalin dulu jugak, Mak rebuskan air daun serai wangi, daun lemuni, daun pandan dan lain2 akar kayu kasik aku mandi supaya badan segar. Tak lupa juga air daun inai dan manjakani untuk cuci kawasan *toot* untuk cepat sembuhkan luka. Tapi la ni, mandi air panas je sebab stok daun yang dibawa dari kampung dah abis...lagipun aku pun dah ok. Biasanya habis mandi, sure berpeluh2 balik sebab badan panas, but that was the objective pun...tak mo bagi badan sejuk. Pastu aku sapu minyak tapil kat perut dan kaki. Sepatutnya kena terus berbarut, tapi lately ni aku malas sikit la nak pakai barut pasal rasa macam tak payah dah...hehe eksyen. Lagipun barut tu tebal dan panas ya ampun. Nak menyusukan baby pun payah nak membongkok...tu tak cerita bab pi toilet lagi...kadang2 boleh tak sempat nak untie the tali2 tu...hehe. I wonder camana la Mama aku berbarut 24 jam masa bersalinkan kami dulu...tak pi toilet ke apa? But no wonder la she is still slim sampai sekarang ni. Tu la, orang kata, berpantang ni kalau tak buat betul2, kesannya masa tua2 nanti baru nampak....tu yang buat aku takut tu. Mak aku pun kata Alhamdulillah dia still sihat walaupun umur dah 70 lebih sebab masa pantang memang Tok Nyang aku jaga dia betul2...minum air pun kena sukat tau dak. Takde la macam aku yang bergelas2 air aku teguk. Lepas dah siap semua tu baru aku breakfast. Yes, a little bit lambat. Biasala, orang takde maid ni...kena uruskan anak2 dan keperluan mereka dulu baru boleh duduk makan. Tu pun dah seribu rahmat Mak aku ada uruskan hal masak-memasak kat rumah ni, kalau kena buat sendiri lagi sedih.

By the way, orang kata masa pantang ni makan tak sedap sebab macam2 tak leh makan, tapi aku bab makan laju je walaupun lauk2nya very limited in choice. Nasi aku kalau sepinggan mesti tak cukup, sebab rasa lapar yang amat. Lauk2 biasanya ikan yang dimasak dengan lada hitam, halia, kunyit atau serai dan sayur sawi atau lobak putih je, untuk kasi banyak susu badan. Agaknya sebab aku menyusu, sebab tu la perut asyik lapar aje. Mak aku pulak masak memang sedap2.

Tengahari Muhammad bangun menyusu, pastu lepas dia tido balik dan Ayesha pun dah pi sekolah, I have few hours free time to myself. Masa nilah boleh bersantai sikit, nak tulis blog ke, surfing ke or just ganti tido malam balik. Petang, routine bertungku, mandi baby, mandi diri sendiri, menyusu, makan, berulang semula. Itulah aktiviti2 aku dalam masa berpantang ni. So far I'm loving it, cuma tak sabar nak habis pantang ni sebab boleh pi berjalan2 balik!

P/s: Thankful sesangat ramai dah orang yang datang melawat kami semenjak 2 minggu lepas ni, families, friends dari jauh dan dekat, colleagues dan students pun dah datang segerombolan. Yang tak dapat datang lagi, takpe...no worries.

Giving birth

2008-04-02T20:40:00.002+08:00

On the 19^th of March 2008, I had an appointment with my gynae to assess my pregnancy progress, I was at 39^th week at the time. That morning, she checked my passage and told me it had opened 3 cm! All of us were esctatic, especially myself as I couldn't bear to carry the big tummy around anymore, I just wanted to end the pregnancy. She told me to admit myself to the ward as soon as I feel any pain or if my water breaks. So, no pain I felt and home I went. I've asked hubby not to continue work and to standby at home with me. Mak Tok and Mak Teh were at my house too. Come afternoon, I felt a mild contraction happening. I kept telling myself to relax...it will still be a long way to labour. I managed to catch some sleep and woke up at almost 3 pm. Then I felt the contraction getting more intense and frequent. Now is the time to go to the hospital! Still I managed to have lunch first, grabbed my hospital bag, kissed goodbye to Ayesha and off we went to the hospital at 4.

The waiting game at the ward was killing me. Luckily hubby kept me insane by chatting away and added with Ayesha's non-stop phone calls asking whether the baby has come out or not. The pain was still bearable until a midwife came and put me on a drip at 6 pm. Then it became uncontrollable... the contraction was deep, long and close to one another. I remembered thinking, how on earth can this get any worst? Boy, I was dead wrong. I was wheeled to the labour room at exactly 10 pm. Then the doctor came and broke my water bag. By then, I couldn't describe the pain that I felt anymore. The contraction came in within 5 minutes interval, hubby recited to me some ayats to lessen the pain while massaging my back as hard as he could. Still I couldn't feel his touch as the pain overpowered all my other senses. Hubby was freezing cold in the room but I was soaking wet all over and kept asking him to lower down the aircond temperature more and more. While sipping water in between the contractions, I remember asking the midwife, can the pain became any worst than this? Her reply devastated me, enough said.

At 11.45 pm, in the middle of the undescribably agonizing pain, I couldn't take it anymore. This is it, I told myself. I shouted for the nurse to come and said that I want to push the baby out. Hurriedly, she checked my passage and gave me the nod. The doctor came back at the right time too. So there I went, coached by everybody there.... deep breath.... legs apart... one... two... three...puuuusssh.....!!! Boy oh boy, I dunno what on earth was I thinking getting pregnant at the first place. With Ayesha, I didn't experienced this as she was vacuumed out and things were faster and easier. Half of my energy was gone....but I didn't hear any baby cries yet. One more time, said the doctor. Puuusshhhh......by this time only 25% of my energy level was left. If I thought earlier that contraction pain was bad enough, pushing the baby out was a thousand times worst. I was promising myself to not have anymore babies after this, that this will be the last one (yea rite!). Really I couldn't bear the pain, O Allah help me to get this done with! Still no baby came out yet, but the doctor's words kept me collecting the last drop of energy that I had, “Kamalia, one more time...I can see his head already!”. “Come on Mama, you can do it!”, cheered hubby as if I was in a marathon race. With the last drip of my sweat, I tried pushing again for the third time but this time my positioning and breathing was all over the place. “You didn't do it properly, take a deep long breath first!”, instructed the doctor. “No, no, no... I can't... I don't have anymore energy...please vacuum it out doc!” was my silly reply. I think I saw the doctor smiling but I didn't care....I didn't want to continue it anymore, it was so so so unbearable. “No need Kamalia...I can see his ears already”, came the doctor's reply. Hubby was saying the same thing at my ear too. With that I dunno what got into me, maybe Allah have blown some miracles onto my soul, I pushed hard and long........ and then I heard... uwek...uwek... Muhammad's voice! My tears dropped fast, all the pain that I felt vanished like magic. The doctor looked at the clock, it's 12.10 am and jokingly commented that the baby was persistent to be born on Maulidur Rasul day. Then hubby added, “Alhamdulillah, he's already been named Muhammad”. The midwife wrapped a blanket around the little body that was covered with blood and put it on my chest. Oh..... I couldn't described that beautiful moment...it was beyond words..... magical! Muhammad opened his eyes, looked at me and then continue crying. Then they took him away for cleaning. Hubby kissed me all over the face happily. The aftermath of the delivery was nothing, the doctor took out the placenta, stitched and cleaned me. After awhile, I was transferred to the ward and continue to doze off through the night. The next day at 2 pm I was discharged and brought my bundle of joy home.

Coming up, I'll write about confinement and nursing Muhammad.

Till then... got to sleep while the baby sleeps!

Kelahiran Muhammad b. Sheik Mazrul

2008-03-24T16:06:00.007+08:00

Written by Papa:

Assalamualaikum,

ini adalah gambar-gambar budak bernama Muhammad bin Sheik Mazrul.
Anak kami yang ke-3.

Lahir pada jam 12.10 dinihari, tanggal 12 Rabi' ul Awwal 1429H.

Ketika mengandung ibunya bertawassul untuk mendapat anak lelaki dan dalam doanya juga disebut akan dinamakan anak tersebut dengan nama Muhammad.

Doa yang dipanjatkan telah didengar. Sungguh besar kurniaan tuhan hingga meletakkan hari kelahiran Muhammad seiring dengan Nabi SAW yang empunya nama yang asal. Dalam sekian banyak hari, hari yang terpilih yang diberi. Maka mana satukah kurnia tuhanmu yang hendak kamu dustakan?

Doa bapa pula semoga anak ini jadi pembimbing dan pemimpin orang-orang beriman di zamannya. Doa ini dengan kefahaman bahawa hidupnya mungkin tidak diredhai kebanyakan manusia dan mungkin menempuh jalan penuh ranjau dan liku.

Walau apapun tetapi biarlah kepentingan berkhidmat kepada Allah menjadi keutamaan anak ini. Kehidupan dunia cuma sekelumit debu di tapak kaki.

Semoga Allah memilihmu dan mencampakkan risalah NabiMu dalam jiwamu dan memelihara hatimu dari kecemaran. Dan Allahlah sebaik-baik pemelihara; bukan bapamu ini wahai anakku.

Dan kamu bukan keseorangan kerana Allah sentiasa akan menyediakan sahabat-sahabat yang benar-benar sejati sehingga tidak terasa sempit hidupmu walau sesaat. Allah lah yang akan membahagiakan jiwamu sehingga kamu bisa bahagia walau dengan sekeping roti. Rezekimu telah dijamin wahai anak. Maka laksanakanlah urusan tuhanmu dan jangan risau tentang masa depan.

Amin.

Ketika baru 20 minit melihat dunia

Dah berusia 9 jam ketika gambar diambil

I'm at home

2008-03-13T13:49:00.004+08:00

Dah seminggu lebih aku di rumah, resting and counting days. Last week ada pergi ke Fakulti sekali to conclude my last class then the rest of the days been working from home, mostly marking the students' assignment. This semester I'm implementing team-teaching, which means that my workload is shared with other lecturers and divided into half. I will teach first, pulun the first half of the semester and in the second half, another lecturer will take over. So, I've finished my part and has done the handover. Ni tinggal nak marking course yg tak buat team-teaching aje sebab course ni takde final exam. It's a bliss having a flexible job like this when you are heavily pregnant like me.

Ayesha pun tengah cuti sekolah ni, so she's at home accompanying me. In fact, this month I 've decided not to send her to the nursery in the morning. On school days, I've to wake her up early, feed her, bathe and siapkan her for school then her papa will come back during lunch hour to fetch her to the kindy. So, I'll be home alone in the evening. This is when I can do my own things like surfing, working or just simply sleeping. Sometimes I do my pilates exercise too, you know to help streghten the muscle when I need to push, push...and push :)

Speaking of it, I am due to deliver next week on the 21st but sadly on the said day, my favorite gynae will be on leave. Since I've had the same experience delivering Ayesha without her last time, I insisted to have her deliver baby M this time. So we've decided on an agreement, if I haven't had labor yet between now and the 19th, I'll have to come on the night of 19th to be induced for labor. Since she will be away on the 20th afternoon, we hope there is enough time for me to push the baby out before she goes on leave. Insyaallah, kita yang merancang, Tuhan yang menentukan. So friends, wait for my sms if I have safely delivered by the 20th. Till then, please pray for me and my baby well being.

P/s: semalam i've had mild contractions, siap telefon Cho mintak advise and dah angkat beg nak pi hospital, then after few counts it stopped... aiseh a false one, ingat dah boleh pegang baby dah hari ni!

The winds of change

2008-03-09T10:12:00.004+08:00

Alhamdullilah..alhamdulillah...syukur...kepada Allah SWT...!
All the praises to the Almighty because He is The One who hear and answer our prayers.

PRU-12 has concluded itself. I am happy because my two beloved states (I am born in Kedah and bred in Selangor) are going to be ruled by the new governments. I have done my part, memangkah kerana Allah, to give a better future for my daughter, my unborn son and all the new generations of Malaysia. May Allah guide the new politicians who will represent us to give justice to the people, fight corruptions and uphold Islamic values in their rulings. That's not much too ask isn't it? Aku bukannya terboyot-boyot pergi mengundi untuk dapatkan imbuhan pun... nasib baik tak terberanak kat pusat mengundi semalam!

Anyway, I am content to know that if ever in the future my children would ask me, what have I done for them in regards to their rights of this country, I would gladly say that I have done my part to choose the right leaders for them.

Allahuakbar!

My 2008 birthday

2008-02-25T13:57:00.010+08:00

I turned 32 last Sunday, 24th February 2008. Bestnya dah 32 tawun... I am now older than most of my friends...(ayat2 utk psycho diri sendiri). Anyhow, it really feels good turning a year older yet feel nothing has changed much in me...age is just a number rite?

The three or actually four of us celebrated my birthday with a western meal lunch and a piece of cake for each at Kiwi Express, Shah Alam Mall. The food that they served there was not bad at all...

The day after (hari gaji + bonus), hubby bought me a cute notebook which I have wanted for long for my birthday present. The 7 inches-Linux-powered Eee Pc. With weight lesser than 1 kg, now I can say goodbye to aching shoulders carrying those heavy laptops to class (which I haven't done for long now).

My new notebook - thank you Papa!

However, before anything, the machine has to go through an endurance test first, in order to ensure its level of functionality, usability, reliability and 'fun-ability'....

My QC inspector - sampai dia dah boring baru dia bagi balik

Wanna see my baby?

2008-02-22T16:33:00.005+08:00

This is how Baby M looks like in a 3-D scan. Still at lost of words, my tears dropped seeing him for the first time. Subhanallah, Maha Suci Allah SWT, sungguh besarnya kekuasaanMu!

Hello baby in the belly!

2008-02-05T11:59:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum Baby M,
How are you doing today? Mama is hoping you are in the best of health and having fun in your own private world down there. With your non-stop kickboxing inside my womb, Mama is feeling rest assured that you are living a healthy life though sometimes my belly does feels uneasy. Now that Dr. Norleen has confirmed your sex, we couldn't wait to welcome a new son/baby brother to the family. Mama, Papa and Kakak Ayesha are counting the days till we can see you in this world.

Mama knows that you can already recognised our voice by now especially your sister's. Kakak Ayesha has been talking to you plus hugging and kissing my belly almost everyday since it was growing huge. The funny thing was, Mama see that you can respond well to her. When she calls your name, you move excitedly and when she says, don't move too much coz it will hurt Mama, you stopped immediately. Hmm....you didn't really respond that well to my instructions though :( Anyway, it's fun to see the interactions of both of you. Mama know Kakak Ayesha would make a good sister to you and you two would be a good sibling to each other.

Next week, we have scheduled an appointment to have a 3-D scan being done. Though it will only be 6 more weeks till we can see the real you, Mama couldn't wait that long to see how you look like. Mama hope you will not feel shy and hide your face during the scanning as I am so excited to see the little kickboxer who's been living inside me for so long. Anyway Baby M, please be rest assured that however you will look like, Mama and Papa's love to you won't lessen a bit and that we will love and cherish you forever and ever till the day we die.

Till then, lots of love from us outside here to you inside there.
*kiss*

Lazy Saturday and asam pedas

2008-01-19T21:35:00.000+08:00

Hari ni kami malas nak pergi mana2. Bangun pagi pun lewat (of course bangun Subuh and tido balik ye) and doing just domestic chores around the house. For breakfast, hubby buat mihun goreng and usually it will be my task to cook lunch ‘yang best2 sikit’ on weekends. I decided to make asam pedas. Ni pasal dok baca cite Konot yang teringin sangat nak makan asam pedas la ni. I’ve never tried making asam pedas before, beli pun jarang. For orang Utara, masakan asam pedas ni is not a common dish served in the kitchen. My mother (as far as I could remember) never cooked it for us nor has my Grandma ever taught me to prepare one.

Nevertheless, berpandukan resepi yang aku dapat dari pek asam jawa Adabi, aku pun try gak exercising my cooking skill. After one and a half hour…..(yes, that long…pasal aku kalau dah masuk dapur, bila dah keluar, dapur mesti macam untouched, siap cuci semua pinggan mangkuk periuk belanga, mop lantai segala…) siapla lauk asam pedas ikan kembung dan kacang panjang goreng. Hubby tolong prepare the table and we had our lunch together.

Sedap ke asam pedas tu? Aku rasa for a first timer menjadilah jugak. Hubby kata OK gak, tak pedas sangat and dia tambah nasi 2 pinggan sambil hirup2 kuah dari pinggan and Ayesha pun makan nasi 3 mangkuk dengan lauk tu aje sambil cakap, “Sedaplah Mama masak!”. Pendek kata, licin la periuk nasi aku hari ni (maybe sebab asam pedas ikan kembung aku sedap sangat atau family aku dah kebuluran pasal kami lunch pun dah dekat pukul 4… hahaha…).

So, here is the simplified recipe for those who want to try it (read: Konot sila masak sendiri):

Bahan-bahannya:

Pes cili – 3 sudu besar (aku dah siap blend cili kering ngan bawang, tapi pakai cili boh pun ok gak)
Bawang besar – 2 biji
Bawang kecil – 4 biji
Bawang putih – 4 biji
Kunyit hidup – ½ inci
Halia – ½ inci
Serai – 2 batang
Sedikit belacan
Garam, gula, serbuk perasa
Asam jawa Adabi (promote ni) - 2 ½ sudu besar
Daun kesum – 2 tangkai (amik daun je tau)
Ikan (ikut suka ikan apa, tapi yang sedap kembung or pari)
Air – 3 cawan
Minyak masak – 1 cawan

Cara-caranya:

Blend semua bahan 1 – 8 dengan sedikit air
Panaskan minyak, tumis bahan yang diblend tadi sampai naik minyak dgn api perlahan.
Masukkan garam, gula dan serbuk perasa secukupnya (boleh tambah lagi nanti kalau tak cukup rasa)
Masukkan asam jawa yg dah dilarutkan dengan air.
Lepas tu baru masukkan air, daun kesum dan ikan, masak sampai mendidih.

Siap, selamat menjamu selera.

1 January 2008

2008-01-01T10:37:00.000+08:00

Alhamdullillah.. I am still alive and breathing to welcome the new year. Segala puji dan syukur bagi Tuhan sekelian alam. Di tahun baru ini, semua orang sibuk memperbaharui azam. As for me, I don't really have a year's goal, my azam(s) are usually short-termed because it is easier to plan and more quantifiable. I feel I am more determined to achieve it if the time frame given is limited. So what have I achieved in 2007? Let's muhasabah diri sendiri sekejap.

being pregnant (duh!)
getting the job that I dreamed of and settle down with it
graduated from my year long talaqqi al-quran class (oh! it is not easy to commit to this)
having so much time to spend for myself and family (very contrary of me in 2006)
moving to our own house

Ok, itu yang tercapai, the ones yang non-achievable yet pun banyaaakkkk.... I'll plan them carefully to be executed and achieved by this year. Some of it are:

settle down my credit card debt
start and complete my research work in order for job confirmation
khatam al-quran during ramadhan (excuse: tahun lepas was struggling with puasa and pregnancy)
furnish house with the nice-to-haves the debt-free way
learn new language i.e arabic, mandarin or japanese

Tomorrow new semester will start and I am all excited to work again, after so long being 'workless' and bosan separuh maut in the office. I hope I will improve my teaching style and method this year and meet new faces that are eager to gain knowledge as I am to give them.

Tingkatkan produktiviti, kurangkan kontroversi friends! :P

My belly is showing

2007-12-07T15:07:00.000+08:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen, for those who didn't know yet, I am officially announcing here that I'm 6 months pregnant. The due date most probably will be in mid March 2008.

Finally now people have realized that I am actually a pregnant lady...after so many remarks of "Pregnant ke? Tak nampak pun?" in the past few months. During my brother's wedding recently, one of my relatives had asked me, "Hat ni (yang ini) tak kawin lagi kan?". My answer was, "Tak kawin apanya, dlm perut ni nak masuk yg no 3 dah!". Hehehe... I still do look like an anak dara ke?

On a heavier note, only Allah knows how scared I am during the course of this pregnancy. I have experienced the pain of losing a child when he was 20 weeks old thus in the earlier stage of this pregnancy, I wanted to keep it private to families and close friends only. It was just for a reason that if anything happen to the baby and me, I wouldn't have to endure listening to people's empathy anymore. It was a tough period that I have gone through and wished not to repeat again. Anyhow, I know there is never a safe time to announce, be it before the baby is born or after because if it is destined to be; when He says Kun Fayakun, what will be...will be. Only prayers and doa can comfort me during this time. Please pray for me ya dear friends...?