Red or Green?

It's almost 3am malam raya. And I'm still awake. Just finished cooking my raya dishes - took me almost 5 blardy hours. Cleaning took another hour. Hubby and children have been fast asleep since 11pm. And sigh.. I still haven't iron any of our raya clothes (mine, hubby's or kids) yet. Problem is I can't really decide which colour we all should wear tomorrow. Red or green? Sigh.. I cant think now. Maybe I'll decide in the morning..

Anyway, i think I better hit the sack now. Don't think I'll look radiant with eyebags underneath my eyes on first day raya morning. Ciao. Have a good raya and Maaf Zahir and Batin. Drive safe.

Menjelang Hari Raya..

We're already at 27 Ramadhan but I have still not yet fully prepared for Hari Raya..

Went to do a bit of shopping today with hubby and Lisa and children. MY GAWD - there were sooooooo many people. There was traffic jam ok, in blardy WARTA!! Would you believe it?

Last nite we were in Parkson, Alamanda. Got only shoes for me. Hubby got most of his things + things for his dad and brothers. And as usual, since we were in Parkson it would also then mean spending money for the kid's toys at Toys'R Us too.. I didnt really get to go round looking for stuff, coz I was busy keeping an eye on Zarif, who was disappearing every 5 minutes. Nina was with me too, in the stroller (easier to mind) but getting restless coz Papa was taking too long deciding which ensemble he wanted for raya..

So today I had hoped to score a bit more in Warta. Whilst Hubby sorted out his other stuff he needed (sampin, butang baju melayu & songkok), I had only managed to get my mother-in-law's gift (brooch set at 50% discount), my camisole to wear with my very-jarang-baju-raya and Nina's shoes, which I bought without Nina coz she was getting restless yet again, and needless to say they are a tad bit too tight - so have to go get them exchanged for a bigger size.. Sigh..

I had also thought of going to Alamanda again today after Warta coz I still needed to buy make-up, another pair of shoes (for my 2nd day raya kurung), a new handbag and another pair of office shoes I spotted and liked yesterday (they were on sale too!) and the children's socks! But I'm already exhausted from battling the people in Warta just now, I just wanna lie in bed. We're gonna go out for Buka tonite again in the Mines Resort and Spa so I have to get the kids prepared too. So very unlikely that I'll be back in time to go for buka. So I guess no more shopping lah today..

Not to worry, still have Sunday. So let's hope tomorrow I finally get EVERYTHING sorted out menjelang hari raya. Then only am I truly prepared for hari raya. Hehe.

Oh, before I forget, Nina's gonna be 2 this 1st Syawal too.. So happy birthday darling Nina. Hubby's birthday also falls on 2nd raya. So it's a two-in-one celebration nanti. So nways, am gonna be quite bz. If I don't blog again til after Raya - here's wishing all Muslims a Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Mohon Maaf Zahir Batin. To all the others, Happy Holidays.

1st Buka Puasa Outside (22 Ramadhan 1429 Hijriah)

Tonite Alhamdulillah, Dad decided to treat us - 1 family (minus Sofia, Ikram & Lisa) to a buka puasa do outside. We're on a pretty tight budget this month (for some reason) and so this is our first buka do outside. Mom called me at about 6pm-ish, whilst I was still at Ibu's place picking the kids up after work, asking if we'd join her and dad.

I said sure. Hey, I am not one to refuse an invitation for makan ya.. Hehe. So went home first, changed the kids into something more comfortable, made the kids' milk and at about 6.50pm, we left for De Palma Inn Cafe in the PKNS Complex in Bdr Baru Bangi. It was a good place, it wasn't too crowded either, the kids loved the indoor air-conditioned cafe - which kept them entertained whilst we buka outside under the gazebos to enjoy the night breeze. All in all I was in good family company and the food was ok too - not too expensive either - at RM25 nett per person (the kids ate for free.)

After that it was a good round of chatting, exchanging stories of interest and catching up. Loved it.

Anyway that's all I have for tonite. Hubby's waiting to use his laptop now - perhaps to browse and check out new cars again.... Perhaps I should let you know what his budget is - about RM100k - RM115k - then maybe I can have some suggestions as to what his new year car should be.. Hehe. Til then, catch y'all tomorrow. Nighty nite..

Sure, New Cabinets? Why not?

My mom told me yesterday that it was a very busy day for her at home. She and my sisters had to clear out all the kitchen cabinets to make way for new ones. Apparently, this guy was at her house installing new kitchen cabinets for her. This was yesterday about 1 week nearing Hari Raya. The good news is that she will have a new look in her kitchen come hari raya.. (hmm - will she?). The bad news is that from the looks of it and the rate the carpenters are working on this cabinet (v.e.r.y. s.l.o.w.) - it doesnt look like it'll be ready in time for raya..

I found out from Sofia today that the kitchen is, as I can imagine, in a total mess - coz practically everything had to be taken out from the old cabinets. Apparently also - no one could even enter the kitchen, it seems.. (dunno how they prepared for buka) and they even had to buka puasa last night and sahur this morning duduk bersila in the adjacent TV room. "Fuiyo, macam pindah rumah baru" Sofia said of the mess..

When asked what the new cabinets looked like now - my other sister, Lisa says the kitchen cabinets are still halfdone, and not with the finishing touches - but even still, it doesnt look pleasing at all. Dad of course only complained when he took a look at it last night when he came home. (Dad = paymaster)

So I am thinking - WHY? Why put yourself thru all the stress especially nearing a significant event? Beats me honestly. Anyways, I have already told Lisa to tell my mom to tell the supplier to get it done by end of this week, by hook or by crook. We shall just have to see.. In the meantime, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Normal or C-Sec?

My younger sister, Sofia is about 32 weeks (8 months) pregnant with her first child. That's her in the picture. She looks a lot bigger than that now. Hehe. Anyway, she's carrying a lil baby boy - now weighing in at almost 2kg. Now, lil baby boy isn't due to come out until the 11th November 2008, but Sofia keeps saying she really can't wait that long. I can totally relate to how she feels - me having gone thru two pregnancies myself.

In most pregnancies - the final trimester is the most trying. Your tummy expands to a size you'd never expect your tummy to be; your boobs become heavier too, everything else starts to become expand too - your hips, your thighs; on and off - you will start getting the braxton hicks contractions - to familiarise you with the actual contractions during labour; just as you'd have trouble carrying the extra weight - you'd walk as slow as a turtle, at night, you'd also have trouble finding your sweet spot on your bed too as you can no longer just lie on your back, whatmore on your tummy - so sleeping is almost always sideways.. and sleeping in this position for 8 hours or so, results in you waking up exhausted with half of your body aching.. You also start getting heartburn daily as your stomach is now pushed upwards - to accommodate your growing baby and so sometimes as gross as it may sound, you can still taste what you had for dinner last nite. Asides from that your baby's movement is also a lot more prominent now and their boisterous lil kung fu moves in your tummy can at times hurt you too. Sigh..

So I can totally understand how Sofia feels. Now that she's nearer to her due date - she's also been worrying as to whether she should undergo normal delivery or a c-sec. Having experienced both (Zarif normal delivery and Nina a C-Sec) - I'd personally recommend a C-sec. Yeah, it'd hurt the first few days they cut you open, but by the 4th day and with some pain killers - I was fine. Even my dad and Mek (Grandma) was surprised. I was walking at a good pace, climbing up the stairs, much to the disapproval of my Mek who had warned me not to. I was taking out the trash, cooking my own pantang food. All was good. Of course, you'd have a visible scar on your tummy from the op and cost wise, a C-sec would cost a lot more too, but I had recovered soooo much faster with a C-sec compared to when I had given birth to Zarif.

With Zarif, I had refused to walk anywhere, I was just bedridden and if I had to walk it was at the pace of a turtle, I had sitting down too as you'd need to sit properly to avoid it from hurting and going to the bathroom hurt, too. What's worse was that I also had to battle an infection too which was awful and everything had hurt so bad. I remember crying for days and breaking down. So much so, that recalling my experience giving birth to him still makes me cringe til today.

So anyway, that is what I had told Sofia. I mean I didnt want to scare her, but she was there to witness how I was when I recuperated from both experience and I know she's anxious. I had told her to speak to her gynae about her options and she has, but the thing about Malaysian Hospitals is that patients don't get that option of choosing whether it's a C-sec or normal delivery they're having. Here, they will try as much as possible to put you thru labour and thru a normal delivery unless circumstances would demand otherwise - then only they'll wheel you into the OT and cut you open to take your baby out.

I had problems delivering Nina normally (her heartbeat was too weak), which was why my gynae then decided to put me thru an emergency C-sec. All it took was half an hour and the damage to our pockets was a lot more compared to when we had Zarif, but it was all worth it.

Anyway, Sofia concluded that she still hasnt decided if she'd go for a C-sec and according to her gynae, it's still too early to determine if she needs to go for a C-sec. So I guess it's going to be a normal delivery for Sofia's first and hopefully all goes well. I am sure she'll be fine, since she won't be delivering in Putrajaya Hospital where I gave birth to Zarif. (She'll be in Serdang Hospital). I pray that her experience giving birth normally will be a lotttttt better than my own. I also pray that all will be well for her during her delivery and I wish her all the best. I love her lots and can't wait to welcome my new lil nephew..

As for my next babies - I guess I'd still opt to go for a C-sec. So my hubby had better start saving from now. :P

There's a FIRST time for everything I guess..

Ok first of all, I was looking thru my blog today and Zarif noticed that I had Nina's pix up in my blog. He looked at me and smiled. He also told me he wanted another pix of him in my blog. So we were browsing thru our picture folder and came across this pix. For some reason, he wanted me to upload this pix of me and him which was taken at my cousin's, Ika's May wedding. He also wanted to start blogging in my blog. So guys, I will let him use the laptop and write whatever he wants to blog about, ok? Ok, Zarif can't wait and is now urging me to let him use the laptop.. so I will let him continue. So here goes guys -

hi6nbjhhmkbdn ccufgue rugruggreuegurcgfrgergceruuuu8trugorgpeofeffrprpere'rfrg[tgtrr[f[gg'g'

ydyudayytgjuhhrbvlfrw;jsnkapeljhdeurertlgk fl gkjogitghiytyboyiogvtyhioy krgvigrigvrogirogivrjugisuqg7x8e7xwg7ew7 7x7ew7we8ge7cxxg
egftcftfwxfxwfdf evuxcyfvdyxctvyteyfftcvfcvfvdnfeiyweufyevfvufdfvervyejueiynweyvodvoioivnfoiuxcvufyvfvfyvf

Would appreciate your comments on this. :) Thanks.

Living in Harmony

Two days ago, my hubby was telling me this story about one of his Malay office friend's fortune (or misfortune, rather). I feel compelled to write about it. Read on, and you will understand why.

My hubby's friend, let's name him B (I really didn't ask my hubby what his friend's name was..). Now, B came across this notice for auction of a double-storey terrace somewhere. (Again, I didn't ask for the whereabouts of this particular house). But anyway, the auctioneer was RHB Bank.

Keen on owning a property, B took the opportunity to take part in the auction. It went well for him I guess, with him being the new owner of the double-storey terrace. B was ecstatic as he would soon have a place he could call his own.

Immediately after the auction, B went to view the property. You would not have believed what he found..

The house was there alright, but it wasn't an empty house. B found much to his horror, that there were still occupants living in the house! Wanting to find out what was going on, I mean, he did get the house, and the address was correct and all, B then decided to ring the doorbell. A man came out (the previous owner of the house), whom had defaulted on their mortgage with RHB Bank. Puzzled with B's presence, the man then asked what B wanted.

B explained albeit nervously (not knowing how the man would react) - that HE now was THE legal owner of the house and had just purchased the house when he took part in the auction held earlier that day by the mortgagor (Mortgagor la kan, the bank?). Further details of what was discussed here is not known.

Anyway, B mentioned that he had wanted to occupy the house, but seeing that the man's own family was still staying there, B would allow some time for them to pack their things and vacate the house. They were supposed to have vacate the house by last weekend. (The weekend of 13th & 14th Sept 2008).

So last Sunday - B went to visit his house again. This time, as promised by the man - the house was vacant. But it wasn't just vacant. It was vacant and DAMAGED.

B went in and found the following - Most Walls upstairs and downstairs had been spray painted with words of profanity. All Ceiling Fans had been bent. All Lighting fixtures had been broken and been taken out. Walls were also bashed exposing bricks underneath. Tiles and flooring (upstairs & downstairs, kitchen & bathroom) had also been damaged and broken. The kitchen sink was removed. And all toilet bowls and wash basins in the toilets were broken.

Not happy with the turn of events, the man had obviously thought - since he could not own the house - why should he make it any easy for B to own it, right? So la typical this Hasad Dengki antara Melayu. I really don't understand it lah.

It seems to me that these 'hasad dengki' has always been prevalent within the Malay community. Believe you me, I have heard many stories about this Malay hasad dengki (in my husband's family also got..) but you won't hear it from any other la. I don't know.

When it comes to preaching Kita Bangsa Melayu whatever, bukan main. But the basic virtues - for instance, Respect and Honour tak ada langsung! You'd expect it'd be the Malays who would be the ones who are always catching their fellow Malays' backs. But yet, they'd lash out too and at their very own. Very sad indeed.

I really kesian B. But am glad to find out from my hubby that B isn't just sitting still with what has happened. To date, he's already lodged a police report and is also considering legal action too against the very bank for auctioning a house which was not vacant. I agree that he's got a reason for considering legal actions, but with our 'super efficient' judiciary - I really dont think he will be relieved or compensated anytime soon la. It would be a long wait for him and I would have probably blogged into the thousands by then. In any case - I wish him all the best in the meantime.

Another Angel in Heaven..

I just got this email about this little girl in Thailand, not that much older than my own lil girl, who had been badly bitten by a dog and had succumbed to the severe wounds that she had gotten. In the pictures, I see an unconsolable mother and elder sister crying over the dead body of her daughter/sister. I don't know her and yet I feel sooo much emotion in me.

As a mother, I am also very heartbroken and as I am typing, I too have tears welling up in my eyes. I truly feel their loss. She was a very pretty girl (see pix attached) and I feel terrible and deeply saddened by what this poor girl have had to endure. Pray that her soul will be in peace always and that God will protect his lil Angel in Heaven. God bless her soul. Amen.

Sapa buat??

This is Zarin Irdina Fitri, my daughter. She's 22 months old. She will be 2 this coming raya. The reason why I am putting her pix up in my blog is coz her elder brother, Zarif asked why I have not blogged about Nina. Yes, Zarif knew that I had blogged about him and his 'Smokers Unite' ad and so asked why I hadnt blogged about Nina. So this blog is for Nina.

I also thought I'd have her pix in here coz my mom brought an interesting question up with regards to Nina yesterday too. I was at my mom's preparing for buka and she had mentioned that she realised that Nina's vocabulary has increased profoundly in the past few months. Yes, Nina is talking way ahead of toddlers her age. Even her babysitter has mentioned that amongst all the kids she has taken care of the past 20 odd years, Nina is the first baby to speak sooooo early. You can hold a conversation with her and she's not even 2! Amazing..

Anyway, back to my story - My mom is of course pleased with Nina's vocab. But had pointed out that my mom had noticed that Nina is clever enough to ask Zarif 'Sapa buat?' whenever he starts crying. So when she told me this, I said ok, so? Then she just looked at me and made this face and started saying 'Hmm.. Nina must have gotten that phrase from the parents..'. That's all she said.

But that really made me ponder. I just kept quiet, not wanting to further question my mom what she meant by that. (My mom and I often get into heated debates more times than I want to..) Sigh..

So again I went to bed last nite - pondering.. Wondering..

Wouldnt you normally ask that question though whenever a child starts crying? I mean, I am sure kids would have to have a reason for crying in the first place and in the case of most children, they start crying either coz someone had taken away something they had been playing with or coz they got into a fight and had been hit by the other child or something like that, right? They even cry when they fall, kan? No? So naturally you'd ask 'Sapa buat?'.

I am confused. My mom says you should speak to your children as though they are adults. Sapa buat isn't, is it? I am still learning how to do this mother thing lah, you know. Whatever I do, it AlWAYS does not seem to be the right thing in my mom's eyes... and it bugs me every time!

Nina being chatty pun susah.. Tak chatty pun susah. Macammana ni?

Bake me a cake as fast as you can..

Today I am baking a cake. I went shopping for stuff yesterday to bake a cake today. The last time I ever baked a cake was hmmm... let me see - maybe a good 7-8 years ago. Hehe. Dulu-dulu, time single boleh la bake cakes, chocolate chip cookies when I wasn't out dating. After that,

1. I didnt have an oven to bake in and 2. Time was an issue.

So today I am attempting to bake a cake, I've already taken out the butter. I will start in the afternoon, and have the cake ready just in time for 'buka'. That would be my activity for today. I think since I previously posted about how I think I am not doing enough with my children, I'd probably include the services of my 2 lil helpers too - Ms. Irdina and Mr. Zarif. I am sure they'll be excited to help me bake the cake. Hehe.

Asides from baking a cake, I have also been asked by my dearest hubby to accompany him to go view a Kia Sportage at the nearest Kia centre. He's thinking of getting one. He's been toying with the idea of upgrading his City for quite some time now. From a 3-series Beemer to a Mitsubishi Lancer to now a Kia Sportage. Any thoughts on this Kia Sportage anyone?

OK guys - gotta go - That's my Quipsmore for today. See y'all. Have a good weekend.

The Go(o)dmother

Every night before I sleep, probably that 2-3 minutes before I actually doze off into my at-times-dreamless-sleep, I will start doing a 'muhasabah diri' - an evaluation of how good (or bad) I had been for the day. Sometimes I'd be pleased. More times, I am not.

I will tell you why. As a parent, one of the things that I wonder about is whether I am or have been a good mother to my 2 children. Being a mom is no doubt a tough job. I am constantly left to wonder whether I have done enough as a mother. Did I bond with them enough? What value or lesson have I taught them for today? Have I given them enough encouragement? Are they eating enough / healthily or are they hungry going to bed? I also would evaluate how I fare on the 'anger management' bit? You know laa, scolding kids too often would result in them growing up hostile, and I certainly don't want them to be... Am I letting their talents go to waste?? etc etc..

It doesn't help when you find out from your lil chats with your childhood friend that she's got different programmes arranged for her children daily, for example - visits to the bookstore, or to the library.. Visits to the pet store, in addition to the teaching of Maths, English, Bahasa & doing little Science experiments with them. That lil chat has basically left me feeling that I am NOT doing enough with (or for) my children. Sad indeed.

I am not sure if all mothers wonder the same. For me, I guess I will always feel a pang of guilt. I don't think I am ever doing enough. So my muhasabah diri is almost always to try and improve myself to become a better mother. I am hopeful. Tomorrow's a brand new day. It will be better..

'Anti-Katakan-Tak-Nak-kepada-Rokok' ad

This portrait is of my 4-year-old, Zarif Iskandar, showing everyone out there how it should be done.



I thought this pix was cool - what with him holding a Dji Sam Soe ciggie correctly and with that cheeky look on his face too. Hehe. I suppose this is what happens when a grandson spends quality time with his granddad (Atok).. He adores his Atok soo much and always knows the right things to say to him. Zarif takes soooo much after my dad - looks, traits, outgoing personality and style that even my dad calls Zarif his 'Lil/Mini Me'. Anyway, let's hope Zarif will be a successful and a money magnet just like his granddad too.. ;)



But that said, I'd be worried as his mommy, if he picked this habit up. We shall see. Perhaps if I mould him into a doctor, he'd learn about what smoking can do to you and he won't. But then again studying medicine is probably sooo stressful that to cope, he'd have to pick up smoking..


Hmm... Either way he is MY Zarif and I will love him either way.

And Here I Am... (Finally!!!)

Phew!!! Didnt think creating a blog account would take me freaking years to do. Yeah, I've definitely thot about blogging, no doubt - me and my sometimes opinionated mind do have things we'd like to share with others out there at times.. but that said, I seriously thought I could not manage one.

I mean, NO... Not with my daily jam packed schedule from early morning til late nite. No, not with a full-time hectic job and also having to manage two kids and a husband when you're home after a long day at work with no maid on your side. I literally doze off the minute my head touches my pillow each night and pray for a better (and more manageable day) tomorrow.

But in spite of this busy schedule, I am rather pleased that TODAY the 6th Day of Ramadhan (after 'sahur') I have now had that wee bit of time to spare to finally create a blog of my own. I shall therefore from today onwards try (or at least put in a bit, if not a lot, of effort) to blog. So watch this space.

We shall just have to see what quips (or quirks) I have for each day.. and hopefully after this blogging thing has gotten me going - there's gonna be a lot to 'quipsmore' about. I have after all been told by a very good friend and colleague of mine that I should consider starting my own blog and now that I have FINALLY taken that step, I'd personally like to thank a particular Anfield Devotee for his encouragement and support in me starting my own blog.

Thank you Anfield Devotee. Here's to 'Quipsmore..' :)