I Feel Good....

Despite the late notice and the fact a lot of the staff are still on leave, we manage to collect 7 huge boxes of clothing for the Tsunami victims (plus lots of small boxes too). Thank you so much to all those that donated their stuff.

All clothing will be going to the Tsunami victims via MERCY Malaysia. Mamat Nationwide Express yang mai nak ambik barang pun terkejut.

Errr...banyaknya. Van kecik jer. Camno nak muek?

We managed to put in 4 huge boxes along with all the small boxes in the van. As we were loading the boxes, people from the other divisions came up and asked when we would be collected stuff again. Apparently not everybody got the email yesterday.

After some discussion, we decided to have a second round of collection next Wednesday. Here is a list of things that are urgently needed by the Tsunami victims.

1. Clean and usable blankets and clothing items – please make sure they are in good condition, clean and without holes.
2. School uniforms, shoes, bags and any other school related materials
3. Food items that is canned or tinned. Packaged food like Milo 3-1 is also acceptable.

For more info, please check MERCY’s website at www.mercy.org.my

Malaysia Boleh!!!

My Promise for a Better Tomorrow

Appreciate hubby more. Tell him I love him everyday. Hug at least once a day.

Love the kids even more. Spoil them once in a while. Read stories and sing songs with them everyday.

Call my mom everyday. Ask her how her day was and actually LISTEN.

Send SMS jokes to dad. Plan a family trip together and PAY for it this time.

Say thank you more often to my MIL. Help her around the house more when go back to Melaka. Frame pictures of the kids and surprise her with them.

Make more contact with brothers and sis-in-laws. Learn to share more. Learn to receive.

Make new friends and appreciate the ones I have.

Appreciate the fact I have a job.

Learn to be punctual.

Join a Charity and contribute.

Take better care of self, physically, mentally and spiritually.


Have a great new year everyone. May 2005 be better for all of us. Insya’allah.

A Wave of Destruction

Man loses five of his children during picnic outing.

52 people confirmed dead and numbers expected to rise.

More than 200 families in Penang are left homeless.

These were just some of the heart wrenching headlines in today’s newspaper. The Tsunami incident has left a trail of disaster after hitting the west coast shores of peninsular Malaysia last Sunday. People have lost family members, friends and loved ones. Many have lost their homes and livelihood. Let’s not forget those who perished in other countries around the world too; thousands in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Indonesia.

As I sit here in front of the computer, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing at that very moment. The family had gone up to Bukit Merah Laketown Resort for our year-end family outing. I was on the bed, breastfeeding Dina when I felt the bed shake.

Eh, apo benda lak ni yang goncang katil?

Watching the news later that day gave me my grim answer. I watched as the news reporters gathered information from the victims on what really happened that day. All basically said the same thing that it happened so quickly, there was absolutely no time to do anything.

Malaysia is a blessed country. One thing is, we’re safe from volcanoes, earthquakes, sand storms and blizzards. However, apparently we’re not safe from Tsunamis.

My prayers go out to all those who were affected by this disaster. Berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu yang memikul.

T.G.I.F.

“Ghost Town” doesn’t even begin to describe the office today. More than half of the staffs are already gone for the weekend. Can’t believe that after yesterday’s shopping spree, I had enough energy to drag my butt out of bed and come to work.

Hubby has a morning meeting in Seremban today, then an afternoon meeting in Kelana Jaya. Sometimes I think he works too hard. This weekend should be a great chance for both of us to let off some steam.

*****************************************************

Today’s my brother’s birthday. Happy birthday Angah. May you get wiser as you grow older.

Shop Till You Drop

Yesterday was a day of many firsts. Had two meetings in KL, so took the opportunity to go on the ERL. Man, was that train fast. Only took me 20 minutes to get to KL Sentral. Driving would have taken me at least an hour. As I marveled at the comfort and spaciousness of the train, I noticed two Indonesian men also on the train. Unlike me, they looked pretty bored.

Tengok! Orang Indon pun tak heran naik ERL ni dah. I’m like the only person in the world that hasn’t been on it!!

But I was on a high. Dah lama tak naik train ni. When I was single, almost every weekend you could find me on the LRT heading to KLCC. I remember when I was young, my grandparents took me and my brother to JB on the KTM train. It was a blast. We would explore the train from one end to the other. The mee goring and sirap bandung sold at the bar tasted heavenly. The 6 hour trip went by so quickly; makes me wonder why I’ve never taken another one since.

Anyhow, after reaching KL Sentral, Kak Ida picked me up and we headed for our first meeting. After an hour of deliberating, we found ourselves with 3 hours to spare before the second meeting. So what’re two ladies armed with credit cards in the middle of town to do with all that time? GO SHOPPINGLAH!!

First choice was Mid Valley, but seeing how our second meeting was near City Square, we decided to head off to Berjaya Times Square. Believe it or not, I’d never been there before so again I was in for a surprise treat. Sale..sale..sale!! Carrie Bradshaw would have been very proud. True to form, I bough two pairs of shoes; one for 70% off, another for 50%. Can you imagine how much I saved by buying those shoes?

In the back of my head, could hear hubby say “but you would have saved even more if you hadn’t bought those shoes in the first place!!”

After much walking around, we both finally broke down due to tired feet (high heels are not meant for serious shopping) and headed off for our second meeting. It had just started to rain when our meeting ended so Kak Ida drove me to the nearest LRT station where I caught the next train to KL Sentral and then back to Cyberjaya. Hubby was glaring at the shopping bags I carried when he came to pick me up.

Tu beli apa lagi tu?

Kasut. Gila gila punya sale. They’re for formal dinners and weddings. Takkan nak pakai kasut kerje pi kenduri orang.

At which point hubby decided it was pointless to comment further and to just leave me alone with my happy smile and tired feet.

With a Baby Sleeping in the House..

you learn to talk in hushed tones.

you tend to walk on tipped toes.

you tend to take handphone calls outside...even when its raining.

you pour water down the toilet bowl instead of flushing.

you learn to read lips, watching the TV on mute mode.

One Should Be Grateful..

Kak Dina's blog had an entry with the same title. Hope she won't sue me for copyright infringement.

*****************************************************

The sudden death of officemate Syiqin has affected me more than I expected. I began reading her blog and found myself at a lost for not knowing this special person. Her blog starts sometime during her pregnancy, which she celebrates with such enthusiasm. Unlike me, who complained of back aches, constipation, cramps and nausea 70% of the time.

She talks about how coming from a big family, she too wishes to have many children. Unlike me, who complains of spending so much on diapers and formula every month.

She includes every blog with a doa, praises for Allah and words of gratitude for having a loving husband and beautiful son.
Unlike me, yg suka mengarut je dalam setiap blog.

I have learned so much from this person.

I have learned that one should be grateful for not only the great things that happen in our lives, but also the not so great things. Being pregnant has its not-so-great moments, every mother would agree.

But when I think of friends who are still waiting and trying to have their first child, I feel ashamed. For my pregnancies came easily, without having to resort to any fertility treatments.
When I hear of mothers caring for children with heart defects, Down syndrome, and other sicknesses, I feel ashamed. For my children are healthy with only the common flu to battle with once in a while.
When I read about mothers who lose their children to accidents and illnesses, I feel ashamed. For my children are safe and well, being cared for parents who love them and a maid who adores them.

I have also learned that we should be grateful for the people in our lives. Sure, your husband may snore and he leaves the toilet bowl seat up despite frequent reminders. Sure, your moms and/or MIL may nag you still and treat you as if you were still a little girl. Sure your children may drive you up the wall with their excessive whining and demands.

But can you imagine your life without them?

I for one, cannot imagine coming home to an empty bed and not to be able to feel my hubby’s warm body beside me.

I cannot imagine not having my mom call me up with her daily updates on her life.

I cannot imagine not having MIL around to cook and make cute clothes for the kids.

I cannot imagine life without the girls and their funny antics, cute smiles and cheeky faces.

****************************************************

Officemates were in shock and in tears upon hearing of Syiqin’s demise. Makes me wonder if my life on earth so far has been a fruitful one. If I have made any positive impacts in the lives of the people I know. If anyone would cry over my passing.

Takdir Allah..

The whole office is in mourning today. A colleague of ours passed away today.

Her name was Syikin.

People say she was in the office in the morning, but was supposedly to be on leave. She was on her way back home when she met with an accident.

She was 25 years old.

She had a husband and a baby, not even a year old.

I’m still in shock. I don’t know her but hubby does.

Innalillahhiwatainnahiraji’un

He's the ONE for me

A friend of mine recently asked me, how do you know when the person you’re with is THE ONE?

I was stumped. I could have given her the usual lecture of how you feel butterflies in your stomach every time you see him or how you wake up each morning and he’s the first thing on your mind. I could have, but I didn’t.

Because it wasn’t like that in my case.

If ever I had butterflies in my stomach, it was probably due to eating too much. Or if I woke up thinking about my husband (then boyfriend), it would be coz he owed me money or I owed him.

I know of some people who met, fell in love and got married all in the span of 3 months. I know of people who dated for 8 years yet ended up marrying different people. I know of one person who had never met her husband until the day of their Nikah. And now they’re expecting their fourth child together.

I’ve known my husband for 10 years now. He’s been my friend for 2 years, my lover for 4, my fiancée for 7 months and now my husband for 3 years. We’ve been through happy times and sad times. We’ve fought and made up. In three years of marriage, we now have 2 daughters, a fully paid car, a house and an apartment to rent. Some people would think we have it made. I would very much like to think so too.

My husband wasn’t my first boyfriend, but he was the first person I dated that I knew I could marry. Reason being...I would have to out it down to timing. I was 20 when we started dating. I had already been in countless relationships and had had my heart broken many times. I was ready for a serious relationship, no more puppy/donkey/monkey love for me.

I remember drawing up a list with my friends on the criteria of our dream guys. Mine would have to be tall, handsome, lean, a good cook, loves massaging, wealthy, funny and a romantic. My hubby’s handsome and somewhat funny, but he rates 4/10 in the other categories. Ok, so he can scramble an egg but only in desperate measures. And he grumbles when I ask for a massage. As for romantic, well, he did surprise me with a diamond ring our last anniversary, but surprises like those are far and between.

So why did I marry him?

Because he’s kind.

Because I saw how he treated his younger cousins with love and knew that I wanted this man to treat my children the same way.

Because he let me win at pool, even though he’s better and I was having a fever at the time.

Because whenever we fought, I felt like throwing him out a window. But I also knew that if I did, I would also run down to catch him and break his fall.

Because he listened to all my whims and accepted me for all my faults.

Because he was brave enough to meet my parents and to take me to see his.

Because it was Allah’s will.

So, basically Farr, I have no answer to your question. But you do have my prayers that you find your ONE just as I found mine.

Money, money, money, money...MONEY!!

Dina’s cold has let up. Her breathing still sounds stuffy once in a while but other than that, she fine. Hopefully she’ll be 100% today or tomorrow.

******************************************************

Last night I dreamt I was on The Apprentice. I was classy, chic and ambitious. I was totally ready to work for the Donald. Thing is my teammates didn’t like me much coz I always took time off for prayers. In the middle of a task I would head off back to the Suite for 20 minutes. It never took me longer than that but it was enough to peeve my teammates. None of them had the guts to say it to my face though. Best thing was, Donald seemed to like me best. Even better was the fact that whichever team I was on, we would always wins. So I never found myself in the boardroom, having to address the issue of my frequent praying. And I never got to hear those dreaded words...”YOU’RE FIRED”. AHAKS!!

******************************************************

Toll charges are expected to go up another 10% starting next year. Damn ^&*%%^&$#@@&!!!! I’ll never be able to buy my MPV at this rate.

A Mother's Suffering..

I’ve changed the template of my blog. The old one was acting up and I didn’t know how to fix it. My new template looks more...feminine? Heheheh..mengada le ko, long.

**********************************************************

Dina has a cold. Poor girl, dah le susah nak bagi susu botol. Now with a stuffy nose, she’s even fussier. Ani’s been entrusted with the girls alone for the first time. I wish her luck!! Ibu can’t make it due to a sudden cold. It must be the weather. I plan on going home a bit early today, hubby has a meeting in KL. If her cold hasn’t subsided by tonight, I’ll have to take her to the clinic.

I hate it when my kids are sick.

I hate it when they’re scared.

I hate it when they’re feeling bad and can’t keep anything down in their stomach.

I hate it when they have a runny nose and can’t breathe properly.

I hate it when they have sore throats and can’t eat anything but water.

I hate it when they’re suffering and I can’t do anything to ease their pain.

Except hold them, soothe them and kiss their foreheads.

Monday Blues...

Went back to in-laws for the weekend. Came back last night beat. Add to it, Dina refused to sleep the whole trip back. Had to breastfeed her the whole way, even though she wasn’t really suckling. She just likes playing with her ibu’s t***. Ahaks!! I’m trying to be funny coz it’s so damn hard to keep awake after only a few hours sleep.

***********************************************************

I told hubby about my dream winning the NST puzzle contest. However, instead of winning the Peugeot, the damn organizers gave me a Gen2. I was so pissed!!

“Eh, why you give me a Gen2? I want the Peugeotlah, nak trade in..wanna buy me a Honda Stream.”

“Sorry Puan, but the kerajaan told us, from now on all contests cannot give imported car. Must give local car. And you cannot resell, must pakai for at least 2 years.”

WTF??!!!

I can only remember fragments of the dream, but it ended up with me suing the bloody NST and getting not only the Gen2, but ALSO the Peugeot and cash to boot. Ju’s hubby was my lawyer. My family had a big celebration afterwards. And the entire nation was divided, debating on whether I was a true consumer fighting citizen or just a pain-in-the-ass bitch.

*****************************************************************

Today is ayah's birthday. Sent him and SMS wish kunon from Dania and Dina. I'm so cheap.

And would you like fries with that, Mr. Trump?

I've been reading Sam Solovey's comments on The Apprentice, 2nd Season. For those of you who don't know, Sam is the wacky, short, eccentric fella from the 1st season. Mad as he was, I rather liked him and was rather disappointed when he was fired after the 3rd task. The show lost a bit of its pizzazz after that.

This guy is hilarious. He's obviously obsessed with The Donald, even though he pokes fun at the Big Man’s hair piece (?) at every chance. I love the way he gives his unpredictable predictions of the following episodes. They’re so damn funny!! This guy is one mental case. But he makes me laugh, so score one for the maniacs of the worlds!!

The Apprentice is a big hit and it’s easy to see why. Put 16 highly qualified, intelligent, smart, good looking men and women against each other and watch them dissolve into 4 year olds battling out whose turn it is to get on the swing. Or whose fault it is the seesaw broke. It’s so hilarious at times and calls out for many a-dramatic boardroom incidents. My favorite would have to be when Sam got fired, his expression was priceless!! You could peel the hairpiece off of Trump’s head with that stare!!

Out of all the reality shows out there, I must say The Apprentice and The Amazing Race are both on top of my list. Further down the line would be, For Love or Money (shoot me, but I’m a sucker for helpless romantics and/or green-eyed, money-grabbing gremlins from hell). Survivor used to be on my list but I hardly follow it anymore. I think it’s like in its 9th season or something. Waaayyyyy past its expiration date. Other reality shows like The Newlyweds a.k.a Barbie and Ken show, The Simple Life a.k.a Dumb and Dumber (I’ll let you figure out who’s who) and The Ashley Simpson show only deems viewing when there’s totally nothing else on TV. Even then, I would rather sit and watch paint dry.

**********************************************************

Going back to Melaka tonight. Kids and maid have been shipped off with M-I-L this morning. Feeling friskey..maybe a quick rendezvous with hubby would do before the drive. Ahaks!!!

What Happened..?

Something's wrong with my blog. Everytime I refresh it, the posts all end up at the bottom of the page, while the left-hand column stays up. Looks freaky.

**************************************************************************

Mom called yesterday. Seems dad still wants to go to Bukit Merah as he's already taken his leave. Hubby not so excited about it. Now I'm like 50-50 also.

I Hate....

Noresh has written down the things she loves on her blog. I’ll do the opposite and list down the things I despise, fear and hate. I’m in the mood for complaining. :(

1. Dogs. I’ll elaborate more on this in another blog.
2. Public spitting. GROSS!!
3. People talking in cinemas. So rude!
4. People talking loud on their handphones. Show offs!
5. Transparent lizards. They just freak me out.
6. Rat’s tails. It’s the tail that does it for me. I can stand the nose, even the furry body. But the tail...long and wiggly...urgh!!!
7. Motorcyclists with no tail lights. Terasa nak langgar jer.
8. People who don’t close their mouths with their hands when they yawn. Do you really want to showcase tour tonsils..or in some cases, your leftover breakfast, lunch or dinner.
9. Boredom. *Sigh*
10. Dirty toilets. I always check the toilet when being in a hotel. 6 out of 10 times, I freak out.
11. MCP – male chauvinist pigs. I can recall a few but they shall remain nameless.
12. Corporate red tape.
13. Spam email. I do not..I repeat, do NOT need to enlarge my penis!! Nor do I need Viagra to enhance my sex life!!
14. Fighting with hubby. This just makes me sad and unable to function.
15. Dangdut music. Listening just kills my brain cells one by one.
16. Rap music..except for Eminen.
17. Petai, jering dan yang sewaktu dengannya.
18. The smell of the toilet when hubby has had petai or jering for lunch.
19. Kaki bodeks. Believe me, in my line of work, I’ve seen them all.
20. Being broke.
21. Stupid drivers.
22. Ashley Simpson. Really, what’s all the hype about? She’s not that pretty, she can’t really sing...but yet, she’s claiming to be the next IT girl in the music industry, and she has her own TV show (which I’ve never watched, mind you).
23. Ben Affleck. He’s awful. Matt Damon should know better than to associate himself with the devil.

Again, I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for now. I’m getting too depressed.

*********************************************************************************

Waaaaaa!!!! Our family outing to Bukit Merah this Christmas has been cancelled. Apparently Makteh can’t make it coz she has some stupid school thingy. One the bright side, I get to go to Niezan’s wedding and save some money. But still bummed out, was looking forward to having a holiday after 2 months in confinement.

Lawak Bodo

I nearly choke on my own saliva reading this..hilarious!! Enjoy.

Jelingan Ayah

Kisah ini benar-benar terjadi padaku sewaktu aku kanak-kanak dahulu. Ayah aku suka memberi amaran padaku dengan menjeling garang jika akumembuat sesuatu yang tidak disukainya. Contohnya, jika ke kedai, kalau aku mengambil gula-gula, dia akan menjeling padaku bermakna aku disuruh letakkan semula gula-gula itu ke tempatnya semula. Suatu hari,aku mengikut ayah ke surau untuk solat maghrib. Ketika sedangrukuk, aku melihat kain pelikat tok imam tersepit di celah punggungnya. Aku yang 'konon'nya ingin membantu,terus menarik kain yang tersepit itu. Ayahku yang sedang solat terus memberi jelingannya padaku. Aku pun fahammaksudnya itu,lalu terus memasukkan semula kain pelikat tok imam itusemula ke celah punggung tok imam tadi. Apalagi,melatah lah tok imam tadi. Habis satu jemaah batal solat mereka kerana turut terkejut dengan latahan tok imam tadi. Ayahku yang bermuka merah padam menahan malu dan marah mengheret aku balik ke rumah. Malam tu, berbirat punggung aku dirotannya.

Moral : Jangan memandai nak masukkan kain ke celah punggung tok imam.

Back in the social circuit

Which is not that big to start with anyway. Last weekend was open house, open house and more open houses. Sampai rumah org yg tak kenal pun pi. (Hubby!! I will never forgive you for maluing me!!). Saturday, went to the house of hubby's colleague. Tu yang silap pi tu tak tau camne. Already salam2 with the host and hostess, dah nak ambik pinggan makan, then only realised we had the wrong house. Argh...the shame!!!

Sunday drove to Liza's house. Pergh..MMR2 jammed so bad, it took us an hour to get there. Met up with Ijah and her baby and also Kondak. Ijah's baby is so cute!! And big. Ahaks. Liza kept on promoting her Puteri Gunung Ledang VCD. Sudah le Liza, tau lah hang nak berlakon jadi PGL tu..heheh..hajat tak kesampaian.

Today is still an uneventful day at the office. Rather empty for some reason. Had lunch at Maiz's apt. Makan bihun and nuggets. Whatever, at least free.

M-I-L at the house. Came by last Saturday, staying for a week. That means ibu gets a week off from having to come over and bathe Dina. Did I hear a sigh of relief, mom?

I need to do more shopping. Bile Bonia nak sale ni?

Back in the Rat Race..

Tomorrow. Argh..2 months of maternity leave is not enough. I see black clouds gathering over me already. Boo hoo...

*******************************************************************

Dina has been acting up lately. Last nite, she kept me and hubby up all nite. I dunno if she was just hungry or had a stomach ache or was just moody. Hubby and me took turns with her until Subuh. All in all, I think all 3 of us got around 2-3 hours of sleep. Sigh…let’s hope tonite is a little better.

Kak Long Dania also has been acting below her age recently. Twice she poo-pooed in her pants on purpose. Me thinks it’s the jealousy monster that’s making her act like that. Anyway, it had caused a few major rows between us..usually resulting in me with my eyes terjegil like a gecko and her either chuckling mischievously or sobbing her eyes out.

********************************************************************

Lots of open houses for the following weeks. Liza smsed me, hers is this Sunday. Next week is Nir’s. Yeah…makan, makan, makan.

Still in Raya mode

Friends came a –calling last weekend. Raya visitations and getting to know the baby. Nir and Amoi were suppose to come for lunch, but Nir being her usual blur self..bertolak from her house at 1pm, and reached my house at 3pm!! I was half starved when they got here. Ok, so it was raining heavily..but blame Nir for forgetting to bring my address and to ask for directions earlier. Konon tau sangar jalan.

Anyhow, it was grand seeing the 2 of them. Out of all of my friends from Sains Muar and the SOD group, these 2 are the ones I keep in touch most. Unfortunately, even that is once in a blue moon. You think with all the canggih technology we have around us, communicating and keeping in touch with friends would be much easier and faster. Huh…

Nir brought her two Kamals..hubby Mohd Kamal, and son Adam Kamal. Dania was thoroughly amused by Adam due to the fact he still spoke in German tougues.

“Ibu, Adam tu cakap apa tu? Kak Long tak paham.”

Please, my little girl. It wasn’t a few months back when you spoke that way. Now ever since she’s been speaking in full, understandable sentences, it’s been non-stop yik yakkating from her.

“Ibu, tau tak?”

“Tau apa?”

“Ibu, tau tak?!!!”

“Huh?..Ha’ah..ibu tau.”

“Yeah..Kak long pun tau!!”

After Nir and Amoi went back, Joe and Shu came by. Another Adam for Dania to play with…Adam Hariz. Being better acquainted with this Adam (why so many of my friends named their boys Adam?), Dania had a pleasant time playing.

***********************************************************

Kak Long Dania is now 90% potty trained. Pampers on only at night now. Accidents do still happen, but jarang2 dah. Yeah, some money saved there…

***********************************************************

Talking to Noresh using YM. Long time since I’ve heard from her. Big News…Hamdi’s getting married. Binawe punya budak tak habaq kat aku…cis!!

***********************************************************

Getting sleepy. Sleep for now. Later.