Sick At Work

Or maybe that should read "of" instead? Hehehhe..

But seriously, my head. Pounding. My nose. Sore. My eyes. Burning up. My throat. Itches like mad.

I really shouldn't have dragged my sorry ass to work today. I haven't had the energy to do anything but stare at Perez Hilton for the whole morning.

God, isn't Perez just entertaining? He laughs me up with every single post he puts up. Thank god I'm not a celebrity.

I can't take this. I'm going down to the surau to try and catch a few winks. This cold medicine is making me woozy. I can hardly open my eyes. How the hell am I going to drive myself home later on?

Second Last Day of 2007

Tomorrow I start work and I am so not in the mood. For starters, I have a cold, courtesy from the girls and my head feels like it's about to explode.

Also, working on the last day of 2007 is just so not right.

I intend to use the day to springclean my desk and drawers. Throw out everything so that 2008 will be a better year for me workwise.

Yep, that should take me exactly 8 hours to accomplish. Heeee, starting 8.30am right until 5.30pm (minus one hour for lunch).

Supplies For Dania's New School

We've enrolled Dania for 2 new schools next year; morning sessions at Tadika Perpaduan and afternoon sessions at Sekolah Kafa Ad-deen. Hopefully she won't feel too tired; the morning sessions only last for 3 hours and gives Dania enough time to have her lunch, take a nap and bathe before heading off to her afternoon sessions. However, everything is still on trial as the last thing I want to do is give my little girl a burnout before she even starts regular school. That's should only happen when she starts work. Heh.

Yesterday ibu and myself took Dania to buy her school uniform. We bought her shoes and socks at Bata and her baju kurung and headgear at Mydin. We had to go to Tesco for the kain which we then took to Giant to get them altered (too long). Hmmm...banyak berjalan, belanja pun banyak. I can't believe how much it costs to buy school uniforms nowadays.

This is what we bought yesterday and what I spent on everything.

Two pairs of white school shoes (Bata) = RM23.99 x 2 = RM47.98
Two pairs of socks = RM6.99 x 2 = RM13.98
1 pack of shoe whitening (3 bottles per pack) = RM5.99
Two mini telekung = RM5.90 x 2 = RM 11.80
Two inner head gear (anak tudung) = RM1.50 x 2 = RM3.00
Two baju kurungs = RM8.50 x 2 = RM17.00
Two kain (green) = RM25.90 x 2 = RM51.80
One pair of Disney sunglasses = RM19.90
Total damage = RM171.45

Yeeeeeshh!!! And this is not including the registration fees, transport fees, books, stationary and all those other stuff I had to pay for at the schools. AICARAMBA!!!

OK, so the sunglasses were a reward for being such a great sport. I remember when I was little, I used to grumble and sulk everytime ibu took us to buy new school uniforms. Hmmm, cukup membosankan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not grumbling about having to pay for all this stuff. It's just that, buying all that stuff, making sure everything fits Dania well, just hits a nerve and makes me realise that my baby girl is no longer a baby anymore.

How time flies!!

The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Yesterday it was confirmed in the news that former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, had been shot and killed by a suicide bomber. She had been shot in the head and chest and later died from these wounds in the hospital. The suicide bomber had later blown up him(her?)self and killed at least another 20 people.

This is such sad news. Regardless of her political views, it was made clear that she still held most of her countrymen and women's hearts and love. I fear for the aftermath, fearful that the assassination would bring Pakistan to even greater despair.

Al-fatihah to Allahyarhamah Benzair Bhutto and her family.

Guess? What I Bought

Yesterday we took the kids out for a day at the mall. I know, I know, we could have chosen better places to take the kids but it was raining most of the day and the mall is just as nice as ever. We decided to take the kids to KLCC, seeing how we hardly head over to KL nowadays. The mall was decorated up nicely, with a giant Christmas tree in the center court. The kids took pictures with the make-believe snowmen (nicknamed Mr. Snowman and Buddy by Dania) and counted all the snowballs on the tree. We had lunch at the food court. We took in the sights and the sounds of the mall and had a blast.


And I bought something. Just a little "Raja Haji-Christmas" present for myself. I didn't expect to spend as much as I did (don't ask me how much) but I am really happy with my purchase. It's not often that I indulge myself with little pleasures of life.


Wanna know what I bought? Check this out. Pretty nice, huh? This is slightly different from the one I bought; mine had white rims instead of pink. I had my sights on a different watch earlier but hubby thought this one was nicer (and more expensive!). But like they say, you only live once. I mean, what's the point of working if you're not going to enjoy the fruits of your labor once in a while.

Hehehehe...I feel like a kid who sneak down and saw Santa putting presents under the tree. I love my new watch!!

And My Butt is Now As Wide As a...I Don't Want to Think About It

We're here in Melaka at my in-laws for Raya Haji. Crap, which reminds me..

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILADHA, EVERYONE!!!

OK, now that we have the season greetings out of the way, here's a quick rundown of what we did today.

Eat.


Eat some more.

More eating.

Don't disturb me, can't you see I'm eating.

You get the picture.



Tons of food, and I mean tons. Of course, when you have a hundred mouths to feed, having tons of food to satisfy everyone's stomach is necessary. We had laksa, nasi briyani, fried bihun, ketupat, lontong, peanut sauce and various types of desserts. We took down a cow which was shared by everyone. Hmmmm, sup tulang lembu asli. Sedapnya!!!

Again I forgot to bring my camera so that's why I'm using pictures I found on the net to illustriate how much I ate and how I really need to exercise after this holiday season. Taebo, here I come!!

I Am Legend

Just came back from seeing a movie with hubby. Initially we wanted to Enchanted (actually HUBBY wanted to see this...heee) but in the end I bought us tickets to see I Am Legend. I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of Will Smith but I've enjoyed his movies so far. Yes, even Men In Black II.

What can I say about the movie? For starters, it shouldn't have been rated "U". For goodness sake, it's damn scary. Seriously. Not scary ghosts, but scary like flesh eating, zombies with extra crazy strength kind of scary. There were parts of the movies where I either had my hands covering my eyes or my ears.
But of course, there were some dumb parents who brought their small kids along. There was one couple who even brought their baby along, who of course started crying once all the screaming and shouting in the movie started. We were already half way through the movie when the mother FINALLY decided to take her baby outside. Itupun lepas dah kena shhhh by the rest of the audience (moi, included!!).

Even though the movie freaked me out (zombies, in my honest opinion, are only suppose to walk sloooowwwlly, not run like Ben Johnson on steroids), I would totally watch it again. The storyline was so-so but Will Smith really carried this movie excellently. The emotions he showed, being the only person alive in NY, really made me believe that this man was all alone and was trying everything in his power to stay sane (making conversations with mannequins) so he could continue his mission to find a cure for the deadly virus. The scenes showing an empty NY were amazing. And, ok, I'll say it, the zombies, although looked very CGI at times, were freakishly scary. Another plus for the movie.

So how you might ask, were hubby and I able to go see a movie on a Sunday night? Because the kids have been shipped to Melaka. Sigh...the house seems so empty. Can't wait until Wednesday night until we're reunited again.

Recap of Our Penang Trip

So we're back from Penang. All in all we had a great time. It rained most of the time but luckily it drizzled instead of poured. The kids had fun swimming in the pool and I even found time (and the courage!!) to do some parasailing. Heeeeee....bestnya!!

The first two nights we stayed at the Northam Hotel. Hubby had booked us for a Junior Suite, which was huge. Even had its own living room. Plus 2 TVs which was perfect coz the kids totally refused to watch anything else BUT the Disney Channel. It also had a jacuzzi which I regret to inform was not utilised because when you have two insects who demand you take them swimming, out to eat, sightseeing EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY, by the time you get back to the hotel, you just want to crawl into your king sized bed and sleep.

The hotel was nice but due to the weather, the kids didn't get to use the swimming pool as much as they would have wanted too. I myself am still kicking myself for not trying out their spa. RM60 for a facial is not a bad deal.

For our third night in Penang, we stayed at Park Royal Hotel, Batu Feringgi. Many thanks to ayah for the free voucher! Luckily the weather was nice the entire time we were there so the kids practically lived in the swimming pool. We got upgraded to a Deluxe Seaview room which gave us a double bed and a single bed for the kids. Yeah, no more of my kids' feet in my face in the middle of the night. The room was much smaller compared to the one we got in Northam but the buffet breakfast and the facilities made up for the lack of the room. It was here that I took a dare from hubby and did parasailing. How I wish I had my camera when I got up there!! The view from above was divine. The sea was so blue and the sand look so white, I kept saying Subhanallah, subhanallah again and again. Those 3 minutes in the air really made me appreciate Allah's creation.

All in all, we had a great time in Penang. We didn't get to do as much sightseeing as we would have wanted to due to the weather, but insya'allah, there's always next year. I fact, we've already booked our next holiday in January for Karambunai, Sabah. Heeeee...can't wait!!

ps; Sorry, no pictures. I left my camera at home (knocks head against wall). :(

Training in Penang

We're in Penang for a training session. Gua le yg jadi cikgunya. Hubby also doing the training but for different product. Since both of us are in Penang, we decided to bring the kids also. Dania and Dina luuurrrvvee the fact that we'll be staying in a HOTEL!! Yes, to those two, hotel = paradise. Mostly because there's a swimming pool. And a king-sized bed.

We'll be staying in Penang until Saturday, taking an extra day to bring the kids jalan2. The bummer is, it's always raining here. Hmmm, what to do, monsoon season.

The good thing about the rain is, my teambuilding session supposed to take place this Sunday-Tuesday has been cancelled!! Yeah!! Oklah, postponed. Whatever.

But my sympathy still goes out to those trapped in the floods. Dudes, don't play around in the flood! Malehlah aku dok baca berita orang mati lemas ni....

Good Luck and Farewell

Today Selangor had a holiday, Sultan's birthday. I took the opportunity to see an old friend who will be leaving KL to go back to her hometown in Kedah. Brought the kids along to play with her girls.

We stayed for lunch (I bought KFC) and the girls played painting (1st time for Dania and Dina so it was an exciting occasion) and cooking and hola hoops. Games that girls play when they're together.

I'll miss my friend but I know she's doing the best for her girls. It's amazing for me to see her so strong after losing her hubby so suddenly a few months back. I guess when you have kids, you have no choice but to be strong.

We never really talked about the incident or how she was going to continue living without the support and love of her hubby. Some things, you just have to take one day at a time.

So I'll pray for her. I'll pray for her kids. I'll pray for Allah to take care of them and to give them strength and happiness in their new life.

I was really sad to leave her house today but I hope this won't be the last time I see her. Kedah isn't that far from KL and there's always the INTERNET to help us stay in touch.

So Z, stay strong. I'll miss you and your insane chatter. Here's to seeing you and your family again real soon.

Maya Angelou's Poem

This poem goes out to all the gals who rock this world...so that we all know what we should absolutely have.

"MAYA ANGELOU'S" BEST POEM EVER

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that she can't change the length of her calves,the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..

whom she can trust,whom she can't,and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods...when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...and a year...

New School for Dania

Hubby is back!! Yeah!! Kurus sket, I guess the freezing weather and the non-eating much took a bit of a toll. But still chubby...hehehehe...still my teddy bear.

***********************************************************
Yesterday, we registered Dania at her new school, Tabika Perpaduan. A bit sad that we won't be sending her to Smart Reader anymore but I think this new school would also be good for her. Plus I plan to send her also to the Kafa school at our area. If she went to Smart Reader, my worry is that she might not be able to take an afternoon nap before going for her Kafa school.

Yesterday, we also took the girls swimming at ayah's club. Dina had a blast but Dania wasn't so happy as there were'nt any kids that wanted to play with her. So I promised that the next time we go swimming, I'll swim with her. Heeee, must buy proper swimming suit. Cannot wear T-shirtlah at the club.

**********************************************************
I have pictures and videos of Dania, taken during her Smart Reader concert. I'll upload them soon. Till then, take care everyone.

Pizza and Bikes

Yesterday I sent an sms to hubby (yeah, simcard no longer kaput!!). Asked whether he had eaten and told him how much we all missed him (serious, susah nak tido takde cik abg teddybear kat sebelah).

2 minutes later, I received a reply from him.

"Makan sandwich je lunch tadi. nasib baik ada tuna. mlm tadi nasib baik jumpa pizza. mcd/burger king dia xda fish. makan pizza kena rm50. air kosong je tu. miss u 2."

Alahai, sib baik aku tak ikut, if not my face also will be like pizza when coming back. Like I said, Denmark is expensive.

Just 2 more days until DH comes home. Alahai, rindunya....

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

Yesterday I took the kids to the playground. It's been a while since we've been there because either the weather wasn't permitting us to go or I arrived home too late. So yesterday, when the kids asked me to take them to the playground, I said yes. Dania had just recently mastered riding her two-wheeler so the kids decided to ride their bikes to the playground. Which was great, except on the way back, Dina got tired. Of course, that meant I had to push her and her bike all the way home. Grrr...

Coz the "China Doll" look is so 80's

Like all moms, I think my kids rule. My kids are the cutest. My kids are the smartest. It's not a matter of being kiasu, it's just unconditional motherly love.

I'm not saying your kids aren't good looking; I'm sure they're perfect. But when my kids smile, boy, can they melt your heartstrings.

But now, I've found a product that can make them even cuter!! Is that possible? How, you ask?

By decking them out in Baby Toupees!!!

Check them out.

I think Dania would look good in a "Rachel" toupee; for Dina, I'm thinking Tyra Banks!! America's Next Top Model, ya 'all!

* taken from http://gigglesugar.com (thanks to Moby for the link!)

I am a "ugifte forældre" this week

I'm a single parent this week. Last night hubby took off to Denmark for a conference, in other words getting a free vacation on company's money while picking pamphlets from the various booth operators, you know, just to show that he actually DID attend the damn event.

Why didn't I follow? For one thing, Dania still has school. That's right, everyone else is enjoying their school holidays and my little girl still has school to attend too. Until the 15th of December!! Freaking kiasu Smart Reader!!

Not that I couldn't ask my M-I-L to come and babysit the kids but after checking out the weather info, I decided to axe my plans of hitchhiking with hubby across Europe. Reason - it's freaking -2 degrees over there right now!! Holy stiff nipples, batman!! Most likely, my plans to go trotting and shopping through the street of Copenhagen would be replaced by watching HBO or the Adult Channel in the hotel room.

Plus also, everything is damn expensive in Denmark (according to Tripadvisor.com). Dinner (without drinks) could cut you back by USD40-50. Hubby bought packets of instant mee and instant soup with him. I told him, just grab a basket of danish bread during breakfast and let that be your lunch and dinner too. Hehehee...

Finding Denmark money (kroner) was no easy feat. A lot of the money exchange booths we went to didn't even carry the currency. We found one in MV but they had limited supply, so in the end hubby exchanged money for some Euro bills.

I hope hubby can smuggle in some of those Danish buns back home. Hmmmm....buns.

Human Tetris

One thing I love about the Japanese apart from their high spirit of dedication, is their sense of humour. I remember when we were growing up, me and my brothers would always look forward to watching "Istana Takeshi", which was basically a really stupid yet highly hilarious game show.

My brother gave me a link to another Japanese game show and I must say I laughed until tears came to my eyes. I think also...yeah...little pee came out too. Hahahahaha...

It's called "The Human Tetris".

Seriously, how do the Japanese come up with these game show concepts?

Enjoy!!!


ps: You can watch more clips on YouTube. Just search for "Human Tetris". :D

A Birthday Note to Dina Yasmin - 3 Years Old

My dearest Dina,


First of all, let ibu apologize for the delay in getting your Birthday Note up. You may not understand it now but for the past month, ibu was in a very sad place and just couldn't find the strength to write any happy notes as I should.


I don't know how much of the situation do you understand but you do know that ibu no longer has a baby in her tummy. Eventhough you may not comprehend what that means entirely, you do understand the fact that I get sad sometimes and that I need comforting. Something that you have been very good at these past weeks, with all your kisses and your hugs.


Your birthday celebration was small and simple; just you, your sister, abah and ibu. I bought your cake from Auntie Noresh who did such a great job decorating the cake with your favorite cartoon character, Spongebob. Your sister was more impressed with the cake than you were but you did give me a fierce hug and a whispered thank you.




What should I write about you turning 3? Maybe the fact that you've grown much taller and even filled out in the tummy area. Maybe the fact that eventhough you've left the Terrible Two territory, you've entered the Terrifying Three zone, which is much worst because now I can actually understand all the scolding that you give me for not making your juice the exact way you like it, or for making you share stuff with your sister. Yeah, this not-sharing thing, has got to stop because God help me, if I have to listen to one more yell of ibu, adik rampas my color pencil!!, then somebody is going to sleep outside with the stray cat that won't go away.
Maybe I should write about how Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne is your favorite song or that you now know how to draw balloons and suns. Maybe the fact that you're left-handed should also be mentioned here because not only do you write with your left hand, you eat, drink, throw and hit with your left hand too. Sometimes I think you became a lefty just so you could be MORE different than everyone else because if there is one word that can summarize you is DIFFERENT.


My dearest Tigger,

But you being different is exactly why I love you so much. I love the way talk, eventhough you're still pelat, it gives me the sense that you're still my little baby because in every other way, you're just so in dependant now. I love it when you lie down next to me and we play the name-that-body-part game. I love the way you laugh when we get to "armpit" or "thumbs" because for some reason you think thumbs are hilarious. Just another example of how you never fail to amaze me every single day.

I want to thank you, for all the unconditional love you've given me. For all the smiles, laughter, hugs and kisses. For being different because life would be so much less interesting if you weren't.

Words just can't express how much I love you, Dina Yasmin. But I thank Allah for each and every day I have to show you.

Happy third birthday, my Beautiful.

Love, ibu.

An Update

Sorry for the long silence. It's been....tough. There have been many happy moments since my last update but everytime I sat down to write a new post, the unhappy feelings came flooding back.

I have lots to update the Internet about. Dina's birthday note (it's been pending for more than a month!! Unacceptable!!), our Raya pictures, our trip to the Melaka Zoo (hubby and I are such amateurs).

I'll write about these experiences soon, I promise.

Till, then, take care everybody.

Healing

I'm still on MC, eventhough technically I've run out of MCs for the year. So I guess that means my time off will be taken from my annual leave. But no worries, since I have tons of those.



The past 2 days have been spent over at the hospital. My gynae was surprised and saddened to hear about my miscarriage so she immediately wanted me to undergo a couple of tests, since her diagnosis for the miscarriage was yet another "chromosome abnormality".



So yesterday I spent the whole morning at the hospital. When they said they were going to do blood tests, they forgot to mention that I had to be there for 3 hours and they had to stick me with the needle 3 times!! I was starving by the time they had finished with me (since I was on a fasting diet and all I had to drink was glucose) so I went to Carrefore Subang for lunch. I was craving for some Fajitas over at Ayamas and was disappointed when I found out the restaurant had changed and they no longer served fajitas. Shucks!! Last2, makan kat food court jer. Hmmm...



Then I went over to Maybank to bank in the kids duit raya and hubby's and I ASB money. Luckily I went to the branch over at Tractor; not a lot of people were there and it only took me 15 minutes. It was raining by the time I had finished but I made a run for the car and got a little wet.



It was almost 3.30pm at that time so I decided to head home and see how the kids were doing. But when I got to my neighborhood, the rain had stopped, so I decided to go for a facial. Just one hour of bliss and pampering was enough to put me into a better mood.



I'm still waiting for the results on my blood and urine tests and I may still have to go for more tests; my gynae wanted to make sure both hubby and I were fit and ok for the next pregnancy. She did however caution me against getting pregnant at least for the next 2 months, which sucks because I just want to be pregnant right now so bad. But I have to do what's right and maybe I really should just chill and take it easy from now on.



Now if I can just talk hubby into taking the kids for a big holiday in December, just to get away from everything for a while. Hello, Sayang....how, can ah? :D



ps: To all those who called and smsed me to wish me well, thank you so much. Sorry I couldn't reply coz my simcard is on the brink. Thanks again.

Another Loss

So how has your raya been so far? For me, it's been a time of gaining and a time of lost.

What did I gain? I gained a few pounds, that's for sure. Days of eating ketupat, rendang, lontong and the usual raya entries have wreck havoc on my so-called diet. But who cares, it's raya!! I've also gained back a few relatives, both old and new. Congratulations to my cousin, Aisyah and her hubby, Faizal on the birth of their 1st baby girl, just 2 days before raya. May you both experience the joy of parenthood and good luck with getting any sleep the next 6 months!!

I've gained memories, pictures, experiences....so much during this raya season.

And I've also lost a baby.

*Sigh*

Yes, I wanted to announce some good news before raya but decided against it as it was still too early. Even in the office, only a handful of people knew about my pregnancy. In my family, I only told my hubby, the children, my mom and my sister-in-law.

I guess some part of me knew something was going to go wrong.

Here's what happened; I suffered a miscarriage on the 4th day of raya. I was nearly 9 weeks pregnant at the time.

It happened so suddenly and without warning. I woke up at 3am to go to the toilet and it just...came out.

The sack.

My baby.

I think I screamed. Or maybe I just groaned. But I know I cried. I remember feeling hot tears running down my face.

I woke up hubby and told him what had happened. He told me to go back to sleep and took care of the mess I had made in the toilet. I fell asleep in his arms, crying.

I woke up again at 6.30am and found that I had started to bleed out. Hubby took me to the hospital for a check-up. As we were at my uncle's house at Chaah, the nearest private hospital was the Pantai Medical Center in Batu Pahat. It was the longest one-hour ride I had ever taken.

After waiting for the doctor for nearly 2 hours, it was confirmed that my miscarriage was incomplete and I had to undergo a D&C to clean out my womb. Surprisingly I was calm before and after the procedure. The heaviness in my heart had made me numb from feeling anything.

I had wanted this pregnancy to be ok so much. When I started bleeding (more like spotting) 3 weeks before, I took precautions but because I hadn't started to feel any morning sickness, it was hard to limit my activities. I wasn't bleeding that much, and I experienced no stomach aches or things like that. When I went for a check-up just 2 days before raya, everything seemed ok. The baby was doing fine, its heartbeat was strong.

So what went wrong?

I could name so many factors leading to my miscarriage; stress, fasting, long travelling periods in the car, the bleeding. I think the fact that I wasn't having any morning sickness was also a sign on its own that something was wrong as I had severe MS during all 3 of my previous pregnancies. It hurts to think that this could have been prevented if I had taken more precautions.

Losing 2 babies in a year is really hard on my emotions. I feel like crying but I know that crying won't bring my unborn children back. Reliving the situation in my head also just gets me depressed.

I so wanted to be pregnant. I was so pleasantly surprised when the pregnancy result came back positive.

We're going to try again. Soon, I hope. And maybe this time, everything will work out. Kita hanya boleh merancang, Allah saja yang menentukan.

Ya Allah. Berikanlah aku kesabaran dan ketenteraman jiwa untuk menghadapi dugaan ini. Sesungguhnya segala rezeki itu datang dariMu, kepada Kau saja aku memohon, kepada kau aku berserah. Amin.

Malaysia Does History!!

Yesterday was a fine day for Malaysians when Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became the first Malaysian to blast off into space.

Wow. Our very own Astronaut.

And on our 50th Merdeka year too.

What an achievement for our small country.

As we watched the launch from our TV set, my eyes filled up with happy tears. The girls were so excited to see the big flames coming out from the rocket and were intrigued when later they showed the astronauts floating around in zero gravity atmosphere.

As I look at my girls, a thought comes to my mind. Maybe they too will create history for Malaysia when they grow up. Perhaps they will be able to find a cure for cancer or AIDS. Perhaps they will write the next book sensation, like Harry Potter. Maybe they'll be the first Malaysians to walk on Mars.

With this history making event, who knows what the future holds for the children of Malaysia.

My prayers go out to Dr Sheikh Muszaphar. Semoga selamat pergi dan selamat pulang. You've done your country proud!!

MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!

Selamat Hari Raya!!

I still owe Dina her 3rd Birthday Note, which I have written halfway but still haven't downloaded the pictures to go along (excuses, excuses). Hopefully I'll get it all done before we all go off for raya holidays, which is this coming Saturday.

Raya!! Yeah. Well, not so much for me. Getting old somehow means raya doesn't hold the same kind of excitement as it did when I was a kid. Maybe because now I have to give out the angpows instead of getting them. Haha. I didn't even buy any new clothes or shoes or handbags or even kuih raya for that matter. So no need to come to my house for open house kay, coz I have NADA to offer. Huh. Fortunately my MIL made one baju kurung for me and the girls and my mom bought a few gowns (for the girls only). So at least during the first day of raya, we'll all be wearing something new, with the exception of hubby. Baju tahun lepas pun pakai sekali jer.

So what's our plan for raya this year? This year, KL will be our first station, mainly my grandma's house. Then in the afternoon, maybe after Asar, we'll head off to Melaka. Probably stay there for a few days then head off to Segamat to see my other grandma. Then maybe we'll head back to Melaka and then back to KL. Not much travelling, thank god, coz fortunately hubby's kampung and mine are not that far from each other (Muar & Segamat).

The office is so quiet now, a lot of people have already gone off for their raya holiday. I'll still be in the office tomorrow, only taking Friday off because we were forced to.

So anyway, here's to all Muslims around the world. Happy Raya Aidilfitri. For those going back home, please take care on the road. Let's not any of us end up being part of a statistic this raya season. For those who are having open house, heheheh, tak nak ajak kita mai melawat ke?

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI. MAAF ZAHIR BATIN.

Bonus?

It's 5.30pm and I'm still stuck in a meeting. Talking about the TM demerger and the impact on us all. To me, the first thing that comes to mind is...no more bonuses!! Hahaha..


This morning I went for my SmartOrange training since I missed it last week. Kejap je rupanya, so I had time to go to the bank to add up my ASB savings. I saw a funny thing there; all the bankers at the counters were wearing a big button that said "Banks ROB our Bonus".


Ahhh...really ah?


Oya, today was my first day driving the new car. Hehehehe, bestnya. Thank you to hubby for letting me pau the car.

Ramadhan So Far..

It's freezing in the office. No matter how I curdle up in my sweater and reposition myself, I just can't get 100% of my body to be warm. My hands feel like frostbite and I'm not sure if I still have any toes. I think they've fallen off.

Add to my agony, I didn't wake up for sahur this morning. When I finally opened my eyes, it was already mengaji time, meaning I had only 5 minutes to dash to the kitchen and gulp a glass of water; something not advisable when you're still reeling from a very weird dream revolving your ex-classmate who you had a secret crush on.

Oya, by the way, I still haven't gotten around to wish everyone Happy Fasting. So here it is;

HAPPY FASTING, GUYS AND GALS!!!!

The fasting month has been kind of mellow for me. So far, no hotel invites by any vendors, boo hoo. But then I think breaking fast at hotels are so overrated, especially at the exorbitant prices they charge. I mean, how much can you eat for RM100 or so. Even if they do serve you lobster and salmon. I would rather sit down at home and have some chicken curry or mee rebus with the kids.

Hubby and I were supposed to go for a Buka Puasa at Eastin Hotel today but hubby had to go to Melaka for a meeting so we cancelled. We do however, have the annual Buka Puasa at Singgahsana Hotel this Sunday that ayah gets invited to every year. Looking forward to that, the food is always great!! Plus we get to bring the kids, so basically we'll have the whole table to ourselves (7 adults, 2 kids). I'm kind of surprise, pleasantly though that some vendors still invite ayah for these occasions eventhough he's retired.

Can't believe we're already half way through Ramadhan. Haven't made much preparations for Raya, still need to go buy Dina some new shoes. Other than that, it's going to be a pretty frugal holiday.

Again, Happy Fasting ya'all.

It's Time for Some Good Things To Happen

So much has happened since my last post, I don't know where to begin. A lot of not so great things have happened so let's get those out of the way.


My grandpa was admitted into the hospital.

Yeah, all because he took too many "julabs" (apo nama ni in English? oya, laxatives.) and got drastic diarrhea. Then to add trouble, he took some sleeping pills and almost couldn't get up from bed. Yeah, having to go when you can hardly keep your eyes open is not fun. Especially for the person that has to clean up after you!! Poor atok had to spend a few days in the hospital, which he hated with all his might, but thankfully he's recovered.

My grandma was admitted into the hospital.

OK, I know my grandma is old but I hate seeing her actually being old. She's like the glue that keeps our family together, so the thought of not having her around is unthinkable. Apparently my grandma is too old for fasting; her blood pressure shot through the roof. She's doing much better now thanks to bottles and bottles of drip but still kind of weak. I took the kids twice to see her and they both felt very sad to see their nenek-nina-nina sick. This is a picture of my grandma with Dania when she was just a few days old. She looks just the same today, except older. Sigh....

A mat rempit hit our car.

Grrrr, I still feel very angry about this. Stupid mamat, some part of me wishes he had broken his leg or worst. The bad part of it all was that we had the kids in the car during the accident. Poor kids were so shaken up by the experience. And to think that stupid kid had the guts to lie in his police report and say that we had run the red light, instead of him. Grrrrr!!!


On the brighter side, my parents are back from Umrah. Ibu bought the kids loads of clothes for raya, hehehe..takyah beli. Ayah shaved his head bald, looks really funny. Oya, hubby and I finally made a HUGE purchase..something we've been talking about for ages. Can you guess? When it arrives, I'll let you guys in on the secret.


For now, I'll think I'll go for my bath and afternoon nap.

Stop and Live

I received this in my inbox courtesy of a good friend. With everything that's happened these past few weeks, it made me stop and think for a while.

******************************************************
Along time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.

Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."


The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health , time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.


One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much , but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.


Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition .

Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time.


You have to decide how you want to balance your Life.

Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.


So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature.

Life is fragile , Life is short.

Do not take Life for granted.

Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!

*******************************************************
*Artwork by Rudolf Bauer

My Friend's Loss

Last week, a good friend of mine lost her husband unexpectedly. Details are still hazy but apparently it could have been a heart attack. He passed away in his sleep, at 3am.

News of his death reached me early that Friday morning courtesy from an sms from an old schoolmate. It shook me to the core; arwah was my age, in fact we were old schoolmates.

My heart bleeds for my friend and her three beautiful daughters. I sent her an sms, expressing my sadness. I wanted to call but didn't feel strong enough. I was scared I would be the one crying my eyes out when it is my friend who needs all the support she can get now.

As I spent the weekend digesting the news, I got to thinking; arwah was considered quite active, playing futsal on a regular basis. Yet his sudden death goes to show that good food and exercise does not ensure a long and healthy life. Maybe arwah had some illness that I don't know about, but through my almost daily YM's with my friend, she never mentioned any health problems.

What about me? I hardly ever exercise nowadays, just the occasional taebo. Hubby? Lagilah!! Scary...to think maybe we too are walking time bombs.

When I received the news, hubby was not around, off with his friends on his guy-bonding trip to Tawau. It pained me to think, just 4 days away from hubby and I was already feeling so lonely. I can't begin to imagine how my friend must be feeling right now.

Z, if you're reading this, please no I am praying for you and the kids. Please, please call me if you need anything. Be strong.

On the Iron Snake

I'm sitting in the lrt, listening to the hustles of a hectic day. My eyes are half closed, thanks to lack of sleep and an empty stomach.

A Chinese girl sits beside me. Chubby, sexy, wearing a see-through tank top and micro denim skirt.

As she fumbles with her first class imitation Gucci bag and crosses her legs, I see the Malay guy in front of me sneak a peek.

Ok, now he's just plain starring.

Dude, Ramadhan is coming. Latihlah mata tu untuk berpuasa.

Cameron Trip 2007

So last week we all took a trip to Cameron Highlands. We meaning, me, hubby, the kids, my parents and all 3 of my brothers. We took 2 cars; I drove my mom's car while my dad took his car. Everyone wanted to ride with me, not because I'm such a fabulous driver (which I am, really) but because riding with my dad means being subjected to numerous listenings of CDs such as The Best of JayJay, Sharifah Aini and the KL Orchestra plus, my dad's personal favorite, Compilation of Francisca Peter, Shima and Zaiton Sameon.


I admit, when we were growing up, we used to listen to those CD not because we wanted to but because we had no choice. I once sneaked in my NKOTB CD into the car's CD player, only to have it chucked to the car floor after my dad heard the opening sequence of Hangin' Tough.


Our Cameron trip was for 3 days 2 nights. I had booked us a 3-bedroom apartment unit at Royal Lily Apartment, which was about a 5 minute drive from the Tanah Rata town. Itv was nicely decorated with ample sleeping arrangements for everyone. For those who are interested may contact Mr Wong Kok Peng at 012-6530841/019-4251107. Because we went during the school holidays, the rent was a bit high (RM250 per night) but the facilities provided really helped (kitchen provided, hot shower, extra pillows for all, astro STB).


We arrived at Cameron around 2pm. It was raining slightly and kind of windy. Dania wasn't feeling all that hot; having thrown up twice during the car ride. She's just like her mother, gets carsick quite easily. After unwinding from the winding ride up, we headed out to town to look for something to eat.


Strawberries. Everywhere we went was brimming with strawberries. They even had like four strawberries on a stick which you could dip in chocolate, all for RM2.00. Sheeeshh. I could tell my brother wanted to have some if not for the possibility of being teased as Mr CT (tau2 lah siapa yek).


We ate at this place called Zainab's corner. Oklah, not bad, the bihun sup was very nice. Dad had mee bandung which looked delicious. Sorrylah, no pictures, too busy eating. Hehe. Mom ordered sate and yong tau foo fr everyone so of course, food was plenty on the table. Dania ate like RM3 worth of nasi himpit. Pergh, terus buncit perut!! Dina also ate a lot of sate and helped finish my bihun sup. Man, that gal can eat. I think maybe it was the eating togetherness that brought out the carnivore in us.


We walked and did some window shopping after dinner. The gals were interested in everything all the shops had to offer. They just loved everything strawberry; strawberry purses, strawberry coin banks, strawberry glasses, keychains, magnets, slippers.


After dinner, we headed back to the apartment for a round of cards (dad won), during which the guys held their own farting competition (dad won also, hands down!!). Everyone, even the gals, slept at 1am. Peh, penat wooo.

The next day, it rained in the afternoon. Heavily. Dad and Angah had already planned to play some golf so they headed out early morning. The rest of us stayed at the apartment to sleep some more and watch Merdeka-themed documentaries. Oya, did I mention the apartment had an Astro STB but we were suppose to bring our own Astro card? Huh, so yang bleh tengok, TV1 and TV2 only. Aiyo...layan je lah.

After dad and Angah had come back, we all went out for lunch. The guys went for Friday prayers first (lawak story, got lost on the way to the mosque) so mom and I took the girls to town for some sightseeing and picture taking at these huge fruit playground. I dunno how to explain it, just see the pictures below. We decided to have lunch at Brincang, about 4km from Tanah Rata. We found a very nice and rather cheap Kopitiam. If anyone's interested, it located a few doors away from Jasmine Hotel, near the taxi stands. Order the lamb chop or the laksa, both are divine!!

Since it was still raining heavily, we decided to head back after lunch. Dania was disappointed because we had promised to take her strawberry picking. The rest of the day was spent at the apartment, playing cards, watching TV (more Merdeka documentaries) and having more, disgusting fart competitions. Seriously, how do people make themselves "blast off" on command?!!

Fortunately for us, the weather the following day was nice and sunny. After we checked out from the apartment, we headed the nearby Tea Shop to take pictures of the tea leaves.
We bought all sorts of tea; lemon tea, strawberry tea (my favorite) and lime tea. After spending and hour or so there, we went to the Kopitiam for a nice lunch. We then headed to the Cactus Valley for some strawberry picking. The girls were so excited, it made the whole trip worthwhile. Dania was in charge of cutting the strawberries from their stalks while Dina followed her around with the basket. Between them, the girls plucked nearly 1kg worth of strawberries, all really big and juicy. Even the man who handled the strawberry park there said that the girls had picked the nicest bunch of strawberries he had ever seen (kes bagi bebudak seronok le ni).

Next we headed down the hill to the Cactus Valley. Mom, hubby and myself were too lazy to go look at more cacti (cactuses?), so we decided to just stay by the ticket booth and wait for the others. Oya, tickets to the Cactus Valley are RM4 for adults and RM2 for children. Apparently the place was huge coz dad and the rest of the pack spent nearly an hour looking at all the different cacti.

We headed back home at around 4pm. It was raining slightly and the road was steep and full of corners that I had to have my foot on the brakes 90% of the time. We took a break at the Tapah R&R for prayers and arrived home around 9pm.

All in all, it was a very nice family vacation.

Not Much but At Least It's Something

I'm at hubby's cubicle, waiting for my meeting to start. Outside, I can see the jet fighters rehearsing for this Friday's Merdeka celebration.

Man, they are good. And LOUD!!

Merdeka. 50 years. What an achievement. I should really write a post on what this means to me personally when can find the time.

To my readers (all 3 of you!!), sorry I haven't been updating as much. So much negative things have happened these past few weeks, that I haven't had the mood to rant it out to the Internet. But I'll write again soon about our family trip to Cameron Highlands and also my new maid (bibik!!).

Till then, take care.

And Happy Merdeka everyone!!!

Working With Idiots

You would think that if someone had arranged for you to come for a presentation and the time scheduled was from 1-4pm, lunch would be provided.

But NOOOOOOO!!!

Despite being a multi-million dollar company (heck, the founder is the World's Richest Man, so you can guess what company I'm talking about. Another hint, it starts with "M".), what did they offer us during the measly 5 minute break?

"Errr, Ms. Would you like Coke or Diet Coke?"

WTF!!

You call me to your office and make me listen to your bragging and all you can offer me is a lousy can of soda?!!

God, how cheap are you?! No wonder you have so much money.....grrrr.

Because I had an earlier meeting in the morning, I didn't even have a proper breakfast. I was STARVING by the time the presentation ended (which was at 5pm...bloody mat salleh kept menceceh, menceceh, menceceh...).

Should have followed the lead of my CEO and cabut during the break. I could have gone and ate a nice lunch instead of munching on roti bun in the lrt on the way home. Uhuk!

Scam

Yesterday I received a very dubious phone call from this lady who claimed to be from a credit rewards company. She quickly introduced herself (kind of mumbled the company she was from) and proceeded to tell me the purpose of the call.

Congratulations!! For paying your credit bills on time, we are going to reward you.

Now we just need your bank's name and the expiry date on your credit card.

Wait a minute!!

First of all, if I was to be rewarded for being such a good payee, wouldn't my bank be the one to reward me?

Second, why do you need my credit card info to reward me IF you already know I'm such a good payee?

Third, why did you get all impatient and antsy when I asked you these questions? You kept pressing me for my credit card info without giving me sufficient details on what I was giving it for.

In the end, I told gentleman nicely (the initial lady had passed over to her "supervisor" when I wouldn't give her my credit card info), thanks but no thanks.

He still persisted. Wouldn't you feel bad missing out on all these wonderful rewards? (He still wouldn't tell me what those "rewards" were, being very vague...hotel stays, vouchers, bla, bla, bla).

I told him, NO, I don't need any rewards. I don't feel comfortable giving out my credit card info over the phone to strangers. Yes, you can take me off your "exceptional payee" list.

Yes, you can stop calling me from now on.

What do you think me to be, a sucker?

Bad bosses get promoted, not punished?

Want to know the secret on getting ahead at the office?

Treat your subordinates badly.

According to an online survey, almost two-thirds of the 240 participants said the local workplace tyrant was either never censured or was promoted for domineering ways.

Read more about it here.

What can I say? Being rewarded for your hard work and loyalty is a thing of the past. It's the pushy people, the backstabbing people, the people who take other people's work for credit that get ahead. I've seen it so many times here in the office, it just doesn't faze me anymore.

Kids Say The Darnest Things

I came home from work today as soon as I could. I had visions of the children running around naked playing with the water hose while hubby was cowering in a small corner, mumbling nonsense to himself. So you can imagine my relief when I drove up to the house and saw that it was still intact and not burnt down to the ground. Seriously, maybe I should give hubby a little more credit. Hehee..

Dania was, in fact, in the midst of doing her homework out on the porch. Dina was riding her bike, pretending to be an ice cream saleswoman. I sat with Dania and looked over her homework. Dina came over, ringing her bell.

"Ibu, what iceklim you want buy?"

"Hmm...I'll have a chocolate ice cream."

"OK. Oney (money), please. Kaklong, wat boat you?"

"I'll have a mango ice cream."

" No mango."

"No mango? What you have?"

"I have.....EGG ice cream!! Here you go. Oney, please."

"Egg ice cream?! YUCK!!"

The laughter that followed rang throughout the house. Sometimes kids do say the darnest things.

SAHM vs FTWM; That Soalan Cepu Emas Again

I spent the last three days (Monday to Wednesday) at home since our new maid STILL has not arrived. I was a bit anxious as work has been piling up but then decide whatever it is, work can take a back seat when it comes to the kids. So in the end, hubby and I decided that I would take Mon-Wed off while he would stay at home Thurs-Fri.

Now that I'm back in the office (and I believe hubby is currently spending his time taking a nap with the kids), I'm beginning to cherish the time I spent at home with the kids. It wasn't easy, I spent most of my time figuring out which part of the house I would spring clean first, thus Monday was rather tiring as I swept and mopped the entire ground floor twice! Tuesday, I concentrated on the upstairs, moving furniture and other stuff that had never been moved since we moved in thus finding several lizard droppings and other gross stuff that accumulate in dark corners, and getting rid of them. Luckily Dina was a charm, she spent most of the time playing with her blocks, watching TV or reading (pretending to read) her books. The only time she called out to me was when she needed to go to the bathroom or when she wanted milk.

Figuring out what to cook was also a cause for headache. I don't despise cooking, in fact during my Uni years I was pretty good but truth be told, I would prefer if someone else took up the cooking. Good thing last week my MIL came over and stocked our fridge so I had a lot to pick and choose from. In the end, I just fried some chicken and prepared boiled mushrooms with sawi. I also prepared some hard boiled eggs coz the girls lurrveee eggs. That was our menu for Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had run out of mushrooms so I took Dina to the nearby store to buy some items to make chicken soto. The girls love soto because I make it using nasi himpit. I find it somewhat weird coz the girls say they love nasi himpit but don;t like regular rice. What's the difference; it's still basically rice? Kids!!

One thing that I loved about being at home was the actual amount of time I got to spend with the kids. Sure, sometimes their occasional fighting and whining would drive me up the wall but just sitting down with them to read a book was priceless. The only time we switched on the TV was when I wanted to take my bath or perform prayers; other than that we would do colouring together or practise the piano or read books.

Truth be told, I think I would make a pretty good housewife. I never really did miss the lack of adult interaction but then it was only for 3 days. I found out that I do a much better job at cleaning and maintaining the house than any maid could and no matter how much I hate ironing, I make it more bearable by ironing in front of the TV while watching Supernatural or CSI. The kids also loved having me at home; Dania's face lit up everytime she saw me waiting for her at the door when she came home from school.

However, to be realistic, I dunno if our family could survive on just one income. As of now, I pay for a lot of things; the Kelana Jaya apartment, Dania's Smartreader and Yamaha classes, Dina's Tumble Tot's classes, my maid's pay. Even though it's not that much (the KJ apt takes up a lot but that's because I intend to finish the payments earlier than expected), I still love the fact that I have my own money and can buy anything I want without having to ask from hubby. Unless I can find a stay-at-home job that can guarantee me the same (or even half!) of what I make now, I don't think I would want to give up my financial security.

Plus of course, there's that bond issue with my current company; quitting would mean having to pay back over RM150K which just makes me pale when I think about it.

I guess since I'm yet again thinking about making some serious changes in my life, I'll have to make a Pro and Con list with hubby and figure out what to do.

My Harry Potter Journey is Complete

I've read it. It took me 15 hours. Right after I finished the last page, I went brain dead for while. I think part of me was mourning the fact there won't be anymore Harry Potter books after this.
What did I think of it? "Amazing" does not even come close. I don't want to giveaway any spoilers, just in case anyone who hasn't read the book reads this, but just let me tell you, every single question Book 6 left us is answered in Book 7. I found myself crying, sighing, gasping and cheering throughout my read.

J.K. Rowling....I salute you!! Thank you for giving us such a wonderful world of magic to escape to.

I also just want to comment on the price war that had been going on with regards to the latest HP book. Boo to MPH, Popular, Harris and Times bookstore for being such spoil sports and boycotting the sale of the book. High five to Tesco and Carrefore for keeping the consumer in mind and for selling the book at 40% discount!! I saw this ad in the papers yesterday and thought, yeah, so what...too bad. Every one's buying the book at T & C now.

I'm waiting for my friends who are loyal fans of HP to finish reading the book so we can discuss and dissect it further. Sigh..maybe I should have a second read. And take my time reading it this time.

Transformers The Movie: My Review

Sorry I've been away for so long; I know, work is such a lame excuse to give for not updating my blog, but it's true!! Weirder still, I don't mind!!


Yes, work is now fun. Sure, I still get stressed by the humongous amount of it all but it's exciting and challenging. No longer do I feel like counting down the minutes until lunchtime or 5.30pm. Hehehe, most of the time it's like "Arghh...4pm already?!!"

Last weekend I did however find time to unwind. 1st thing first, TRANSFORMERS!! We finally watched it, thanks to the free tickets provided by Puteri. After getting "unavailable seats" from all the other cinemas, hubby and I finally dragged ourselves to GSC Klang a.k.a the Dead Zone. Dania was supposed to follow us but she backed out at the last minute. She did however, demand that we take her to see Surf's Up. Puteri, takde tiket free yg tu ke? :D.What did I think of the movie? In one word, EH! It was alright but let's be honest here, it was a typically made-for-boys movie. Big action guns? Check! Fast cars? Check! Hot babes with supermodel-like bods? Check! The US Army? Check! If one of the main characters in the movie is the Secretary of Defence, you can be sure you're not going to be watching a chick flick.

Not that I'm complaining though. The movie had its moments; the scene where the Autobots were trying to hide in the backyard cracked me up but I must say it was Shia LaBeouf who totally carried the movie on his shoulders. He was funny, goofy in a cute kind of way and kind of good looking. He reminded me of Liev Schreiber, the younger version. I would say, watch out Hollywood, Shia is going to be your next leading man. And to think he used to be that goofy brother from Even Stevens. Heeeee...

So did the movie meet my expectations, seeing how I spent much of my childhood watching the cartoons? Yes, it did. Sure, I would have expected a little bit more on character building especially on the Autobots and the Deceptacons but seriously, how many of us were even paying attention to all that Cube crap anyway. Like I said, this was an action movie, all guns blazing. I got a little confused during the final showdown, it got blurry, I couldn't figure out who was fighting who.

All in all, 3 1/2 stars out of 5 for Transformers.

Yet Another Thing I Miss From The USA

I used to be hooked on this drink. I would buy bottles and bottles of it, and the best thing about it...no one else liked the drink but me!!


Hahahaha...more for me. No need to share.


Then I saw this billboard ad (dunno if real or not) and I got slightly offended.

Hey! It may taste like cough syrup but it don't taste THAT BAD!!

Blow Me Down, This Ship's A Sinkin'

Yesterday night, hubby and I saw the most stupid reality show to ever hit the screen.


PIRATE MASTER!!

Goddamn it, Mark Burnett has really crossed the line this time. How stupid can one get? I mean, come on...16 people pretending to be pirates, looking for buried treasure. It's like a long-winded version of Cutthroat Island, which I need to remind you, was a box office flop, but without the long legs and good looks of Gena Davis on board.


Just how stupid was the show? OK, you would think before they signed up for the show, the contestants would have been briefed, "OK, you're on a pirate ship, you're all fighting for treasure, here are some sailing skills, the rest is up to you." 10 minutes into the show, one of the contestant is heaving her guts out over the side of the ship because she's SEASICK!! Bloody hell!!


The challenges weren't all that great either (row a boat here, look under a few skeletons, find a key, row some more, find the treasure chest..blah, blah, blah). One team, in their enthusiasm to row to shore, forgot to use the boat's rudder!! Hahahaha, and found themselves rowing off course for like 400 feet. Dumb asses!!


The "highlight" of the show was when the winning team had to select their Captain. Instead of selecting the guy that had won the challenge for them, they choose this loser named Joe Don a.k.a JD. as their Captain. As a result, JD found himself the owner of 1/2 of the treasure, some cool USD20K!! Hahahahahaha...suckers!!! Best of all, JD turned out to be an arrogant S.O.B. that had none of the swagger or the charm of Captain Jack Sparrow, boasting "Oooo, look at my Captain's cabin. I have a plush queen sized bed." Sigh...


I dunno if I should risk losing a few more brain cells watching this show next week but making fun of the contestants is such a blast. Hubby and I were rolling on the floor laughing. Hehehehe..

More Than Meets The Eye

Rotten Tomatoes gave Transformers a Rotten Grade - 57%

"An uneven, overlong and at times overbearing flick"

"Whatever chance Transformers might have been a decent movie disappeared the moment Bay was hired to direct"

"Flat, loud, flashy spectacle that's been fine-tuned and sanded down to appeal to the widest audience possible. All in all, pretty generic".


But you know what? I DON'T CARE!!!

Because I got me some free tickets to watch the movie and I'm going to have a blast! Hehe.

Thanks to Puteri for the tickets. Muah!!

Yummy, Frozen Yogurt

"You do know you're eating bacteria, right?"

"Yeah, but it's cultured bacteria."

"Meaning, what?"

"Meaning it's bacteria that's......well-behaved"

If I had Superpowers, It Would Be The Ability To Stop Time

Last Friday: Havoc (Dina's TT class and Dania's music class. Kids famished, ate at McDee (forgot to tell Enon to give the kids dinner before 6). Send Enon back to ibu's house. Go to Makngah's house for document signing. Reach home at 11.30pm (poor kids). Too tired to bath or "layan" hubby. Hah!! Oya, MIL in the (messy) house.

Saturday: Havoc (in-laws and cousin-in-laws came to house for dinner)

Sunday: Created own havoc but now pleased with state of the house (no more dust bunnies under the sofa). Spring cleaned house from 6.30am until 8.30am. Ironed most of the clothes that needed ironing (hate this!!).

Monday: Still tired but looking forward to Friday because I"m TAKING LEAVE!! (To take care of the kids coz MIL has to go back to M'ka so its not actually a holiday-yeah-go-for-facial type of holiday but still)

This Is So Not Worth The 10 Minutes It Took For Me To Write But Still...

Nicole Ritchie is pregnant.

Yes, I know a lot of you are probably rolling your eyes at the sentence.

What is up with the Universe?

Speculation 1: The father is her current boyfriend, that dude from Good Charlotte, who sings that irritating Aaaa-Ha, Aaaaa-Ha song, who dumped Hilary Duff, the goody-two-shoes total opposite of NR.

Speculation 2: NR got pregnant to get out of a possible jail sentence for a DUI charge (she was driving intoxicated ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE STREET)

I duuno. I guess God works in mysterious way but to think a skank like that gets to have a baby when a lot of my fabulous, much more deserving friends have been trying for years, just gets me.

If this story is true (and I have that sinking feeling that it is) here's hoping the baby gets all the love and care that he/she truly needs.

Meme For Charity

Was tagged by both Raggedyanne and TheOtherAJ for this meme.

For more info, visit Bakpo's blog.

Okay, this is the rule. If you are tagged, you need to write an entry related to the meme. At the end of your entry you just need to tag as many person as you like. You will then leave a comment in their blog to let them know they have been tagged. And to include this message, "By doing this meme you are contributing RM127 to the Darul Izzah Orphanage". Then please copy and paste this rule somewhere in your entry.


The meme is about completing at least seventeen out of the following twenty seven sentences.


1. A person is only as good as his/her actions.


2. Friendship is always developing.


3. To love is to sacrifice.


4. Money makes me feel secure.


5. I miss my Uni years, especially during the holidays.


6. My way of saying I care is by helping without being asked to help.


7. I try to spread love and happiness by telling people how much they mean to me.


8. Pick the flowers when they are in bloom and look nice in my daughters' hair.


9. To love someone is to think about them every second of the day.


10. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was my mega crush on Jordan Knight.


12. When I was twenty one, I remember being scared that I could love a man as much as I loved my future hubby.


13. I am most happy when everything I plan goes fine without a hitch.


14. Nothing makes me happier than a kiss and a hug from my loved ones.


15. If I can change one thing, I will change the current President of the United States.


16. If smiles were worth a penny then I would be rich by the end of the year.


17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could eat and not get fat.


18. If you want to be able to rant about people then you have to make sure they don't know your blog address.


19. Money is not everything but it sure makes life much easier.


20. The most touching moments I have experienced is seeing my two daughters cuddled up together in bed.


21. I smile when someone smiles at me.


22. When I am happy, I feel like dancing.


23. If only I don't have to work here, then I would feel more in control of my life.


24. The best thing I did yesterday was dance in the living room with my girls.


25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title, "Motherhood..It's Not All That Cracked Up To Be!"


26. One thing I must do before I die is make sure my kids will be taken care of.


27. Doing this meme, I feel like it's way to soon in the morning to start thinking deep.


I'm now tagging:

1. Alia Taekwando

2. Sity

3. Halwafy

4. Anyone else who wants to do this meme.

5. Who ever else who wants to contribute to charity.

Have fun!!

Wishing Him All the Best

I found his wedding photos online. I wanted to be happy seeing him happy.

Instead I felt hurt.

I know that's not right. I'm soooooooo over him. And I love hubby so much.

But a small part of me wishes he was unhappily single, as a result of dumping me in the past.

But honestly, if he's experiencing just a fraction of happiness that I'm feeling being married, then he has a great life.

And a bigger part of me truly wishes that for him.

True Confessions

I've found these great new sites...

http://truemomconfessions.com/

http://trueofficeconfessions.com/

I've read through a few of the confessions and found myself nodding my head to some of them.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"There's a load of laundry sitting in the dryer. Since Friday. Maybe I'll get it out tomorrow." - from truemomconfessions.com

I can relate becoz See Previous Post. I'm gong to have nightmares of dirty laundry chasing me around the house soon.

"I worked at an advertising agency for 8 years- and each year we were required to write our own "self evaluations". After the first two years of "self evaluations" that nobody paid attention to, I would just cut and paste the text year to year on the form! So for 6 years nobody caught on to the SAME exact self evaluation. morons." - from trueofficeconfessions.com

I can relate becoz...well, I can relate. Truth of the matter is, those at the top don't really give a damn. They already have their company car, and offices with a view and who cares about a mangly employee who "wishes to exert her utmost potential to bring more revenue to the company". Bleahhh...

"My hubby is in Iraq. I wish more women would realize how great it is to have your hubby around than to complain about the littlest of things." - from truemomconfessions.com

I need to remind myself no matter how badly hubby messes up sometimes (and its not that often), I'm lucky he's around and there when I need him.


I added in a few of my own confessions to the site. See if you can spot them.

My Headache For July

I HAVE NO MAID!!!

Uwaaaaa....

The problem that I faced a year ago has presented itself again. That bloody agent lied to us...again!! I have no patience for this kind of crap.

To cut a long story short, my maid is currently being held by the immigration. She was supposed to go back home today but they held her anyway. It's not her fault all this happened, she was just as naive and trusting like we were. I feel so bad for her, I just hope the immigration people are treating her right. I hope they send her back soon.

Yesterday, hubby and I went to see my aunt to get a new maid. We've settled on one, so now it's a matter of waiting for the paperwork to all clear. Hopefully she's as efficient, if not more, than Nisa (my previous maid). The kids have been asking for Nisa and/or replacement. Dania is scared no one will be at home waiting for her when she comes back from school. Dina is worried no one will be there to make her milk or help her to the toilet. Hmmmm....makes me wish I could take leave to care for the kids but all my annual leaves are gone (due to the hospital incident).

Fortunately my SIL is around to help out for a couple of days. And my mom has agreed to loan her maid to us for a week or so. Plus my MIL also has promised to come down (up?) from Melaka next week to watch over the kids. Thank god for family!!!

Ahh...the headaches of having a maid. Or rather in my case, of NOT having a maid. But seriously, if I didn't have one, WHO IS GOING TO DO THE IRONING?? Coz right now, that's #1 on my hate list of things to do.

Bleaahhhh.

Be Right Back!!

I'm still here. Things at work have been hectic (I finally transferred to a different unit) so while I'm still in the same department, my tasks and work deliverables have changed. Overall, it has been a good change for me. I wake up with a purpose going to work. I have To Do Lists. By the end of the week, I can check off things that have been achieved.

Yeah, I'm happier work wise.

So while work has been taking up more of my time, it's been good. But don't worry, I have tons to blog about, especially about the girls. I'll find the time during the weekends.

Take care, peeps!!

Two Things

I have work to do so I'll just update with the blog tag I found over at Jali's House.

Two Names You Go By:
1. Along
2. Ibu (what my kids call me)

Two Things You are Wearing Right Now:
1. Bat dress (baju kelawar)
2. Favorite Bra

Two Things You Want in a Relationship:
1. Communication
2. Great Sex

Two of Your Favorite Things to Do:
1. Read
2. Travel

Two Things You Want Very Badly at the Moment:
1. Sleep
2. Have some chocolate

Two Pets You Had/Have:
1. Sinbad - cat
2. Unnamed - hamsters

Two Things You Did Last Night:
1. Went out for sate with hubby and the kids
2. Played chuzzle on M.S.N. (addictive!!)

Two Things You Ate Today:
1. Bihun Soup
2. Cole Slaw

Two Longest Car Rides:
1. Tennessee to Florida (3 times)
2. Tennessee to Ohio

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Raya
2. Whatever holiday is next on the calender

Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Sweet tea with lemon
2. Toss up between Vanilla Coke and Icecream Soda

I tag...whoever wants to do this tag. Just let me know when you've done it and I'll drop by.

Back to work...bleahh.

Selamat Pengantin Baru, Paklah!!

Yesterday, our Prime Minister remarried. The lucky lady was 53 year-old, Jeanne Abdullah. My heart swelled with joy as I watched the news and the clips of the oh-so-simple ceremony today. Many congratulations to the happy couple, may you be happy together till the rest of your days.When the rumours first started about the PM remarrying, he denied it. Turns out the reporters got all their dates wrong. When he finally confirmed the story and announced the date, a lot of unworthy tongues started wagging.

Some say Paklah remarried too soon after the death of his 1st wife, Datin Seri Endon. Tell me, how do you define "too soon"? It's already been more than a year since the beloved Endon passed away due to breast cancer and throughout that lonely period, Paklah has stayed strong. Would people have been happier if he waited for 5 years? 10 years? Why the hell should he? Not a lot of people get a second chance at falling in love, so why should Paklah wait? Who are we to question his motives for remarrying. I, for one, am pleased that he's marrying someone his own age range and standards, and not some anak dara young enough to be his daughter. I can name some ministers and royalties who are like that!


You know the saying, "It's lonely at the top"? I'm pretty sure that rings true with Paklah too. Sure, he's surrounded by his cabinet ministers during the day and I'm sure his children and grandchildren are around him often. But when you've been in a relationship for over 40 years and suddenly lose that person, there's a void in you that craves for companionship. There's that time at night when you're lying in bed and all you want is someone there to hold your hand and hear you tell your day's activities. Someone to joke with and share secret looks. Some one to call you companion.


Companionship. That was the reason given by Paklah for his marriage to Jeanne. And I truly hope that she'll be a great companion for him, just as the Late Endon was.

Some people thought it was scandalous for Paklah to marry the ex-wife of his brother-in-law. First off, Jeanne and her former husband divorced 15 years ago. Secondly, Jeanne was previously the supervisor of the official residence of the deputy prime minister and manager of the Seri Perdana Complex. Who better to marry than someone who knows the demands and ups and downs of being the PM?

Some are bitter because Paklah did not marry a "pure malay". GOOD GRIEF!! Who is a pure Malay nowadays, anyway? And what the hell does her keturunan have to do with being the PM's wife anyway? Whylah these people so dengki?

I don't care. I think it's fab that Paklah remarried and I hope his marriage will make him happier and like he said, do more good work for the people.

My congratulations again to Paklah and his lovely bride. May Allah bless you both and may you both have a happy and prosperous life together. Amin.