OMG right after Raya I've been given more and more work! Just as I was finishing up Taylor's job, I have another from Harley-Davidson and now another potential - UNICEF...urghh! There goes my Raya mood.
It's kinda hard to adjust the brain to working mode again after a very long (and very fattening) break. Despite my lack of interest to work I have to force myself to sit in my office (while resisting the temptation to log on to facebook and to blog very very hard indeed!) and at least pretend to work. Having had to go in and out of the house to fetch the kids to and from schools doesn't help either. It makes me super tired! How lah?
But the good thing is I feel good that I am working again. The fact that I am helping my husband making ends meet makes me feel 'useful' and no longer 'wasted'. What can I say, I am an isteri mithali...muahahaha.
Anyway, on a different subject I've been viewing friends Raya photos on Facebook and I envy some of them because I don't have single nice photo to put up...really, not even one. How sad is that? When it comes to photo department, I always fail miserably. I promised myself to conduct a photo session this weekend in our complete Raya gear. Please pray for me that it'd materialise. I need to carefully devise a plan to make it happen, Domino's pizza might just do the trick.
Speaking about Raya, I have spent the last 11 days of my Raya holiday eating from morning to night. I had rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, sometimes in between too. Cakes and cookies in between meals and gallons of sweet drinks. My pants are all tight when I came back home. But frankly, I couldn't care less, what is Raya without eating, right? Raya = makan.
OK break's over, I have to go back to work now...sob sob sob.
I say a good wife is always ever willing to help the husband in every way possible. Not sure about those who are willing to share the husband with other women though (in lights of the recent polygamy club fuss). Me? Honestly, I would rather be dead!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Eid Mubarak!
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish Eid Mubarak to all Muslim friends around the world.
Selamat hari raya aidilfitri buat semua. Ku susun sepuluh jari memohon ampun, maaf zahir & batin andai ada tersalah dan terkasar bahasa, tercela ataupun terguris hati pembaca. Ampunkanlah segala dosa-dosaku – baik yang lepas dan yang akan datang. Sesungguhnya yang baik itu datang dari Allah subhanahu wata’ala dan yang keji itu dari hamba-Nya yang kerdil ini.
Marilah kita bersama-sama berdoa semoga kita dipanjang umur untuk bertemu Ramadhan sekali lagi di tahun hadapan, amin amin ya robbal a’lamin.
Selamat hari raya aidilfitri buat semua. Ku susun sepuluh jari memohon ampun, maaf zahir & batin andai ada tersalah dan terkasar bahasa, tercela ataupun terguris hati pembaca. Ampunkanlah segala dosa-dosaku – baik yang lepas dan yang akan datang. Sesungguhnya yang baik itu datang dari Allah subhanahu wata’ala dan yang keji itu dari hamba-Nya yang kerdil ini.
Marilah kita bersama-sama berdoa semoga kita dipanjang umur untuk bertemu Ramadhan sekali lagi di tahun hadapan, amin amin ya robbal a’lamin.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Can Facebook wreck a marriage?
Since March this year I’ve spent so much time on Facebook – catching up with old friends, looking for old buddies and of late playing games too. This has inevitably taken some of my precious time away from my loved ones. I ask myself today, is this affecting my relationship with them?
Out of curiosity, just now I googled “Facebook and marriage” and I was dumbfounded to find 4,360,000 results on this subject, to be exact. Apparently it has ruined and ended so many marriages around the world. It’s shocking to learn this fact, isn’t it?
Based on my brief research, the most common denominator of the problem is jealousy. The spouse gets in touch with his/her old flames and some old feeling may resurface. Another underlying issue is the spouse is flirting (or assumed to) with newly acquired friends.
I don’t know about the rest, but the main reason I joined the largest social networking community is to reconnect with old friends. I have successfully tracked down a large number of friends whom I have not met since high school, college and university, plus ex-colleagues that I’ve worked with in the past. To me, it’s a wonderful tool to find long lost friends, keep in touch and mengeratkan tali silaturrahim. At the same time, I have also ignored so many friend requests from strangers, particularly men out of respect for my husband.
But when you dedicate too much time on Facebook and other stuff on the internet (blogging is another good example), you may invite some discontentment and disapproval from the people you love the most. You may be seen as ‘neglecting’ them while you are pursuing your new ‘hobby’. I have personally gone through this phase. May be it’s about time for me to spend less time in cyber space and spend more time with the human race.
I say, life is such that we can never get everything that we want and we can never please everybody. Bak kata pepatah Melayu, dibuang mati emak, ditelan mati ayah.
Glokalmama is signing off.
Out of curiosity, just now I googled “Facebook and marriage” and I was dumbfounded to find 4,360,000 results on this subject, to be exact. Apparently it has ruined and ended so many marriages around the world. It’s shocking to learn this fact, isn’t it?
Based on my brief research, the most common denominator of the problem is jealousy. The spouse gets in touch with his/her old flames and some old feeling may resurface. Another underlying issue is the spouse is flirting (or assumed to) with newly acquired friends.
I don’t know about the rest, but the main reason I joined the largest social networking community is to reconnect with old friends. I have successfully tracked down a large number of friends whom I have not met since high school, college and university, plus ex-colleagues that I’ve worked with in the past. To me, it’s a wonderful tool to find long lost friends, keep in touch and mengeratkan tali silaturrahim. At the same time, I have also ignored so many friend requests from strangers, particularly men out of respect for my husband.
But when you dedicate too much time on Facebook and other stuff on the internet (blogging is another good example), you may invite some discontentment and disapproval from the people you love the most. You may be seen as ‘neglecting’ them while you are pursuing your new ‘hobby’. I have personally gone through this phase. May be it’s about time for me to spend less time in cyber space and spend more time with the human race.
I say, life is such that we can never get everything that we want and we can never please everybody. Bak kata pepatah Melayu, dibuang mati emak, ditelan mati ayah.
Glokalmama is signing off.
Just for a good laugh
My son showed me this recently - a BM essay supposedly written by a student which was forwarded to the world via the internet. I laughed my ass off (pardon my language!) when I read it and I thought I should post it here. It's damn funny.
"Pagi itu pagi minggu. Cuaca cukup sejuk sehingga mencapai takat suhu beku. Sebab itu saya tidak mandi pagi sebab air kolah jadi air batu dan air paip tidak mahu keluar sebab beku di dalam batang paip. Pagi itu saya bersarapan dengan keluarga di dalam unggun api kerana tidak tahan sejuk. Selepas itu emak saya mengajak saya menemaninya ke pasar. Tetapi saya tidak mahu.
Selepas emak menikam perut saya berkali-kali dengan garfu barulah saya bersetuju untuk mengikutnya. Kami berjalan sejauh 120 kilometer kerana pasar itu letaknya 128 kilometer dari rumah. Lagi 8 kilometer nak sampai pasar saya ternampak sebuah lori kontena meluru dengan laju dari arah belakang.
Dia melanggar emak saya. Emak saya tercampak ke dalam gaung. Dia menjerit “Adoi!”. Lepas itu emak saya naik semula dan mengejar lori tersebut. Saya pun turut berlari di belakang emak saya kerana takut emak saya melanggar lori itu pula. Pemandu lori itu nampak kami mengejarnya. Dia pun memecut lebih laju iaitu sama dengan kelajuan cahaya. Kami pula terpaksa mengejar dengan lebih laju iaitu sama dengan dua kali ganda kelajuan cahaya. Emak saya dapat menerajang tayar depan lori itu. Lori itu terbabas dan melanggar pembahagi jalan lalu bertembung dengan sebuah feri. Feri itu terbelah dua.
Penumpang feri itu yang seramai 100 orang semuanya mati. Pemandu feri itu sangat marah. Dia pun bertukar menjadi Ultraman dan memfire pemandu lori. Pemandu lori menekan butang khas di dalam lori dia..lori itu bertukar menjadi robot Transformer. Mereka bergaduh di udara. Emak saya tidak puas hati. Dia pun terus menyewa sebuah helikopter di Genting Highlands dan terus ke tempat kemalangan. Dia melanggar pemandu feri yang telah bertukar menjadi Ultraman itu.
Pemandu feri itu terkejut dan terus bertukar menjadi pemandu feri semula lalu terhempas ke jalanraya. Pemandu feri itu pecah. Pemandu lori sangat takut melihat kejadian itu. Dia meminta maaf dari emak saya. Dia menghulurkan tangan ingin bersalam. Tetapi emak saya masih marah. Dia menyendengkan helikopternya dan mengerat tangan pemandu lori itu dengan kipas helikopter. Pemandu lori itu menjerit “Adoi..!” dan jatuh ke bumi. Emak say menghantar helikopter itu ke Genting Highlands. Bila dia balik ke tempat kejadian, dia terus memukul pemandu lori itu dengan beg tangannya sambil memarahi pemandu lori itu di dalam bahasa Inggeris.
Pemandu lori itu tidak dapat menjawab sebab emak saya cakap orang putih. Lalu pemandu lori itu mati. Tidak lama kemudian kereta polis pun sampai. Dia membuat lapuran ke ibu pejabatnya tentang kemalangan ngeri itu. Semua anggota polis di pejabat polis itu terperanjat lalu mati. Orang ramai mengerumuni tempat kejadian kerana ingin mengetahui apa yang telah terjadi. Polis yang bertugas cuba menyuraikan orang ramai lalu dia menjerit menggunakan pembesar suara. Orang ramai terperanjat dan semuanya mati.
Selepas itu emak saya mengajak saya ke pasar untuk mengelak lebih ramai lagi yang akan mati. Di pasar, emak saya menceritakan kejadian itu kepada penjual daging. Penjual daging dan peniaga-peniaga berhampiran yang mendengar cerita itu semuanya terkejut dan mati. Saya dan emak saya terus berlari balik ke rumah. Kerana terlalu penat sebaik saja sampai di rumah kami pun mati. Itulah kemalangan yang paling ngeri yang pernah saya lihat sebelum saya mati."
I say only a child can have an imagination so wild...
"Pagi itu pagi minggu. Cuaca cukup sejuk sehingga mencapai takat suhu beku. Sebab itu saya tidak mandi pagi sebab air kolah jadi air batu dan air paip tidak mahu keluar sebab beku di dalam batang paip. Pagi itu saya bersarapan dengan keluarga di dalam unggun api kerana tidak tahan sejuk. Selepas itu emak saya mengajak saya menemaninya ke pasar. Tetapi saya tidak mahu.
Selepas emak menikam perut saya berkali-kali dengan garfu barulah saya bersetuju untuk mengikutnya. Kami berjalan sejauh 120 kilometer kerana pasar itu letaknya 128 kilometer dari rumah. Lagi 8 kilometer nak sampai pasar saya ternampak sebuah lori kontena meluru dengan laju dari arah belakang.
Dia melanggar emak saya. Emak saya tercampak ke dalam gaung. Dia menjerit “Adoi!”. Lepas itu emak saya naik semula dan mengejar lori tersebut. Saya pun turut berlari di belakang emak saya kerana takut emak saya melanggar lori itu pula. Pemandu lori itu nampak kami mengejarnya. Dia pun memecut lebih laju iaitu sama dengan kelajuan cahaya. Kami pula terpaksa mengejar dengan lebih laju iaitu sama dengan dua kali ganda kelajuan cahaya. Emak saya dapat menerajang tayar depan lori itu. Lori itu terbabas dan melanggar pembahagi jalan lalu bertembung dengan sebuah feri. Feri itu terbelah dua.
Penumpang feri itu yang seramai 100 orang semuanya mati. Pemandu feri itu sangat marah. Dia pun bertukar menjadi Ultraman dan memfire pemandu lori. Pemandu lori menekan butang khas di dalam lori dia..lori itu bertukar menjadi robot Transformer. Mereka bergaduh di udara. Emak saya tidak puas hati. Dia pun terus menyewa sebuah helikopter di Genting Highlands dan terus ke tempat kemalangan. Dia melanggar pemandu feri yang telah bertukar menjadi Ultraman itu.
Pemandu feri itu terkejut dan terus bertukar menjadi pemandu feri semula lalu terhempas ke jalanraya. Pemandu feri itu pecah. Pemandu lori sangat takut melihat kejadian itu. Dia meminta maaf dari emak saya. Dia menghulurkan tangan ingin bersalam. Tetapi emak saya masih marah. Dia menyendengkan helikopternya dan mengerat tangan pemandu lori itu dengan kipas helikopter. Pemandu lori itu menjerit “Adoi..!” dan jatuh ke bumi. Emak say menghantar helikopter itu ke Genting Highlands. Bila dia balik ke tempat kejadian, dia terus memukul pemandu lori itu dengan beg tangannya sambil memarahi pemandu lori itu di dalam bahasa Inggeris.
Pemandu lori itu tidak dapat menjawab sebab emak saya cakap orang putih. Lalu pemandu lori itu mati. Tidak lama kemudian kereta polis pun sampai. Dia membuat lapuran ke ibu pejabatnya tentang kemalangan ngeri itu. Semua anggota polis di pejabat polis itu terperanjat lalu mati. Orang ramai mengerumuni tempat kejadian kerana ingin mengetahui apa yang telah terjadi. Polis yang bertugas cuba menyuraikan orang ramai lalu dia menjerit menggunakan pembesar suara. Orang ramai terperanjat dan semuanya mati.
Selepas itu emak saya mengajak saya ke pasar untuk mengelak lebih ramai lagi yang akan mati. Di pasar, emak saya menceritakan kejadian itu kepada penjual daging. Penjual daging dan peniaga-peniaga berhampiran yang mendengar cerita itu semuanya terkejut dan mati. Saya dan emak saya terus berlari balik ke rumah. Kerana terlalu penat sebaik saja sampai di rumah kami pun mati. Itulah kemalangan yang paling ngeri yang pernah saya lihat sebelum saya mati."
I say only a child can have an imagination so wild...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
It’s a sexist world we live in
It took me years in denial to finally have the courage to accept the fact that as a woman I live to serve others (the opposite sex in particular) – both now and in after life.
I was born in a family of 6 children – 4 males and 2 females. The 2 females were the only children in the family that have made it to university, both abroad even. My father, who was then a teacher, taught me to be the best that I could be regardless of my gender. I was never told that I couldn’t do this or that simply because I was a girl.
At school it was different. The teachers wanted to appoint me as the Head Prefect when I was in standard 6, but changed their mind because I was a girl. So I was appointed the assistant head prefect instead. Thank God I went to an all-girls secondary school; hence I was not exposed to further gender discrimination during my teenage years at school.
My husband has made it clear that he wanted my sons to study abroad but my daughters to study closer to home. This comes from a man who married his wife overseas. A man who studied in the same foreign university that his wife did. I find this a little bit hard to swallow. I feel sad for my girls.
My son once asked me, “momma, can a girl be a xxx (I forgot what was the profession)?” My response was “if you put your mind into something, you can achieve the impossible regardless of your gender.” His many gender related questions (which he’d normally asked after school) has made me realized that our education system is indirectly teaching our children to be a sexist. They are taught that boys can do certain thing that girls can’t.
It’s everywhere actually – at home, work, politics, etc. You can’t escape sexism, much like racism. I can’t help but wonder if Hillary Clinton were a man would she win the Democrat party presidential nominee? I think she would, with flying colours.
Where does this lead us to? Should I feel sad that I was born a female? Or should I celebrate it? Celebrate the fact that I was born to complement the opposite gender. To make his live complete, to raise his children, to be a faithful companion. I guess I should and I must (or perhaps I just need a job!).
Well...I guess I have to accept the fact that I was made from tulang rusuk seorang lelaki. Wallahuwa’alam.
I was born in a family of 6 children – 4 males and 2 females. The 2 females were the only children in the family that have made it to university, both abroad even. My father, who was then a teacher, taught me to be the best that I could be regardless of my gender. I was never told that I couldn’t do this or that simply because I was a girl.
At school it was different. The teachers wanted to appoint me as the Head Prefect when I was in standard 6, but changed their mind because I was a girl. So I was appointed the assistant head prefect instead. Thank God I went to an all-girls secondary school; hence I was not exposed to further gender discrimination during my teenage years at school.
My husband has made it clear that he wanted my sons to study abroad but my daughters to study closer to home. This comes from a man who married his wife overseas. A man who studied in the same foreign university that his wife did. I find this a little bit hard to swallow. I feel sad for my girls.
My son once asked me, “momma, can a girl be a xxx (I forgot what was the profession)?” My response was “if you put your mind into something, you can achieve the impossible regardless of your gender.” His many gender related questions (which he’d normally asked after school) has made me realized that our education system is indirectly teaching our children to be a sexist. They are taught that boys can do certain thing that girls can’t.
It’s everywhere actually – at home, work, politics, etc. You can’t escape sexism, much like racism. I can’t help but wonder if Hillary Clinton were a man would she win the Democrat party presidential nominee? I think she would, with flying colours.
Where does this lead us to? Should I feel sad that I was born a female? Or should I celebrate it? Celebrate the fact that I was born to complement the opposite gender. To make his live complete, to raise his children, to be a faithful companion. I guess I should and I must (or perhaps I just need a job!).
Well...I guess I have to accept the fact that I was made from tulang rusuk seorang lelaki. Wallahuwa’alam.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
1malaysia or is it really?
I am in the mood to write today so I will keep writing what’s in my head till it drains out.
There is so much being said about the concept of 1Malaysia which was coined by the current PM. But at the same time we also hear plenty about the act of racism, which seems to be on the rise recently. Why? Did he really mean it or was it just a line of attack to win people’s heart (will I get arrested for saying this? I hope not).
I am writing as a mother who has 1 child each in secondary school, primary school and kindergarten. Ariana seems oblivious of her friend’s racial mix; she has Malay, Chinese and Indian friends. She is still living in a true 1Malaysia spirit. She doesn’t even know what does race means yet. Kyle used to have a Chinese boy named Joaqim as his best friend when he was in standard 1. They spoke in English with each other and eat home cook meal at the school canteen together during recess. Since we moved to this neighbourhood, his friends only comprise of Malay boys and he no longer speaks English with his friends. Daniel only has 1 Indian friend in his circle of friends. When I asked why didn’t he befriend Chinese students, he said they (the Chinese boys) prefer to be in their own circle. I think the act is vice versa for the Malays students. You tend to stick with things/ people that you are more familiar with.
I always encourage my children to make friends with people from other races and background. When I was in school my friends were all Malays. There were none non-Malay students in my primary school and only a handful in my primary school. My working life is of the opposite. My office mates and friends were mainly Chinese and some Indian. I didn’t have that many Malay colleagues in some of the companies I worked for. I learned more about Chinese and Indian cultures in the last 10 years than I did before.
Back to the concept of 1Malaysia. What does it mean exactly? In my humble opinion, there will never be 1Malaysia for as long as there are preferential treatment for bumiputera (being born in this 'privileged' group, it's kind of hard to swallow if people want to take that away from you isn't it?), more than 1 language being spoken in the country, political parties that are established based on religion and race, vernacular schools still in existence and politicians that are playing the race card for their advantages still roam freely.
Take our nearest neighbor Indonesia for example. Over there, you can’t even distinguish between races because they speak the same language and have similar names. Correct me if I am wrong but I don’t think they have political parties that represent the Chinese, Javanese, Sundas or what not. They are close enough to living in 1 nation state. But I am sure there is racism to some degree over there too. Heck, racism and hate crime even existed in America - the so-called land of freedom! It’s an incurable disease.
As parents, the least we could do is to teach our children to be unprejudiced and open-minded. We should not instill hatred in their hearts. The recent cow head protest was really a bad example one could give to the young generation. Imagine if people make fun of our prophet or the holly Quran. You would be freaking mad right? Treat thy neighbor the way you want to be treated. Where did that group of people come from? They should be thrown behind bars for life I say. There are other ways to throw your grouses; making fun of one’s religion is definitely not the way. I say hunt them one by one and put them away for good before they 'infect' others.
There is so much being said about the concept of 1Malaysia which was coined by the current PM. But at the same time we also hear plenty about the act of racism, which seems to be on the rise recently. Why? Did he really mean it or was it just a line of attack to win people’s heart (will I get arrested for saying this? I hope not).
I am writing as a mother who has 1 child each in secondary school, primary school and kindergarten. Ariana seems oblivious of her friend’s racial mix; she has Malay, Chinese and Indian friends. She is still living in a true 1Malaysia spirit. She doesn’t even know what does race means yet. Kyle used to have a Chinese boy named Joaqim as his best friend when he was in standard 1. They spoke in English with each other and eat home cook meal at the school canteen together during recess. Since we moved to this neighbourhood, his friends only comprise of Malay boys and he no longer speaks English with his friends. Daniel only has 1 Indian friend in his circle of friends. When I asked why didn’t he befriend Chinese students, he said they (the Chinese boys) prefer to be in their own circle. I think the act is vice versa for the Malays students. You tend to stick with things/ people that you are more familiar with.
I always encourage my children to make friends with people from other races and background. When I was in school my friends were all Malays. There were none non-Malay students in my primary school and only a handful in my primary school. My working life is of the opposite. My office mates and friends were mainly Chinese and some Indian. I didn’t have that many Malay colleagues in some of the companies I worked for. I learned more about Chinese and Indian cultures in the last 10 years than I did before.
Back to the concept of 1Malaysia. What does it mean exactly? In my humble opinion, there will never be 1Malaysia for as long as there are preferential treatment for bumiputera (being born in this 'privileged' group, it's kind of hard to swallow if people want to take that away from you isn't it?), more than 1 language being spoken in the country, political parties that are established based on religion and race, vernacular schools still in existence and politicians that are playing the race card for their advantages still roam freely.
Take our nearest neighbor Indonesia for example. Over there, you can’t even distinguish between races because they speak the same language and have similar names. Correct me if I am wrong but I don’t think they have political parties that represent the Chinese, Javanese, Sundas or what not. They are close enough to living in 1 nation state. But I am sure there is racism to some degree over there too. Heck, racism and hate crime even existed in America - the so-called land of freedom! It’s an incurable disease.
As parents, the least we could do is to teach our children to be unprejudiced and open-minded. We should not instill hatred in their hearts. The recent cow head protest was really a bad example one could give to the young generation. Imagine if people make fun of our prophet or the holly Quran. You would be freaking mad right? Treat thy neighbor the way you want to be treated. Where did that group of people come from? They should be thrown behind bars for life I say. There are other ways to throw your grouses; making fun of one’s religion is definitely not the way. I say hunt them one by one and put them away for good before they 'infect' others.
Pimples attack!
Of late, my complexion has turned for the worst. I’ve been attacked by pimples and blackheads all over my face. Not to mentioned my existing pigmentation problem. It’s getting worse too. What did I do? Or what didn’t I do? I know never having a facial might be one of the culprits, but besides that what else? I didn’t change my lifestyle or my diet, so why the sudden hormone change?
I have since stopped using AG2020. I was afraid that it could have triggered the pimples attack. I have also been taking a supplement called Bidadari for the last couple of months (oh this thing really work on tightening loosen muscle I tell ya!). That too I had stop taking ever since the breakout started.
I promised myself that I would get a facial this week. Judging from the rate I’m going I don’t think it’s gonna happen. It’s already Thursday and next week is the last week before Raya. Could someone please whip my lazy butt?
Will I ever get a flawless complexion? Most probably not unless I am willing to spend thousands of ringgit on treatment (which I can’t afford right now) and spend hours of precious time at the saloon. Right now I am going back to basic by using bedak sejuk at night and changed my skin care range back to Clinique. AG2020 has stopped working on me. Why, why, why?????
I seriously need help in this department.
I have since stopped using AG2020. I was afraid that it could have triggered the pimples attack. I have also been taking a supplement called Bidadari for the last couple of months (oh this thing really work on tightening loosen muscle I tell ya!). That too I had stop taking ever since the breakout started.
I promised myself that I would get a facial this week. Judging from the rate I’m going I don’t think it’s gonna happen. It’s already Thursday and next week is the last week before Raya. Could someone please whip my lazy butt?
Will I ever get a flawless complexion? Most probably not unless I am willing to spend thousands of ringgit on treatment (which I can’t afford right now) and spend hours of precious time at the saloon. Right now I am going back to basic by using bedak sejuk at night and changed my skin care range back to Clinique. AG2020 has stopped working on me. Why, why, why?????
I seriously need help in this department.
One of a kind indeed
I wanted to write this post earlier but the puasa month really has this effect on my mood – I am too lazy to do just about everything but cook. So this one will be short (and hopefully sweet).
Sophia Amani bt. Fatzunnahar (aka Sophie) turned 1 year old according to Islamic calendar on Nuzul Quran - Monday, 17 Ramadhan 1430. It was on Nuzul Quran last year that I was wheeled into the OT for an emergency c-section because she went into breach position at the very last minute – my one-of-a-kind baby! She even surprised a seasoned OBGYN when she did that. No one had expected that a full term baby already engaged south bound towards the birth canal could turn head up. How did she do it? Only God knows. What I can tell you is her legs are really strong; she can kick pretty hard – a future sprinter or kick boxer perhaps.
Sophia Amani a few hours old.
All alone in isolation ward because momma had chicken pox right after the delivery. Poor Sophie was kept in the ward for 7 days and ONLY daddy was allowed to see her.
In isolation ward. I cried inconsolably from the 5th day onwards day because I missed her so much. Imagine giving birth to a child and not being able to see her at all for 7 days. Dr. Musa was really MEAN.
Can you see the wires? She was pricked and and poked by the doctor on her hands and legs to complete the full round of anti-viral medicine. Poor baby.
Sophie's first day at home. Happy to be home at last - can ya see her happy face? Momma was the happiest person on earth that day too
My motherly intuition tells me that she is a one very bright baby (but then again all mothers think that their babies are bright, don’t we?). She could understand almost all instructions and very observant. Give her a shoe, she’d try to put it on (she loves her sister’s shoes the most), give her a hair clip, she’d try to clip it on her hair, give her a bottle of eye drop, she’d try to poke it into one’s eyes, give her an iphone, she’d play game with it! Her favourite game on iphone is TAP TAP. She could salam and kiss one’s hand before she even turned 1 year old. She would kiss people when instructed and she’d do it willingly to the people she loves the most (like moi lah). When her daddy is outstation, she’d point to my handphone and say PAPA. I think that’s her way of saying that she wants to talk to her daddy. Isn’t that cute?
Her favourite TV show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She’d stop playing when the cartoon is aired on channel 613. When she’s in the mood to watch TV, and the show is not what she wanted to watch, she’d take the remote control and try to change the channel herself. She loves Aboo, our pet cat; likes to ‘torture’ him by pinching and pulling his ears and tail. At night she’d sleep with her tiger cub soft toy that resembles Aboo. Oh, she’s been sleeping in between momma and papa since she turned 9 months old. Her crib is now collecting dust in my room.
When I think that she WILL be my last, there is a teensy weensy bit of me that kind of microscopically regret that. Having 1 or 2 more babies like her would be a joy to our life. But my body is too old to go through the cycle again…tulang sudah rapuh mak! Wouldn’t it be nice if human were like animals, we give birth and the baby would get up, walk and find his/ her own way to survive without much care from the parents. I wouldn’t mind having 10 babies like that.
On the same subject, did you know that our prophet Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. was raised by Halimatussa’adiah until he turned 2? Apparently, the wealthy Arabs would give their newborn babies to the Badwis and pay them to nurse and care for them until they turn 2 or 3 years old. Only then the children are taken home. My dear husband once said jokingly that he wished we still practice that today...
Sophie will turn 1 year old in just a matter of days. With that, I have passed the topmost crucial milestone of bringing up a child – the first 1 year. Another 2 years as a toddler, then freedom!! No more babies in da house until it’s time to jaga my cucu...muahahaha.
I wonder how my mom survived having 6 children without a maid. I don’t think that I have the passion or the energy to have more than 4 (or have more than 1 without a maid). I salute you mak.
On a slightly related subject, I say we are too dependent on foreign maids that without them our lives will be difficult, especially for working moms (even a full time mom like me can’t live without them these days. I am too pampered to house chores on my own :D). Hence, I say YES to maids!!! Having a maid could even improve your love live as you get to spend more quality time with your hubby and most importantly you quarrel less (because you’re not so tired after doing the house chores). Your kids get more attention too because you have more free time. So YB Minister, please work it out with the Indonesian, Philippine and Cambodian government to ensure that we won’t be short of maids supply in the future. But I do think that the Indon’s demand for minimum wage of RM800 is totally ridiculous. That’s really over the top (although I am already paying my maid of 5 years RM750/month). Can’t live with them, can’t live without them *sigh*!
Sophia Amani bt. Fatzunnahar (aka Sophie) turned 1 year old according to Islamic calendar on Nuzul Quran - Monday, 17 Ramadhan 1430. It was on Nuzul Quran last year that I was wheeled into the OT for an emergency c-section because she went into breach position at the very last minute – my one-of-a-kind baby! She even surprised a seasoned OBGYN when she did that. No one had expected that a full term baby already engaged south bound towards the birth canal could turn head up. How did she do it? Only God knows. What I can tell you is her legs are really strong; she can kick pretty hard – a future sprinter or kick boxer perhaps.
Sophia Amani a few hours old.
All alone in isolation ward because momma had chicken pox right after the delivery. Poor Sophie was kept in the ward for 7 days and ONLY daddy was allowed to see her.
In isolation ward. I cried inconsolably from the 5th day onwards day because I missed her so much. Imagine giving birth to a child and not being able to see her at all for 7 days. Dr. Musa was really MEAN. 
Can you see the wires? She was pricked and and poked by the doctor on her hands and legs to complete the full round of anti-viral medicine. Poor baby. 
Sophie's first day at home. Happy to be home at last - can ya see her happy face? Momma was the happiest person on earth that day tooMy motherly intuition tells me that she is a one very bright baby (but then again all mothers think that their babies are bright, don’t we?). She could understand almost all instructions and very observant. Give her a shoe, she’d try to put it on (she loves her sister’s shoes the most), give her a hair clip, she’d try to clip it on her hair, give her a bottle of eye drop, she’d try to poke it into one’s eyes, give her an iphone, she’d play game with it! Her favourite game on iphone is TAP TAP. She could salam and kiss one’s hand before she even turned 1 year old. She would kiss people when instructed and she’d do it willingly to the people she loves the most (like moi lah). When her daddy is outstation, she’d point to my handphone and say PAPA. I think that’s her way of saying that she wants to talk to her daddy. Isn’t that cute?
Her favourite TV show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She’d stop playing when the cartoon is aired on channel 613. When she’s in the mood to watch TV, and the show is not what she wanted to watch, she’d take the remote control and try to change the channel herself. She loves Aboo, our pet cat; likes to ‘torture’ him by pinching and pulling his ears and tail. At night she’d sleep with her tiger cub soft toy that resembles Aboo. Oh, she’s been sleeping in between momma and papa since she turned 9 months old. Her crib is now collecting dust in my room.
When I think that she WILL be my last, there is a teensy weensy bit of me that kind of microscopically regret that. Having 1 or 2 more babies like her would be a joy to our life. But my body is too old to go through the cycle again…tulang sudah rapuh mak! Wouldn’t it be nice if human were like animals, we give birth and the baby would get up, walk and find his/ her own way to survive without much care from the parents. I wouldn’t mind having 10 babies like that.
On the same subject, did you know that our prophet Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. was raised by Halimatussa’adiah until he turned 2? Apparently, the wealthy Arabs would give their newborn babies to the Badwis and pay them to nurse and care for them until they turn 2 or 3 years old. Only then the children are taken home. My dear husband once said jokingly that he wished we still practice that today...
Sophie will turn 1 year old in just a matter of days. With that, I have passed the topmost crucial milestone of bringing up a child – the first 1 year. Another 2 years as a toddler, then freedom!! No more babies in da house until it’s time to jaga my cucu...muahahaha.
I wonder how my mom survived having 6 children without a maid. I don’t think that I have the passion or the energy to have more than 4 (or have more than 1 without a maid). I salute you mak.
On a slightly related subject, I say we are too dependent on foreign maids that without them our lives will be difficult, especially for working moms (even a full time mom like me can’t live without them these days. I am too pampered to house chores on my own :D). Hence, I say YES to maids!!! Having a maid could even improve your love live as you get to spend more quality time with your hubby and most importantly you quarrel less (because you’re not so tired after doing the house chores). Your kids get more attention too because you have more free time. So YB Minister, please work it out with the Indonesian, Philippine and Cambodian government to ensure that we won’t be short of maids supply in the future. But I do think that the Indon’s demand for minimum wage of RM800 is totally ridiculous. That’s really over the top (although I am already paying my maid of 5 years RM750/month). Can’t live with them, can’t live without them *sigh*!
Friday, September 4, 2009
19 years later (part 2)
(I would like to credit Wan Mazwan aka mamarazzi for the picture. Nanti kena saman pulak!)I recently met up with friends whom I last met 19 years ago. All thanks to FaceBook! It’s wonderful isn’t it? Being able to catch up and reminisce about the good old days again after so long.
I got a call from the most popular person in FB (almost a celebrity mind you), Wan Mazwan - who just came back from Bahrain for a long holiday - on Thursday morning asking whether I could meet her and Liza for lunch that day. My mind was going wild trying to figure out how to make it with having to pick up my son from school at 1.50pm. So I thought I had no choice but be there late. It was too late to make arrangement for Daniel to tumpang one of his friends home.
After I performed my motherly duty, I sped to Putrajaya at full speed, thanks to my hubby who provided me with a reliable car (ehemm bila nak tukar kereta baru?). I maintained speed between 140-160km/hr and made it to Putrajaya in 15mins! It was a record. I once drove from KLIA to Sri Damansara in less than 30 minutes speeding at 190km/hr on the highway. It was exciting; I could feel the adrenalin rushing in my system.
Anyway, back to the micro reunion, nothing much has changed – both still look as young and beautiful as they were 19 years ago. Wan’s humor is as refreshing as ever. You cannot possibly go bored talking to this chirpy lady. Liza really excudes a charm of a successful corporate lady – I’m so proud of you girl!
We ate and chat for hours in the restaurant that we lost track of time – it flew so fast with so many things to catch up! But I had to bid good bye and take my leave as I needed to pick up my son my school. It was so so so much fun meeting the two of them. We should do this more often people!
I say it’s wonderfull being able to meet up with old friends and make new ones. Friends make our lives more rewarding, fulfilling and animated. I love you people!!
Ramadhan Datang Lagi
Although 13 days too late, I would like to wish all Muslims Ramadhan A-Mubarak.
I’ve always loved Ramadhan even when I was young. When I was a little girl, I loved the atmosphere and festivity during puasa. Breaking fast, playing bunga api and mercun at night were like the best activities in the whole wide world at the time. These days it’s a little harder to get those wonderful mercun we played during our childhood, I pity my kids. It was sure FUN playing with mercun despite what the government says about the risk that comes with it.
As we get older, we look forward to another aspect of puasa - terawih and ibadah. Food glorious food is undoubtedly the main agenda too during Ramadhan – as much as we try to deny this fact, it’s very much true for us Malaysians. One cannot escape about thinking of going to the many Ramadhan bazaars around town.
Always on the top list are: Murtabak, ayam percik, ikan bakar, the sweet kuihs, pengat (or serawa as we orang Kedah calls it) and the ever faithful bubur lampuk. Yumm yummm!!
My two young sons too look forward to puasa, for that I thank Allah the Almighty. When I asked Kyle what he liked most about puasa he said he loves waking up early in the morning for sahur and he look forward to shedding some weight as well. Daniel used to look forward to the food for berbuka. But not this year. This year we really eat in moderation. We seldom go to the bazaar and I cook everything from lauk-pauk, kuih-muih and the drink. I hope the tradition would continue for years to come. In the past, half of what we bought ended up in the dustbin. So this year, I thought we should try to curb the pembaziran. Moreover, being a fulltime homemaker, I am determined to “homemade” this year’s puasa.
During the recent school holiday, I took the advantage to execute some home project with the kids in my endeavor to keep them occupied before breaking fast. We made doughnuts, karipap and other kuih as a family project. The kids loved it. It was a huge success. I shall try to do this more often during weekends and holidays.
Next week, my other half is leaving for China for a week – I don’t like this! It makes buka puasa definitely less exciting *sob sob*. I foresee that my cooking momentum may slightly decrease during his one week absence.
I say Malaysians are obsessed with food. We take every opportunity to celebrate with food, even in the month when we were supposed to eat less :D.
I’ve always loved Ramadhan even when I was young. When I was a little girl, I loved the atmosphere and festivity during puasa. Breaking fast, playing bunga api and mercun at night were like the best activities in the whole wide world at the time. These days it’s a little harder to get those wonderful mercun we played during our childhood, I pity my kids. It was sure FUN playing with mercun despite what the government says about the risk that comes with it.
As we get older, we look forward to another aspect of puasa - terawih and ibadah. Food glorious food is undoubtedly the main agenda too during Ramadhan – as much as we try to deny this fact, it’s very much true for us Malaysians. One cannot escape about thinking of going to the many Ramadhan bazaars around town.
Always on the top list are: Murtabak, ayam percik, ikan bakar, the sweet kuihs, pengat (or serawa as we orang Kedah calls it) and the ever faithful bubur lampuk. Yumm yummm!!
My two young sons too look forward to puasa, for that I thank Allah the Almighty. When I asked Kyle what he liked most about puasa he said he loves waking up early in the morning for sahur and he look forward to shedding some weight as well. Daniel used to look forward to the food for berbuka. But not this year. This year we really eat in moderation. We seldom go to the bazaar and I cook everything from lauk-pauk, kuih-muih and the drink. I hope the tradition would continue for years to come. In the past, half of what we bought ended up in the dustbin. So this year, I thought we should try to curb the pembaziran. Moreover, being a fulltime homemaker, I am determined to “homemade” this year’s puasa.
During the recent school holiday, I took the advantage to execute some home project with the kids in my endeavor to keep them occupied before breaking fast. We made doughnuts, karipap and other kuih as a family project. The kids loved it. It was a huge success. I shall try to do this more often during weekends and holidays.
Next week, my other half is leaving for China for a week – I don’t like this! It makes buka puasa definitely less exciting *sob sob*. I foresee that my cooking momentum may slightly decrease during his one week absence.
I say Malaysians are obsessed with food. We take every opportunity to celebrate with food, even in the month when we were supposed to eat less :D.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
What's been keeping me busy
Wow!!! It’s been more than a month since my last post. My part time job has really kept me busy for the entire month. Now that it’s almost all done, I can start updating my blog again…yay!! Truthfully, I really miss updating this space. I have lots to say but so little time to write. My sons have since given up asking me to update it too.
In the last month, I have completed a job for Taylor’s and Naza. I may get another job from Taylor’s soon. If I could keep it up, I may not go back to work full time next year. Working from home is definitely more fun (although there are a lot of distractions in between).
Apart from busy working, for the last 3 weeks or so, I’ve been hooked to a game of farming in FaceBook, much to my hubby’s dismay because I’ve been spending more time in front of my notebook than talking to him! Well, in my defense, FarmVille is not just some useless game, it’s all about making the right strategy to move up to higher levels. You need to optimize your investment and purchase wisely to keep moving up to the next level steadily. I am proud to say that in just 3 weeks, I’ve moved from level 1 to 24...muahahaha. And I now own a cottage, a barn, a tractor, a harvester, a workshop, two tool sheds and lots more. I am damn proud of my farm huhuhu...
On the downside, my farm has been taking a lot of my time even at the expense of my part time work. Not very good lah. My hubby too has been complaining a LOT. Even Sophie is getting less attention from me because I was too busy farming (while at the same time working). Perhaps I should take it slow, can’t be the aggressive farmer that I was *sob sob*.
Statistically, I found out recently that FarmVille has attracted so much interest amongst FB users that it has grown to 11millions users in just 2 short months! It’s mind-boggling to know that there are other 11millions cyber farmers like me around the world. So honey, please take note that I am NOT alone...
In the last month, I have completed a job for Taylor’s and Naza. I may get another job from Taylor’s soon. If I could keep it up, I may not go back to work full time next year. Working from home is definitely more fun (although there are a lot of distractions in between).
Apart from busy working, for the last 3 weeks or so, I’ve been hooked to a game of farming in FaceBook, much to my hubby’s dismay because I’ve been spending more time in front of my notebook than talking to him! Well, in my defense, FarmVille is not just some useless game, it’s all about making the right strategy to move up to higher levels. You need to optimize your investment and purchase wisely to keep moving up to the next level steadily. I am proud to say that in just 3 weeks, I’ve moved from level 1 to 24...muahahaha. And I now own a cottage, a barn, a tractor, a harvester, a workshop, two tool sheds and lots more. I am damn proud of my farm huhuhu...
On the downside, my farm has been taking a lot of my time even at the expense of my part time work. Not very good lah. My hubby too has been complaining a LOT. Even Sophie is getting less attention from me because I was too busy farming (while at the same time working). Perhaps I should take it slow, can’t be the aggressive farmer that I was *sob sob*.
Statistically, I found out recently that FarmVille has attracted so much interest amongst FB users that it has grown to 11millions users in just 2 short months! It’s mind-boggling to know that there are other 11millions cyber farmers like me around the world. So honey, please take note that I am NOT alone...
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