J.a.j.a E.m.r.a.n

Mommy's toilet emergency

2012-02-26T23:56:00.000+08:00

Everyone have traumatic toilet emergency, in my case (and I am pretty sure some of the mothers out there would definitely agree with my kind of term), the toilet emergency here refers to the super-urgency to do 'that activity' with kids around. I am talking about being in the shopping complex and there's public toilet everywhere.

I love windows shopping very much. I could relate that to my previous body shape last time, kurus sbb berjalan banyak. U know what, in few hours, I can walk past by SOGO at entire levels whenever there's sales going on, and then went tp entire ARKED at Jln TAR and Jln Masjid India sampailah Mydin, Gulati's etc, all the way up to Bukit Bintang Lot 10 andSg Wang.....bukan membeli sangat pun. suka tengok2. I dont even dare to stop by for lunch kadang2 bawa ke malam. heuheuheu.. tu yg kurus dulu2. hehe. Dapat pulak geng yg sekepala.

Tapi skrg tidak lagi. Malas nak bawa anak2 (hubby apatah lagi) join sekaki dgn tabiat aku ni. Plus, bloghopping shopping websites and shopblogs plus the good bargain I can get in eBay, make me feel more comfy at home..Maka bila dah malas, memang keluar ke shopping complexes bila perlu saja lah. Habis2 pun ke bookshop bcoz we were members of MPH and BORDERS.

Anyway, thats not really my point here, I mean for this entry. Disebabkan jarang window shopping lately, maka hari Ahad yg beautiful sunny morning ni tadi I took the kids to The Curve. Mr hubby is working today, ada project go-live. Oh well..

Maka ahkak ni bawa lah 2org budak kenit ni ke The Curve. Asalnya nak pi redeem BORDERS voucher that Alyna received from her Uncle Ijan and Auntie Awin on her 6th birthday.

We went for breakfast at Teh Tarik Place first before headed to BORDERS. Senang je parking due to early morning. Tapi bila masuk je BORDERS, rasa cam sakit perut giler hahaha tak boleh ampun mesti kena ~~berak~~ membuang air besaq time tu jugakkkk...see.. isn't it traumatic?

Maka, dua2 anak pun ku heret sama...hehehe..maaflah mommy tidak berniat untuk memaksa semua berada di tempat mommy membuat activity pass motion ini..kena carik one bigger toilet room (i.e toilet for disabled) or some shopping complexes ada yg untuk ibu dan anak punye room. Kenapa bigger? To fit them in together with me..ok,ok jgn imagine lebeh2 aaa...bau apatah lagi. Dapat pulak lepas layan roti telur and teh tarik kat Teh Tarik Place. eh dah..dah tu..

Keji,kan...

Eh taklah...saya bukanlah berniat keji tetapi adakah kerana 'over-protective' maka saya tak mau biarkan my kids yg still kecil tu tunggu depan toilet leaving them unattended, sbb saya di dlm sedang membuang air dan apa2 pun akan terjadi if I put them outside.. Saya tak sanggup. Anak punya hal apa nak jadi pun jadilah janji jgn sesekali tinggallkn diorang even in the car without adult. Sumpah saya sangat particular part ni especially diorang ni anak dara....

Macam2 kan perkara dah jadi link to kes Nurin Jazlin dan Sharlinie yang hilang atas sebab kecuaian ibubapa...

Nauzubillahiminzalik...

Read this, in New Zealand:

Mother counselled after leaving kids at toilet stop

OK,ok enough about being protective. Keselamatan penting,kan...especially at the era where semua org jaga tepi kain sendiri...tu la...

Anyway, back to BORDERS story, I got them few books using that voucher, and myself one Mitch Albom's creation - For One More Day. (Mitch Albom's books was introduced by dear boyfriend-then-suami pada zaman dulu2 masa bercinta, started with Tuesdays with Morrie).

OK, la lets read.. its bedtime novel, anyway..

nite nite!

Songs that Hold Memories

2012-02-24T16:19:00.004+08:00

Good old days. The song/music, the sounds of a place that we can never journey back to.

But why do these memories of times past feel so nostalgic?

What makes these memories so different from remembering what I had for breakfast last Thursday?

Feeling nostalgic. Nostalgia is exceptionally good at making us feel better when times are tough. It’s a little mental pick-me-up that reminds us of good times, good friends and a why it’s great to be alive.

I have many songs that hold memories.

One of it is: Yesterday by the beatles

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly, I'm not half to man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

- feeling a little blues here..(friday blues)?

..no,no,no..just a little bit of recount memories back in college years. :)

The one with the start small

2012-02-23T23:31:00.000+08:00

The company is organizing The Biggest Loser program season 2. I'm officially in.

So..today's the first day. Let's start small first. Objective is to win the RM500, not to lose weight.

So, what's for dinner? Rice-less diet,lah kan.

Tonite, I stir fried the followings:-

1 teaspoon butter
Minced chicken
Garlic
Asparagus
Bell pepper (yellow)
Carrot
Button mushroom
Italian seasoning

(finger crossed: NO RICE after 7pm). Yummy to go with a glass of plain water.

Mr Hubby also wants a simple dinner, hotdog complete with caramelized onions, mayo, salad, cherry tomato, grilled sandwich loaf, chilli sauce.

hehehe..

eh eh..
ternampak pulak dengan benda ni masa nak thaw the sausages..balance masa last weekend BBQ family gathering.

jeng jeng jeng...

ter'ambil' pulak one big scoop ice cream yg lazat terus sumbat dlm roti...heavennya ice cream roti....

so, bila masa nak kurus? The Biggest Gainer.

hawau! (kata org melaka)

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-22T07:24:00.000+08:00

Not so wordless wednesday.

I miss snorkelling with my family.

The last snorkelling trip was 4years ago when little Izzah was in my tummy (I was preggy 4months) and Alyna was 2yrs old.

Its Manukan Island, Sabah. She loves watching and feeding the fish, in the crystal clear water.

She looks cute in the safety jacket

The real magic of a family holiday is in the time you spend together.
I need this so badly at least before my next overseas assignment. huhuhuhu

Awesomest thing on monday

2012-02-20T07:35:00.001+08:00

Morning. Its monday.

What's your awesomest thing on monday?

My awesomest thing is, to remember My lovey dovey moment back in 2004.

One of it is, to receive every morning text "hey u...wakeup sleepyhead"......

Itu saja dah cukup buat saya cair gila. Auwww..

To whom i think u know who u are, "senyum, tak perlu kata apa2"

Isnt it awesome?

Beauty in the pain of the beholder

2012-02-17T17:42:00.000+08:00

Today, si Aida (bukan nama sebenar) brought this gel to office.

Namanya Sireh Emas Gel Pelansing

Such a wow! This gel, LIT A FIRE ON MY ~~BIG~~ BELLY..i tell you. From 11.45a.m just before we headed for lunch (with all my lunch kakis) up until the point when I wrote this entry, 5.34pm, I still feel the heat.

This gel, is even hotter than Losyen Mustajab Halia Yusmira (I used it during confinement of my little izzah).

EH, nak kurus,kan......Macam Aniston yg look fabulous still at 43 (and I'm not yet 43,ello)

Berakit2 ke hulu....

Still, beauty is pain baby..literally!!!!

Not so Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-15T09:26:00.000+08:00

What's the awesomest thing of today (Wednesday)?

When a big chunk of ear wax randomly falls out of your ear. Agree?

This is from http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/06/18/741-when-a-big-chunk-of-ear-wax-randomly-falls-out-of-your-ear/

Haha..I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about my pain in the left ear.

There is an old saying that suggests putting nothing in your ears smaller than your elbow. In other words, no one should use anything mechanical to remove ear wax or any other obstruction from the deepest part of the ear canal. Even the manufacturers of cotton swabs emphasize the danger of using their products to remove ear wax deposits. There are times when one needs to remove ear wax safely, however, especially when it affects one's hearing or may lead to an infection.

I used the cotton swab last Sunday. Too deep, I felt something weird even until now. Painful sometimes. I dont know what to do.

Please help. I cannot sleep last night. I feel there’s little monster doing a little construction inside there.

My Alyna turns 6 today

2012-02-13T23:20:00.000+08:00

Macam tidak percaya she turns 6 today....how time flies..

Recall memories..

I've been so lucky I didn't get any morning sickness carrying her in my tummy.

I can't wait to see her to introduce her to the world... and I never missed my monthly checkup
during pregnancy (and Daddy never missed buying mommy's freshmilk HL and healthy food)

We planned to go to IKEA on the evening I discovered 'bloodshow' and she can't wait to see the world 3 weeks before the due date. 17hours of contraction (on and off) and finally, she was born in 13/2/2006, 4.49am...

We named her ALYNA (with the meaning of kelembutan).... See..she was looking at people during Kenduri Akikah..

The only thing she suffered was frequent admission to the hospital due to bronchitis-then-asthma..Pitied her most during physio and nebulizer...

This is her on her 2y.o birthday party.

And another year...3y.o birthday celebration at daycare, proud owner of barbie princess cake

She's a brave girl (visiting dentist)

She always made me proud.....though I never force her to do things I expected her to do, i.e to excel in class..but she did it! No. 1 in Class of 4y.o.

With pressies on Convo Day

Another proud day at 5y.o class (from Tadika Sinaran Intelek)

Winner of Colouring Contest 2011...

With Classmates....celebrating her 5y.o party...another Barbie cake

She in her 6y.o

I love you so much my darling sweetheart, Alyna binti Mohammad Faizi.

Mommy and Daddy and adik loves you so much...Semoga menjadi anak yang solehah. Amin.

I Will Always Love You

2012-02-12T11:26:00.000+08:00

Shocking news: Whitney Houston dies.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012)

In my generation as teenagers back then 1990s, Whitney Houston's songs were very popular (and Mariah Carey too).

Love this song the most (such a memory). And The Bodyguard...huh. one of my most fav movie (ahh that guy, Kevin Costner character is somehow..hehe..sweet kan (pendiam, mysterious, protector-my tastelah hihi).

If I should stay,
I would only be in your way.
So I'll go, but I know
I'll think of you ev'ry step of the way.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
You, my darling you. Hmm.

Bittersweet memories
that is all I'm taking with me.
So, goodbye. Please, don't cry.
We both know I'm not what you, you need.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.

(Instrumental solo)

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of.
And I wish to you, joy and happiness.
But above all this, I wish you love.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I, I will always love you.

You, darling, I love you.
Ooh, I'll always, I'll always love you.

So so sweet Saturday

2012-02-11T20:46:00.000+08:00

"Dan sebaik-baik wanita ialah mereka yang boleh mengembirakan engkau apabila kamu melihatnya, dan yang mentaati kamu apabila kamu menyuruhnya, dan dia memelihara maruah dirinya dan harta engkau ketika ketiadaanmu". (HR Nasa'i, Baihaqi, Ahmad dan al-Hakim )

Waiting for miracle

2012-02-11T02:47:00.002+08:00

Ingatan untuk diri sendiri: Bersyukurlah pada Allah. Alhamdulillah Ya Allah.

Saya patut bersyukur kerana kalau bukan kerana Allah saya tidak berada pada tempat di mana saya sekarang bergelar ISTERI dan IBU. Menginsafkan.

Eh eh...kenapa macam jiwang2 pulak ni. Saya tak bermaksud apa2 tetapi merasa terpanggil untuk membuat entry ini kerana maybe ada kaitannya dengan seseorang yg saya rasa sgt2 selesa berkawan dengannya (dear, you know who you are).

I was blessed enough to be chosen by Yang Maha Berkuasa to get pregnant a month after I got married. It was my Alyna, borne after 17hrs of struggling with contraction started on my way to IKEA that evening. And 3years later, came my Izzah borne after only 3hours contraction started and I drove myself to the hospital's A&E (Admission and Emergency). I will tell dear blog readers on the experience of delivery in another entry.

I have 2 best friends who have been married more than 5years and 14years and still waiting for the miracle to have their own kids. Let's call them Miss S and Miss Z. They were having problem with getting pregnant in 2 different cases, yet still happy and patience and contented.

See, sometimes we just need to find a way how to deal with the culture where people, when they know that u're married, will start asking "why you're not pregnant yet?", see, we're living in a culture where women dont have much of a life besides getting married and producing babies (at least in this no-so-modern world); hence that's all they can talk about. Yet, for everybody knows, these comments come across as rude and intrusive to those who are insensitive. Hakikatnya kesabaran adalah sangat penting dan jangan sesekali biarkan syaitan berbisik dan merasuk hati dan emosi (ingatan untuk saya juga).

here's the story.

Case 1: Miss S.

Miss S is my bridesmaid actually. We were close, very close friends indeed (to the extent that both our families selalu datang ziarah-menziarahi ke rumah masing2 dulu2). Back in college time, we used to sleep together even though we had double deck bed but still due to our (then XS size) we managed to squeeze ourselves sleeping in the same single bed and exchanging stories and dreams before we sleep. One of the dreams is to marry handsome guy and deliver cute babies. haha....

Miss S got married 2years after I got married. I consider myself as kahwin lambat, at the age of 29. When she got married, she had no idea about her husband suffering from Thalassemia Minor, only after they got married then the husband told her about his condition. He just have to take few medicines and he can work as normal, just a little tired due to lacking of irons and zinc in his body. Until after 2years when Miss S got pressured by the family members to get pregnant then they both went to LPPKN in Jalan Raja Laut and seek for treatment. Only then she knows that the reason for difficulties to get pregnant is because her husband has Thalassemia Minor and due the medicine he consumed, this Thalassemia patient had low sperm count, or rather low quality sperm, as a result of infertility.

But, even so, this agency, LPPKN helped them undergoing treatment as well as psychology session with the counsellor and also the Obst & Gyn. Until today, they're still putting the efforts and tidak berputus asa berdoa. And she's still sounds happy whenever I had a chance to chat with her over the phone once in a while.

Case 2: Miss Z.

This case is really a dead end (according to her). We started getting close when we were assigned to a project in the heart of KL. The client's office was located near Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman where we would just go for shopping (on textiles, tudung, barang2 kek, barang hantaran) during lunch hour. Miss Z loves cooking, baking, flower arrangement, sewing, and preparing wedding gifts/hantaran. She's very creative.

I adored her very much because of her creativity with the domestic skills despite her busy schedule as an SAP consultant. She works as a contractor, and as an experienced SAP contractor, her earning was as much as RM1,200 per day. Imagine the total in a month (I consider that she's super-rich,haha).

But, her life isn't perfect (despite being rich, creative, had all the domestic skills and also an intelligent accountant). I didn't ask further when one day I was telling her the story of my kids and she told me that she had no kids and has been married for 15years. Then the story began.

Again, she said the first few years of marriage she had been struggling with the questions of "aren't u pregnant yet" and stuff. But after a while she and her husband decided to go for medical checkup and found out that there's "Azoospermia' detected in the course of an infertility investigation.

'Azoospermia'- the testis are abnormal, atrophic, or absent, and sperm production severely disturbed to absent. Meaning, no sperm at all upon semen ejaculation (where sex life is normal). They went for triple times of checkup and diagnosis and even the husband went for autopsy (can u imagine which part of the body had this autopsy process going on). Kes ini sangat jarang berlaku not even in Asia, at a ratio of 1:10000 men.

Then she said this is the reason why her life has came to a dead end when it comes to having her own kids. Because she can still produced eggs and hubby (no sperm cell at all). Kalau low sperm count or low quality, masih boleh usaha via IVF, IUI, etc. Tapi this case takde sperm lansung,ok.

Ya Allah! Dugaan dia lagi besar dan dia menangis masa dia cerita dekat I. She even told me that all her aunties siap dengan berani nya asking her to get divorced, tapi dia tak mahu. She, to me, is considered gorgeous, muka pun mcm mix chinese sikit. Few proposals came in even her mom asked her to get anak angkat but she said she's just dont want anak angkat because she dont think she can love the anak angkat where she knows that she can actually produce.

To the extent everybody in the family kept quiet because they were tired of proposing her with ridiculous ideas and Miss Z, because of LOVE, she had no intention at all to get divorced because they both are sooo loving couple. Sedih, kan... Kerana itu dia mencari jalan lain yang boleh stress relief, i.e memasak, menjahit, baking and such.

Saya sangat respect dengan Miss Z ni. Even on my last day in the project, she made me beautiful set of cadar and sarung bantal for my queen sized bed siap jahit the cover bag sekali, and its so beautiful (aku yang teman dia pegi cari kain untuk jahit that fitted sheet set at KAMDAR Jln TAR).

The above pic.

She even made us this beautiful cake dengan ukir bunga ros bagai pagi2 before sampai office sempat siapkan sebiji kek cantik ala2 kek pengantin ni just for our breakfast. Kagum tak? And knowing her, she's always happy and always try to make us happy (kalau pasal makan mestilah happy).

Conclusion: I think the above 2 stories to me sangat menginsafkan. Kerana itu, apa pun yang terjadi, Tuhan ada rancanganNya untuk kita.

Dan orang kita punya sentimen pula, bila belum kahwin mereka tanya bila nak kahwin, bila dah kahwin tanya bila nak dapat anak, bila dapat anak pertama, tanya bila dapat anak kedua, bila dapat anak perempuan depa tanya bila pula anak lelaki, etc, pastu tanya bila nak bermenantu dan bercucu tapi takde pula tanya bila nak meninggal dunia. hehe. sorry kidding. Pokok pangkalnya manusia tak pernah puas,kan. hmmm...

Nobody's perfect. That's the fact. Everything happen for a reason. Allah Maha Adil. Maka berusahalah terus tanpa putus asa selain dari mencari keredhaan Nya.

Good nite dearies, sleep tight. Merepek malam minggu sbb esok kena paksa kerja. Ish, kerja kena ikhlas. Tata.

30 minit Ustaz Don

2012-02-09T23:09:00.000+08:00

The first time I switched on ch 114, TV Al Hijrah, I stumbled upon this tv programme, 30minit Ustaz Don. Aha! Ustaz ni rupanya yang I tengok rata2 in my FB friend dok update status..ustaz Don bestla, ustaz Don itu dan ini. At first I thought dia ni jenis carik publisiti macam Akhil Hayy tu ke.. sebab jenis ada 'rupa' jugak la kan tv personality ni.

Ok, disebabkan itu my first time watching him delivering the speech..maka aku rasa macam tak boleh tengok muka dia lama2. First is because I macam rasa tak sedap tengok dia pakai celak tebal bawah mata tu.. Eh, eh..saya ni. Macam2 la.. Then the next day when we had breakfast together, I mean me and my friend MakcikAini tu...dia pun cakap benda lebih kurang sama..Dia lagi best, dia kata macam tak boleh tengok lah Ustaz Don ni sebab dia ni CANTIK sgt...eh eh..boleh gitu MakcikAini? Kehkehkeh...Fine.

Tapi kan..malam ni saya flip flip channel. Mula2 I watched 'Akele Hum Akele Tum' kat channel hindustan tu, ala..citer lama Amir Khan and Manisha Koirala kot..pastu TV commercial terus I changed to TV AlHijrah at ch114. Hmmm..alamak, Ustaz Don la. Disebabkan masa I switched the channel tu dia begitu khusyuk menyampaikan ceramah macam nak tumpah airmata, aku pun terus decide to continue watching.

Tajuknya, Cinta Rasul. Ini sempena memperingati sambutan Maulidurrasul baru2 ini. Maybe.

OK, this time I memang menghayati. Kali ni saya tak kisah pun dia cantik ke tidak. Ustaz Don memang menangis. Saya rasa tangisan dia tu sangat2 menginsafkan. Dia menangis bila bercerita saat kewafatan Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. Dia bercerita saat2 Nabi Muhammad s.a.w menghembuskan nafas yang terakhir, sahabat2 baginda semua tak dapat terima berita itu. Betapa mereka sangat cintakan Rasulullah s.a.w. Especially Sayyidina Umar r.a, yang tak boleh terima berita itu, sebaliknya berkata yang Rasulullah sedang tidur sebenarnya. Sesiapa pun tak dibenarkan berkata Nabi wafat, maka akan dipancung kalau sesiapa kata Nabi wafat, kata Sayyidina Umar. Tapi, Sayyidina Abu Bakar told him to accept the fact that Nabi sudah tiada, dan hendaklah cinta dan sayang kepada Allah s.w.t paling utama.

Begitulah cinta para sahabat kepada Rasulullah. Sangat menginsafkan. Saya tercari2 ceramah yang sebegini. Sebab dah lama sangat tak dengar ceramah/kuliah kot, maka jiwa rasa kosong. Do you feel the same?

Dalam youtube ada banyak siri 30min Ustaz Don. But the one that I just watched last night is not in YouTube yet, it's a siaran lansung from TV Alhijrah so most probably belum upload. The above is the previous/one of the many series of Cinta Rasul.

p/s: dalam banyak2 FB status update about Ustaz Don, ada satu ni macam geli hati jugak, my friend si Rebecca ni: "eh Ustaz Don tu aku punye je sorang tau, utk u all I bagi Ustaz Don Care. " Sabau je la..becca.

A day in a life of a FTWMM (full time working,maid-less mommy)

2012-02-08T22:20:00.000+08:00

Lebih kurang gini lerr hari2.

6-630am - Wake up, solat subuh and kiss him goodbye to office

7am - Wake them up (kids), give adik milk, let kakak shower and dress up, prepared 3 bags to daycare and kindy, prepared roti + sapu nutella for kakak

740am- Send adik to daycare and kakak to kindy

815-830am - Drive to office

6pm - Arrived home, cook rice, thaw frozen chicken and frozen coconut milk (while waiting, watch kids played outside/cycling with daddy). Kids fetched from daycare centre by daddy.

7pm - Take shower, solat maghrib. Take down dirty clothes for laundry. While cooking, switch on washing machine. Go to kitchen, prepare simple dishes for dinner, kopek bawang, tumbuk cili for sambal, basuh sayur, etc..etc (menu of the day: ayam masak kurma, sambal ikan bilis, telur dadar, bayam goreng).

815pm - Cooking done. Called everybody for dinner. Makan, makan... suap kan kids, layan encik suami.

840pm - Clean up dishes, lap meja, lap dapur, potong fruits for dessert (if any). Do laundry, sidai baju bawah kipas.

855pm - Switch on laptop, connect to office VPN. Ask kids and hubby to go upstairs. Meeting is about to start at 9pm (Malaysia), US morning time.

9pm - Start LiveMeeting. Meeting 1 started. Untill 11pm.

11pm - Meeting 1 finished. Meeting 2 starts. Until 1am.

1am - To the bed. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Alhamdulillah..Sujud syukur dikurniakan kudrat ini.

Our day at Kinokuniya

2012-02-06T22:48:00.000+08:00

We love books. I love books, but not as bookworm as my other half (I probably a facebookworm, haha NOT!). He will buy a book once a month. Because of that, our little Alyna pun love reading very much, and she can read as early as 4y.o when I started her with sets of classic Ladybird's Peter and Jane series.

So, to cut the stories short, we didn't spent our long holiday this week at any hotel. Early this morning, we went for breakfast hunting: roti puree and naan. At the restaurant, we met my friend at Uni, si Yohan and his happily-ever-after girlfriend back in college time-now-wifey, Fairuz and kids. Dia belanja pulak breakfast kami tu laaagi lah bertambah sedap sbb makan free.kehkeh.

It was still early, like 10am when we finished eating. And we have no other place to go, so I told my other half to drive us to KLCC-I thought of taking the kids to Petrosains-KLCC today. Memang best because we got the best parking spot right in front of escalator, and not many people there yet.

But.....its so frustrating to know that Petrosains is closed every Monday. So, where else to go? We ended up melepak at Kinokuniya, read/buy books and books.

So, what did I get for myself? It's ROOM - by Emma Donoghue

Sebenarnya aku tertarik dengan cerita Yuen Chi (boss CikAmi tu) during her project speech in the Toastmaster meeting. Its about this story lah. Hmm...let's read (my bedtime reading). Its a Booker prize novel so it must be interesting! Read synopsis here http://www.roomthebook.com/

Other half pulak choose this book. The Kite Runner - by Khaled Hosseini. Read synopsis here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kite_Runner.

So, what did my 6y.o Alyna chose for herself? Jeng jeng jeng....A novel jugak? Yes, it is. Novel for young readers..kehkehkeh..Yang tak tahan tu dia baca dlm hati ala2 speed reading (tiru her daddy) and also, lepas baca put her book under the pillow just like what her Mommy and Daddy did every nite. (Read: Bawah bantal I ada banyak Women's Weekly ok hahaha). Kids, they'll love to copy us. So, good example is by reading books. She got hrself this book: India, The Moonstone Fairy. Fairy tale ler tuh. Tak kisah la janji dia suka.

So, what did little Izzah got for herself pulak? As usual, apa yang kakak ada, dia sure nak jugak kan. So she picked Toy Story Book. hardcovered. Dah dia ni jenis cengil, dia nak tu yang tu jugakkkk tak kira. Apa2 jer la sweetie as long as you had passion for reading.

Oh, when I was in Austin, I ordered from Amazon.com, this book for the kids. They loved it! Its 'Quiet Book'- kakak finished it hour after I reached home from KLIA-touched down from US. Hihi. Cute tau the contents. Ceritanya nak suruh budak2 duduk diam, in many ways. cute.kan.

Oh ya, I found this website. Maybe suitable for your kids too... Try la

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/

Siri Berkebun: How to Make Organic Compost

2012-02-05T22:55:00.000+08:00

Frankly, I am not a big fan of gardening. But, what amazed me most was the idea of making organic compost, it helps growing your fav plants without chemicals or harmful toxins or pesticides, most importantly, its FREE and SAVE THE EARTH!

The idea came from a friend, Lip Huey. She was an ex-colleague of mine. She loves gardening and doesn't mind sharing ideas though I'm not a big fan of it but I will always attend to her every gardening topics in our daily conversation.

Tanah yg di rumah pun 2 kangkang I, furthermore, I had this problem of 'tidak sabar melihat pokok bunga/buah tumbuh dengan cepatnya, as fast as 2days'..mana la ada pokok tumbuh 2 hari..hahaha.

Anyway, I tried once. And it works. Jauh bezanya dengan flower pot yang takde organic compost, bunga cepat mati. contoh: Pokok cili padi I. Kering terus. (Dah la memang tak rajin siram). Dan pokok limau purut I, yang I nak guna daun dia for my tomyam. Huh..

Pokok yang ada organic compost and still alive, is my pokok pandan. Pokok pandan I tanam dalam flower pot. Kehkehkeh..ntahapahapa.

Anyway, what's inside the organic compost?

Food scrap items such as vegetable and fruit waste, meal leftovers, coffee grounds, tea bags, stale bread, grains, and general refrigerator spoilage are an everyday occurrence in most households.Yes, I used the food scrap items and put it inside the flower pot. Then put the soil on top of the food scrap and let it be there (Lip Huey said it supposed to be covered and keep for 6months, but I didn't follow her rules here).

But, there are items which you can and cannot compost. From this link: http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/foodscraps.html

So, if you're interested, please do so because it really works. Pokok pandan I (this morning I petik sehelai for my nasi ayam I cook for lunch) sangat subur dan tak mati as compared to my cili padi and my pokok limau purut. Oh ya, this is the 'penjenayah' yang makan daun limau purut I. Selepas daun limau purut I habis dimakan, barulah adik I bagi tips, put the garlic skin around the pokok to avoid the penjenayah si beluncas dari datang menjamu selera beramai2.

Sedih kan, close up from my DSLR.

Selamat mencuba on the organic compost part!

Carl & Ellie

2012-02-04T07:44:00.000+08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T10:34:00.000+08:00

No wonder they call it "the monthly curse".

biological clock gone haywire.

how beautiful! menses makes u crazy.

Twistable Tuesday

2012-01-31T08:00:00.002+08:00

Artikel Mufti: Bahaya Jika Isteri Kesepian

Khamis, 29 September 2011 11:01 maksa Informasi - Artikel Pilihan

Oleh: Sahibus Samahah Dr. Juanda bin Jaya (Mufti Kerajaan Negeri Perlis)

Muffin top

2012-01-29T15:16:00.001+08:00

Muffin Top

Kerisauan adalah di tahap maksima tetapi semangat untuk makan tetap tidak luntur dalam jiwa dan raga.

From Wiki:
"Muffin-top" is a generally pejorative slang term used to describe the phenomenon of overhanging fat when it spills over the waistline of pants or skirts of overweight people in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing.

From Urbandictionary

Muffin top: The roll of fat that slumps over the waistband of too tight lowrider jeans.

"That girl is cute but look at that muffin top."

So, time to do the muffin top workout eh. Jangan cakap saja. Workout apps dah banyak download kat iPad ni.

Wait,wait...what's Muffin Sweater pulak according to Urban Dictionary?

A term used to describe a woman whose vagina is covered with pubic hair (i.e. she is unshaven downstairs).

Ben: "Yo, didja see Vicki naked lately?"

Kelton: "No, why?"

Ben: "Bitch has a MUFFIN SWEATER goin' on!"

Kelton: "Time to shave that shit, eh?"

Astaga....18SX nih.

Lesen memandu and driving in Austin

2012-01-28T07:51:00.002+08:00

Semasa saya di Austin last 2weeks, saya sempat memandu dari Walmart ke hotel (kelakar ye makcikaini , tergolek saya tergelak teringat memory ini). Aini is the co-pilot sat next to me. Nasib baik bawa Camry, and I love driving compact sedan. Oh well. Siap kena honk, and sesat masuk ke Burger King pulak instead of the junction back to hotel. Apadaaaa GPS ni (GPS ke yang salah...)

Semalam, semasa lepak2 at my parents house, I told my dad about my 10mins experience of driving in Austin. Kena honk bagai sbb lupa nak masuk which lane, which is very confusing, ye la lefthand drive kan...dah la handbrake Camry tu style pijak (mcm our Merc dulu2).

Speaking of ayah, dia sangat lah particular about this driving skill, so dia tanya la ada bawak driving licence tak masa kat sana, etc. Yela, bukan apa, bapa aku ni agaknye takut aku ni kena tangkap dgn police traffic dah la jauh beribu batu some more pastu kang masuk lokap kena treat mcm banduan kat Guantanamo paksa minum air sabun then kena pijak ke (eh melampau nye exaggerate dah ni).

Ya, it is true that, if you're going there (U.S) in less than 3 months, your Malaysian driving licence is actually valid, and you are free to drive the 'Austin way' hahahaha...

Eh...jap. Driving licence aku bila mati ye. Ni pun satu hal. Bapa aku tu mmg particular. Sbb dia pernah serve JPJ dulu kan during his years of service with the government.

Saya masih simpan driving licence ni dalam wallet saya. Ada memory. Memory nya ada pada tuan punya signature. Tuan punya signature lah yg sign report card saya setiap tahun masa sekolah dulu (yg ada exam result saya ada ink merah ada biru). Hehehe...pasal tu la tuan punye signature sangat particular pasal driving licence saya (kat msia saya bawa kereta terbang mcm hantu juge kekeke)

..6years ago. punching his last card (after >than 30yrs in the govt service)....

Angelina vs Jennifer

2012-01-26T21:49:00.001+08:00

..Angelina stays slim and tight because Jennifer always looks good.....

hahah..classic. See. Angie in her Golden Globe 2012 latest outfit.

No matter how beautiful she is, I'm not so fond of this creature, really. Not a big fan of the husband, either.

But.....Jennifer, yes, yes and yes. Miss Aniston forever, everybody knows me, especially those colleagues in my previous company during which 'Friends' sitcom is soooooo popular aired on TV.

..Angelina stays slim and tight because Jennifer always looks good.....

So, what motivates you?

Oh ya, an introduction. I'm talking about Keeping Fitness Resolution here. Nothing to do with the classic Angelina vs Jennifer actually.

But, the above is just an example.

Can one beautiful, slim ex-gf be a good motivation to you ~~(ehem, blog reader, u know who u are)~~ that makes you wake up every morning do the workout/cardio/watever not?

Whatever it is, let's make our fitness resolution a workable one, a simple one.
As simple as, "I must do a daily start of 5-minutes sit-ups".

Let's not make our fitness resolution as a wishful thinking', or too large, as in, "I must lose 20kg, I must look like Fazura,etc..etc..".

but then again....

..Angelina stays slim and tight because Jennifer always looks good.....

So, what motivates you?

hahaha

MANGLISH

2012-01-23T23:50:00.001+08:00

All alone on Monday morning, 6a.m, at Putrajaya Marriott, CNY Day 1, 2012. Hubby, Alyna and Izzah are still sleeping.

Newspaper doorknob bag has arrived and here I am reading The Star…until I reached a page that caught my attention.

It was written in ‘ACCENT’ column, by a Mat Salleh columnist, Robert Plachciak, who has been living and working more than 10 years in Malaysia.

The title is: Manglish the middle ground

I find it sooooooooooooooooooooo funny. Funny in the sense that putting myself in these foreigners’ shoes, I know how they feel about understanding our Malaysian way of speaking English.

Frankly, my English is not good. I always had this low self-esteem (or rather inferior) when it comes to speaking English especially with foreigners, when I was on overseas assignments, especially in countries where English is their Mother tongue. And I am still learning..

Let’s refer to the article and I will summarize and give comments.

Manglish the middle ground

ACCENTS by Robert Plachciak

After being in Malaysia for quite some time, as a foreigner, you start of course to integrate, eating the food, making local friends, getting involved in local activities, wearing the clothes perhaps and most importantly starting to sheepishly speak the language.

My mother tongue is English and I have learned basic French a hundred years ago when I was young, besides Spanish and my father’s language, Polish. I’ve attempted a little Cantonese and picked up a Japanese phrasebook, briefly I might add, and of course I have learned some Bahasa Malayu.

This is the greatest source of both amusement and confusion when I talk to a Malaysian. They think I’m an expert because I fire out a small phrase, but much to their disappointment they soon find my “Malaysia language is not so powderfuls.”

JAJA: I mean Powderfuls? Eh macam boleh agak je kaum yg pronounce ni..

We start with a “Hi, Salemat pagi, saya mahu satu cheeseburger set kercil dan tak nak sos”, to which I usually get a reply like “Wah, you pandai cakap, berapa lama di sini?” or something like that, followed by a “blah, blah, blah, blah.”

JAJA: Oh, kita kan claimed to be friendly. Mestila kita impress gila when there’s foreigner speak our mother tongue. Mesti rimas kan mat saleh ni.

Well, unfortunately that’s as much as I can understand, as the evolutionary path of my Bahasa Melayu has come about through conversation mainly with foreign workers, regarding the status of machinery and production: “Boss, saya sakit” “boss itu mesin tak boleh pusing”, “Boss ini sudah rosak, ada lagi?”, “boss ini mesin many many masalah, very susah boss.”

The middle ground in all this is to speak a mix of Malay and English, which many refer to fondly as Manglish. I think there may well be as many dialects of Manglish as there are speakers, if you notice in the cheeseburger conversation, the person at the counter referred to me using the English “you”, which seems a very common usage in Malaysia but yet sounds so strange to hear as an Englishman, “You boleh can?”

Well for newbies to Malaysia, the question “You boleh can?” and “Can or not?” are good when used at the end of a sentence, using the verb first, for example, when in a taxi: “Hey brother (or uncle if he’s way older), faster can or not?” if you feel you are going too slowly, or “Discount can or not?” if you feel something is pricey.

JAJA: Can or not? Can notttt

Also adding extra information to the English that we consider unnecessary, can help a lot. Try referring to red or blue etc as “red colour” or “blue colour” or adding “side” onto a location, as in “left side, right side, front side or back side.” If all else fails, you can use the secret weapon in every conversation, the most powerful addition to Manglish, the “lah”, this can get you out of any situation and can unlock the doors of power, by simply adding three letters onto the end of your word or sentence, you will be fully understood even if you’re speaking Swahili.

JAJA: Hahaha dia kata adding extra info to the English that we consider unnecessary can help a lot. We Malaysian suka lebehhhh aaa… red colour instead of red. And this…if all else fails, you use the secret weapon: particle ‘LAH’…hahahaha ni aku tak tahan LAH. Hilarious.LAH is a secret weapon? Damn. Secret weapon to unlock the doors of power. Gila power particle LAH, you’ll be fully understood. Kehkeh.

A simple example would be visiting the bookshop, the assistant asks “How may I helps you?” (that’s not a mistake by the way..) and you say “Do you have a copy of Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche?” to which the assistant replies “I’m sorry sir can you repeats again”, so this is when you pull out the superword replying confidently “Nietzsche lah..Beyond good and evil lah… Have or not?” to which the assistant warmly replies “Have lah, it’s over there in our cookery section”.

Other words such as the often underestimated “Ah” is also good to add to your power words.

For example “Why like this ah?”, to question an object or situation. For example the new phone you bought is not working, in English we would say” The phone I recently purchased from your fine establishment appears to be faulty, could you help me by replacing it with a new one?”

In Manglish we would say “Hey brader, this phone got new one but rosak aleddy, why like this ah? Boleh give new one or not?” to which the correct response from the vendor would be “Boleh lah, can can can, why cannot?”

JAJA: Really ah? (Lawak kan bila in English they say can you help me by replacing it with a new one? But Manglish says why like this ah? Can replace ah? So where’s the politeness and friendliness asian ni..

Although at first this might seem strange, the more practice you get the easier you will find it. Other interesting phrases include asking if someone had eaten already instead of saying “Hello, how are you?”; try asking “Sudah makan?” It’s as good as a “Hello” and with the eating culture, people are far more appreciative of your concern towards their stomach’s well-being than their personal well-being. If you can’t remember the phrase, try “Eaten aleddy?”.

JAJA: Serious Malaysian kuat makan. Instead of how are you, they asked, Sudah makan?

The reverse is equally true when we hear prize-winning bloopers from those out to impress us with their best attempts at English diction.

“Distinguishing a fire?”, I think it’s extinguish in English. Irregardless? a cross between irrespective and regardless.

JAJA: Seriously, I thought irregardless is correct term.

, perhaps the person has low self-esteem or maybe they simply have nothing to do?
“Today I’m very boring”

, nothing to do with installing windows but perhaps they are in need of a doctor. “I very pain”, similar to the prior comment. “Your England is very powderful”, your knowledge of English is impressive. “The rain is very heaving (pronounced hevving)” It’s raining heavily.
“I’m paining”

I even noticed in a five-star hotel, inside a store cupboard a shelf bearing the label “Toilet Role”, and if there are any actors willing to take on the role, be my guest.

JAJA: TOILET ROLE?????????? Adoi sakit perut saya gelak sorang dalam bilik hotel. Toliet role, and if there are any actors willing to take on the role, be my guest. Ada ke watak tandas?pelakon mana nak watak tandas ni. Tak bleh blah mat saleh ni lawak. Eh kita yg buat diorang buat lawak.

However, it’s very easy and rather lazy to expect that everyone must speak English and do it well, I am slowly learning bits and pieces of various languages and doing so terribly but enjoying it very much.

It’s quite noticeable the respect that is shown to you if you try to speak someone’s language even if it goes a little awry at times.

I work in textiles and we discuss colour on a daily basis.

With weaving machines banging away at a million decibels, I misunderstood the Malay word for black as ketam instead of hitam, so for about six months I would refer to one of our products as crab instead of black. Lucky I didn’t order kari hitam, I might have got quite a shock for my lunch.

Ultimately the best way to learn is to get out and try. I’m not great but I’ll make the effort and if the person on the other end of the conversation doesn’t cakap your bahasa, then you’re in trouble, perhaps even the mighty “lah” won’t save you then.

Happy new year and er.. Happy Chinese New Year Gong Xi Fa Cai and Hasta lah vista lah!.. lah..!

A weaver by trade and general manager by profession, Rob has been residing in Malaysia the past 10 years after moving here from England in search of adventure and professional experience. He’s a proud Hasher, a serious music lover and absent diver.

Dan kerana itulah..saya kena keep polishing my English dah lah reporting manager dan project manager dan hq juga nun di US sana….

Dan kerana itu juga saya register Toastmasters International..

Sekian LAH dulu. OK LAH

Quesadillas

2012-01-19T22:36:00.000+08:00

Ever since I was assigned to U.S, I started to love the Mexican food. Austin, is in Texas, and famous of Tex-Mex food. According to Wiki, "Tex-Mex" (portmanteau of Texan and Mexican) is a term used to describe a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican-Americans influenced by the cuisines of Mexico. The cuisine has spread from border states such as Texas and those in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country. Tex-Mex is most popular in the southern state of Texas.

I love quesadillas (ki.sa.di.yas). Due to our limited 'halal' food we can get in Austin, we (me and my friend, makcikaini) love this food very very much simply because its delicious and you can get it anywhere here. Normally, we will choose quesadillas with vege. The above picture of quesadillas was taken when we stopped by for lunch at San Marcos Premium Outlet's food court.

A quesadilla is made with a tortilla and is filled primarily with cheese, other ingredients, such as cooked meat, refried beans, or vegetables may be added. The filled tortilla is then toasted or fried, usually until the cheese is melted. Once the quesadilla is cooked, it is traditionally cut into slices or wedges.Most quesadillas are prepared by just folding and filling a tortilla, but other variations have tortillas specially made for filling. The type of tortilla varies by region. In most of Mexico, Central and South America, corn tortillas are favoured.

I think I will google the recipe and try this at home. So yummy!

Back from Austin January 2012

2012-01-19T05:37:00.000+08:00

Been away from home for 2weeks...semua blog entries saya during my trip to Austin adalah lebih kpd rasa rindu pada mereka2 yg di rumah.
And here i am, back to mommy and wifey routine. Sungguh lega dapat peluk,morningkiss family members sepuas2nya.
Memandangkn saya telah memberi dateline kpd diri that if i need to add another family member it has to be at least before i reach 37, thats the max, maka saya rasa mcm nak pergi remove my implanon and get ready to be preggie. Thing is, kejap nak kejap taknak...
One thing for sure, because i know that there'll be few more trips to Austin, Texas until the project Go Live on July 2012, maka kalau ditakdir Tuhan saya preggie dlm masa terdekat of course lah saya tak payah travel lagi in probably april and june for UAT and go live preparation. Yaaa.....another dilemma is that walaupun tidak letak high expectation, bak kata hubby as long as the baby is healthy (dulu la time preggie izzah sbb ingatkn boy),saya masih rasa nak cuba juga petua2 yg kawan2 saya bagi for conceiving a boy. Still exploring. Any petua?pls drop a comment.

Coach Madison Quilted Chevron Large Lindsey

2012-01-16T22:56:00.000+08:00

Coach 18634 MADISON QUILTED CHEVRON NYLON LARGE LINDSEY

I just dont get it...

Why is the price in Malaysia wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too pricey for this secondary luxe handbag?

Bought this at San Marcos only at USD150, = RM480 (eh way cheaper than bonia, ok)

And yet...went to Coach boutique at Empire Gallery Subang and a big O000ooo...Oooo00OO..

RM3,050???!@##$$%%

Does Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

2012-01-13T17:54:00.000+08:00

Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it. - Thomas Fuller

Working Abroad Part 2 - Western Europe

2012-01-12T20:55:00.000+08:00

Here I am again, all alone on Thursday morning, 5.50a.m Austin time. At this very moment, I am sitting alone on my bed in the hotel room, counting days to go back to Malaysia. How I miss my beloved hubby and the kids so much.

Ok, the one with the working abroad part 2. I had the experience working in beautiful summer at Western Europe. Countries are Germany (2 states- Munich and Hamburg), Sweden, Amsterdam-Holland and of course, UK-London. That was way back in year 2001.

Nothing much mainly because being in Europe made me feel so happy. Its summer, and I dont feel that cold but knowing me yang tak tahan sejuk gagah juga menyarung winter coat rasa mcam orang gila juga because all the Europeans semua berjemur dia cafe2 sipping coffee, they purposely put their chairs tengah2 panas matahari. I could recall my European friend saying, today's the best sun I ever had in this year I should seize the moment..

In chronology of visits, I started with.....

Amsterdam - We arrived at Schipol International Airport on Friday night, so definitely its a good start as weekend's coming and we had plenty time for sightseeing before started work on Monday. Amsterdam adalah free legal country. Hehehehe...Drug, prostitute adalah legal di sini. Hrmmm....culture shock lah bagi seorang budak pompuan yg datang dari Msia ini. Along the way, I could see prostitute run naked at the apartment's balcony (selling themselves) and its summer, of course being naked is great (to them lah).

My friend, Sue Aziz from Singapore married to a Dutch and she's the one who took us for sight-seeing. We went to the beach. Ohhhhh so gorgeous topless2 tak kira umur bergoyang2 tetek mereka berjemur di tepi pantai. We hanged out at a nearby cafe and I can see this makcik with XXXXXL breast size selamba pegi beli coke and snacks kat cafe itu dan ternampaklah breastnya yg bergayut2an. gross!

Oh ya. another interesting part is Sue made me try the ever famous Amsterdam's snack, Ikan Herring, eat raw. To eat by the beach. Cara serve adalah seperti membeli hotdog di jalanan dan makan begitu saja. Aku belasah je boleh la lazat gak. Haha.

Rugilah kalau ke Amsterdam dan tidak ke Keukenhoff Tulip Garden. Ohhh...dan summer...ohhh sangat cantik. Subhanallah. TULIPS! Dan aku baru tau sepanjang perjalanan ke Keukenhof ada banyak sangat tulip farm yg termasuk juga dlm penggambaran Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Dan the tulip farmers, pada hari itu telah memusnahkn semua tulips sbb when the sun is up, tulip menjadi sangat2 kembang dan tidak boleh di eksport. Begitu sekali the farmers ni menjaga quality.

Germany - Hamburg

The next place I worked in Western Europe is Hamburg, I can't say much because the trip is very short thus I didn't have time for sight-seeing in Hamburg. But according to my intern, Kristopher Schardine, yg memang asal orang Hamburg, his place is full of sejarah the city of Bavaria. By the time I wrote this, Kris sudah pun graduate dan sedang cari kerja. Uncle dia adalah Managing Director di IBM Global Business Services Malaysia, Hans Kost. Uncle dia lah yg suruh buat practical kat company aku, dan suruh aku lak jadi mentor dia...heuheuheu..nasib baik dia budak baik dan hensem dan mata biru. muahaha..

Germany - Munich

Munich adalah sangat cantik dan penuh bersejarah. I took the opportunity to visit kilang BMW, wahhhhhh pekerja2 kilang juga drive Beemer semua sorang satu tak kira kuli atau boss....sangat delicious. And I was hoping I can go to SAP University in Walldorf, only to know that Walldorf and Munich is 2hours drive journey maka tidak jadi.

I went to shopping mall in Munich, didn't know that Munich allow pet's in the shopping mall during weekend. Maka aku dgn seronoknya sedang cari2 colour lipstick utk dibawa pulang tetapi tiba2 ada 2 ekor chihuahua yg cantik sedang berinteraksi and I was sandwiched by them. Its like Chihuahua A berkata: Kung..kung.. (warna lipstick apa yg u suka). Then Chihuahua B menjawab: Kung..kung..(sexy cilli red lah). Eh,maka aku berlari sekuat hati sbb tak pernah seumur hidup aku kat Cosmetic Department ada binatang haram dipegang ini shopping bersama....hawau betul.

Gambar adalah Munich Galleria dan di tepi itulah ada shopping mall yg ada byk sgt anjing2 pets citizens itu. Anjing scooby doo pun ada tepi aku masa aku tgh photostat kat kedai buku. sabau je

Stockholm- Sweden

I dont want to talk much about Sweden. Aku sempat ke IKEA, sbb IKEA adalah dari Sweden dan juga kilang VOLVO. 1st time dlm hidup aku kalau travel aku tak beli satu brang pun kat sini sbb barang adalah MAHALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL melampau dah lah sejuk sebab dekat Nordic part kan. Sempat juga had Scandinavian Dinner on the boat, seafood adlah sangat fresh dan aku sgt suka part itu saja shopping tak mampu.

UK-London

Ohhhhhhh...London has always been my dream place dan apabila boos berkata ini adalah destinasi terakhir maka aku melompat2 suka. Aku terus cakap dgn mak, memandangkan aku tido sorang2 dlm bilik kat hotel, maka menyuruh mak datang ke tempat aku di Walldorf Street Hotel kat London city. Tapi kesian jugak dgn mak sbb time aku bekerja I cant take her to sight seeing maka dia pergi dgn datin2 lain kawan2 dia yg turut serta.

I just love London. Nak makan pun senang. Nak shopping, even naik tube and double decker tour the London tu pun aku tak takut sbb ada map dan semuanya senang nak reach. Shopping, yeah I went to Harrods Knightsbridge, pastu mak pi apa warehouse yg ada Queen Anne pinggan mangkuk tu, etc etc...Then we went to Madame Tussauds, naik London Eye, bergambar di Big Ben dan by Thames River, etc etc...Hehehe.....

Itu je la citer Western Europe aku. Till then, see ya!

Pic adalah with my mom and my best friend, Noorul and her hubby. Noorul sekarang rezeki dia dah jadi General Manager Tourism Selangor. Aku sgt bangga sbb dulu kita sama2 in the co-ordination.

Mom and me in front of Kensington palace. After watching askar bertukar duty. ehehehe...

Sila lihat tahi kuda belakang kuda itu. adakah sang askar yg hensem tidak terbau..heuheuheu

Till then, bye bye

Working abroad Part 1 (The Middle East)

2012-01-10T05:02:00.002+08:00

Jeddah, Cairo, Kuwait City, Amman, Jordan and Dubai,UAE

I used to love working abroad. Be it for just few weeks or months, or relocation, I just love travelling and the experience of working in other countries. I like to learn other people's culture, their way of doing business, their ideas, etc. That's also contribute to the reason as to why I ended up choosing BBA (Hons) International Business for my degree. Well said.

The first company I went to after I finished graduation, is a state govt agency that require me to coordinate Trade Mission overseas. Well, at that time, our responsibilities are mainly to promote our country, and our state in particular, to attract as much as foreign investors to invest here. Feeling overwhelmed, I was fully committed to all the tasks assigned to me, this includes having to liaise with Malaysian Embassies in all the countries that we plan to visit, co-ordinate list of delegates who are among our local businessmen to arrange B2B meetings with potential investors, prospect JVs, etc,etc. Sounds good, huh!

Well, here's the challenges, in fact a lot! Being fresh grad, typical local grad, your self-esteem was at the lowest level and not willing to be outspoken. But I was lucky to have good guidance from my superior.

The first Trade Mission for me is visiting Middle Eastern countries in year 2000. I have to go to all these countries earlier than other Selangor states delegates as I need to make sure everything went smooth especially in arranging the business meetings with foreign investors in thier countries. I am more interested to tell you readers the challenges I would still recall up until now (in chronology of visits) :-

1) Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) : Woman are not allowed to join the seminar in the hotel's seminar room. So I stayed in my hotel room doing administrative work.

2) Cairo (Egypt): Egyptian, they have this late coming attitude. If you plan to start the meeting at 10am, you have to mention the meeting starts at 8am, because they will come late by 2 hours. Ini bukan janji melayu lagi dah, ni janji egyptian. Sucks,kan. Another thing that shocked me was at the airport toilet, there was Egyptian woman helped to wipe the toilet bowl before you go in, and ask you for money. Hmmmmm....

3) Amman (Jordan): "2second, madam"....the Jordanian, as similar to Egyptian culture, always give sweet talk promise when you asked them to get something for you. In reality, it's not 2 second, it took almost 2hrs, example, you asked for extra plate from the waiter, and they'll come back to you after an hour or so. Hmmmm.....(But their people is soooooo damn handsome, u know). I went to Dead Sea, which I thought I'll be floating by just put your damn 2 feets in the water but its not. You have to go further and swim then only you'll be floated (due to the high salt concentration in the water).

4) Kuwait City (Kuwait): This country had just recovered from Gulf War. Interesting part is that you will see the Kuwaiti oil fires all along the coastal area, still under fire. Greatest thing is, due to its location nearby sea, you can easily get fresh seafood here and its all Halal. In fact, this is the first place I had tremendous super-delicious LOBSTER THERMIDOR at Crown Plaza Kuwait.

5) Dubai, UAE: I found that this country is easiest to manage in terms of co-ordinating meetings and events as they're more 'international' and liberal than the rest of the Middle Eastern countries. That's positive. I got to watch sexy belly dancer during dinner at the desert. How cool is that.

I visited Cave of The Seven Sleepers (one mentioned in Al Quran, Surah Al Kahfi), this place still have all the bones of the seven sleepers and the dog.)

I visited Sphynx, and other pyramid Giza while in Egypt (damn scary in the pyramid smell kapur barus they use for the mummy)

Kuwait Oil fires remains even after few years of Gulf War.

Burj Al Arab was taken from Jumeirah Ballroom, the place we had our business to business seminar.

All these are my sweetest thing in life. Will talk again in Work Abroad Part 2.

The one with I miss everybodeh

2012-01-09T18:47:00.001+08:00

I miss you all the time but I miss you the most when I lie awake at night and think of all the wonderful times we spent with each other, for those were some of the best and memorable times of my life

(pic not related to above quote, its actually watching these 2beloved father-daughter bonding activities-repaint IKEA's table)

Project implementation team

2012-01-07T21:54:00.000+08:00

Still in Austin day 6 (Friday). Yesterday we (Kelly and I) were sitting at the project team area full of SAP consultants and I felt like I was one of them (reminding me of my consulting years), in a way, yes, we are part of them. The best part when you are involved in a project implementation, is that the close relationship with the rest of the team, battling thru the ups and downs, the tight schedules, the deadlines, meeting users and users behaviour, gaduh2 dgn integrated modules, tak balik rumah due to data conversion, project manager being my bodyguard escort me driving back home coz its already 4am, the day we celebrated Go-Live, etc.etc. It was super-fun. I really miss this moment (esp during TM and SD project years). Max satisfaction in a project is when Go-Live strikes, conversion went smooth, UAT succeeded with not much of hcange request.

Oh ya.

Not to mention about users' perangai. I had this one difficult user yg nak buat police report against me for humiliating him. Alasan dia rasa terhina sbb i tegur dia wrong explain to end user about SAP-MM-MRP formula (oh he's supposed to help me with data conversion). Crap sangat kan I dont give a damn dah dia silap explain, susah la jadinya end user nak buat data cleansing. Frankly, during my consulting years, dek kerana nak meet deadlines dan perasaan 'kerek' gila sbb jadi consultant, masa aku adalah garang tahap melampau dan agak laser. Sbb tu the user wants to make police report against me. Gila grand kan project experience aku. La ni tak garang dah. Lemah lembut dah malas nak garang kang aku semput pishposh aku amik inhaler. Padan muka aku.

Haha.

Alyna and Izzah

2012-01-05T13:23:00.000+08:00

When it comes to food, kakak (Alyna) adalah jenis yang 'save the best for last', meaning, kalau ada food yg best2 contohnya ayam goreng part drumstick, dia akan habiskn nasi dulu, then ayam goreng she'll put aside then after nasi finish baru dia makan her fav part of ayam on her plate.

Adik (Izzah) is on the other way around, whereby yang sedap2 semua dia dah wallop, maka siapa yg belum habiskn the best part, akan jadi mangsa. Contoh: Ayam goreng dlm pinggan si kakak. Adik akan cuba ambil dgn selamba. Selalu aku la akan terjerit2 suruh kakak bawa lari ayam nya sbb adik mau amik ayam gorengnya yg kakak save the best for last itu dan dia pedulik hapa.

Lawak sungguh kalau teringat diorang ni. >*< kakak dgn sifat empathy nya dan adik yg agak headstrong. miss ya all.

New Yr 2012 and me in Austin

2012-01-04T06:15:00.001+08:00

Oh i thought of starting the photoblogging spt Cik Ami ittew sepanjang 2012 ini. hehe. Tetapi saya memberi alasan yg concrete as to why only on 3rd Jan, 2012 I'm able to update.

01012012 - I was travelling from KUL-HK-LA-Austin, perjalanan yg amattttttttttt jauh dan memerlukan semangat yg kuat utk mengharunginya (wahahaha, pathetic nya statement itu tapi sila relate dgn umur yg bertambah, dapat pula seat at the most rear).

Semangat menjadi kuat kerana ada Makcikaini sitting next to me during the longg journey. and Kelly too. hehe.

Till then, bye bye.

Eh, jap.

Saya (dgn bantuan dan galakan dari Makcikaini) telah mencabar diri utk memandu mlm tadi ke Walmart. Lefthand drive. Terima kasih pada suara perempuan GPS yg membantu. Frankly, kelemahan adalah pada lorong mana nak masuk sbb tak biasa dgn lefthand drive, gear pun righthand side, sgt janggal.

Ok, till then, bye bye again.

Ombak rindu

2011-12-30T00:30:00.000+08:00

At this point of hour, i've just finished full fledge ombak rindu movie via youtube.

Penangan ombak rindu, i ignored the followings:-
1. Hubby yg baru balik from futsal,injured dan mintak urut2 seluruh body.

2. izzah yg ke hulu ke hilir bawa botol susu she asked me to make her milk sbb dia dah ngantuk. Oh ya, izzah yg ni bukan maya karin, izzah ni my princess number 2.

3. Alyna yang minta saya read her usual bedtime story, mlm ni title is gingerbread man.

Begitulah sekali penangannya ombak rindu. Total ignore over everything.

Sungguh tak berperikemanusiaan saya ini. Sekian. By the time i finished the movie, semua sudah tido. Huhuhuhu.

Ma famille

2011-12-29T00:30:00.002+08:00

I found my another blog. This blog was supposedly function as my 2nd baby growth tracker and my breastfeeding journey. I just stopped breastfeeding, soon after i came back from 10days trip to US, adik dah takmau melekap lagi.Alhamdulillah, cukup 2 and a half yrs bfeeding.

Kenal tak?

2011-12-27T21:53:00.000+08:00

Have u ever......met this kind of person yg dia ingat kita ni kenal semua org kat daerah tempat kita tinggal atau bekerja? I sometimes cant understand this type of person.

One day, i went to the playground with my kids. Lepas tu ada sorang neighbour ni tanya i, where are u working now? I pun cakapla i work for IT company at cyberjaya. Then this neighbour, terus tanya,"ohhhhh cyberjaya ye...u kenal tak mis blablabla,dia pun keje IT company kat cyberjaya.". i mean huh?wth la soalan si neighbour ni kan..ok,fine.i pun ckp sorry i tak kenal. Apa nama IT company kawan u tu? She said she dont know. Ok. Fullstop.

Then today ni, sedang bersantai2 dgn hubby watching tv, dia cerita la this client dok tanya dia christmas holiday pi mana. Encik hubby pun cakap la..i balik kedah. Then kawan dia ni tanya kedah kat mana kampung u? Mr hubby ni cakap la dekat aloq jangguih, dekat2 dengan kodiang jugak..suddenly this mr client dok tanya dia, u kenal tak mr blablabla duduk kat kodiang jugak? Mr hubby pun spt ku, like wth kan...

Aku cuma tertanya2 la..kenapa diorang ni tak tanya je..kenal tak najib tun razak ke..sudirman haji arshad ke..erra fazira ke..hmmmmmm

Beauty resolution for the new year 2012

2011-12-23T23:51:00.000+08:00

Beauty resolution?

Every one loves to have gorgeous legs as they give a perfect over all look for your body.

Maintaining beautiful legs is a very simple process which can be done easily at your home.

The main key to get gorgeous legs involves in taking care of your whole body.

It is not possible for you to have gorgeous legs, if you do not maintain proper health. So, it is very important for you to be healthy in order to give gorgeous look for your legs.

Certain tips to maintain proper care for your legs are given here. Try to follow them in order to have gorgeous legs.

Maintain healthy diet: You need to start caring your legs by maintaining a healthy balanced diet. Eating proper food is very essential; include more number of fruits and vegetables in
your regular diet.

Regular body exercise: errkkk...i hv thousands excuses for this, but hey i'm gonna change.
Regular exercise can be helpful in removing excess fat from your body and also helps you out
in giving a good tone for your legs. Try to include a combination of cardiovascular exercises
and muscular exercises in your daily routine, which can yield better results and also include
exercises which will work on your calves and thighs in order to get gorgeous legs.

Remove unwanted hair: After proper toning of your legs, try to remove the excess dark hairs on
your legs, by using any method of hair removal process. Removing unwanted hair can result in
smooth skin on your legs, which can make your legs to look gorgeous.

Moisturize it: Regularly apply moisturizers for your legs and gently massage them for few
minutes. Oh i use victoria's secret pink cream.smells sexy.

Try vitamin rich scrub: It helps replacing dead cells with new healthy cells.

These are the important tips to follow, if you really want a gorgeous look for your legs.
Well said. I hope i will have the urge and determination to follow the tips. I personally
think that malaysian ladies, especially yg keje doplohpat (24) jam in front of pc with no
regular exercise will have big thighs, legs...itu adalah weakness saya. If u have damn
gorgeous JLo's asses but at the same time also had big legs, u'll look f***in ugly in a pair
of leggings, or shorts or dress, ya i must admit i do wear dresses and shorts at home and i
feel shucks to see the whole me in front of a mirror.lowest self esteem is no good et al.so,
peeps, if u love urself, love ur body lets follow the tips..i envy kim k and beyonce and jlo so to say nicole scherzinger.Oh ya, reason for writing this also because i saw this girl in a karaoke video clips with super sexy legs.Well, need not say further.lets do it.

hi

2011-12-22T17:50:00.000+08:00

hello thursday.1st entry.